Anatomy of a Friday Morning Run

The past few days have seen a sharp increase in the temps, resulting in much melting and refreezing during the night. While most were hoping for a "White Christmas," we had to settle for a grayish-off-white holiday.
Run: 3.6 miles in :26:49 min. @ 7:40 a.m.
Weather: Mostly Cloudy, 24°F, 32% Humidity, Wind: CALM; feels like 24°F.
Pace: 7:32 min/mile.
Course: Around my snow=cleared, slightly frozen neighborhood streets and sidewalks.

As I ease my way back into a training regiment during these next ten days away from school, I am keenly aware that despite my desire to go longer, faster, that the ache in my knees and ankles (from the "dust" and past wear and tear) is a strong indicator that I should take it slow and build to a base. Where as in the past, a "normal run might be for about 50 minutes and a 7:20-30 min/per mile pace, taking me about six to seven miles (minimally) each run... now I need to think shorter, consistently building distances first.

With all of this in the back of my head, I prepared for a three-to-four-and-a-half mile run this morning after Christmas, to continue to build on the same-ish distance completed Wednesday.

So, what happened today?

Fortunately, the city streets in my neighborhood were relatively quiet (thanks, no doubt, to the super-post-Christmas sales going on in suburbia!), and most of the streets were fairly clear of slush and snow, except for the occasional patch of black ice. In the end, I put together a brisk jaunt of about 3.6 miles at a pace of 7:31 minutes per mile. Due to the break in school over the next week, I may momentarily take advantage and bump up the number of days (usually 3-4) I train weekly, but will continue to be aware of increasing the mileage of each run to quickly or dramatically.

Embrace your invincible summer!