Update.

I ran today, a 6.67 mile combination of the route featured below. It was awesome. Not fast, but I felt like I just dug in and pushed it out, controlling my effort the whole time. I almost wanted to keep going.

And I ran in my new bad-ass pants/tights! They remind me of old man pants: high on the waist, pockets at the hips sticking out a little, taper at the bottom is snug. But they keep me warm (and yet have ingenious breathing panels to keep me from overheating), are generous enough to allow a lighter pair underneath on really cold days, and have multiple zip pockets.

To verify old mannish-ness, I will take pictures this Saturday at the Hermes Reindeer Run 5K (now, I pretty much don't get out the door for under 5 miles, but a friend, a even newbie-er runner than I, asked me to run it with him, and I just wonder if the successful completion of a shorter race might not give me some much-needed confidence. Also, never having done a 5K, I wonder how fast I could do it).

I feel back in the saddle, ready to knock out some speed work on the treadmill, or maybe a lazy five miles tomorrow, and gung ho to yoga it up for some strength and flexibility. Let's just hope this optimism lasts at least through Saturday's race!