Easy run. Average pace: 10:07/mile.
Outside temp: 32°F, with a thin layer of snow nearly everywhere, and some slick spots, particularly when crossing streets where cars have been driving.
To look at my split times (10:41, 11:00, 10:39, 9:57, 9:19, 9:13), you would think that I started pushing the pace after the third mile. But it was actually a fairly consistent effort. The elevation profile for the route I ran looks like an upside down V. It's mostly uphill for the first half, and then mostly downhill for the second half.
As I've mentioned before, I've been listening to The Good Earth during my runs recently. This book takes place in China before communism and there is some discussion now and then of binding the girls' and womens' feet. I was thinking about how Chinese society put such high value on small feet for woman and the lengths they went to achieve that, but then I realized that we also value small feet for woman to a lesser extent in Western society. Last time I bought running shoes, the guy brought out a pair for me to try on. After I tried them on and liked them he revealed that he hadn't wanted to tell me before because it might prejudice me, but they were a wide width. I thought that was kind of silly. I just wanted shoes that fit right and felt good, especially since they were running shoes. I didn't care that they were a wide width.
I'll probably finish the book tomorrow. I've got to decide where I'm going to run tomorrow. I'm going to have to start early and I'll be pressed for time because I've got to run a final choir practice for our choir Christmas program tomorrow morning. (The practice is tomorrow morning, the Christmas program is Sunday morning.) I suppose I could run in the afternoon, but I know I'll have errands to run and things to do then. It'll be better if I can get the run done before the choir practice. | 