back to basics

Today was the first time I had ran outside in 10 days. When I first stated this whole running thing I really wanted to get out everyday, sun wind water or cold, but there are just some elements that shouldn't be toyed with, like -10f at mid-day. When your entire world is trapped indoors due to cold its really, really hard to convince yourself that not running is the better choice. In my head all I've wanted to do is hit the streets, but my stupid brain kept reminding me how much I hate the cold so I just ended up staying in. Sure, there's a treadmill, but I get so bored running on it that it seems counter productive.
The good news is today the weather turned and it was in the mid 30's all day giving me the perfect opportunity to get out and see the road again. I wasn't sure how I was going to react to being back outside and not having the ability to just stop running and not worry about getting home, so I planned a shorter 4 mile run. I figured it is enough of a middle distance so it would be a good re-entry workout while at the same time be worth the effort of doing. I don't see 2 miles as worth the time anymore. Maybe if I was really pressed for time and I could turn a 2 mile run into something more like a speed training exercise, but just to run it seems worthless. So 4 miles it was, and I couldn't be happier with the results.
Not only did I post my fastest on road mile time to date, but also carried my fastest overall pace as well, scoring a healthy 8:09/mile. I don't know if it was the rejuvenating sense of getting to see the outdoors comfortably or just my excitement to be running again, but I don't know that I have had a better run to date. I felt great the entire run and when it was over I felt completely relaxed and ready to go again if I had to.
Maybe it was the time off, they say that taking a good break every now and again can really improve performance, so thats always possible. Regardless of the why, the fact is I got back out, ran a decent distance and had a great overall time. Lets just see if I can keep it up for the next 16 weeks.