Training in Montana

6 miles "fast" according to my 5K training plan. I ran outside today as the temp at the airport said 41, and it's close to the city so the temps are normally the same. I was running in town due to dropping off my son at BBall practice and I was tired of treadmills. Thankfully I wore my tights and a long sleeve shirt with a short sleeve underneath and grabbed my thin hat and thin gloves, although I don't normally need a hat in the 40s. Driving into town I saw the temp readout on the Pepsi building and it said 30 degrees. What? 11 degree difference? That building normally has the temp right. After I saw that I noticed thick frost on all the car lots. Hmph. Billings is a 600 foot drop from the airport, being in the river bed of the formerly massive Yellowstone river, and I guess we have an inversion going on, minus the smog. Needless to say, I was a bit cold when I started out my run. My thumbs were frosty.

Started off about an 8:30 pace and kept that the first mile, then dipped to the lower 8s and then down to 7:30. I figured 7:30 was "fast" for me. I mostly kept that pace, dropping a bit lower sometimes and a bit higher than others, but it felt pretty good which surprises me greatly. I know I run much better in the cold but still, this was surprising. Maybe I can hold a 6:30 pace next Thursday.

When I'm downtown my Garmin always takes forever to acquire satellites, and I'm guessing it's because the Y is 1 block from the local TV station with its oodles of satellites. There must be interference. It ain't the tall buildings blocking the Southern sky, that's for sure.

AP: 7:46. Splits 8:45, 7:31, 7:32, 7:34, 7:23, 7:18.