First Miles Back Outside

This weekend finally cracked the door open to outdoor running again, and I didn’t waste the opportunity.

Saturday, with the sun out and the temperature hovering around 32 degrees, I headed outside for an 8-mile run. I went out strong but controlled, opening with a 7:53 first mile, then settled in right around 8:00 pace for the rest of the run, finishing at 7:57 average.

By mile six, I could clearly feel the difference between treadmill miles and road miles. My legs were fatiguing in a way they simply haven’t been indoors. The heart rate told the same story — sitting in the 160s and creeping into the 170s, I was clearly red-lining more than intended. It was a harder effort than planned, but once I got rolling, I didn’t really want to back off.

What’s interesting is that, despite the numbers, it never felt bad. There was no sharp discomfort, no sense of damage being done. If I hadn’t been wearing a heart-rate monitor, I probably wouldn’t have labeled it a high-impact run at all. It just felt like running fast again after a long stretch of restraint.

Sunday backed that up in a reassuring way. I logged just over four miles, starting with an easy mile alongside Maya, then finishing with 3.25 miles at Donovan Park. I ran entirely by feel on a hilly cross-country course and averaged 8:12 pace. Despite Saturday’s effort, Sunday felt smoother and more relaxed, which was exactly what I was hoping for.

Monday morning I was back on the treadmill, and surprisingly, I was perfectly content to set it at 6.5 mph. The run was smooth, controlled, and almost enjoyable, even with some lingering leg fatigue. That was probably the biggest positive sign of the weekend — the hard effort didn’t linger or derail the next run.

All told, I’m now at 41+ miles for February through the 9th, which puts me well on pace for 100+ miles on the month. This week includes work travel, so mileage may dip a bit, but I’m hoping to still squeeze in a run or two to keep the rhythm intact.

Overall, I’m satisfied with how the weekend played out. I got a legitimately hard effort in, recovered well, and didn’t feel like it took much out of me long-term. If there’s one small critique, it’s that I would’ve liked the pace to be a bit faster relative to the heart rate — but context matters. That was my first outdoor run, in cold conditions, and the fastest sustained pace I’ve run in quite a while.

If the aerobic base I’ve been building does what it’s supposed to do, the speed and threshold pace should come around quickly now that I’m finally back on the roads.

Takeaway: Winter fitness is real, but it still needs a few honest miles outside to fully show itself.