Yes -- I ran today and felt so good about it!

This morning was bright and sunny and cool here in Huntsville: a perfect day for running.  My upper respiratory infection, which started just after Christmas, has improved enough that I was able to take a 30 minute easy run and enjoy the weather.  Also, I was wearing a new pair of tights, which I had read about in a forum, to support my hip flexor or ITB.

Joy!  I was able to run without pain for the first time in a month or more.

It seems that the support and the additional warmth from the tights really made the difference to this run.  What a great way to start the New Year -- running again, but more importantly, enjoying it.  I feel inspired to ease back into my training program, but for now I'll take it easy on the hill and speed work.

That's what I always say, but if it feels good I generally push harder than necessary, don't you?  One of the challenges with running is that we always want to do better, so that inclines us to keep pushing harder.  That's good, except if it leads to injuries that set back the training program, so it's always a fine line we run.

I hope your New Year's run went as well as mine.  (You DID start the New Year with a run, didn't you?)