I attempted my first tempo run in five months today, and did OK. For 4 miles I was able to sustain a mid-8-minute mile pace. Is it my fastest? Not by a long shot. But I've been working on building endurance first, then speed. Now that the snow appears to be gone, I can head to a school track to do speedwork there. Our high school track has been under construction for a few years (long story; don't ask), so I have to drive to another nearby town to get on a track. I miss the days of warmup and cooldown attained while jogging to and from the track.

But the track I go to attracts its share of wildlife, and spying foxes at 6 a.m. is well worth the drive.