Sunset Run in the Apple Valley

Man, tonight was a great run! I didn't make it to Horsemen's after all, so I decided to hit up the route I ran last Saturday, 1 mile around the perimeter of Granite Hills High School. I set out just before 8pm, so the daylight was beginning to fade, the sun on the horizon, the temperature was thankfully dropping, and all the surrounding mountains were covered in dramatic shadows. I had originally wanted to get in more miles on today's run, but I figured with how much of a struggle one mile has been lately, I better not get ahead of myself. With all the perfect conditions I was really hoping for a much better time today, and I definitely got it. I ran an 8:38. This beats my previous best (since I started running again) by 22 seconds! That's the kind of progress I want to see. Plus, I'm finally out of the dreaded 9's (not that the 8's are much better). I felt much better on my run today than yesterday, mainly because my knee wasn't hurting. I didn't have much of a kick, though. I knew I was going to get a better time, and so I wanted to take advantage of that by shaving seconds at the end, but I had nothing left. I staggered over the finish line, completely beat. But as soon as I was done I took a deep breath and savored the surrounding scenery. What a beautiful evening, and what a great run.