This winter I’ve been running on the Armory track at the University of Illinois.
The last time I used a track was in high school. Back then I was quite a bit faster.
Now days I plug along at a 10 minute per mile pace.
I am obviously not out to impress anyone, especially members of the UofI’s men’s or women’s track team who run circles around me during their practice.
But it’s a pace that I’m able to maintain, at least for a while.
There are benefits to running on a track, and there are a lot of things about running on the streets of Champaign that I don’t miss: Traffic, car exhaust, stop lights, curbs, potholes, imbalanced dogs, angry geese, angry people, extreme temperatures, and those darn concrete slabs!
When the weather warms up, I will once again take my place among Champaign’s outdoor runners.
But I doubt this will last for long.
As soon as the temperatures reach into the 90s, and we start experiencing high humidity, it’s back to the track for me!
Beyond the Mesas 
I’ve resigned myself to the treadmill, it just not the same, but at least there’s a TV in front of me. I was lucky enough to be running and watching TV when Lagat broke the AR for the 2 mile a month ago. I felt like such a traitor. It’s crazy how we are forced to adapt both with age and location. Keep loggin’ those miles!
You are inspiring me. I need to get me back into running again after a winter lapse. Currently living in Philadelphia which demands a lot of walking, I am at the least doing that.