Heading for "the hills"

So today I made like Lauren Conrad and headed for the hills.
Nah, I'm just kidding.  I decided in a fit of bravery to try out the canal for my tempo run.  Why?  Well, I'm tired of hills.  Since I live in Wayne County in hillbilly country, I can't find a flat course to save my soul.   Great for Placid training, crappy for a flat (er) marathon.  Cause everything is flat compared to Placid. 

57 degrees in February?  Aww hell yeah.  So glad to run!  I got out of work a bit early (thanks Jerry!) and headed out to Fairport to canal it up.  Bad Idea.

Except I didn't have a pants surprise....more of an ice surprise.  Just because its in the 50s doesn't mean the snow is melted...or de-iced.  Crap.  Plan B:  big loop around Fairport and my old stomping grounds.  I ran a nice 6 mile loop with a switchback toward the end.  It was tons o fun.  I do want to thank Scott Hetsko and Mary Eggers for the good weather, but who do I see about: stupid drivers turning right and not looking, random police chase scenes causing people to pull over basically INTO me, no sidewalks due to ice skating rinks, causing me to play chicken with 5o'clock traffic....ahh, the fun games we play during runs.

However, I felt pretty bad ass, because with all of my hill training, the hills of Fairport (is that an oxymoron?) were freakin awesome little rollers that I just went up and down.  Incidentally, I killed it :-D

The workout
8 miles tempo (8.04)
Time: 1:09:07
Pace: 8:35

As I walked back to my car post run, I ran into a few "runner dudes" getting ready to do it up on the canal.  I wanted to be friendly, so I warned them about the ice.  They gave me a once over and were warily friendly back, thanking me, but looking sad.  I told them it was all fine and dandy to run short or slow, but that I sandbagged it for the roads.  One dude puffed out his chest and was like "well, we're gonna run 5 miles, so....."  I kinda smiled, sensing the "dumb girl" condescention and replied "Oh well, I just ran 8."  And felt kind of like a tool for saying it, but I guess I get a little protective of my gender sometimes.  They looked at me and saw the back of my car....


Don't mess with homegirl. 
Am I a dork or what? 
You really don't have to answer.  Yeah I "run like a girl".
Try to keep up, boys.