Rebound

Towpath left some encouraging words following my perceived-as-terrible workout that, in that context, weren't very effective, yet when viewed in relation to Thursday's run were quite prescient. He said I had improved since November.
As I have every Thursday for the last two years when I am running a solid mileage, I ran 12 miles, on my Pimmit-Idylwood loop, planning to neither push the pace or take it easy. I wasn't quite sure where the mile markers were, so I took splits at varying points to check later. At the point that I found out to be 3.1 miles in, I was at 18:36. By comparison, at the Candy Cane City 5k in early November, I ran 18:31 for 5k. Thursday, I kept going for nine more miles. So, Towpath was right, I had improved.
Despite having to stop three times at traffic lights for a while, which made me cool down quite a bit, I ran the 12 miles at 6:08 pace. The only times I felt discomfort were about 7.5 miles in, when I climbed a steep hill after standing at the corner of Idylwood and Leesburg Pike for a minute or two, and the last three miles, when my stomach started to act up. Stopping for traffic was a pain, but I really enjoyed rolling on Venice toward the end. I hit 9.75 miles exactly in an hour.
So, I am feeling a bit better about myself after that display.
I could use a swift five-mile tempo on Saturday.