I get outside

There's more bitter cold coming, and a big snow storm, but at least for today I was able to get outside to run for the first time since getting back to running in mid December. It was sunny and 30, so I headed for the Downtown Airport, where I figured the ring road would be clear of snow and ice. There was no snow, but it was icy in spots and you had to be careful.
My plan was to start slow and gradually increase the pace to something like 9:30. No reason to go faster. My first mile was 9:40, followed by 4 miles in the low 9s. The last two were 9:15 and 9:17, and I walked off the clock for a couple minutes before my final mile. I finished 7.45 miles in 1:08:54, a 9:15 average.
I was happy to be outside, but I could tell my conditioning really wasn't there. I could have maintained that same pace on the treadmill without feeling like I was pushing it, but the same pace outside was all  I could handle. The difference, of course, is wind, hills, the hard surface and the ice. It all takes more of a toll than the very forgiving treadmill. The run made me grateful that I didn't sign up for the Ground Hog run tomorrow. I'm not ready for a road race.
It was fun, though. Can't wait to do more.