Richmond to Winchester

Brrr  ... 17 degrees with slight headwind - real feel was 5 degree under bright sunshine.  Haley joined me for the first half.  Always love when we have a chance to run together.

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The route was simple - take 325 up to 119 and then west on 119 all the way to Winchester.   The first hill out of the gate felt like Richmond was saying "sorry to see you go - here's on more hill for the road to remember me by".  Boy did that get the heart pumping and the lungs working.  The road pic shows us just starting out on the hill.

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From there most of the route was downhill, or flat, except for a rolling uphill section about 3 miles in.  The Google maps elevation didn't show much, but when you expect all downhill and it's freezing out, the bumps can seem bigger.

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I was able to pick up the pace the last couple of miles and settle in under 9 mins / mile (foreshadowing:  which I will come to learn is fast for me to complete a leg).  After the run we drove to Hinsdale which will be pleasantly flat and shorter than most at under 6 miles.  Have my spot picked out for a road side covered bridge photo.

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Random thoughts for today:

 - cars on 119 were whizzing by, many I expect were north of 70 mph - Road is plenty wide, but felt need to keep hyper alert with on-coming traffic

 - water stop at cutout was in great spot, except for the Trump and Confederate flags flying.  Kept it brief.

 - Richmond, like Rindge, is another case where town halls are on outskirts and not in middle of town - guess some towns opt to look for more space and updating original town halls not practical.

 - last 2 miles were nice and flat - even had a nice walking paved path to help get out of the road.