7.5 miles steady

Felt OK to get in a few more miles, so in the afternoon I ran down Kozlova and along Botanicheskaya, which was also being dug up, and along the trail around the back of the Botanic Gardens. I headed up part of the marathon loop from last year and through the grounds of the new library, then straight back down Nezavisimosti. I had been slowed down early on by conditions underfoot, but in the last few miles my pace dropped below 6:30 in places as I fought to get the average below 7:30. Finished the 7.54-mile route in 56:19, average pace 7:28/mile.