Goofy Challenge training, part 6

Tis the season (no, not Christmas, although it is my favorite holiday, so in a way, I do mean Christmas) to have that morning gut-check and make the hard decision: run outside in the dark and cold or run downstairs on the elliptical? Except for the long run on Saturdays, which I’ll do in rain, snow, sleet, etc. much like the USPS, I’ve gone outside for my training run two or three times in the last several weeks. I have noticed that my long runs are better, seem easier, and seem to be not as stressful as last year, when I got outside as much as possible.