Pounding the pavement

I am gaining my motivation back little by little, though the long holiday weekend did not help that much. :P

Saturday I ran for a little over two miles. And last night, I pounded out three miles! Woohoo! I even made it under my goal time of 33 minutes (I usually run, well jog, an 11 minute mile and I only had to walk once after a difficult hill). My official time was 32 minutes 54 seconds! Hey, it's under 33!

Now I have to ask you all a question: do you wear a heart rate monitor / pace keeper while running? I really love running outside but I really hate not knowing my pace. I can self-monitor somewhat, but if I am on flat terrain, I tend to speed up and then tire myself out quickly. Any recommendations on which brand/monitor to buy?

Also: does anybody else get really red in the face during/after they run. I looked like a tomato last night for about a half hour after my run. Seriously, it was like I had been in the sun for five hours without any sunscreen. Just my face though - it was weird. It may have been because I only did about a third of my usual cool-down. Opps!