Back in the Loop

This weekend consisted of the longest run to date and a short bike ride. On Saturday morning, I ran 9 miles. It's the first time I ran the Schuykill River loop in years. I add on another short portion too.

It ended up being an adventurous run. I got up very early and was ready to run by 630 AM. However, as I was about to start I had to go to the bathroom. The bathroom near Lloyd Hall was locked. I then decided to walk up to Lemon Hill. There were two portable bathrooms there. One was locked and the other too disgusting to use. I found a third one, but it was behind a fence and not accessible. I finally went back to Lloyd Hall and by this time it was open. Of course, I had to wait in line to go too.

Since I was doing such a long run, I really wanted to get out there early. Obviously the above issue caused that plan to back fire. I ended up losing about 30 minutes and it was hotter when I started and finished.

The heat still wasn't too bad and the sun was low enough that I got a lot of shade. As I hit Falls Bridge, I was wondering how I would be able to finish since I was already tiring. I actually got into a nice rhythm though and it wasn't too difficult. It's speed, not distance that causes me problems when running.

I finished at a decent pace of under 8:30 per mile. I didn't push myself too much. I did try to concentrate on my stride and breathing whenever I noticed I was getting tired. My feet were very sore and I actually had to ice them some that evening. Good thing I'll be switching shoes soon.

Sunday, I got on the old bike and rode. I didn't bother to fill my back tire up before going out, so it was very flat. Two people passing me on bikes actually stopped to inform me of this. I had already noticed though because I was traveling at such a slow pace. A women who was rollerblading actually pulled away from me. I turned around shortly after twenty minutes and thus rode for a little over forty rather than the scheduled full hour.

Today was a rest day. Tomorrow will be my first day trying out the new shoes. I bought the exact same shoes as my last pair. I'm going to incorporate Lemon Hill into my three mile run. Wednesday is a five mile run and I'm actually considering running along the beach, possibly in Atlantic City. We shall see.

I'm starting to make a decent in my training, but I still have a long way to go. I created a spreadsheet with each training run and race as a step and the marathon being the top step. I'm hoping to hang that on my wall this week. It's a good way to track my progress and keep myself going.