Tonight, I ran a 3 mile progression run. The last 10 minutes were at moderate pace. I ran around the Blue Eagle 5K loop in total darkness. It ended up being my best option with tonight's weather.
Originally, I was going to run down along the Lehigh River before dinner. The road I wanted to use was closed. By the time I got to the next location, I had to use the bathroom and there was none around. Eventually, I made it to the Route 33 Boat Launch. After the bathroom trip, I watched the water in the river briefly. It was high and actually flooded the westbound path. As I was watching the water, I heard a loud sound. I could actually hear the rain drops coming at me and within a minute it was pouring. I didn't have any good rain clothes with me, so I went home.
I don't mind one day of rain, but everything was still drying out from yesterday. I decided to wait until things cleared up after supper. That meant I didn't head out for the run until 8:30. I thought about running the Nor-Bath trail, but opted instead for the quiet neighborhood streets.
The weather was perfect. It was nice and cool as I started out. I cruised along at a comfortable pace. I encountered a few people walking (some with their dogs), but not many cars. It was a pleasant run. I have definitely become much stronger of a hill runner in just a short period of time. These short rolling hills of this route felt like nothing. Even went I ran faster, they were still relatively easy.
After about 15 minutes, I picked up the pace. I ran a solid 7:55 final mile which is perfect for a moderate pace. I decided to run to the 5K point. My total time was less than a minute and a half off my race time on that course a month ago. Not bad for a moderate training run.
The only problem I really encountered was some minor chafing again. I wore the shorts that bother me, hoping that they wouldn't be as much of a problem in the cooler weather. They were better this time, but still caused problems.
After the run, I drove to the biggest hill I know close by. I ran 5 X 8 second hill sprints. Those are meant to strengthened muscles and prevent injury. They seemed quite easy too though. The mountain running from a week ago really made me strong. Now, I just have to keep building on that.
I still really want to hit a trail this week. Therefore, I'll like head to Trexler tomorrow for my fartlek run. That is probably not the ideal place for a "speed play," but I can take it easy if I have to. Hopefully I can finally get on the marathon course on Friday.
3.1 miles - 25:23 (8:12 pace)
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