Marathon Relay Prep

I ran my 6 mile long run on the marathon course today.  I wanted to check out how my leg of the relay was holding up after all the rain and flooding.  It is basically and stone and was in good condition.  The only significant problem I had was there was a pretty big puddle at the end of the run at Hope Road.

I started at Freemansburg and ran to Hope Road and back.  That's about half of my actual relay.  It's the part that isn't on paved surface though.  I went out at a perfect easy pace.  The first mile was dead on 9:00.  That was perfect.

It was a little humid and sunny when I started.  Luckily, the path is shaded, so it wasn't bad at all.  I just simply cruised along.  I got a little worried because I thought I might have to go to the bathroom early on.  There was a bathroom at the start, but it was dirty.  Thankfully, I never had to stop and make a trip.

My IT band bothered me a bit.  It has some lately, but it isn't too bad.  I need to start stretching and massaging it better, to stay ahead of it.  It did seem to improve as the run went on.

I was surprised that I didn't see more runners checking out the course.  I passed a few runners on both directions, but most were slow and I doubt running a half or full marathon.  One guy with a dog was doing a nice pace.

My mile splits were pretty consistent.  I got a little bored in the second half of the run, but it wasn't too bad.  I'm just not crazy about running paths like this with no elevation change.  The only excitement were the two trains that went by on the opposite side of the river and the gunshots from the shooting range across the river too.

One time on the way back, I hit a section that was open to the river.  That gave a very cold breeze over me.  I did feel a bit tired towards the end.  I decided in the last half mile or so to focus on my form.  I didn't run any harder, but smoother.  As I did, my pace picked up and I ran the final mile in 8:25.

I ran five straight days now.  I'm not in terrible shape, but I definitely felt somewhat beat-up and exhausted.  Tomorrow's rest day is much need.  I can't wait for Sunday's relay.  It should be fun.  The only thing that stinks is how early we're going to meet in the morning.

6 miles - 52:46 (8:48 pace)