Pine Grove Furnace

On Friday evening, I took in an easy run at Pine Grove Furnace State Park.  I kept hoping for the cold weather to break and it never did.  Eventually, I just ended up running in it.  I wasn't sure that I could complete the scheduled easy 5 miler, but figured I better get out there and get something done.

I noticed that the road by our campground was a public road.  It had some elevation change, but it was gradual.  I decided to give it a try.  The route was actually perfect.  It ran through the woods and was lightly traveled.  I only encountered one car during the whole run.

It started uphill, so I went easy.  The hill helped me keep my pace under control.  I cruised along very comfortable (other than the cold).  It was a good start as I passed some small creeks along the way.  I decided to turn around at about a mile and a half.  My IT band was acting up a little and I was still cold.

Going downhill only made the weather worse.  I had a long sleeve shirt on, but really needed gloves and ear protection.  My ears began to ache and I hands were getting numb.  I didn't push it at all downhill.  I wanted to make sure I recovered from Thursday's tough run.  At one point, I even stopped for a bathroom break.

I saw a flash of white going through the woods next to the road.  I thought it might've been a deer.  Sure enough, a second deer came running up the road in front of me and then jumped into the woods.  I keep seeing so many deer on my runs.  That's so cool.  I finished up at the campground and at least got 3 miles in.  I was just too cold to do any more.  There was no reason to make myself feel worse.  It wasn't what I hoped for, but I at least got out there and ran.

3 miles - 31:11 (10:25 pace)