Route 33 Boat Launch Triple Out and Back

I gave myself my biweekly Humira injection yesterday.  Sometimes that causes my muscles to be weak.  That was the case last night as my lower back was sore and I didn't sleep much.  Because of it, I missed the group run with the Breakfast Club Runners.

I still got out there by 10 AM though and I ran where they ran (at the Route 33 Boat Launch).  One thing that's nice about it is you can go in three directions, not just two.  I decided I would do just that and make it a run of three short out and backs for my 11 miles total.

I started off going east to Riverview Park and back.  It was nice and cool and this segment seemed to fly by.  I felt very good in the opening few miles.  By the time I arrived back at my car, it was about 4.25 miles into the run.  I stopped for a quick bathroom and Gatorade break (while keeping my watch running).

I wanted to do all these short out and backs so I could rehydrate.  After finishing the first segment, I headed north towards Freemansburg Avenue.  I knew this section was uphill and would be a bit tough.  I wanted a flat section first so that my legs could get warmed up.  The hill wasn't steep at all, instead it is a seemingly neverending gradual uphill.  After a few minutes, I looked down and saw I was already about two stories higher than where I started.  It didn't seem like it.

I wasn't sure how far I wanted to go, but I decided to run this segment in two miles each direction.  I was relieved to finally hit the turnaround and go gradually downhill.  The only problem was that shortly after I did that, I felt the urge to go to the bathroom.  I was forced to slow down, but eventually made it back down the hill.  The climb definitely had taken its toll.

The final segment was only about 2.5 miles total and west from the parking lot.  It is a dirt path right along the canal before turning into stone.  I thought it would save my legs, but it really didn't.  The uneven surface made it tough at times.  I kept on battling though. 

As I hit the final mile and turnaround point, my pace was a 9:02 overall.  I decided that I wanted to go under a 9 minute pace.  I worked really hard at picking up the pace and finishing strong.  I finished well under 9 minutes after the fine finish.  It was a relief to be done even though I was pretty sore.  An ice bath afterward was great as always.

Another solid week of training down.  I'm closing in on 40 miles a week now.  I'm very happy with my progress.  On Monday, it'll be back to the usual interval session.  I look forward to it after a much needed day of rest.

11 miles - 1:38:01 (8:55 pace)