Monday, May 28, 2012

Indy Run #3 (5/26/12)


This was my last run in Indy.  Saturday has no track activities, so it is a perfect day for a run.  The only problem of course would be the warm temperatures.  I headed out around 9 AM.  I would’ve liked to have started a little earlier, but that’s what time it was when I finally got going after rolling out of bed.

The plan was to run along the soft canal path that I did the other day.  That planned failed miserably though.  I never found the right road to turn on.  At one point, I thought I was headed towards 38th Street and I instead ended up on 16th Street.  I completely had my directions backward.

Luckily, there are plenty of areas to run.  Eventually, I made a quick bathroom stop and just headed out along a different river path.  I figured I’d do two out and back runs, that way I could stop for water at the car in between.  I headed out and shortly crossed a bridge.  I went the wrong way at first, but I quickly found the path.

Although I wasn’t happy that the path was pavement, I was thrilled when I crossed the bridge.  That section was in the shade.  I cruised along there.  Early on, my legs were a bit sore from last night and I wasn’t sure if they’d get worse and I’d have to cut the route short.  They came around after a while though.

The route was nice and scenic.  The river was on one side (along blocked by trees) and a golf course was on the other side.  I passed a few people, including a woman that looked to be about 250 pounds.  It was nice to see her trying and hopefully she will keep it up.  Mostly, I had the trail to myself though.

After almost a mile and a half, the trail ended and I had to run on the road.  That might’ve been the perfect place to turn around for two even out and backs.  I wanted to keep going until at least mile two of this six mile run.  That way, I’d be in the shade much longer.  It turned out to be a good idea.

I managed to find the only hill in Indiana on the way out.  It wasn’t much of a hill, but it was a nice change.  I ran on the wrong side of the road, but there was a wider shoulder on that side.  I decided to keep going until I hit mile two and a quarter.  There were some nice houses around the turnaround point.

Going back, I just kept focusing on getting to the next mile.  Once I got to mile 3, I was getting a little sore.  I figured if I had at least made it another mile back to the car, I’d be happy.  I wasn’t too bad by the time I hit mile four.

The last two miles were mostly on the other side of the bridge and now directly in the sunlight.  I actually thought my pace might’ve been a little too fast, so I slowed down.  Shortly after mile four and a half, I was back and the car and got a quick bottle of water.  That helped some in the sun, but it was still hot.

The last mile and a half was really draining.  Luckily, my legs weren’t bothering me much.  The heat was just getting to me.  The few trees I ran by provided shade, which was a huge relief.  Right as I was about to turn around, I came across a stretch of trees.  I was going to keep going until the end of them, but I saw a guy who looked a bit thuggish, so I just turned around early.
The last half mile would’ve been really tough, but I knew it was almost over so it wasn’t too bad.  I finished up and stretched and rehydrated.  I have some soreness, but once I again I’m surprised at how minimal it is.

I’ll definitely be taking off tomorrow, with the race going on.  That will be some walking in the heat.  If I recover well (which I expect), I’ll run back home on Monday.  I won’t be getting much sleep the night before though.  There is also a LVRR picnic at 2 PM on Monday, if I’m not too drained.  It has been a fun week running here.  I’m very happy with my progress as well.

6 miles – 57:13 (9:32 pace)

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