Back From a Short Break

Well I surprised myself and managed to take a full three days off from running.  It wasn't easy, but I did it.  I was hoping to heal my shin/calf soreness, but that didn't happen.  I guess I'll just have to find other ways to deal with it, since I'm not willing to take more time off unless it starts getting worse.

After a few days off, I decided that I would do an easy 4 miles at the Saucon Rail Trail.  This is a beautiful, fairly new trail that I haven't run in awhile.  I was last there when I ran with some of the BCR folks in my second run of this comeback.  I had only run 1 mile at that point, but I managed to run over 3 that day and the first one was under 9 minutes.

Today, the pace would be similar, but the effort much less.  I definitely felt the effects of the rest early on.  My legs were very sharp as I started off.  I felt great.  The first mile cruised on by.  I thought this would be a peaceful run, but that wasn't the case in the beginning.  First, I passed a daycare and all the kids were out yelling and screaming.  Then, I someone was shooting a gun nearby, hopefully at a target.

Things did calm down though.  There is one part of the trail that goes over the creek.  There are some nice wooden railings there and the trail is well maintained throughout.  Even after some morning rain, the trail was smooth.  It was just wet.  I love some of the houses along this section too. 

Around 1.5 miles, my leg soreness came to the front.  It wasn't bad.  It is just slightly annoying.  Even though I felt like I was slowing, my pace actually picked up.  Before I knew it, I was at the turnaround.

The route back must've been more downhill than going out.  My legs seemed to start to feel a little better.  I wasn't planning on this beginning a progression run, but that is what happened.  Every mile got faster.

There were a lot of chipmunks along the route.  At one point, I came across four of them all near each other.  I nearly stepped on one, not knowing which direction it was going.

Once I got to the final 1.25 miles or so, I decided to truly make this a progression run and run the rest of the route at a moderate pace.  Of course when I did this, my pace kept dropping and dropping.  I should've went out a little farther, because I actually had to cross the final road just before finishing.  A car didn't wait for me, so my time slowed slightly and it cost me from running under 33 minutes. 

My legs felt much better as I picked up the pace.  It must be something with my stride at a slower pace that is causing me problems.  When I go faster, it doesn't bother me at all.  Maybe I have to work on making sure my stride is a little more efficient.

The weather was perfect for this run.  It was cloudy and comfortable.  Of course there was still some humidity, but I can't complain.  The temperature was in the 70s.  Even so, I decided to take my shirt off fairly early on.  Carrying it wasn't fun, but I didn't want to sweat too much.  Right as I was completing the run, the sun came peeking out.  I didn't see any runners while running, but came across three right near each other just after I finished up.

I went to the doctor yesterday and my weight was over 160 pounds.  I can't believe I'm running this much and still gaining weight.  I definitely need to start watching what I'm eating and I need to trim down my gut.  It is better being this size than the 110 pounds that I was when I was sick, but I'm not happy with either.

Tomorrow, will be the usual group run with the LVRR.  Saturday is my big race.  The Blue Eagle 5k.  I'm considering taking Friday off, but I'm not sure that will help much.  I might just do an easy 3 or 4 miles in Jacobsburg.


4 miles - 33:01 (8:15 pace)