As I've said a million times before, this is my favorite place to run. I ran there and plenty of other hilly trails as I was building up to Quadzilla. Since then, I've been absent from Trexler. It was good to get back today.
I don't mind running hills. The big reason I haven't gone back to Trexler is that I usually had to walk portions of the trail. The first I time I was there in the spring, I walked less than a third of a mile into the run. I was hoping I could handle 4 or 5 miles today without walking.The weather fooled me again. When I saw the forecast last night, it said upper 70s to low 80s in the morning. I figured that I would sleep in and enjoy the run later. Of course as I stepped out the door, I instantly felt the humidity. There was a nice breeze too, so I was hoping that might help.
Since I have avoided hills so much lately, I wasn't sure how I'd handle them today. I figured it could be a struggle. At the same time though, my oxygen capacity is clearing improving too. I thought that maybe the speedwork I've done would carry over some on the uphill parts of this run.
I was correct in that assessment. The first steep hill was a bear, but actually seemed easier than any other time that I've ever run on it. Once I got over that, it was a big hurdle complete. I knew that would be probably be my toughest obstacle since I was doing an out and back route. I wouldn't hit the big hills in the back.
I was breathing heavy at the top of the hill and it took me awhile to recover. The hill near the Bison didn't prove to be much of a problem. It isn't nearly as steep as the other hill. Before I knew it I was cruising downhill and out of the LV Zoo area.
The next section was the rocky portion. This is another area that I wasn't sure how I'd handle. Rocks can be tough on your ankles when you aren't used to them. I was relieved to find that it didn't bother me too much. I handled this section fairly well.
Following that was the long uphill section. I'm actually starting to like this section more and more. The gradient isn't that steep and it does level off in spots. It is definitely a tough climb, but it is manageable. It is also fast because it is straight with a stone pathwaye. I'm always amazed to see my overall pace drop during this uphill section.
The first part of the long uphill seems like the steepest. Once I got through that, it wasn't too bad. The big issue with this section is just the exposure to the sun. It was bearing down on me for this long stretch. I was starting to fry. Since the slope seemed less, I figured that I would just keep going. I was cooking at 1.75 miles, but it got a little easier after that.
I figured that I would keep going until the terrain got too difficult. Finally, I headed onto the annoying grass uphill. I was just under 2.25 miles, so I headed to that distance before turning back around. There are some houses next to this long section and a few dogs must have seen me. They were barking like crazy. They would have to get over the perimeter fence to catch me, so I was glad that I didn't see them.
I knew as I was going up that I would be turning around somewhere near the top. That would mean cruising downhill for awhile. Cruise downhill I sure did. Even with the first quarter mile uphill, this third mile was still run at a blazing 8:25. I was running easy too and that was basically my road pace.
It was a little over 3 miles when I came back down from the hill. I was dreading the rest of the run and I was unsure if I could handle the upcoming rolling hills at that point. I went back through the rock section, then onto the pavement. I saw a hiker coming the other way on this road section. After the pavement, it is a very steep uphill. I've walked this in the past. It is short though, so I buckled down and made it up.
At this point, I was breathing very heavy. The next meadow section was flat, but I took awhile to recover. I kept telling myself that I was almost there. Going back uphill toward the Bison wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. It was still taxing, but it didn't kill me. I then had a nice downhill before the final climb.
That last climb was long and gradual. It was the back end of the tough climb in the beginning. Going this direction isn't quite as bad. The fact that you are warmed up might be a big factor. I made it to the top and I was over 4 miles at this point. I knew there was no way I was running 5 miles, so I ended at 4.25 miles. I finished going downhill and fairly fast.
I walked the final quarter mile or so to the end of the trail. The next hill didn't seem too bad, but then I realized that it wasn't actually the last hill. I still had the steep one at the end near the Environmental Center. I never would've been able to run up that. Walking it was tough enough.
The heat really did beat me down. I went to the bathroom in the Environmental Center and felt a little light headed. I got some water and that helped. As I was heading back to my car, I noticed two deer right along the access road. I watched them for a couple minutes as I cooled under the shade of a tree. With the breezing blowing, it was quite cold in the shade.
After one of the deer crossed the road, I decided to walk back to my car. I was hoping they wouldn't run away and I could get a good picture of them. Of course as I'm nearing my car a van pulls up. There were no other cars in the parking lot and only one employee car. They stopped and watch the deer for awhile. I got some pictures of the deer running away, but I didn't get the close up that I wanted. The deer had let me get very close and I probably would've had some awesome pictures if not for the car. Again, I need a GoPro. My birthday and Christmas can't get here soon enough.
I was amazed at how fast this run was, especially considering my avoidance of trails and hills lately. The thing with this course is that you have be able to run quick between the hills. During Quadzilla, I had some faster friends that beat me by quite a bit. I know they weren't doing the hill training that I was before the race, but I'm guessing they had a big advantage over me in the fast sections. When you aren't running hills there, you can go quite fast when compared to typical trails. The route isn't technical. For next year's race, I'm hoping for the best of both worlds. I'll be strong on the hills and fast in between. That will get me near the top of the leaderboard.
Now that I know I can run a decent amount of the course without stopping, I will likely head there a bit more often. I can't totally ignore hills either because I am likely going to run the hilly Run for the Diamonds race on Thanksgiving Day. That is only a few weeks after my half marathon. I have to prepare for those hilly 9 miles too.
The heat kicked my butt again today. I can't wait for summer to be over. The fall can't get here fast enough. My easy week continues. I might actually do a double run tomorrow or Thursday, just to make sure I get enough miles in this week. Tomorrow will be another speedwork session. I'm thinking of starting mile repeats. It might be tough to hit goal pace, but I'm thinking I can do it with only 3 total repeats. We'll see how I handle it. I'd like a little more of a challenge than the half mile repeats are providing anyway. I'm thinking I'll run on the Saucon Rail Trail. Hopefully Kelley will join me.
4.25 miles - 38:04 (8:57 pace)
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