The title of this post is kind of a lie...I didn't enjoy the run that much. It was just okay. After a double day yesterday it was on to an easy run this morning. I wanted to run very early, but I couldn't fall asleep until late. I slept in a bit and started the run at 9 AM. That is still early for me. I was so close to running at 3 AM when I was wide awake.
Because it was an easy 5 miler, I decided to split it up. That is where the three way comes from. I ran an out and back in three different direction. I went to the Route 33 Boat Launch and that setup allows you to run that way. The plan was to go out in two directions along the flat for a mile each and then turn back. The last segment would a half mile uphill onto the Palmer/Bethlehem Township Bike Path before turning around. Since the routes don't meet at a specific point, it didn't quite workout like that.
The reason I like this type of route is that you are turning and heading for home before you know it. Even though the distance is the same, it feels quicker than a straight out and back run. Getting back near the car each time is a nice reward. This can be especially good for breaking down a long run. It also helps to refuel with drinks and gels if you are doing a long run.
The weather was beautiful again today. I guess we are getting a two day preview of the fall. I wore a shirt and it was chilly at the start. Of course by the end, I was sweating. The shade was a big help throughout the run too.
I started out heading west along the canal towpath. I wanted to go this direction because it is dirt and stone at the beginning. That would cushion the impact as I warmed up. My legs didn't feel all that great at the start, but they came around. The path is narrow at spots. It was overgrown in one section. I was thinking that that would be a problem for the upcoming marathon, but they I realized that the course goes around that section.
This part of the route was where I was stung by a bee last time I was there. Thankfully, I didn't go that far out before turning around. I heard some gun shots from the firing range across the river before I started the run and I thought to myself that it was nice that they stopped as I passed by. Of course right as that thought went through my mind, they rang out again. At least it wasn't too loud.
After turning around, a guy on a bike yelled that he was passing me. He said it quite loud, I'm guessing because he had headphones on. It startled the crap out of me and I jumped. I'm just glad he passed me in the wide part of the path, not the narrow section.
I started to think about my running form and why I my left side seems to bother me when I go slower. I believe it is because I was over using my left side and dragging my right side. Therefore, I was impacting the ground more with my left side. I need to find balance. For today though, I did the opposite. I pushed off a lot with my right side and drug my left side. I'm not sure if this is caused by trail running or maybe one side being weaker than the other. It also could have developed when I started running after surgery. Whatever the reason, it needs to be fixed. I am more efficient when running faster and don't have this problem. So much comes back to form.
After finishing the first out and back some additional distance came about. This is because I had to run through the parking lot before getting onto the eastern paved path. When I hit this path, it was 2.2 miles into the run. The pavement was a little harder on the legs. It is interesting because there are mostly people bikes throughout this route. With so few houses, there are rarely walkers or runners. Busy weekends are an exception. Of course as I was thinking about the fact that I had not seen a walker, I pass two in a short time period and see another up ahead before turning around. One of the walkers drove into the parking lot with his dog and it was barking like crazy then. I was glad that it was well behaved off of its leash.
Most of the people there were friendly. There was one guy that really liked to waved. He waved at me as he passed. Then he waved as I was changing shoes in the car afterward and as I was leaving the parking lot in my car. Usually you only acknowledge someone once on a path like this.
I turned around at 3.5 miles. I figured that would give me about .4 miles to finish going uphill. Then I would just walk back downhill. The beginning of the uphill wasn't all that steep. I never did hit the steepest section. That comes later on the path. It was a nice little ascending section to finish up. I turned around at 4.97 miles so I didn't encounter a woman and her dog.
It was good to finish up and I'm feeling strong. This easy week has been a huge help. I only have two more runs to go. I'll be running them Friday and Saturday (probably in the evening) at the State Park that we are camping at near Baltimore. Tomorrow will be 4 miles and Saturday will be 8 miles. It will be a nice way to end the week and the month. After tomorrow's run, I will have run 27 of the 31 days in August and completed 28 total runs in the time period. The mileage will be quite high too, probably somewhere around 150 miles.
5 miles - 43:03 (8:37 pace)
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