Well today is Friday, so it was the weekly dreaded run day. I hate this slow and short day. It just seems so pointless. I can't say the run itself was too bad today, but it wasn't great either. Usually I run 4 miles on Friday, but today I needed to get in 5 miles.
I thought about running up South Mountain from Lehigh's Goodman Campus. I came up with plenty of excuses why not to run there and eventually talked myself out of that. I almost talked myself back into it when I saw the mountain. I do love mountain running. My quads have been a problem lately and I knew some running up and down a mountain would not help the cause. It wasn't hot, but it was getting there and the route is exposed to the sun. I also hate dodging traffic and wasn't crazy about working as hard I needed to to get up the mountain.
The one nice thing about the mountain would've been that it would've kept me focused. Thankfully, that wasn't too big of an issue today. It often is though. Even though I wasn't going to South Mountain, I decided to run nearby. I went to the Saucon Rail Trail. It can be a little flat and boring at times, but it is nice and peaceful. The scenery is good too. I thought that might help make this a relaxing run.
The weather was fairly comfortable late in the morning, although still a bit hotter than I like. It wasn't anywhere near as bad as the summertime. There is a lot of shade along this trail, so that was a big plus.
The run itself was anything but comfortable early on. My quads aren't in any pain, they are just sore and stiff. It takes awhile for them to come around. The first few steps of my run must look awful when they are tight. They sure feel terrible.
After a half mile, things started to feel a little better. Not great, but better. With each passing mile, my legs seemed more and more normal. They never felt good during the run, but at least they got to the point of satisfactory. They hit that point at around 1.5 miles.
This trail is well used and there are a lot of walkers. What was annoying today was some of the heavy perfume women were wearing. I passed a least two groups of them that were way overloaded with it. More puzzling is that not only were they walking, but they were over 50. Who the heck do they think they are attracting, other than the bees? It was good a thing that I passed them quickly because breathing around them was unbearable.
Going out wasn't too bad. It did seem to move along at a decent clip. I still check my watch way too often. For runs like these, I should really just throw it in my pocket. I always want to bring it along so that I can check how I ran later on.
I definitely kept the effort slow and relaxed. I don't think the GPS was quite right on the first mile. After that, things seemed good. I cruised around at just under a 9 minute pace most of the run.
It was good to turn around and head back. I thought about doing a short out and back at the start so that during the main part of my run wouldn't have to go as far. I decided not too though and I just ran 2.5 miles out and 2.5 miles back.
I was feeling good on the way back. Then I hit the 4 mile mark and my legs seemed kind of dead again. I just counted down the final mile. I was thinking that I was approaching 48 miles for the week. Then I realized that I still have my 15 mile long run tomorrow before I get there. How stupid of me!
I felt some more energy in the last half mile, so my pace picked up. It felt good to be done. I finished right near where I started. I had a brief walk and then stretched under a pavilion. I need to loosen my quads up to keep them firing correctly.
After the run, I went to the Saladworks. It was good to eat a healthy lunch. I need to do that more. I just wish it wasn't such hard work to make healthy choices in this country. My dad commented that I am getting a gut. I always have one and can't seem to shake it no matter how much I excersize. I'm wondering if the pills I am taking are contributing to my weight gain. I'm running over 45 miles a week and not losing any weight. I should be dropping some pounds when I burn over 5,000 calories a week.
I'm great with the running thing, but it is the other part of my health that I struggle with. I need to eat better and do some other stuff too. I especially need to work on my core. My friend Michele did an ab challenge in August where she worked her abs every day of the month. I don't want to do it that often, but I need to pick up the ab roller more or do my pilates tape.
I might run more than Michele, but she is definitely more dedicated in the other areas than me. She's already lost a lot of weight and is looking to do more. She seems to be always working out and eating correctly. My mom always says that she wants to lose weight and I keep telling her that that won't really happen until she makes a complete lifestyle change. Michele has definitely figured that out and I admire her for it. Hopefully I can be a little more like her in the non running areas of my health.
Tomorrow kicks off a busy weekend for me. I'm doing my 15 mile long run in the morning. I need to start early (at 6 AM) because I want to go to a cross country meet at 9 AM at Northampton. After that, I'm going down to Philly with Angie and Stan. They are running in the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon on Sunday. I am going to watch them and a bunch of other friends as well as the elite runners. On Sunday, I also have the Eagles home opener against the Ravens to go to.
5 miles - 43:11 (8:39 pace)
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