Even though I can't get myself up early, I do like to get my runs out of the way. By the afternoon, I was dreading my run. I'm used to it being done before lunch.
I decided on Jacobsburg in part because I hoped to reduce the pounding on my sore quads. I also haven't been on a trail in awhile. With the leaves changing, I thought the scenery would be a nice added bonus.
Originally, I was thinking of looping through the field west of the main lot. Then I figured that it would be pointless to be away from the trees when they are changing colors. As I got there, I saw that the part of the trail I would've come back on is now gone. They are building a new center there. I didn't want to mess around with trying to get back with that loop, so I opted to go the other direction.
I started off and felt awful. My quads just aren't recovering and feel very stiff until I get them warmed up. There isn't ever any actual pain, it is always just stiffness. I was going slightly uphill and felt like I was moving like a snail. There are a lot of trees in this section and I thought it would be great. Most of the leaves were already gone though, so there wasn't much to see.
I was less than half a mile in and I was seriously considering quitting already. With the sore quads, I was pondering what this run would accomplish. Rest was probably a better option. I wouldn't have quit right there, but I would've gone only 2 or 3 miles at the most if I made the decision to stop.
I figured that I had to at least get to 1.5 miles before heading back. I kept going. Of course, I started feeling better. Some of the climbing was a little tough, but overall I began feeling okay. I was running comfortably.
The trickiest thing in the earliest part was avoiding the leaf covered rocks. I had to really concentrate to make it through this part. I only stumbled maybe once or twice at the most. It wasn't the rocks that I could see that I was so worried about. It was more the rocks that were hidden under the leaves. Thankfully, they didn't cause me too many problems. The sunlight was going in between the trees too and also making it tough to see.
This run was so peaceful at this point. It was until well after a mile that I saw another soul. A couple of mountain bikers came by going the other direction. I love that solitude sometimes.
The sections in between all of the road crossings were tough. They were super muddy as usual. For some reason, I wore a white pair of socks. I avoided most of the mud, but couldn't miss it all. What made things very tough was the long, gradual uphill. For some reason, my right arch bothers me a lot now when I run in my trail shoes. I'm not sure if the minimalist shoes have changed my foot or what. It gets quite sore.It isn't painful and I can tolerate it. I just had to keep moving forward. I knew it wouldn't be long until I was heading downhill.
There were so many leaves down, that I actually missed a turn at one point. It didn't even look like there was a trail there. I know my way around Jacobsburg very well, especially the route I was taking. It didn't take long until I turned around and was back on track.
The back section near the horse trailer area was exactly what I was looking for in this route. Finally, I was running through an area of beautifully colored leaves. There were some trees right along the trail with wonderful yellow bursts of color. They were low to the ground too, so it felt like running next to a wall. It was so relaxing.
Coming back to the long path was even better. I think this part might be an old railroad bed. It is a wide path. With the yellow leaves overhead, this part felt like running through a tunnel. It was so magical. Even though this section is fairly long, it seemed much shorter today. I'm glad there are few rocks in this part, because I might have tripped on them while I was looking all around.
A lot people were walking in this area and I even saw a couple runners. One was a pretty big woman. I give her a lot of credit for being out there. Even though I like running along, I didn't mind sharing this beauty with them.
I usually come back on the road and then hop back onto another trail to finish up. That was the trail that was now gone with the construction. There might be a detour, but I wasn't going to find out today. I just continued on the road. I felt like I was running easy the whole time, but my miles were very fast as I finished up the run. I hit mile 4 and saw that it was 8:05. I couldn't believe it. The final mile, which was largely on the road, was 8:04.
I didn't realize there was a small hill on the road. That wasn't too bad, but I was glad when it was over. When I got back to the parking lot and then over the bridge near the bathroom, I still had about a third of a mile to go. I figured I'd go out and back on the wide trail just a bit. This is nice and flat. It is scenic along the creek, but it was nothing like the section with all the leaves. I finished up and made sure to go back and take some pictures.It was a very enjoyable run today. It is amazing how different the same trail can look at different times of the year. I've only been able to run in the spring and summer at Jacobsburg. I have yet to experience the fall or winter. I look forward to a few snow runs too. I liked the run so much, that I only looked at my watch about half as often as I normally do.
I'm hoping that over some time, maybe the sore quads won't be as bad. I'm not sure if they'll get better with less mileage. It may require full rest days. Tomorrow, I'll run with the LVRR Group Run. I'll have to see how the quads feel then. If they are bothering me on Friday, I might take the day off entirely. I'm going to a funeral on Saturday instead of running the 10K race. I might not run at all that day either.
5 miles - 45:11 (9:02 pace)
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