Let's Try This Again

Things didn't go well last time I attempted to run on December 13th.  I was so frustrated that I didn't even bother writing about it.  After the half marathon, I tried taking about 10 days off and easing back into it.  That worked for awhile, but my quads still bothered me.  This time, I elected to take even more time off.  It was a full 24 days between running sessions.  I originally wanted to take off until the New Year, but I had a small procedure done at the end of December and it took some recovering from.

In the time off, I biked some, including a 25 mile long ride that took over 2 hours.  Biking is a good way to explore more of the trails than I normally would.  It just isn't the same from a fitness standpoint as running though.  For Christmas, I got a GoPro camera.  Now I can take photos and video while running or biking.  I tested it out while riding at Penn Pump Park on Christmas Day.  That was fun and I can't wait to use it when I run on trails and with groups.

I thought about running the last two days, but the weather wasn't great or I was just too busy.  Finally, today I felt that I had to get out there.  I've been disappointed that we had some snow a couple times the last few weeks.  I love running in snow.  While it wasn't falling, there was still plenty of if covering the rail trail today.

I went to Bicentennial Park to run on the Nor-Bath Trail.  The plan was to just run an easy 3 miler.  Another car pulled in right as I got there.  A girl got out and went ahead of the older guy.  I thought at first that it was a guy and his daughter, but I'm still not sure.  She was wearing Northampton colors, but since she was running and walking, she obviously wasn't a high school runner.

I wanted to start out towards Airport Road and then turn around at Airport Road and come back and head the other direction.  It was windy and I didn't anticipate that, so I was cold at the start.  As time wore on, I was fine.

I ran with a hat on my head and the GoPro camera.  That was a little weird and will take some getting used to.  I got one video and a couple pictures, but I guess the battery was low because it didn't work right and was beeping.  I didn't think it needed charging.  The video is very bumpy.

I felt good at the start.  My legs were great.  The guy passed the girl and I quickly did the same thing.  She was walking until I got next to her.  Then she started running again.  I'm not sure what the point of that was because she wasn't running fast enough to keep up.

The guy was moving pretty quick.  I slowly reeled him in, but I never did catch him.  I rarely have anyone else running on this trail, so I was glad that he was sort of pulling me along.

I was surprised with how fast my first mile was.  It was 8:18 and I wasn't running hard.  I guess I didn't lose any speed in my time off.  If anything, maybe the fact that my body is healthy will allow me to run faster.  My lungs definitely felt the time off.  I was struggling with my breathing, especially in the cold air.  I will get that back though.

I got to Airport Road around a mile and a quarter.  I decided that if I could cross the road clearly, I would keep going to a mile and a half out.  I got across with no problems.  I figured this would mean that I'd have to stop coming back, but amazingly that didn't happen either.

The trail was a real mess.  I was hoping that it might be clear and that the snow would've melted.  Instead, it was covered with snow on most of the trail.  I would've probably been better off if I wore trail shoes.  It was tough running on the snow, even though it was packed down.  I was slipping slightly with almost every step.  I sort of felt like I wasn't going anywhere.  That was especially true on the way back.  Wherever snow had melted on the path, it wasn't much better.  That just made the trail muddy.  My legs were caked in dirt by the end of the run.  That did make it fun though.

My second mile was the same as the first (8:18).  My third mile seemed to take forever and felt the slowest, but amazingly it was the fastest at 8:09.  Not bad in these messy conditions.  That final mile was really where my lungs started hurting.  That combined with the tough footing made me glad that I elected to only run 3 miles.

It was a good outing and great to get back to running.  I certainly missed it.  I just don't enjoy biking very much.  With all the time off, I want to continue to try to ease back into it.  I won't run on consecutive days for at least two weeks.  I also don't plan on doing anything fast or running on hard surfaces for awhile either.  Running a spring marathon is now doubtful too.

In addition to running and biking, I started tracking my calorie intake and I'm trying to eat better.  I'm up to 165 pounds from 150 pounds at the end of the summer.  I'd like to get back under 150.  It is better than the 110 pounds that I was when I was sick, but I still need to concentrate on what I fuel up with.  I also have quite the gut and need to get rid of that.  I won't become a healthy eater overnight, but I need to start somewhere and I think this will help.

Tomorrow, I'm taking off.  I want to run Tuesday, Thursday and maybe Saturday as well this week.  There is a group run at Trexler on Saturday.  I don't think I could do the whole loop, but maybe I'll give it a try and cut it short if things aren't going well.  With snow still on trails, I'm not sure where I'll run on Tuesday.  It would be nice to find an open sunny path, but I can't think of one.  Maybe I'll search around and see if any trails are plowed.

3 miles - 24:44 (8:15 pace)