I woke up early to run yesterday morning. I am going to meet Flo tomorrow morning and ride my bike. I figured there was no way I could workout three mornings in a row, so I waited until this afternoon to run. Even though it is Easter, I had to deliver a catering order at lunchtime. I wasn't crazy about doing a tough long run in the AM and then doing physical work after that either.
The big issue was the timing of the run. It was nice out in the morning, but I knew some afternoon rain was coming. My sister came over for lunch, so I missed that. She left her cat over, so after work I wasted some time playing around with it. That meant that I didn't get out the door until well after 3 PM.
I went to what is becoming my go to long run location, the D&L Trail between Cementon and Slatington. I love this section because it gives mile and miles of running. It is also all stone, unlike the section from Easton to Allentown (which changes surfaces). I went to the Cove Road Trailhead. I like this location because I can run out and back in each direction. It breaks down the run.
I looked at the weather map and it didn't look great, but not too bad either. I brought a jacket with me, but didn't plan on wearing it unless things got bad. I opted for just shorts and a short sleeve shirt. It was cloudy when I started, but kind of warm. The rain had just begun. I wore a hat too, in case the rain got heavier. I was glad I did.
Usually I like to head north first, that way I can go out farther. Going south only goes a few miles to Cementon. This time, I decided to switch it up and head south first. I figured I could get about 3 miles out and 3 more back.
I started off nice and slow. My watch showed it to be a lot slower. With the clouds, I guess my GPS lost a signal. I certainly didn't run over 9 minutes on that opening mile.
I felt great early on. My calves weren't bothering me at all and I was cruising. I was so sore all run yesterday morning. I really think running in the morning throws everything off, since I'm not used to it.
Even with the GPS being off, the first couple miles went by quickly. That is always a plus because these miles are mentally some of the most difficult, because you have so far to go yet. The only thing that was a little tough was that I was running into a headwind. It wasn't much of a wind and once I was warmed up, I didn't even notice it.
As I approached 3 miles, I saw something alongside the trail. I think it was probably just a log, but it looked like it could be a dog sitting down. I thought about going farther out, but when I saw it, I changed my mind and just figured I wouldn't mess with it.
Going back was a little tougher. It was some uphill. Still, I was feeling good and moving pretty well. At times, my calves bothered me slightly. Overall, everything was good. I just looked forward to the 6 mile point. When I got there, I would be able to get a drink. There is a house not far from Cove Road that usually has some dogs that bark at me. Today was peaceful though as they must've been indoors. I almost forgot about them.
I was back at my car before I knew it. I grabbed some water and headed up the trail. I was going to drink a little and then run back to the car. I didn't feel like heading back though, so I left my water on the trail. There weren't many people out at this point, so I didn't figure that it would be a problem.
I was now heading uphill in the north direction. Still, my legs were feeling great. The rain was minimal through the first 6 miles, but it began to pick up as I headed out again. It was refreshing for a while. I just tried to focus on each upcoming mile. It was hard to believe that I wasn't even 8 miles into the run.
I kept trying to figure out where to turn around. I wanted to go 3 miles out because then when I got back, I'd be 12 miles into the run. I was hoping for 15 or 16 miles total. Of course, those last few would be difficult.
I hit the 3 mile point out (9 miles total) just before the stable that always has horses. This is a cool spot because it is something different. I was still feeling good, so I opted to go out another half mile. I would then be through 13 miles when I made it back to the car.
I turned around and that was quite the shock. I forgot all about the wind because it had been at my back for the last 6 miles. Now that my clothes were starting to get soaked, I suddenly got cold. Even the first half mile back was difficult.
I just tried to stay focused on each upcoming mile. It did help when I went over 10 miles, then 11 miles and 12 miles. It sure wasn't easy though. I was getting wetter and wetter and thus colder and colder. I didn't expect it to be raining this hard. If I knew it was going to get this bad, I would've turned around sooner and grabbed a jacket.
I thought that going downhill would help, but I was too soaked at this point. The cold and heavy clothes began to wear me down and weigh me down. I sputtered along. My legs and foot were getting a little sore too. I knew I couldn't walk though or I'd be freezing.
I made it back to my car and was just under 13 miles. My arm went numb and I decided that there was no point in battling the cold to run just a few more miles. Doing 13 miles isn't what I had hoped for, but it was still good. With the rain, I really would've been happy to get anything over 10 miles in. My body could probably benefit from a cut back long run anyway. I was so cold after the run that I didn't even stretch. I just sat in my car and tried to warm up and dry off.
Three years ago, I was back in Philly during Easter. I remember a perfect spring day and a long run that I did while I was marathon training. It was at Wissahickon and was one of the best runs that I ever recall. The park was so crowded with people taking advantage of the great weather. I'll never forget it. With the rain, today was the total opposite. It was good to battle it out though and get a quality session in.
Tomorrow, I will bike a little in the morning. I have to check my schedule, but I might do a very short trail run at Jacobsburg in the afternoon. That kind of depends on if the weather is nice too. I'm supposed to take off, but maybe I'll just try a short and easy run. Tuesday, I'm hoping to run at Trexler and possibly complete the entire loop for the first time all year. Wednesday will be a fast day.
13 miles - 1:47:00 (8:14 pace)
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