I needed a day off on Sunday, so that I didn't run too many consecutive days. That meant that my long run would be Monday (today). I didn't have to work today, so that turned out great and gave me some extra free time for the run.
When I was on facebook the other day, my friend Tom posted a map of Easton and a route they were planning to run for a long run on Sunday. It made me realize that I could basically run a nice, long loop around the perimeter of Easton. They ran that route yesterday and I altered it a little. They were on more roads and started from a different location than me, but it was generally the same idea.
The great thing about this new loop is that it basically goes from one paved trail to another. I wouldn't have to spend too much time on the roads. The other nice thing is that it is a loop. Running long out and back routes can be kind of boring because you are retracing your steps. Here, I wouldn't run past the same place twice.
The other important thing with the run was to make sure I got it in before it snowed. I started around 1 PM and was able to beat the snow. I'm sure glad I did because it is coming down very heavy already and sticking to the roads too.
Even though the snow had not arrived yet, it was still very cold and rather windy. Just another typical winter day. It wasn't as bad as a lot of the days that we've had this year though. I had on a ColdGear top and a jacket over top, but I could tell that that would be too much. I went with a lighter top underneath the jacket. Of course, I still had on long pants, gloves and a headband. It was definitely the proper attire.
I started off at Riverview Park in Easton, just off of 25th street. I headed out along the road briefly. When I ran 18 miles with Sarah a couple months back, we went this way to the canal towpath. Prior to that, I had no clue how to get to the D&L Trail in that direction. I had to cross over a bridge to Hugh Moore Park. I then headed east along the towpath.
This section isn't bad, but it isn't great. It is nice because it is along the water. It isn't so nice because there is a lot of industrial activity in the area. It was very noisy, not peaceful at all. The south side of Easton is a shady neighborhood too. This area is where the marathon that I plan on running in September finishes up, so it was good practice running through there.
The one thing I wasn't crazy about with this run was all the pavement. I'm trying to avoid pavement as often as I can. I just couldn't pass up this cool of a route though. I was sore in the first mile. Then at right around mile 2, I came to a stone path. I took it because it eventually meets up with the paved path again. This turned out to be a good choice because my legs started to come around and feel much better. The early miles always seemed to be tough, until my legs are warmed up.
I passed a guy walking a dog and a couple out on a walk. In this cold weather and on a Monday afternoon, most of the miles were logged solo. Before I knew it, I was near downtown Easton. I crossed over the bridge and headed down Larry Holmes Drive. This was a nice and scenic portion of the run along the Delaware River and next to downtown Easton. I continued on the trail under the free bridge and then under Route 22.
I then headed back west after crossing over a road. I made my way toward the relatively new Karl Stirner Arts Trail. That is a nice trail that follows the old railroad bed. It goes behind some old factories. This section was great because the headwind that I was running into earlier was now behind me. I actually was sweating a lot. I even had to open my jacket. My gloves and headband had come off earlier.
At this point, I wasn't feeling bad, but I can't say I was feeling great either. I would've liked to have felt stronger. I was only about 5 miles into the 13 mile run. My times were fairly consistent. The first 2 miles were in the 8:40s, but the next 4 were well under than with a fastest mile of 8:09. With the cold and wind and more clothes, I was definitely not as fast as last week. Plus, I started off slower than last week.
One thing I enjoyed with the run was being able to kind of break it down into segments. Since I went from trail to trail, I could just focus on the next trail. I went along Bushkill Drive briefly, but then headed behind some apartments along the creek and picked up a dirt section of trail. I had walked through this area just yesterday.
I then came out to Hackett's Park. This was one thing I was dreading. Climbing to the park would be a challenge. It was really the only significant hill of the entire run though. I was surely huffing and puffing at the top. It wasn't easy 7 miles into the run. In the park area, it levels off a bit and then there is short climb on the road again. I crossed the road and knew I was in for some downhill fun. That 7th mile with the climb was the slowest of the run at 8:46.
After Hackett's Park was one of the fun parts of the run. It was a fast and winding downhill and then I crossed over Route 22 on a pedestrian bridge. That was certainly cooler than going under the highways. I ran through a park and had some more climbing. At least this section was gradual.
On this uphill, I ran near a factory of some type which smelled funny. I noticed that I could see my breath. I thought that was odd because I hadn't seen it at all before and shortly after I passed the factory, it went away again. I'm guessing I was breathing in some polluted air.
I crossed the road behind Taco Bell (which they are rebuilding) easily, but going across the road by Easton High School was a different story. I ran along the road instead, until it was clear. This section near the high school was the trickiest because it is the busiest road crossings by far. I wasn't held up at either one though.
The hardest miles in long runs like this are often the first half of the run. Once I get to the second half, I count down and think of how much closer I am to finishing. At this point, I was 9 miles into the run and feeling pretty good.
I then headed along the trail through neighborhoods. That would be the setting for quite some time. There are a couple parks along the way too. I like this area, except that the trail could use some new pavement. I had to slow a little at some of these road crossings, but didn't do too bad.
This section was nice too because it was a gradual downhill. It allowed my body to recover much more. I'm not sure I could've handled any uphill running at this point. I was still starting to get sore. My biggest area of concern was my left foot. It hurt mildly with every impact. It had not been bothering me since the fall, so I had to watch it.
They were doing some construction along the trail, so I had to run on the roads around that section. I then got back on the trail. I crossed over the road on an old train bridge and was then heading toward the Route 33 Boat Launch. The trail to the Boat Launch is very curvy. It seems like it takes forever.
Eventually I came up to mile 12. I was still pretty far from Riverview Park and wasn't feeling too bad, so I knew that I would run to 14 miles. Otherwise, I would have had a ton of walking to do. Even at 14 miles, I would have to walk quite a bit in the cold aferward.
I was sore at this point, especially my foot, but the downhill was a big help. I was flying down it. I thought the trail was steeper than it was, but it was still a nice downhill. It was just more gradual. I hit 13 miles and kept on going. When I finally met back up with the D&L, I still had half a mile until the 14 mile point. I got there in no time and it felt good to be done.
The big problem now was that I still had over a mile to walk back to my car. The wind was in my face again too and I was cold. When I got to the tunnel by the Chain Dam, I actually huddled there to get warm and stretch. I was almost to my car at that point. If I would've brought my full winter hat with me, that would've helped with the walk.
It was a great route and I might have to do it again for long runs. The pavement is the only thing I'm not crazy about, but really that isn't too bad. The mostly downhill finish and the lack of hills is great for a long run. A loop is much better than an out and back.
I am working tomorrow and going to some basketball games an hour away in the evening, so I'll have to see if I can fit in a run. I would love to do some speedwork, but I doubt that will be happening after today's long run. I'm sure I'll be sore. I might just end up running down near the games or possibly just skip the run until Wednesday. I'll have to decide later.
14 miles - 1:57:02 (8:22 pace)
No comments:
Post a Comment