The title is sort of a lie. I did run twice and I did so because it was nice in the afternoon. However, it was miserable during my second run in the evening. That was the LVRR Group Runn though.
I wanted to get some extra mileage in, but also wanted to make sure I still rested tomorrow with my 5K race on Saturday. Therefore, I decided to run twice. Initially, I wanted to run early in the morning, but I couldn't get out of bed. I didn't end up having any work today, so I ran at lunch time.
I just wanted an easy 3 miles and I wanted it to be close to home. I was considering running the Blue Eagle 5K course. As I was about to leave, my mom said she was taking recycling down the street. I asked her to just drop me off and I'd run home. She actually forgot the recycling.
I had her drop me off at an old dairy store not too far away. I figured that it would probably be pretty close to a 3 mile run home. We rode our bikes to this store when we were kids, but now it is closed. That is kind of sad. I miss those summers.
It was a rare day with the temperature fairly high and the sun shining bright. Of course we still had wind, but I'll gladly settle for 2 out of 3. That's far better than we've had lately.
I left the dairy store and ran down a hill then along a long stretch of road. I wanted to run this area because it is relatively rural. Rural it sure was. I could smell plenty of cow dung from the nearby farms. I enjoyed the run except for the fact that the wind was blowing in my face. I can just never escape it. Of course I was only running one direction, so I had no choice but to face it head on.
I couldn't believe how fast the 1st mile was. I was running easy and somehow it was well under an 8 minute pace. It is amazing what running in just shorts and a long sleeve top can do. I can't wait to see what kind of times the warmer weather will bring. It would've been even more amazing without any wind.
The long road is about 1.25 miles long. It was great because I only encountered 2 cars the entire time. There was a slight hill towards the end. It was nothing too bad though. As I turned onto Georgetown Road, I had to face a short, but steep hill. Then I was back into the neighborhood and headed towards home. The 2nd mile was slower, but still under 8 minutes.
The 3rd mile was all through the neighborhood. It was peaceful and easy. Before I knew it, I was done. It was almost perfect. I hit the 3 mile point right as I was just across the street from the elementary school that is next to my house. I thought I might have to add some distance or shorten the route and walk, but it was pretty much dead on.
After a few hours of rest, it was on to the LVRR Group Run. The sun set and it seemed like the wind picked up. Whatever the case, it was the terrible weather that I've become accustomed to. Not surprisingly, I was the only one that showed up.
I decided I would try a new route. I headed out into the blast of wind. It was a brutal way to start. I then did the usual run up the hill to Lehigh's campus. This time as I was on the normal route, I saw another hill up into the heart of the campus. I figured why not go there too. There were some students out, but not many. They were all bundled up. They must've thought I was crazy running with just shorts and a jacket. It actually wasn't all that bad. I could've used some ear protection, but I didn't anticipate it being so cold, so I had nothing with me.
I ran west through South Side Bethlehem. It is an area that I don't know all that well. There has never been a reason to spend much time there. I knew the tricky part would be crossing Route 378 and it was. I didn't want to stop, so I ended up going down the hill and then back up it after I crossed over. I was happy to get some extra hills in.
I went by a cemetery that I've never seen before. The first 2 miles seemed to take forever. With all the hills and wind, they were quite slow. It was nothing like the earlier run. I do know the area in general. I was hoping to get to the pool in Fountain Hill and add some more hills around there.
I got to Fountain Hill and managed to cross a busy road. I continued out, but never did make it to the pool. At 2.5 miles, I turned around and headed back. I knew I'd need to add a little distance. I decided that I would run up another hill and do a little bit of a loop.
I ended up running up the hill and then right around St. Luke's Hospital. I was hoping to come across some cute nurses, but I had no luck. Unfortunately, I've spent enough time in hospitals to know that they usually don't change shifts around the time I was running in that area.
After the hospital, I was back onto the main road towards Steel Stacks. This was the opposite direction of the way I started the run, yet somehow I was facing a headwind again. It was very frustrating. Coming out of Fountain Hill was nice because it is a steep uphill.
Again, I got to Route 378 and didn't want to stop. I ran back and forth until I could finally cross clearly. I saw that there is a road under the Hill to Hill Bridge. I'll have to check a map and see if it goes anywhere. Maybe it can be used in the future.
I was finally back at Steel Stacks and again the distance was perfect. I hit the 5 mile point just before the main building. I couldn't have run these 2 runs any more perfect when it came to distance.
The inside of my left ankle was sore after the 8 miles on pavement today. I massaged it a lot as well as stretched it. It is kind of frustrating that it is bothering me, but I'm just glad that my quads are doing well. It would just be nice to have zero problems for a change.
As I said, tomorrow is a rest day. Saturday is the 5K race in Nazareth. It should be fun. I hope to do well, but really have no expectations. Maybe I can surprise myself. The weather is supposed to be better. I'll keep my fingers crossed.
Run 1: 3 miles - 23:18 (7:46 pace)
Run 2: 5 miles - 44:06 (8:49 pace)
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