After 16 solid miles yesterday, I decided that I would try for another long run today. I didn't want to go to the usual places though. I opted to try Walking Purchase Park, near Fountain Hill. I had only run there once before. That was about 2 years ago. It was a bad experience because it was very hot and humid that day. I almost passed out after just a few miles. I remember it being quite rocky too.
Last year, I went on an LVRR hike and we started from Dodson Street. The section we hiked seemed more runnable. Also, when I was looking at a map of the place, it said that the outer loop was 10 miles. I thought there would be enough distance for a long run, so I figured I would give it a try.
I started on the yellow loop and wanted to run the outside perimeter. Instead, I actually ended up on the inside of both that and the red loop. The beginning was nice because there was a lot of downhill. It poured a lot early in the morning, so the trail was muddy and slippery in spots.
Some of the vegetation was a little overgrown, but with all the rain we've had this summer, that seems to be the case anyway. The Lehigh Valley Mountain Bikers built and take care of this place, so I'd imagine that they are doing maintenance fairly often. My big concerns with vegetation is both ticks and poison ivy. I must've brushed quite a bit of poison ivy this summer, so if I didn't get it by now, I probably won't.
The early portion of the run was flat and not rocky. The problem was that it curved in and out. There were no straight and fast runnable sections. That made it fun to run, but it also made it slow. That was something I couldn't afford. Even without walking much, my pace was around 12:30.
After going downhill in the beginning, there was some up and down after the first mile. The trail got very rocky too. It is a good place for technical practice. That is for sure. I might use it in the future for exactly that. I walked uphill every now and then, but not too often because it wasn't very steep.
I was frustrated not only with the slow go and the rocks, but the humidity. I'm not sure if the temperature ever reached 80, but it was still very humid. I was barely even running very long and was already soaked. That was so frustrating. I wish I didn't sweat so much. It wouldn't be a problem, but no matter what I do, I end up with chafing issues after awhile. I think I need to get another pair of compression shorts for long runs. I have a pair somewhere, but I haven't seen them in almost a year.
I knew the trail well enough that I knew I'd eventually come to a road. I decided that I would just quit when I got there. I had some nice views of the Lehigh River from the powerline cutout just before the road. I got to the road and ran up it a bit. When I got to 2 miles, I just stopped.
I had to walk about a mile back to my car on the roads. I wasn't exactly sure where I was going either. I did find my way though. I had thought about running at Lehigh, but since I was already soaked, I just decided to call it a day. I hate summer so much.
I guess I could try running in the morning, but I would imagine that no matter when I run it will be humid out. The temperature isn't bothering me, it is the moisture. The good thing is tomorrow is supposed to have much lower humidity. I might do a long run then, so I could definitely use that kind of weather. I'm not sure yet where I will go.
I didn't feel like riding my bike or running in the evening, but I was frustrated that I didn't do anything. Finally at 8 o' clock, just before sunset, I took off. I was only going to ride an easy 10 miles. I forgot that a storm was coming. I was riding in the school parking lot next to my house when the bulk of the heavy rains hit. I had to cut the ride short after just over 6 miles. At least I accomplished something. Back at it tomorrow. It will be a busy day with a lot of running and riding to make up for the slow start to the week.
2 miles - 24:59 (12:31 pace)
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