I thought about riding last night. Instead, I took Sunday completely off. That meant a big Monday as usual. I wanted to run 15 miles. Since I handled some rail trails (Nor-Bath anyway) pretty well last week, I decided to run at the Saucon Rail Trail. It has now been extended a couple miles.
One of the reasons I decided on a rail trail is because I wanted the mileage, but didn't have the time for a slower trail run. I figured this would be perfect. I had a great week last week. Today, there were at least some issues.
It was a beautiful fall day. The temperature was in the mid 50s and the sun was out. There was some wind, but nothing too bad. I wore shorts and a short sleeve tech shirt.
I started at Upper Saucon Community Park. If I began at Water Street, it would have required a long out and back or multiple out and back segments. I didn't want to do that.
I started heading south. This is the new section that just opened. I rode my bike on it, but had yet to run on it. It began by going uphill. It was steep initially and then gradual. With the sun out, I was actually hot in the beginning. It was tricky though because there was a breeze that bothered me some as I was running into it.
I ate an Atomic Burger from Sheetz about an hour and a half before the run. I knew that wasn't the best idea. I was definitely sluggish at the start. I did feel better though as the run went on.
Going out was uneventful. The trail ended at 2.2 or 2.3 miles. I was hoping it might go a little farther. I wanted at least 5 miles in this first segment, so I ran out on the road until 2.5 miles. I then turned around and had to go uphill.
The first few miles had been slow, but now that I was heading back on the trail, I was cruising. This must've been a gradual downhill. After an 8:57 opening mile, mile 5 was run at 8:04. I was back at my car, but didn't stop.
I headed out in the other direction. I've run here many times before. I wanted to make sure that I did a minimum of 3 miles out and 3 more back. That way I would be at least at mile 11 when I arrived back at the car.
This part was nice because there was a lot of gradual downhill. The trail was fairly busy and the scenery was solid. I cruised around. Most of my miles were now under 8 minute pace.
I was going out farther and farther. This is the part of long runs where I usually get into a zone. The first 5 miles and the last 5 miles of a run of this distance can be tough, but the middle is kind of sweet.
I just kept trying to go another half mile out. Every time I did that, it meant an additional mile onto the total when I arrived back at the car. I finally turned around at mile 9. I had almost made it to Water Street. Now, I would get back to my car after 13 miles. I could tough out another 2 miles, I figured.
I turned around and it definitely got harder. I was going slightly uphill and the wind was at my face. I was still happy to be running consistent miles under 8 minute pace, especially since I was running with an easy effort. My breathing was laboring from time to time because of the wind, but that was it.
Getting to mile 10 was huge. I always love hitting double digits. By now, I was doing okay, but not feeling as great as I hoped. Some soreness was developing particularly with my back. I guess I still struggle with crushed stone surfaces. Normally, I feel great at mile 11, but I was starting to slip by now.
All of the gradual uphill didn't help. I continued to just focus on the task at hand and the next mile. Getting to 12 miles was huge. Before I knew it, I had fought hard and struggled back to the car.
I didn't want to stop now either. I still had water left. Not stopping did make it difficult. I usually take a break on long trail runs. By now, my legs were slowly getting beat up.
I headed out ion the new section. I knew mile 14 would be uphill and thus the toughest. If I could just get past that, I could turn around and cruise downhill. I grinded out mile 14. Mile 13 was 8:22 and this mile was 8:28. I was slipping, but not too bad.
The last mile was awesome thanks to the downhill. I was able to use it and really push myself. After failing apart earlier, I bounced back to end the run with a 7:36 mile. That dropped my overall pace below 8:10.
It was definitely a solid 15 miles. I've felt far worse after 15 mile runs and also far better. My legs and back were sore. It wasn't too bad, but I thought that I'm better adapted to 15 mile runs at this point. I guess it was all about the surface that I was running on and the repetitive nature of the run.
I'm not in too bad of shape. I rode my bike for 15 more miles in the darkness and that helped a lot with recovery. I should feel fine tomorrow. I'll probably ride in the afternoon and then at night, I want to run a 5K in Reading. I really want to see where I'm at from a speed standpoint. I don't expect to break 20 minutes quite yet, but I'm think I should break 21 anyway. I'm looking forward to racing again and I love doing so at night. I think it is a flat course.
15 miles - 2:02:09 (8:09 pace)
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