I've been extra busy with running and biking this week and today was finally the end of it. I've been running 40 miles and biking 100 miles quite often. In the long term, I'd like to run 60 miles and bike 100 miles a week consistently. Therefore, I decided to try it out this week.
I needed 10 miles of running and 15 miles of biking today. I decided to split up the run into two runs. I headed out early in the AM to run with the BCR. I don't do that often these days. We met up in Riverview Park
It was quite cold when the run started. It was in the low 30s. I went with long pants and a ColdGear top. I wore a jacket over it too and that actually ended up being too much with the lack of wind. My gloves and headband came off as the pace was brisk.
Since it has been a big mileage week, I didn't want to run too hard, so I wasn't going to try to hang with Mertz. I was happy to see Emily there so I could run with her.
We started off heading toward the boat launch. Emily said she was going to go easy, but of course we took off. The first mile was just under 8 minutes. My body wasn't ready and I wanted to complain that the pace was quicker than I'd like. I bit my tough though.
Mel joined us and we had a nice little group going. We talked about the usual training and such. Emily is running her first marathon next week in Philadelphia. The pace got even quicker. Time flew by with the conversation.
Mel turned around at mile 2. Emily was going out to 2.5 miles. I wanted to go a mile farther, but I figured I might as well turn around and run with her and have the company on the way back. We turned around on the path to the Boat Launch.
The pace continued to drop. It was now under 7:40. I was impressed that my breathing wasn't laboring at all. It felt quite quick. At one point, I was wondering if we were going uphill because it felt slower. We passed a bunch of the BCR people who were walking as well as a couple of the runners. With the out and back runs, you get to see just about everyone during the run.
The 4th mile was a speedy 7:33. By now, I was happy with the pace and feeling strong. We continued to cruise along. With about a third of a mile left until Emily was stopping, I decided to really kick it into high gear and pull away. I wanted to see how fast I could go. I almost went too fast.
Even though most of that 5th mile was the regular pace, this mile ended up being a 6:51 thanks to that fast ending. It was awesome and felt good to fly. Once Emily stopped, I ran a slow cool down easy mile by myself. I finished up still feeling pretty strong, even after running on pavement again.
After breakfast and a nap, I got on the bike. I ended the week with a windy 15 mile ride. That wasn't bad, but I was very glad to be done riding.
I went to a football game and then in the evening it was time to run again. I wanted to stay on a soft surface, so I went to the Nor-Bath Trail. I just had 4 miles to run. I decided to start in a neighborhood near Northampton.
I headed out and was across Savage Road pretty quickly. I had to wait at road crossings a few times. That was about the only interesting thing about the run. Otherwise, it was just boring and slow through the darkness.
It is amazing how hard a 4 mile easy run can seem. It just mentally seems kind of long for some reason. I've always hated short runs. I guess I'm not focused. Usually in a long run, it takes about 4 miles to get into the zone.
Eventually I ran past Bicenntennial Park and turned around. It was getting kind of hot wearing my jacket. I took off the hat and gloves pretty early on. I was going slow, so I wanted to be comfortable.
I just kept plugging along. Maybe it was because I was sweating so much, I don't know, but I felt a little lightheaded at times. The final mile started to get a little tough on my legs. They were feeling the affects of the big week. It was great to finally get done.
I know that I won't be biking as much when it gets colder, so I wanted to see if I could put in a week like this. It was definitely a challenge. It would've been a lot easier if I could have done a 20+ mile run earlier in the week. I would like to try to get in a lot of 60+ mile run weeks done.
Tomorrow, I'll take a break. I would like to hop on the bike. I'm not running though. My legs will hopefully thank me for the break. I'm actually surprised that they aren't too sore at this point. I guess since I've been running slow most of the time, it isn't too bad.
6 miles - 46:41 (7:47 pace) - Run #1
4 miles - 35:53 (8:58 pace) - Run #2
Weekly Totals
160.18 miles, 17:19:04 - Time in Hours, 11,515 - Calories Burned
Running 60 miles, 8:52:32 - Time in Hours, 7,117 - Calories Burned
Cycling 100.18 miles, 8:26:32 - Time in Hours, 4,398 Calories Burned
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