I didn't get my long run in earlier in the week, so that was the plan for Christmas Day. We don't have a lot of family plans, so I figured that it would work out. After I ate lunch and my sister left, it was time for the run. I got started around 2:30 PM.
I decided that I would start at Penn Pump Park and do the loop around Easton. That would give me most of the miles for the run. Then, I'd only have to add a short out and back to get to 20 miles. I ran 20 miles about 3 weeks ago, so I was hoping to do it again.
The weather was bone chillingly cold. It was in the upper 20s at best. The nice thing was that there was no wind. Without any sun though, it wasn't great. I still wore a fleece vest over my ColdGear top. I had long pants, a headband and gloves. For the most part, I was comfortable, but at times I got cold.
I ran 15 miles on Monday and 10 yesterday. I hoped for 20 miles, but I wasn't quite sure what my body would be able to handle. I had to at least make it through a full loop.
I started off slow and the legs were tight. Once they loosened up, I felt pretty good. It wasn't long until I was at Hackett's Park and had an early tough climb. That got me going too. It was a good thing that there is a nice and long downhill right after that.
Then, I had some more climbing as I headed behind the bakery, Taco Bell and the old Dixie Cup factory. Nothing was too bad though and I knew things would get better with some downhill after that. Right near the bakery, there was a giant dead raccoon in the middle of the trail. I later ran by a dead possum on the road. My friend Kelley would freak out when she saw a dead mouse. I can't imagine what seeing those would've done to her.
I hit mile 3 right before Easton High School. I felt good, but it was hard to believe how far I had left to go. Crossing the two roads on each side of the high school was difficult. They are always busy. Luckily, most of the rest of the road crossings aren't too bad.
I came across 2 people walking in the neighborhood section. I saw few people out today, but not many. The 2nd woman wished me a Merry Christmas and I returned the favor. That lifted me up a little.
I don't enjoy out and back runs too much, particularly when they are long. It is tough mentally when you retrace your steps. This was nice because it was a loop and the scenery was constantly changing. I could also break it down into segments and focus on a landmark a few miles down the road.
The section through the neighborhoods and to the Route 33 Boat Launch was great. It had a lot of downhill and I was flying. I went under 8 minutes for one of the miles. I wasn't working hard either. I was going easy. I couldn't believe I was only at mile 8.
I ran toward Riverview and the legs continued to feel solid. It was nice and comfortable from a temperature standpoint. I took my headband off. Later on, it stiffened up and froze in my pocket. I was glad when I hit the 10 mile point. It was hard to believe that I was only halfway done.
From this point on, I really focused on getting to Easton. I brought money with me and planned to stop at Wawa and get a Gatorade. Before long, I was in town. Instead of waiting for the light to change at an intersection, I crossed the road and got a Gatorade at a gas station.
Refueling was a much needed blessing. I stopped my watch while in the store, but I was quickly back to running. I didn't take much of a break. I carried the Gatorade and drank it fairly quickly. My pace continued to be fairly consistent. I was cranking off miles right around an 8:20 pace. I was in no hurry. I ran under the free bridge and was over the 13 mile point.
I headed to the Karl Steiner Arts Trail. This has a gradual uphill and I knew that it could be tricky. It had some snow on it too. When I hit mile 14, I was amazed with how well I felt. I started to think about maybe adding a couple miles to the run.
I was through this trail in no time and took the road back to the Crayola Factory. There was some uphill here, but it didn't bother me too much. The unevenness of the road's shoulder did mess with my legs a little.
Once I got back onto pavement, I felt a little better. I was amazed at how good I felt through 16 miles. I guess that is because I run 15 miles quite often. I started to slip up slightly after 16 miles. The legs began to fade.
I ran through the new section to Penn Pump Park. I was very happy to be over 17 miles when I arrived back at my car. I probably could've stopped for a drink, but I didn't bother. I continued on.
By now, I was already planning on running out farther, to get 21 or 22 miles done. I figured I should just concentrate on hitting 20 miles first. I came through mile 18 slipping a bit, but still not too bad.
As I got close to Mill Race Park, the trail conditions changed. There was a decent amount of snow on the trail. I guess that area gets no sun and the snow didn't melt yet. It was very runnable, but I had to be cautious. It may have messed with my footing a bit.
I wanted to get out to 19 or even 19.5 miles before turning around. I was startled by a deer. It was right next to the trail and it was staring at me, not moving. It was only about 12 feet away. I'm not sure I've ever been that close to one. If I was, it was in the woods and at least there were trees between us. This one was out in the open.
I got past Mill Race Park and the snow got worse. Somewhere around 19.1 miles, I turned around. I figured when I got back to my car, it would be near mile 21. It was starting to get dark.
As I approached mile 20, I started having issues. It might've been the running in the snow, but whatever the cause, the outside of my left calf started to bother me. I adjusted my stride and that combined with leaving the snow seemed to relieve the problem. This issue did cause the pace to dip a lot in the final 2 miles. After consistent sub 8:30 miles, each of the final 2 miles were over 10 minutes.
When I got near the road crossing by Penn Pump Park, I turned around. I wanted some more distance. I decided to run out until I encountered snow. It was now dark and I couldn't read my watch without lighting it up. I got to mile 21.
By now, it had become a struggle. I had debated whether or not to stop at mile 21. I talked to myself though and said that I would take tomorrow off if I ran to mile 22. I kept at it. I crossed over the road and did a short out and back on the other side of Penn Pump Park.
It was great to hit mile 22 and be done. I exceeded my expectations for the day. I felt better than I thought I would. There was some soreness by the end, but it was manageable. I'm definitely comfortable running up to 15 or 16 miles at this point. I need more runs over 18 miles in length, to make that distance feel good as well. The longer I can extend my endurance before soreness kicks in, the better.
Tomorrow may or may not be a rest day. I got snowshoes for Christmas and if I can find somewhere far enough north that actually has snow, I might try going there and running in them. It would likely be a short run. Otherwise, I will rest tomorrow. Emily and I were talking about a double digit run on Friday. We shall see. After 47 miles in 3 days and 52 miles in 4 days, I only have 18 more miles to go until I reach 70 for the week. It looks like it will be another productive week.
22 miles - 3:10:09 (8:39 pace)
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