I didn't get up to run yesterday before the Eagles game. It was a crazy snow game and I decided not to run in the dark when I got home. I just had a zero day.
Of course I had to get back out there today. I ran 20 miles last Monday, so I figured a 15 mile long run would be good on this day. I wasn't sure where to run as it was still cold and I was afraid it would be icy. I figured that I would run around the neighborhoods by my house. At least I knew the roads would be clear. I wasn't sure about the trails.
I then saw a text from Mertz. He hadn't run yet and wanted to know when I was going to run. I didn't see his text for over an hour after he sent it, so I was worried I might be late. It turns out I wasn't. We met up at 3 PM for the run.
I was grateful to have some company for a long run. It would've been more ideal to have someone to run with at the end of the run, rather than the beginning, but I couldn't be picky. He was only doing 6 easy miles. That's like the equivalent of a moderate paced run for me.
We met up at Penn Pump Park. The plan was to run to Tatamy to get most of the run done and then come back and run a short out and back until he finished. Then, I'd run around some more on my own.
I bought some new shoes last week. I wasn't crazy about breaking them in with a long run and in wet and potentially icy conditions, but it was better than running in worn out shoes. I figured that if my legs bothered me too much, I could cut the run short.
We headed out and it was a little tough for me at the start. The temperature wasn't bad and most importantly, it wasn't windy. However, the first mile is always difficult and my eyes water in the cold. I wore tights and a lightweight long sleeve shirt. I didn't even need gloves or a headband.
I got settled in. We talked about running, work and friends. It made time fly as it always does. Not too far into the run, a young girl came out of nowhere and popped out right in front of us on the trail. She was running about the same pace as us, but I didn't want to run right behind her. I picked the pace up and we passed her.
It wasn't long until we were out to Tatamy. The paved part of the trail was just wet. Some of the trees had ice that was falling down, but that was it. However, the stone part in Tatamy was icy and so were all of the wooden bridges that run over the creek.
We turned around when the pavement ended before Tatamy. It was 2.4 miles. I was feeling good. The pace was brisk, but manageable. It was a little quicker than I would do for this distance, but that was fine. I could handle it for 6 miles and then slow down when I was on my own.
The first mile was slow, but most of the rest of the miles with Mertz were between 7:00 and a 7:15 pace. Once, it was a 6:46 mile. It didn't seem that fast, but I said I needed to slow down. I did slightly, but not too much.
We made it out to Penn Pump Park and headed back out. We only ran out to the next road crossing, since we were inside the last mile of his segment. We came back and there was some slight breeze that slowed me. The legs were doing pretty good though, especially with the new shoes.
Right at Penn Pump Park, we hit mile 6. He stopped completely and I grabbed a quick drink. That was my only stop and I didn't bother to eat anything. I headed back out toward Tatamy. I then turned around a short time later and decided instead to run out the other way.
It was only a short distance to the Crayola Factory. I slowed down, but not too much. That's the nice thing about starting fast. Your legs get in a groove and you usually keep a steady pace.
After Penn Pump, I continued all the way out to Tatamy again. I figured that I'd be over 13 miles when I came back to my car. Thanks to the fast start, I ran over 8 miles in the first hour. It was about a mile more than I usually run in an hour.
I continued to run pretty consistently under a 7:30 pace. I usually don't run faster than an 8 minute pace. My pace didn't seem to difficult to maintain though.
I was out to Tatamy in no time. I then headed back. I had talked to Flo before coming out and she said she might be running while I was still out there. I wanted more company, but I was also glad that I didn't see her. She runs fast and would've killed me at the end of a long run.
On the way back, I watched my pace and realized I was running a solid half marathon. I think I was still around a 7:21 pace overall. I got to a road crossing and it was busy, so I turned around right before mile 13. I went out to 13.1 miles. It was a 1:36:47 on the clock. Not bad considering it was a moderate pace.
By now, I was feeling good and decided I would likely run 16 miles. I headed back to Penn Pump Park. I didn't cross the road there. I turned around at mile 14.72. That final mile and a half was tough.
I slowed down gradually. The pavement and new shoes were combining to finally beat up my legs. Running to 15 miles probably would've been a good idea. My IT band started hurting right after I hit that point. I haven't had IT band problems it awhile, so that worried me a little. The faster pace of the long run might've contributed to that as well.
I went even slower in the last mile and that seemed to help the IT band. It wasn't a problem as I finished. It was good to be done at Penn Pump Park. I needed some stretching, but didn't feel too bad.
It was great to have the company and it even made the miles I ran alone much easier. Even after slowing down on my own, the overall pace was a 7:28. I love my new New Balance shoes. They are so lightweight. I hope they continue to work well for me. I also hope I don't have to run on pavement too much, but with crappy weather, I won't have much choice.
Tomorrow, I'd like to do almost the same mileage, but split it up into 2 runs. I'd love 5 miles in the morning and 10 in the afternoon or evening. It is supposed to snow in the morning. I hope I can time it right to run in that. I love snow runs, as long as there isn't too much on the ground. The later run with an accumulation might actually be tougher to do. Time will tell.
16 miles - 1:59:23 (7:28 pace)
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