It was a beautiful day. I didn't get up this morning to run with the BCR. That meant that that I was on my own for the planned 7 miles. I figured most trails should be good, so I went to the D&L at Cementon. That can be nice and soft if it is wet.
It was in the mid to upper 40s when I started the run. I wore shorts and a short sleeve shirt. It is great to be able to do that. I broke in my new shoes too. They did end up being a mess by the end of the run.
A couple people were about to ride bikes and I overheard a guy telling them that there was snow up the trail. I couldn't believe that it didn't melt, but I figured that I would head out there anyway. It wasn't snowy initially, but about .4 miles into the run, I encountered the snow section.
It was tough to find a clear spot. It was like a trail run. I'm not sure why it was still there. This section was in between two gates, so maybe they actually tried to plow it and it got compacted. There was a layer of melted ice. Eventually, I made it through this .6 miles of snow.
That slowed me up, as did the fact that it was the opening mile. Still, with my new shoes, the legs felt amazing. There is nothing quite like wearing new shoes. That first mile was still an 8:03.
I saw a runner in the snow section and a few more runners and walkers. I was planning on going out to mile 3.5 and then I'd turn around. I got into a nice groove. I felt like I was going easy, but was impressed to see that my second mile was a 7:30. It is amazing how much faster I can run when it gets warmer in the spring and the layers come off.
Although I was moving well, the quads were definitely still sore. I'm not sure if the soft surface was helping or hurting them. This first half of the run went by quickly on such a nice day. I weaved through a couple with their dogs and I told another guy and his dog that I was passing, but he had on headphones and didn't hear me.
Mile 3 got even faster at 7:18. I still wasn't putting in too much effort either. Plus, I knew I was going slightly uphill too. I was curious to see what would happen when I headed the other way. I turned around shortly before Cove Road.
Coming back was faster, but it did seem a little harder. I had a slight breeze in my face. Going downhill did help though. Mile 4 was a 7:14. By now, I knew my overall effort would be under 7:30.
The pace dropped and dropped. I still was trying to run easy and be consistent. The body soreness increased as I continued along. I blew past this women that was running. I saw a couple other women running in the other direction too. I looked at my watch too often.
Even without going hard, I was now really moving. Miles 5 and 6 were run at 7:03 and 7:05, respectively. I was now back at the snowy section. I didn't want to back off. Instead, I actually wanted to push. I did just that. Even with the snow, I was around a 7:07/7:08 pace for that mile in the early going. Once I got out of the snow and into the clear, I pushed a little more. That got this final mile under 7 minutes. It was a 6:48.
The legs continue to be sore and probably need some rest. I'll keep at it for a week or so and if they don't get better, I might take more time off. I'm hoping they are just slow to recover from the last few weekends. I could really run some fast times if I can get them back to 100%.
It was an enjoyable day today and I'm looking forward to the remainder of the spring. I like to suffer through winter so that I'm very strong when this good spring weather comes around. I think it will really pay off. Tomorrow, I'm hoping to run 10-13 miles. I'm not sure where at yet. It would be nice to have some company.
7 miles - 51:02 (7.18 pace)
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