It seems like maybe the snow is finally done for good. The problem is that it is still cold as hell. Therefore, nothing is melting. That still limits where I can run. Some of the paths are runnable, but the trails aren't and neither are the stone paths. It is kind of frustrating and I'm getting sick of running the same places over and over and over again.
Today, I decided to try somewhere new. I went to Wegman's on Route 512. I have run the neighborhoods around there and also biked on them before. However, that was when running from home and it was only part of the total distance. After resting yesterday, I wanted a solid 8 miles today. Originally, I was hoping to run with Emily and maybe at her goal pace, but she had some stuff come up. Instead, I was on my own again.
The weather was crappy as usual. The temperature was in the mid 20s again with a slight wind. I opted for a jacket instead of a fleece vest, but everything else was the typical attire. Some directions it was warm and others it was chilly. I ended up taking both the headband and gloves on and off. That got kind of annoying.
The plan was run easy for the 8 miles. I had no idea where I was going to run. I wanted to run a section across from the Hanoverville Community Center, but I wasn't quite sure how to get there. I'd just run around and hope I could get in enough miles. It would be nice to do 8 without going on the same parts twice.
I went out and tried to get out of the neighborhood. I ended up doing a loop that was almost 3/4 of a mile. That wasn't too bad. It made for a good start. I was disappointed that my legs didn't feel all that great. I thought with all the rest this week, they'd feel much better. Perhaps they never recovered from the hard efforts of the last two Sundays. I also bought new shoes, but they are an older model than my current shoes. I'm not sure if I want to break them in before the marathon or wait until afterward.
I kept running around the neighborhood, hoping to find a way out of it. I must've passed the mailman 4 or 5 times throughout this run. Finally, I found my way across the road and exactly where I wanted to go. This was a relatively new neighborhood.
The first mile had been just over 8 minutes. The next 2 were under 8 minutes. I was getting a little faster, but still not feeling great. There were no big hills in this run, but it didn't seem like anything was flat either. My legs just didn't have it.
At one point, I noticed that there were 5k markers on the road. I didn't know where I was going and needed mileage, so I decided to follow them. I figured that whatever race it was must've started at the community center. I just kept following them. I guess I must've ran about the final mile of the 5k. It did lead to the community center.
I looped around through their parking lot. I hit the halfway point and mile 4 there (with a 7:20 mile). I wanted to run back through the neighborhood roads, but take a different route than I had on the way out. I was able to do that with some success.
As I was nearly through this neighborhood section, two dogs came out and barked at me. I was glad they didn't chase me. A bunch of dogs in their houses barked at me too during the run. That is why I like to stick to trails rather than neighborhoods. If only I had a lot of options.
I got back into the neighborhoods around Wegman's I was over the 5 mile point. I had hoped to run this one loop that I knew, but it was too far out. I headed in that direction anyway. I had a couple uphill parts. I took one road, hoping to cut through and loop back. It didn't quite work as I had planned. I was now over 6.5 miles into the run and the pace was slightly under 7:45.
Although the loop didn't work out as planned, in the end everything was good. I kept considering turning around, but I continued on and was eventually able to loop back to where I had started this section. I was around 7 miles at this point. I had a nice downhill as I headed toward Wegman's.
I turned into the neighborhood at about 7.4 miles and could see Wegman's up ahead. I had no real plan going in, but I had run this route almost perfectly. I cruised along to Wegman's. When I got back to my car, I was at 7.93 miles. I did a short parking lot loop to finish up. It was good to be done.
I wish I felt stronger and sharper. Maybe I'll feel better next week, heading into the marathon. I don't know, but I sure hope so. Maybe I'll even incorporate more rest. I'm not planning on running much as it is. I'm hoping to run with BCR on Saturday and maybe with some other people on Sunday.
I'm a little frustrated because you are supposed to feel great during a taper. I never really have though. I actually seem to feel worse when I run less. I wish my legs felt like they had extra energy and I was trying to hold them back. Maybe today was simply a bad run. I guess I'll see.
I am now 10 days from the race. The forecast doesn't look great. I was hoping it would get into the 40s at least. I wasn't expecting amazing weather, but I thought it would improve slightly anyway. The high that day is only 36. That is frustrating to say the least. The good thing is that I do prefer cold weather over hot weather. I'm also used to it, so I still can probably run a nice time.
8 miles - 1:01:41 (7:43 pace)
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