This has been a busy week as I try to approach 80 miles. The plan for today was another 15 miler. If I could handle that well enough, maybe I'd consider 5 more later. It was going to be at an easy effort.
It took me some time to get out there. I started around 4 PM. It rained earlier in the afternoon and the temperature rose as the day went on. It was around 60 degrees when I started and maybe even over it. I wore shorts and a short sleeve shirt. That worked out well. I was sweating plenty, but at times there was a nice cooling breeze. I'd be thrilled with this weather year round.
I was hoping for a little softer surface, so I headed to the D&L at Cementon. I'm not sure if this stone surface is really better for my legs or not though. I've had some tough runs there and today wasn't easy. Was that the surface or all the miles from this week?
I started off feeling decent. I recovered fairly well from yesterday's 20 total miles. I planned on going out 7.5 miles and coming back. I didn't have water yesterday, but I made sure to bring a handheld bottle this time.
I cruised along nice and easy and couldn't complain. The setting was perfect. It will be a little nicer when everything turns green, but for now, it was a scenic run along the Lehigh River.
The first mile was a slow 8:30, as the legs worked their way in. The remaining miles were all under 8 minutes each and the run got faster as time went along. I was impressed with how dry and solid the trail was in the early going.
The first few miles went by fairly quickly. Now that I'm able to run faster, 15 miles isn't as bad as it once was. I'm starting to get very used to that distance.
There were people out throughout the run, but not as many as I expected. Some were walking and a few were riding bikes, but I only encountered one runner. That is rare on a nice day like today, even though it isn't normally crowded there.
I didn't look at my watch too often. Before I knew it, I was at the Cove Road Trailhead. That was about 4 miles out. I was feeling good and clicking of the miles. Still, it was tough to think that I had 3.5 miles until the turnaround point.
After Cove Road, it is a gradual uphill. This took some adjusting. The bigger issue was the trail condition. There is a huge cliff wall and it obviously doesn't get much sunlight in this part. The trail was very soft. Sometimes it was wet. In a few rare spots, it was even still snow and ice covered. It was very passable though.
My legs were starting to feel it a little through this soft section. I debated turning around at mile 6, but it wasn't that bad, so I opted to keep going. It was very soft as I neared the turnaround at 7.5 miles.
It was great to be heading back. I wished that I felt a little better at this point, but I wasn't struggling either. I did feel slightly lightheaded. Drinking seemed to help. I struggled near the horse stables. I remember having trouble in this section the past. Maybe it is slightly uphill.
I looked at my watch more frequently in the second half of the run. It was great to get inside of 10k to go. My legs were getting sore and I wished that I felt better. I tried to just focus on each upcoming mile and more long term getting to the final 5k.
I was running consistent at least. Even though the soft sections bothered my legs again, they didn't slow my pace. Every mile through mile 10 was under a 7:45, except the first two. When I got to mile 10, I was disappointed with my soreness. I wondered if I could make it to mile 15. I knew somehow I would though.
Coming to mile 11, toward Cove Road is awesome. It is downhill and that really got my legs going. That was also where I blew by that woman that was running. That meant a 7:24 mile. The effort was still easy too.
I tried to focus on short goals from that point forward. Getting to the final 5k was nice. Going past the house with the dogs that are often barking was better. Mile 12 was a 7:17. This part must've been slightly downhill as well. I realized that I was over 80% done with the run. Breaking it down to percentages often helps too. I tried to think about the fact that I was nearing 50 miles for the week as well.
I kept running sub 7:30 miles throughout the rest of the run. It wasn't easy though. I wouldn't say I was hurting, but I could certainly feel it in my legs and back. I was wondering if running on pavement might've been a better option for my muscles. The quads were getting sore as usual.
Finally, I got to the last 1.5 miles and then under a mile to go. I looked at my watch more frequently as I got closer to the end. It is good to see yourself making progress late in the run. I finished up with a 7:25 mile.
I was happy with the run and the week is going well. I am getting a bit beat up though. I elected not to push too far and run again later. I still want to run 30 miles before the week is over, including a race.
Tomorrow, I'm planning 16 more miles. Kelley, baby and I are meeting in the morning to run 7 miles. I might meet some others in the evening to run the remaining 9 miles. Breaking this into 2 runs should be more manageable.
15 miles - 1:54:16 (7:37 pace)
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