I nearly skipped running altogether, instead of going out for the 20 miler. Eventually, I said to hell with it and grabbed my shoes and got going. I figured anything that I could do would be better than nothing. Since I'm struggling with stone trails on longer runs, I opted for the pavement of Riverview. That was my winter go to trail for runs like this and it seemed to work out well. I probably haven't been there in over a month.
Yesterday's weather was hot and humid. Today's was quite tricky. It was about 20 degrees cooler (only 60 degrees) and breezy and cloudy. However, it was also still quite humid and sticky. I wore a short sleeve shirt and shorts. I was quite soaked by the end of the run.Even though it was cooler, I needed to start off slower than I did yesterday. I wanted to make sure to take it easy and make it through all 20 miles. Although I'd love some goal paced long runs, the pace wasn't important.
The first mile was over 8 minutes and it was just so so. I lifted weights last night after the run and the quads had some slight lingering soreness. The 50 miler was a big help, in one respect. It taught me that when my quads are sore, I can keep going and going. That is as long as nothing else becomes an issue.
Early on, there were some geese on the trail. They had babies and I was very frustrated to see them. There were actually two different sets of them. I was thrilled that they moved out of my way and didn't bother me. I was heading toward Easton on this first part.
I wanted to get out at least 3 miles before heading back. I was amazed at how green the trail has become in the last month or so. Plants are sprouting up everywhere. I enjoyed the scenery and the short up and down sections. I didn't look at my watch until it clicked for the first mile. I didn't look at it much after that in the early going.
I passed to two people on the trail as I neared Easton. Other than that, this section was lonely, as usual. It can get a little crowded on weekends, but rarely is anyone there on weekdays.
I had to run up to the edge of Easton to get to mile 3. I was on concrete for a short bit. I was happy that my pace was where I wanted it. My miles were clicking off at sub 8 minutes each, but not too far below it.
I turned around and headed back, just feeling okay. I tried to drink and eat some GU Chomps, but I probably wasn't doing that enough. I'm running with the handheld all the time to get used to it. I'll probably use it during my marathon. It doesn't seem to slow me up much.
I was happy to get to mile 5, but with how sore my quads were, I was wondering how long this run could last. I successfully made it through the geese again. That might've been the greatest accomplishment of this run.
I decided to go into Hugh Moore Park and run that loop. That would get me around mile 7 when I finished. I added on the section to the mules too, for even more mileage. They were out and I said hi to them before I turned around.
It was good to be at 6.5 miles and then 7 miles. I thought I should feel better at this point though. I knew getting back to my car for a quick break would help. Eventually, I was back there and right at mile 8. I was very happy with that.
I quickly toweled off, since I was sweating a lot. I drank some more and got going. I didn't want to rest too much. I need to get used to continuous running, for the marathon.
I headed out toward the Route 33 Boat Launch this time. It was very windy at the start, but it got better. I was surprised at how awesome I felt, for awhile. I had some extra energy. I was hoping I could make it out 3 miles and then come back. That would put me at 14 miles.
It wasn't too long and I was at mile 10. Usually, I opt for the flat route, when the trail splits. I decided that I'd try the long, gradual climb this time. This would be on pavement. I figured then I could have a nice downhill when I turned around.
I tried to focus on each little half mile as I climbed. The quads weren't feeling great. I can say that they weren't really getting worse either. I mentally talked to myself about things and challenged myself through this tough part. I got to my planned turn around point of mile 11 and kept going.
I figured that if I ran another half mile, I'd be at 15 miles when I got back. I kept on going out past this point, since I hit some flat and downhill segments. I'd now get to mile 12 before turning around.
It was good to turn around, but I still had 4 miles back to my car and 8 more miles left in the run. I was happy to hit the half marathon point.
This downhill was kind of tough on the quads. They weren't exactly enjoying it as much as I hoped. The good news is that they didn't seem to be falling off too bad. Maybe strengthening them is helping and they were only sore because I just lifted.
It was great to hit mile 14 and even better when I finally got to mile 15. It was hard thinking that there were still 5 miles left, so I focused simply on getting to mile 16 and stopping at the car.
Eventually, I arrived back at the car. I didn't feel much worse than a mile or two earlier, so I elected to go out another mile. I was almost out of my drink, so I couldn't do much more. I headed toward Easton again. I had the curvy downhill and then I got to the small bridge over the Lehigh River. I decided to cross it and keep going.
I turned around a little past a half mile from my car. That would get me over 17 miles when I took my next break. Climbing the curvy section on the way back was tough. I got back to the car at 17.25 miles. I was glad to be inside of the final 5k and have less than 3 miles to go.
This time, I took an even shorter break. I drank some more and used the towel. I dropped off the handheld and ate the final GU Chomp. I hoped that that would help me run faster and feel better.
I headed toward the Route 33 Boat Launch again. I did feel a bit sluggish when I got going again. The good thing is that my pace wasn't falling off too much. These last few miles always do seem to take forever. I wasn't looking at my watch early on in the run, but now I couldn't stop looking at it.
I went out to 18.55 miles and turned around. I might have gone out a bit farther, but I was coming up on a lady and her dog. I figured that that was far enough for me. This section was slightly more busy than the other section.
Going back seemed kind of slow, but I guess it wasn't too bad. I always love when I get inside the final 3/4 of a mile. It is sort of like a countdown. I also have started taking my watch off and carrying for the final mile. I don't know why, but it is a symbol that I'm nearly there.
I got back to the car, but still needed about a quarter mile. I headed out across the road. I was moving fairly well. I had felt good enough to pick it up a bit in this last mile. After most of the miles were just under 8 minute pace, this one was a 7:38. I finished up under the bridge and walked back.
I didn't want to get out and run, but I was so glad I did. Although the quads were sore for most of the run, it actually wasn't too bad. I had some soreness, but really not very much. I can't wait until the day that I can run 20 miles without any soreness. That would be great. Still, I feel so much better than I ever have after a 20 miler. My endurance is getting better and better. I think the 50 miler helped. It's only 10 days out from that race too.
Tomorrow, I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I'd like to try to do a tempo run or another hard workout. That could depend on the weather. Maybe if it is hot, I'll go with repeats. That will give me some recovery options. Since I'll be running for 8 or 9 straight days, I definitely want to take off either tomorrow or Friday. Most likely it will be Friday. I'd love to get over to Lafayette in the evening tomorrow, if I feel good.
20 miles - 2:37:17 (7:52 pace)
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