Yesterday was some good work in some hot weather. Today, it wasn't as warm, but I was looking for more of the same. I got out to run in the afternoon. I was considering running around my neighborhood, but opted instead for the D&L from the Cove Road Trailhead.
The temperature was around 70 (about 10 degrees cooler than yesterday). To counter that and get used to the heat, I wore a lightweight long sleeve shirt. It was a little breezy, so things weren't quite as challenging as I'd like. It was a good workout though.
I like running this section of the D&L. I headed north and it is a bit of gradual climb. Now that the leaves have come in, it's a beautiful trail. The trees are overhead and the river is off to the side.
I started off much slower than yesterday. The legs were pretty good, but I could feel the effects from yesterday's challenging workouts. Two young girls on bikes were at the trailhead when I started and they passed me in the first half mile.
I encountered a few bikers and some walkers, but mostly I was alone with the trail. The slow pace made this run much more reasonable than yesterday. I didn't overheat early, even though I was hot. The sweat began pretty soon. The first mile was an 8:30.
I wanted to at least go 2 miles out and back and then 2 more out and back in the other direction. That would give me 8 miles total. That seemed reasonable for heat training. I cruised along and enjoyed the scenery. Mile 2 was a 7:56.
I passed a couple on the trail. The guy was in a wheelchair and the woman was sitting on his lap. That seemed kind of weird. Since I was feeling good, I continued on. I often like to get more mileage in on the first out and back portion of a run like this. I figured that if I could get to mile 3, I'd be good.
I got to mile 3, with that one run in 7:41. I wanted to add just a tad more. I went out to 3.25 miles before turning around. That would be 6.5 miles when I got back to the car. Most of the run would be over then. I was kind of disappointed that there was more breeze on the way back.
I was happy to get to mile 4, with a 7:40 mile. I focused on miles 5 and 6. I began daydreaming during this part of the run. I rarely do that. I often don't think of much of anything when I run. Now, I was pondering a race that I'd like to create. I want to do a 3/4 marathon. I was trying to think of courses. Most of the good options for that are already used, so it would probably have to be a repeat course or part of a course.
Mile 5 was a 7:36. Mile 6 didn't quite seem correct as it was only a 7:56. The overall pace climbed and it seemed like maybe the GPS lost its signal.
Because of that, I guess I picked it up in the last 2 miles. It did help that I was running downhill to the trailhead. By now, I was getting quite hot. Mile 7 was a 6:51. I was cruising and my shirt was now soaked.
I wanted to get to 7.5 miles and turn around. However, at 7.45 miles, I got to the house with the dog. It was barking at me, so I just decided to turn around slightly early. I was moving pretty well and starting to tire. I was carrying my handheld. I do have to get used to this, when running at a faster pace. It is also hard to drink and breathe.
I was glad to finally finish up. The heat was starting to bother me. That final mile was a 7:11. It was a quality session.
I'm also trying to work on other little things in my training. I hate doing any indoor workouts, but I spent some time doing core work and also lifting with the quads a bit. This is my second time doing that this week. Whatever helps my performance, I'll take it.
Tomorrow, Kelley and I are probably running the morning. I might overdress then too. Since it is a slower pace, that would be good. That will likely be my only run of the day. I might race a 5k on Thursday evening. I'm not doing too much this week, but I'd still like to keep sharp.
8 miles - 1:01:20 (7:40 pace)
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