It hasn't been very warm yet this summer. That has made training for my summer marathon kind of tricky. I really need to get used to the heat and humidity. I learned this the hard way with the half marathon on Sunday.
I took a much needed day off yesterday, after 9 straight days of running. I wanted to try to get in a run in the morning today, but I was hoping for 15 miles. I knew that that would take about 2 hours and be tough to do before work. Instead, I headed out in the afternoon.
All day long it was cloudy. There was a chance of isolated thunderstorms. Of course, right as I began the run (around 3:15), the sun came out. I ran shirtless, since I figured that it would be hot. That was a good choice, other than all the bugs I was covered with after the run.
I wanted to run somewhere different, so that I could enjoy the run. I decided to run the D&L section south of Easton. I like this section. It is pretty, next to the Delaware River and it is underutilized. It's kind of a peaceful run on my own.
I headed several miles south of Easton, to a park on the Delaware Canal State Park. I filled my handheld and was off. I wanted to start by heading south. The farther out I could go, the better. I wasn't sure with the heat though.
The first mile was great. It was an 8:10 and I was taking it easy. I didn't look at my watch too often and it was relaxing. I love running in new places. I ran this part of the trail twice in the fall, but haven't been back there since.
The last time I ran in the heat, I pushed too much and fell apart. Today, it was all about running easy and for a long time. One of the tricky things was that I didn't eat much lunch. I also knew that going out I wouldn't have any water stops. My only water would be that which was in my handheld.
I cruised along and it was tough at times. There's some shade, but a lot of the trail is exposed to the sun. I was frying for a bit. Running through the small town of Reigelsville, about 3 miles into the run was nice. It's a cute, little place. They are doing work on some bridges overhead.
All my miles were now under 8 minutes. They weren't too far under though, so I was holding back. I went by a Strawberry patch at one point. That was neat, but it was very hot in this section. I made it to 4 miles, then 5 miles and kept going.
Finally at mile 6, I decided that I better turn around. I was getting quite hot and sweaty. I still had about half of my water. I wasn't drinking a lot of it. I didn't want to get stuck too far out though.
I knew that the running in the heat on the way back would be the toughest. I just tried to stay focused on the upcoming mile. I went back past the Strawberry patch around 7.5 or 8 miles and was dieing. I tried to drink a little more.
I was happy with each passing mile. I was starting to get slightly sore. My legs were bothering me a bit, as was my back. This is a different surface. It's mostly stone, but not completely even. There is dirt too. At least it is very flat. That made for consistent miles.
I was actually surprised that my pace was getting even faster too. I adapted to the heat a little better. I was thrilled to make it to mile 10. I knew I could tough out the final 2 miles back to my car.
I had most of this trail to myself. I don't think I saw more than 10 people total during the whole run. Only 1 other runner was out there. He was moving fairly well. He must've been fresh.
The last mile back to the car was a bit tough. I was getting tired and sore. I battled on though. Finally, I was back to the park. I thought about stopping at my car, but decided to just quickly fill my handheld and go. All I needed was some water.
I filled up and went back out. Without much of a break, it was tough. I just needed to get out 1.5 miles and then turn around. I only had 3 miles left. That was easier said than done though. It was a battle.
This time I headed north. It was very hot in that direction. I struggled a lot. I thought I was slowing down, but my times didn't indicate it. Getting to the turnaround was a big relief. One thing that was nice during the middle and end of this run was that there was a breeze. That provided some relief.
I sputtered along in the final mile and a half. I didn't look at my watch too often during the run, but now, I kept taking a peek. The last half mile seemed like forever. Finally, I finished up at the park. I was very hot and tired and a little sore.
This was a tough run and just what I needed. I was happy to get that many miles in and happy to run a sub 8 minute pace. I'm still not hopeful that I'll be able to run a marathon well next month, but at least I can say I'm trying. Some more long runs like this in the heat and I'll at least adapt better. Whether it is enough though, remains to be seen.
I need a lot of miles this week. I'm hoping to break in my new shoes tomorrow morning. That would be a 5 miler. I'd like to run 10-12 in the afternoon or evening. I was considering a 5k in the evening, but it is in Harrisburg, so it isn't likely.
15 miles - 1:56:57 (7:48 pace)
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