This summer and the heat have been cranked up a notch in the last couple weeks. It has been very challenging. So much so, that I even decided to take a day off yesterday. I just couldn't get out there and slave through the heat.
Luckily, I had planned all week to run with Kristin today. I was greatly looking forward to it. I badly needed some company on a run and she's awesome to talk to. She didn't have too much time, so we met at Freedom High School, near her house.
The plan for this 2 PM run was to run to all three of the high schools in the Bethlehem Area School District. I did this as part of my 24 mile run back in the winter. It is fun and I figured it was about 8 miles total. We didn't exactly know the best route to do this, so I figured it could end up with more.
Kristin ran from her house to the high school. We then took off. Initially, I thought it was going to be hot out, but it was actually nice. I thought so anyway, Kristin sure didn't.
Even though it wasn't too bad and there was a breeze, I still ran shirtless. I also wore a headband that I bought. I think that helped. I was concerned because we were going to be running in the sun the whole time. It wasn't too bad though. I also had a handheld with some Nuun in it. I'm not sure if that helped or not.
First, I wanted to run by my grandmother's old house. That was sort of on the way to Bethlehem Catholic High School, so we did that. We ran by Kristin's house before that. It was nice seeing my grandmother's old house. There are a lot of memories there.
I felt good and we were having some great conversation. The run was amazing and I wasn't thinking about when it would be over for a change. I didn't even care what our pace was. I did peek though and it was a little over 8 minutes.
I looked down at my watch near Beca and we were nearly at 3 miles. That was awesome. We tried to take as few main roads as possible. A short time later and we were to our first high school.
We crossed the road and headed to Liberty. That is fairly close. I didn't quite know how to get there, so I let Kristin lead. She surprised me when she stopped at a tree to rest and hydrate. I thought I was breathing heavier than her and I didn't realize she was struggling. I walked briefly while she recovered. It was fine. She runs in the morning and isn't too used to the heat yet. I'm not fast, but I guess I have adapted to it.
Another thing that pleased me is that my blistered foot wasn't a problem. With a band aid on, it held up throughout the run. That was in the shoes that were giving me problems too.
We ran around the perimeter of Liberty's campus. I said we could do a lap around the track. Kristin thought I meant a fast lap. Instead, we went around the outside of the stadium.
We headed back toward Freedom. We were over 4 miles into the run. We took the main road for a bit. I sort of knew how to get back, but I didn't quite know the roads, so I let Kristin take control. That didn't work out so well.
She did admit she has a terrible sense of direction. After stopping briefly again and looping around some more, we finally came out to where were both knew where we were and it wasn't good. We were by the Peeps factory, much farther than we should've been.
I laughed at how far we had to go to head back. The good news was that I needed more miles anyway. I couldn't believe how much this run was flying by and how easy it was. The pace wasn't bad, but the company was outstanding. I didn't even think much about the fact that we were running.
At one point, there was a giant hill we were going to turn on. Kristin didn't want to take it. I told her we'd be going the same elevation regardless. The next road over was more gradual and not as bad.
Soon, we were back near her house. She stopped a road over and I kept going. I was closing in on 10 miles and feeling pretty good. I had a nice hill to climb. I did that and then looped around the Freedom High School parking lot area. It was perfect as I arrived at my car right at mile 10. The extra distance wasn't costly at all. It worked out great.
This was such an excellent run and just what I needed. I could handle all the running in the heat, if I was only running 5-7 miles. Going out there for 10-15 everyday on my own is tough though. I definitely need more runs with friends like this one. It rejuvenated me and sparked my desire to run again.
I'm at 42 miles now for the week. It is a cutback week. I want to run 13 miles on Saturday to end the week. That would be good. I'll probably split it into 2 runs. It would be nice to run with the BCR in the morning.
I'm going to crank it up again on Sunday, when my last big week of marathon training starts. If I can get a run or two next week with someone else, that will be a huge plus. Regardless, I have to push through and be strong.
10 miles - 1:22:13 (8:13 pace)
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