Two days ago, the weather was awful and I was running alone. It was miserable. The weather still sucked yesterday, but at least I had company. I was alone again today, but I had heard the humidity would be low. It was and that was a welcome change.
It did take me awhile to get out there. I slept most of the afternoon. Finally, after dinner, I headed to Riverview for a run. I was hoping I could knock out 10 miles before sunset. Although it seemed nice, I figured I'd wait an see how I felt during the run.
Even though it was nice out, I ran shirtless. Almost all of the run had shade. I still did sweat, but much less than usual. I could deal with running in this conditions. It would be nice if they'd last. It almost took me until I was through a mile to actually break a sweat.
Originally, I was going to take my usual route toward Easton. As I was about to start, a fast looking guy ran that way. I knew if I followed him, he would naturally pull me along faster than I would've liked. Therefore, I headed the other way toward the Boat Launch.
I figured that I was just go out a mile and then head back. Then, I'd run the section to Easton. Early on, the legs were just okay. Not bad, but not great either. The pace was pretty solid though, as I opened with an 8:03. I passed a very cute young lady in this section.
After a mile, I just decided to keep going. I figured I'd go to 1.5 miles. I felt better though and as I got to that point, I continued on. Rather than go through the Boat Launch, I headed uphill on the paved section.
This was a little tough and the legs didn't feel all that great. I knew once I turned around, I'd have a nice downhill. I passed a family that was heading down the hill. Mile 2 was a 7:39.
I figured that if I got to 2.5 miles, then I'd be a quarter of the way done. I did that and still decided to keep climbing the gradual hill. The farther out I could go, the better. Mile 3 was a slower 7:48.
I figured that one more half mile was enough. I started to get some sun peaking through the trees. I was getting tired of climbing too. I got near the St. Luke's Conference Center and turned around at 3.5 miles. When I hit the turnaround point, my overall pace was 7:50.
The legs had not felt all the great, but going downhill changed the whole run. Suddenly, I felt awesome. The miles were going by quickly now. I hit mile 4 with a 7:35. I passed the guy that was running earlier. He was now walking uphill. Another guy was running up the hill and later on, I passed a woman running. It was a very active night.
I continued to enjoy the downhill. It was great to get to 5 miles and the planned halfway point of the run. That mile was a speedy 7:23. I wasn't pushing at this point either.
When I got to the road to the Boat Launch, I turned there. I decided that I'd run out half a mile and come back. When I'd do that, I'd be back at my car at mile 8. I ended up running on the stone portion of the road for just a short distance. That wasn't too bad.
The legs were feeling quite good now. I wore compression socks and I think that helped. I'm also trying to make sure to drink more during the day before my runs. I think that would help with some of the minor soreness that my legs have. Mile 6 was a 7:35.
I was on flat ground and headed back to the Boat Launch. It had already been pretty cool and it was getting even cooler. More importantly, I wasn't slaving through this run. I was actually enjoying it for a change. Mile 7 was a 7:34. I got back to the parking lot at mile 8. I ran that mile at 7:22.
Things were picking up and I was feeling great. I headed out in the other direction. I didn't want to go downhill though, so I didn't quite make it out half a mile. I turned around and headed back.
I decided that I'd try the lower path at Riverview Park. That didn't last long though. That section was beat up and rolling. I turned around very soon. I was at mile 9 though. That one was a speedy 7:15.
Since my overall pace was getting faster, I did push it a little toward the end. It wasn't hard, but it was definitely a moderate paced effort. I headed back toward the Boat Launch briefly. I then turned around and finished up my run with a 6:53 final mile.
It was such an awesome run for a change. I wasn't looking at my watch every minute. The weather was a huge plus for once. I was beginning to wonder if maybe I was overtraining, but it is definitely more of a heat and humidity issue as to why I've been dragging. For now, I'll battle through the rest of summer and look forward to an awesome fall. I hope my times will drop like crazy. As for the upcoming marathon, if I can get weather like this, I might BQ. If it is more of the typical summer humidity, I don't see how I could pull that off.
I think it is supposed to be nice again tomorrow. I'm not sure. I want to run some fast stuff. I'm leaning toward 5 or 6 repeats of 400 meters. I'll do that on the track, if I do decide on that. Even if it is a little hot, this will be a short workout. It shouldn't matter too much. Hopefully, I can enjoy the rest of this taper.
10 miles - 1:15:08 (7:31 pace)
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