Yesterday's 20 miler was kind of challenging. That is just a long time to be on the trails. I wasn't backing off today though. In fact, I wanted more. I headed to Jacobsburg with a goal of 25 miles.
The big thing that worried me was the weather. While it wasn't terrible by summer standards, it is still summer. I knew I'd be drenched. I just hoped that I wouldn't struggle too much. I was super tired, so it was almost lunch time when I actually got up. I got a later start than I had hoped for.
It was 1:30 PM when I began. The plan was to try to do 3 loops of about 7 miles each and then go from there. I didn't want to run the crowded main path, so I began by crossing the road at the main lot. I was parking next to it at the new lot. I was running shirtless with compression tights. I probably looked funny, but I needed to be comfortable for this long day.
I tried to start off nice and slow and be very conservative. I walked a few of the short early hills, that I'd never even think about walking during a normal run. Early on, I thought about how 2 miles at this place used to be a struggle. Now, it is cake.
It was a little hot in the open part near Route 33. It was tricky because parts were warm and then there was a breeze and in the woods, it often got cold. Eventually, I became somewhat comfortable.
I walked uphill some near the road crossings. I came across a few people on horseback in this section. It was the first of many encounters with riders. That was kind of annoying, but I usually just stopped.
I enjoyed some easy running until the powerline climb. That was hot and tough. I knew it would be downhill after that though. I looked forward to it. I cruised down the hill. Before long, I came to the singletrack section along the creek. I wanted to run through this fun portion.
I then went to the two sections along Sober's Run, to add distance. This would be perfect for getting an extra 2 miles each loop and also running on easy and fun singletrack. Of course, it was much more fun this time than later on.
I ran a lot of both of these two singletrack sections and in fact ran most of the way from there back to the car. It was about 7.33 miles for the first loop. That was solid.
I stopped to towel off, refill my drinks and also eat part of a sandwich. I cut a sandwich in half. I didn't want to waste too much time, as my pace was already getting slower by standing around. Usually, I like to stop my watch when I rest, but I wanted to see the actual time, so I kept it going.
I began heading out for loop number two. I walked and ate my sandwich. I walked some of the early uphill. I had some decent energy now. I cruised along. It took me awhile to get out the Sober's Run area. I couldn't believe that I was only around mile 10 at that point. I didn't feel terrible, but I sure wasn't fresh either.
The powerline had been crap again, but going down the backside was great. The only thing I'm not a fan of is that a lot of these trails are stone. My legs aren't crazy about that. I walked a little here and there, but tried to keep moving forward and run as much as I could. I definitely walked more today than yesterday.
I got to the halfway point and then half marathon point and was simply exhausted. I had already been running for a couple hours too. My body was dragging, but there wasn't a lot of damage, so I kept going.
As I was looping around Sober's Run, I had to yield to a few more riders. I had actually passed them earlier. I also took a different route when I saw them, so that I would avoid them. It didn't work though.
I was near mile 14 when I saw them this second time. The lead woman said, "You're still running!" I said, "I'll be running for 4.5 hours." They were amazed. This was only 2.5 hours into the run. I had felt pretty crappy before this point, but knowing the loop was nearly over was a big boost.
I had no idea how I could really do 25 miles, when I was so beat at 14 miles, but I had to keep plugging away. I could always walk more if needed.
I got back to the car around 14.5 miles. Again, I did the refuel and eating thing. I wiped the sweat off too. I definitely knew I could do another loop. The only question was whether I'd quit there or do the remaining 4 miles.
These breaks were always nice and much needed. I had run low on water during the previous loop. It was great to get past mile 15 and be into the final 10 miles. For how long this was taking, that seemed overwhelming though. I just took it a mile at a time.
I walked a bit during this loop. I ran when I could. Again, I knew the powerline would suck, but it would be awesome after that. My toe was hurting, but nothing else was too bad. I was just slowed by the heat. By now, my pace was pretty consistent though. I was running a little over an 11 minute pace. It was actually pretty close to yesterday's pace.
It is nice to get the mileage into the high teens. That's when I feel like I'm making progress, even if I have a long way to go yet. I continued on running pretty well on the downhill after the powerline.
I went back into the singletrack along the creek and hit another low point. I'm always reminded that long trail runs like this are full of highs and lows. It is amazing how you are often able to bounce back.
I was walking an easy section, but I decided that it was something I had to do. I needed to try to recover. It was also a good chance to take my only gel during the run. I figured that that could give me a boost in the final 5 miles. I was nearing mile 19 now.
After walking a bit, I felt a little better and got back to running. I wasn't great, but I was moving. I was getting near mile 20. I did the singletrack loop around Sober's Run. As I was heading back, one horse was going crazy. I tried not to move. At least the trail was wide and eventually, it went on by.
Going downhill near the end of this loop, the top of my foot began to hurt. I walked and that seemed to help. It felt like a rock was in my shoe, but there wasn't one. I was so glad to be done with the third loop. I was at mile 21.8 at that point.
I headed back out for more damage. The plan was to run the short loop around Sober's Run. This time, I'd do it in reverse. It was great to get through mile 23. I had passed the four hour point some time ago.
I walked some during this loop, but I tried to force myself to just run. I wasn't slowing down any. I was still running under 11 minute miles, even with some walking sprinkled in.
My foot hurt again in nearly the same section of trail. It got better after that though. It was great to get onto the singletrack on the way back. I knew this would be a lot of fun. Well as much fun as it could be this late in the run. The legs weren't much of a problem, but the feet were quite sore and I was just fatigued.
I ran and ran though. Mile 24 was a solid 10:20. I was still moving along okay. I got back to the road and that wasn't much fun, other than the fact that I was nearly done. If I wasn't close, I would've walked this part. I kept going though.
I finally hit mile 25 right at the end of the trail. I could've stopped my watch there, but I figured I'd go the extra tenth of a mile and run to my car. The last mile was a 9:36. Then, once I did finish, a big fly began biting me. I then tried running away and it was still following me. I finally, I ran downhill to the water fountain. I then got away and was able to get to my car cleanly.
I was sore and tired, but I've felt worse. These two runs were almost perfect. They stressed my body and put me through some low points, but I didn't completely destroy myself. I think that's kind of the point of long run training. If you are going to overdo it, save it for race day. My body can now handle this kind of training.
It is amazing how challenging these runs were though. I'm hoping this will pay off big time during my October 50K. Nicer weather should help too. I know I'll finish the race, unless there's a problem, but I want to run pretty strong too. I want a few more quality long run weekends. Having someone to run with would be nice too.
I didn't run much last weekend, but I sure made up for it this weekend. Tomorrow, will be a much needed rest day. As long as I recover well, I'll be back at it on Tuesday. I would like to get some more climbing in or a track workout maybe. We'll see how it goes. The weather is supposed to suck this week.
25.15 miles - 4:40:08 (11:08 pace)
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