I haven't been feeling all that strong this week. The legs were beat at times and the humidity later in the week was killing me. Wednesday and Thursday were especially terrible. I was a little more hopeful for today.
I changed my mind though when I looked at the forecast. Although the temperature was low, the humidity was over 80%. That sounded awful, so I postponed the run until the evening, even though the forecast wouldn't change much.
I was unbelievably surprised when I got out there in the evening and started running. Of course I was still soaked by the end and ran shirtless, but it was so much better than I expected. I could deal with that type of weather for 10 miles any time. The temperature was in the low 70s and it was cloudy, so I guess that made up for the humidity.
I headed to the Nor-Bath Trail for the run. I thought about starting at the Bath end, but I wasn't sure that I really wanted to run the entire trail, especially when I thought the weather would be crappy. I ended up on the Northampton end, because then at least I could run the D&L or around town if I wanted to split the run up.
I parked next to the Northampton girls' soccer field. I made sure to park behind the fence, so that no balls hit my car. I had a nice downhill start on sidewalks. A guy commented that they had just fixed the curbs.
I came across a party in a pavilion next to the high school. It was going on when I came back too. They looked bored. About a mile into the run, I hit the Nor-Bath Trail. Mile 1 was an 8:43.
The legs felt kind of crappy early on, but got far better. One of the reasons I decided to run there was that I hoped the softness would help my legs. Maybe it worked, but regardless of why, I felt good.
I had some uphill. There were a few bikers and a bunch of walkers. I don't think anyone else was running. Mile 2 was an 8:17.
I wanted to get to at least Weaversville Road. That would put me over 3 miles. I got to that road and would've crossed it, but traffic was too heavy. I turned around and headed back. Mile 3 was a 7:50.
I decided that I would at the run through the park when I got a little farther. I headed there and had to pass two women with a dog and baby. There was another uphill, but at this easy effort, it was nothing.
I usually turn around not far after the hill. I wanted more mileage though, so I went as far as I could. I even headed into the park and the parking lot there. It looked like maybe there were some paved paths there, but they weren't far. Mile 4 had been a 7:58 and mile 5 a 7:43.
I couldn't believe how great the legs felt as this point. I was so happy. I tried to tell myself to slow down, but I really was already running easy and feeling good. I got back on to the Nor-Bath Trail and figured that I had about 2 miles yet to get back to my car. That was around mile 6. That mile was run at 8:10.
It was good to get over Savage Road and then have some downhill. I coasted along. Mile 7 was an 8:01. I ran past the party and then soccer practice was nearly over. It was starting to get dark as I got to mile 8. That was a 7:56 mile.
I decided that for the final 2 miles, I'd run to the Northampton Canal Park and back. I could've run on the D&L, but I didn't want to cross the road for such a short run. I got to mile 9 and that was run at 8:04.
I was running easy now and pretty consistent. I had cut through the backside of Northampton on the way out. I headed back at 9.3 miles and this time took the long way down Main Street. I finished up about 2 blocks before my car. Mile 10 was an 8:05.
I love days like this where everything feels so great. I wish I could bottle it up for a race. Hopefully I'll at least feel fairly good for my long run tomorrow. I'm planning on running 20-25 miles at Lackawanna State Park. I ran there once before and really like it. Maybe this time, I can run the entire loop around most of the perimeter of the park. That would be nice. I think that would make 7 mile segments.
10 miles - 1:20:44 (8:05 pace)
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