I knew getting up early after Musikfest to run with Phil and Chris would be tough. Megan had messaged me and asked if I wanted to run at 11 AM. That worked out much better, so I agreed to it. At least I'd get some sleep.
She suggested running at Plainfield. I normally really hate that trail. It seems uphill in both directions at times and I'm not crazy about the weird paved surface. It was close, so we met there anyway.
By 11 AM, it was a getting a bit hot and humid. Nothing over the top, but definitely not as nice as yesterday. There was no question that I'd run shirtless. I also wore a headband to keep the sweat out of my eyes.
We were about to get started and Megan ran into an old friend who was biking. We chatted for a bit. I didn't mind, although I wasn't crazy when some people with horses walked past us. I don't like to run by horses, but they weren't a problem. This was the first time that I actually saw horses on the trail.
Running somewhat long with someone else is a nice change of pace for me. I know it helps the miles go by, so I was looking forward to it. I figured that on this hot day, we'd probably do a pair of out and back runs to refuel, especially since Megan had no water. I had a handheld.
I was wrong. Instead, she wanted to run the whole way out and then come back. I was hoping that I'd have enough water. She's good at running in the heat, but I struggle.
We started out at a slightly faster pace than I usually do. It wasn't anything too hard, but my breathing was slightly labored anyway. Hers was too, so we were in the same boat. I wasn't worried about the pace early on, but I was concerned that I might pay for it later.
We got to talking about all sorts of things, from racing to training. After passing the horses, we also talked about strange encounters on trails. She said she came across a bear once and on this trail, a loose horse. She was also telling me how the trail used to be unpaved when she ran on it.
The first mile was exactly 8 minutes. We picked it up from there. I felt fairly good, other than a little hot. Three women on bikes passed us early on. This was a very busy trail. There were a lot of bikes, walkers and runners too. The second mile was a faster 7:12.
We had really picked it up, but I wasn't bothered. We chatted a lot, so the miles flew by. I wasn't even paying too much attention to our surroundings, so I often times didn't even notice where we were. Megan even told me at one point that I almost stepped on a snake. I didn't see that, but I did later catch a frog hopping across the trail. Mile 3 was a 7:18.
For whatever reason, the trail didn't bother me as much as usual. Maybe it was because I was distracted. Mile 4 was a 7:27. I will say that this trail does have a lot of nice scenery, along the creek and through some woods.
I've run this entire trail, but never as far out as we went today. We cruised along the road crossings and got to miles 5 and 6. They were run at 7:32 and 7:22, respectively.
Every now and then, I looked at my watch. It wasn't often though. Around 6.12 miles, we were off the short stone section and it would've required a rugged loose stone climb. No way either of us wanted that, so we turned around.
It was nice to be going back. I felt okay now, although the heat was bothering me slightly I guess. A little kid rode past us with his bike at one point and almost wiped out.
It was good to talk about goals and other things. Megan is looking to run a couple fast half marathons and get closer to where she was before having a baby. I quite frankly don't know what I want to do. I don't know if I want to try again for a marathon BQ time or just keep running ultras.
At one point somewhere around mile 8 or 9, a guy was running and caught us from behind. That was startling, as we were moving pretty fast. He told us he marked out mileage on the trail. He turned around shortly after talking to us. I doubt he would've kept that pace up very long.
Mile 7 was run at 7:15, while mile 8 was a 6:52. We were really moving now and I think I was starting to pay for it. I was definitely getting tired.
This is a faster section, but that was probably a little too fast for me. I started to complain to Megan that I was falling off somewhere after mile 9. That mile had been a 6:57.
The overall pace was getting faster, but I was surely feeling it. There was a lot of open sections and the sun was pounding on me. Mile 10 was run at 7:05.
I couldn't take it much longer. I complained and complained. My legs and body were just starting to slip and I could tell. This happens all of the time in the heat if I go too hard for too long. Megan tried to coach me through it and that did help a little.
Still, there wasn't much she could do. I wasn't mentally quitting, I was physically drained. I knew I'd finish, but I wouldn't keep the pace up. Mile 11 was a 7:09.
I could tell Megan was getting frustrated with my struggles, so I told her to just take off. She was feeling strong, so she did for the last mile or so. I battled and battled, trying not to slip too much. I almost lost sight of her.
I ran past the horses again. It was good to get in shade in the final mile. I fell off to a 7:28 mile 12. It was a good thing we were nearly done. I went out to mile 12.25 and Megan was walking after I finished.
Megan and I had been talking about pushing to the limit and I was fairly close to that, at least as far as this weather goes. I was very hot by the end. A few more miles and I would've been toast. Still, I got in a quality workout and went faster than I usually do. I just got maybe a little too close to having heat related problems. At least my body knows and forced me to back down.
I am faster than Megan in short runs, but she clearly has amazing endurance. Maybe that is my weakness. She can definitely kick my butt on longer runs in this weather. She's really tough as she didn't take a single drop of water. I would've passed out on the trail if I tried that. Hopefully, I can get more quality long runs in with her, especially once it gets cooler. I'm sure I'll run better then.
I have no idea what I'm doing yet this week. I want a hilly trail run at some point, to push myself. I may take tomorrow off or I may run. I'll decided tomorrow. I'm glad to have a solid start to the week and now I can build upon that.
12.25 miles - 1:29:27 (7:18 pace)
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