I was going to run in West Virginia tomorrow. However, after being sore from the last run, I decided to get more rest going into my race. I ran today instead. I slept most of the afternoon, so I actually decided to run at night.
I went to the Nor-Bath Trail for the night run. It was around 7:30 PM. My plan was to run most of the trail. It was nice and cool and fairly windy. I wore a short sleeve shirt and a reflective vest over it. I was sweating eventually, but it took awhile until that happened.
The first mile was a solid 8:30. With the darkness of the run, I didn't even bother looking at my watch. I really didn't care about the time. My right calf was a bit sore early on, but eventually, I felt better. Nothing else bothered me in the beginning. Mile 2 was an 8:00.
I went by Bicentennial Park. I was glad to see no cars there. This section always makes me a little uncomfortable. I once heard howling in the nearby fields and I often worry about the teenagers that hang out at the park. I had no issues today. I did see some green eyes moving around and then leave the trail. It looked like a cat.
I looked at my watch for the first time at 2.87 miles. That was after a smooth road crossing. My legs were feeling good at this point. Mile 3 was a 7:43. I crossed over the next road. I came to a guy walking on the trail. I think I startled him coming up from behind. He was the only person I saw on the whole run.
I went through the neighborhood section. That downhill was nice. Then, I was on the other interesting part. It is quite isolated. Luckily, I know it is short and it goes into somewhat busy Northampton. I looked at my watch for the 2nd time at the end of the trail. I was at 4.7 miles. Mile 4 had been 7:34.
I ran out into Northampton briefly. The road has light traffic. I came out to the Northampton Fire Department. It was neat because all of their trucks were out. I turned around at mile 5. That mile was 7:33.
It was good to be turned around and heading back. I was tiring a bit. I also had some pavement to run and some uphill too. I nearly stepped on a frog. I was through the neighborhood section and over the next road crossing. Mile 6 was a 7:41.
The next section was quite neat. There isn't a lot of tree coverage. There was a full moon out. I decided to turn the headlamp off at times. I ran by the moon light. Mile 7 was a 7:29. My left foot had been bothering me a little and my right kneecap too. It was only minor though.
I crossed over another road and headed to Bicentennial Park. I decided that I wouldn't look at my watch until I got to the far end park entrance. I did that and it was 8.13 miles into the run. It was good to be nearly done. Mile 8 was a 7:34.
It seemed like forever to get to the Airport Road crossing. I looked at my watch again before that. It was around 9.15 miles at that point. I was running pretty easy and happy with my pace. Mile 9 was a 7:27.
I crossed over Airport Road. I was nearly done and now looked at my watch more frequently. I think a bat flew out in front of me. I couldn't quite tell what it was. Something else made a noise as I was finishing up. It sounded like maybe and owl and it certainly startled me. I guess I did push a little more at mile 10. That mile was a 7:15. I finished stronger than I started.
I felt pretty good on this nice and flat course. It was good weather and a lovely night. I'm as ready as I will be for the West Virginia race. It should be nice and cool for the race. The climbing will be a challenge. Hopefully I can handle it fairly well. I also hope it doesn't rain too much. That will be my next run, on Friday morning.
10 miles - 1:16:48 (7:41 pace)
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