Jacobsburg: It's Been Awhile

My foot was a little sore from the HAT 50K, so I took off yesterday.  I had my shoes on too tight. I guess and it bothered the top of my foot.  However, I didn't have too many other issues.  I race terrible, but at least I recover well.

I had to run today.  I've been kind of stubborn training over the winter.  All I worried about was getting elevation gain.  While that may have helped some, I was hiking too much and not running enough.  I decided to go to Jacobsburg today.  It sits at a lower elevation and I knew the trails would be in better shape, plus a bit easier.

It was still a bit chilly.  I'm not sure if it got above freezing and it was windy.  I wore my jacket over a short sleeve shirt and had on shorts.  Since my new shoes were a problem during the race, I played it safe and wore my older shoes.  That was okay.

I started off from the main parking area and began my normal loop.  This part along the creek is heavily traveled, so it gets packed down and icy.  It was icy in the sections with the evergreens above.  The other parts were more slushy snow.  There were some bare spots too.

I ran along nice and easy.  I was feeling pretty good.  I passed a couple walking there dog.  There were a few people out, but not too many.  Mostly, it was dog walkers.

Going up across the road and then along the back of the park was decent.  A lot of it was clear and runnable.  The ground was mud and soft though, so it wasn't exactly easy running.  I was clicking off sub 10 minute miles anyway.  I was relaxed and enjoying myself.

While my legs weren't bad, I certainly can't say they were great either.  The sections of the three road crossings were quite clear and I cruised over those.  It has been so long since I've seen rocks that I almost forgot how to run on them.

I thought the Sober's Run loop would be good.  I was wrong.  The powerline was clear.  I slowly chugged up that.  It was a struggle, but I made it.  The downhill was just awful.  It was full of snow, sometimes ice.  It was uneven and hard to run in.  I usually fly down this section.  It might've been easier if I had not run an ultra 2 days ago.

I had considered maybe running 10 miles here beforehand.  However, with the effort it was taking, I knew I was only going to finish this 6 mile loop.  I sputtered along.

I was elated to get on to the road.  The top of my foot really started to bother me there.  It was only a slight problem earlier.  I got back on the trail quickly though.  I was back at the parking lot and over 6 miles in no time.  I decided to finish the loop and run for just over an hour.

This was a nice and relaxing run.  I was hoping for more clear trails, but it is what it is.  At least it was partially clear and runnable throughout.  I liked the temperature, but I can't wait until the snow melts.

I'm hoping to run at least two times between tomorrow and Thursday.  One day, I want to get down to Reading and run the Naked Bavarian course.  I want to know the trail conditions for Sunday.  I hope my foot feels a little better too.

6.17 miles - 1:00:03 (9:44 pace) 544 feet of elevation gain