I've done some biking and walking, but this combo of heat and humidity is making it tough for me to get out and run. I had to do it today though. I waited until the evening, when I hoped it would be cooler. I headed to Lehigh to run around South Mountain.
Of course it was still in the upper 80s when I started. I went shirtless, so that helped some, but it was still muggy. I wore these shorts that aren't very good in the heat and sure enough, they were soaked by the end of the run.
Knowing how hot and humid it would be, I tried to take it even easier. It does help that this route begins with some downhill. I had a lot of fun on it and tried to work on my downhill technical a little. I do take small, choppy steps. However, I usually lean forward too much, I think. It is something I'll keep practicing, but it seemed pretty good today.
The downhill was fun, but I knew I would be encountering some uphill after crossing the first road. I tried to reduce my stride and slowly climb. My breathing was labored, but it wasn't too heavy. What made things tough is it flattens out for a bit and then there is another climb. There isn't much time to recover in between.
There is a temptation to go faster when the trail flattens out between climbing sections. However, I tried to back off and save myself. That seemed to work for awhile. When I was near the top though, I gave in and hiked. I was mad at myself when I realized that I only hiked about .04 miles. I thought I was further away from the highest part.
After that, I cruised downhill. I noticed some disc golfers up above on the course. I usually don't see any when I come through that area. I also noticed the pink ribbons were moved around. I think they are my pink ribbons, but someone switched them. Luckily, I know the trail by now.
I left the disc golf area and it was on to the technical downhill. I had fun with this, but I was tiring. This course doesn't have a lot of recovery opportunities, so it is hard to even find good places to drink my water. It was getting dark and seeing the rocks was a little tough now too.
For some reason, people were parked off the road but near it when I got to the road. I ran along, past the overlook of the City of Bethlehem. Then, it was back on to trail. There was a little more climbing involved. My goal was to take it slow.
It was tough getting up the hill, but it is gradual and I managed to make it without hiking again. The only other eventful part was all the deer running away from me. In this short run, I must've seen over 10 deer.
I went to the normal section where I turn to head back onto the pavement. This time, I turned left and started descending on the rocky switchbacks. That was fun. I don't often add this part around the side of the mountain, but it is great, so I'll have to do it more frequently.
I continued to take it easy. However, there was definitely some climbing and I was losing it. I knew the last climb would be nearly impossible. At one point, the climbing just became too much and I started hiking and then stopped my watch to hike back.
I should've hiked a bit and then ran, as the trail leveled out quickly. One bonus to hiking is I found a new, super steep trail. It was a shortcut, but it was also brutal to hike up. It will be a perfect place to practice downhill running and uphill hiking on repeats. If I get into the Escarpment Run, I will be there a lot. I've been looking for something this steep for years. I'm so thrilled to have finally found it.
Tomorrow, I'm hoping to run again. I was considering Mt. Tammany, but not sure. That climb will be brutal with more heat and it will crowded for sure. Someone from T.W.A. said they would join me, but I haven't heard back from them. Oh well.
5.24 miles - 55:40 (10:37 pace) 606 feet of elevation gain
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