I finally had the desire to run for the first time in 2016. I didn't realize that I had not run since December 27th. I would've run earlier in the week, but I developed a cold. I didn't want to make that worse.
The plan was to run 6 miles. It was around 3:30 PM, so I didn't have time for or the desire for more. I wanted something easy, but also something that is sort of trail. I opted for the D&L starting at the Route 33 Boat Launch. I would head toward Freemansburg.
It was cloudy and finally a winter like day. I've been used to running in super warm. That said, it was still probably above average, as it was about 40 degrees. I was able to continue running in shorts. I wore a short sleeve shirt with a shell over it. I had on a headband, but that was short lived.
I headed out feeling okay. It was weird running for the first time in so long. It would've been nice along the river, if only the sun was out. I do like the scenery in this section, but there is a lot of sameness to it, so it can get old quickly.
I noticed some prints in the soft ground. They went for a bit. I could not tell if it was a dog or an animal. It seemed to take awhile just to get to mile 1. I was hoping for 3 miles out and 3 more back, but clicking off distance was a real struggle today. It was a slow go.
I saw a woman with a couple dogs. I passed a guy walking too. There were a few people out, but not many. I looked at the river some. There wasn't much activity though. I later did see some pretty white girls on it. Some noisy ones were overhead as well. I'm glad I wasn't pooped on.
Farmersville Road seemed to take forever to get to. It was around mile 2, so that was good. I continued to cruise along. The air was slightly cold, at least compared to my latest runs. I had some difficulty breathing. It would've been a real issue if I was running hard.
I couldn't remember the distances on this path, since it has been so long. I figured it to be about 4 miles to Freemansburg. I was probably correct, as I turned around well short of there, at mile 3. I noticed a lot of roots on the trail were painted (probably from the VIA Marathon).
It was good to be heading back. I didn't feel strong, but I was okay. I was just moving forward was about all I could say. I started thinking of some things and ended up getting depressed. Some people get better mentally from a run. For me, it doesn't do much.
I was startled by a biker who called out to me. I let him pass. I passed the walker again later on. Most of the time, I had the trail to myself. It was good to get to mile 4.
Two more miles wasn't much, but at my slow pace, it seemed long. I thought I was running a quicker pace than I actually was. I calculated wrong in my head. That was no big deal though, as I was in no hurry.
It was great when I could see the Route 33 Bridge in sight. I was startled by what I guess was a bird feeder in a tree next to the trail. It was a turkey one. At first, I thought perhaps it was a real turkey. I did think that that would be odd to see in a tree though.
It's funny because I now often look for cool places off trail and high up. Some time, I want to meditate in places like this. Maybe I will do so in the summer. I did find a cool rock up high today.
I got to the bridge overhead around 5.5 miles. I figured I'd get back to my car very close to mile 6. It turns out that I couldn't be closer. I had one last uphill at the boat launch. I got to the car then at mile 5.99.
This wasn't a great run or a terrible run. It was just a run. It was kind of good to get out there for the first time in awhile. I'm sure not energized by it though.
Maybe I need to get back on some trails. It has been some time since I've done a trail run. I'm hoping for one with Angie on Monday. I'm considering traveling to a new trail somewhere tomorrow. We'll see where the energy level is.
6 miles - 50:11 (8:22 pace) 108 feet of elevation gain
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