I thought I'd be fresh for today's run. After all, I have only put up 7 miles in the three days to start the week. Today, the plan was for 12 miles. I went to the Ironton Rail Trail around dinner time. It turns out I was anything but fresh.
It was cloudy most of the run. Apparently a big system came through the area, but somehow missed us. I only saw a few drops on the way to the start. I wore shorts and short sleeves. I could've actually had on even less.
I parked in the main lot off of Chestnut Street. The plan was to do two loops and add the extra mileage to get to mile 12. The trail was busy with activity. I could never even begin to count the number of runners, dog walkers and bikers. When I started, a safety patrol guy on a bike road by.
I thought I'd feel okay today. However, the start made it clear that today would be rough. I started having some early soreness around my kneecap. I have not felt that recently. At least it went away. It was also helpful that I started off downhill.
It wasn't long and I was to the flat part along the river. A dirtbike was nearby at one point. That part was an early struggle. The calf area was sore. I think I have shin splints there. I forgot to stretch beforehand. It might be time for some new shoes too.
I tried to enjoy the run. I think the nearby rain made it a bit humid. I was sweating a lot and struggling to breathe. My pace was easy too. I didn't bother looking at my watch much. I knew how long the loop was. The first time I saw it was 2.88 miles.
I ran on. When I got to mile 4, it was a real struggle. I was hurting and could not believe I still had 8 miles to do. I wasn't sure how I'd do it, but I'd just keep moving. The legs were awful though.
After crossing the roads, I finally got to the spur trail at mile 5. I decided I'd run to the end of the Whitehall Parkway before going back. There is some cool history stuff that I should stop and check out sometime. Today, I ran along and through it. I ended up needing to get about .7 miles out. When I got to the road crossing, it was .68 miles out. That's basically perfect.
I turned and headed back. It was great to finally get past the halfway point. Still, I was ONLY at the halfway point. I trudged up the hill slowly and got back to my car to complete the first loop. I was around 6.7 miles now. I didn't stop at the car.
I'm not sure how long I could've kept going on sore legs. Luckily, they actually started to feel better around this time. I ran the second loop clockwise too. That started me off with a nice downhill. I think that that direction is harder though.
I tried not to look at my watch too much. It was nice to get to mile 8, but I had a long way to go. The part along the river was a real struggle. It just felt like I was grinding slowly uphill. My legs were a mess. I pushed on. I got to mile 9 and then mile 10.
I knew I'd get some boost as I left the isolated section and headed toward the houses. I just focused on the next mile. I felt better for a little, then started to slip again. I was definitely slowing. Prior to that, I was happy with the pace. Eventually, I made it to mile 11.
The last mile was a real battle. I crossed the roads, but very slowly. Seeing all the people around didn't help much. I was exhausted and sore and needed to be done. I think the socks I had on were too thin as well, since my feet got quite sore.
The last hill to the parking lot was almost laughable. It was like I wasn't even moving. Finally, I made it to the top and stopped right at mile 12. I was relieved to be done. The final two miles were the only two that took over 9 minutes to finish.
I was very sore afterward. I had to stretch while driving. I still don't know why 12 miles beat me up so badly. It sure did though, as I had muscle soreness throughout the run. The humid and warm weather had me soaked too. I battled through and completed it though.
I'm not sure when or where I'll run tomorrow. I may need some trails to recover, after today. It was rough and my body needs a kinder surface. The NCAA basketball tournament is tomorrow too, so I'll have to fit the run in. This certainly won't be a high mileage week.
12 miles - 1:45:12 (8:46 pace) 221 feet of elevation gain
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