I wanted to run after wrestling. However, I didn't go in. It had a crazy long line outside. Instead, I ran after dark when I got home. I was struggling to even get moving. I needed something different. I decided on the Saucon Rail Trail. I had not been there in a long, long time. The plan was for 10 miles.
I thought it would be warm, as it was all day and all week. There was a slight chill. It was actually perfect running weather. I had on shorts and a short sleeve shirt. The problem was that my short shorts are terrible. They got soaked easily and my thighs were chafing too. It wasn't fun.
I parked in Hellertown, near Water Street. I headed along the trail. The beginning is nice and well lit, with all the Hellertown businesses. I didn't feel bad as I cruised along.
I couldn't even see the creek water farther down, but I could hear it. I had to be careful crossing roads. I had on a yellow shirt, but I forgot my vest. It wasn't really needed on a rail trail anyway.
As I got a few miles out, things were darker for a bit. A few times, I saw a sign or bench and at first thought it was a person. Without a headlamp, it was tough. The stone trail is light colored and that is a huge plus at night. I couldn't actually see where I was running, but I didn't need to. I did twist my ankle once.
I ran past the golf course. Then, I got to a cool section. There are a bunch of multi million dollar homes. They are fantastic. They have so much landscaping that everything is typically lit up out back too. That helped me see. I could also see into a lot of the houses, but didn't want to peek too much.
In this area, I looked at my watch for the first time. I thought I'd be around mile 4. It was only 3.4 miles. I had to keep plugging away. I figured that even if I got to 4.5 miles before turning around, that would be good. I couldn't remember the distances on this trail.
The one road crossing usually lights up when I cross. It didn't this time, but did on the way back. I was cruising along in the dark. I remembered the areas, but never knew quite how far I had to go. Finally, I was kind of out in the middle of nowhere. I crossed the last road before the Upper Saucon Community Park.
I ran through the park. I checked my watch with the bathroom light. I also had to go around a gate that I was glad I knew was there. It was hard to see.
I know cops patrol that park and I was worried that I might come across one. I ran through the park and under the road on the tunnel. I heard a woman above. I thought maybe it was a college girl from nearby running or something.
Since I needed a little more distance, I opted to go into the woods part of the trail. That was a short climb. When I was near the woods, I saw a vehicle pull in the lot. I didn't want to run by it, thinking it might be a cop.
I realized I had no choice and headed back. It was a car with a bike rack on it. Then, a young woman and a guy came through the tunnel with bikes. I guess maybe I heard them earlier and maybe they were going to the vehicle waiting for them.
It was good to be headed back and I felt pretty good. Chafing was my only issue. At least I was in the back half of the run. I just needed to run what I had already run.
I looked at my watch whenever I could get some light. That was rare though. It seemed to take forever to get to mile 7.
I noticed a big change when the trail changed townships. The stone seemed better now, as I headed toward the golf course. At one point, I saw the Lehigh Mountaintop Campus above. That was cool.
As I was nearing a house, I heard voices. I then noticed it was two people in black. They were on the trail and walking their dogs. The dogs barked as I passed. Other than them, I had the trail to myself.
I felt alright earlier, but now I felt awesome. It was cool and the legs weren't bothered by the trail. I felt like I was flying. I haven't felt this fast in a long time. Turns out my pace was nothing special, but at least I felt great.
I crossed a couple more roads. I was happy to see the lights of downtown Hellertown. I heard something in front of me and almost ran into a deer. There are usually a ton of them on the trail, so I wasn't surprised.
I came to Water Street about half a mile short of 10 miles. A cop was on the street. He sat and watched me for a bit, as I ran and headed up Main Street. I went a little past Dunkin' and then turned around to finish up with over 10 miles.
I do love night running. I really like the SRT too. Both of them make for a great combo. It is something I should do more often. It was definitely better than running at home. I'm glad I got double digit miles too.
I'm not going to Hershey tomorrow. I'm hoping to run 13 miles. That would put me at 60 for the week. I may run at Ironton. I'm not sure yet what I'll decide.
10.04 miles - 1:28:19 (8:48 pace) 160 feet of elevation gain
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