Yesterday had crappy weather. I used it as my off day. Today wasn't much of an improvement, but I needed to get out there. I thought about trying a new AT section, but couldn't find anything without a billion rocks. I wanted to get on trails, so I headed over to South Mountain (Lehigh) in the late afternoon. I haven't run over there in some time. The plan was for 10 miles.
As I said, the weather was a mess. It was a mix of sun and clouds. The temperatures were in the upper 40s. However, the wind was just brutal. It made it feel below freezing at times. I went with shorts and that was okay. I had my shell on top. That helped battle the wind. Some times, I was hot, others I was comfortable. My headband and gloves came off very early.
I figured I'd probably do two loops, although I wasn't excited about that. I cruised on down the early hills and over the rocks. At one turn, 6 deer ran away. I don't think I've ever seen that many at once. One of them looked kind of sickly.
I ran along and crossed the road. I wouldn't say I felt great or terrible at this point. Then, the first hill came. I used to be able to run up this, but I didn't want to risk it today. I haven't been doing much elevation. Short climbs even get my breathing labored now. That's the case with the cold air like today as well.
At the top, I headed into the woods. Again, there was another uphill. I hiked most of the way up this. It would be a slow pace and a long day for sure. I was kind of enjoying myself. Slightly better weather would've been nice. I also can't wait for the trees to bloom. That will be pretty.
After the hill, I saw a turn off to the left. I think we ran this part in the Runner's World Trail race. I don't normally take it, but I thought I'd give it a try. It could at mileage hopefully and give me some new adventure. It would also eliminate the need for a second loop, if I did enough distance.
It came out at the disc golf course. I saw two guys playing. This was the only time I saw any people, other than in cars. There was another option to turn left. I took it.
I wanted to wrap around the mountain. I was successful doing that. However, I didn't really want to go downhill. There was quite a bit of downhill. I knew I'd have to come back up. At least my pace was getting faster.
Some parts here were a little tricky to follow. There were a lot of leaves. I guess I wasn't on the main trail. Then, I came to a clearer path. Eventually, I started to see some houses. I knew the end of the mountain was near.
That meant climbing up and up. I was already exhausted, so I didn't even try to run. This was a smooth switchback and likely a lot of fun on a mountain bike. One thing I don't like with mountain bike trails is they curve all ways and go up and down (for fun I guess). Hiking trails typically take a more direct path.
There were some tree stands in this area. I don't know if they were for hunting or what. It was weird. I came to the end of the trail and to some houses. Before them, I turned to the disc golf area and the pavilion. I think I was around 3 to 3.5 miles now.
I followed the pavement out to the road and then turned on the old pavement. I connected back up with my normal route shortly after that. I then crossed the road and headed to the technical part.
This was kind of a fun downhill. However, I sure was beat. I cruised through it and then out over the old bridge. I decided to turn and go through the art garden. This has some weird art pieces in the woods.
When I did a group run years ago, we went through this part. However, I wandered around a bit and found no way out. That was too bad, as I was hoping for a loop. Instead, I turned back around. At least I had some extra distance.
I decided to run the other part of what would've been a loop. This has some climbing and goes in and out. It is kind of fun and kind of annoying. After snaking everywhere, I came out behind the old TV building. One day, I'm going to run to the star. I don't know if you can do that directly. I must've been very close to it when the trail ended.
I headed back. At least I could run downhill now. I came out the road and headed to the overlook. I crossed the road and was back on my normal route.
I cruised along the runnable stuff. However, as I was well over mile 6, I was quite beat. I hiked some of the uphill and ran other parts. I'd have a decision to make at the fork at the top of the hill.
Finally, I got there around 7.5 miles. I took a right and the short way back. This run was going slower than I anticipated and I felt like crap. Sure, I could've pushed through two more miles, but that was kind of pointless.
I got to the pavement. I ran very slowly on up the hill. I got back to my car almost right at 8 miles. I may have got to 10 miles if I went the other way, but this was good enough for now.
It sure was a chilly day and my body felt like real crap. I don't know if it was the elevation, the windy weather, the cough medicine I took last night or something else. Whatever the case, I was very off today. At least I put in some mileage.
Tomorrow, I need to run again. Going 12 miles would sure be nice. I'm not sure where at though. Hopefully more trails, as my legs are still a problem. I really, really need to work on their recovery.
8 miles - 1:45:42 (13:13 pace) 1,076 feet of elevation gain
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