Bears and Brews Trail Run and Recovery Run

Yesterday, I forgot about the group trail run at Bear Creek.  I had to work in the evening, so I arrived there about 13 minutes late.  I was hoping someone might hang around and wait to start.  However, they were all gone when I arrived.

I usually don't run trails hard, but I decided to really push myself and see if I could catch anyone.  The tough part is that it is mostly uphill to start.  You basically climb to the top of a ski slope over 3 miles, before coming downhill on a faster and wider part.

The beginning is a little flat.  I cruised through there.  I was flying over the rocks.  I pushed hard on the early climbs.  The nice thing is that the climbs kind of go in segments.  I made it through the first climb fairly well.  The first mile was a 9:51.  I was hoping it would be a little faster.

My breathing was laboring a bit and I was sweating a lot.  I've struggled on these climbs so much in the past, but that wasn't the case today.  I was working hard, but I was making it through.

I was surprised when I got to the steepest climb.  I caught up to Jo and another women.  I didn't think I would catch anyone in the climb, particularly this soon.  Shortly after that, I saw a dog come down the trail.  It turns out it was the other woman's dog.

This climb was a little tough, but I got up it better than I ever have.  At the top, I passed two more people, as they rested at the top of the climb.  Now, I had some fun switchbacks and downhill or flat.  This section helped because I could see more people ahead of me.

I kept pushing and I got to the next three people.  The last one was my friend Tim Nash.  I passed him and the other two.  I saw my other friend Tim Lambert up ahead.  He stopped briefly and I flew past him too.

I was having fun pushing close to as hard as I could.  It was great catching people too.  I was sort of making it into a game.  There are some more climbs right before getting to the top.  These were very tough and I started to slip a bit.  I couldn't have climbed much more without my legs falling off.  Luckily, I made it to the top.

At the top, I saw the top four guys.  They apparently were waiting there for awhile.  I guess they didn't see me, as they took off.  Now, I was happy to go downhill.  I knew I could fly.  My pace on the way up had been around 9:30.

I passed Wayne on the early downhill.  I loved the long and flat switchbacks.  I was gradually catching the third Tim.  Eventually, he saw me coming and let me go by him.

It was such a blast to keep pushing downhill.  I passed another guy, Pat.  Aaron was leading the group and he stopped, but I kept going.

After the long singletracks, it was on to the fun rocky, narrow sections.  I flew over the rocks.  I was just hoping not to crash.  I could hear someone coming from behind.  Eventually, we started the last of the short climbs.  I just let Aaron go past me.

It was good I let him go, because I would've got in a way.  The short hills killed me.  I nearly had to walk.  I kept running though.  It was my goal to keep running.  I sometimes get lost in this section.  I looked at my watch and was thrilled for it under 9 minute pace overall. 

I made it to the end and was beat.  I don't know if I've ever run under 50 minutes on this trail before.  Today, I pushed and pushed and ran under 46 minutes.  It was a speedy downhill 2 miles.

It was good to hang around for awhile afterward too.  Everyone else drank beers.  I just chatted with them.

Earlier in the day, I ran a recovery run after last night's 5k.  I wanted an 5 easy miles in my neighborhoods.  I didn't have a lot of time with work in the evening.

It was decent weather, but a little humid.  I wore shorts and short sleeve shirt.  I was sweating by the end.

I haven't been on roads in awhile.  I was surprised at how awful my legs felt in the first mile.  I guess it was due to the hard 5k the night before.  Eventually, they came around.  The first mile was an 8:02.

I slowly got faster and faster.  I didn't feel great though.  I sure didn't feel fast.  I was going pretty easy. 

The run was okay, but it wasn't too exciting.  I was amazed at how easy all these hills are.  I took the long loop.  I even added the neighborhood with the big hill.  Mile 2 was a 7:34 and Mile 3 was a 7:26.

I continued to cruise around easy.  With the humidity, my breathing struggled a little.  I was chewing gum though, so I wasn't working too hard.  The 4th mile was a 7:17.

I finished up right before the end of the neighborhood.  This final mile was a 7:14.  I didn't plan it this way, but every mile got faster.  The overall pace was slightly over 7:30.

It was a good pair of runs today.  I recovered on one and pushed myself on the other.  I had some fun with friends too.  Tomorrow, I might run fast again.  I'm not quite sure.  I know I don't want to run too long.

Afternoon run 5 miles - 37:35 (7:31 pace)
Evening run 5.14 miles - 45:52 (8:56 pace)

First Summer Series 5k and AM Run with Kelley

I hate 5ks.  However, I need to work on my speed.  The LVRR has free 5ks during the summer and tonight was the first one.  I wasn't sure how hard I wanted to run it, but I needed to at least get a quality session out of it.  Since it is on the tougher course on the Parkway, I certainly wasn't expecting a PR.

I thought that it might end up being hot, but the weather turned out to be perfect.  It drizzled beforehand, but during the race it was overcast and cool.  I still wore a singlet with my shorts.

I arrived an hour early and almost no one was there.  I was surprised and kind of worried.  I guess they don't get off of work until late.  I was happy when I saw some of the fast guys from Runner's World.  They are a little faster than me.  I really was looking to run fast, but I certainly didn't want to win the whole race.

I chatted with some friends.  That's what I love about this race.  I know so many people.  About half an hour before the race, I warmed up for a mile.  I climbed the first hill.  I didn't run hard, but I moved at a decent clip.  I'm thinking that next time that I run this race, I might try to warmup on the entire course.  It will be an easy pace of course.

I did some fast pickups before the race, to get my legs used to the pace.  I started on the front row, since I knew I'd be in the Top Ten.  There was a good turnout.

I took off and it felt kind of comfortable.  I was actually breathing pretty heavy though.  The first hill kind of makes things tough.  It does slow you down slightly.

I was in a tough spot.  There was a lead pack of about 5 or 6 people.  I knew that I'd probably catch some of them just by being consistent.  I've seen one young guy run before and I didn't think he could break 20 minutes.  I didn't want to kill myself early and I never intended on running quite all out tonight.

The lead 3 people or so pulled away.  At least 2 of them were on the Runner's World staff.  Some others slowed at the Covered Bridge and I think I ended up passing 2 people then.  My friend Tim was there to direct people and he cheered me on.  That definitely helped.

Mile 1 was shortly after that.  My watch was slightly off from the course marking.  I ran a solid 6:01 opening mile.  That included some decent hills, so I was happy with that.  I also wasn't giving my all.  I was probably more at 90-95%.  It was still a very good effort.

The course does have a few hills, but also a lot of flat and runnable sections.  I actually was proud of myself for not looking at my watch until mile 1.  Somewhere around 1.5 miles, another Runner's World guy passed me, along with another guy.  I just tried to be consistent.  With the fast pace, I was reminded of how much I hate 5ks.

I think I was in 8th place at this point.  I passed another guy, as I felt good and picked it up a little.  I then ended up passing the one guy that had just passed me earlier.  Mile 2 had slowed me down with it only being a 6:09.

The last uphill nearly killed me.  My legs were so dead.  I was now up to 6th place.  I was slowly gaining on this young kid.  His family parked next to me and I talked to them briefly before the race.  I almost passed him at the Robin Hood Bridge, but we went through side by side and I let him go ahead.

I was hurting a lot by now and just hanging on.  I wasn't pushing as hard as I could've, but it was good that I didn't push any more than I was doing.  I started to develop some minor side stitches.

Since I was so close to this kid, I decided to try to pass him in the final half mile or so.  When I went by, I felt him pick it up and hang on my shoulder.  I decided that it was time to use a veteran move.  I had basically little left in the tank, but I sprinted like I would've done at the finish.  If he could've hung with that sprint, I was toast.  However, I figured that it would break him and it did.  He slipped back.

I love trying tactics like that.  They don't always work, but often they do.  It's a fun way to demoralize someone.  I figured that it would work on him.  My only worry was that he was young and if he could stay close enough, he might outkick me in the end.

I pulled away and gave about all my breathing could handle.  That last half mile was horrible.  It was just so uncomfortable.  This 3rd mile did improve slightly.  It was a 6:07.

By now, I knew I was going to run under 19 minutes, but I also wasn't going to beat my PR.  I ran hard in the final tenth, to finish it, but I didn't go into an all out sprint like I often like to do.  Going into it, I figured I wouldn't PR.  I was hoping to run under 19 minutes, so I was happy.

I ended up 5th overall.  At least 3 of the 4 people in front of me were from Runner's World.  This was a good workout.  I'm not sure how I'll get any faster.  I guess I need to do some little things and maybe work on running faster repeats too.  My top speed is kind of at a plateau right now.

I ended up chatting with some people and almost forgot to cheer on my friend Heather at the finish.  She ran pretty well and I was happy for her.  After she took a brief rest and a drink, we ran a short cooldown together.  It was great chatting with her and then socializing with a bunch of other people afterward.  I enjoy the social aspect of these events.  This actually tied my 3rd fastest 5k ever.

The 5k was my second run of the day.  I ran in the morning with Kelley.  We haven't run in over 2 weeks.  It was a nice and easy run and good to chat about things.  We ran at the Nor-Bath Trail.  We started from Savage Road.

She was thinking we might not have to cross any roads.  However, she was figuring the distance from her house, not from where we started.  We safely crossed the road and got near Bicentennial Park.

We turned around at mile 2.  The weather was pleasant in the morning, so it was very enjoyable.  A few people were out, but it wasn't very crowded.  It was nice to get back into the swing of things with her.

Tomorrow, I'm hoping to run about 12 miles.  I might go to Sand Island.  I think there is supposed to be some rain.  I'd like to run some repeats again on Friday.  I want to work on getting faster.  This week, I'm resting my body a bit.

AM Run 4 miles - 37:37 (9:25 pace)
Warmup 1.01 miles - 7:20 (7:18 pace)
Race 3.11 miles - 18:52 (6:04 pace)
Cooldown 0.85 miles - 7:54 (9:45 pace)

Beltzville State Park Trail Run

Yesterday, my body got a much needed day of rest.  Today, I was back at it.  I'm sort of in taper mode before the 50 miler, now I guess.  I'll probably run with the same frequency, but run less mileage.

Kelley and I planned to run in the morning, but I cancelled the run since I felt like crap.  I was planning an easy and fun trail run in the afternoon anyway.  The temperature was around 60, so it was perfect.  I threw on shorts and a sleeveless shirt.

I always like trying new places.  I've noticed for some time that Beltzville State Park has a few trails.  It's nothing big, but I figured I could get a couple miles in anyway.  The lake is pretty long.  I found some loops that looked promising.  It isn't too far away, so I headed there.

I thought maybe I could run 6 or 7 miles, but I had no real plan.  I went to the Christman Trailhead.  I started off running downhill nice and easy.  It was a grassy trail that was kind of boring at the beginning.  Then, it dipped into a nice pine forest. 

There were a couple options to take and they were tempting, however I wanted to stick to my plan.  That was to follow this loop until the blue trail.  I did just that.

I ran on to the blue/white trail.  The blue trail goes over a creek and next to some waterfalls.  That was a cool place to run.  I took some pictures with my GoPro.  After briefly going up the waterfall trail, I came to the road.  I turned around and headed back to where I came from.

This time, I took the white trail.  It is the Cove Ridge Trail.  This loop is supposed to be 2 miles in length.  This trail was just awesome.  It started with a little climbing and had some up and down, but it was mostly through pine forest, along a ridge.  I love running through pine forests and seeing the lake below was neat too.

I enjoyed gliding in and out of the trees.  The trail did weave around, so it wasn't very fast.  After about a mile, it started to turn away from the water.  I knew this would be the crappier section of the loop.

This section certainly wasn't as good, but at least it still went through pine forests.  It was a little more open and I could run faster.  At one point, a lady was breaking off a log.  I ran past her and scared her.  I yelled to her beforehand, but that still startled her.  I saw one guy by the waterfalls, this woman and a third person later on.

I finished up the loop and head out to finish the first loop.  Eventually, I came to a parking area that was down the road.  I couldn't figure out where the loop went.  Later on, I learned that I cut across and didn't really run the entire first loop.  I'll have to check that out next time.

I decided to finish up by just running up the road.  It was a tough uphill climb, but it wasn't too long.  It was getting hot out, so I was sweating.  It was good to get to my car and finish up.  I wish I didn't cut the route and could've run longer.  Two more miles would've been nice.  Oh well, it was still an enjoyable run and somewhere I'll go to again.

Tomorrow morning, I'll run with Kelley again.  We haven't run in a couple weeks.  I'm going to do the LVRR Summer Series 5k in the evening.  I'm not sure if I'll give an all out effort, but I guess I'll run hard.  I hate 5ks, but I do need to keep working on my speed, especially as it gets hotter out.

4.06 miles - 42:20 (10:26 pace)

Pine Grove Furnace State Park Sunday 20 Miler

Today was the second day of my back to back 20 milers at Pine Grove Furnace State Park.  I was quite sore after yesterday, but the ability to recover after trail runs is amazing.  I did some icing and put on BioFreeze and I was practically like new by this morning.

Since we had to leave the park by mid afternoon, I started earlier today.  I began around 9:15 AM.  The weather was cool at the start.  I went with shorts and a short sleeve shirt.

I didn't have a plan.  I climbed yesterday early on and that slowed me down and took a lot out of me.  I was hoping to just make this one easy.  There was this mile loop trail called the Koppenhaver Trail and it was a few miles away.  I figured that at the very least, I'd start by running to there and back.

I began with the short Creek Trail behind our campground.  This was about 3/4 of a mile and always a good way to start.  I decided to walk across the road there and then run again when I got to the next short trail.  I needed to get used to running and walking.

I ran through the beach area and tried to find the Koppenhaver Trail.  It is behind a small open field.  I found it pretty easily.  I ran the loop once.  I wasn't crazy about the start.  It was an easy loop, but it had a bunch of small up and down segments.  It also went over roots and rocks and a bunch of logs.  I was frustrated in the beginning.  I even slipped on a log and nearly landed with my head on it.

Then, it turned into more of a wide woods trail.  This was much more runnable.  At one point, I branched off into a similar section.  Then I saw a road and headed the other way.  This downhill got me back onto the main loop.  I was disappointed, but at least I added some distance.  I made sure to walk all of the uphills.

Originally, I was going to do this loop several times.  However, I didn't care for it a lot, so I decided to head onto the flat, stone Appalachian Trail section.  I ran on it out past its split.  I was then on a small road for some time.  I wanted to get 6 or 7 miles in when I got back to the camper.  I didn't enjoy this section much.  There were a lot of people out with dogs and they were enjoying the park.

I headed back before I went too far out.  I think I added the short Swamp Trail to this route.  It was cloudy and quite chilly out.  It was ideal for running, but kind of sucked for the segments that I was walking.  I was still sweating quite a bit.

I ran back along the same trails that I came from.  It wasn't too long before I was back at the camper.  I ran to it and was at 7.04 miles.  That was a good start.

My dad was out hiking.  I grabbed a few pretzels and drank some Coke.  I sat down and rested briefly.  I think this segment took me 1:13.  I can't quite recall.

I thought about doing the same thing for the second part, but I decided to change it up.  Yesterday, I took the Buck Ridge Trail.  That was nice, but it was very wet.  Another trail, the Leaf Trail, was supposed to branch off of it.  I headed there.

I ran the Creek Trail and then was forced to go on the road to get to the Leaf Trail.  This part sucked and I walked a lot of it.  I found what I guess was the Leaf Trail.  It actually said "Leaf Road."  I followed that and it went through a camp with cabins.  I was glad that no one was there.

I then found the trail behind it.  It was a little wet in the beginning, but not too bad.  The trail wasn't marked, so figuring out if it is the correct one was kind of tricky.  I followed it past a couple cabins.

The trail then split in two ways.  I decided to take the left one.  This had some downhill for a short bit.  That was nice, except for knowing I'd have to come back up it.  Before long, I got to a creek crossing.  I didn't want to get wet, since it was only mile 9.  I turned around and headed back.  I saw some signs there for some sort of bike race that must've come through there.

When I got back to the top, I took the other trail.  This sucked because it ended up being a road to some houses.  Some people were out at one of them.  They didn't say anything.

I came out at the main road that runs along the park.  I didn't want to run on the road for too long and I saw a giant hill.  Off to the left was a trail back into the park.  I didn't know where it headed, but I needed a lot more mileage and decided to explore.

This worked out great as I came out in the field next to the Koppenhaver Trail.  I ran that loop again.  I then took it a 2nd time too, in order to add more mileage.  I was happy to get to the half marathon point, even if I had quite a bit of running to go.

I needed to add miles, so again I ran on to the stone portion of the AT.  I went out the road again and turned around.  I passed a big family that was walking.  I turned off to a trail section along a creek, but it didn't really go anywhere.

By now, I knew I'd come back to the camper around mile 15.  That wasn't bad, but really I couldn't think about where I'd run 5 more miles after that.  I was getting bored of everywhere that I'd run.  Plus, I want to make it quick.

I decided on another loop of the Koppenhaver Trail.  This was good to get through.  The legs were really falling apart.  Going through the beach, on some pavement and through the last two trails was tough.  The Creek Trail seemed super slow.

I ran a short out and back off of the Creek Trail.  I was just under 17 miles as I approached the camper.  I wanted to get over 17, so I ran out the road and back into the campground.  I had stopped with 17.2 miles done.  This segment had been tough, with over 10 miles of running without a break (other than walk breaks).

This rest period was very brief.  I knew I had to keep going.  I was already over 3 hours of running.  When I rested this time, I kept my shoes on.  I probably should've taken them off to stretch my feet.  They were quite sore at the start of this final short portion of the run.

My feet hurt for quite awhile, but I kept going.  I just kept running and running, even though it was slow.  I ran through both of my regular trails and my turnaround point was right at the beach.  It worked out perfectly.

I continued to sputter along on the way back and kept plugging away.  It was great to get inside the final mile.  Even though it was hard, I kept running.  Since I was running, my pace dropped.  I finished up at the camper with 20 miles in the books.

My feet were very sore right after the run.  I'll have to make a note of that for the 50 miler.  This was a great two days of running.  I'm not sure if I'm ready for the 50 miler, but I ran 50 miles over the last three days.  I also have 142 total miles in the last 11 days.  I'm as ready as I'm going to be.  I didn't train much for this, but I put in a good last two weeks.  My total mileage has always been high too.

Tomorrow is a much needed off day.  I'll probably run like 7 easy miles on Tuesday.  I might do a 5k on Wednesday.  I'm going to a trail run on Thursday.  I'll keep this week somewhat light though.  Light by my standards anyway.

20 miles - 3:33:48 (10:41 pace)

Pine Grove Furnace State Park Saturday 20 Miler

Today was my first attempt of back to back 20+ mile trail runs at Pine Grove Furnace State Park.  I explored some trails yesterday and it went pretty well, but I wanted to try something different today.  I wanted to at least run 20 miles.  I was hoping for 22 miles, to get to 80 total for the week.  If I felt great, I wanted to go to 25 or more.

I didn’t sleep well, so I started a little later than I had planned to.  It was around 10:30 in the morning when I got going.  I revised my plan a little bit.  I would take a smaller trail from the campground to the Appalachian Trail and then that climbs gradually to the Pole Steeple Outlook.  The outlook has a great view of the park and surrounding mountains.  After that loop, I’d head out a different way.

I wore my compression shorts and that was a big help.  I’m happy to report no chafing issues.  I also wore a short sleeve shirt.  At times, it was cloudy and cool.  Other times, it was sunny and warm.  It made things a little tricky.  The biggest issue was that my shoes were wet from last night and had not totally dried out.

I wasn’t even a mile into the run when my socks must’ve got wet from my shoes.  I felt hot spots on the inside of both of my feet.  This was very frustrating so early on and made me wonder if I might have to abandon plans early on.

The AT was a flat stone path through the park for some time.  I actually went through a beach briefly before I got to it.  The AT then split off and began climbing.  The most annoying thing was that the trail had running water coming down it in a lot of spots.  As if my shoes weren’t wet enough.

I ran past a few hikers.  The trail was climbing gradually, so I did a combination of running and hiking.  If my breathing got too heavy, I made sure to hike.  It was tricky because it was quite runnable, but I had to save myself for later on.

It seemed like awhile until I got to the Pole Steeple Trail.  At first, I went through what I thought might be the trail, but it was just a camping area.  Finally, I arrived at that trail and ran it for short bit.  I then got to the overlook.  It was a great panoramic view.  I took a few photos since I had my GoPro with me.  I added a video too.  I was back on my way quickly.

I ran down the hill on the steeper side of the trail.  This was steep and rocky.  One part had an easier path down, but of course I took the more challenging one.  I flew past a hiker and was alongside the lake.

I was now headed back to the camper.  I had a couple miles to go.  My feet were still sore and I was really thinking that I would shorten the run.  I didn’t want to run on a boring trail, so I took Mountain Creek Trail.  This was a nice, little nature trail along a creek.  I had to cross some small water sections and I joked to myself that at least I didn’t have to cross the creek.

Not long after thinking about that, the trail went right into the creek.  I wasn’t up for a creek crossing at this point and the creek was quite high.  I was about .4 miles out on this trail, so I had to head back.  At least I added mileage.

I headed back the way I came and added the other small trail around our campground.  Because of all the early climbing, this first part of the run took much longer than I thought it would.  My pace was well over 11 minutes.  It was slow.  I had 8.8 miles in the books.

I rested up.  I refilled my water bottle and grabbed some more GU Chomps.  I ate a few pretzels and drank some Coke too.  Since my feet were hurting, I figured that I needed to at least get to mile 12.  Then, I’d have 70 total for the week.  I decided to change socks.  That ended up being a huge help.

The one thing that does suck about this park is that it is hard to not run on roads before getting to the trail.  I ran on the road for about a mile.  I was then onto the Buck Ridge Trail.  This trail goes 6 miles to the Kings Gap Environmental Center.  I had no plans of running that far.

It has some early climbing and I felt better than I did at the end of the last segment.  There was an awesome pine tree trail segment.  The trail was very soft and I decided to nickname it Bambi’s Pillows.  It was like running on pillows.

This section was quite wet too.  There was some sand on the trail as well.  The nearby mountain has a huge sand quarry.  I just kept running when I could and hiking here and there.  My back had been killing me earlier, but I think that was because I had the GoPro.  I left it back at the camper during this trip.

I kept focusing on each half mile ahead or so.  The farther I could get out, the more mileage I would end up with.  Even after everything leveled off, the trail got very wet as it went through old roads.  This section seemed more open and in a valley.

The legs were hurting and I was starting to tire, but I kept plugging along.  I told myself that I had to get to 12.5 miles.  Then, I’d be at 16 miles when I got back to the camper.  It was hard to do, especially with how wet every section was up until then.  I tried running fast through those sections, but my feet were still soaked.

Finally, I hit 12.5 miles and turned around.  It was certainly easier terrain coming back.  It was a lot more downhill, especially toward the end.  However, my body was also losing it and I was running low on water.  

It was great to get back to Pine Grove Furnace State Park.  I still had almost a mile to get the camper.  Plus, I was going to run on the trail around our campground to add distance.  I finished up this part exhausted, but happy that I pushed through it.  I ran briefly around the campground to hit mile 17.

I knew another break would be huge.  I figured that now I could at least get in 20 miles.  I’d push myself for 22 miles.  Running along the lake on the flat trail sucks, but at least it would be easier on my body.  I just enjoyed every little mile I made.

Early on, it was through the nature trails again.  Quickly, I was on the stone AT section.  I plugged along.  When I AT split, I stayed on the other trail.  I didn’t care for this surface, so I ran to the other side of the Mountain Creek Trail.

I couldn’t run on this trail long, because it was flooded.  The recent rain is messing with everything.  I turned around about 2.25 miles out.  I needed to make up a half mile somewhere.

As I was passing the AT, someone yelled.  I looked all around and didn’t see him.  It turns out it was my dad coming down the AT.  I had run most of this segment, but I was walking at that point.  I walked with him briefly.  Although I was struggling, my pace was still quite good.  It was under 11:30.

I started to run again and left him.  I ran a short trail called the Swamp Trail.  That added about a quarter of a mile.  My quads were starting to get sore when I hit mile 21.  I sputtered along.  I ran around the campground on the trail again.  

I had to add a short distance to get to mile 22.  I ran to the end of the campground and stopped.  I was beat, but happy to be done.  Early on, it didn’t seem like I’d get close to pulling this off, but I managed to do.  It is amazing how you can just keep going.

Tomorrow, I’m hoping for 20 miles or more again.  I need to get up earlier than today.  I don’t actually have a clue which route I want to take.  There aren’t many new options.  That is for sure.   These runs have been tough, but it is a lot of fun testing myself.  I can’t wait for the big test of the 50 miler.

22 miles – 4:10:41 (11:24 pace)

Pine Grove Furnace State Park Test Run

Today is the beginning of my big training weekend, in preparation for the 50 miler in two weeks.  The main training will be on Saturday and Sunday, when I hope to run 20-25 miles each day.  I wanted to combine this weekend with some camping and get in some good trail running.  Today was a shorter run to test the trails out here at Pine Grove Furnace State Park.

We camped here a few years ago, but I was sick all weekend and couldn’t run.  I wanted to get back to running this area.  The Appalachian Trail runs through here.  The park is surrounded by a state forest and there are numerous trails.  The real trick will be picking the correct runs.  Last week, the trails I ran weren’t too hilly or technical.  This week, I expect some more climbing.

The weather was nice when I started this late Friday afternoon run.  It was chilly standing around, but great running weather.  I threw on shorts and a short sleeve shirt as usual.  I carried a handheld too, even though I didn’t expect this to be a long run.

I looked at the map and saw that the AT goes out about 2.5 to 3 miles and then meets up with another trail to the Sunset Rocks overlook.  I figured that this would be a simple route that would get me at least 7 miles, possibly more.

Right on the back of our campground is this Creekside Trail.  It’s only half of a mile and easy.  I figured that it would be a good way to start.  It was pretty with a creek right next to the trail and among the pine forest.  

My legs aren’t terrible, but early on, I could tell they were feeling the miles from a big week.  This loop was fun.  Then, it was on to the park road.  After that, I’d head on the main road for a short distance and then to the AT.  This road section sucked and my legs didn’t enjoy it.  I decided to walk some of it.

The AT is part trail, part road to some small summer houses in the beginning.  They are neat and I’m jealous of the people that own them.  There was some tough early climbing.

Eventually, I decided to walk uphill.  That was mainly because it was early and I didn’t know what was in store for me.  I wanted to save myself a bit.  I didn’t walk for too long.  Soon enough, it flattened out and I was able to run.

Some of the uphill had water running down the trail.  That made for a sloppy run and my feet got wet.  It was fun for a bit.  After going uphill, I was disappointed that the trail went back downhill.  I hated climbing and then dropping back down.

I got several miles out and began to wonder where the trail to Sunset Rocks was.  Finally, I saw a car in a little parking area.  You can drive to where the Sunset Rocks Trail begins.  I took that trail from there.  There was actually a cool wooden footbridge on the AT right at this spot too.  It went over a creek.

I had to climb a little, but it wasn’t too steep.  I ran most of it.  I got to a Y and I guess I took the wrong turn.  I wouldn’t realize it until later.  I kept going and the trail flattened out.

It became a wide fire road with lots of standing water.  It was hard not to get my feet wet.  I kept going out, but noticed that the trail was no longer blazed.  Earlier, I saw what I thought might be a spot where the trail turned.  As I saw a road up ahead, and didn’t think I’d cross one, I turned back around.

I got to where I thought I missed the turn, but there was nothing there.  I was confused, so I headed back on the fire road.  I figured that I could at least take this out to the road.  I was over 3.5 miles by now.  I had wasted over half a mile in this area.

I finally made it to the road and saw the blue blazes again.  I followed it up the road and then managed to go behind a house.  Then, it started climbing, so I figured that I had the right spot.

I came to some rocks with a view, but it wasn’t a clear view.  I was disappointed and headed back down.  Then, it dawned on me that I didn’t see the setting sun.  I went back up the trail and moments later found Sunset Rocks.

These rocks were much bigger and seeing the sun nearly setting with the mountain behind it was kind of nice.  The only issue was that there were a lot of trees in the way.  It wasn’t a clear view.  At least the trees had no leaves on them.  I was kind of disappointed with this view.

I headed back.  Now, I was at 4.5 miles, but that included almost a full wasted mile.  I was glad most of this route was flat or downhill.  Still, I had a little climb in the middle.  I ran a lot of it, but at one point, I got tired and walked.

I went flying downhill then.  It was a lot of fun.  I’m amazed at how fast trail miles go by.  They are just such a blast.  I was leaping everywhere.  I did have to be careful on the wet section.  I didn’t want to slip.

It wasn’t long until I was back to the State Park.  I ran on the Creek Trail again.  I came out to my camper at just over 8 miles.  This run was just about what I wanted.  I told my dad that it would take about an hour and a half and I was within minutes of that.

There was a little bit of challenging climbing.  However, this section was definitely runnable.  I wish the AT by our house was this easy to run.  Tomorrow, I’m going to try a different route.  There is some easy running to one of the park’s lakes.  Then, if I can get water there, I’m going to try the park’s best climb.  If not, I’ll run back to the camper.  

There is also an Environmental Center that is 6 trail miles away.  I plan on running out and back there too.  Those miles will be more flat.  I’m hoping I can grab some water there as well.  After that, I’ll see if I need to run any more.  Sunday might be more of the same.

8.21 miles – 1:25:45 (10:27 pace)

Heat Adaptation

Now that I signed up for a marathon in July, I have to get used to the heat.  I need to figure out how to not lose anything from where I'm at right now.  My improvement needs to be equal or better than what I'll lose from running in the heat.

I looked at the weather report today.  Since I didn't work, running before lunch would've been perfect.  The rain had finally cleared.  However, I have to get used to the heat and the temperature was supposed to rise like crazy in just a few hours.  The high was supposed to get into the 70s.  That was a 20 degree increase from what we've been seeing lately.

I headed out to the Nor-Bath Trail late in the afternoon, to run in the heat.  I wore a singlet with my shorts.  Not only did I want to run in the heat, but I wanted to do it fast.  I wanted to run goal paced miles anyway.  I didn't think that that would be too difficult.  The plan was to try to get in 10 of them.

I started off kind of slow, using the first mile as sort of a warmup.  It ended up being quite fast though at 7:18.  I was cruising by the end of it.  The trail was dry, but there was ponding water all along it.  It was funny because in this first stretch, I could hear frogs making noise.  They must've been in the water.

I guess I was moving quite quick when the second mile started.  I had to stop for a few seconds at the road crossing.  That was annoying, when I was trying to hit a pace.  I was working quite hard to stay under 7 minutes for this mile.  I was able to do it though, with a 6:55.

I guess I was pushing pretty hard.  I was struggling a lot with the heat by now.  I couldn't breathe that well.  I kept going though.  I wanted to at least get to mile 3 and turn around.  I did that with a 6:48 mile.  I ended up turning around right before crossing Airport Road.  That was perfect.

Going back got easier, but only slightly.  I had some wind in my face, which made for a nice cooling effect.  By now, I had been struggling though and the legs felt like they were going off a bit.  So that I didn't have a chafing problem, I took my shirt off.

A guy came by in the other direction.  He was moving pretty quick.  A lot of people were out on the trail today.  I kept up the speed and mile 4 was a 6:44.

My watch definitely lost its signal in the beginning of this 5th mile.  At .15 miles into it, it said the pace was 5:30.  The good thing is that it was impossible for me not to go under 7 minutes for this mile.

I was moving pretty good and I think I ran this mile under 7 minutes anyway, despite the watch being messed up.  I fell off toward the end and it read 6:33.  Maybe I could've pushed another mile or two, but I was very beat and didn't want to overdo it.  The goal was to push myself in uncomfortable territory with the heat.  I did that.  The first 5 miles were at a 6:52 pace.  That was perfect.

I had a mile to run back to the car.  I wanted to add a 7th mile as well.  These would both be easy.  I cruised along and enjoyed the run back.  Mile 6 was a 7:40.

I might've gone out the other direction, but I had just passed a cute girl.  Therefore, I headed the same way I had just come from.  She did look pretty good.  I went out a bit farther than I needed to.  I wanted to briefly walk back to the car.  I did that and quickly hydrated.  The final mile was a 7:31.

I wanted some more running today.  Therefore, I ate, showered and headed out again.  It was probably only about 2.5 hours since the first run.  I certainly wasn't fully recovered.

I headed to Freemansburg to run the D&L.  I was hoping for 8 easy miles to get to 15 for the day.  I had to see what my body would allow.

I put on a short sleeve shirt and shorts.  It was slightly cooler, but still quite hot.  I was soaked again by the end of this one.

It was cool to see the water so high.  I saw a group of people kayaking on the water and then the got out as I headed toward Easton.  I thought I'd got out 2 miles in each direction.  That's why I parked at this point.  I wanted a soft trail, to save my legs.

I brought a handheld with me.  I cruised along and felt decent.  The legs were kind of sore, but not too bad.  I was a bit slow in the beginning, until they loosened up.  That first mile was over 9 minutes, but every one after that got much faster.

It was a peaceful night and beautiful scenery along the river.  I might've enjoyed it more if I didn't end up eating bugs.  I couldn't even take my sunglasses off, because they were getting in my eyes.

I got to mile 1 and then mile 2 rather quickly.  Since I was feeling good, I thought I might as well go out to 2.5 miles.  A lot of people were out biking, running or especially walking their dogs.  I saw a very cute young lady sitting on a blanket next to the river with her dog.

I got to 2.5 miles near some dogs, so I kept going to mile 3.  By mile 3, I had just passed some more dogs.  I also saw the Route 33 Bridge nearby.  I was surprised that I was that close to it.  I turned around and headed back.

Running back was almost perfect.  The water was rushing by and the setting sun was right in front of me.  I tried to soak it all in, but still focused on my own running.  It seemed like awhile until I got miles 4 and 5.

I focused simply on getting back to my car and mile 6.  Then, I'd go out the other way.  It was great to finally be there.  The canal near Freemansburg was busy with fisherman.

The legs were starting to feel a little sore and my back was bothering me slightly too.  I had to get out a mile and turn around.  I cruised there.  It started getting dark and I felt a few drops.  I figured that if it got bad, I'd turn around.

I made it out to mile 7 with a sub 8 minute mile.  The overall pace had been at 8:30, not too long ago.  Now, it was dipping well below that.  I pushed it a little on my way back.  I finished up right as the rain started to pick up.  The last mile was also under 8 minutes.

Both runs were solid runs today.  It was good to have a productive day.  The second run ended up being an unintended progression run.  I'm now at 50 miles for the week.

Tomorrow, I'm going camping.  I wouldn't mind a morning run before I leave.  We'll see how the legs feel.  I will be doing a lot of running when we get to the park.  I'm hoping to at least run back to back 20 mile days again.  I'd really like to make it back to back 25 mile days.  It will all depend on how much the body can handle.

Afternoon Run 7 miles - 49:31 (7:04 pace)
Evening Run 8 miles - 1:06:16 (8:17 pace)