Warm Loop Around Green Lane

I felt good after a lot of my miles were on trails yesterday.  Today, was another super warm day.  I had to get out and run.  Since I was going to a basketball game in the evening, I went to nearby Green Lane to run the loop around it.

It was super warm.  I wore shorts and a singlet.  The singlet was soaked early.  I did get used to the heat.  It also helped to have a breeze off the water.

I took the loop in the clockwise direction again, like I did last year.  This starts off with open fields.  It is a lot like Blue Marsh.  There are some small hills.  They had me breathing hard, especially with the heat so early on.  The beginning of the trail was sloppy, but not bad after a bit.

I ran by a ranger that for some reason was parked on the trail.  I cruised along.  It is pretty running around the water.  Most of the time, I wasn't too close to it, but I could usually see it. 

I was happy to get to mile 3 fairly quickly.  I wasn't looking at my watch too much.  The trail crossed the road for a bit.  There are some horse jumps.  It it wide and covered in stone.  It was kind of boring and my legs were a little sore.

I was glad to get back across the road to continue the loop.  I passed two horses coming the other way.  I was very happy to get on some singletrack.  I forgot about that fun section of it on the Red Trail.

I then came out to more stone and the Connector Trail.  There was some gradual uphill.  Since it was early, I hiked it.  I had been running a sub 10 minute pace, but this slowed me a bit.  Still, I was moving fairly well.

I then ran by a school.  Next, it was on the paved Perkiomen Trail.  This hurt the legs a little, but at least it was downhill.  That trail then turned to stone.  I continued to follow it.  It was easy running, other than being in the sun.

I came out to Green Lane Park.  I lost the trail last time I was there, but now I knew where to go.  A woman was running the other way.  The trail is on the shoulder of the road for a bit. 

Then, I connected to the Blue Trail.  There was another woman with a dog there.  I hiked up this hill because it was pretty steep.  I was getting a little tired with all the sun, no water or food.  I was in no rush anyway.

At the top, there's a camping area.  Then, the trail crosses the road and becomes cool singletrack.  It is fun running down to the water, except that means you have to go back up too.  I just hiked some of the tougher uphills.

I was happy to get to the one entrance to the day use area.  I knew where I was because I went there to park during my first trip there.  The trail went back down along the lake.

This section was fun, but exhausting too.  It was great and easy running when it went near the water.  However, there were all these small creeks and mini hollows.  The trail would cut around those.  Some of the climbs were a bit exhausting.

I kept looking for the bridge over the water and back to my car.  I knew when I could see it, I'd be close to getting done.  I hit mile 10 and it still wasn't visible.  Then, it seemed to pop up out of nowhere.  I saw a guy running the other way around this part.

After one really tough hollow section, I was finally back to some easy trail.  With all the singletrack and soft trail, the legs had recovered.  They now felt great. 

I got to the bridge at mile 10.9.  I figured I'd now get back to the car around 11.5.  The bridge sucks because it is paved, but otherwise it is cool.  There is a separate lane for pedestrians and bikes.  There are these fishing cutouts too.  Quite a few people were using them.

Since I was on pavement, I dropped my pace under 11 minute miles.  I cruised on back to my car.  I arrived there at 11.45 miles.  Since the start of the trail was slop, I turned back around.  I did a short out and back on the pavement to finish up.

It was a good run.  I wasn't too sore.  I got some solid miles in.  I was a bit tired from all the heat though.  My legs will definitely feel better if I keep mixing trail and road.

Tomorrow, I'm not sure what I'll be doing.  Maybe I'll get on roads again.  I wouldn't mind trails either though.  I'd love to get 12-15 miles.  That would be a very productive day.

11.99 miles - 2:10:51 (10:55 pace) 656 feet of elevation gain

One Trail, One Road

I decided to skip running yesterday.  It was a little chilly and the rest of this week is supposed to be amazingly warm.  I wanted to get out on the trails today, rather than run long.  I asked Angie to join me.  We were going to go to the AT at Route 191, but we would've been cutting it too close time wise.  We met at Jacobsburg instead for an 8 mile run.

It was warm of course.  I ran with shorts and a short sleeve shirt.  Even with my Buff on, I was sweating a lot.  Angie even noticed that.  It's why I hate summer running.  She had on a long sleeve shirt, which I thought was kind of crazy.

We started out on the main loop.  There were lots of dog walkers today, especially young women.  As I was changing I saw two cute ones going out.  They were coming back when we started.  We cruised along nice and easy.  It was her easy day and I always run easy, so it was great.

The easy pace made this much more relaxing for me than the run with Kristin the other day.  I wasn't huffing and puffing, as much.  The warmer air did hurt my breathing a little early on.  The legs were quite fresh.  The conversation made things fly by.

I suggested some trail shoes for Angie.  This was her first time testing them out and she seemed to like them.  I hope they work out for her.  Before I knew it, we were on the 3 road crossings and heading to the Sober's Run loop.

I didn't want to go up the powerline, so we decided to run on the Bushkill Trail for a bit.  That was boring though, so we turned around at mile 4.  I saw my dad's vehicle in the small lot, but we never did see him.

We ran on back.  First, I wanted to take her on the fun ridge section.  She's run all over Jacobsburg quite a few times, but never knows where she's actually going.  Maybe next time I'll just let her lead.

After the ridge, we came out near the creek.  Since we still needed mileage, I decided to take us to the fun singletrack along the creek.  My watch had somehow lost signal twice today.  I've never lost signal there, only in remote places.

We turned and headed back before going too far.  I wanted to get her on the high ridge.  I wasn't sure if she'd been there.  We headed back toward the parking lot.  There were some school buses on the road. 

We came back near the lot and went up the hill behind the new building.  She didn't want to do any more hills, after a big weekend of hills.  I tried to convince her to run this only one, but she wouldn't.  I ran ahead and did a short up and down. 

When I came back, she was there.  We ran out and along the ridge.  It was super muddy again.  She didn't want to run in the mud.  Since it would be muddy for some time, I told her let's just turn around.  She was on this section last week anyway.

We went back down to the main loop.  We went out about a quarter of a mile.  We then finished with 8 miles and walked back.  I told her about an old car in the woods, but we couldn't find it.

This run was great.  The conversation made it fly by.  I wasn't sore or tired at all.  It was almost like I didn't even run.  Because of that, I decided on a shorter night time run too.

A bit after 7 at night, I headed out.  The plan was 5 easy miles.  That would give me a solid 13 miles for the day.  I started with a partial loop around my neighborhood.  My pace was slow, but I wasn't too sore.

The temperature was really perfect at night.  It was still warm, but slightly cooler than during the day.  I enjoyed that part.  I had on my shorts and short sleeve shirt.

I went over to the other neighborhood.  The problem was I had some chafing going on.  I eventually adjusted things and felt a little better.  However, it bothered me all throughout the run.

I decided to do the regular loop.  This time, I switched it up though.  I ran it the opposite way of normal.  With the chafing issues, my pace was slower and it sure felt slower too.

I was happy to get to 2.5 miles.  Still, it seemed like a long time.  When I got to the typical 2 miles to go point, I was happy.  I knew I'd get back to the school a little under 5 miles.

I cruised along.  There were a few cars out there.  Eventually, I got to mile 4.  I sputtered on in to the school.  I ran the first loop around my neighborhood.  That got me a bit over 5 miles when I finished.

I was happy to put in a nice double session day.  I don't feel too bad either.  The company sure helped with the first run.  I really wish I had a regular running partner.

Tomorrow, I'm heading down to a basketball game.  It is near Green Lane.  I'm hoping to run the loop around there.  That could be fun.  It is about 12 miles.  The temperatures will be warm again too.

Trail Run 8 miles - 1:24:20 (10:32 pace) 486 feet of elevation gain
Road Run 5.11 miles - 51:56 (10:10 pace) 113 feet of elevation gain

D&L Farmersville w/ Kristin

I needed to run early.  I headed to the D&L at Farmersville to run with Kristin at 7:30 in the morning.  The plan was an easy 5 miles.  My easy right now is much slower than Kristin's easy.

I didn't have tights, so I wore sweatpants.  It was in the 20s, but got warmer.  I was a little hot by the end.  I had my shell on over a long sleeve shirt.  I had my headband and gloves on and off.

We started off heading west.  That would be with the sun at our backs.  This stretch is very pretty and kind of isolated.  If my legs weren't often weak here, I might run here more frequently.

Kristin was great company.  She pulled me along faster than I'm used to.  My breathing was labored.  Some of that was probably the faster pace and some just morning running.  That is something else I'm not used to.

We talked about plenty of running.  Normally, I don't look at my watch much when in conversation during running.  However, today I was huffing and puffing and ended up looking a lot more.  It was hard to breath and talk.

As we got to Freemansburg, we came to two geese.  They hissed, but moved out of the way.  We continued along.  We passed another young lady running the other way.  Then, shortly after that, we turned to head back.  It was now 2.5 miles.

This did go by fairly fast.  It was certainly quicker than 2.5 miles would be on my own.  We ended up passing the young lady a short time later.  Then, we came to the geese.  This time, they blocked the trail and were making noise.  I just went around them.  Kristin slowed and stayed behind me and ran briefly with the other girl.

We continued on.  I felt more and more like death.  I was thrilled to get to 3.5 miles.  Then, finally mile 4.  I told Kristin how I was struggling.  She was a good cheerleader.  She gave me a pep talk.  That helped.  She circled back to me once too.

I was happy to nearly be done.  The last mile I had to slow a bit.  I couldn't keep up with Kristin.  I ran on the road briefly to get to mile 5.

This was a solid 5 miles.  It allowed me some recovery too.  Hopefully my legs can feel good tomorrow.  The plan is to run long again tomorrow.  Maybe I'll be able to get 15 miles in.  I have no idea where I'll go.

5 miles - 41:42 (8:21 pace) 55 feet of elevation gain

Dixon R. Miller Recreation Area

Some time ago, I wondered if there were any trails near Pocono Raceway, since there are a lot of woods.  While sitting in traffic before or after a race, I saw a sign for the Dixon R. Miller Recreation Area.  Since I wasn't too far away, I decided to head up there for the run.  It is mainly ATV trails, with some hiking trails too.

The weather wasn't great here and was even worse up there.  It was in the 20s, cloudy and a biting wind.  I went with tights, my shell and a long sleeve shirt.  I had the gloves and headband.  The headband went off and on.

I was hoping that I wouldn't see any ATVs.  I didn't want to be in their way or have them flying everywhere really fast.  At least I was wearing yellow.  I was disappointed to see 3 vehicles in the lot.  A short time later, 4 ATVs came out.  Two left and two went back out.  I was trying to change into running clothes while they were around.  That was kind of annoying.

I had planned on going through the hiking trails the other direction from them.  This just confirmed that.  I followed what I thought was the trail.  I came out to a house.  I turned and headed back.  I realized that I missed a turn.  This was mostly grassy with some branches.  It wasn't fun.

I went uphill through a section that must've seen a lot of rain.  Then, I came to the ATV trail.  A short time later, I found the hiking trail.  I followed it.  It wasn't bad, except for low branches.  After some time I came to a few signs.  I went to these boulders.  That trail was a little overgrown.  So was the trail to the view.  Clearly these trails aren't hiked much.

I wasted a lot of time in this area and wasn't even at mile 2 yet.  I decided to go on the ATV trails and be careful.  There was some interesting dirt and rocky downhill.  I was thinking ATVs could not go very fast in this part.  It was a little muddy, but not too bad.

I wanted to follow the creek hiking trail, but like all the other hiking trails, it was a little overgrown.  I stuck to the ATV trails.  There were so many intersections.  It was very confusing.  I had a map and spent a lot of time figuring out where I was.  Finally, I did get my bearings.

I saw the Old Farm Road Trail cut through a lot of the property.  I decided to follow that.  After having come out of some cool green sections, I was back to everything being dead.  This trail was like a wide woods road.  Stone was put down everywhere.  While that wasn't fun, it was runnable.  I ran along.  I was happy to finally make it to mile 3 and then 3.5.

I knew I needed to add some distance yet.  I saw the trail above me had some views.  I ran to that trail.  It turns out it either had no views or weak views.  It was kind of a cool rolling section though.  I didn't go out too far.

I turned and headed back.  I was mostly going downhill now.  I passed mile 5.  I kept checking my map at intersections.  I finally found the Slutter Trail.  This was the one the ATVs were on at the start.

This trail was much better than I expected.  It had a few curved hills.  It was really pretty.  Most importantly, I didn't see any ATVs.

There was a nearby firetower that I had to check out.  That meant a short hiking trail.  It was near where I was, so I followed it up.  I was running most of the time today, but I hiked a little here.

I got to the firetower and there was a cool view from there.  I could see mountains off in the distance.  I couldn't see the racetrack though.  It was off to the side.

I decided to run down the firetower road.  I was over 6 miles now, as I cruised down it.  That was kind of fun, although it was stone.  I was back to my car with about half a mile to go.  I ran a bunch near my car and the parking area to finish up.

This was a much better run than I expected.  I thought it would be flat and boring.  For ATV trails, it was pretty cool.  I stayed away from the riders, so I was happy about that too.  I wouldn't go here specifically to run, but I would come back if I was at the track or in the area.

Kristin and I are planning to run on the D&L tomorrow.  We'll go to the Farmersville Trailhead early in the morning.  I need 5 miles and I have to get it done before wrestling starts.  It will be tough getting up early, but nice to have company for once.  I hope it isn't too cold, as I only have clean shorts right now.

7.17 miles - 1:40:02 (13:58 pace) 504 feet of elevation gain

Exploring Jacosburg

My legs were sore yesterday.  I needed to get on trails today.  I didn't want anything too challenging, so I decided on Jacobsburg.  I parked at the small lot at the north end of the park.  I wanted to run a little differently than normal.  The plan was for 10 miles.

The weather was kind of frustrating again.  It was in the mid 30s, with no wind.  Too warm for tights and too cold for shorts.  I went with the tights and that did work well when it turned cloudy.  I had on a long sleeve shirt and my shell.

I thought about several different loops.  I opted to begin going out the Bushkill Trail.  Although this is flat, stone rail trail, I haven't been on it much.  I figured I'd probably go out a mile or so.  This is a pretty area, as it goes through the woods.  There are plenty of small streams.  Some areas were really washed out by the recent storm.

I saw a couple walking.  I ran along, feeling fairly decent early on.  The first mile went by quick and the pace was solid.  I decided to keep going.  There is a lot of potential areas for trails.  There is also quite a bit of "posted" signs too.

There is a small road crossing near the end of the trail.  Next to the trail is a pond and a house.  At the road crossing, I had to wait for some weird birds to cross the trail.  I guess maybe they were geese from the farm.  The trail was was very washed out around here.

A little after mile 2, I hit the end of the trail.  This would get me over 4 miles before getting back to the car.  I look forward to when this trail crosses the road and goes up to the AT.  That would be very cool

I cruised along, heading back.  It seemed a bit chillier this way.  I had seen a blue marker and some blazes at one point.  I passed the couple again.  After a bit, I decided to turn back and see if that was a trail.  The couple had disappeared.  They were actually up the powerline cut from where I went.  I saw the trail was actually a pipeline sign.  I headed back.  They looked down at me.  I'm not sure if I was on their property.

At least this exploring added a little distance.  Near the end of the Bushkill Trail, there was a sign for "Bushkill Public Open Space."  I had to follow this trail.  It wasn't really a trail, more like a path around fields.  Oddly, there were a couple benches around a fire pit in the middle of it.  I followed the path a little, but it went up.  I think I was allowed here, but not sure.  After some uphill, I headed back.  This area seems like a big hunting area.

I got back to my car at well over 5 miles.  I didn't feel great, but not terrible either.  I still didn't know where to go, but decided to stay on the rail trail like portion through Jacobsburg.  This was rough from the rains.  When I could, I turned down and ran along the creek.

This was much nicer.  There were a few hikers out.  After the creek, I took the other singletrack when the creek turned.  This was fun and my legs felt much better.  I went out there and then on some wide trail to the road.  I was nearly at mile 7 now.  It was good when I finally got to that mile.

Heading back along the singletrack was great.  I got to the main path eventually.  I followed that out to the road.  Then, I took my favorite section, the ridge singletrack.  I was tired and slowing down, but this made my legs feel great.

I continued on and got to the parking lot around 8.8 miles.  I went out and back on the main trail.  This was an awful way to finish.  The stone washed out and was so uneven.  I got it done though and was glad to put in my 10 miles.

I bounced back well from yesterday.  It was good to get back to double digits and on some trail.  Now, I just need 12 miles in the next two days to hit 50 miles for the week.

I'm not quite sure about tomorrow.  I'm heading up to Pleasant Valley for some basketball in the evening.  Perhaps in the day, I'll try to run across from Pocono Raceway.  That isn't too far away.  I don't think it is great, but it is something new.

10 miles - 1:37:28 (9:45 pace) 293 feet of elevation gain

Cutting It Short

It was so tough to get out the door this morning.  While the temperatures were around 40, the wind was fierce.  The plan was 10 miles at Riverview.  I figured that I might as well run on my favorite paved path.

Dressing was very frustrated.  With the wind, I wore tights on the bottom.  I had on a long sleeve shirt under my shell.  I wasn't actually as overdressed as I expected to be, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  My gloves and headband went on and off.

I started off heading toward the Boat Launch.  Since it was chilly out, there weren't many people.  Only a few walkers and one guy on a bike.  I felt pretty crappy early on.  I sure wasn't recovered from yesterday.  I merely sputtered along.

I was happy to make it to mile 1 and 1.5.  At that point, I knew I'd at least be going to the Boat Launch.  Then, I'd be able to go out the other way to Easton, to get 10 miles in.  I was running into a headwind, but it wasn't as bad as I expected.

I was a little warm and chafing some.  I decided to head uphill away from the Boat Launch.  That was short though, as it was only .2 miles up.  I was at mile 2 when I turned to head back.

I changed my mind and decided to go out half a mile through the Boat Launch parking lot.  There were no cars there at all.  I ran on the pavement.  After half a mile, I decided to keep going.  The more I could do now, the better.

I finally turned around a little past the Route 33 Bridge.  I had gone out a mile in this direction.  Now, I'd be at mile 6 when I arrived back.  I changed my mind again.  I went back up the hill again.  I was forcing myself to go out another half mile.

These short out and backs were adding miles.  They were also wearing me down.  When I got back to the split, I was now over 5 miles.  I couldn't believe I was only halfway done.

Going back was very slow.  My pace felt like it dropped like crazy.  My stride was short to keep from chafing.  The lower legs were getting very sore.  I knew I could go beyond, but I decided I would be cutting the run short.

I was going so slow that I felt I wasn't accomplishing anything.  I'd just finish up where I started.  It was a little more crowded as I got back to Riverview.  I was a bit frustrated, but I finished up there at mile 7.  No need to force more.

This weather made it a tough run to start.  My sore legs make it even worse throughout.  Some days, you just have to listen to your body and do less than was planned.

Tomorrow, I'd love to get back to 10 miles.  Maybe I can get on some trail.  That could help my lower legs.  I think I'll shoot for 50 miles this week.  I currently have 28 miles in the books.

7 miles - 1:05:32 (9:22 pace) 113 feet of elevation gain

Wind Battle in the Neighborhoods

It was a warm day yesterday.  However, my body really needed an off day.  Since the temperatures were supposed to remain high today, I took yesterday off.  I got up from a nap this afternoon and then was too tired to run.  I went at night again.  To punish myself for that, I added a mile to the plan.  I'd now do 14 miles, instead of 13.

The temperature was kind of nice, considering it was after dark and early March.  It was in the mid 40s.  However, there was a pretty good wind that made it a little chilly.  I found it quite comfortable.  I wore a shell over shorts sleeves and had on shorts on the bottom.  The real issue with the wind was how hard I had to work.

The off day made a massive different.  I felt so fresh at the start.  It was like I was a new person.  I suddenly had pep in my step.  It was amazing how much more enjoyable I found the run, once I realized I felt great.  I looped around my neighborhood for the first mile.

Since I had a fairly long run planned, I needed to get into the neighborhood on the other side of the school.  I figured if I could get half of my miles done here, that would be good.  I headed on over there.  I went up the slight hill. 

I decided to take the dead end roads to add distance.  Taking each one would get me close to 7 miles when I arrived back at the school.  Coming back up the hills was actually a challenge, as I had to face the wind too.  I saw a UPS truck on both roads.  I was thrilled to look at my watch while going up the second hill and seeing it just over 3 miles.  I didn't think I was that far out.

Going downhill toward the industrial park was nice.  I normally go straight there.  Today, I decided to head around the small neighborhood first.  I went out to the farthest road.  This got me more distance.

As usual, I had to be careful near the industrial park.  That road is busy.  Dance class must have been close to getting out.  I did an out and back before going into the industrial park.  Any little bit I could add was great.

As I went around the last building, I saw I was at 5.5 miles.  Although I had run well, I had a long way to go.  Soreness was creeping in a little too.  I realized that if I repeated the route on the way back, I'd get to the school at mile 10.  That would be awesome.

I did just that.  I even added a little in the small neighborhood.  I went down some road with new houses.  It connected to the other road, but I turned around and took the long way there.  I headed uphill and back to the other neighborhood.

To get to mile 10, I had to go out and back on both the dead end roads again.  I was around 8 miles when I started those.  I did that, but coming uphill against the wind was a chore.  It started to really wear me down.  Most of the way back to the school was windy.

I headed back to the school and then over to the other neighborhood.  I was at mile 10 now.  I thought of two shorter out and backs.  I headed toward the first one.  Going out with the wind at my back was great and allowed some recovery.  As I went out farther, I thought I might as well just loop back to the newer part.

I was going up a hill and about to turn left.  Then, I realized if I went right and did a short loop on parallel streets, I could add another half mile or so.  I did just that.

I was over mile 12 when I got to the newer part.  That had a nice downhill, but the headwind was destroying me.  I felt like I had run many more miles.  Almost all the way back would be into the wind too.  I just had to battle.

I was thrilled to get into the last mile.  I was going to do a short loop in the older section.  I went out a couple more streets to Gable Drive though.  I then had some downhill.  I figured I'd be almost at mile 14 back at the school.

I sputtered slowly back to the school.  The wind kicking my butt the whole way.  I got there and finished up the loop and ran up the black path.  I stopped there to end the run.

It was quite challenge today.  I enjoyed the 14 miles more than I thought I would.  It wasn't as mentally challenging as usual.  Still, the wind made quite the physical challenge.  It felt like I had run 20 miles.  I could've done several more miles with the wind at my back, but almost no more with a headwind.

This is a cut back slightly week.  I'll still run a lot though.  Tomorrow, I'm not sure.  Maybe 10 miles on pavement.  Maybe I'll bust out some shorter, but harder efforts for once.  At some point, I have to mix in some fast runs.  I would like my body to be a little better conditioned first though.

14.07 miles - 2:11:05 (9:19 pace) 91 feet of elevation gain