I've really been going crazy with working out the last two days. I wanted to finish the week with 40 miles of running and 100 miles of biking. It took a lot of work, but I accomplished exactly that. Today, I ran 15 miles on trails and rode for 19 miles. That is following 15 miles of running yesterday and 15 miles of biking too.
The weather was rainy and I was tired, so I didn't get started until late afternoon. I'm getting sick of running the trails at Jacobsburg, so I opted to head to South Mountain at Lehigh to run those trails. The course from Dave Decker's Loopy Run is still marked. Each loop is about 4.3 miles, so it would take a couple loops to finish the planned 15 miler.
The route starts out nice and easy with some downhill. That's a good way to warm up. With all the rain, the trails were damp, but they don't get very muddy. I walked the first uphill segment and almost every uphill.
Right around the 2 mile mark, I saw 3 deer. One of them was a buck with antlers. It reminded me of how rarely I see those in the woods. That was pretty cool. I didn't get to count the points.
The beginning of the run was nice because the mountain bikers must maintain it well. They had cut the grass along the trail. I was very grateful for that. I came more prepared to deal with brush this time anyway. I wore my compression sleeves. I was glad that I had those later on when there was some growth along the trail.
I was going nice and slow. It was definitely a faster run when I ran with the group there last month. It is amazing how much faster a group will pull you along. After a lot of early climbing, there is a lot of technical downhill. There are rocks everywhere. I did trip on them every now and then, but I knew they'd be a bigger issue whenever I got tired later on.
One of the more interesting things happened when I got on the trail just past the scenic lookout. I saw a sweatshirt and some water on a wall along the trail. As I climbed up the trail, I realized that someone had setup a tent there. I joked with Decker about camping up there somewhere. I'm just surprised that someone actually did it. I didn't see him and I'm glad because I didn't want to scare anyone.
Toward the end of the first loop, I was walking uphill. I heard some music and realized that it was coming from Musikfest. That was cool and it motivated me to start running again. I tried running a little farther down the trail to add some distance. That didn't last too long though. The problem is that I didn't want to climb back uphill at all and it is nearly impossible to run a flat section on this mountain. It is all up and down.
I finished up the loop at just under an hour. I was at 4.5 miles. It was a slow go. I took some water and dried myself with a towel. The air was cool, but it was still so damp. Even with less than 5 miles, I was already soaked.
I started off the second loop. There were three pretty big birds circling overhead. I'm not sure, but I think they were hawks. That was another cool site. I ran on the road a little farther before the trail. The powerline had a nice view of Hellertown.
I then was back on the regular trail. I saw the deer again in the same area, but this time the buck wasn't there. It was just the other two. I had seen two other deer at a different spot too.
Again, I walked up the uphills. I was starting to get exhausted. I felt fresh after the first loop, but that wasn't the case anymore. My shorts were really starting to get soaked too. I just sweat so much.
Most of this loop was uneventful. I might have tripped over some more rocks, but not much else happened. When I got through the downhill section, I took a different route. I went uphill for about half a mile. This section was part of Decker's run last year. I didn't go too far, but I got an addition mile because of that.
I was glad that I didn't see the camper this time. When I finally ended this slow loop, I was beat. I was tired and soaked. I was having some chafing issues. I felt like I couldn't do another loop. It was just too hilly and rocky. I needed 5 more miles though. I decided to change clothes, and then drive to Jacobsburg to finish up. That would give me some extra recovery time.
I went to Jacobsburg and parked in a small lot. I wanted to run the loop through the open field. I knew it was about 4 miles. I figured I could add in another mile too.
It was a slow start as I was very stiff. I ran this in the opposite direction from the usual way. That meant that I had to start by going uphill. I walked most of it. I even had to walk a lot of the early slight uphill sections. My legs were just so dead. I knew the run would get faster.
After all the cool wildlife at South Mountain, this was boring. All I saw were rabbits and groundhogs running across the field. I don't think I've ever actually seen a deer there.
I was grateful to be going downhill after a while. It was still slow though. The miles seemed to take forever. I started adding up my weekly running mileage in my head. I began counting toward 40. That was a big help.
It was cooler than earlier, but I was still sweating. Of course my chafing issues weren't going to go away. I needed rest for that to happen.
I got to my car at mile 4. I ran an out and back on the flat Sober's run loop. It was only half a mile in each direction. That mile seemed so slow, even though it was actually fast. My pace had been at 12:30 for this loop at one point, but it now dropped below 12.
I was grateful to be done. Running 30 miles in two days was difficult and time consuming. It was worth it though and I'm glad I did it. It will be good training if I decide to do a fall ultra marathon.
I ran out of daylight and I still wanted to bike 19 miles. I do have a bike light, but I didn't want to ride on the roads. I decided to do something crazy. I started my ride at 10 PM. I rode around the parking lot at the school next to my house.
The loop is about .3 or .4 miles. That meant that I had to ride it over and over and over again. I didn't count how many times, but I estimate that it was around 60 times. It definitely got boring. At least the weather was cool. A one point, a cop stopped across the street. Once he figured out what I was doing, he continued on.
This ride was awful, but it was a good act of discipline. I'll need that if I run an ultra. Getting done with the ride and run was so rewarding. I'm finally done with my biggest week ever. I did run 40 miles and bike 100 miles. I worked out for over 15 hours. It was a great week.
Tomorrow, I might bike an easy 10 miles. More likely, I'll just take a total day of rest and get back at it on Monday. I haven't done a cutback week in some time, so I plan on doing that this coming week.
10 miles - 2:15:53 (13:35 pace)
5.01 miles - 59:27 (11:53 pace)
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Friday, August 2, 2013
15 and 15
I took off from running and biking yesterday, since it rained a lot. I had done one or the other or both for about 10 straight days, so that meant I could use a break anyway. Today, it was time to get back at it and in a big way.
The plan was a 15 mile trail run and then follow that up with 15 miles on the bike. I would've liked to have biked in the morning, but I didn't sleep much last night and I needed some rest.
I headed out to Jacobsburg for the run in the afternoon. I'm kind of getting tired of running there, but it is close and I didn't have a lot of time. It is also an easy route to run.
For summertime, the weather wasn't bad. That said, it was still humid and being out there for hours, I knew I'd sweat a lot. I went shirtless as usual. That was a big help, but of course I was still soaked by the end of the run.
I ran my regular 6 mile loop from the main lot first. I started along the crowded creek section. I haven't run since Tuesday, so I felt quite fresh. I cruised along. It was pretty uneventful. I then saw a half eaten raccoon on the trail. That was rather interesting.
I went along and got faster as I ran on. When I got through some of the narrow sections, I noticed that it was very muddy. Some of these sections usually aren't too bad. It rained a lot on Thursday, so I knew the rest of the route would be a mess.
Sure enough, the normally muddy section was very muddy. Typically, I can run around it. Instead, I didn't even try to this time. It was just too muddy. Luckily, someone put some sticks on one section. My feet got covered in mud regardless.
I walked some of the uphill in this section, but for the most part, I just ran. My pace was much faster than a few weeks ago when it was very hot. I crossed all the roads and was to the Sober's run loop.
I guess they cut some of the brush in this area. It wasn't a problem today. When I got to the small parking lot, I saw some equipment spreading stone on the trail. I ran through there. It was nice that they were doing maintenance, but the stone is too soft right now. I was glad that I wouldn't be on this section for very long. I got to the powerline uphill and walked up most of it.
My left upper quad area has been having some minor discomfort. It really started to bother me around mile 4 or 5. Luckily, it didn't get worse. It actually improved as the run went on.
After getting to the top of the hill, there was a lot of downhill. The pace dropped as I cruised downhill. When I came out to the road, I saw a woman running on the road. I ended up following her. She turned on the trail that I was headed. I guess she had headphones in, so she was shocked when I yelled, "coming on your left." I said, "I tried not to scare you too much." She responded, "It's too late for that."
I wanted to walk up the big hill near the new building and I did that for a short while. However, the woman was coming up from behind and I didn't want to be leapfrogging with her. When she got close, I just ran again.
When I got to the spot where I usually head back to the parking lot, I decided to run the other direction. This section is along a ridge and can be a bit tricky, so I don't run there much. Last time I did so, it was last fall after the hurricane. Trees were down everywhere. Now, it was clear.
I had fun on this section. I had enoyed leaping over roots. At one point, I had to pass a family that was hiking. There was someone walking a dog too.
I got back to my car at 7.75 miles. It was good to be over halfway done. The longer loop at the end added some distance. I took a much needed break to towel off, drink some water and also eat a Clif Bar.
After about 15 minutes, I headed back out. This time, I was going to run the shorter loop through the open field. I knew the beginning was uphill and that would be difficult. The second half of the loop would be downhill though.
I walked a lot of big hill in the beginning. I was thrilled that it was now cloudy in this open field. My pace was under 10:30 for most of this run. I was just trying to focus on each upcoming mile at this point.
When I got to the split for a second time, I took the fun, longer way again. When I got down to the main path, I suddenly had to use the bathroom. I ended up using one of the inground ones that smells awful. My pants were soaked from running and putting them back on was no fun. When I restarted, I started to chafe. I was past 12 miles into the run at this point and close to the car.
I got to the car back at 13 miles. I rested briefly again and grabbed more water. I crossed the street and wanted to run a mile out and back. I really sputtered along. I struggled with the chafing issue.
Someone I slowly made it back. I felt pretty good in the final 2/3 of a mile, so I pushed the pace. It had been over 10:30 before that point. It dropped under 10:30 when I finished up. I was exhausted.
After a couple hours of a break and some dinner, I went back out to bike. I rode a nice and easy 15 miles. The end was a little tough because I was exhausted after nearly 4 hours of working out.
Tomorrow should be another tough day. In the morning, I'm volunteering at the Blue Eagle 5K. I normally like to run it, but I'm so slow right now so I didn't bother to sign up. After that, I'm planning on another 15 mile trail run. I'm not sure where that will be at yet. I'm thinking that I might want to go to Blue Marsh Lake. There is a 50K than I want to run there in October and I'd like to see some of the course. I also want to bike 20 more miles. If I can do all of that, it will be the conclusion of a big week. I will have put in over 40 miles of running and 100 miles of biking. That will easily be my biggest week ever. Hopefully everything goes well.
15 miles - 2:37:05 (10:28 pace)
The plan was a 15 mile trail run and then follow that up with 15 miles on the bike. I would've liked to have biked in the morning, but I didn't sleep much last night and I needed some rest.
I headed out to Jacobsburg for the run in the afternoon. I'm kind of getting tired of running there, but it is close and I didn't have a lot of time. It is also an easy route to run.
For summertime, the weather wasn't bad. That said, it was still humid and being out there for hours, I knew I'd sweat a lot. I went shirtless as usual. That was a big help, but of course I was still soaked by the end of the run.
I ran my regular 6 mile loop from the main lot first. I started along the crowded creek section. I haven't run since Tuesday, so I felt quite fresh. I cruised along. It was pretty uneventful. I then saw a half eaten raccoon on the trail. That was rather interesting.
I went along and got faster as I ran on. When I got through some of the narrow sections, I noticed that it was very muddy. Some of these sections usually aren't too bad. It rained a lot on Thursday, so I knew the rest of the route would be a mess.
Sure enough, the normally muddy section was very muddy. Typically, I can run around it. Instead, I didn't even try to this time. It was just too muddy. Luckily, someone put some sticks on one section. My feet got covered in mud regardless.
I walked some of the uphill in this section, but for the most part, I just ran. My pace was much faster than a few weeks ago when it was very hot. I crossed all the roads and was to the Sober's run loop.
I guess they cut some of the brush in this area. It wasn't a problem today. When I got to the small parking lot, I saw some equipment spreading stone on the trail. I ran through there. It was nice that they were doing maintenance, but the stone is too soft right now. I was glad that I wouldn't be on this section for very long. I got to the powerline uphill and walked up most of it.
My left upper quad area has been having some minor discomfort. It really started to bother me around mile 4 or 5. Luckily, it didn't get worse. It actually improved as the run went on.
After getting to the top of the hill, there was a lot of downhill. The pace dropped as I cruised downhill. When I came out to the road, I saw a woman running on the road. I ended up following her. She turned on the trail that I was headed. I guess she had headphones in, so she was shocked when I yelled, "coming on your left." I said, "I tried not to scare you too much." She responded, "It's too late for that."
I wanted to walk up the big hill near the new building and I did that for a short while. However, the woman was coming up from behind and I didn't want to be leapfrogging with her. When she got close, I just ran again.
When I got to the spot where I usually head back to the parking lot, I decided to run the other direction. This section is along a ridge and can be a bit tricky, so I don't run there much. Last time I did so, it was last fall after the hurricane. Trees were down everywhere. Now, it was clear.
I had fun on this section. I had enoyed leaping over roots. At one point, I had to pass a family that was hiking. There was someone walking a dog too.
I got back to my car at 7.75 miles. It was good to be over halfway done. The longer loop at the end added some distance. I took a much needed break to towel off, drink some water and also eat a Clif Bar.
After about 15 minutes, I headed back out. This time, I was going to run the shorter loop through the open field. I knew the beginning was uphill and that would be difficult. The second half of the loop would be downhill though.
I walked a lot of big hill in the beginning. I was thrilled that it was now cloudy in this open field. My pace was under 10:30 for most of this run. I was just trying to focus on each upcoming mile at this point.
When I got to the split for a second time, I took the fun, longer way again. When I got down to the main path, I suddenly had to use the bathroom. I ended up using one of the inground ones that smells awful. My pants were soaked from running and putting them back on was no fun. When I restarted, I started to chafe. I was past 12 miles into the run at this point and close to the car.
I got to the car back at 13 miles. I rested briefly again and grabbed more water. I crossed the street and wanted to run a mile out and back. I really sputtered along. I struggled with the chafing issue.
Someone I slowly made it back. I felt pretty good in the final 2/3 of a mile, so I pushed the pace. It had been over 10:30 before that point. It dropped under 10:30 when I finished up. I was exhausted.
After a couple hours of a break and some dinner, I went back out to bike. I rode a nice and easy 15 miles. The end was a little tough because I was exhausted after nearly 4 hours of working out.
Tomorrow should be another tough day. In the morning, I'm volunteering at the Blue Eagle 5K. I normally like to run it, but I'm so slow right now so I didn't bother to sign up. After that, I'm planning on another 15 mile trail run. I'm not sure where that will be at yet. I'm thinking that I might want to go to Blue Marsh Lake. There is a 50K than I want to run there in October and I'd like to see some of the course. I also want to bike 20 more miles. If I can do all of that, it will be the conclusion of a big week. I will have put in over 40 miles of running and 100 miles of biking. That will easily be my biggest week ever. Hopefully everything goes well.
15 miles - 2:37:05 (10:28 pace)
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Covered in Webs
I decided to run and bike today. I went out to run this afternoon. The weather was perfect for summer. It was cool and the humidity was low.
I headed to Nockamixon State Park to run the trails. I often forget about that place. It isn't too far away. I haven't run there much. My dad goes kayaking there all the time. It's been over a year since I ran there. I do remember liking it, but the terrain wasn't all that challenging.
Originally, I was going to start at the south side of the lake. I had never run on those trails. When I got there, they looked overgrown. I decided to just run the trails on the north side.
I was hoping to run 12 miles. I didn't know how long the trails were, but I figured that I would need a couple loops. I started off on a decent trail. There were some woods and some grassy fields to it. I knew that after a short loop I would get to a road crossing. That was about half a mile into the run.
The trail was actually more up and down than I thought. Some sections were a bit overgrown and that was annoying. Other sections were good, open singletrack through the woods. Early on there were some spider webs.
I could take a few of those, but after some time, it got really annoying. I ran through web after web. These trails must never be used. I got tired of the webs all over my shirtless body. It would be nice if I could at least see the webs coming, but I didn't. It was frustrating because they weren't just in narrow sections, but wide open ones too.
There were some views here and there of the lake. At one point, there is a clear opening and that is awesome. Spots like that were rare though.
These trails were quite muddy. I remember that from last time I ran there. The tough part was that some sections had mud that wasn't even visible. Other areas were impossible to pass without running through deep mud. That was kind of annoying, although I do enjoy some mud.
The trails were steep, but they had a lot of rolling hills. I ended up running most of it. There wasn't much chance for recovery.
Some of the narrow sections had prickly bushes. Those were annoying. The worst was still all the webs. Not only were webs sticking to me, but I had to pick off several spiders and quite a few of the insects that they had trapped. That was quite gross.
I cursed over and over again, every time that I ran through more webs. I guess the good thing is that I knew no one would be there since no one had gone through these trails in a long time. I was so frustrated by now. I was around 3 miles into the run and more run than happy to turn around.
I kept trying to find a way to a road or trailhead. I didn't have much luck. I changed directions a couple times. Some of the trails seemed to be poorly maintained and difficult to follow. I could hear cars on the road at one point, so I knew I had to be close. I headed in that direction and eventually came to the road.
I ran on the road to go back. I had enough of the spider webs and trails. They were beyond frustrating. Even though I hate roads, being away from the webs allowed me to enjoy the run more now.
A woman biked passed me. The shoulders on the roads around the lake are huge. It is great and I'll have to ride there in the future. Maybe I can go when my dad uses his kayak.
It didn't take long until I was on to the trailhead access road. I still wasn't close to my car though. That ended up being quite far down the road. I was running on the roads for over 2 miles.
When I was back at my car, it was around 5.5 miles. I knew I wasn't going to run any more of the trails after I finished this segment up. I ran another half mile and got to mile 6. This was on the trail section that I ran earlier. I ran this part hard. I haven't run hard on a trail in some time.
I only did half of the distance I was hoping for, but I was just happy to be done and away from the webs. I continued to pick them off of me when I was at the car. Hopefully they are all finally gone, after my shower.
With my 15 mile bike ride in the evening, it was still a productive run. My left quad seems a little beat, so maybe it is good that I didn't do too much. I don't have a lot of time tomorrow, so I'll probably just bike in the afternoon. I'll likely run again on Thursday. Hopefully I can get into double digits then.
6 miles - 1:07:48 (11:18 pace)
I headed to Nockamixon State Park to run the trails. I often forget about that place. It isn't too far away. I haven't run there much. My dad goes kayaking there all the time. It's been over a year since I ran there. I do remember liking it, but the terrain wasn't all that challenging.
Originally, I was going to start at the south side of the lake. I had never run on those trails. When I got there, they looked overgrown. I decided to just run the trails on the north side.
I was hoping to run 12 miles. I didn't know how long the trails were, but I figured that I would need a couple loops. I started off on a decent trail. There were some woods and some grassy fields to it. I knew that after a short loop I would get to a road crossing. That was about half a mile into the run.
The trail was actually more up and down than I thought. Some sections were a bit overgrown and that was annoying. Other sections were good, open singletrack through the woods. Early on there were some spider webs.
I could take a few of those, but after some time, it got really annoying. I ran through web after web. These trails must never be used. I got tired of the webs all over my shirtless body. It would be nice if I could at least see the webs coming, but I didn't. It was frustrating because they weren't just in narrow sections, but wide open ones too.
There were some views here and there of the lake. At one point, there is a clear opening and that is awesome. Spots like that were rare though.
These trails were quite muddy. I remember that from last time I ran there. The tough part was that some sections had mud that wasn't even visible. Other areas were impossible to pass without running through deep mud. That was kind of annoying, although I do enjoy some mud.
The trails were steep, but they had a lot of rolling hills. I ended up running most of it. There wasn't much chance for recovery.
Some of the narrow sections had prickly bushes. Those were annoying. The worst was still all the webs. Not only were webs sticking to me, but I had to pick off several spiders and quite a few of the insects that they had trapped. That was quite gross.
I cursed over and over again, every time that I ran through more webs. I guess the good thing is that I knew no one would be there since no one had gone through these trails in a long time. I was so frustrated by now. I was around 3 miles into the run and more run than happy to turn around.
I kept trying to find a way to a road or trailhead. I didn't have much luck. I changed directions a couple times. Some of the trails seemed to be poorly maintained and difficult to follow. I could hear cars on the road at one point, so I knew I had to be close. I headed in that direction and eventually came to the road.
I ran on the road to go back. I had enough of the spider webs and trails. They were beyond frustrating. Even though I hate roads, being away from the webs allowed me to enjoy the run more now.
A woman biked passed me. The shoulders on the roads around the lake are huge. It is great and I'll have to ride there in the future. Maybe I can go when my dad uses his kayak.
It didn't take long until I was on to the trailhead access road. I still wasn't close to my car though. That ended up being quite far down the road. I was running on the roads for over 2 miles.
When I was back at my car, it was around 5.5 miles. I knew I wasn't going to run any more of the trails after I finished this segment up. I ran another half mile and got to mile 6. This was on the trail section that I ran earlier. I ran this part hard. I haven't run hard on a trail in some time.
I only did half of the distance I was hoping for, but I was just happy to be done and away from the webs. I continued to pick them off of me when I was at the car. Hopefully they are all finally gone, after my shower.
With my 15 mile bike ride in the evening, it was still a productive run. My left quad seems a little beat, so maybe it is good that I didn't do too much. I don't have a lot of time tomorrow, so I'll probably just bike in the afternoon. I'll likely run again on Thursday. Hopefully I can get into double digits then.
6 miles - 1:07:48 (11:18 pace)
Sunday, July 28, 2013
South Mountain (Lehigh) Night Run
After 20 trail miles yesterday, I wanted to run again today. The quads were a little sore, but overall I felt like I recovered quite well. I didn't get back from camping until almost dinner time. I had to wait some time for my food to settle before I headed out to run. I decided to run on the trails at Lehigh's Mountaintop Campus. I started after 8 PM.
The plan was to run 10 miles. I thought about parking at the bottom of the mountain, but I didn't want to get lost, since I didn't know the trails from that spot. I hoped that the Lehigh security didn't mind my car being parked at night at the Mountaintop Campus. I left a note on my car just in case.
The plan was to run the trail from Dave Decker's Loopy run last month. I ran the 4.5 mile loop 4 times that day, so I figured I knew it pretty well. Plus, there are still ribbons on the course.
It felt comfortable when I was about to start, but I know better this time of year. It is always humid. I think it was more damp today since it had rained. Regardless, I was sweating early and often during the run and was glad that I went shirtless.
The run starts off downhill. I cruised along, taking it nice and easy. I was just enjoying the run. I ran up the first short uphill, but after that, I walked most of the uphill sections, particularly the other early long one.
At times, the trail looked familiar. Other times, I wasn't so sure. Luckily, I continued to see ribbons, so I knew I was on the right track. It was cloudy and with being in the woods, I lost visibility in a hurry. I figured that I wouldn't need a headlamp until the second loop, but now I was regretting that I didn't have one.
I had to be careful. Not only did I have some trouble seeing the rocks, but they were slippery too. I sure didn't want to fall out there all alone by myself.
I figured that since it was dusk, I would see a lot of deer. I often see them on this trail. I was surprised that it took until almost the end of the first mile until I saw one. I actually saw two of them and I ended up splitting them up. Hopefully, they got back together.
At one point, I thought maybe I missed a turn. Eventually, I came to the correct turn. This happened later on too. I thought I was supposed to cross the road, but that was actually farther down. This part wasn't too bad, but I knew it would get tougher.
It was getting darker and darker and I knew the last 2 or more miles would be very rocky. I had to take it easy downhill and take small steps. I had to make sure that I didn't trip. This section really winds through the woods. I figured by now that I should probably head back at the next road crossing. The final section would probably be too dangerous.
My decision to cut back early was quickly confirmed. I was near the road and I saw the silhoutte of something climb quickly up a tree. I think there were two of them. They ran up the trees fast like a squirrel, but they were much bigger, possibly a raccoon or possum. That made me a little uncomfortable running under them.
I came to the road crossing and the funny part of the run. I emerged from the dark woods and there happened to be a Lehigh student running on the road. I completely scared the crap out of him. I had to say, "Sorry. I was just running through the woods." He really must've thought I was crazy. I saw him again later on the road as I was running up the mountain.
I ran along the shoulder of the road, up the mountain. It was less than a mile to the top. I got to the building next to my car at exactly 4 miles. I didn't feel like running another loop at this point, even though I had a headlamp in the car. It was the time to just call it a night. The 4 miles would have to do.
I might not have run as much as I wanted, but it was still a fun and quality session. I'm also thrilled with how well I had recovered. My quads do feel pretty sore now, so I'm glad I didn't run too much more though.
Tomorrow, I will definitely just be riding my bike. I'm hoping that I can ride 20 to 25 miles. That should be a good recovery exercise. On Tuesday, I'd like to ride and run. Summer basketball season is just about over, so I'll have more time to workout soon.
4 miles - 51:50 (12:58 pace)
The plan was to run 10 miles. I thought about parking at the bottom of the mountain, but I didn't want to get lost, since I didn't know the trails from that spot. I hoped that the Lehigh security didn't mind my car being parked at night at the Mountaintop Campus. I left a note on my car just in case.
The plan was to run the trail from Dave Decker's Loopy run last month. I ran the 4.5 mile loop 4 times that day, so I figured I knew it pretty well. Plus, there are still ribbons on the course.
It felt comfortable when I was about to start, but I know better this time of year. It is always humid. I think it was more damp today since it had rained. Regardless, I was sweating early and often during the run and was glad that I went shirtless.
The run starts off downhill. I cruised along, taking it nice and easy. I was just enjoying the run. I ran up the first short uphill, but after that, I walked most of the uphill sections, particularly the other early long one.
At times, the trail looked familiar. Other times, I wasn't so sure. Luckily, I continued to see ribbons, so I knew I was on the right track. It was cloudy and with being in the woods, I lost visibility in a hurry. I figured that I wouldn't need a headlamp until the second loop, but now I was regretting that I didn't have one.
I had to be careful. Not only did I have some trouble seeing the rocks, but they were slippery too. I sure didn't want to fall out there all alone by myself.
I figured that since it was dusk, I would see a lot of deer. I often see them on this trail. I was surprised that it took until almost the end of the first mile until I saw one. I actually saw two of them and I ended up splitting them up. Hopefully, they got back together.
At one point, I thought maybe I missed a turn. Eventually, I came to the correct turn. This happened later on too. I thought I was supposed to cross the road, but that was actually farther down. This part wasn't too bad, but I knew it would get tougher.
It was getting darker and darker and I knew the last 2 or more miles would be very rocky. I had to take it easy downhill and take small steps. I had to make sure that I didn't trip. This section really winds through the woods. I figured by now that I should probably head back at the next road crossing. The final section would probably be too dangerous.
My decision to cut back early was quickly confirmed. I was near the road and I saw the silhoutte of something climb quickly up a tree. I think there were two of them. They ran up the trees fast like a squirrel, but they were much bigger, possibly a raccoon or possum. That made me a little uncomfortable running under them.
I came to the road crossing and the funny part of the run. I emerged from the dark woods and there happened to be a Lehigh student running on the road. I completely scared the crap out of him. I had to say, "Sorry. I was just running through the woods." He really must've thought I was crazy. I saw him again later on the road as I was running up the mountain.
I ran along the shoulder of the road, up the mountain. It was less than a mile to the top. I got to the building next to my car at exactly 4 miles. I didn't feel like running another loop at this point, even though I had a headlamp in the car. It was the time to just call it a night. The 4 miles would have to do.
I might not have run as much as I wanted, but it was still a fun and quality session. I'm also thrilled with how well I had recovered. My quads do feel pretty sore now, so I'm glad I didn't run too much more though.
Tomorrow, I will definitely just be riding my bike. I'm hoping that I can ride 20 to 25 miles. That should be a good recovery exercise. On Tuesday, I'd like to ride and run. Summer basketball season is just about over, so I'll have more time to workout soon.
4 miles - 51:50 (12:58 pace)
Lackawanna State Park
After not running all that much earlier in the week, I
wanted to get a very long run into today.
We decided a couple weeks ago to camp at Lackawanna State Park, near
Scranton. It looked like they had plenty
of trails to run. That’s always a hit or
miss though; sometimes trails are better than others.
Our campground is close to the RV dump station and one of
the trails starts there. There is a lake
here and I was hoping to run a loop around it.
I wasn’t quite sure how far that would be. There are so many different trails that I was
just hoping that I wouldn’t get lost.
I was hoping to run 20 miles on the trails. However, I haven’t run that far on trails
alone before, so I didn’t know if I would be able to do it. I also wasn’t sure if I’d like the trails and
of course the hot weather could have an impact too.
Our campground is close to the RV dump station and one of
the trails starts there. There is a lake
here and I was hoping to run a loop around it.
I wasn’t quite sure how far that would be. There are so many different trails that I was
just hoping that I wouldn’t get lost.
After a short grassy section, I was to a wonderfully
forested floor. It was wide and soft and
also had a limited amount of rocks. It
was perfect. I just hoped that it would
stay that way.
Most of this early part was downhill. I came to a road after a short while and I
headed one direction and quickly found a trail.
I went down it and then I saw private property signs, so I just headed
the other way, back to the road.
Shortly after I was back on the road, I came to a dam. I knew the trail went around the dam and I
found the bridge for it. I came up
behind some hikers and since it was uphill, I walked behind them. I passed when it became flat.
It was nice because there wasn’t a lot of elevation change
throughout the routes. There were a lot
of rolling hills in the area, but it seemed like there were less of them on the
trails. That can be good or bad though. I actually ended up running a lot more of the
route than I thought I would.
These first few miles just flew by. I remember getting to about 2.5 miles and
thinking this was some of the best trail running I’ve ever done. It was mostly smooth dirt trails, like I
imagine trail running should be. There
wasn’t much overgrowth with the high canopies and the few rocks that I came to
were mostly flat. It was nearly perfect.
I eventually came out to a boat launch area on the south
side of the lake. I had ridden my bike
in this area on Friday, so I knew where I was.
After running up the road a short distance, I found the trail across the
main road.
I ran this section to continue the loop. When I came to a split, I took the downhill
part. That is typically what I did in
the early going. This was another
excellent section through the woods.
There are these old, flat stone walls everywhere in the area. I came across a bunch of them. Eventually, I came out by the main road. I wasn’t quite where I had hoped to be.
The good news was that I was near a big boat launch
area. I ran over there and grabbed some
water at the water fountain. Even though
I was in the woods, it was still pretty humid at this point. It was approaching noon. I ran without a shirt on, so that was a big
help.
After the boat launch, I headed back to the main road. Even though I had been close to our camper, I
wanted to get some more mileage in before I headed back there. When I was at the boat launch, it was 4 miles
into the run. Those miles seemed to go
quick, but I still had a long way to go.
It is amazing how fast trail miles can be when you run a new trail,
especially one that you are enjoying.
I wanted to loop around the outside of the lake. When I found the trailhead that I was looking
for, it said “Do Not Enter.” I looked at
the map and headed down the road to the trail on the inside of the lake.
I ran along the lake.
Every now and then, I could see the lake, but it was mostly a wooded
trail next to the lake. Again, this was
an excellent section to run. It was
pretty open and there was some gradual up and down, but not too much of it.
I finished this up and came to another road. I crossed the road and started running up
it. I found another trailhead. Luckily, the trailheads at each road were
well marked. This was another fun route
through evergreen trees. I only ran a
short distance though and decided that I wanted to turn around and run around
the lake.
I went down a boat ramp and looked at my map. I realized that I wasn’t at the end of the
lake, as I thought I had been. I headed
back to the trail that I had just been on.
Eventually, this would come back to the backside of the campground.
After running through the woods for a bit, I came out to an
open field. In the heat, I didn’t like
that idea. Then, I came to a pond. Even when I took my map out, I was kind of
confused where I was at. It wasn’t until
later that I realized that I had actually crossed a different road. That is what threw me off. I saw the trail went to a parking lot, but
not knowing where I was, I just decided to backtrack.
I ran all the way back through the woods and then through
the lakeside trail. Really, I should’ve
just continued on and then went to that parking lot. This still worked and I would get plenty of
mileage in. Eventually, I was back at
the big boat launch. I stopped for
another drink and used the restroom. I
ran along a paved path along the lake.
It was crowded though, so I figured that I wouldn’t run there again.
I ran on pavement back to the camper. I was happy to be over 8 miles when I got
back. I was actually just over 9 miles
into the run. I would’ve preferred to be
at 10 miles or more, that way I’d be halfway done. I was just under 2 hours into the run when I
got to the camper.
I rested for about 10 or 15 minutes at the camper. I was soaked, so I changed shorts and
boxers. That was a big help. I also made sure to eat something. I had a few pretzels. I ate a big breakfast, but wasn’t planning on
eating lunch because of this run, so I needed some calories. I also drank a soda. I realized that my electrolyte tablets were
left in the truck and my dad was using that to boat. I had to just fill up my handheld with
regular water.
I began my run the same way as the first time. I figured that that route was fun and I might
as well stick with what I know. I would’ve
liked to have run the north part of the park.
My one concern is that there wasn’t anywhere to refill water in that
section.
I cruised along, enjoying the second loop. I tried the opposite direction briefly, but
there were too many small up and down sections.
That was more suited for mountain bikers. Later on, I could hear a mountain biker
switch gears, so I got out of the way.
This seems like it would be a fun place to ride too. It seems easy enough that I could even ride
there. I saw quite a few mountain bikers
and hikers. There was only one other
runner though.
This time, after the lakeside trail and road crossing, I
headed uphill on the trail. I thought
I’d try something different. Plus, I
knew that this section would cross the road and go around the side of the lake
that I was hoping to run in the first loop.
I wasn’t going to run the whole way around the lake, but I thought I
could do an out and back. This section
wasn’t tough, but it was hillier. It was
fun though.
I ran over the road and was headed to the lake. I ran along a creek on another fun
section. By now, I was around half
marathon distance. It was tough to think
that I still had 7 miles to go. My first
goal was to get at least 15 miles in and to run back the camper, so I just
focused on that. I could worry about the
final 5 miles or so after some rest.
I heard some people on the other side of the creek, but I
never saw them. Eventually, I was
running along the lake. It turns out I
was still on the nearside of the lake, not where I thought I was. I came out by the “Do Not Enter” sign that I
saw earlier. I figured I might as well
just run an out and back on the section that I had run along the lake
earlier. I came across a bunch of hikers
and a mountain biker.
When this section ended, I was just less than 15 miles. I figured that I would at least get to 16
miles when I was back to the camper.
Then, I could manage to get 4 more miles in somehow.
It was funny because I was now feeling good and in a
groove. Earlier in this loop, around
mile 11, I started to get lightheaded.
Luckily, that didn’t get any worse and it eventually went away. Now, I was feeling good. My legs were starting to get a bit sore and
tired, but overall, I was happy with how I was feeling. Nearly 16 miles into the run and I couldn’t
have expected to feel better.
I ran 16 solo trail miles a couple weeks ago and that was my
longest run alone on trails in my life.
Now, I was pushing past that. I
ran back on the road to get back to the campground. I didn’t enjoy this too much, especially
because there was some uphill. I stopped
at the camper at just over 16.5 miles. I
was 3 hours and 27 minutes into the run.
I thought about going farther since I was in a groove, but I
figured I needed the rest. I grabbed
another soda. This time, I just opted to
fill my water bottle with it. I grabbed
some more pretzels. I also drank an iced
tea and water. I didn’t have another
pair of shorts to wear, so I kept this pair on.
It didn’t seem like I was sweating as much now anyway. I had not changed socks earlier, but I did so
at this point. That was a great choice
that my feet thanked me for.
I figured that I would head back down the original
trail. There was a lot of downhill, so
that was nice and easy. The big issue
was that I wasn’t sure how long of a loop it would be if I decided to take that
route. If I ran an out and back, I would
have to run or walk uphill quite a bit on the way back to the camper.
I just headed out, not worrying exactly what I was going to
do. At one point, I jumped over a rock
and my groin tightened up. I used
shorter strides from then on. I really
didn’t have many muscle problems, other than some general soreness. I think the slow pace was a big help.
I came do the dam and walked up the hill again. I then passed a couple mountain bikers who
were just hanging around. I cruised
around the forest path on the outside of the lake. That was fun.
I just focused on each mile. I
really focused on getting to mile 19. At
this point, I knew I’d hit my 20 mile goal.
I was quite impressed because before the run, I wasn’t sure if I could
do such a thing. Anything over 15 miles
would’ve made me happy.
There was a young kid will a small mountain bike. He was riding with his father. That was pretty cool. Since I wasn’t sure how long the loop would
take, I opted to turn around. I knew
there would be some tough uphill, but I figured I would just walk those
sections if I had to. I did quite a bit
of walking in the slow last mile. I
finished up at the camper at just over 20 miles. It was great to be done.
This was my longest trail run ever and obviously also my
longest solo trail run ever. It was the
longest I’ve ever run from a time standpoint too. I think my longest run ever before this was
just under 4 hours, in my first marathon in 2009. Even at 20 miles, this was one of my longest
run ever. I had a couple longer training
runs on the road, including a few weeks ago.
Then, of course there are the two marathons. Hopefully, I break through all those distances
in the not too distance future. I want
run a 50K in the fall. It is hard to
believe that that is 11 more miles than today.
I’m sure running it with other people will be a big help.
This has been my most productive week ever. I ran and biked for a total of 101
miles. I ran over 35 miles and biked
over 65 miles. I hoped to bump those
numbers up in the future too. That was
over 12 hours of working out and over 7400 calories burned too.
Tomorrow, we’ll be leaving here. I’d like to either run or bike. More than likely, I’ll do so at home. It is raining a lot now and I’m not sure if
that will continue on into tomorrow. It
is also a matter of how well my body is recovered. My legs already feel pretty good, thanks to
the soft trail. I’m definitely going to
run mostly trails, at least for the near future.
20.02 miles – 4:12:25 (12:36 pace)
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Tough Climb at Lehigh Gap
Today was some beautiful weather. The temperature was cool, the humidity was low and there was a nice breeze going. I had to take advantage of it. I decided to both run and bike today. I was hoping for 10 miles of trail running and 25 miles of biking. It didn't quite work out that way.
I opted to head to the Lehigh Gap Nature Center. I wanted to climb some, so I figured I'd head up the Appalachian Trail. When I was hiking the other side of the Gap over the winter, I could see the AT. It looked like a long, gradual climb. I think it was, but that didn't make it easy.
The elevation at the Lehigh Gap Nature Center is under 500 feet. The elevation at the top of the mountain is over 1500 feet. That is quite the climb. The one thing I wasn't looking forward to with this run is that I knew some of the most difficult climbing would be early in the run. There was no chance to warmup.
The beginning of the run is actually on the Woodpecker Trail. It is uphill, but not as bad as the AT. I was able to run a lot of it. On the AT, a lot of the early portion was run/walk. I'd run easy until I was tired, which didn't take long. My breathing isn't that great right now. The trail is also very rocky, so that caused me to walk some. One section has huge boulders and there is no way to run it. I had to walk that and I even had trouble finding the blazes on the trees.
Run, walk, run, walk, that seemed to be the theme in the early going. I was able to run by the shelter along the trail. No one was hanging out there. The only time I actually saw anyone during the run was on the way back down. A family was building a fire in a camping area near the shelter.
Most of the AT went through trees with barren ground. Some sections were clear of trees and there was often brush along the trail in these sections. I'm hoping none of it was poison ivy. I was surprised that the trail wasn't clearer with how many people must hike through it.
I came to the blue blazed North Trail around .8 miles into the run. I couldn't believe I was only that far along. It said on the sign that it was 2 miles until both trails would meet up again. The North Trail runs along the barren top of the mountain. I continued on the AT.
The first mile was just so slow. It was around 20 minutes. All the walking caused it to take forever. That first mile had the steepest climbing. Still, there was plenty of gradual climbing. Every now and then, there was a short downhill too.
Even though it was cool out, I still ended up being soaked from sweat. Running uphill for a long time is hard work, regardless of how nice it is. I was wearing a hat, so my head couldn't breathe either. I also forgot my water bottle at home. That would've been nice to have.
As I was near the top of the mountain, the trail passed over a stone road. I thought it was odd that there was a road that high up, but then I realized that it probably led to the communications towers that are on the mountain.
At around 2.5 miles, I was finally at the top. I saw the North Trail again and this time, I headed on it. I went past one of the communication towers. This trail made the climb worth it. It provided awesome views. I could see the turnpike below as well as the Lehigh River. Palmerton was off on the other side. It was hard to run and take in the view at the same time. The trail was on a semi steep section, so I could've fallen if I wasn't careful.
The reason for the great view is that the zinc plant nearby had killed off all of the trees. Now, there is a lot of tall prairie grass along the trail. The trail is windy. I know there could be rattlesnakes on the rocks in that area, so I was getting kind of uncomfortable. I couldn't see very well with the tall grass. After a short distance, I decided it was too risky to go on.
I headed back to the AT. When I got there, I decided to head the other direction first, before coming back down the mountain. This was mostly flat and wooded. I ran until I hit the 3 mile point. I then turned around and headed back down to the parking lot.
Going down the mountain was certainly faster, but it was still a slow go. There are a lot of rocks and it is steep, so I didn't want to run out of control. I did enjoy the easy of the downhill though.
When I was by the shelter, I saw a sign for a spring. It was nearby and I saw it as I ran past. I was tempted to drink from it, but I'm not sure if it is clear or not.
I was finally back at my car. It was only 5.5 miles into the run. The run was much slower than I thought it would be. Thus, I was already around one hour and thirty minutes into the run at this point. I thought about running a couple miles on the flat D&L or LNE Trail, but I figured there wasn't a point. I had a good workout in. I was planning to ride anywhere. I didn't have a lot of time to do that before my evening plans.
Biking was tough because it was so cold with the wind blowing on my bike. Riding into the headwind was so much harder. I rode over to Notre Dame-Green Pond High School. I also rode around NCC and Moravian Academy's campus for some extra distance.
By the time I finished the 25 mile ride, I was exhausted. I only had about an hour of rest between tough workouts. This was one of the hardest days I've ever had exercising. Some time, I hope days like this are normal days.
Tomorrow, I'm going camping. I'm hoping to ride my bike again and get a lot of long mileage in again. After that, I plan on a very long trail run on Saturday. I hope it all works out. I've never run at the park that we are camping at.
5.5 miles - 1:25:20 (15:31 pace)
I opted to head to the Lehigh Gap Nature Center. I wanted to climb some, so I figured I'd head up the Appalachian Trail. When I was hiking the other side of the Gap over the winter, I could see the AT. It looked like a long, gradual climb. I think it was, but that didn't make it easy.
The elevation at the Lehigh Gap Nature Center is under 500 feet. The elevation at the top of the mountain is over 1500 feet. That is quite the climb. The one thing I wasn't looking forward to with this run is that I knew some of the most difficult climbing would be early in the run. There was no chance to warmup.
The beginning of the run is actually on the Woodpecker Trail. It is uphill, but not as bad as the AT. I was able to run a lot of it. On the AT, a lot of the early portion was run/walk. I'd run easy until I was tired, which didn't take long. My breathing isn't that great right now. The trail is also very rocky, so that caused me to walk some. One section has huge boulders and there is no way to run it. I had to walk that and I even had trouble finding the blazes on the trees.
Run, walk, run, walk, that seemed to be the theme in the early going. I was able to run by the shelter along the trail. No one was hanging out there. The only time I actually saw anyone during the run was on the way back down. A family was building a fire in a camping area near the shelter.
Most of the AT went through trees with barren ground. Some sections were clear of trees and there was often brush along the trail in these sections. I'm hoping none of it was poison ivy. I was surprised that the trail wasn't clearer with how many people must hike through it.
I came to the blue blazed North Trail around .8 miles into the run. I couldn't believe I was only that far along. It said on the sign that it was 2 miles until both trails would meet up again. The North Trail runs along the barren top of the mountain. I continued on the AT.
The first mile was just so slow. It was around 20 minutes. All the walking caused it to take forever. That first mile had the steepest climbing. Still, there was plenty of gradual climbing. Every now and then, there was a short downhill too.
Even though it was cool out, I still ended up being soaked from sweat. Running uphill for a long time is hard work, regardless of how nice it is. I was wearing a hat, so my head couldn't breathe either. I also forgot my water bottle at home. That would've been nice to have.
As I was near the top of the mountain, the trail passed over a stone road. I thought it was odd that there was a road that high up, but then I realized that it probably led to the communications towers that are on the mountain.
At around 2.5 miles, I was finally at the top. I saw the North Trail again and this time, I headed on it. I went past one of the communication towers. This trail made the climb worth it. It provided awesome views. I could see the turnpike below as well as the Lehigh River. Palmerton was off on the other side. It was hard to run and take in the view at the same time. The trail was on a semi steep section, so I could've fallen if I wasn't careful.
The reason for the great view is that the zinc plant nearby had killed off all of the trees. Now, there is a lot of tall prairie grass along the trail. The trail is windy. I know there could be rattlesnakes on the rocks in that area, so I was getting kind of uncomfortable. I couldn't see very well with the tall grass. After a short distance, I decided it was too risky to go on.
I headed back to the AT. When I got there, I decided to head the other direction first, before coming back down the mountain. This was mostly flat and wooded. I ran until I hit the 3 mile point. I then turned around and headed back down to the parking lot.
Going down the mountain was certainly faster, but it was still a slow go. There are a lot of rocks and it is steep, so I didn't want to run out of control. I did enjoy the easy of the downhill though.
When I was by the shelter, I saw a sign for a spring. It was nearby and I saw it as I ran past. I was tempted to drink from it, but I'm not sure if it is clear or not.
I was finally back at my car. It was only 5.5 miles into the run. The run was much slower than I thought it would be. Thus, I was already around one hour and thirty minutes into the run at this point. I thought about running a couple miles on the flat D&L or LNE Trail, but I figured there wasn't a point. I had a good workout in. I was planning to ride anywhere. I didn't have a lot of time to do that before my evening plans.
Biking was tough because it was so cold with the wind blowing on my bike. Riding into the headwind was so much harder. I rode over to Notre Dame-Green Pond High School. I also rode around NCC and Moravian Academy's campus for some extra distance.
By the time I finished the 25 mile ride, I was exhausted. I only had about an hour of rest between tough workouts. This was one of the hardest days I've ever had exercising. Some time, I hope days like this are normal days.
Tomorrow, I'm going camping. I'm hoping to ride my bike again and get a lot of long mileage in again. After that, I plan on a very long trail run on Saturday. I hope it all works out. I've never run at the park that we are camping at.
5.5 miles - 1:25:20 (15:31 pace)
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
10 and 10
I haven't worked out at all since Friday. I haven't become lazy, I've just been busy. I watched over 20 basketball games over the weekend. Yesterday, the weather was stormy. That meant I had to get a lot done today. I opted to bike and run.
I had to work at lunch and later in the afternoon. In between, I got out for an easy 10 mile bike ride. That was nice. The weather was much better than last week. It was still humid, but only in the 80s.
After dinner, I had to try to get my run in. I needed to let my stomach settle a little. I knew that starting around 7 PM would mean that I'd be close to dark when I finished my planned 10 mile trail run. I'm basically just running on trails these days.
I headed to Jacobsburg again. This time, I parked in the small lot at the north end of the park. I wanted to start somewhere different for a change, even though I'd be running about the same course.
I ran the Sober's Run Loop. I went in the clockwise direction this time to change it up. Usually, I run the other way. The beginning was annoying because they haven't trimmed the brush along the trail in that section. After I got past there, I was on to the nice, soft dirt section along the ridge. I went along nice and easy.
I was on the main trail and instead of staying on that, I ran the winding dirt singletrack along the creek. I just discovered this section and I really like it. It is peaceful along the water and it is kind of remote. Plus, it is something new.
After that ended, I came back onto the main trail. This was a different section than I usually run too. I wasn't sure where it would come out. I still sort of knew where I was. The path then came out to a road and I had to turn around and come back. It wasn't too long and I was on the section I am familiar with.
This next section was a long gradual uphill. Usually when I run this loop, I go the other direction and I have a steep uphill and gradual downhill. This time, it was the opposite. Because this section was such a gradual ascend, I ran most of it. I did walk for a short bit though. I didn't walk much at all during this run.
It wasn't too long and I was back at my car to wipe off with a towel and refill my water bottle. By now, I was at mile 3.33. I still had 2/3 of the run to go.
I decided that I would run my usual long loop. This time, I would going the opposite direction too. It rained a lot and I was looking forward to running through the muddy sections between the roads. That was sure a fun mess. I was glad I didn't lose a shoe. Going this direction, this section was mostly downhill.
I was now around mile 5. By this point, my shorts were soaked from sweating. Even though it was cooler, it was still humid out. The most annoying part of the whole run was in this area. As I ran through the woods, flies or some bugs kept landing on my sweaty head. It was annoying.
I saw some bikers in this section. I came across quite a few people on this run. There were a handful of mountain bikers, some hikers and two runners. I rarely see anyone trail running there. Of course I was on the only one running shirtless, but I sweat so much that I'm glad I did that.
I cruised along the path toward the main parking lot. This section was nice and easy. It was starting to get a bit dark under the cover of the trees. It was somewhere around 7 miles where I got to the water fountain for a brief water refill. Luckily, I didn't really need it since it was cooling off a lot.
I watched the miles tick away. Now, I headed up the steep path. I ran just about the whole thing since I was feeling good. I was going to run my usual route, but in reverse. Then I saw the path that leads to the open field area. I knew it would be a tough uphill, but it would be short. After that, it would be mostly flat and I could cruise along. There was a lot of downhill.
I cruised down the trail. This section was nice because it was open to daylight. I didn't have much of that remaining, but it was good to have. Eventually, I was back to the road and going back to the Sober's Run Loop.
I was over 8 miles and figured that when I got back to my car, it would be 9 miles. By now, I was getting a bit tired. Plus, I was soaked. I was also losing a lot of light. I could've ran through the true dirt trail section back to my car, but with little visibility and my headlamp in the car, I opted for the flatter normal path.
I got back to my car at almost exactly 9.33 miles. That meant this longer loop was 6 miles long. I decided to cross the road and do a short out and back on the Bushkill Trail. I was just hoping they didn't ticket my car because it was after dark. I went out and turned around and finished up at 10 miles.
My quads were a bit sore. It was a nice run though. I was happy to hit double digits. I'm hoping that I can run another 10-20 easy trail miles tomorrow. I'm trying to get myself used to running back to back long runs. That is a staple of ultra running. I did that pretty well that the other week. I also hope for another double digit bike ride tomorrow. It is time to get back to work with my training.
10 miles - 1:49:15 (10:55 pace)
I had to work at lunch and later in the afternoon. In between, I got out for an easy 10 mile bike ride. That was nice. The weather was much better than last week. It was still humid, but only in the 80s.
After dinner, I had to try to get my run in. I needed to let my stomach settle a little. I knew that starting around 7 PM would mean that I'd be close to dark when I finished my planned 10 mile trail run. I'm basically just running on trails these days.
I headed to Jacobsburg again. This time, I parked in the small lot at the north end of the park. I wanted to start somewhere different for a change, even though I'd be running about the same course.
I ran the Sober's Run Loop. I went in the clockwise direction this time to change it up. Usually, I run the other way. The beginning was annoying because they haven't trimmed the brush along the trail in that section. After I got past there, I was on to the nice, soft dirt section along the ridge. I went along nice and easy.
I was on the main trail and instead of staying on that, I ran the winding dirt singletrack along the creek. I just discovered this section and I really like it. It is peaceful along the water and it is kind of remote. Plus, it is something new.
After that ended, I came back onto the main trail. This was a different section than I usually run too. I wasn't sure where it would come out. I still sort of knew where I was. The path then came out to a road and I had to turn around and come back. It wasn't too long and I was on the section I am familiar with.
This next section was a long gradual uphill. Usually when I run this loop, I go the other direction and I have a steep uphill and gradual downhill. This time, it was the opposite. Because this section was such a gradual ascend, I ran most of it. I did walk for a short bit though. I didn't walk much at all during this run.
It wasn't too long and I was back at my car to wipe off with a towel and refill my water bottle. By now, I was at mile 3.33. I still had 2/3 of the run to go.
I decided that I would run my usual long loop. This time, I would going the opposite direction too. It rained a lot and I was looking forward to running through the muddy sections between the roads. That was sure a fun mess. I was glad I didn't lose a shoe. Going this direction, this section was mostly downhill.
I was now around mile 5. By this point, my shorts were soaked from sweating. Even though it was cooler, it was still humid out. The most annoying part of the whole run was in this area. As I ran through the woods, flies or some bugs kept landing on my sweaty head. It was annoying.
I saw some bikers in this section. I came across quite a few people on this run. There were a handful of mountain bikers, some hikers and two runners. I rarely see anyone trail running there. Of course I was on the only one running shirtless, but I sweat so much that I'm glad I did that.
I cruised along the path toward the main parking lot. This section was nice and easy. It was starting to get a bit dark under the cover of the trees. It was somewhere around 7 miles where I got to the water fountain for a brief water refill. Luckily, I didn't really need it since it was cooling off a lot.
I watched the miles tick away. Now, I headed up the steep path. I ran just about the whole thing since I was feeling good. I was going to run my usual route, but in reverse. Then I saw the path that leads to the open field area. I knew it would be a tough uphill, but it would be short. After that, it would be mostly flat and I could cruise along. There was a lot of downhill.
I cruised down the trail. This section was nice because it was open to daylight. I didn't have much of that remaining, but it was good to have. Eventually, I was back to the road and going back to the Sober's Run Loop.
I was over 8 miles and figured that when I got back to my car, it would be 9 miles. By now, I was getting a bit tired. Plus, I was soaked. I was also losing a lot of light. I could've ran through the true dirt trail section back to my car, but with little visibility and my headlamp in the car, I opted for the flatter normal path.
I got back to my car at almost exactly 9.33 miles. That meant this longer loop was 6 miles long. I decided to cross the road and do a short out and back on the Bushkill Trail. I was just hoping they didn't ticket my car because it was after dark. I went out and turned around and finished up at 10 miles.
My quads were a bit sore. It was a nice run though. I was happy to hit double digits. I'm hoping that I can run another 10-20 easy trail miles tomorrow. I'm trying to get myself used to running back to back long runs. That is a staple of ultra running. I did that pretty well that the other week. I also hope for another double digit bike ride tomorrow. It is time to get back to work with my training.
10 miles - 1:49:15 (10:55 pace)
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