I was surprised with how good I felt running 80 miles last week. I knew eventually it would catch up to me though. Today it did.
The plan was to run twice. I wanted to run in the morning, but getting up on my own is tough, so I slept in. I headed out in the afternoon to run 3 X 1 mile repeats and test out my speed. I headed to the Route 33 Boat Launch.
It was a nice afternoon. The only issue was that it was a little breezy. I was planning on running fast, so I went with a singlet. It might not have been a bad idea, if I kept up the fast pace.
I started up with a warmup and didn't feel great or terrible. I knew I wouldn't have a good workout if I was running long, but I figured I could fake it for 3 fast repeats anyway. Boy was I wrong.
After the first mile, I picked it up. My watch wasn't right as early on it shown a sub 5 minute pace. I can't run anywhere near that fast. Then, the pace jumped up quickly. Before I knew it, it was at 5:45 and then it went over 6 minutes. That was disappointing because I was pushing hard.
As I approached a half mile, I realized this run would be a big struggle and I just wasn't sharp enough for a quality speed session. I'm sure running into the wind wasn't helping. Regardless, I decided to stop the fast run and save it for another day.
Slowing down was good, but I just felt so off today. I can't say I was sore during this run. I was lethargic and had no energy at all. I was thinking maybe it was due to my lunch. It seems that I sometimes struggle in workouts on days when I eat at work (like today).
I went through Riverview Park and continued on. I decided that I would head out to mile 3 and turn around. Then, I'd go in the other direction and try to run 10 miles total. I was running into the breeze the whole time that I went out.
I turned around, but things didn't get any better. Although the pace looks decent, it was a slow struggle. It felt like it was taking forever. I couldn't wait to get to miles 4 and 5. Eventually I did though.
The section between Riverview and the Boat Launch was busy. There were a lot of walkers, some bikers and a few runners. I enjoyed the activity. It was nothing like my solo winter runs there.
I finally got back to the Boat Launch and mile 6. I was dead. I decided to end the run there and try again later on in the evening. This was an unproductive trip.
I rested for about 3 hours. I got back out there at dusk. The plan was to run 8 more miles and get to 14 miles for the day. That would also get me to 50 miles for the week. I was just going to stick to the neighborhoods around my house.
I wore a headlamp and vest. It was getting chilly and it was still breezy, so I had a long sleeve shirt on this time too. I was looking forward to the darkness.
I thought about doing a loop around my neighborhood, but I simply decided to head right into the other neighborhood. I planned on doing the big loop. Early on, a young girl was running too. I thought she might catch me from behind since I was going slow, but she turned. I was happy about that.
I felt like I had more energy now, but my legs were quite dead. They are definitely feeling the recent big mileage. I figured this was good training for my upcoming 50 miler though. I surely won't feel great during that.
I ran out and did the loop that is about a mile and a half add on. It seemed quite breezy during that. By now, things were getting quite dark. It was still a nice evening though.
I went up the long hill and passed a woman who was walking her dog. It was good to see that she had a light and reflective vest. I watched the miles slowly tick away. It seemed like it was taking forever.
The mile loop across the highway and the big hill took a lot out of me. I was thrilled in this area when I finally hit mile 4. I couldn't believe I had another 4 miles to go. I had about 2.5 yet to get back to the school.
I continued to cruise along easy, but I was feeling every step. I sort of wished that I had someone to run with, because I wouldn't have been thinking about it so much then. I had nothing else to focus on though. I passed the dog walker again in this section.
It was great to be inside of 5k. It was even better to finally get to mile 6. Two more miles seemed like forever though. I came across the girl running again too.
Every little hill was a struggle now. I did another short add on loop. I figured that would get me pretty close to mile 8 when I arrived back at the school. I hit mile 7 and knowing that I only had another mile to go was huge. So was thinking of it as the 49th mile of the week.
I got back to the school with less than half a mile to go. I ran a short loop around the parking lot and finished up with my 8th mile. The day was finally over and I survived the struggle.
I've now run 130 miles in the last 11 days, with 2 days off included in there. My body is certainly paying for it and I'm at my limit. I need to battle on for a few more days. If I can just run 30 miles in the next 3 days, I can rest plenty after that.
I was going to run a couple times tomorrow. I was planning on meeting up with Kristin in the morning, but my body needs more recovery. I have to wait until the afternoon to run. I'm heading down near Philly and might run a trail down there. I'd love to be able to get 12+ miles in. I guess I'll do whatever my body allows.
Afternoon Run 6 miles - 45:21 (7:33 pace)
Evening Run 8 miles - 1:05:22 (8:10 pace)
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Morning and Evening Runs
Monday was a much needed day off after a hard long run on Sunday and a big week in general. Today, it was back at it. I split the day's activities into 2 runs.
Kelley and I met up in the morning at Ironton. I figured on at least one loop, but if I didn't have to go into work early, we'd be able to do more. It was kind of a crappy weather to start the day. It was still drizzling after a lot of rain overnight.
The rain was supposed to be just about over when we started though. I was originally going to run in a long sleeve shirt, but it was too warm. It was a good thing that I had packed a short sleeve to go with the shorts.
We headed out the crappy way first. That meant no uphill to start. I don't mind it either way, but I know Kelley isn't crazy about pushing the stroller up a hill in the beginning. I had to take an early bathroom break and it took me awhile to catch back up to her.
I didn't feel all that great at the start. I certainly wasn't in terrible shape, but I wasn't totally recovered from last week either. My upper quad was a bit sore/stiff.
We cruised along. I let her set the pace as always. We chatted away about running, TV, kids and other stuff. It made time fly by. There were a few people out, but it wasn't too busy on this day.
I barely even looked at my watch at all during this run. Before I realized it, we were to the hill by the caboose. Then, it is a downhill to finish up. Since I didn't get a work call, I asked her if she wanted to run longer.
We decided to run 8 miles. She said that was about as long as Evern would sleep. We headed back through the loop. Now, it would be a short out and back through the crappy section. That flew by too and we were done before I knew it.
I decided to run to mile 9. I ran a couple short out and back segments to get there. Kelley was walking back, so when I was done, she was just starting to pack up her car. I got to chat with her some more and watch the little one crawl around in the car. It was a productive way to start the day.
I haven't been to the Emmaus Run Inn group runs in some time. I decided to join them in the evening. It was good to see a lot of old friends. They had a decent turnout. I wanted to get 6 miles in and hit 15 total for the day.
It was a nice night, so I dressed in shorts and short sleeves. It was a bit windy at times. All in all, it wasn't too bad. The wind did hurt my breathing some.
We headed out toward the South Mountain trailhead. We ran the flat section, but other than that, stayed on the roads the rest of the time. As usual, I have no idea where I'm running in Emmaus. I always have to follow someone.
I started off running with Tim for the first half mile or so. Then we went uphill toward the trailhead and I decided to join Brian at the front. It was a solid sub 7:30 pace. I stayed with him the rest of the run. We talked about marathons, ultras and so on. The run went by quickly again.
In the past, Aaron has usually said he was going to run easy, but ended up taking off. I figured that is what he would do again, but he didn't. He ran easy the whole time. I could never stay with him when he took off, but now I might've been able to. I wasn't really up for too quick of a run though, so I'm glad he didn't go faster.
The miles clicked off. They were 7:24, 7:07, 7:11 for the first half of the run. The second half of the run did slow down a bit with 7:20, 7:24 and 7:30. We actually got back to the store at 5.5 miles. I kept going on my own until mile 6 though. It was another good run with company. We spent over half an hour in the store chatting afterward too.
My legs had been a bit sore after the first run, but they've come back around now. The two runs were quite productive. I think my body actually feels better after a quicker run. I like both paces though. It certainly helps me get more mileage in.
Tomorrow, I'm running twice again. I'm hoping to run 10 miles around my neighborhoods in the morning. Then, I want to test my top speed. I want to run 3 or 4 mile repeats. I want to see if I can run them under a 6 minute pace each. I'm not sure how fast I can run right now. I'm hoping to run a 5k next week, so this will give me a good gauge.
AM Run 9 miles - 1:17:48 (8:39 pace)
PM Run 6 miles - 43:56 (7:19 pace)
Kelley and I met up in the morning at Ironton. I figured on at least one loop, but if I didn't have to go into work early, we'd be able to do more. It was kind of a crappy weather to start the day. It was still drizzling after a lot of rain overnight.
The rain was supposed to be just about over when we started though. I was originally going to run in a long sleeve shirt, but it was too warm. It was a good thing that I had packed a short sleeve to go with the shorts.
We headed out the crappy way first. That meant no uphill to start. I don't mind it either way, but I know Kelley isn't crazy about pushing the stroller up a hill in the beginning. I had to take an early bathroom break and it took me awhile to catch back up to her.
I didn't feel all that great at the start. I certainly wasn't in terrible shape, but I wasn't totally recovered from last week either. My upper quad was a bit sore/stiff.
We cruised along. I let her set the pace as always. We chatted away about running, TV, kids and other stuff. It made time fly by. There were a few people out, but it wasn't too busy on this day.
I barely even looked at my watch at all during this run. Before I realized it, we were to the hill by the caboose. Then, it is a downhill to finish up. Since I didn't get a work call, I asked her if she wanted to run longer.
We decided to run 8 miles. She said that was about as long as Evern would sleep. We headed back through the loop. Now, it would be a short out and back through the crappy section. That flew by too and we were done before I knew it.
I decided to run to mile 9. I ran a couple short out and back segments to get there. Kelley was walking back, so when I was done, she was just starting to pack up her car. I got to chat with her some more and watch the little one crawl around in the car. It was a productive way to start the day.
I haven't been to the Emmaus Run Inn group runs in some time. I decided to join them in the evening. It was good to see a lot of old friends. They had a decent turnout. I wanted to get 6 miles in and hit 15 total for the day.
It was a nice night, so I dressed in shorts and short sleeves. It was a bit windy at times. All in all, it wasn't too bad. The wind did hurt my breathing some.
We headed out toward the South Mountain trailhead. We ran the flat section, but other than that, stayed on the roads the rest of the time. As usual, I have no idea where I'm running in Emmaus. I always have to follow someone.
I started off running with Tim for the first half mile or so. Then we went uphill toward the trailhead and I decided to join Brian at the front. It was a solid sub 7:30 pace. I stayed with him the rest of the run. We talked about marathons, ultras and so on. The run went by quickly again.
In the past, Aaron has usually said he was going to run easy, but ended up taking off. I figured that is what he would do again, but he didn't. He ran easy the whole time. I could never stay with him when he took off, but now I might've been able to. I wasn't really up for too quick of a run though, so I'm glad he didn't go faster.
The miles clicked off. They were 7:24, 7:07, 7:11 for the first half of the run. The second half of the run did slow down a bit with 7:20, 7:24 and 7:30. We actually got back to the store at 5.5 miles. I kept going on my own until mile 6 though. It was another good run with company. We spent over half an hour in the store chatting afterward too.
My legs had been a bit sore after the first run, but they've come back around now. The two runs were quite productive. I think my body actually feels better after a quicker run. I like both paces though. It certainly helps me get more mileage in.
Tomorrow, I'm running twice again. I'm hoping to run 10 miles around my neighborhoods in the morning. Then, I want to test my top speed. I want to run 3 or 4 mile repeats. I want to see if I can run them under a 6 minute pace each. I'm not sure how fast I can run right now. I'm hoping to run a 5k next week, so this will give me a good gauge.
AM Run 9 miles - 1:17:48 (8:39 pace)
PM Run 6 miles - 43:56 (7:19 pace)
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Goal Paced 18 and Recovery Run
Chris and Ryan were planning some fast running again this morning. I considered coming, but I struggled with 10 miles last week and wasn't sure if I could do 15 miles at that pace this week. I was largely concerned about that too because it was supposed to be about 30 degrees out. I didn't think there was anyway I could run a 6:50 pace with that many layers on.
The weather greatly improved throughout the day. By the time I started, before noon, it was in the 50s. It was pretty much perfect. Since I was running hard, I went with shorts and a singlet.
I figured that I'd shoot for 17 miles at a sub 7 minute pace. I thought I could do that, but after I struggled last week, I wasn't sure. The good thing is that this run started after getting some breakfast. Last week, I ran on an empty stomach. Also, I was running later in the day today. I'm not used to early morning runs, so that could've contributed to my difficulties at the start last week.
I took off from Riverview and headed to the Route 33 Boat Launch. I figured that I would run about 3 different segments. For this first one, I wanted 5 miles. The pace was quicker than I anticipated, but it felt comfortable. I looked down and it was just over a 6:40.
I passed Karl pretty early on in this segment. He was running the other way. There were a lot of people out there. I passed a few slower people that I saw a several times. They were probably doing longer runs.
I was trying not to go hard, but I felt good at this pace. I got into a nice groove. After mile 2, I hit the stone road into the Boat Launch. That surface wasn't difficult, but it was a change for my legs. I turned around at 2.5 miles. It was good to get off of that surface at mile 3. These first 3 miles were 6:42, 6:42 and 6:46. That was definitely a little faster than I was looking to do.
I figured that I could keep this up pretty easily until mile 5. Then I could rest a little bit. My quick pace continued without too much effort. I was simply amazed. I got back near mile 5 and decided to run out the other direction. I ran until I got to the downhill part of the path. Then, I turned around. I got back to the car and stopped at almost exactly mile 6. These miles were 6:43, 6:38 and 6:43. I was running quite consistent.
The rest and quick water break was a big help. I headed out in the other direction toward Easton this time. Since my car was near the bottom of the lot, I headed along Lehigh Drive for a short distance. I felt good and like I was running easy. I couldn't believe that the next mile was a speedy 6:33. I tried to get myself to slow down, but I was feeling good and really didn't change the pace much.
I ended up passing some of the slower runners again. I saw some bikers and runners in this section too, but there certainly weren't as many. The plan was to go out 3.5 miles and turn around. That would get me to mile 13 before my next stop.
It wasn't long until I was crossing the river and heading to Easton. I ran along Larry Holmes drive. The concrete slowed me, but not by much. I had to dodge some fishing poles in this area, since it is the 2nd day of fishing season. Once the path ended, I turned around. I was at 9.5 miles and my pace was about a 6:40. I was amazed. I came through mile 10 around this pace too. These miles were 6:39, 6:44 and 6:53.
It was good to be headed back. I was happy to get back across the river and on to the main path. The only problem was some early uphill and then a slight headwind in my face. I fought it off though. It helped to know that I'd only have to deal with it for a could more miles. I cruised along. It was good to get back to my car. I took Lehigh Drive again. I was at mile 13 and feeling good. I was kind of beat when I stopped.
Miles 11, 12 and 13 were 6:43, 6:47, 6:46. I couldn't believe my pace was still around 6:41. Again, I grabbed drink. This time, I quickly ate a gel too. I knew heading back out into the wind could be a challenge.
I felt good and headed back out. I forgot to look at my watch at 13.1 miles, but it was somewhere around 1:28. That's incredible because in February I ran a half marathon at 1:27. Of course the breaks helped, but I was far from going all out at that point. My plan was to run out 2 miles and come back.
I saw another friend, Sarah, with her husband and dog. They were out walking. It was great seeing familiar faces that late in the run. I just focused on getting to the turn around. I stayed consistent. I actually couldn't believe mile 14 was a 6:34. I slowed to 6:55 for that 15th mile. That still wasn't bad.
I decided to run out until the pavement of the parking lot ended. That got me to 15.2 miles. That meant I wouldn't have to add on too much to get to mile 18. I started to feel it on the way back. My legs were getting sore. They aren't quite used to this pace for this long. Mile 16 was a 6:48 and mile 17 slipped to 6:51.
I was falling off a bit, but still hitting my goal pace. My overall pace slipped slightly. Riverview was full of activity and that helped. I crossed the road and ran out the other direction for a bit. I then came back and ran out the original direction. I was beat by the time I finished. I ran a 6:52 final mile.
Overall, the pace was 6:44. That absolutely amazed me. I was able to run 15 miles at a 6:47 pace about a month ago, but that took a lot of work. This never seemed too hard, other than when my legs started to fall off at the end. I was super happy and impressed with the run. Now, I need to extend this pace to 22 or 23 miles in the future. I have found that faster long runs are much more fun. They go by so much faster.
Since I ran 18 miles, I wanted to over 20 for the day. I figured a short recovery run would be nice. After about 5 hours of rest, I went out in my neighborhood for a short run. I must've looked awful at first. I was so slow. I was well over 10 minute pace. I gradually sped up.
After .6 miles around my neighborhood, I headed to the other neighborhood. The plan was only 2 miles. I felt better and better though. Instead of doing a longer loop over there, I turned around at a shorter spot. That worked out well.
I hit mile 2 and shortly after that, I got to the school next to my house. A car was practicing parking. I ran loops to avoid it. I did two loops and finished up at mile 3. The miles dropped from 10:07, 8:54 and 8:16. This recovery run was great and just what I needed. It was nice and cool out too.
I've run over 100 miles in the last 8 days. It's now time for a much needed day off. If the weather is good, I might bike. There will be no running however. On Tuesday, I'm hoping to run twice again. I want to go to the Emmaus Run Inn group run. I haven't been there in awhile. It should be fun. Tuesday, I'd like to run some faster stuff. I might run a few mile repeats then, to see what kind of speed I have.
Long Run 18 miles - 2:01:19 (6:44 pace)
Recovery Run 3 miles - 27:17 (9:06 pace)
The weather greatly improved throughout the day. By the time I started, before noon, it was in the 50s. It was pretty much perfect. Since I was running hard, I went with shorts and a singlet.
I figured that I'd shoot for 17 miles at a sub 7 minute pace. I thought I could do that, but after I struggled last week, I wasn't sure. The good thing is that this run started after getting some breakfast. Last week, I ran on an empty stomach. Also, I was running later in the day today. I'm not used to early morning runs, so that could've contributed to my difficulties at the start last week.
I took off from Riverview and headed to the Route 33 Boat Launch. I figured that I would run about 3 different segments. For this first one, I wanted 5 miles. The pace was quicker than I anticipated, but it felt comfortable. I looked down and it was just over a 6:40.
I passed Karl pretty early on in this segment. He was running the other way. There were a lot of people out there. I passed a few slower people that I saw a several times. They were probably doing longer runs.
I was trying not to go hard, but I felt good at this pace. I got into a nice groove. After mile 2, I hit the stone road into the Boat Launch. That surface wasn't difficult, but it was a change for my legs. I turned around at 2.5 miles. It was good to get off of that surface at mile 3. These first 3 miles were 6:42, 6:42 and 6:46. That was definitely a little faster than I was looking to do.
I figured that I could keep this up pretty easily until mile 5. Then I could rest a little bit. My quick pace continued without too much effort. I was simply amazed. I got back near mile 5 and decided to run out the other direction. I ran until I got to the downhill part of the path. Then, I turned around. I got back to the car and stopped at almost exactly mile 6. These miles were 6:43, 6:38 and 6:43. I was running quite consistent.
The rest and quick water break was a big help. I headed out in the other direction toward Easton this time. Since my car was near the bottom of the lot, I headed along Lehigh Drive for a short distance. I felt good and like I was running easy. I couldn't believe that the next mile was a speedy 6:33. I tried to get myself to slow down, but I was feeling good and really didn't change the pace much.
I ended up passing some of the slower runners again. I saw some bikers and runners in this section too, but there certainly weren't as many. The plan was to go out 3.5 miles and turn around. That would get me to mile 13 before my next stop.
It wasn't long until I was crossing the river and heading to Easton. I ran along Larry Holmes drive. The concrete slowed me, but not by much. I had to dodge some fishing poles in this area, since it is the 2nd day of fishing season. Once the path ended, I turned around. I was at 9.5 miles and my pace was about a 6:40. I was amazed. I came through mile 10 around this pace too. These miles were 6:39, 6:44 and 6:53.
It was good to be headed back. I was happy to get back across the river and on to the main path. The only problem was some early uphill and then a slight headwind in my face. I fought it off though. It helped to know that I'd only have to deal with it for a could more miles. I cruised along. It was good to get back to my car. I took Lehigh Drive again. I was at mile 13 and feeling good. I was kind of beat when I stopped.
Miles 11, 12 and 13 were 6:43, 6:47, 6:46. I couldn't believe my pace was still around 6:41. Again, I grabbed drink. This time, I quickly ate a gel too. I knew heading back out into the wind could be a challenge.
I felt good and headed back out. I forgot to look at my watch at 13.1 miles, but it was somewhere around 1:28. That's incredible because in February I ran a half marathon at 1:27. Of course the breaks helped, but I was far from going all out at that point. My plan was to run out 2 miles and come back.
I saw another friend, Sarah, with her husband and dog. They were out walking. It was great seeing familiar faces that late in the run. I just focused on getting to the turn around. I stayed consistent. I actually couldn't believe mile 14 was a 6:34. I slowed to 6:55 for that 15th mile. That still wasn't bad.
I decided to run out until the pavement of the parking lot ended. That got me to 15.2 miles. That meant I wouldn't have to add on too much to get to mile 18. I started to feel it on the way back. My legs were getting sore. They aren't quite used to this pace for this long. Mile 16 was a 6:48 and mile 17 slipped to 6:51.
I was falling off a bit, but still hitting my goal pace. My overall pace slipped slightly. Riverview was full of activity and that helped. I crossed the road and ran out the other direction for a bit. I then came back and ran out the original direction. I was beat by the time I finished. I ran a 6:52 final mile.
Overall, the pace was 6:44. That absolutely amazed me. I was able to run 15 miles at a 6:47 pace about a month ago, but that took a lot of work. This never seemed too hard, other than when my legs started to fall off at the end. I was super happy and impressed with the run. Now, I need to extend this pace to 22 or 23 miles in the future. I have found that faster long runs are much more fun. They go by so much faster.
Since I ran 18 miles, I wanted to over 20 for the day. I figured a short recovery run would be nice. After about 5 hours of rest, I went out in my neighborhood for a short run. I must've looked awful at first. I was so slow. I was well over 10 minute pace. I gradually sped up.
After .6 miles around my neighborhood, I headed to the other neighborhood. The plan was only 2 miles. I felt better and better though. Instead of doing a longer loop over there, I turned around at a shorter spot. That worked out well.
I hit mile 2 and shortly after that, I got to the school next to my house. A car was practicing parking. I ran loops to avoid it. I did two loops and finished up at mile 3. The miles dropped from 10:07, 8:54 and 8:16. This recovery run was great and just what I needed. It was nice and cool out too.
I've run over 100 miles in the last 8 days. It's now time for a much needed day off. If the weather is good, I might bike. There will be no running however. On Tuesday, I'm hoping to run twice again. I want to go to the Emmaus Run Inn group run. I haven't been there in awhile. It should be fun. Tuesday, I'd like to run some faster stuff. I might run a few mile repeats then, to see what kind of speed I have.
Long Run 18 miles - 2:01:19 (6:44 pace)
Recovery Run 3 miles - 27:17 (9:06 pace)
Friday, April 4, 2014
Muddy J-Burg Run
This has been a challenging week. Since I'm racing tomorrow, I'm sort of backing off now (for a day anyway). I just wanted 7 easy miles. I decided that I needed to get to Jacobsburg and run on a softer surface. I meant to get on trail more this week, but it simply didn't happen.
It was a very raw day. The temperature was in the low 40s, with a lot of wind, light rain and clouds. It reminded me of the first day of fishing season from my youth. I wore a jacket with my shorts. I was glad I had it on, but as I figured, I was sweating by the end. I started with gloves on until I warmed up.
I wanted to do my usual loop and then add a bit to it, since it is 6 miles long. I started out on the main path, feeling pretty good. I am quite surprised that the legs aren't in worse shape. I had to run by a couple and their dog. Not many people were out today though.
I'm running on a lot of flat surfaces these days and some of the moderate climbs here were slightly challenging. That's one thing that gave my legs some issues, since they aren't totally fresh. It didn't take long to get through the first mile.
I wish I could've really enjoyed one of the first trail runs of the season, but it was just a terrible day. At least I focused on the run and not my watch so much. I saw a turkey in this early going. It took off quickly as I approached. I don't ever remember seeing one here.
It was nice to get some downhill. That section was very wet and sloppy though. I had fun going through it. The regular muddy section was super muddy on this day. We've had a decent amount of rain, plus the snow melt.
I struggled again with some of the short climbs. I was glad to be past the mud and able to run smoothly. I came to mile 3, feeling pretty good.
The climb up the powerline hill was tough. I guess that long, uneven hill will just never get easy. My pace was under 9 minutes for every mile. I knew I'd be flying downhill soon, so that helped as I went uphill.
Before long, I was coasting downhill. I ran a 7:20 and 7:26 on back to back miles on this downhill and flat stretch. It was great to get to mile 5 and 6. I hit mile 6 right past where I started. Normally, I like to climb behind the new building, but I didn't want to put my legs through any more today. Instead, I cut in front of it.
Since I still needed another mile to get to 7, I did a short out and back. This had some small climbs and I came across another guy and his dog. I went out to 6.58 miles and turned around. I finished up shortly before the end of the path. This was a sub 8 minute mile too. That's not bad, considering it wasn't too much effort and it was on a trail.
The legs feel about as good as I'd expect after 74 miles this week and 57 miles in the last 4 days. I'm going to run a 10k tomorrow morning at the Ironton Rail Trail. I can't imagine that I'll run faster than I did at the Super Bowl 10k, especially after the big week. Who knows though. I'd like to think I can still at least run sub 40 minutes. This shouldn't be as competitive as the Super Bowl 10k was.
7 miles - 56:37 (8:05 pace)
It was a very raw day. The temperature was in the low 40s, with a lot of wind, light rain and clouds. It reminded me of the first day of fishing season from my youth. I wore a jacket with my shorts. I was glad I had it on, but as I figured, I was sweating by the end. I started with gloves on until I warmed up.
I wanted to do my usual loop and then add a bit to it, since it is 6 miles long. I started out on the main path, feeling pretty good. I am quite surprised that the legs aren't in worse shape. I had to run by a couple and their dog. Not many people were out today though.
I'm running on a lot of flat surfaces these days and some of the moderate climbs here were slightly challenging. That's one thing that gave my legs some issues, since they aren't totally fresh. It didn't take long to get through the first mile.
I wish I could've really enjoyed one of the first trail runs of the season, but it was just a terrible day. At least I focused on the run and not my watch so much. I saw a turkey in this early going. It took off quickly as I approached. I don't ever remember seeing one here.
It was nice to get some downhill. That section was very wet and sloppy though. I had fun going through it. The regular muddy section was super muddy on this day. We've had a decent amount of rain, plus the snow melt.
I struggled again with some of the short climbs. I was glad to be past the mud and able to run smoothly. I came to mile 3, feeling pretty good.
The climb up the powerline hill was tough. I guess that long, uneven hill will just never get easy. My pace was under 9 minutes for every mile. I knew I'd be flying downhill soon, so that helped as I went uphill.
Before long, I was coasting downhill. I ran a 7:20 and 7:26 on back to back miles on this downhill and flat stretch. It was great to get to mile 5 and 6. I hit mile 6 right past where I started. Normally, I like to climb behind the new building, but I didn't want to put my legs through any more today. Instead, I cut in front of it.
Since I still needed another mile to get to 7, I did a short out and back. This had some small climbs and I came across another guy and his dog. I went out to 6.58 miles and turned around. I finished up shortly before the end of the path. This was a sub 8 minute mile too. That's not bad, considering it wasn't too much effort and it was on a trail.
The legs feel about as good as I'd expect after 74 miles this week and 57 miles in the last 4 days. I'm going to run a 10k tomorrow morning at the Ironton Rail Trail. I can't imagine that I'll run faster than I did at the Super Bowl 10k, especially after the big week. Who knows though. I'd like to think I can still at least run sub 40 minutes. This shouldn't be as competitive as the Super Bowl 10k was.
7 miles - 56:37 (8:05 pace)
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Two Runs with Friends
Kelley and I talked about running earlier in the week, but her baby was sick, so we didn't meet up. After hearing about an incident on the Nor-Bath Trail, she decided she wanted some company to run with this morning. That worked great for me because I was planning on running twice anyway.
We agreed to meet up at Cementon to run the D&L. That way we could get 7 miles in. She arrived a little late and a couple women came to run right before us. I thought one was Colleen at first. We didn't know them though.
The plan was simply 3.5 miles out and back. It seemed like a perfect day. At first, I was going to run with long sleeves, but it felt too warm for that. I went with short sleeves instead. It wasn't a terrible decision, but the first half of the run ended up being chilly with a slight breeze in our face.
My legs weren't great, but they weren't too bad either as I started. I seemed to have some early trouble with breathing, even though the pace wasn't quick. Maybe it is because I'm not used to running so early in the morning.
Once I got comfortable, the run went by quickly. The women came back pretty early. We cruised along around an 8:40 pace. It was good to get to the turnaround. That was just before the Cove Road Trailhead.
We had a good conversation. We chatted about our youth, among other things. The miles flew by. The second half of the run went by quickly. We were going slightly downhill.
We finished up at just over an hour. The pace was a little over 8:30 pace. It was a productive run and a good way to recover from a few big days. I'll need morning runs like this a couple times a week if I want to run the mileage that I'd like to achieve.
One of the people from the BCR asked if anyone wanted to run at Penn Pump in the evening. That was right up my alley for a second run of the day. I'm not great with getting up for the early Saturday runs, but evening runs I can always do.
I got there early and Jennie and Bob had their C25K group together. I forgot that they were going to be there. I took off toward Easton. I had time to get 3 miles in before the main part of the group got started. I figured I would end up going slightly past the Crayola Factory.
The legs felt great and I was cruising to start. I felt so fast. I still was taking it fairly easy. Running sub 8 minute pace was no problem. It was quite warm out. The temperature has really risen this week.
I got to Crayola and was barely over a mile. I didn't want to run up the Hackett's Park hill, so I headed along Bushkill Drive. That had some nice downhill to start.
As I got near some apartments, I realized that I could run behind them on the nature trail. I had forgotten about that. I was a little past halfway when I reached that point. It was good to not have to run on the road.
I ran past a few people with dogs. One was a fat, old one. It looked almost like a black pig. I was through mile 2 in no time and nearly done with this first short run. I finished up at mile 2 with a 7:19.
I met the rest of the group shortly after finishing. The plan was to run in the same direction as I had just done. I thought we might end up going the other way.
The run started off nice and slow. I figured that I'd run with everyone for awhile. I was in no real rush. I was just looking to get miles in. Ryan and I went slightly ahead of the rest of the group. Then they started to catch up to us.
I wasn't sure which way we were going. Then I found out that we were taking the Hackett's Park hill. I can't stand running hills slowly, so I took off. By the time I got to the top and turned around, everyone was very far behind. I didn't want to stop and wait or turn around and have to run up it again.
I decided to just keep going on my own. I knew there would be another hill to come yet too. It was nice to cruise downhill and over the Route 22 Bridge. Right past the bridge, there were 7 deer just standing in the grass of a park.
I hammered up the next hill as I headed toward the bakery. The pace was slow in the beginning, but I now was running sub 8 minute miles. Originally, I was going to turn around at mile 3, but then I figured I could go out another half mile.
I didn't want to cross William Penn Highway, so I headed through the Easton High School parking lot. I turned around right at the track/lacrosse field. Their team was practicing and blasting music. That was a good pick me up.
I cruised alone back to the start. I hit mile 4 and kept going. I knew the uphill past Route 22 would be quite difficult. As I was approaching the pedestrian bridge, I saw Jessica and Stephen up ahead. That was motivating for me to push some more.
I caught them partway up the long hill and cruised by. I guess I wasn't really cruising, because I pushed quite hard. I watched the pace of that mile. Initially, it was around a 7:30 going up the hill. I was curious to see how much it would drop going downhill.
I caught and passed Dave at Hackett's Park. I opened it up and flew downhill. I ran past Ryan as well. The pace of this mile dropped all the way down to 6:42. That means the second half of this mile must've been slightly under 6 minute pace.
I relaxed a little on the flat last mile. I passed a guy and his daughter coming the other way. I recognized them because they often run the LVRR Summer Series 5ks. I looked at the pace of this final mile and saw that it was slightly over 7 minutes. I decided to pick it up in the final four tenths. I got that mile down to a 6:47. It was a nice way to close out the run.
We met up for dinner at Wegman's afterward. That was fun too. I'm amazed that my legs and body aren't more beat up. I'm now up to 67 for the week. I'll back off a bit tomorrow. I'm only running 7 miles. I hope to get onto trails and run at Jacobsburg too. Then, I'll have a 10k on Saturday to push me over 80 miles for the week.
AM run 7 miles - 1:00:21 (8:37 pace)
PM run Part 1 3 miles - 22:45 (7:36 pace)
PM run Part 2 7 miles - 53:47 (7:41 pace)
We agreed to meet up at Cementon to run the D&L. That way we could get 7 miles in. She arrived a little late and a couple women came to run right before us. I thought one was Colleen at first. We didn't know them though.
The plan was simply 3.5 miles out and back. It seemed like a perfect day. At first, I was going to run with long sleeves, but it felt too warm for that. I went with short sleeves instead. It wasn't a terrible decision, but the first half of the run ended up being chilly with a slight breeze in our face.
My legs weren't great, but they weren't too bad either as I started. I seemed to have some early trouble with breathing, even though the pace wasn't quick. Maybe it is because I'm not used to running so early in the morning.
Once I got comfortable, the run went by quickly. The women came back pretty early. We cruised along around an 8:40 pace. It was good to get to the turnaround. That was just before the Cove Road Trailhead.
We had a good conversation. We chatted about our youth, among other things. The miles flew by. The second half of the run went by quickly. We were going slightly downhill.
We finished up at just over an hour. The pace was a little over 8:30 pace. It was a productive run and a good way to recover from a few big days. I'll need morning runs like this a couple times a week if I want to run the mileage that I'd like to achieve.
One of the people from the BCR asked if anyone wanted to run at Penn Pump in the evening. That was right up my alley for a second run of the day. I'm not great with getting up for the early Saturday runs, but evening runs I can always do.
I got there early and Jennie and Bob had their C25K group together. I forgot that they were going to be there. I took off toward Easton. I had time to get 3 miles in before the main part of the group got started. I figured I would end up going slightly past the Crayola Factory.
The legs felt great and I was cruising to start. I felt so fast. I still was taking it fairly easy. Running sub 8 minute pace was no problem. It was quite warm out. The temperature has really risen this week.
I got to Crayola and was barely over a mile. I didn't want to run up the Hackett's Park hill, so I headed along Bushkill Drive. That had some nice downhill to start.
As I got near some apartments, I realized that I could run behind them on the nature trail. I had forgotten about that. I was a little past halfway when I reached that point. It was good to not have to run on the road.
I ran past a few people with dogs. One was a fat, old one. It looked almost like a black pig. I was through mile 2 in no time and nearly done with this first short run. I finished up at mile 2 with a 7:19.
I met the rest of the group shortly after finishing. The plan was to run in the same direction as I had just done. I thought we might end up going the other way.
The run started off nice and slow. I figured that I'd run with everyone for awhile. I was in no real rush. I was just looking to get miles in. Ryan and I went slightly ahead of the rest of the group. Then they started to catch up to us.
I wasn't sure which way we were going. Then I found out that we were taking the Hackett's Park hill. I can't stand running hills slowly, so I took off. By the time I got to the top and turned around, everyone was very far behind. I didn't want to stop and wait or turn around and have to run up it again.
I decided to just keep going on my own. I knew there would be another hill to come yet too. It was nice to cruise downhill and over the Route 22 Bridge. Right past the bridge, there were 7 deer just standing in the grass of a park.
I hammered up the next hill as I headed toward the bakery. The pace was slow in the beginning, but I now was running sub 8 minute miles. Originally, I was going to turn around at mile 3, but then I figured I could go out another half mile.
I didn't want to cross William Penn Highway, so I headed through the Easton High School parking lot. I turned around right at the track/lacrosse field. Their team was practicing and blasting music. That was a good pick me up.
I cruised alone back to the start. I hit mile 4 and kept going. I knew the uphill past Route 22 would be quite difficult. As I was approaching the pedestrian bridge, I saw Jessica and Stephen up ahead. That was motivating for me to push some more.
I caught them partway up the long hill and cruised by. I guess I wasn't really cruising, because I pushed quite hard. I watched the pace of that mile. Initially, it was around a 7:30 going up the hill. I was curious to see how much it would drop going downhill.
I caught and passed Dave at Hackett's Park. I opened it up and flew downhill. I ran past Ryan as well. The pace of this mile dropped all the way down to 6:42. That means the second half of this mile must've been slightly under 6 minute pace.
I relaxed a little on the flat last mile. I passed a guy and his daughter coming the other way. I recognized them because they often run the LVRR Summer Series 5ks. I looked at the pace of this final mile and saw that it was slightly over 7 minutes. I decided to pick it up in the final four tenths. I got that mile down to a 6:47. It was a nice way to close out the run.
We met up for dinner at Wegman's afterward. That was fun too. I'm amazed that my legs and body aren't more beat up. I'm now up to 67 for the week. I'll back off a bit tomorrow. I'm only running 7 miles. I hope to get onto trails and run at Jacobsburg too. Then, I'll have a 10k on Saturday to push me over 80 miles for the week.
AM run 7 miles - 1:00:21 (8:37 pace)
PM run Part 1 3 miles - 22:45 (7:36 pace)
PM run Part 2 7 miles - 53:47 (7:41 pace)
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Another 15
This has been a busy week as I try to approach 80 miles. The plan for today was another 15 miler. If I could handle that well enough, maybe I'd consider 5 more later. It was going to be at an easy effort.
It took me some time to get out there. I started around 4 PM. It rained earlier in the afternoon and the temperature rose as the day went on. It was around 60 degrees when I started and maybe even over it. I wore shorts and a short sleeve shirt. That worked out well. I was sweating plenty, but at times there was a nice cooling breeze. I'd be thrilled with this weather year round.
I was hoping for a little softer surface, so I headed to the D&L at Cementon. I'm not sure if this stone surface is really better for my legs or not though. I've had some tough runs there and today wasn't easy. Was that the surface or all the miles from this week?
I started off feeling decent. I recovered fairly well from yesterday's 20 total miles. I planned on going out 7.5 miles and coming back. I didn't have water yesterday, but I made sure to bring a handheld bottle this time.
I cruised along nice and easy and couldn't complain. The setting was perfect. It will be a little nicer when everything turns green, but for now, it was a scenic run along the Lehigh River.
The first mile was a slow 8:30, as the legs worked their way in. The remaining miles were all under 8 minutes each and the run got faster as time went along. I was impressed with how dry and solid the trail was in the early going.
The first few miles went by fairly quickly. Now that I'm able to run faster, 15 miles isn't as bad as it once was. I'm starting to get very used to that distance.
There were people out throughout the run, but not as many as I expected. Some were walking and a few were riding bikes, but I only encountered one runner. That is rare on a nice day like today, even though it isn't normally crowded there.
I didn't look at my watch too often. Before I knew it, I was at the Cove Road Trailhead. That was about 4 miles out. I was feeling good and clicking of the miles. Still, it was tough to think that I had 3.5 miles until the turnaround point.
After Cove Road, it is a gradual uphill. This took some adjusting. The bigger issue was the trail condition. There is a huge cliff wall and it obviously doesn't get much sunlight in this part. The trail was very soft. Sometimes it was wet. In a few rare spots, it was even still snow and ice covered. It was very passable though.
My legs were starting to feel it a little through this soft section. I debated turning around at mile 6, but it wasn't that bad, so I opted to keep going. It was very soft as I neared the turnaround at 7.5 miles.
It was great to be heading back. I wished that I felt a little better at this point, but I wasn't struggling either. I did feel slightly lightheaded. Drinking seemed to help. I struggled near the horse stables. I remember having trouble in this section the past. Maybe it is slightly uphill.
I looked at my watch more frequently in the second half of the run. It was great to get inside of 10k to go. My legs were getting sore and I wished that I felt better. I tried to just focus on each upcoming mile and more long term getting to the final 5k.
I was running consistent at least. Even though the soft sections bothered my legs again, they didn't slow my pace. Every mile through mile 10 was under a 7:45, except the first two. When I got to mile 10, I was disappointed with my soreness. I wondered if I could make it to mile 15. I knew somehow I would though.
Coming to mile 11, toward Cove Road is awesome. It is downhill and that really got my legs going. That was also where I blew by that woman that was running. That meant a 7:24 mile. The effort was still easy too.
I tried to focus on short goals from that point forward. Getting to the final 5k was nice. Going past the house with the dogs that are often barking was better. Mile 12 was a 7:17. This part must've been slightly downhill as well. I realized that I was over 80% done with the run. Breaking it down to percentages often helps too. I tried to think about the fact that I was nearing 50 miles for the week as well.
I kept running sub 7:30 miles throughout the rest of the run. It wasn't easy though. I wouldn't say I was hurting, but I could certainly feel it in my legs and back. I was wondering if running on pavement might've been a better option for my muscles. The quads were getting sore as usual.
Finally, I got to the last 1.5 miles and then under a mile to go. I looked at my watch more frequently as I got closer to the end. It is good to see yourself making progress late in the run. I finished up with a 7:25 mile.
I was happy with the run and the week is going well. I am getting a bit beat up though. I elected not to push too far and run again later. I still want to run 30 miles before the week is over, including a race.
Tomorrow, I'm planning 16 more miles. Kelley, baby and I are meeting in the morning to run 7 miles. I might meet some others in the evening to run the remaining 9 miles. Breaking this into 2 runs should be more manageable.
15 miles - 1:54:16 (7:37 pace)
It took me some time to get out there. I started around 4 PM. It rained earlier in the afternoon and the temperature rose as the day went on. It was around 60 degrees when I started and maybe even over it. I wore shorts and a short sleeve shirt. That worked out well. I was sweating plenty, but at times there was a nice cooling breeze. I'd be thrilled with this weather year round.
I was hoping for a little softer surface, so I headed to the D&L at Cementon. I'm not sure if this stone surface is really better for my legs or not though. I've had some tough runs there and today wasn't easy. Was that the surface or all the miles from this week?
I started off feeling decent. I recovered fairly well from yesterday's 20 total miles. I planned on going out 7.5 miles and coming back. I didn't have water yesterday, but I made sure to bring a handheld bottle this time.
I cruised along nice and easy and couldn't complain. The setting was perfect. It will be a little nicer when everything turns green, but for now, it was a scenic run along the Lehigh River.
The first mile was a slow 8:30, as the legs worked their way in. The remaining miles were all under 8 minutes each and the run got faster as time went along. I was impressed with how dry and solid the trail was in the early going.
The first few miles went by fairly quickly. Now that I'm able to run faster, 15 miles isn't as bad as it once was. I'm starting to get very used to that distance.
There were people out throughout the run, but not as many as I expected. Some were walking and a few were riding bikes, but I only encountered one runner. That is rare on a nice day like today, even though it isn't normally crowded there.
I didn't look at my watch too often. Before I knew it, I was at the Cove Road Trailhead. That was about 4 miles out. I was feeling good and clicking of the miles. Still, it was tough to think that I had 3.5 miles until the turnaround point.
After Cove Road, it is a gradual uphill. This took some adjusting. The bigger issue was the trail condition. There is a huge cliff wall and it obviously doesn't get much sunlight in this part. The trail was very soft. Sometimes it was wet. In a few rare spots, it was even still snow and ice covered. It was very passable though.
My legs were starting to feel it a little through this soft section. I debated turning around at mile 6, but it wasn't that bad, so I opted to keep going. It was very soft as I neared the turnaround at 7.5 miles.
It was great to be heading back. I wished that I felt a little better at this point, but I wasn't struggling either. I did feel slightly lightheaded. Drinking seemed to help. I struggled near the horse stables. I remember having trouble in this section the past. Maybe it is slightly uphill.
I looked at my watch more frequently in the second half of the run. It was great to get inside of 10k to go. My legs were getting sore and I wished that I felt better. I tried to just focus on each upcoming mile and more long term getting to the final 5k.
I was running consistent at least. Even though the soft sections bothered my legs again, they didn't slow my pace. Every mile through mile 10 was under a 7:45, except the first two. When I got to mile 10, I was disappointed with my soreness. I wondered if I could make it to mile 15. I knew somehow I would though.
Coming to mile 11, toward Cove Road is awesome. It is downhill and that really got my legs going. That was also where I blew by that woman that was running. That meant a 7:24 mile. The effort was still easy too.
I tried to focus on short goals from that point forward. Getting to the final 5k was nice. Going past the house with the dogs that are often barking was better. Mile 12 was a 7:17. This part must've been slightly downhill as well. I realized that I was over 80% done with the run. Breaking it down to percentages often helps too. I tried to think about the fact that I was nearing 50 miles for the week as well.
I kept running sub 7:30 miles throughout the rest of the run. It wasn't easy though. I wouldn't say I was hurting, but I could certainly feel it in my legs and back. I was wondering if running on pavement might've been a better option for my muscles. The quads were getting sore as usual.
Finally, I got to the last 1.5 miles and then under a mile to go. I looked at my watch more frequently as I got closer to the end. It is good to see yourself making progress late in the run. I finished up with a 7:25 mile.
I was happy with the run and the week is going well. I am getting a bit beat up though. I elected not to push too far and run again later. I still want to run 30 miles before the week is over, including a race.
Tomorrow, I'm planning 16 more miles. Kelley, baby and I are meeting in the morning to run 7 miles. I might meet some others in the evening to run the remaining 9 miles. Breaking this into 2 runs should be more manageable.
15 miles - 1:54:16 (7:37 pace)
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Challenging Pair of Runs
After the rest day yesterday, the plan was to do some type of speedwork today. I wanted to run twice. I was going to get up early to run, but not surprisingly, that didn't happen.
The weather was amazing in the afternoon. It was in the upper 50s. I wondered if wearing short sleeves and shorts was too much, for a fast workout. Luckily, I ran into a breeze quite often, so it was a perfect day.
I went to the Route 33 Boat Launch. In the fall, I came up with this great workout. It was a mile warmup and cooldown with 2 blocks of 4 miles at around 10k pace and 2 recovery miles in between each block. That means 8 miles of hard running and 12 miles total. It's a nice half marathon training workout.
I was going to do each part of the run in halves and hydrate and refuel, midway through. I started off easy and feeling decent. Usually, I'd like to feel better during the warmup mile. I was a little discouraged.
I started off the fast portion of the run. I wasn't feeling strong. That was for certain. I wanted to run this segment at a sub 6:30 per mile pace. The first fast mile was a 6:21. That took a lot of work and I already had a lot taken out of me.
I ended up keeping the pace at the start of this second challenging mile. However, it was just too early to feel as crappy as I did. I probably could've made it through the rest of the run and hit my goals, but I wasn't looking to do too much work. I have a race this weekend and don't want to burn myself out.
As I was doing the Hugh Moore Park loop, I decided to give up on this workout. I backed it down and figured I'd do an easier semi long run. I was only a mile and a half into the hard running and 2.5 miles from the entire start of the run.
I headed toward Easton. I figured I would run to the end of the path near the Route 22 Bridge and then come back. That shouldn't be too bad with an easy effort. The problem was that it never actually became an easy effort. I slowed down, but with the quick start, I was still only running miles at slightly over a 7 minute pace.
Since it was a nice day, there were quite a few people out. Still, this section isn't heavily traveled. I was on my own for the most part. I enjoyed the few small hills. I kept up a pretty solid pace.
It wasn't too long before I was to the bridge. I had to turn around early, because they are doing construction on it. I also saw a homeless guy hanging out under the free bridge. I was glad to be moving fast. A couple of these miles had been run under a 7 minute pace. Overall, my pace was slightly under that. I ended up turning around at 6.75 miles.
Keeping this pace up was exhausting and challenging. I was able to do it though. At mile 10, I was still at exactly 7 minutes flat. That was even after backing off slightly. I ran through Hugh Moore Park and went out a little farther. A woman was running along the canal towpath. I ended up flying by her on the way back.
It was good to get to mile 11, but I was beat. I was determined to run to mile 15. I knew that I'd now get back to my car at mile 14. I'd have to add some distance.
Climbing up the hill near Riverview was a little bit of a challenge. My overall pace dipped slightly under 7 minutes per mile now. I was determined to try to keep it up. The legs were beginning to fade slightly. I focused on getting to the half marathon point.
When I did arrive at that point, I saw that my time was 1:31 and change. That's a nice training run pace. Shortly after that point, I saw female Gayle going the other direction. I saw her in the same area last week too.
I ran past a few dogs and there were some bikers there as well. The strangest thing I saw was a guy in his 30s on a skateboard. I guess he was skating long distance because I saw him quite a few miles earlier too.
I turned around where the pavement ended and headed back out. I was just under 14 miles at that point. I went out a short distance and then came back and finished up at mile 15. I was quite sore and exhausted from the effort. I had not taken in any water either. I had planned to, before I changed the workout around. Running 10 hard miles without a drink was challenging enough on Sunday. This 15 miler was far more difficult.
I wanted to run again later on. I wasn't sure how I would. I wanted run on a softer surface and at a much slower pace. I headed to the Nor-Bath Trail around 8 PM. That was right at dusk.
The plan was for 5, easy recovery miles. I started in a neighborhood and headed east. It was nice and peaceful. Everyone was gone for the night. I was alone with my thoughts and feeling decent. The start was a struggle with only 3 hours of rest, but it got better as I went on.
I was surprised that the trail was in such good shape. I expected it to be muddy. It was nearly perfect. I might have to run there more frequently for less of an impact.
I turned around at 2.55 miles and headed back. This run did seem to take forever. The pace was barely under 9 minutes per mile. Compared with the quicker run earlier, this one was much slower.
The run definitely helped me to recover. I was a bit sore by the end. Running 3 or 4 miles, instead of 5, would've probably been more ideal. I was glad I got out there to run though.
Tomorrow, I'm going to run a lot again. This time, it will be all easy runs. I'd really like to get on a trail, maybe at Jacobsburg or South Mountain (Lehigh). I'd love to total around 15 miles again tomorrow. That would put me at 50 miles for the week, with 3 days to go. I'll likely break tomorrow down into 2 runs.
First run 15 miles - 1:44:33 (6:58 pace)
Second run 5 miles - 43:44 (8:45 pace)
The weather was amazing in the afternoon. It was in the upper 50s. I wondered if wearing short sleeves and shorts was too much, for a fast workout. Luckily, I ran into a breeze quite often, so it was a perfect day.
I went to the Route 33 Boat Launch. In the fall, I came up with this great workout. It was a mile warmup and cooldown with 2 blocks of 4 miles at around 10k pace and 2 recovery miles in between each block. That means 8 miles of hard running and 12 miles total. It's a nice half marathon training workout.
I was going to do each part of the run in halves and hydrate and refuel, midway through. I started off easy and feeling decent. Usually, I'd like to feel better during the warmup mile. I was a little discouraged.
I started off the fast portion of the run. I wasn't feeling strong. That was for certain. I wanted to run this segment at a sub 6:30 per mile pace. The first fast mile was a 6:21. That took a lot of work and I already had a lot taken out of me.
I ended up keeping the pace at the start of this second challenging mile. However, it was just too early to feel as crappy as I did. I probably could've made it through the rest of the run and hit my goals, but I wasn't looking to do too much work. I have a race this weekend and don't want to burn myself out.
As I was doing the Hugh Moore Park loop, I decided to give up on this workout. I backed it down and figured I'd do an easier semi long run. I was only a mile and a half into the hard running and 2.5 miles from the entire start of the run.
I headed toward Easton. I figured I would run to the end of the path near the Route 22 Bridge and then come back. That shouldn't be too bad with an easy effort. The problem was that it never actually became an easy effort. I slowed down, but with the quick start, I was still only running miles at slightly over a 7 minute pace.
Since it was a nice day, there were quite a few people out. Still, this section isn't heavily traveled. I was on my own for the most part. I enjoyed the few small hills. I kept up a pretty solid pace.
It wasn't too long before I was to the bridge. I had to turn around early, because they are doing construction on it. I also saw a homeless guy hanging out under the free bridge. I was glad to be moving fast. A couple of these miles had been run under a 7 minute pace. Overall, my pace was slightly under that. I ended up turning around at 6.75 miles.
Keeping this pace up was exhausting and challenging. I was able to do it though. At mile 10, I was still at exactly 7 minutes flat. That was even after backing off slightly. I ran through Hugh Moore Park and went out a little farther. A woman was running along the canal towpath. I ended up flying by her on the way back.
It was good to get to mile 11, but I was beat. I was determined to run to mile 15. I knew that I'd now get back to my car at mile 14. I'd have to add some distance.
Climbing up the hill near Riverview was a little bit of a challenge. My overall pace dipped slightly under 7 minutes per mile now. I was determined to try to keep it up. The legs were beginning to fade slightly. I focused on getting to the half marathon point.
When I did arrive at that point, I saw that my time was 1:31 and change. That's a nice training run pace. Shortly after that point, I saw female Gayle going the other direction. I saw her in the same area last week too.
I ran past a few dogs and there were some bikers there as well. The strangest thing I saw was a guy in his 30s on a skateboard. I guess he was skating long distance because I saw him quite a few miles earlier too.
I turned around where the pavement ended and headed back out. I was just under 14 miles at that point. I went out a short distance and then came back and finished up at mile 15. I was quite sore and exhausted from the effort. I had not taken in any water either. I had planned to, before I changed the workout around. Running 10 hard miles without a drink was challenging enough on Sunday. This 15 miler was far more difficult.
I wanted to run again later on. I wasn't sure how I would. I wanted run on a softer surface and at a much slower pace. I headed to the Nor-Bath Trail around 8 PM. That was right at dusk.
The plan was for 5, easy recovery miles. I started in a neighborhood and headed east. It was nice and peaceful. Everyone was gone for the night. I was alone with my thoughts and feeling decent. The start was a struggle with only 3 hours of rest, but it got better as I went on.
I was surprised that the trail was in such good shape. I expected it to be muddy. It was nearly perfect. I might have to run there more frequently for less of an impact.
I turned around at 2.55 miles and headed back. This run did seem to take forever. The pace was barely under 9 minutes per mile. Compared with the quicker run earlier, this one was much slower.
The run definitely helped me to recover. I was a bit sore by the end. Running 3 or 4 miles, instead of 5, would've probably been more ideal. I was glad I got out there to run though.
Tomorrow, I'm going to run a lot again. This time, it will be all easy runs. I'd really like to get on a trail, maybe at Jacobsburg or South Mountain (Lehigh). I'd love to total around 15 miles again tomorrow. That would put me at 50 miles for the week, with 3 days to go. I'll likely break tomorrow down into 2 runs.
First run 15 miles - 1:44:33 (6:58 pace)
Second run 5 miles - 43:44 (8:45 pace)
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