Missing the BCR Run

I love running with the BCR folks.  The problem is that I just hate the morning.  I woke up a few minutes before my alarm and could barely drag myself out of bed to even turn it off.  I did manage to do that and just woke up later in the morning.

I was sort of glad I didn't go so early because the weather looked cold.  It seemed to warm up as the day went on.  I was having some trouble deciding where to run at because it seemed a bit windy.  I wanted to run at Lehigh Gap along the D&L, but thought the wind might be brutal coming off of the river.  In the end, that is where I ended up going.  The scenery of the mountains alongside the path just can't be beat.

I started off around noon and it was actually warming up quite a bit by then.  There was still some wind.  That caused me to struggle with what to wear.  I had on tights and a ColdGear top.  I decided to wear my fleece vest.  That was mainly because it had pockets and I could keep some gloves and a hat in case it was worse than I thought with the wind.  In the end, I would've been better off without the fleece and probably would've been okay wearing just shorts.  I definitely didn't need hats and gloves. 

As I drove towards the Lehigh Gap I noticed there was some snow on the ground.  Around us, all the snow has melted.  I was concerned that the trail could be snow covered.  To my relief, it wasn't.  There was snow here and there.

I started off heading north along the trail.  It was very sloppy in front of the Lehigh Gap Nature Center.  There was no snow, but because of the snow melt it was soggy and sloppy.  I cruised along.  I didn't think I was running as fast as I actually was, but my lungs felt it.

Before hitting the mile mark, I encountered some snow.  Most of the trees in this area are dead, so I figured the snow would be minimal.  I guess the sun just didn't hit some of these sections at all.  It wasn't more than an inch on the ground, so it wasn't too difficult to run in.  I did run on both sides of the trail, while trying to find the cleanest part of the path.

I thought about turning around, but then the trail cleared up and was relatively dry.  It was in the best shape that it had been in.  I was surprised that my first mile was under 8 minutes (7:58).  I certainly didn't try to pick it up in the next part, but with good trail conditions, I guess I went even faster.

Earlier, I saw a guy on a bike come up the trail from the south.  His bike said, "trail patrol."  I asked him how conditions were the other direction and he said much better.  Since the part I was on at that time was actually good, I kept going.  I wanted to go out 2 miles and then back.  Since I was planning 6 total miles, I'd have 4 of them done by the time I headed back the other direction.  I considered going up the short hill to the LNE to get some hill work in, but I missed it because I was talking to the guy when I passed it.  My lungs were working hard enough anyway.

With about 1/3 or 1/4 of a mile from turning around, the path got quite snowy and slow.  I wanted to make it to 2 miles though, so I kept going.  Eventually I hit the turn around and headed back.  Mile 2 was run at 7:51.  My breathing was certainly heavy.

As I headed back, I told myself to slow down a little.  I sort of did, but not too much.  When I got back to the good section of the trail, I'm sure I was moving well.  I starting off going this way because I thought going out would be the worse wind.  It turns out I was running into more of a headwind in this direction.  At one point as I was nearing the bend, it was very cold.  Most of the time, the wind wasn't too bad and I was actually hot. 

As I closed in on 3.5 miles, I was still running right at an 8 minute pace.  I took off my vest at this point and when I got back to my car, I threw it in there.  That was a big relief.  I was really dieing at this point.  Even though I slowed down some, I still worked too hard early on and struggled with my breathing.  These 2 miles were still run at 8:05 and 8:04.

The guy on the bike was correct.  The trail was in much better shape to the south of Lehigh Gap.  There was almost no ponding water and no snow at all.  I cruised along.  Since I was worn out, I backed off a little.  I didn't have the energy to push it, but I set a goal to not let my overall pace slip below 8:05.  I was still at around 8:02, so it really didn't take a lot of effort to do that.

I looked at my watch over and over again.  As I approached the small airport, I was nearing mile 5.  I just had to stay focused on getting to the turnaround.  Once I did that, I could battle through the last mile.  The trail still looked good when I hit mile 5 (8:05 pace), so I kept going.  At least I was fairly consistent with my pace.

I decided to go a little farther and actually head to 5.25 miles before turning around.  That would allow me to walk a little for a recovery after the run.  Finally, I was there and relieved to be on the way back.

I looked at my watch and counted down what seemed like every .05 miles.  That went by so slow.  My breathing was a little better at this point because I wasn't running against the wind and I felt like I was falling apart, so I couldn't push it.  Actually my pace was pretty quick.  My legs were finally tiring as well.  When I got into the last quarter mile, I picked it up slightly.  I finished up at exactly an 8 minute pace.  A good 6 miles in the book.

I'm still not sure what happened last week that caused me to be sore for almost three days after only a 5 mile run.  I wanted to run 6 miles then, but my legs didn't allow it.  Now, after 6 miles today, my quads are only mildly sore.  About what I would expect.

I'm still going to be cautious.  I am going to keep my running to every other day for at least another week.  Then, I'll add a 4th day to the schedule and a few weeks later a 5th day and then eventually a 6th day.  The only speedwork that I plan on this winter in the 5K race that I'm doing on February 9th.  I have plenty of time to get back to where I want to be for a spring half marathon and a fall full marathon.  I just need to keep taking it easy.

I'd like to try a long bike ride tomorrow.  I rode 7 miles yesterday while it was in the 20s and it was brutal.  We'll see what the weather is like tomorrow.  If I don't bike, maybe I'll hike.  We'll see.  If I feel good, I might try running at Trexler on Monday.  If not, I'll make it somewhere on Tuesday (likely Trexler).  Right now, I'm doing well.  I hope it keeps up.

6 miles - 48:00 (8:00 pace) 

Another Good Night for a Group Run

I was encouraged by last week's turnout to the LVRR Group run.  I didn't know how this week would do.  I hoped someone would come back from last week, but no one did.  I thought I might end up running alone again.  Then a woman named Dana showed up.  As we were about to leave Ingrid made an appearance too.  I paced the Runner's World Half with her.  It was good to have some company.

Any time that we have anyone show up in the winter, I am thrilled.  It turns out Dana and Ingrid knew each other.  I thought maybe the weather scared some people off.  It was supposed to rain/snow 15 minutes before the run was scheduled to start.  That didn't happen though.  The storm never came.  The weather was supposed to be in the mid 30s, but with no wind, it was actually very nice.

I knew it was too cold to dress in shorts, so I went with tights.  I wore a bright orange lightweight long sleeve shirt and a fleece vest over that.  I actually wore the vest more because I'd be standing out there waiting to run for a couple minutes, rather than needing it to run in.  By the end, I was a little hot.  When I went into SteelStacks to use the restroom, I must've looked ridiculous in my outfit. 

We started off on the normal route.  I followed behind the two of them.  That was good actually because I can run a little faster than them, so I let them set the pace.  It allowed me to take it easy.  We chatted and the run flew along.  We talked about running, triathlons and a lot of other stuff.

Crossing the road after going over the Fahy Bridge has been tough, so instead we opted to run out to the Hill to Hill Bridge and then go up Main Street.  That worked out as a much better route.  It actually didn't add as much distance as I thought it would either.  Mostly importantly, it kept us out of danger.

We hit the lights pretty well and only had to stop for short periods of time, if at all.  We went up Main Street and then along Broad Street and before I knew it we were near the Wawa and headed back towards SteelStacks.  Running on the Minsi Trail Bridge was a little tricky because they had put down so much salt in anticipation of the snow.

Before I knew it, we were over the bridge, into the Steel area and headed to the end of the run.  It seemed like it was so quick before the run was over.  Group runs are great for that.  It must be fun for the people that train in groups everyday, although usually they have some intense sessions too.  I'm glad that so far since I've come back, I haven't had to go too hard during group outings.  I need to progress into it nice and easy.

My legs felt great during and after this run.  I'm not really sure why last Saturday was such a problem.  Maybe it was the mileage, maybe it was the terrain or maybe I didn't recover enough from this group run last Thursday.  Regardless, I do think that giving myself at least one rest day between every run day has helped a lot.  I'll probably do that for at least another week before I start slowly adding days.  I need to build up cautiously.

When we were discussing races, Ingrid said she is pacing the Garden Spot Half Marathon.  I might be doing that as well since I was given the opportunity.  I want to pace something faster though, like 1:45.  I'll see how I progress these next couple weeks and then I'll commit to it if I'm feeling good.  I also want to run a competitive half marathon somewhere in the spring.  I might do the Lehigh Valley one.  I'm not sure.  I'll commit to that later.  I'd love to be able to break 1:30.

Tomorrow is an off day from running.  If we don't get any snow, I might try to do a long bike ride.  Some of that would depend on if I can get up early too.  On Saturday, I'm going to try to make it out with the BCR again.  They are going to the Saucon Rail Trail, so I like that idea.  A nice and soft surface will do.  I look forward to it.

4.15 miles - 37:18 (9:00 pace)

Changing the Course Around

I took three days off after my tough group run on Saturday.  My quads were bothering me for quite a while, so I sure needed it.  Finally, I got back out there this afternoon.  The plan was just for an easy 3 miler.  Since it wasn't much of a run, I opted just to head to the Nor-Bath Trail.

I get tired of running at the same places over and over again.  Because of that, I often like to go to different locations along the trail to start.  I still end up running the same areas that I do over and over again, but it does help.  It changes the perspective and makes the route feel a little different.  It was a big boost today and I never tired of the route.

This time, I decided that I would see if I could find the park that connects to the trail past Weaversville Road.  I only knew about this section because the 10K that I ran in October went through there.  After going around Bicentennial Park, I eventually found this park.

This park looks nice and new.  It has bathrooms that were locked.  I might have to try going there in the summer.  It was a couple tenths of a mile walk along the paved path to the actual trail.  I decided that I would head east as that seemed like the farthest way to go before I would hit a road crossing.

The weather was right around 40 degrees.  It was a bit chilly.  I still went with just a lightweight long sleeves tech shirt and shorts.  I usually wear shorts until it is under 35 degrees.  The legs don't get too cold.  The one thing I did regret early on was the lack of gloves.  After blowing on my hands, I realized that I could just pull my shirt over my hands.  That was a big help.

I ran along at a nice and comfortable pace.  The trail was a bit soggy from the recent rain.  I felt good.  My breathing wasn't a problem.  That is probably because I wasn't going as fast as some of my runs last week.  I just went nice and easy, not even worrying about the pace.

I passed a couple coming the other direction on my way out.  After going over the three pedestrian bridges, I was surprised at how close Weaversville Road actually was.  For some reason, it seemed farther during past runs.  I wasn't even 3/4 of a mile into the run.

I decided I would turn around if I had to stop for a car.  Otherwise, I'd cross the road and head toward Bicentennial Park.  A car was coming so I turned around.  I passed the couple again, this time from behind.  I also passed a kid walking home from school.  As I left later on, I saw that I was near Catty's High School.  I thought that would've been an awful far walk from Northampton High School.

I got back to the spur trail near my car and was just under a 1.5 miles.  I decided to keep going along the main trail until I hit the next road crossing.  That didn't take too long.  I was just under 2 miles into the run when I turned around.  After an 8:55 first mile, I ran the 2nd mile in 8:25.  I wasn't pushing any more than before, I guess I just warmed up.

I knew I'd get back with well over a half mile to finish up.  I debated going back in the original direction.  Instead, I just decided to run along the spur trail to my car.  That way, I wouldn't have to walk in the cold after the run.  I wasn't crazy about running on hard pavement, but I figured that less than a mile of it wouldn't hurt.

I got to the path with 7/10th of a mile to go and when I got to my car, there was still half a mile left.  This was tough for awhile because it is uphill.  Just past the tunnel, I hit 2.8 miles and knew I could turn around and finish up right at my car.  I did just that.  The downhill finish was nice.

My quads were only a little sore this time.  Only doing 3 miles was probably a big help.  I'm just going to do whatever my body dictates.  If that is no more than 3-5 miles each time out and no more than 3-4 days a week, then so be it.  Clearly, total rest didn't help, so I just have to run through this and be cautious.  I'm going to do a lot of self massaging and might get a massage as well.

I was considering a long bike ride tomorrow.  However, I heard that we are expecting a few inches of snow.  If that is the case, I might consider heading up to the Delaware Water Gap.  I would like to hike there to get some cool snow photos.  We'll see what happens.  Thursday is definitely the group run again.  Hopefully a couple of the women will show up again to run with me.  That would be great.

3 miles - 25:30 (8:30 pace)

Breakfast Club Winter Run

It was Saturday, so it was the Breakfast Club Runners group run.  I only got 2 hours of sleep because I couldn't fall asleep last night.  I considered skipping the run, but I haven't run with the group in awhile.  I also wanted to test out my GoPro camera with the group.  So I headed out for the run.

We met at the Route 33 Boat Launch.  I like that trail because it was a soft surface.  With a lot of rain yesterday, it might've actually been too soft.  Chris said he was just doing an easy 6 miler, but he blew ahead of everyone.  Flo and I were already far back.  I got to chat with Flo briefly, but told her I wouldn't be quick enough to keep up.  She went ahead.

I then spent the rest of the run on my own.  As we turned by the boat club, I could see Chris, but Flo was no longer ahead of me.  I guess she just looped around and finished up early.  I kept on going.  Around this time, I decided to check my camera and then I realized that I didn't have my memory card in.  Now, I wasn't taking any pictures, but running with a device on my head.  The camera was a big reason that I went out to the run today.  Oh well.

The first 2 miles weren't too fast.  They were 8:16 and 8:15.  I was breathing a little heavy though and around 1.5 miles into the run, I was already struggling.  My legs were feeling weak.  I didn't know if it was the lack of rest or what.  I was planning on running 6 miles initially, but I quickly adjusted that to 5 miles.

I kept battling and just looked forward to hitting 2.5 miles.  Getting there and turning around was a big relief.  This 3rd mile was faster at 8:04.  As I was going back, I saw a lot of the others heading back.  That was a big boost.  I still didn't feel good though.  Every half mile felt like a mile.  I was so sluggish.

My legs started getting sorer and sorer.  I couldn't believe that with all the rest I had, that my quads could still bother me.  They sure did though.  The 4th mile was my fastest yet.  I just naturally ended up picking up the pace when I saw the others in the group coming in the other direction.  This mile ended up being 7:58.

With a little over a mile to go, I caught up to Bob.  He was running and walking.  He decided to run with me for a bit.  That was good and I needed it since I was struggling.  I managed to just keep pushing through.  Eventually he stopped and I was back on my own and back to struggling through the final mile.

My legs felt worse and worse.  I struggled even more at the end because I felt like I had to go to the bathroom.  I almost had to stop with 2/10 of a mile left because it got so bad.  I finished up back at my car though with 5 miles complete.  Amazingly, once I started to walk I no longer had to go to the bathroom.

The weather was great.  I wore shorts and a long sleeve shirt.  I was actually hot by the end of the run and could've worn even less.  It is winter though.

I hungout and stretched for a little and chatted with the group.  It was good to catch up.  I thought about breakfast, but then realized I didn't have my wallet.  I wasn't too hungry either anyway.

I really can't believe how sore my quads are.  I probably should've used the foam roller more while I was resting.  Maybe the slow miles on pavement on Thursday evening bothered me.  I bought a small foam roller that I can use while watching TV.  I am going to do that frequently throughout the day.  If things don't get better, I might use the massage gift certificate that I got for Christmas too.  I guess I won't be running consecutive days for awhile.  I need to take care of this somehow.

I'm not sure when I'll run again.  Since I'm sore, it will likely be Tuesday.  I either get an extra day of rest before or after my next run.  I might try a short run on the trails at Trexler.  I also think I need to keep the length of my runs relatively short for awhile.  I don't think I'll run anything over 8 miles until I'm completely healthy.

5 miles - 40:52 (8:11 pace)

Shocking Group Run

Tonight was the regular weekly LVRR Group Run.  Since it is winter, I figured that once again no one would show up, especially since I didn't promote it at all.  I figured that if that was the case, I would drive over to the Saucon Rail Trail to run on a softer surface. 

I went to the bathroom and imagine my surprise when I came out and saw two young women ready to run.  It sure didn't hurt that that they were good looking too.  Even more amazing, a minute or so later another woman asked if we were meeting for the group run and she came back shortly with a friend.  I wouldn't have been shocked if it was just one or two people at most, but 4 new faces in the dead of winter was remarkable.  I guess that just speaks to how pathetic this group run has become.  I assume the warmer weather of today brought them out.

Two of the woman apparently actually ran with me in the pace group for the Runner's World Half Marathon.  How about that?  There were quite a few people and a lot of them were behind us, so I don't remember them.  They said they tried to get to one of the group runs before, but couldn't make it in time.

After some brief chatting, we took off.  Since none of them had run with this group before and I had not run the area in a couple weeks, I just went with the normal route.  It was good because none of them were too fast, so I could run at a comfortable pace.  They helped to hold me back as I was coming back.  All 5 of us ran together throughout the run.

I should probably work on the route because there are some tricky situations.  It is hard to see cars coming at the end of the Fahy Bridge.  One of the women thought we would go over the Hill to Hill Bridge.  Maybe we will do that next time.  Thankfully, a car let us cross the road.  Near Main Street another car stopped to ask for directions.

It was a great run.  Group runs just fly by, especially when running at a conversational pace.  It seems like they just get started and before you know it, they are over.  I ran most of the run side by side with the one woman and we chatted away while the others did the same behind us.  Hopefully, no one was stuck alone.  There were 5 of us, so someone kind of had to be the odd person out.

The woman and I talked a lot about running and work and so on.  By the way, I'm terrible with names, so I actually forgot everyone's name.  It's tough to remember 4 new names.  I have enough trouble with one.  The two of them run on the Saucon Rail Trail a lot.

After leaving Main Street and downtown, the route itself becomes quite on eventful.  That's why it was good to have conversation.  I think I kept a pretty manageable pace for them too.  No one fell behind.

The weather was great for this time of year.  I actually wish I would've been able to run during the day when it was even warmer.  It was still nice though.  I wore shorts and some arm sleeves with a short sleeve shirt.  That was plenty.

Just as we got past Wawa, the woman I was running with dropped back to talk to her friend.  That was good because it allowed me to talk to the two younger women and get to know everyone in the group a little better.  One of them ran at Freedom.  I didn't think to ask her about some of the Freedom connections I have.  Her mom also worked where my dad does (Air Products).  The other had apparently run the Philadelphia Marathon the year before I did.  That's the year that it was freezing cold.  I'm glad I picked the correct year.

After navigating some traffic going near the Shops at the Sands, we were back into the Steel Complex.  Before I knew it, we were done.  I told everyone about the Breakfast Club Runners too.  Any time that I get new people to the group runs, especially people from the eastern part of the Lehigh Valley, I like to tell that about that group.  I hope that they'll join us then as well as come back to the LVRR Group Run.  Only time will tell.

I think everyone had a good time and I'm really hoping they will come back in the future.  I could certainly use some more regulars in the group.  It's much better than running alone all winter.  If we could get a regular group here, I wouldn't even mind keeping the runs in this location.  I was hoping that moving the runs to Bethlehem could bring in some new people.  It has done that.  It just isn't a consistent group at this point.  Maybe we can build on tonight.  Hopefully I'll see everyone again.

I think I'm going to ride tomorrow.  I need to start doing something every day.  I need to lose some weight.  Watching what I eat has been a good start.  Now, I need to do more exercising.  I might even add a few hills sprints as well tomorrow.  That will allow me to strengthen, my legs and hopefully improve my breathing.  My breathing was much better tonight than the last two times out.  I'm sure the slower pace as well as the warmer weather both helped.

On Saturday, the BCR group is meeting at the Route 33 Boat Launch.  I'm hoping to make it out there.  That kind of depends on if I can get enough sleep and get up early enough.  I want to test out my GoPro camera with the group.  I didn't even bring it tonight because I figured that I would likely be running alone.

4.23 miles - 42:17 (10:00 pace)

Difficult Conditions

I'm taking it easy and only running every other day.  The plan was for 5 miles today after coming back with 3 miles on Sunday.  I was about to head out the door and then I realized that I didn't charge my watch.  That meant that I had to wait another hour.  That also meant that I had to stay pretty local to get the run in before darkness.

Originally, I was going to try the D&L at Lehigh Gap.  It seems like that area might get a lot of sun and the path could be clear.  However, as I mentioned, I needed to stay local.  Even though I knew there would still be a lot of snow, I decided to just head to Jacobsburg.  I thought that could be fun.

It was fun, but not in the beginning.  I ran through the main area near the parking lot.  This area is heavily traveled, so all the snow was packed down.  The top surface was also icy because if it.  It made for some tricky running.  Where I could, I ran alongside the trail in the woods.

A guy was walking his dogs.  I saw him get out of his car as I was getting ready.  When I passed him on the trail, he told me to be careful.  I thought he meant because I was running near his unleashed dog.  Then I realized that he meant because of the trail conditions.  I guess he thought I was crazy trying to run on that stuff.  I guess he was right.

I continued along.  I wanted to loop across the road.  I don't normally go that route, but I have done it before.  It made for a long out and back.  Somewhere around half a mile, the snow had melted along the path.  That area was less traveled.

I turned and went up the slight hill.  Going up hills is just killing my lungs right now.  With all the time off, they struggle when I make them work.  I crossed the road and it was still some uphill.  I almost felt like I wanted to quit and I was only about a mile into the run.

This section then flattened out a bit.  There were still some rolling hills.  There was a lot of snow still covering this section.  It wasn't as slick though, so I was able to cruise along.  I was wearing my GoPro camera again, so I had some fun taking photos and video of the run.

I tried going a direction that I normally don't.  I quickly had to turn around though as my path was blocked by a downed tree.  I then took another path and shortly after that came to the road.  I was at around 2 miles at this point and quite exhausted.

I decided to just run along the road and back to the main parking lot.  I knew all along that I wouldn't be able to get 5 miles in.  I figured that I better at least get 3 miles again.  As I was running on the road, my lungs felt so much better.  Maybe it was the consistency of a smooth surface or that I was going downhill.  When I got near the Sober's Run area, I decided I would run there.  It is a flat area.

It was flat, but still quite snowy and not easy going.  There was some mud in this section too.  I turned when I got to the bridge and went along the dirt trail.  That was fun for awhile, but I decided to turn around.  I hit the 3 mile point when I got past the bridge again.

I just began heading back.  I knew I'd be running 4 miles.  At this point, both of my big toes really started to bother me.  My regular trail shoes were bothering me the last few times out, so I tried some older shoes.  I haven't worn those since 2010 and that was a mistake.  I guess they just weren't tight enough as my toes began to rub.

I toughened it out and headed back on the road.  There was a short hill on the road, but it didn't bother my lungs this time.  If not for my sore feet, I probably could've gone to 5 miles.  Instead, I headed back to the parking lot and back along the path to where I started the run.  When I hit 4 miles, I just stopped.  I could smell some weed nearby.  I guess someone was smoking in the woods.  I never did see them though.

It was a tough run, but certainly fun.  I do love running in snow.  However, I wish it would just melt.  It has been on the ground for over a week.  It was in the mid 40s again today, but I guess that isn't enough to get rid of snow in shaded areas.  Hopefully I can find somewhere clear to run the next few times out.

Thursday is the LVRR Group Run.  I don't expect anyone to show up, so I'll probably run alone.  Maybe I'll go on the roads, but I'd like to run on the trail at Sand Island.  Maybe if no one shows, I'll find somewhere else to run.  Since it will be dark, I'd really like it to be some place clear of snow.

Another cool thing happened last night.  I was looking for a 5k to run in February.  I happened to find one in Nazareth.  I had not signed up yet, but I "liked" their facebook page.  They got to 100 likes and decided to give away a free race entry.  I was the winner!  I planned on seeing if I could do some volunteering for it as well.  I love to help out in my home town.  Originally, I wanted to try to get back under 20 minutes again, but that isn't likely now with all the time I've taken off.  Now, I'll just see how it goes and run hard, but have fun.


4 miles - 35:48 (8:57 pace)

Let's Try This Again

Things didn't go well last time I attempted to run on December 13th.  I was so frustrated that I didn't even bother writing about it.  After the half marathon, I tried taking about 10 days off and easing back into it.  That worked for awhile, but my quads still bothered me.  This time, I elected to take even more time off.  It was a full 24 days between running sessions.  I originally wanted to take off until the New Year, but I had a small procedure done at the end of December and it took some recovering from.

In the time off, I biked some, including a 25 mile long ride that took over 2 hours.  Biking is a good way to explore more of the trails than I normally would.  It just isn't the same from a fitness standpoint as running though.  For Christmas, I got a GoPro camera.  Now I can take photos and video while running or biking.  I tested it out while riding at Penn Pump Park on Christmas Day.  That was fun and I can't wait to use it when I run on trails and with groups.

I thought about running the last two days, but the weather wasn't great or I was just too busy.  Finally, today I felt that I had to get out there.  I've been disappointed that we had some snow a couple times the last few weeks.  I love running in snow.  While it wasn't falling, there was still plenty of if covering the rail trail today.

I went to Bicentennial Park to run on the Nor-Bath Trail.  The plan was to just run an easy 3 miler.  Another car pulled in right as I got there.  A girl got out and went ahead of the older guy.  I thought at first that it was a guy and his daughter, but I'm still not sure.  She was wearing Northampton colors, but since she was running and walking, she obviously wasn't a high school runner.

I wanted to start out towards Airport Road and then turn around at Airport Road and come back and head the other direction.  It was windy and I didn't anticipate that, so I was cold at the start.  As time wore on, I was fine.

I ran with a hat on my head and the GoPro camera.  That was a little weird and will take some getting used to.  I got one video and a couple pictures, but I guess the battery was low because it didn't work right and was beeping.  I didn't think it needed charging.  The video is very bumpy.

I felt good at the start.  My legs were great.  The guy passed the girl and I quickly did the same thing.  She was walking until I got next to her.  Then she started running again.  I'm not sure what the point of that was because she wasn't running fast enough to keep up.

The guy was moving pretty quick.  I slowly reeled him in, but I never did catch him.  I rarely have anyone else running on this trail, so I was glad that he was sort of pulling me along.

I was surprised with how fast my first mile was.  It was 8:18 and I wasn't running hard.  I guess I didn't lose any speed in my time off.  If anything, maybe the fact that my body is healthy will allow me to run faster.  My lungs definitely felt the time off.  I was struggling with my breathing, especially in the cold air.  I will get that back though.

I got to Airport Road around a mile and a quarter.  I decided that if I could cross the road clearly, I would keep going to a mile and a half out.  I got across with no problems.  I figured this would mean that I'd have to stop coming back, but amazingly that didn't happen either.

The trail was a real mess.  I was hoping that it might be clear and that the snow would've melted.  Instead, it was covered with snow on most of the trail.  I would've probably been better off if I wore trail shoes.  It was tough running on the snow, even though it was packed down.  I was slipping slightly with almost every step.  I sort of felt like I wasn't going anywhere.  That was especially true on the way back.  Wherever snow had melted on the path, it wasn't much better.  That just made the trail muddy.  My legs were caked in dirt by the end of the run.  That did make it fun though.

My second mile was the same as the first (8:18).  My third mile seemed to take forever and felt the slowest, but amazingly it was the fastest at 8:09.  Not bad in these messy conditions.  That final mile was really where my lungs started hurting.  That combined with the tough footing made me glad that I elected to only run 3 miles.

It was a good outing and great to get back to running.  I certainly missed it.  I just don't enjoy biking very much.  With all the time off, I want to continue to try to ease back into it.  I won't run on consecutive days for at least two weeks.  I also don't plan on doing anything fast or running on hard surfaces for awhile either.  Running a spring marathon is now doubtful too.

In addition to running and biking, I started tracking my calorie intake and I'm trying to eat better.  I'm up to 165 pounds from 150 pounds at the end of the summer.  I'd like to get back under 150.  It is better than the 110 pounds that I was when I was sick, but I still need to concentrate on what I fuel up with.  I also have quite the gut and need to get rid of that.  I won't become a healthy eater overnight, but I need to start somewhere and I think this will help.

Tomorrow, I'm taking off.  I want to run Tuesday, Thursday and maybe Saturday as well this week.  There is a group run at Trexler on Saturday.  I don't think I could do the whole loop, but maybe I'll give it a try and cut it short if things aren't going well.  With snow still on trails, I'm not sure where I'll run on Tuesday.  It would be nice to find an open sunny path, but I can't think of one.  Maybe I'll search around and see if any trails are plowed.

3 miles - 24:44 (8:15 pace)