Wissahickon Four Corners

For years I had heard of this run described as a milestone for many trial runners in the area. The route simply outlines the perimeter of the Wissahickon Park, from Northwestern Ave all the way down to Ridge in Manayunk. The link I attached is not my creation, but the only link I could find describing the route online. I'm pretty sure I stuck to the general route, although there were a few points I got lost or turned around. I hope to try it again this weekend and/or the following weekend, so I'll hopefully be a little more acclimated to the turns by then.

I started out the run with fresh legs and dry clothes, which is more than I can say for the finish. I had dry, windy conditions for the first half of the run, which added up to about 10 miles and approximately 1:38 on my watch. Not too bad. I didn't really have a time goal for the run, but I knew that Brigid and I ran the second half of this route (11 miles in about 2:09) a few weeks ago. Of course there were other factors at play on that run and I think we could have run it a bit faster. As I closed in on the first half of the route, the rain started at a pretty regular pace and since I was swinging by the car for food and fluids, I swapped the shirt for a dry jacket. Fuel was half a banana and some choco espresso beans with about 16 oz of water. I brought the chia/lime drink with me and Clif bar just in case.

The MT101s held out very nicely for the first half of the run, and I was surprised how quickly it went by. I had to take an offshoot of the trail that brought me up closer to Ridge and Northwestern, through an area that I think they are concentrating a revitalization project on. I had no idea there were so many trails legs up this far and made a mental note for future runs. After I left for the second half of the run, the soreness almost immediately started to settle in. Nothing unbearable or sudden, but a subtle, consistent soreness in my glutes and hamstrings. I've felt this in the past and was wondering if it had anything to do with the shoes, although I doubt it. Still, I plan on testing the Wave Precisions on the run next week and then making a decision after that.

As I've obviously delayed writing about the second half the run here, so did I delay actually running it. I lingered at the car for about 4 minutes by my watch, which was a little longer than I had planned. The rain got pretty heavy and I was alone with my thoughts for a few more hours. I did pass a girl running in the opposite direction as me once at the creek crossing near the horse stables and then again on the other side of the Wissy near the Walnut Lane Bridge. I was not mentally aware enough to ask if she was running the same route as me, but thought it would be funny if she was. Both times I saw her, we were south of the Valley Green Inn. It still gave me a little positive reinforcement.

Physically, I started to deteriorate during the last hour or so of the run. I could feel myself landing on my heels as I struggled to compensate for my sore calves. This probably led to the sore lower back I was feeling towards the end as well. The good thing is that soreness was the only limiting factor here. I thought it was interesting that at no point was I aerobically fatigued. In fact, I didn't ever really catch myself breathing hard. Hopefully by the time I finish my third or fourth long run of this sort, my muscles will have gotten strong enough to allow me to focus on speed and not just finishing.

I finished the route, which I think was about 21 miles in 3:48. I guess I was hoping to finish in 3:30 or better, but I'll take what I can get for the first run. A few wrong turns here and there might account for the difference. Hopefully next week I'll have some better weather.