Another Long Run (sort of)

Brigid and I took her sister, Hannah, out for a longer run this afternoon. Brigid is helping her get ready for Broad Street this weekend. They were originally going to run the Kelly Drive loop, but I convinced them to join me on the trails. I was supposed to do 12 miles today, but thought if I did 8-9 miles on the trails, it would even out. As is always the case, the beginning was light and peppy, but I was surprised to find this was the case even for me. I was struggling last week on the Sunday run just moving along at a snail's pace on Forbidden Drive. The fact that I had some pop in my step was motivating.

We tried to take it easy on the steep uphills so as not to wear Hannah out, but she did surprisingly well. As we got further into the run, there were several opportunities to head back to the car on Forbidden Drive, but I kept pulling them back up into the trails. I remember how frustrating it can be to run tired and not know how much longer you have to go. I tried to give distance updates as best I could. One thing I did take away from the run is not to get between the arguments between two sisters. You'll never win.



8.5 miles. Untimed

Night Run

The weather today spiked 85 degrees, as recorded on the thermometer in my car on the way home from work. I had enough time to stare at it while sitting in grid lock traffic on my ride home, now taking twice as long. After a few errands I swung by the Wissahickon for an easy run. The sun was setting and I noticed a sign posted on the Northwestern parking lot. Park closes at 9PM. I had an hour and only intended on 3-4 miles anyway. I was hoping to get at least the first half the run done on trails with the waning light behind me. I had to take some ginger steps, since I didn't bring my head lamp with me. I came across a group of mountain bikers with those REALLY powerful lamps that can pretty much light up the whole forest. I tried not to startle them by calling ahead, but I'm not sure if it really worked. I made my way down the hill and across Rex Ave to Forbidden Dr. I glanced back up the hill and always thought it was cool to see the lights of the bikers trekking up the hill in near darkness.

Now I had a bunch of street lamps to light my path and I picked up the pace on the 1.5 miles back to the Tree House. Can't really say for sure what the pace was exactly, since I didn't have my watch, but I would guess it was around 7:00-7:30 pace. I barely made it back to the parking lot above the Tree House (which was MUCH more precarious now that all sunlight had receded) in time to hear the intermittent siren of the park ranger rushing me out of the parking lot before he/she closed up for the night. Seems they jumped the gun a bit, since it was only 8:40 and the park closes at 9PM. I wondered if I could 4-wheel it out of there if they locked the gates.

Amazing how the warm weather can change your mood. I have run consistently this cold winter, through deep snow, mud, and frozen ground. The warm weather revitalizes everything, making an afternoon run or bike more enticing. Of course, I'll probably be singing a different too once the typical 90+ temperature and humidity season rolls around. There will definitely be more night runs once that happens.

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.

Recovery Run

Since we ran a little more than recommended yesterday, thought it might be a good idea to scale down the workout today by a few miles. Planned 10 mile run turned into 7, but still a good distance to follow up a long workout with. Intended on taking Forbidden Drive home during the final stretch, but Brigid opted for the hills on the Western side of the creek, and so hills did we endure. This enthusiasm died away quickly when she realized how much further it was going to take us, and how little time it was going to leave us to get ready to head over to my parents.

It was a cool, brisk day with lots of sunshine and much to be thankful for. The healing power of the outdoors.

7 miles
1:07

Unafraid

I'm definitely not used to longish runs during the week. In fact, about 60-70 minutes seems to be my limit Monday-Friday. Tag on a long run or two on the weekend and I'm golden. Today Brigid and I were supposed to run 8 miles and decided to tackle all of them on the trails. The sun has been out until about 730 these days, so we had plenty of light to finish before dark. I still seem to be having some problems with my GPS cutting out during runs in the valley. I found this run documented on a verified website as 8.3 miles. But my GPS only registered it as 7. Go figure. I hope we aren't running that slow, but you can never tell.

I've seen tons of deer running on the trails here and in Malvern. But tonight Brigid and I stumbled across a doe with absolutely no fear of us. I've never heard of a rabid dear, but there is a first time for everything. I was especially wary of a stag and babies in the area, as I've come across this before. The doe was probably standing about 3-4 feet off the trail and Brigid and I had no intention of turning around and running the 2 miles back to Forbidden Drive in order to go around it. I looked around quickly to make sure it was alone and then we sprinted past it. Not even a flinch. I was a little surprised at how far it can swivel its head around and had flashes of the Exorcist which made me run just a bit faster past. It was an odd experience.

Recovery Run

The 50K training plan called for 10 miles today, but considering how yesterday's run went, Brig and I thought it would be better to just get out the door. We started from the Tree House and put together a Figure 8 loop, first meandering down and across Bells Mill Bridge down to Rex Ave Bridge, across Forbidden Drive and up into the meadows, and down to Bells Mill Rd. One thing I did not anticipate was the severity of the climb that takes you back up to the Tree House. During all these years I've always run down this hill and never took the time to appreciate just how steep the grade is. Well we had to walk a good portion of the uphill and my lungs and legs never stopped screaming.

The park was full to the brim today with hikers, mountain bikers, and other joggers. There must be an increase in Wissahickon awareness, hiking, or just an influx in active recreational enthusiasts. Combined with the advent of Spring and the earlier start of Daylight Savings time, it's pretty much the perfect storm. I guess it's a good thing that the park is a void for rudeness and overall apathetic behavior. You could get drunk on all of the Hellos!, Excuse me's, and "He's a friendly dog". Nobody (for the most part) is plugged into an iPod. There is no standard "On your left" before someone comes barreling past you without more warning. It really does support a sense of calmness and always leaves you feeling better about your day, even if it didn't start out so well.

I would call this about 5 miles in 50 minutes.

Long Run

Brigid and I got a relatively early start to our long run (~11AM) and made our way down to the Wissahickon. I've been hoping that we can do the Wissahickon Four Corners run as a few of our long runs later in the training season. That run stretches up to about 21 miles, based on GPS data I've found from other runners. I think I'm pretty familiar with most of the course, but I just wanted to be sure of a couple of turns. Our run today called for about 12 miles, so we decided we would try and tackle the southern most portion of the route, where is spans between Valley Green and Ridge Ave. One thing I learned today is that there is a section of trail on the other side of Lincoln Drive. It's not too long, but does provide a nice alternative to the paved bike path that runs along the creek.

Running on the trails is great, but only if you're willing to let your ego take a bit of a hit. The pace is much slower since you're tackling hills and the terrain can get pretty tough at some points, particularly if it has rained like it has been in recent weeks. Downhills become treacherous and uphill portions take some careful negotiating in order not to spin your wheels. Still, a bad day in the park is much better than a good day on the roads. My biggest problem is that I think I'm developing an addiction to trails and won't run on the roads unless I have to. It just adds another obstacle to getting out the door on those tough-to-get-off-the-couch days.

At least the weather was great today. As usual, there were a ton of people on the trails at this point, but it never really seems to irk me. It actually gives me more of an uplifting feeling to stumble across someone that offers a kindly hello. Usually it comes with a small break to interact with Spot, and I think it's OK to let the watch run for that.

About 11 miles in 2 hours and 9 minutes.

Super Bowl RunDay

Late morning

After a three-week hiatus due to a bruised knee injury, I eased back into the long weekend trail run with about 90 minutes of Wissahickon traversing. Of course I walked out the door without Brigid's YakTrax and immediately felt the difference after 100 yards of downhill running. The good news is that the weather is finally starting to change around here (knock on wood) and we have been lucky enough to get several consecutive days of mild weather. Keep in mind that mild weather these days is anything over 32F.

The going was slow, but interesting. The downhill portions had me feeling like a downhill skier, slaloming past boulders shrubs. Contrastingly, I felt like an ice climber on the uphill portions, having to dig my feet in the unpacked snow as if I were sporting crampons on Mt Everest. Even the flat portions had enough of a slope so that my footing was never secure. Despite my slow pace, my effort level was high and I would liken it to running on the beach above the tide. Every so often I got a chance to look up at the quiet park and realized how many trees had fallen under the weight of the heavy, wet snow we've been having. There weren't too many people out today, either. Whether this was because of the snow or the Super Bowl or both I don't know, but I did see a few mountain bikers out and it still made me chuckle. I've seen a bunch of them the past few weeks and I always admired the love of the sport that makes someone tackle new terrain and new conditions. But then it dawned on me that I've never actually seen them riding. They are always walking their bikes. Uphill, downhill, it doesn't matter. I guess I have to try it first.

I started from Bells Mill Rd and took Forbidden Drive down to Rex Ave before turning up into the Western side of the creek. I had no music today and wasn't sure what to expect. You become dependent on the distraction, especially when you're running alone, and I wasn't sure if I was ready for the deafening clamor of my own thoughts. But I soon found a rhythm and time seemed to pass faster than usual. I found myself taking notice of the park even more than usual. First, because the scenery demanded it and I found myself more open to absorb my surroundings. Second, because the trails were not as blazed as usual and I found myself dredging my memory for signs of familiarity. It's ironic that I often escape to the park to avoid the monotony of suburban running, while the Wissahickon, especially at this time of year, offers very little in the way of characteristic distinction. Sure there are landmarks, fields, access roads, and familiar creeks, but these make up only 10-20 percent of the park. The rest is a barrage of predictability.

But maybe that's the point. Maybe that sense of certainty allows us to let our guard down, to tune ourselves into what's all around. Who would have thought that simply turning off my music would help open my eyes? The next step is to leave the watch behind.