Northern Loop

Early afternoon

A new route coined as the Northern Loop today with Frank and Brian. A few weeks ago I headed out with Paul on an extended version of The Cut route and lost him at one particular point in the run, just after the Horseshoe Trail picked up at Charleston Elementary School. I wanted to get back out to this area and meander about for a while, exploring the various sections of the trail. Before lunch I found out that the Horshshoe trail extends some 140 miles from Valley Forge National Park to Harrisburg where it picks up the Appalachian Trail. Even though most of the trail in this area hugs some pretty well-traveled roads, they are still blazed accordingly and you can still find some pretty technical sections to traverse. Today's run accumulated almost 800 feet of total vertical climbing. I'm not too savvy when it comes to total elevation, but that seems pretty decent for a lunch time run.

I had to bring a paper printout of the area so as not to get lost, but Frank and Brian quickly realized that they were familiar with the area that we were running through. That made things much easier. We joked about stringing together all of the main loops that we have been doing, The Cut, Quarry/Nature Preserve, CVT, and this Northern loop. Seems like it would be a good 17-18 miles. I think it was a joke.

About 7 miles total in 70 minutes.

Late evening

Basketball against Sales

The win tonight and the loss by Sweetness puts us in a legitimate three-way tie with Prestige WW. Each of us of one loss to both of the other teams. I think the rule is that if we all win out the rest of the season, rankings in the playoffs will be based on points scored. It would be nice to make it to the championship without having to play either of those teams.

Reverse Diamond Rock

Reverse Diamond Rock today with Frank, Chris, and Raph. The link follows the route we took, but doesn't reflect accurate time. I think we finished this run in just under 65 minutes. Didn't tackle the Howell Rd hill like I said I would always do, but going up slowly doesn't necessarily translate into less pain. In fact, it just drags it out. Funny how the combination of people's competitive running personalities and the Diamond Rock route tend to stretch out the group. There is a good 2-3 mile uphill stretch (with a minor stretch of downhill in the middle) up to the very top of the mountain if you run the Reverse Diamond Rock version. It's very easy for some to run their own pace, while others try to conquer it warrior style. Some people just have that need to lead on runs, even if they can't keep the pace on the uphill portions, which is evident by the immediate progression forwards upon cresting said hill. I'm not sure which category I fall into. Maybe I consider myself laid back only because I lack the fitness conquer hills the fastest. Or maybe I'm OK with others taking the lead if it is that important to them.

7.4 miles in about 65 minutes

Washed away

Today I headed out with Paul and Frank for a reverse Diamond Rock run. The forecast in the Philadelphia region (and most of the mid-Atlantic, for that matter) has been rain, rain, and more rain. We are expected to get somewhere in the vicinity of 3 inches, although I've heard rumors that other areas are expected to get more. It's pretty crazy when you think about all that water just hanging suspended in the sky, waiting for the right conditions to dump all over the earth. We headed up the hill on Howell Rd. against the current that was flowing down, in some places it was fast enough to generate some whitewater in the gullies on the side of the road. Wild.

I thought about the sporadic mud and creeks from Tuesday and how it was better to jump in feet first, rather than spend an entire run trying to avoid it. Well there was no avoiding the mud today. At the top of the hill we turned onto a portion of the Horseshoe Trail and there was definitely no shortage of mud or leaves. I thought about the beers and wings I had last night. I thought about the beer I used to drink in college and the beer I drink now. How could one case of beer logically cost 11 dollars? Incredible. Now the craft beers in the region are charging over 40 for a case. I thought about how we would drink from a keg one night and then show up to 6AM practice on the river in the middle of winter not even a half step slower. Now, I can't even have 2-3 beers without feeling a little sluggish the next morning. But running has a habit of washing those impurities away, both physically and mentally. Get through the first 10 minutes of a run and I will always feel looser and more energetic than I did 10 minutes before heading out the door. Every run might not be a PR, but you can always find your groove if you look hard enough. I was content to hang back from Paul and just let my mind wander as I meandered through the woods. It's a soothing act of meditation.

A quick jump in the curbside stream and at least my shoes were cleaned off before heading back inside. About 7.4 miles in 66:48.

Trail Run

Lunch run with Paul R. today. Should have been between 7 and 8 miles but it turned in to much more. I'll get to that. Headed out towards Yellow Springs Road and halfway up we turned off towards a small hidden trail that linked up with a small suburban development. From there we linked another trail on our run, but it didn't amount to much. We ended up blazing our own trail through mostly thorns and my legs are proof of that. We finally found the right trail and took it up the Cut. Kept it going until the top of Yellow Springs Road, crossed over the Turnpike and picked up the Horseshoe trail. I'm not a big fan of this trail. Just too many softball-sized rocks littering the path. Add a thick layer of leaves and it adds up to another ankle injury. I did my best to maintain pace but had to stop a few times to get around some obstacles. We emerged near an elementary school and Paul said he knew of another trail in the area so we headed for that. I guess that's where I lost Paul. I must have split off from the main trail, because I ended up alone on Rt. 29 with no idea which way was the way back. I took a chance and happened across Yellow Springs Road. Unfortunately, I shouldn't have turned onto Yellow Springs, but I only made it about a half mile before I got my bearings and turned around.

I finally made it back to the rec center in 96 minutes. It wasn't as bad as I thought, but still a little long for a lunch run.