From the lessons learned I posted recently after the half marathon, I decided to change up my run this past Sunday.
I knew I would be doing a distance day today. But I decided to change things a little.
As usual, I started my run on the Heritage Trail. I had my water bottle filled and in my belt, my GPS ready and my music all set. Then I set on my way. I had a cloudless sky with the temperature of about 52 deg. F at the start. Low humidity as well. A perfect day for a run!
My ankle by this point was feeling 100%. No discomfort at all, which was great.
I reached the Chester train depot (5.5 miles) with no issues. My pace was averaging 9:40 so I was under an hour (probably 50 minutes…). I stopped briefly to use the restroom and take on some water. When I was ready to continue I made the decision to do the return trip via the roadways instead of the trail. Like I stated in my other post – I needed to do some road training…
For the first half of the return trip, it was much like being on the path – pretty flat and smooth. But then the hills started…
I hit the first 2 hills on Greycourt Road. While not MAJOR hills, they were certainly more than I was used to. However I was able to run those with no issue – although I could feel it 🙂
The MAJOR hill was on Mansion Hill Road. On that one I had to walk up 2/3 of the hill. I need more training before I am able to run that one completely.
Here’s the elevation of my entire run – you’ll see what I mean:
You can also see by the splits where I had to slow down 🙂
Mile 1: 9:51
Mile 2: 9:39
Mile 3: 9:37
Mile 4: 9:33
Mile 5: 9:37
Mile 6: 9:43
Mile 7: 9:42 (Greycourt Rd)
Mile 8: 9:45 (Greycourt Rd)
Mile 9: 10:20 (Craigville Rd)
Mile 10: 12:45 (Old Mansion Rd)
Mile 11: 9:24
The final mile was pretty much back on the trail so I finished strong.
So for the first time on the local roads, I felt pretty good. Although I decided that next time I will reverse things and do the roads first, then finish on the trail. While there are still some UP hills this way, there are fewer 🙂 And I will be able to finish on the flat of the trail.
For my next half marathon (probably in the spring) I plan to train much more effectively. My goal is to improve the 2:25:45 time to 2 hours or less. But at least I know what to expect the next time around 🙂
In the meantime, I’m just going to keep on running.
