Friday, December 24, 2010

Day 23 - Last day of work

My last day at work for the year is finally here. I changed my loop up for my walk today and it wound up being 3 miles. It felt good to see some different scenery. The wind was really blowing when I hit the wide open fields. All my fast walking so far since starting my training back up I have been using the Keen Voyageur Mid hiking boots. They feel like sneakers and with the side ventilation they don't get hot. A great hiking or walking shoe.

Today at work I was listening to some faster up beat music and that got me charged for tonights run. At that point I knew I wanted to run at a faster pace for my 7 mile loop. I haven't ran all out since last week so I was ready to give it ago again. After the 3rd mile I started to have a little down moment with my stomach and this is where you have to remember to keep pushing on. It is real easy at those points to slow down and go easy. After a couple minutes it felt a little better so I kept pushing along and held on for the last 2 miles. 48:06 was my final time for my 7 mile loop and my fastest time so far this month.

Below is a video of the song that got me charged up to go out and run at a fast pace. The Foo Fighters front man Dave Grohl puts everything into this song and I tried to do the same thing with my run tonight. You can just feel the energy in the crowd and on stage - great song!



12-23-2010 - 3 miles - 38:23 - walk
12-23-2010 - 7 miles - 48:06 - run

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Day 22 - Club run

No deer on my walk today but I had my camera ready. That is probably why I didn't see any. The picture below I snapped today on my walk with my cell phone. Then I tweaked it a little more then I normally do.  Not sure if I really like it. My legs are really feeling strong on my walks. Usually when I start up walking the first couple of weeks my shins get pretty sore from the fast pace. The hiking I did in October and November I think really helped make my legs get stronger than other years.


I headed down to the Wyomissing tonight to run with the running club I belong to (Pagoda Pacers). The traffic was heavy and I hit almost all the lights on my drive down. I actually got there with a couple of minutes to spare. The run tonight had over 30 runners making there way around the area. It is always nice to see a lot of people showing up for club runs. I can't make them all but I try to get to a lot of them. Tonight the run went along busy roads, through the Holiday Lights at Gring's Mill, Penn State Berks campus and some shopping center parking lots. You know most everyone in there cars that we ran by were out fighting their way from store to store to get last minute shopping done. I'm so glad I was the one running tonight and not in my car being stressed out looking for gifts that are sold out.


12-22-2010 - 2.8 miles - 35:49 - walk
12-22-2010 - 5.35 miles - 45:00 - run

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Day 21 - What the buck

It was another sunny and windy day on my walk at lunch. A couple clouds in the blue sky. On my way back I pass a wooded section of land. There was a stick on the ground and I kicked it off the side of the road. When I did that I kicked up a bunch of stones into the leaves and scared two deer a buck and a doe. They popped right up running into the field above them. They might sit in there every day and I never noticed them. I will be keeping an eye out for them from now on.

I made it out the door around 6 tonight and the moon was looking pretty cool with some clouds around it. I usually try an run fast on a Tuesday night right from the start but not tonight. I just wanted to keep a nice pace the whole run not to fast and not too slow. I had about an hour and half to run so I thought I would try to get in 10 miles. I looped around town trying to hit all the hills and then finishing with a really flat section. The final mile and a half was really fun checking out all the holiday lights around the neighborhood.

Tomorrow I will be running with the club and I can’t wait. Running alone is ok but when you can share it with other runners it is so much better. Below is a video from Málaga, Spain of the El Caminito del Rey walk way that will get your heart pumping and your hands sweating – CRAZY FUN!



12-21-2010 - 2.8 miles - 34:56 - walk
12-21-2010 - 10 miles - 1:19 - run - 450 feet elevation

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Day 20 - Almost full moon

Today’s walk at work my legs didn't feel the greatest but the time was as good as last week’s time when I felt great. Some days you don't feel the best but your time doesn't reflect it. You don't always feel the best in a race at different times and you will have your ups and downs and try to keep moving forward. Training when you don't want to helps push through times like this in a race.

Tonight’s run I really didn’t feel like going out but I couldn’t miss the almost full moon at the top of the mountain. Full moon is at at 3:13 a.m. Tuesday. I was slowly out the door around 6:50 but within the first half mile I was moving along well and felt good. The moon was in and out of the clouds my whole run. When it was out I didn’t even need a headlamp. If there would have been snow on the ground it would have looked like daytime. When I made it up to Pulpit Rock the wind was blowing. I got my camera out and got a couple of pictures after the clouds moved – not the best but they look all right. It is always fun trying to warm your fingers up after having them out of yours gloves for a couple of minutes in the cold. I put my camera away and ran back down. I hit the road section and saw some eyes staring at me about 50 yards ahead. I’m not sure what it was maybe a cat but I had to run by it. So I picked up the pace running towards the eyes and the eyes started to run away from me stopping to look back at me a couple of times until ducking in the trees. Then I took off in a full out sprint not sure why but I did and it was fun.





12-20-2010 - 2.8 miles - 35:48 - walk
12-20-2010 - 7 miles - 1:07 - run - 950 ft. elevation

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Day 19 - Fun in the sun

Lately the weekend long runs are a lot of fun. Just going out for a long time and not worrying about a pace. Right now I am trying to build some good base mileage and have fun. After a good night sleep the legs felt pretty good after yesterday. Today I made it out the door around 12 and the temps were above 30°F. Felt like a heat wave after running in the low 20's in the dark last week.

On the road for a mile or two and then into the mountains to get lost. When I run by myself I usually go right up the road hill to Pulpit Rock. It gets the heart rate up and is one of the steepest hills to run to get to the top. My thought is if I am training for a mountain race I need to hit the biggest hills I can find if I want to be ready for this race. 


The view from Pulpit Rock

The view from Pulpit Rock

After getting some pictures at Pulpit Rock the AT leads me to the blue trail which runs down to the Blue Rocks Campground. This place is packed in the spring/summer/fall with campers from all over. Right now it is a ghost town. Once you get on the blue trail it is a very rocky section which I like. Even after I rolled my right ankle really bad at the end of June on this trail. I still can't stay away from it. Below is a video I made to show what the last part of the trail looks like.



Leaving the campground you hit a yellow trail which climbs for over a mile and a half with over 700 feet of climb. I now realize carrying 3 full bottles, food and camera going up this climb makes your legs burn. That is ok with me. It makes you feel like you are running on tired legs which you can never have enough practice running with tired legs. The last section of the yellow is straight up for maybe 200 or 300 feet and your lungs and legs feel alive after that climb. Once you make it up the yellow you are now on the AT. From there I made my way to the the Pinnacle and it was real clear today. The houses and barns really stood out. Maybe it was the way the sun was shinning on everything.

The view from the Pinnacle

The view from the Pinnacle

Back on the AT to head home and I passed a friends dad that I know. He said he hikes everyday up here and that is his medicine to keep him healthy. I was thinking about that after he said that and it is so true. A lot of the people I met through running, I now call friends, say pretty much the same thing. We all like to get outside, run for hours, relieve some stress, have fun and feel so much better after - our medicine I guess. To this day it still amazes me that you can run with someone for a couple hours on the trail and you know them better inside and out than most people you knew for years. That is one thing that really hooked me to this sport. The honesty and kindness of the people I met running on the trail in the last 5 years is amazing. I love this sport!

The blue trail above the Hamburg Reservoir 


12-19-2010 - 15 miles - 3:08 - run - over 1800 ft. elevation



Day 18 - Long run day

Out the door a little after 7 a.m. It was cold but no wind. I was running by myself until 9 a.m. where I would hook up with some other runners at the Hamburg Reservoir. The run started with a down hill road section to the Bartram Trail in Hamburg. From there it is 2 miles until the Appalachian Trail crosses in Port Clinton. While running on the Bartram Trail I passed a friend Brian running with his dog. He was on his way back to the parking lot where he started. To get off of the Bartram Trail you have to go down a step little section and then go through the Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad Company's property.


A side view of the new bridge in Hamburg

Bartram Trail heading to the AT

The Bartram Trail with the sunrise
Once you get through the little town of Port Clinton the trail run's along the Schuylkill River. Then you go under the Rt. 61 bridge, cross Port Clinton Ave. and then the climb starts. The climb goes up about 800 feet in just over 2 miles to the top of the mountain. You really warm up on this section.  On top of the mountain you can look down on the town of Hamburg and see all the development over the last couple of years(Cabala's, Lowe's and soon Walmart) While running back to the reservoir I knew I wouldn't make it back in time to meet the group if I stayed on the AT.  I headed down a lower trail that goes to the same place but takes away a big climb away.



The view from the AT

Appalachian Trail

Looking down at Cabela's Lowe's and Walmart
Arriving in the parking lot at 9:01 the group was there and ready to run.  We headed back up the mountain running on the AT, Al's short cut where I tripped and fell, AT, Red Trail, Blue Trail, Spring Trail and back on the AT and out to the Pinnacle. We regrouped at the Pinnacle and looked around, got a group photo and back on the AT. On the way back Dan picked up the pace and we were flying over some rocky sections and it felt great. We regrouped back at Pulpit Rock, headed down the road hill to the red trail and back to the parking lot. I said go bye to everyone and ran back home. Great trails and great friends make a great way to start the day.


Lori, Kallie(dog), Dean, Joanne, Dan, Beth, Pete, Libby and Andy



Lori, Kallie(dog), Dean, Joanne, Dan, Beth, Me, Libby and Andy
12-18-2010 - 20.5 miles - 4:25 - run - around 2000 ft. elevation

Friday, December 17, 2010

Day 17 - Amazing Sunrise

The sunrise was amazing today! The picture below was taken around 7:30 a.m. Within only a couple minutes after this the clouds covered it and the sky lost its bright colors.


I didn't wear my cover over my face today at my walk and was it cold on the way back.  It was 31°F outside but the wind made it very cold. My legs were a little tired for the first half mile and they felt great by the time I finished. I am still using the Cardio Trainer on my phone to do all my walks and some runs. It seems pretty accurate on all my walks so far. This whole week I tested out my new Elements vest from Under Armour. It has some wind proofing in it which worked really great to keep my core warm by preventing any wind from coming in at the zipper. I never really used Under Armour but my great neighbor hooked me up with some great discounts.


After another cold week of running and walking I took today off from running. The down day should help give me more energy for this weekends long runs. The little ones went to a friends house and my wife and I went out for dinner and a movie at home (The Hangover). By the time we got home from picking the little ones up it was almost 10 and I was beat.

12-17-2010 - 2.8 miles - 36:02 - walk

Day 16 - Pedal to the metal

The sunrise was beautiful today. It's amazing how fast the sky's color can change at this time. If your not ready with your camera it is gone but you always have tomorrow but it will be different. I always have my family look up at the sky in the morning or night.  We have seen so many great sunrises and sunsets.


Todays fast walk at work went really well.  The temps were up a little and there was no wind. My legs felt like I could move them so much faster today then other days. Even the hills went well. Sometimes you have days like this and you can put the pedal to the metal even in a walk.

I was thinking of what my training plan is and I don't really have a training plan. I just "wing it" most of the time. Of course I do know I will run long on the weekends and have a fast run or two during the week but I never really know which day or how far until that day. Life is very busy with everything going on that I don't have time for a running plan - nor do I want one. That is another reason I have fun with running - it is mine and I can do anything I want with it. If I want to run, hike, walk while I am out there and do it fast, slow, long or short I can. There are now rules to follow other than moving forward consistently.

Tonight a couple minutes before the start of my run I was thinking to myself I want to run fast tonight. The 7 mile road course I usually run at least once a week. Starting out with a 1.3 mile of flat or down hill where you can get the legs moving right from the start.  From there the next .7 mile section climbs about 150 ft. which you have to try and push this section. The next .9 mile section is flat with a slight up grade then descends over a 190 feet where you can get the legs moving as fast as you want. The course is flat from there for the next 1.45 miles. Then the hill hits a .3 mile section that climbs 135 feet. Keeping your legs moving at this point is a challenge. Then it is downhill for the next .75 with a 140 feet of decent. The last stretch climbs around 220 feet and this is where you can have a good or an ok run. The last section really teaches me to keep moving even when everything seems to be falling apart.  Tonight I had a good night and kept focused the whole run - 48:40. Now I am ready for a long slow weekend run.


12-16-2010 - 2.8 miles - 35:48 - walk
12-16-2010 - 7 miles - 48:40 - run - 375 ft. elevation

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Day 15 - Peaceful night time run

Another lovely day of off and on snow showers. Lunch time walks are really hitting the spot lately. You can go out and clear you head. My legs are feeling good right now and the fast walks are getting better. The headwinds are always a challenge on the way back. The purchase of the Under Armour Tactical HeatGear Hood to keep the cold out is really paying off.
The way back on my walk at work
Tonight I was running by 6. Night time runs in the mountains are so peaceful.  When the snow is down it lights up the mountain and you can see things you usually can't see in the dark. Full moon on the 21st should be great if there is snow around.  A little road section and into the mountains I headed. I made it up to Pulpit Rock and looked around and could not believe no one else was up there - just kidding! Not to many people make there way up there on a dark cold windy night. Last year I hiked up on New Years to see if anyone was shooting fireworks off. I heard noises but didn't see any fireworks. After the mountains I was on the road again for about 5 1/2 miles and headed back home. Finished with a nice 10 mile run.

The rock in the back reminds me of the altitude profile at the MMT 100

Below is the altitude profile of the MMT 100 course. (Pic below is from the vhtrc.com website)



Below is a little video of the view from Pulpit Rock at night.



12-15-2010 - 2.8 miles - 36:15 - walk
12-15-2010 - 10 miles - 1:34 - run - 1,000 ft. elevation


Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Day 14 - Chilllllly out

Everyone keeps talking about how cold it is right now in PA. But I keep reading about how cold some parts of Canada are right now -20°F. Now that is cold. 24°F in PA is cold but I have a race planned and I can't make excuses and let the weather determine my training. Cover your head, put some gloves on, get out in the world and get moving. That is what I was telling myself to do. When I know bad weather is is in the forcast I want to go out, see how bad it is and test myself.


I went out for my fast walk at lunch and it was cold. The wind was blowing and some snow was falling.  What more can you ask for than to be out in the elements waking up you senses. The feeling you get after you finish (when you get feeling back) is amazing.


On my way home tonight I was greeted with some more snow. It was only a dusting and the sidewalks and driveways were covered.  I could also see the mountains had a little coating. Later the family and I went to a Christmas program at the school at 6:30. Got home around 8 and I was out the door running in the 20° weather by 8:30 p.m. It would of been so easy to just stay home and relax but not tonight.  I started at a comfortable pace which turned into a faster pace then I was expecting tonight. After feeling really good the whole run I decided to pushed the last mile. Finishing the last mile in 6:56 felt great and my legs are going to be tired tomorrow.


Here is a great video to watch when you need a little motivation UltraRunning Video. After watching this video I want to go run!




12-14-2010 - 2.8 miles - 37:04 - walk
12-14-2010 - 7 miles - 50:20 - run

Monday, December 13, 2010

Day 13 - Monday a slow day

My wife and I had the day off.  Lucky us we got to spend some of the morning getting both cars their regular maintenance.  Then we did the grocery store, post office and then went back home for some lunch. I had a couple eggs with sour cream, salsa, cheese and black beans. A nice quick lunch before heading out for my run hit the spot.

After this weekend of what was filled with many hills my legs were a little tired today. I did a nice easy pace run all around the mountain with some road sections. I thought hunting was over for a little but I heard about 5 or 6 shots and didn't see a one person out today. These days are nice when you can relax and not have to worry about time. The views were great and the temps weren't bad with the sun out. The temps are really going to be dropping so this will be a cold week of running!

Pulpit Rock

Pulpit Rock

Hamburg Reservoir

The road hill (my playground) to Pulpit Rock!

Windsor Furnace area - Click on the link below for an old picture. 
You can see one of the walls still stands to the upper left of this picture.


Below is a video I took when I was out running today.  I had to convert to a different file format for it to load into the blogging program. If you keep it small it looks ok but if you open it up full screen it is not that clear.



12-13-2010 - 7.2 miles - 1:30 - run

Day 12 - The Buzzard Run

I went to run the Buzzard course today. It's a 45 mile drive from my house. Why drive 45 miles at 6:30 a.m. to run in the pouring rain for many miles you may ask. You have to run it to understand. This course is one place that you always feel good when you pull in the parking lot if you don't miss the turn. The run is around 25 miles long with 5 big hills and one cold water crossing. Below is the map from someones gps from a previous run that we did there.  My watch didn't record the whole course this time.


When I pulled in the parking lot around 7:25 a.m. there were no cars. There was suppose to be a group of runners there but most decided not to run because of the weather. After sitting in my car and getting ready to run by myself another runner Stephan arrived. That means I didn't get to have all the fun - I had to share:) One lady did stop by and asked us if we needed turn sheets for the course but I know the course. The weather forecast for the day was rain and a lot of it but that never really happened.

Stephan and I started to run and talking about what the other runners were going to miss. I don't get to run a lot with Stephan so it was great to run and talk about life and running for over 5 hours. We power hiked most of the climbs and ran everything else. Stephan ran the last hill and I tried to catch him but there was nothing in the tank.  A couple down pours here and there but overall it was a great day! Below are pics from the course and of Stephan and I.

12-12-2010 - 25 miles - 5:20 - run - 3,200 ft. elevation


The Water Tank trail

End of the Horse-Shoe trail marker.

Stephan

Me

Man made bridge on the Appalachian Trail

In the center of the picture is the last climb
straight up a pipeline. The top is over a mile
away after the creek crossing.

Stephan getting ready to cross
the creek for the first time.

One step at a time and it is cold.

Don't fall - he didn't and I didn't either.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Day 11 - Up..Down..Repeat..Up..Down..Repeat.......

The weather was great today!  What else can I say. 30+ degrees felt like summer after running in the 20's all week. I finally made it up to the mountain around 11:30 a.m. Another slow start to the weekend run but I made it out the door. Today was a prefect day for some hill running. Hills are not what everyone calls fun but hills give results and good one's. If your going to run a mountain race make sure you get out and run, walk or crawl up the hills. Speed is good but you also need the endurance. The road hill I use has 640 feet of climb and is one mile up (Link: 1 Mile Hill Repeats). Today I managed to do 7 of them.  5 running and 2 running/hiking and legs felt good. I brought three bottles along and only drank one. I guess the extra weight was good for the legs. There was some snow around but was melting.  Off to the Buzzard course on Sunday.


The road where I do hill repeats.
The road where I do hill repeats.
The view from Pulpit Rock

12-11-2010 - 15 miles - 3:05 - run - hill training - 4,620 ft. elevation



Day 10 - Ready for the weekend long runs

From today until January 4th all runners that got picked in the lottery can pay their entry fee.  Runners that didn't get picked in the lottery have to join the waiting list and send a check in. If someone drops from the entrants list and their name comes up they cash the check. I was reading over some of the new rules for this years race and here is one that will be disappointing to some runners but I can see their point:


"PERSONAL LISTENING DEVICES: Before you enter, please understand that the single track trails of the MMT course can be crowded and narrow in some areas making overtaking other runners difficult. We don't want you wearing personal listening devices over these portions of the course (and discourage them on the course at all). Personal listening devices are not permitted at all in the Solo Division."

At one time I used an MP3 player all the time when I was running.  Now I only use it a couple times a month. I find I get distracted by it sometimes because maybe I don't want to listen to the song that is playing or it's to loud.  When I use it now I like listening to some podcasts about other adventures people are doing. Here is a list of some of the sites I found to download for free:


Today was a little warmer out for my walk at lunch but there was a little snow falling towards the end.  I kept a good pace at around 12:46 per mile. This week I think the cold weather took a lot of energy away from me so I decided to take the night off and rest for this weekend long runs.

12-10-2010 - 2.8 miles - 36:00 - fast walk

Friday, December 10, 2010

Day 9 - Head games

Today I woke up and my legs were very sore from last nights run.  It wasn't a fast run but I did wear different shoes. The shoes were the same model but older. Sometimes that can have and effect on your legs with that  little of a change. The fast 400 meters I sprinted all out didn't help either.

I did my walk again at lunch and that really helps to loosen up my legs. I really work on my fast walking because you have to know how to walk fast when you are in the longer races. It is something you can fall back on if you are having a bad spot in a race and have to walk. The hills go on forever in this race so you better now how to get up them running or fast walking. Not to much action on my walk today but I did get to take a small clip of the view I get to see everyday.


Getting out the door to run was tough tonight.  I have been playing head games with myself all afternoon since I got back from my walk. I really wanted to take off from running, relax and stay out of the cold. I was thinking that this would be my ninth day in a row of running it is alright to take the night off. Sometime getting out the door is the hardest part of the run. Finally at around 8:45 p.m. I pushed myself out the door and had a fun run.  The temp was around 21 and there wasn't any wind to deal with tonight. The sky look awesome being so clear and all the stars and some clouds. There were a lot of houses with fire places smoking away tonight. I actually smelled like smoke when I finished

12-9-2010 - 2.4 miles - 31:11 - fast walk
12-9-2010 - 8 miles - 1:04 - run

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Day 8 - The Lottery

It is hard to sit inside for lunch when you start preparing for you next adventure. You have to keep moving every chance you get and don't waste your time. I decided to go for a walk with the cold and wind blowing.  At least the sun was out and I got to say Hello to a couple of people I usually see when I am walking.

Today is the day all runners find out if they are in the race or do they go on the waiting list.  After we signed up for the race all runners were given a random number.  My number that I got after filling out the online app was 572.  There were 416 people entered this year. At 4 p.m. the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up at 11,372.48.  From there they use the last 3 numbers which was 248 and go up 205 positions.

Dow Jones Industrial Average 12-8-2010

Today I had the right number and I am in the race.  The rest of the people go on the waiting list and wait for people to drop off. Click here for their full explanation of the lottery if you really need to know. You wish everyone you know could get in the race but it doesn't work like that anymore.  These ultra races (any race over a marathon 26.2 miles) are going crazy with the number of entrants.  I really do think there is another running boom going on right now.

5:35 p.m. I drove down to Oley, PA for the Pagoda Pacer club run. Chilly at the start until you get moving. Running in December around the back roads with all the Christmas lights at the houses is a great way to enjoy the season. The moon also look really cool tonight. We hit a dirt road section and I ask one of the runners how far until we regroup with the rest of the runners. He said about 400 to 500 meters. So I took off as fast as I could for at least the first 300 and then slowly started to die. I am really going to pay for that. My legs are so sore but sometimes you just have to open it up and have some fun. Then I had a great dinner with some of the runners to talk about what else - running and other things.


12-8-2010 - 2.4 miles - 31:32 - fast walk
12-8-2010 - 6.5 miles - 50+ minutes - run

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Day 7 - 3 inches of snow

Today I woke up to find around 3 inches of snow outside. I should have got a pic because the sun melted some of it by the time I got home from work.  I guess winter is really here now at least where I live.   A couple miles away there was only a dusting. Today was also the last day to sign up for the MMT 100 lottery.  All runners will find out Wednesday at 4 p.m. if they made it in or if they go on the waiting list.  Either way I will be training for something. I have so many memories training during the winter runs and I can’t wait to make some more this winter.

Lunch time rolled around pretty quick today. I decided to brave the cold and wind and go for a fast walk.  I really need to think about getting a jacket with some wind proofing.   A sweat shirt is not working because the wind cuts right threw it.  The walk I do is an out and back. That means I have 1.2 miles of wind pushing me out and 1.2 miles of wind in my face on the way back - 20+ mph headwind today. The walk back always gives me something to look forward to:)


If you look at the bottom of the mountains you can see white - that is snow - where I was there was no snow.
5:10 p.m. and I was out the door to run to the top of the mountain (Pulpit Rock). Within a quarter mile I passed a state cop at the same place I got pulled over for running in a snow emergency last winter – that made me smile and laugh to myself. I really love getting first tracks to the top if I have the chance.  Today there were a couple of tracks before me. The view from the top was really clear and the lights everywhere looked awesome.  You can actually see the lights at the Blue Mountain Ski resort and Bear Creek Ski resort from the Pulpit Rock lookout.  Not sure if Bear Creek had theirs on I didn’t look but Blue Mountain did.  I guess that means they are making snow. If it stays cold out the ski resorts should have a great holiday. The run down on the road from the top had an inch or two of snow on it.  There is nothing like running on and in the snow. I can’t wait for the deep snow to get here. I was glad when I finally got back home tonight.  I just wanted to get warm and eat.


The walk up to the Pulpit Rock lookout.

The night view from Pulpit Rock at night.

The night view from Pulpit Rock at night.

The trail leaving Pulpit Rock going west on the AT.

12-7-2010 - 2.4 miles - 32:20 - fast walk
12-7-2010 - 7 miles - 1:04 - run

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Day 6 - A good day for a double


  
Monday is back to work day most Mondays.  Today I was there for an hour and decided to take the rest of the day off and the boss was cool with it. My wife and I then got an early start on some shopping.  You know Target, Dick's Sporting Goods, Michaels Crafts, Toys-R-Us and Walmart.  We finished a lot of our Christmas shopping and I even purchased a Under Armour Tactical HeatGear Hood for myself at Dick's Sporting Goods.

Tactical HeatGear Hood

After we got home I got my stuff ready for my run and left around 2:30. Up to Pulpit Rock I went and the snow flurries were falling again. On my way up I passed a couple guys that were out rock climbing near the reservoir.  I went up the road hill to the top and my legs felt good. Some times I go up the AT but not when they are hunting.  I got some pics and took the road back down and headed down Mountain Road with a real nice head wind. The Tactical HeadGear Hood and my hat worked great on this section for keeping the wind out of my ears.

The view from Pulpit Rock

The view from Pulpit Rock
This is the AT trail that goes west
after leaving Pulpit Rock.


I ran around town for a little and then went over to Kaercher Creek to do the loop in the woods.  Only saw one person walking in a distance.  Not to many people outside today.

Kaercher Creek upper trail
Kaercher Creek upper trail

Kaercher Creek
It was around 9 and it was still snowing outside and I felt like a kid itching to go out and play - so I did.  It was around 9:15 when I left the house for my second run of the day. I did one of my loops around town that is up, down and all around. No falls on the slick roads just a lot of fun. No one told me you can't run more the one time a day.  In this game of running sometimes you just have to make your own rules.  That is why I love this sport.  One day you can run a couple of miles and other days you can just run on forever.


12-6-2010 - 14.25 miles - 2:30 - run #1
12-6-2010 - 7 miles - 1:00 - run #2


Total = 21.25 miles - 3:30 hours