long run workout

November 2 2008
Sunday

My first long run today and I decided to hit some difficult trails for some solid core and ankle workout. I knew it would be a slower pace than normal but felt it would be a good gauge to figured where my fitness is after surgery.

I ran one of my favorite loops around the pit but this time adding in the much more technical and difficult left side with the addition of the water pipeline. Immediately I could feel the difference as my core muscles began working on the tight single trails and the need to dodge obstructions.

This was a good test for the stability of my new Brooks Cacadias and they did very well. I think I only rolled my left foot twice with no pain or problems. I picked Sunday to make sure I would not be mistaken for a deer....not that I would run that fast but more because of itchy trigger fingers.

As I ran up the right side of the pit I was startled by loud gun shot. This pit is a restricted area that allows no guns but that doesn't seem to stop people. The scary part is that the person shooting the gun does know I am here and who knows what direction he is shooting.

Perhaps he is very safety concious and just aiming at a target in the pit or maybe he is stupid and shooting up into the woods.....who knows. I was actually quite scared as he shot several times in a row very fast....not what one would normally do when concentrating on a target and easily squeezing the trigge for acuracy.

I crested the pit hill,turned out onto the road and headed toward Oakhill for the hill workout and the technical forest trail part of my run. I wondered if I would see the left behind deer guts of last week but figured some animal had probably dragged that off by now.

The Oakhill was quite difficult and I was totally winded as I crested the top. I turned around and hit the Forest trail this time running in reverse. It looked so different this way and by the time I looped around and was climbing back up the hill, I suddenly became completely drained and was at the end of my wind. My legs felt totally dead and my core was sore.

Perhaps I pushed to much as the incision area above the hip began hurting a little also. I decided to cut the run shorter than the 10 miles I planned and hit the mushroom trail. Only instead of running this trail and looping back I would just hit the road and head home.

I did take a little detour at the top of the trail to the town pit just to see if there was a trail there and if I could add some milage to this loop. I did some trail blazing and found a dirt trail that looped around the top of the pit. I decided to turn back and explore further some other day.

The one mile or so run on the road back home was quite inviting and comfortable. I settled into a pretty good pace and actually ended on a high note as I sprinted to baston road and the finish of my run.

I was dismayed to find a small dead deer at the end of that road across form my house. Appearanty it had been hit during the night and no one called it in. I used to see this deer with it's sister and mother almost daily as they walked through my yard to eat fallen apples.

I guess I can't teach them to look both ways when crossing the road which they did twice a day so getting hit was probably inevidable. I was pooped from the run but still felt good about the workout.

As a cooldown, I went hiking at twinbrooks with my wife, daughter and her pup. It was a good way to cooldown.


7.2 miles
mixture or technical trails, dirt road, hills and new trails.
1:12:52
150 average Heart rate
169 peak Heart rate (oakhill)
average pace 10:07
last mile 7:58