20 Miler #2

Deirdre, Ryan, Chem Steve and English Mike were waiting when I got to the Art Museum steps this morning at a little past 8. Mike suggested we go up Henry Ave a ways. I don't know my way around that neck of the City very well, and perhaps that was why I agreed we should head that way. We had a direction, we'd figure out the route en route.

Weather was a little chilly but sunny, traffic was mellow. Mike slowed down on a long uphill stretch of Henry Ave and told us to keep on. The less I knew where we were the more hilly the running got. When we ran over the Henry Ave. Bridge that spans the Wissahickon Valley, I knew I was in a part of the city I liken to the Bermuda Triangle in that all my navigation instruments go haywire and the world seems to no longer be linear. I recognize streets and think we should pop up in one place and it soon becomes obvious we must be heading in the opposite direction. After a few turns off of Wissahickon Ave. we started hitting cul-de-sacs and had to backtrack up the hills we were screaming down just a minute ago. This was the low point of the run.

But Deirdre led us down Kitchens Lane and through some icy trails and all of a sudden we ended up on Forbidden Drive. The universe was familiar again. From here it was a run back along the Wissahickon Creek, on some paths that have been paved since I last ran them, on down to the Drives. We lost Ryan as he headed back down Kelly Drive as we turned onto MLK, and Deirdre and Steve lost me at Montgomery Ave as I headed home.

By now my legs were fully battered about, just like I like it on a long run. I added a little bit at the end so I could run for 2:45. Final loop was this... 21 miles in 2:46:12.

Somehow a very grounded run. Nothing cerebral to it, just kept running. The conversation was nothing memorable, but I couldn't imagine doing this run without the company. But most of all, I'm glad its done and in the log. And this gives me 81 miles for the week.