Hot Wheels and a Gravel Road

This blog has, if you haven't noticed, become a weekly instead of a daily feature. I've felt uncomfortable with that. I used to say the workout isn't done until its been blogged, but things have obviously changed. I'm still working through those changes, getting used to them, wondering if they'll be permanent, but for now that is how it is.

That is not to say I haven't been running. After missing last Wednesday and Thursday due to Maricela's graduation from high school (yay!) and family coming in, not to mention the rain, I've run every day since then. Its been quality running to boot, but my legs have been feeling very beat up. And today's run probably won't help that.

This morning I took it down to the Drives to spin my wheels a bit. A bit on the humid side, cloudy, but still way cooler than it has a right to be. I haven't done any extended fast stuff since my achilles pain kicked in again, and I just wanted to take it faster than I usually do. From sub 7 minute pace at the first quarter-mile I felt good and dropped it to a sub 6:30 pace by the mile mark and continued to lower it until I finished the three MLK miles in 18:48. That is not much slower than I had been doing before my latest round of agida (thanks to Reba for that word) set in. This includes the last quarter trekking it uphill to Ford Rd. on top of Strawberry Mansion Bridge. I love that finish, giving it all to finish strong despite a steady uphill (not to mention having to brave the morning rush hour in crossing MLK). When I finish that and beat my goal time, it might be the best feeling I'll have all day.

Deirdre and I ran around 11 on Monday after Erin decided to sleep in. We went up over Strawberry Mansion Bridge, around the reservoir, and back across Girard by the zoo. That was a scenic run on a beautiful summer morning, and I took a piece of that run and incorporated it into this morning's run. There is a fire road that runs from Belmont Plateau all the way to Ford Road. I have known about it as it is the trail where you turn off to go to the infamous Parachute Hill. I just never made the connection to run it in conjunction with my SMB loop. So instead of running down Chamounix today I took the road less traveled and it was beautiful. An oasis of solitude, birds chirping, and soft gravelly road in the middle of Philadelphia. I thought of the feature in Runner's World called "Rave Run" where they'd put a picture of a runner in beautiful scenery and thought that between running along the Schuylkill, running the fire road, and then through the Horticultural Center, I'll put this run up against any for scenery and serenity. And I smugly wallowed in what a great city Philly is to run in.

This morning is the kind of run that keeps me going, and the urge to write about it, perhaps to gloat a bit about it, gets me coming back to this blog, for while I'm not as true to it as I once was, I can't leave it either. 11 miles (or so) in 89:36.

Recap of past week:
Yesterday: 7 miles in 62 minutes (w/ Erin) up through Mt. Moriah and back down Springfield;
Tuesday: 5.5 mile Art Museum loop, untimed;
Monday: 12 miles (see entry) w/ Deirdre; 95:35;
Sunday: 5.5 miles, Warrington loop untimed;
Saturday: 14 miles, up to Manayunk and up the 3 Bears in pouring rain, 1:56, w/ Deirdre, John Dubs et al.
Friday: 8 miles out west with the full Club West Philly contingent