Did you think I forgot about you? Well, I wouldn’t say it was forgetting as much as simply not having enough time
It’s nice to have so many choices!
Chasing42Log: 20160704-20160716
Run: There has been a lot of miles and a lot of exploring going on in the past two weeks and it has made my training all the more enjoyable as I kept the #runstreak going! Here are a few highlights:
I love finding abandoned furnaces and other structures along the trails!
- New access to White Clay Creek: I discovered a trailhead into Middle Run, right next to White Clay State Park, and easily on my way home from work. I started bringing running clothes to work so I could go directly out from work, and it was brilliant! The trails were new, peaceful single-track and I loved wandering around in the woods after work. I haven’t gotten down to WCCSP nearly as much as I would like since Brandywine Creek is closer, but now I can get in a mid-week trail fix!
- I still get lost: I was reminded last Saturday that my directionally challenged nature is still quite relevant to my running. I drove out early for the group run, intending to do a quick 50-minute loop that we had done many times before, and be back in time to meet up with everyone else. Unfortunately, I managed to get pretty lost in this endeavor, didn’t make it back in time, and spent the rest of the run on random trails secretly hoping that I’d run into the group. I didn’t, but it was still a relaxing 15-miler with plenty of vertical gain, so I was happy.
- More hills: I’m back into full-on vertical gain seeking mode, which means looking for opportunities to squeeze as much climbing into as short amount of time as possible. I found two new options that will work quite well for this task. The Ramsey Hill climb is in Brandywine Creek State Park, and I’ve run by it plenty of time but had never done repeats. I also ventured out to explore the Newark Reservoir, which is only a few minutes from campus, and there is a fantastic hill leading from the parking lot to the water itself, which will make for some great mid-week climbing. I’ve certainly done far more climbing since moving here a little over a year ago, and I am enjoying the added challenge!
- Another new park: Last but not least, was my unanticipated discovery of the Carousel Park trails. I showed up to our regular Tuesday track workout but it had been moved and I didn’t see the email. I didn’t have time to get over to the other track so I went exploring and stumbled across yet another park and system of trails I didn’t know existed. Bonus!
Thought: I finally quite waffling and registered for the Grindstone 100! I knew I needed a key fall race to really focus my training, but I was hesitate for reasons I don’t entirely understand. However, now that it’s a go, I couldn’t be more excited! It is supposed to be a fantastic race with some serious climbing, and it even starts at 6PM, so I’ll be running through the night when I’m awake and alert- score! It will certainly be a challenge, and I’ll be hitting the hill repeats and ramping up the mileage as the summer goes on, but I can’t wait for October 7th. My mind is ready for the challenge, and now it’s time to make sure my body is ready- time to keep #chasing42!