Six Mile Saturday: 3/19

Ready Creek Rd. Greenway

The runs prior to Saturday's six miler had been less than stellar.  Also, I'd gotten kind of bored running the same routes and was in need of a change.  Umstead park is one of my favorite places to run, but I twisted the crap out my ankle the last time I ran their.  I always run on the hiking trails, but the idea of trying to negotiate the rocks, roots, and tight spaces of the trails made me wax nostalgic for my last root canal.  Luckily, Umstead has some nice multipurpose that run through the park, which are used by runner's, horseback rides, and mountain bikers.  The Greenway by my apartment that runs into the art park leads to the park and one of these multipurpose trails.  I decided to skip over the portion of the greenway, which I run and head out to Ready Creek Rd., pick up the greenway there and run into the park from there. 

I knew that this portion of the greenway was hilly, but I didn't realize the extent.  In fact, I never thought to Raleigh as a hilly place until I started running.  Having grown up in West Virginia and gone to School in the Mountains of North Carolina, Raleigh seemed fairly flat, granted it is nowhere near as flat as Kasukabe, Japan where I lived for three years, but Raleigh's hills never made that much of an impression on me.  Well, they are making one now.  This Greenway and multipurpose trail was nothing but hill after hill.  And, these weren't the little rollers that are found on most of the city streets.  They meet this WV boys basic standard of a nice little hill.


Umstead Multipurpose Road.

I ran the full six without an I-pod and don't really feel like I need it at all when I run.  I am sure that I'll use it from time to time, but at the moment I am fin without it.  The idea of doing six miles is still kind intimidating to me because I only run the distance a few times.  But, I was determined to run the full six even though I had never run the trail before and had no idea what was in store for me.  I started the run on a huge decline, which was a great way to start the run, but I couldn't enjoy it in the slightest because I knew the last .75th of a mile of my run would be up hill since I was doing an out and back.  The idea of it wore on my mind throughout the run.  The only time I was able to escape it was when I was having to force myself up a beast of a hill just before the turn around.  At that time, I couldn't think of anything other than begging Old Bob to beep that third frickin mile beep, so I could turn myself around and hooky pokey down that mofo!  I felt pretty beat over that last mile, but I was determined to have a good run and make it back to my car without stopping or too much inner bitching at myself.  The climb up the last .75 didn't hurt as bad as I thought that it would . . . it wasn't a picnic either, but I did it and afterward felt the run went well.  However, the weather has changed and I need to make sure I drink enough prior to these runs because after I got home I felt wreaked!

I ran 6.01 in 59:18.97 for a 9.52 pace.

Mile 1:  9.41.78
Mile 2:  9:20.12
Mile 3:  9.49.36
Mile 4: 10.02.27
Mile 5: 10.04.81
Mile 6: 10.17.52