A Rail-Trail Excursion
Saturday was a long run for the Oakland Running Festival training group--a 16-plus miler along an old train corridor known as the Iron Horse Trail. I have a special affection for the Iron Horse, having been an RTC member for more years than I care to or dare to count.
It was the longest run we've done to date. Its relatively flat topography was for me a mixed blessing--no quad-killing hills, but also no variation in the landing angle of my repetitive footfalls (repetitive to the tune of some 90 per minute--for about 180 minutes). My hips and knees complained, but they lived.
I paced the 11:30-12:00-minute milers training for the half marathon, which was inspirational and fun. I love to see new runners making and honoring a difficult training commitment. However, they were scheduled to run 8 miles total, so they turned around at the 4.5-mile mark--leaving me with only 11.5 more to run to make my 16.
Because we were the caboose of the running groups, I was suddenly alone on the trail for as far as the eye could see.
(How do you like the way I worked some train lingo into this post about a trail in a rail corridor?) Around mile 6 I hit the water stop / aid station, staffed this week, just like for the past two weeks, by the intrepid and cheerful Susan. Wonderful!
I'm going to leave you in suspense about whether this vegan girl succumbed to temptation or not. If it pleases you to picture me making a whistle-stop (train lingo!) for mini-donuts, I don't want to spoil your fun.
I started this post a couple of days ago but couldn't get around to completing it until today, which is Tuesday. Tuesday is normally track day, but I'm skipping that in an attempt to stay fresh for the Kaiser Half Marathon, which is Sunday. I ran an easy 3.5 this morning in the pre-dawn fog, fog that was actual and not only inside my early-morning brain. I'll miss being at the track--it's always a heady experience to be around so many buffed and stellar women--usually a couple of men, too. Sometimes just being around them all makes me feel strong, like a speeding locomotive. (Note final use of train lingo here.)
It was the longest run we've done to date. Its relatively flat topography was for me a mixed blessing--no quad-killing hills, but also no variation in the landing angle of my repetitive footfalls (repetitive to the tune of some 90 per minute--for about 180 minutes). My hips and knees complained, but they lived.
I paced the 11:30-12:00-minute milers training for the half marathon, which was inspirational and fun. I love to see new runners making and honoring a difficult training commitment. However, they were scheduled to run 8 miles total, so they turned around at the 4.5-mile mark--leaving me with only 11.5 more to run to make my 16.
Because we were the caboose of the running groups, I was suddenly alone on the trail for as far as the eye could see. (How do you like the way I worked some train lingo into this post about a trail in a rail corridor?) Around mile 6 I hit the water stop / aid station, staffed this week, just like for the past two weeks, by the intrepid and cheerful Susan. Wonderful!
After the stop, I was looking for the 8-mile turnaround marker, but realized I was going to have to go beyond that in order to find a public restroom. Just as I was abandoning all hope, somewhere around 8.3 miles, I came upon the Danville farmers market. I found the bathroom.
I also found this stand, which my exercise-addled brain thought might be a mirage.
I also found this stand, which my exercise-addled brain thought might be a mirage. I'm going to leave you in suspense about whether this vegan girl succumbed to temptation or not. If it pleases you to picture me making a whistle-stop (train lingo!) for mini-donuts, I don't want to spoil your fun.
I started this post a couple of days ago but couldn't get around to completing it until today, which is Tuesday. Tuesday is normally track day, but I'm skipping that in an attempt to stay fresh for the Kaiser Half Marathon, which is Sunday. I ran an easy 3.5 this morning in the pre-dawn fog, fog that was actual and not only inside my early-morning brain. I'll miss being at the track--it's always a heady experience to be around so many buffed and stellar women--usually a couple of men, too. Sometimes just being around them all makes me feel strong, like a speeding locomotive. (Note final use of train lingo here.)
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