The Iceman Go-eth

It's hard to believe that we have been unable to run on the D&R Canal Towpath for over two months, due to snow and ice accumulation.  This peaceful "trail" was used years ago as a path for donkeys and horses to pull commercial barges down the Raritan Canal to the Delaware River.  The towpath, as it is commonly called, is now a simple recreational path for runners, bikers, walkers, hikers, and the occasional person that likes to mosey.  The path now stretches almost 30 miles with various access points roughly 2 to 5 miles apart... for the most part.  The towpath is a blessing to most runners, and a monotonous nemesis for a few.  The soft footing is a welcome respite from the pavement that we've been pounding all Winter. 



Saturday morning started out quite nice.  The temperature was in the high 30's, which was a bit warmer than anticipated, thankfully.  Lianne and I headed over to Johnson Park to meet up with our fellow RVRR members for the weekly Saturday run.  It's tough to get up early on a Saturday, knowing that you're going to run... especially when it's 35 degrees outside.  It's even tougher to deal with the guilt of NOT running on a Saturday just because you wanted to sleep in for a bit.  We always have a decent sized group, and today was no exception.  At 9a it was time to go to work, and the roughly 30 or so runners set out for the towpath.  Like most group runs, the first mile or two usually has everyone bunched together... chatting and laughing, enjoying the shared camaraderie. 

By the time we reached the towpath, the group was starting to split out in to the normal "packs".  Of course,  yours truly settles right in to the middle pack... but this soon becomes the back of the pack as others turn back sooner, for a shorter run.  Lianne is fast, though she's quite modest and will sweetly deny any such classification, and so she was motoring ahead with other similarly paced runners.  I held my own and ran with my pacing partner, Shannon.  Shannon and I have run many miles together, and have shared many talks about all sorts of things, as you can imagine.  Shannon and I trained for, and ran, the NYC Marathon together in 2010.  We are very evenly matched, and have routinely traded finishing places over the last year.  It's fairly a given fact that we will finish within 1 or 2 minutes of each other in most races, regardless of distance.  Mind you, there's never any competition between us, but rather the sense that we are able to push each other in order to get the best out of ourselves.

Shannon and I were running 8 miles today, so we turned at the 4 mile mark and headed back with our faces in the sun.  The day had warmed slightly, and we were certainly heated from the run itself.  It turned out to be quite a comfortable morning.  Before the turn we had passed Lianne and her slightly quicker group as they headed back.  Now, however, they weren't just slightly quicker... they were much faster!  I said to Shannon "Those guys are way up there now."  I wondered if we were getting slower because we had lost so much ground.  Shannon is the Queen of Sarcasm, and so she said "Do you think there's anyone behind us saying, 'Tom and Shannon are way up there'"?  "Not a chance", I said.

I kept looking for the bridge on the way back that would signal to us that we only had about a half mile until we reached the starting point of the towpath, but it was still a bit off in the distance.  This is where the path can get a bit monotonous for a few people.  The view doesn't really change much, but it is most peaceful.  Finally we saw that confounded bridge!  Ok, almost done, and then a quick mile back through the park to our starting point.  The last mile was quiet... no talking... just pumping, breathing, and maybe a snot-rocket or two.  Annnnnnnnnnnd, we're done.  A nice even 8 miles in 1 hour and 10 minutes... roughly 8:45 minute pace.  VERY mid-pack pacing for a training run. :-)  At least I'm consistent!

Upon our return to the parking lot and our crew, we learned that Lianne and her group had picked up their pace considerably to catch the group that was ahead of them. They ended up running the last 3 miles or so at 7 minute pace!  Yuck... I mean... well done.  Well done, indeed.  I could do 7 minute pace for one mile, mayyyyyyybe 2, but that's pushing it.  I was able to hold 7:30 pace for an 8k (5 miles-ish) on Thanksgiving Day and that was my best effort to date.  Quick change, in to the car, and off to the diner for celebratory french toast!  What celebration you ask?  The celebration of running!!  The fact that I'm exercising, outside, with friends, and having a great time is reason enough for me to celebrate.  So, if for no other reason, start running now so that you can have french toast later.  Simple math really.

I'm glad to be back on the towpath.  I'm looking forward to some upcoming 10-15 milers on there over the next 6 weeks!  Now if the weather will just cooperate so I can put away my cap and gloves, and pull out my shorts, that would just be wonderful.

Car back!
Dragon