Running on the BBU Course

Kristen nicely agreed to watch Sam this morning, meaning we were happy that we could get in a long run together, and Sam was happy as she had recently been asking me "When are we going to see Morgan next?" We parked at the elementary school, as there was a mountain bike race going on in the park, and headed out around 8:45 into the fog. It was also quite chilly, but as it soon became evident, also very humid. A strange mix.

Going up Lunchbreak is a tough way to start a run, but it was (mostly) runnable with no miles on our legs. We followed the BBU course down into the park and across the street onto the east side trails. Our route corresponded for a few miles with the bikers, most of whom were very nice and pleasant. But I found it extremely nerve-wracking to be playing cat and mouse with them, and I was happy to get back to the west side. After a bathroom break, we headed on out, testing out the revised route which included Krista's. That stretch definitely made for much nicer running than the Boundary! Then out onto the Connector. 

By the time we hit the road, it was evident that Ryan's hard(er) effort in the Bruiser and his Thursday night hill session with Ian had taken a bit of a toll, but we kept it together and certainly both felt much better than when we had last been out on the course! I do love the stretch after you turn off the powerlines - it is good cruising ground. Back up from Lawrence Road to the Quarry and down, where we met up with Mindy, Val, Rick and Pete cruising on back to the Boundary. We hung with them and caught up for a bit before they went straight and we went right to make our way to the summit. 

I told Ryan at that point that I really didn't want to do the course again. I just wasn't feeling it. I was soaked with sweat and kind of grouchy. I was having a hard time getting into any sort of rhythm out there. I didn't feel badly, I just didn't feel great. But I knew I needed to get more miles in so we just kept chugging along. Ryan hit a down point as we finally hit the homestretch to the summit, saying he was done. I didn't have enough water to keep going for more miles without returning to the car, so we both continued down Lunchbreak. By the time we got to the car, even though Ryan's legs were really hurting, he had decided to keep going. After a brief stop to refill and regroup, we headed back out. I said I would be happy with 20. He said we were going out to Lawrence Road. A bit slower up Lunchbreak this time around :-) and then a bit of a course deviation to get back to the Connector. 

When we got up to the Quarry, I really wanted to turn back but Ryan was adamant and my whining fell of deaf ears. Well, I couldn't let him get in more miles than me :-) so I begrudgingly followed him down to the road. Then I just wanted to get back so I turned off the whining and decided I would power up all the hills and feel good about it. Well, it seemed like I was powering, although the pace tells otherwise. Ha :-) But I didn't walk but a few steps on the return trip. It felt good to know my legs could be strong even if my mind felt a bit weak. That final mile down Lunchbreak was slow - the downs hurt much more than the ups for me!

We finished up with 21 miles, feeling fairly wupped. Man, that course is a tough one! After changing and making a quick stop at Edna & Lucy's for some delicious soup in an attempt to revive ourselves, we headed south to pick up Sam. Of course, she could have stayed and played forever, so my guilt at being out a little longer than planned was quickly assuaged :-)

Now it's time to get off the computer and into bed, so we can get up at 0'dark'30 to get down to Boston for our flight to NC. No hills to complain about next week!