Trotting Along

Run Date: 08/22/09
Location: Arcadia County Park
Pace: 3 min. run/2 min. walk for 5 laps; switched to 2 min. run/3 min. walk
Run Time: 37:30

This run was my first time running around the outside perimeter of the park, including the outside of the golf course. I usually run along the paths within the park, but thought a consistent 2.57 mile run sounded appealing, and a much better alternative to running around the Arcadia High track just across the street.

I started this run knowing full well I didn't have that much inhaler medication, and knew I had to take extra precautions not to overdo it.

I was happy that there was a lot of grass along the outside, and I chose to run on the grass to soften the impact on my joints. Even though the day was already warming up, there were a lot of trees along the patch to provide shade. Roots added a little footwork challenge at some parts. It didn't seem to take long to run the north end of the park, and turned to head southwest.

This length became more challenging with the traffic and driveways, and the tree shade the lined the north edge was mostly absent along this stretch. Not long after turning the corner I felt myself losing a bit of steam and the run intervals slowed to the pace of a labored trot. I would have otherwise appreciated running with Methodist Hospital across the street for me, but I was focusing on pacing myself within my limits to really concentrate on anything else.

I wasn't looking forward to the south side of the run, as I'd be running along the golf course and the fence that kept me out. About halfway through this stretch, I finally felt a pang of lightheadedness, followed by cramping. This happened at the very beginning of my 6th lap run, so I decided to walk the rest of the three minutes and switch to run for two minutes. It wasn't until I slowed down that the cramping subsided a bit, something I thought I'd experience much earlier on (It was a particular type of cramping - you know, the feeling gals like me get when my Aunt Flo hits me in the babymaker with her red suitcase).

Those two minute run intervals were pretty labored for the rest of the run, with the cramping persisting even during the walk break. I was happy that the east side had a lot of trees, providing shade. What made me even happier was that this last stretch wasn't so long and I had completed the run.

Since I never ran this route at the park, I had no way of knowing how long it would take me to get around the whole thing. I was somewhat impressed by my time and my average mile pace of 14:34 given my challenges, but when I was training for my last marathon, I'd meander the paths within the park for 45 minutes without really knowing my distance.

I'd most likely run this route again, but if I can figure out the distance within the park itself, I'd much rather run around where there is less car traffic and more shade.

You can see more technical details of my run by checking my training log.