12/22/2014 to 12/28/2014

December 22, 2014

2.7 miles at Upper Campus, mostly on the XC trails to the east.

December 24, 2014

First day of winter break, though it wasn't very wintry. In fact, the temperature was in the 50s and Upper Campus was like a bog in places. I did 2.5 miles in dense fog. Starting from the parking lot, I was going to head to the eastern XC trails via the powerline trailhead, but there was a large and uncontained dog on the trail ahead. The dogs around there tend to be friendly, but can be annoying when one is trying to run (as I found out the other week. So I retraced my steps and got to the XC trails through the other trailhead, at the parking lot. From there, I headed along the trail. The whole area was swathed in a dense fog and visibility was only a couple hundred yards. It was a rather remarkable experience to run through that. I eventually got to Arbutus Park Road and followed the trail along that, occasionally going through patches of tall grass. The trail eventually left the side of Arbutus Park Road and wound back towards the main trails and from there back to the soccer fields. I didn't see the dog again.

December 25, 2014

Christmas Day. I did 6 miles at the Stewardship Trails in surprisingly pleasant weather. It was almost like spring. I followed the power line right-of-way up the ridge like I did last week. After that difficult climb, I went down into the valley on the Black Bear Trail, somehow managing to keep my balance on the shale that made up the path. From the Black Bear Trail, I scrambled up the Squirrel Trail to the top of the ridge. I looked at the scenery as I usually do. Then I continued onward along the top of the ridge. From the radio tower, there was an easy half-mile descent to the parking lot. From there, I headed over to the Rattlesnake Trail. I've been running at the Stewardship Trails at least half a dozen times, but only been on that trail once before. It was steep and had a lot of uneven rocks and leaves. The climb was definitely harder than the climb up the Black Bear Trail (the way I went down anyway) and perhaps rivals the climb up the powerline right-of-way. At the base of the hill, I passed a family of hikers, who were also running for a brief period. At the top of the hill, the trail meandered around and I briefly explored a small unpaved road before running into a Posted sign. Shortly afterwards, I began descending. After a while, I came out into the open in a clearing that the powerlines run through. There was a powerline right-of-way trail heading up he mountain, so I decided to check it out. It was rocky and climbed very steeply for about a quarter of a mile amidst yellow-brown grass and purplish rocks. Eventually, I got to the top and had a look at the spectacular view. The access road continued for a while before starting to descend again and at that point I turned around. It could be interesting to explore it again. Upon returning to the Rattlesnake Trail, I continued descending along that until I got to Powder Mill Road, which led back to the trailhead. I still had a little ways to go, so I followed a trail through the woods to a spot about a quarter of a mile up the powerline right-of-way (the first one, that is) and then back down that to Powder Mill Road.

Time: 55:38. Pace: 9:16/mile. My fastest mile, the third mile, was in 8:28. One or two of the other miles were in the mid to high 8s, but the rest were all over 9:00 if I'm not mistaken. To be expected, considering the terrain.

December 26, 2014

2.7 on Upper Campus. Around the soccer field (no Hospital Hill loop this time) and then over to the eastern XC trail, around that, and back to the parking lot. I'd write more, but it's already Wednesday and I'm trying to hurry up with this.

December 27, 2014

5 miles at the Briar Creek Lake Park, a system of trails around the Briar Creek Reservoir (link to WP). I haven't run there in three years and was looking forward to it, but it turned out to be a disappointment. Not a lot of trails. Still, I could to a quick 3-mile run there on occasion, when I'm bored senseless of Upper Campus.

From the parking lot at the west end of the lake, I followed a rather soggy trail along the side of the lake and along a dam on the lake's east side. I did some hillwork on the dam, sprinting up at top speed. It took eight seconds to go about eighty feet. After leaving the dam behind, I wandered around some fields and rolling hills
to the south of the lake, at one point crossing a covered bridge. Eventually, I returned to the dam before returning once more to the trails and heading back to where I started.

My time was 39:48 and my pace was 7:57/mile. Unusually slow considering that it was new terrain, but then again, it was uninspiring. My first three miles were 7:36, 8:21, and 8:00.

December 28, 2014

5.9 miles at the Stewardship Trails in late afternoon. Very hilly course; I did well over 10s. Part of the route was on a continuation of the powerline right-of-way I discovered on Thursday. A section of that was to steep and rocky to run up, so I powerwalked it. I finished just before dark.

Wish I could write more, but I should've published this two or three days ago.

12/15/2014 to 12/21/2014

December 15, 2014

I snuck in a quick two mile run at Upper Campus before dark. From the parking lot above the soccer fields, I headed through the soccer fields, around the Hospital Hill loop and over towards the Mankiller trails. I didn't actually do the Mankiller loop (too dark), but I did a little flat loop at the top of the hill. Then I began heading back to the soccer fields. On the uppermost soccer field, I wandered around for a while before finishing by running down the steep hill with the remains of a snowdrift on it (see last week's post). After finishing, I threw a few snowballs, not aiming at anything in particular. Then I walked back to the car.

My time was a somewhat slow 15:58. My pace was 7:57/mile.

December 16, 2014

A rather unusual distance in a very mundane place. 2.74 miles at Upper Campus in the dark and in the rain. I did the loop that I always do and then, on a whim, headed to the track. I did a few sprints on the track. It was dark and wet and I was in charge of the stopwatch (actually, my Garmin). First I did a 100-meter sprint
in ~17 seconds (the Garmin only measures seconds, not tenths or hundredths of a second). Then I jogged halfway around the track before doing a 200-meter sprint in ~33 seconds. I did another 100-meter sprint in ~100 seconds and then headed back to the soccer fields. I finished with a loop around those fields, as I often do. My time was 21:20 and my pace was something like 7:39/mile. The first mile was 8:06 and the second one (the one where I did the sprints) was 7:13.

December 18, 2014

3.6 miles on Upper Campus. Somehow, I managed to find a bit of trail that I haven't yet explored. The run started out normally enough. Then I headed over to the XC trail on the east side of Upper Campus. On the way back towards civilization, I saw the remains of a trail going through the woods to my left. I didn't check it out. Maybe some other time. I did take on offshoot that goes through a field down towards a farm near Pennsylvania Route 487. I have been on that route before once or twice, but have turned around both times. This time, I continued onward instead. Right before the trail got to the farm, it turned and skirted the farm. Then it turned again and headed along near the bottom of Turkey Hill with woods on one side and a field on the other. I was here once before, on November 19. The climb back to Upper Campus was as steep, uneven, and full of tall grasses as I remembered it to be. When I made it up that, I looped around to the trailhead and from there headed back to the soccer fields to finish the run.

Total time: 27:39. Total pace: 7:41/mile. My splits were 7:44, 7:32, and 7:50 (the third mile was the one with the hill full of tall grasses).

Even though this one was on Upper Campus, I'll still post a map this time since it's a new course.

December 19, 2014

4 miles at Upper Campus at dusk. Starting from the soccer fields, I headed around the Hospital Hill loop and from there to the Westernmost Trails. I did the full loop around those trails, which are nice in their own way. The fallen tree that I encountered a few weeks ago wasn't there anymore. I also tacked on a little steep and
somewhat rocky and muddy side trail that goes down to someone's driveway. Once I left that area, I did the smaller Mankiller loop. A tough climb. From there, I headed back to Hospital Hill, where I did a couple of loops. I stopped once to let some deer pass by. I have no desire to have a hoof-shaped hole in my head, so I try not to disturb the deer that I run into. On the second loop, I left the trail just before coming up the hill and followed a trail that goes along the edge of the woods, a short distance south of and below the soccer fields. I reached 4 miles soon after reaching the end of the trail.

I don't recall what my time or pace was. This was one of the occasional runs where my arch gives me trouble, so that slowed me down some.

December 20, 2014

One of my long(ish) runs. 5.8 miles at the Susquehanna Riverlands, though I had only planned on 5. I started with my dad, but I didn't see him after the first three quarters of a mile or so. I started along the Riverside Trail, which, despite its name, only goes along the side of the Susquehanna River for a third or so of its length. The rest of the time, it goes through woods and fields, with occasional patches of mud and tree roots. About three quarters of a mile in, the trail switched to gravel and went right alongside the Susquehanna River, just a few yards away from the waterline. I was hoping it would take me to some place I hadn't been before, but instead it turned and headed through some fields, just like the time I ran at the Susquehanna Riverlands a couple of weeks ago. I followed the trail through the fields to the main Towpath Trail and from there headed south and into the forested wetlands. My course was mostly the same as it was a couple weeks ago. I followed the Wetlands Trail to a trail that paralleled the old North Branch Canal. Eventually I came to the end of the trail and decided to explore the road a little bit. I saw no less than three trails, but all of them has posted signs. I continued along and eventually found a road called Wetlands Drive, which went north. I followed it for a bit, but before I saw anything, it occurred to me that it was getting a bit late. I began heading back to where I came from. Like the last time, I took a detour through the Wood Duck Trail and the Great Warrior Path before returning to the Wetlands Trail. I began really ramping up the pace around here and I reached the Towpath Trail shortly before 5 miles. I did the 5th mile in 6:54. I then headed north along the Towpath Trail to the parking lot where I started, passing the plaques of the Planet Walk along the way. I finished fast.

My time was 42:20 and my pace was 7:15/mile. Funnily enough, that's the slowest run I've done at the Susquehanna Riverlands in recent times (the other two were 7:01/mile and 6:45/mile), but faster than almost any other training run I've done in the past few months.

December 21, 2014

A double run today; 4.2 and 2.7 for a total of 6.9 miles. I had wanted to check out a trail near Catawissa. The River Town Marathon goes along that trail for a few miles, so I thought it would be worth checking out. It wasn't. When I got to the trailhead, there were No Trespassing signs plastered on every surface that it was possible to stick a sign on. One would've been sufficient to get the message across, too. I suppose the only open the trail for the marathon itself. A pity, because it looked pretty nice.

I decided to run at the Geisinger Stewardship Trails in Danville instead. Technically they are hiking trails, but since I am a trail runner, I go there now and again. I haven't been there in a while. On a whim, I decided to head up a power line access road near the trailhead instead of going up the Black Bear Trail like I usually do. It was a good decision. The rock and dirt trail climbed very steeply, rising 300 feet in less than half a mile. The climb was grueling, but the views of Danville from the top were worth it. After that, there was a brief downhill which I barreled down and then a steep little uphill. After that, I reached the Black Bear Trail. It dropped steeply down into a valley and continued to follow the power line right of way for a little while before veering off into the woods. I decided to continue following the power line right of way and see if I could follow it up out of the valley. No such luck. The trail rapidly deteriorated to the point where bushwhacking would have been needed to go any further. I turned around and followed the Black Bear Trail into the woods. Not long after, I took an offshoot called the Squirrel Trail. It proved to be another good move on my part. The trail is a shortcut up to the top of the ridge. It was very steep and at times I was moving at a pace that would have been a brisk walk on flat terrain. I saw a few ice formations along the way. The trail was less than a quarter of a mile long and once I was at the other end of it, I looked at the view for a while. Then I headed off through the woods along the top of the ridge. This was the easiest part of the run and my pace picked up. Once I passed the radio tower and the trail widened as it descended towards the trailhead. I picked up the pace another notch and actually managed to crack eight minutes on this mile (the third one). Once I got to the trailhead, I had a look at the map to figure out a good place to do the last mile. I
settled for the Turkey Path, which would allow me to have an epic downhill finish on the power line access road. But you have to go up to come down.... The climb up the Turkey Path was slow. It steep and slippery from falling leaves and uneven rocks lay under the leaves. I tripped and fell badly a couple of months ago under similar terrain, but this time I made it up without incident. Then came the epic descent. I charged down the power line access road, then up a little rise, then back down again. The descent lasted for almost half a mile, ending when I reached a real road, where I did the last hundred yards or so. My time was 38:20 and my pace 9:07/mile. Respectable for that kind of terrain. My splits were something like 9:19, 9:44, 7:58, and 9:44.

The second run was much less interesting. 2.7 at Upper Campus in the dark. I did one loop around the soccer fields plus Hospital Hill, then one loop around the fields, then a brief run across one of the soccer fields. I had to battle a side stitch for the first mile and a half, but it let up after that. Time: 22:07. Pace: 8:12/mile (would've been faster if not for the side stitch).

The maps below are of the first run.

12/8/2014 to 12/15/2014

December 9, 2014

 I was going to the rec center to play racquetball and they have an indoor track there, so I did a short run. Just one mile, which is eight laps around the track. Pretty much as soon as I started, my shins decided that they didn't like the hard surface. After two or three laps, I picked up the pace and the pain went away. I kept picking up the pace and by the fifth or sixth lap, I was practically sprinting. On the sixth lap, I decided to shoot for sub-6s. I finished with a flat-out sprint, but I still barely missed sub-6s. My time was 6:04. I could've easily broken 6 had I been going hard from the start. The turns also slowed me down some. Curiously, my Garmin only recorded the distance as half a mile, presumably due to all the turns. It must think I'm terribly slow.

December 12, 2014

 This is my first time running after I pulled my shoulder the other day. I did 4 miles on Upper Campus, starting just after sunset and finishing just after dark. There were a couple of inches of snow on the ground. The weather was cold, but not bitterly so. As always, I started out on the soccer fields, doing Hospital Hill on the way. I then went over to a little trail at the top of the hill where the Mankiller trails are. When I got to the end of that, I saw what appeared to be tire tracks in the snow on the trails. Curious, I decided to follow them. They ended up going into the Westernmost Trails and then diverging in several directions. I followed the main trail south and then west before leaving the tracks to follow the middle trail. I did that partly because I've only been there once or twice before and partly because there is a fallen tree on the western trail.
When I got back to the main trail, I heard a curious loud noise, like an engine or something. At one point I caught a glimpse of a car on one of the trails and saw some people cutting down a few trees. I suppose that explains the tire tracks. I returned to the soccer fields, where my Garmin's battery died. I hate it when that happens. I continued on to the XC trail on the other side of Upper Campus, where I did the main loop as darkness fell. It was dark by the time I reached the parking lot, so I just headed from there over to the soccer fields, where I finished with a quick loop around the upper fields.

I was doing about 8:20s before my Garmin battery died.

December 13, 2014

I ran twice today. Both times it was 3 miles on Upper Campus (actually 3.1 in the case of the first run).

The first run was before lunch. I did the Hospital Hill loop and the loop around the soccer fields (yawn) and then headed off to the XC trails. I briefly explored a dirt trail going off towards Arbutus Park Road, but stopped when I got too close to someone's yard. I then returned to the XC trail. About a quarter of the way though, I was cornered by a boisterous and rambunctious trio of loose dogs, one of whom drooled on my running shorts. They merrily danced around, crashing into each other in their excitement as they tried to get my attention. I managed to get past two of them eventually, but the third followed me for a good quarter
of a mile, cutting in front of me every few seconds. I couldn't decide whether to be annoyed or amused. Eventually the third dog stopped following me, leaving me on my own. I followed the trail to the parking lot and from there followed the road to the soccer fields, where I stopped.

The second run was in the afternoon. I did you-know-what and then headed down the Mankiller trail and went through a gap in some bushes and onto a closed section of Arbutus Park Road. It's semi-paved (I'm guessing it was paved twenty years ago, but was never maintained), gated at both ends, and goes through the woods by a ravine. It's also rather steep. Going up the road/trail on the edge of the ravine, I managed to startle a large group of either turkeys or turkey vultures. The rest of the climb up behind the student apartments and to the tennis courts was uneventful. There was a bit more remaining pavement than I remembered, but it wasn't painful. As I ran up the really steep (paved) road towards the tennis courts, the even steeper, grassy hill behind the tennis courts caught my eye. I ran over to it. It was partly covered in snow and I guess some people had been sledding there. From the bottom of the hill, I sprinted up, periodically almost losing my balance in the snow. I ended up going down and then sprinting up a couple more times. A spontaneous hill workout. I made it up the third time in 16 seconds. Then I looped around the tennis courts to the soccer fields and sprinted straight across them. There is a steep little hill with a knee-deep snowdrift at the edge of one of the fields and I wondered if I would go through it if I didn't turn. I hit 3 miles a few feet before the snowdrift, but my momentum carried me into it. An interesting way to end a run. If I remember correctly, my pace was 8:18/mile. No doubt it was slowed down somewhat by the hill repeats.

December 14, 2014

I did 5 miles on the Susquehanna Warrior Trail in the afternoon. I started from the Susquehanna Riverlands trailhead and headed north. Pretty much from the start, I was going fast. Eventually I left the Susquehanna Riverlands behind and the scenery turned from moderately pretty to rather ugly as the trail got gradually closer to US Route 11. I continued on and after about a mile and a half, I came to a spot where all sources claim that the trail ends. But it didn't end. It kept going right next to US Route 11. I continued on. The ground was mossy and slippery in this leg of the trail, but that didn't affect my pace. Just over two miles in, I happened to glimpse a parking lot for State Game Lands Number 260 across the highway. I stopped to have a look, but I couldn't see any roads or trails. I continued north on the Susquehanna Warrior Trail. The trail veered a few yards away from Route 11 and got slightly less ugly, so I continued a quarter of a mile past 2.5. I was pretty close to Shickshinny (the Shickshinny-Mocanaqua Bridge was less than half a mile away). I toyed with the idea of running all the way to Shickshinny, but I had planned to be back within 40 minutes, so I turned around after some deliberation. The run back was even faster than the run out and I didn't notice much scenery or really think about much of anything except the pace. I did the last half mile at a near-sprint.

My time was 37:08 and my pace was 6:45/mile. Not much slower than the pace I usually race such distances, but it was completely unplanned. My splits were 6:55, 6:49, 6:43, 6:41, and 6:47. The last half mile was at a 6:26 pace.

12/1/2014 to 12/7/2014

n.b. No maps this time. I'm already late in posting this and have been busy with things lately.

December 3, 2014

3 miles at Upper Campus. Pretty much absolutely nothing to say about this one. It was dark by the time I got there, so I didn't run on any trails. I just did three loops around the soccer field. It was a slow run, but I don't even know how slow since my Garmin died less than a mile in. There was one muddy patch on the loop.

December 4, 2014

4 miles at Upper Campus. This run was slightly more interesting than the last, but not by much. I headed off through the soccer fields and down Hospital Hill. Near the bottom of the hill, I turned left to explore a trail in the woods. I've seen it often, but never checked it out. The first few yards had a lot of fallen shrubby plants
that I had to navigate through. After that, it was not very interesting. I ended up doing two little loops around a quasi-trail in the woods before finding another trail and following that through the woods. It was muddy and there were branches everywhere, so the going was slow. The trail dead-ended, so I wandered out of the woods and back to Hospital Hill at the same place where I left it. I headed up Hospital Hill and then around the soccer fields on the main loop. I was about halfway through by that point. I did the remaining two miles somewhere on the soccer fields as it got dark, but I have no recollection of where. (So no map for today. Come to think of it, what's the point of including those maps when I run on Upper Campus. Perhaps I'll stop adding them.) The last two miles were very fast, for a training run anyway.

My first mile (the one where I was wandering through the woods) was 9:52. The second, third, and fourth miles were 7:44, 6:52, and 6:57.

December 5, 2014

5 miles at Upper Campus. The weather was uninspiring, but I'm glad I went. It was a nice run. I went a little earlier than usual, so for once it wasn't almost dark when I headed off. I did one short loop around the upper soccer fields to warm up and then headed over to the XC trails, where I started off on the main loop. When I got to the most distant point on the main loop, I encountered an offshoot. It was still not dark and the trail looked to be in pretty good condition, so I checked it out. I have only been on that trail two or three times before. It went a little less than a quarter of a mile east to Arbutus Park Road. I turned around and gazed at the scenery for a bit. There were rolling fields and woods stretching on for a long way in that direction; the main part of Upper Campus was not visible. I then began heading back to the main loop and from there to the parking lot, where I looped around towards the trailhead. That stretch of trail is one of the places on Upper Campus that is surprisingly scenic. In the daytime, one can see great views of Knob Mountain to the east, but the light was low by this point, so I could only see the lights of the cars on Interstate 80. I contemplated on how many of those cars were probably people coming back from work. They were bound by a rigid schedule and the demands of society. I, on the other, hand was out running on the trails at dusk, with no influences but my will and the forces of nature. Then, there was the Garmin on my wrist, counting every second and every hundredth of a mile. Perhaps I am just as bound by standards as the commuters on Interstate 80, but at least they are my own standards. I stopped thinking these deep thoughts by the time I got back to the soccer fields. It was dark by this point and I was considering just running on the soccer fields, but I decided to do Hospital Hill. It was dark, but nothing sinister and dangerous jumped out and attack me, unless you consider deer to be sinister and dangerous (and they didn't attack me). It began to rain lightly. When I got off the Hospital Hill loop, I considered going down to the far end of the soccer fields, but the Pet Dome is near there and I've been staying away from that area after dark. I've heard reports of dogs screaming there, possibly due to a werewolf bear. So I didn't go all the way to the far end of the soccer fields, but instead headed diagonally across the fields at the second baseball field and then headed back to the upper soccer fields. I did one loop around both of the upper soccer fields, then one loop around
just the upper upper soccer fields. On the last loop, I stopped in the rain and had a look at the distant lights of Buckhorn before continuing on my way.  I finished with  a quick run down the middle of one of the fields.

It was a slow and easy run, hovering just under 8s for most of it. My first mile was 7:48, my second was 7:56, my third was 7:59. I don't remember my fourth, but my fifth was in the 7:30s. If I'm not mistaken, my total time was 39:15 and my pace was 7:50/mile.

December 6, 2014

 I didn't want to do eight miles all in one lump, so I did two runs today. Well, three actually. If the weather was uninspiring yesterday, it was downright vile today. Instead of being bitterly cold, it was bitterly cold and raining. Nevertheless, the run(s) were good.

The first run was 3 miles at Upper Campus. I started from the Jessica S. Kozloff Apartments and headed across the soccer fields to Hospital Hill. From there, I continued west across the fields, past the Mankiller trails, to the Westernmost Trails. I looped around those to the south end, where I explored a little trail that's nestled in between the eastern and western trails. This was partly out of curiousity and partly to avoid a fallen tree on the western trail. The trail (the middle trail) was much like the other two of the Westernmost Trails and I soon ended up on the north end of the trail network. Hoping to head further west, I explored one trail, but it only led to a backyard. I officially gave up on trying to find any trails west of the Westernmost Trails. I returned and explored another trail, which went through the woods for a bit before going out onto a high ridge overlooking a backyard. Eventually I wasn't on a high ridge and was in the backyard, so I returned. There was a third trail going off to the left. I knew it would eventually dump me out onto somebody's driveway. I could've still gone on it, but I decided not to and returned to the Mankiller trails. I did a little loop on the grass fields, finishing fast.

The second run was at the Myron Hopewell Memorial Park. I headed out to the trailhead, only to discover that the trail was closed for the first half of December due to hunting. There was a trail going off to the left that wasn't technically part of the trail system. I had walked there with the dog three years ago and didn't remember it going very far. Sure enough, after a quarter of a mile, it dead-ended in some sort of shooting range. Beyond that was a no tresspassing sign. I turned around and headed back. I heard a gunshot on
the way. Total distance here: 0.6 miles. I decided to finish up at the J. Manley Robbins Trail. That was only on the other side of Danville, so I didn't bother to reset my Garmin.

When I got to the Hess Field trailhead at the J. Manley Robbins Trail, I headed off along the Mahoning Flats Natural Trail. Since it was raining and the trail is in low-lying swampland next to a creek, it was muddy, with puddles everywhere. It took some skilled maneuvering to avoid getting soaked and hideously dirty. The trail took a bend and began running alongside Mahoning Creek. The creek looked rather high and muddy and was flowing fast. I would not have wanted to cross it without the aid of a bridge. After a few minutes, the trail joined with the Robbins Trail. The bridge was just a hundred yards or so away and I crossed it. (Good thing there was a bridge.) On the other side of the bridge, I continued straight, following the spur that runs between Mauses Creek and some unnamed ditch towards Mausdale. When I got to Mausdale and Pennsylvania Route 642, I returned, carefully avoiding a couple of large puddles. When I got back to the main trail, I followed it south alongside Mahoning Creek, keeping a sharp eye out for an interesting little offshoot that I've seen a few times. As the area between the trail and the creek morphed from a little hill into an 80-foot cliff, I began to wonder where it was. Eventually, the cliff became less steep and I saw the trail. It was a bit of a disappointment. It got off to a promising start, sloping steeply down to the creek. But it ended there in a large puddle. I went right up to the creek and looked at the view for a moment. I wonder how many people go down there. Anyway, I returned to the main trail and from there headed to the roads and from there to the other end of the Mahoning Flats Natural Trail. It was beginning to get dark and I was more focused on speed than not getting soaked and muddy, so I ended up tromping through a lot of puddles. It was less muddy once I got to the section that runs parallel to Mahoning Creek. A short distance later, I reached the Robbins Trail again, near the bridge. I ran from there to the trailhead at a near-sprint. I think my pace was in the 7:50s or thereabouts.

December 7, 2014

I considered running 5 miles at the Hopewell Park today, but instead decided to go to the PPL-owned Susquehanna Riverlands. The Pumpkin Run takes place there, but I there are also a lot more trails there.
I started from the parking lot that doubles as the Susquehanna Warrior Trail trailhead and headed south on the Towpath Trail, which is where the Pumpkin Run goes. While running, I noticed informational plaques on the planets at points along the path. Another Planet Walk, just like the one at Montour Preserve. I did the first mile and a half at a very good clip. The Towpath Trail ended here, but another trail went still further south. I checked it out. My pace slowed on this phase, but only slightly. It was a very scenic trail, going through a tract of slightly swampy woods filled with a lot of small lakes and streams. At one point, I saw a grass trail following the old North Branch Canal. The path headed south, which was the direction I was seeking to go. I passed a couple of fishermen and came to a fork in the trail. One fork had a sign labelled "Trail", so I followed that for a bit. The trail passed between two lakes (at one point through them, but the water was only an inch or two deep there). It then curved north (back towards where I started), so I turned around and continued going south again. Eventually the trail came to a road and beyond that it was gated and had a posted sign. I looked around for a bit, trying to see if there was a trail that led further, but I didn't see one. I turned around and went on the trail marked "Trail" again. From there, I went through a rabbit's warren of trails, heading north. There were views of the immense Susquehanna River at times. Eventually I returned to the Towpath Trail, although I saw one or two other trails that looked promising. My speed really began picking up on the way back: sub-7s. When I got to the trailhead, I explored the Riverside Trail, which went in the opposite direction. It was another interesting little trail in the woods and fields, with views of the Susquehanna River. There are also some more trails worth exploring in that area. Eventually I looped back through some fields to the Towpath Trail. I passed near some large power lines, which were somehow very loud. They sounded like airplanes droning overhead. By this point, I was already at 5.5 miles, so I decided to make it 6. I ran up the eastern side of the Towpath Trail and then crossed a bridge over a lake to the western side, where I had started the run. By the time I got to the trailhead, I was already past 6 miles, so I
headed up the Susquehanna Warrior Trail a short distance to make it an even 10k.

My total time was 43:31 and my pace was 7:01/mile, just a hair slower than my 6 mile run last week. The first mile was 7:04. I don't remember what my times on the second and third miles were, but they were definitely under 7:30 and at least one was under 7:20. The fourth, fifth and sixth miles were the fastest ones: 6:58, 6:49, and 6:46, respectively.

11/24/2014 to 11/30/2014

November 24, 2014.

I wanted something short, fast, and brutal today, so I did 3 miles on Upper Campus pretty much all-out. It was dusk when I started. I charged off and was almost immediately doing sub-7s. I headed off to the trail in the woods at the end of the XC trail, where I had planned to go last week, but had ended up on the wrong trail. This time I got to the right trail and followed it through the woods. I slowed here since there were a lot of leaves on the trail and it was dark in the woods. Pretty soon I came to a backyard, so I backtracked and then headed on on the proper trail. That was pretty short too. It just dumped me out on a grassy area near the road to Upper Campus. I considered exploring the grassy area to see if the trail led any further, but decided against it and returned, taking a different route back to the trailhead. I then headed around the XC trail, going counter-clockwise for a change. When I got back to the soccer fields, it was dark and I didn't have too much distance left to go, so I did a loop around the upper soccer fields and then a quick sprint down the middle of the field, carefully avoiding a couple of loose dogs.

My first mile was slow thanks to the part where I ran on the trail in the woods: 7:58. The next two miles were 7:08 and 6:54. My time was 22:03 and my pace was 7:20/mile.

November 25, 2014.

4 miles on Upper Campus today. I started out on the soccer fields and then headed did Hopsital Hill and headed to the Mankiller trail. When I got to the bottom of that, I went straight and onto the offshoot instead of going back up the hill right away. There were leaves blanketing parts of the trail and the terrain was uneven. I slipped and fell shortly after the one mile point. It didn't hurt and there were only a couple of scratches, so I continued on my way after a minute or so, although I stopped a couple of times to make sure I wasn't bleeding to death or anything. I eventually got to the other offshoot that I had noticed a few days ago, but it was a major disappointment. It was barely a trail and it only went less than a hundred feet. I returned to the main offshoot and from there to the soccer fields. I crossed them and headed over to the eastern side of Upper Campus, where I did the main loop on the grass XC trails. As seems to be usual these days, instead of going straight and running into the parking lot at the end of the loop, I turned right and looped around to the start of the trail. As I ran back along the path that follows the powerlines, I took an offshoot that went down towards Arbutus Park Road. It was a nice little dirt and rock trail in the woods, but it soon approached private property and I couldn't tell whether I'd get shot at if I continued. So I turned back and ran along the trail following the power lines until I hit 4 miles. From there I walked the third of a mile or so back to the car.

My first two miles were 7:19 and 8:12 and my pace was 7:53/mile. Slow. I don't remember anything else about my pace. My feet did feel sore towards the end. It might be because I ran long two days ago and hard one day ago.

November 27, 2014.

Thanksgiving Day. I did 5 miles on Upper Campus in the morning; the tenth consecutive time that I've run on Thanksgiving. It was the first time in four years that I didn't run the Run for the Diamonds. That race is 9 miles on roads and I prefer to stay on trails these days. So I headed out on Upper Campus in six inches of snow that had fallen yesterday. I started off fast (considering all the snow anyway), but slowed within a few minutes I did Hospital Hill and then looped around the soccer fields and back to the parking lot. I then headed off to the XC trail. I looped around that and then back to the trailhead, at times following some ski tracks. When I got back to the soccer fields, I did one loop around them plus Hospital Hill. I was getting tired by this point thanks to the snow and the going was slow on the ascent up Hospital Hill. I picked it up some around mile 4 though. When I finished the loop, I did one smaller loop on the upper soccer fields, at one point running up a steep hill between two fields. Snowdrifts sometimes accumulate there in the winter, but apparently not today. From that hill, I cut across the soccer field at a fast pace towards where I started. When I finished, my mom and the dog greeted me. One of them greeted me in the normal fashion; the other twirled and danced in the snow for at least a minute before settling down.

My first mile was 8:41, my second mile was 9:16. My third mile was 9:52. Ouch. Pretty slow even considering the snow. The last mile was 8:50. My total time was 46:03 and my total pace was 9:12/mile.

November 28, 2014.

I had wanted to run at the Robbins Trail, but the timing didn't work out. So I ran at Upper Campus *again*. It gets boring after a while, but I need the miles. I did a 5k this time on a pretty plain course. There's not much to report. There was still snow on the ground, but for some reason I was running in shorts. They say that running in shorts when there's snow on the ground is the first sign of insanity.... It wasn't too bad though, especially since I was able to follow my footprints from  yesterday for much of it. I did the loop on the soccer fields plus Hospital Hill (yes, again) and then headed over to the XC trails (again). As I reached the XC trails, it occurred to me that I was ambling along at a lazy pace, but the snow had partly melted in places, so I could be going faster. I picked up the pace for the next half-mile, but then slowed as I entered a more snow-covered portion of the trail. When I got to the end of the trail, I continued straight onto the parking lot for once and from there ran back to the soccer fields. I reached 3 miles before I got there, but I continued on for a bit to make it a 5k. On the last tenth of a mile, I cut diagonally across the snow-covered soccer field, making a new path instead of running on already trodden-on snow. I ran fast and it was a nice finish. So there's that, at least.

My first mile was 8:44. I don't remember my second mile, just that it was over 9 minutes. The third mile was 7:54. My time was somewhere in the 26s and my pace was 8:31/mile. Slower than usual, but then again, I am running in snow.

November 29, 2014.

 3 miles today. Upper Campus. I started from the track this time, so at least there was something slightly different about it. I headed off to the soccer fields, doing a loop around Hospital Hill. I continued west past the Mankiller trails and to what I call the Westernmost Trails. They are a small (about a mile long total) network of trails which are so-named because they are on the western edge of Upper Campus. I rarely go there, but the trails are not bad. Supposedly there is nothing but forest and a steep hill west of those trails, but I decided to find out for sure. I looped around the outer edge of the trail system and eventually reached the westernmost part of the trails and began heading northwards. I kept a sharp eye out for trails to the left, but I saw nothing. At one point I had to leave the trail to walk around a fallen tree. I eventually got to what looked like a trail, but wasn't. I suspect it only looked like a trail because everything was covered in snow. I returned to the Westernmost Trails and from there to the Mankiller trails and from there to the soccer fields, and from there to the track. At the track, I did two laps, occasionally navigating through snowbanks and ice. I finished up with a 100-yard dash down the football field inside the track, for old time's sake.

My first mile was 7:59. I have no idea what the other two miles were, since my Garmin died on me about halfway through (I forgot to recharge it yesterday). 3 miles is only an approximation of my distance; I don't know exactly what it was.

November 30, 2014.

Today was the long run day. Six miles at the Robbins Trail in the melting snow. I started from the parking lot at Hess Field and headed north on the main trail. I started off at a spectacular pace: sub-7s and did the first mile in 6:58. I decided to aim for sub-7s for the whole run. I continued at the same pace on the second mile, along the bottom of the ridge and then down to the roads and across Mahoning Creek. My second mile was also sub-7s and I still felt strong. I continued on past the trailhead where I started for a few hundred meters and then turned onto the Mahoning Flats Natural Trail. The trail wasn't that bad, despite the snowmelt and I continued at a fast pace along the bank of Mahoning Creek. Once I got past Hess Field, the trail got muddier and snowier again and I slowed down a bit. At points, I slid and almost slipped in the mud, but I managed to keep my footing. At one point I had to leave the trail to walk around a fallen bush of some sort and another time I had to wait for a black cat to get out of the path. When I got to the power line right of way, I turned left and ran up to the road, kicking up mud and snow most of the way. When I got to the road, I turned around and continued along the Mahoning Flats Natural Trail. A short time later, I got up to the road. The muddy and snow leg of the trail had slowed me down, but not by that much. It wasn't great to run on such a hard surface, but I survived and I returned to the Robbins Trail pretty soon. I headed clockwise on the trail, which I don't believe I have ever done before. I was beginning to tire by this point and the climb up the hill at the Montour Street trailhead was slow. I sped up after that except for one brief stretch that was iced over. I was beginning to wonder if the end was near, but eventually I reached the pedestrian covered bridge over Mahoning Creek. At this point, I started sprinting pretty much all out. The six mile point was only a little over a quarter of a mile away. It was very close, but I didn't make sub-7s. I was two seconds too slow for that (total, not per mile). When I got to the end of the run (which turned out to be a couple minutes short of the trailhead where I started), I walked back to the car, where I found out that the backs of my legs and the backs of my shorts and shirt were caked in mud. Luckily I had an old blanket to sit on on the way home, so I didn't muddy up the car.

My time was 42:01, a 7:00/mile pace. 41:59 would've been a 6:59 pace. Oh well. My first mile was 6:58, my second mile was 6:59, and my third was 6:55. My fourth mile was the slowest: 7:16. That mile also had the muddiest terrain of the whole run. My fifth mile was 7:09. The sixth and final mile was the fastest: 6:40. My pace today corresponded to a 43:25 10K. I don't remember my 10K PR, but I'm pretty sure that I haven't done a 43:25 10K on the Robbins Trail ever.

There were a couple of trails that I was planning to explore, but didn't get around to today. Maybe next time.

11/17/2014 to 11/23/2014

November 19, 2014

I did 4 miles at Upper Campus today. It was bitterly cold (22 degrees with windchill) and already getting dark when I set off. Still, it turned out to be an okay run, and as usual, I warmed up after the first few minutes. I started off on the loop around the soccer fields. This time I skipped Hospital Hill since there was a trail I wanted to check out before it got dark. And the end of the loop around the soccer fields, I headed off to the grassy XC trail. It wasn't dark yet and I could still see where I was going. That gradually began to change though. I kept imagining that I saw deer and other animals out of the corner of my eye, but they turned out to be nothing. I did eventually see a couple of real deer bounding in the field ahead of me near the end of the XC trail. When I got to the end of the XC trail, I turned left instead of straight or right, which is something I have only done a couple of times before. The terrain was worse than I thought it would be: there were tufts of knee-high grass everywhere and the trail was full of bumps and dips. I half-wondered if I was really running through a trail or just a field. Still, I pushed on, eager to explore a trail that I can see from Pennsylvania Route 487 (but have never explored) that I thought would connect to the trail I was on. I eventually got to a point where the "trail" dead-ended into a wall of forests and hedges and further progress downhill was impossible. I did spot another trail that headed east, but it soon arrived in what appeared to be someone's backyard. Out of options, I turned around and headed back to the main part of Upper Campus. The climb was pretty steep and wasn't made any easier by the terrain and the darkness. Once I got out of there, I went straight and followed the XC Trail until it looped around to its starting point and then returned to the main part of Upper Campus. By the time I got back to the soccer fields, I had almost hit 4 miles, so I ran a bit on the upper fields until I  reached the 4-mile point.

My total pace was 7:28/mile and my time was about 29:50. My splits were something like 7:08, 7:19, 8:22, and 7:02. The third mile was the one where I had to navigate the steep trail that was not really a trail, hence the slow pace. A few days later, I learned that that wasn't the trail that goes down to Pennsylvania Route 487.

November 20, 2014

4 miles at Upper Campus again, but on a slightly different course than last year. I thought the temperature would be milder than yesterday, but it wasn't and there was a furious wind. My mom (who was walking there with the dog) admonished me for wearing shorts in such cold weather. Still, I eventually warmed up. I started with the soccer fields, but did Hospital Hill this time. After doing the loop around the soccer fields, I headed off towards the XC trail. The sun had set, but there was still some light and I made it to the end with the trail without incident. I decided to loop back to the other trailhead like last time. At the beginning of this segment of the trail, there were three deer standing maybe ten yards away. Thankfully, none of them attacked me as I ran past. Indeed, they mostly ignored me. The going was slow as I headed back to the the trailhead. It was getting very dark and the trail was a bit uneven, so going was slow. I sped up a bit once I got to the power line right of way that led back to the main part of Upper Campus. It was pretty much completely dark by that point, although a dim orange post-sunset light still lingered on the western horizon. When I got back to the soccer fields, I still had three quarters of a mile remaining. I followed the loop around the soccer fields, heading a short distance down into the lower fields before taking a sharp turn onto a short trail that connected with the Hospital Hill trail. I ran on that for a few moments before returning to the upper soccer fields. I had a fast finish and reached the four mile point and stopped a couple of minutes later.

My shins hurt a bit on this run, but it was nothing too bad. Perhaps it was caused by running on the frozen ground, which was harder than normal. Anyway, the run was pretty fast. My total time was about 29:20 and my mile pace was 7:20. My mile splits were also extremely close together. Normally my fastest and slowest miles differ by 20 to 40 seconds, but this time they differed by three seconds. My first mile split was 7:20, my second was 7:21, my third was 7:18, and my fourth was 7:19. It was probably a pure coincidence; I doubt I could have kept such a consistent pace if I had been trying to.

November 21, 2014

Upper Campus in the bitter cold and dark again. I did 5 miles. This was the first grinder in weeks. I started out on the soccer fields before heading into the Mankiller trails (grass trails that are so-named by local runners due to their length and steepness), which is something I haven't done in weeks. When I got to the bottom of the hill, I continued straight instead of immediately turning right and heading up to the top. The offshoot wasn't as well-maintained as the main Mankiller trail, but it was runnable. In fact, I ran on that trail last winter, but I'm not sure if I went all the way. This time I did go all the way. The trail followed the
prepetually-closed-to-traffic part of Arbutus Park Road and turned north continuing to follow it. I was treated to views of a ravine beyond the road at points. Eventually, Arbutus Park Road veered away and my trail continued up the hill. I saw an even less maintained trail that headed off towards the Jessica S. Kozloff Apartments, but I didn't follow it. There wasn't enough light left. Instead I returned to the top of the Mankiller trails and from there back to the soccer fields. I then went over to the XC trails on the other side of campus. The going was slow here; it had gotten completely dark. When I got to the fields, I turned right instead of left and pretty quickly ended up at the end of the trail. I had nearly two miles left by the time I got back to the soccer fields again and couldn't think of anywhere interesting to run. I wandered randomly around the upper soccer fields for a while. It was pitch black except for a dim orange glow on the western horizon, which faded to dark purple by the time I hit 5 miles.

My time was 39:56 and my pace was 7:59/mile. The first mile was 7:42, which was okay. The second was 8:34. Presumably it was so slow because I was climbing up the Mankiller offshoot on the second mile. The third mile was 8:06, probably because it was dark and I was still running on trails. I sped up on the fourth and fifth miles: 7:53 and 7:37, respectively.

I'm kicking around carrying a flashlight on future runs at dusk, but I really look forward to when it gets warm and light again.

November 22, 2014

4.7 miles at the Myron Hopewell Memorial Park in the late afternoon. My dad and Mike Shepard also ran there at the same time, but we went at different paces and apparently on different courses, so we didn't see each other after the first half mile. This was an epic run. I went there with the dog three years ago and didn't have a great impression of it for some reason. But it rivals the nearby Stewardship Trails in terms of sheer awesomeness. From the parking lot, I headed out onto a trail called "Down and Dirty", which was broad, flat, and not particularly dirty. It wasn't long before I saw a narrower trail heading upwards. Being the adventurous sort of person that I am, I immediately turned onto the trail and check it out. This trail is called "Up and Out". There was some interesting terrain here: a lot of short but super-steep hills. It also curved
and snaked around a lot. At one point I came to a bridge marked "Danger". The bridge didn't look particularly dangerous, just slightly crooked, so I sallied forth and didn't fall into a pit of snakes or anything like that. Later on there was an unmarked bridge and after a bit less than three quarters of a mile, I arrived in an open field with great views of Danville. I was still doing a fast pace at that point, but that was about to change. I soon reentered the woods and began an arduous climb up the nearby ridge. I was now on a trail called "Junk in the Trunk", which is marked "Expert" on the map of the trails. I soon saw why. A 45-degree slope confronted me almost as soon as I entered the woods. I made it up that and the trail switchbacked for about a minute. Then I arrived at an even more difficult climb: a 60-degree (by my reckoning) slope that went up 20 meters. I didn't run that bit; I climbed it using my hands as much as my feet. I almost slipped a few times, but I did make it up. There were two more similar slopes after that, after which the trail reverted to conventional hills as it snaked around the north side of the ridge. Eventually, I got to the top of the ridge. Along the way, I pondered about the fact that there is apparently a bike race on these trails. There's no way in hell that I would dare to take my bike on more than the easiest 10 percent of that trail. I also noticed huge piles of half-buried trash as I climbed to the top of the ridge. It looked like a hundred people had passed by without cleaning up after themselves. There was less trash once I got to the top of the ridge and it was easier
going from there. I had planned to turn around at the 2.5 mile mark and I was getting close to it by that point. I hoped that I could get to the end of the trail before then. About a quarter of a mile before the 2.5 mile mark, I arrived in a clearing and the trail went in two ways. One way went straight and the other went down and to the left. I chose the left turn, which was an access road according to the map. I'd dispute the road part, but at least it was broad and grassy and not too steep. As I drew close to the 2.5 mile point, the end of the trail was not in site. Finally, right as I hit 2.5, I came around a bend and saw a real road about a hundred meters ahead. It was empty and desolate, but it was a road. It seemed like there was no one else within a mile of the place. But I had reached the end of the trail. Distance: 2.57 miles. I stopped momentarily to rejoice and then began heading back.

The climb back up the access road was slow and steep, but it was not that long. I returned to the Junk in the Trunk trail and began running back, meandering around the top of the ridge the same way I came. The light was beginning to go and I was a bit concerned about being out on such difficult and unfamiliar trails in the dark, especially since the trail was only a foot or two wide in places. Presently I arrived at the north side of the ridge again and began heading down. I started passing half-buried trash again, at one point seeing a toilet bowl sitting in the middle of the woods (seriously). Eventually I reached the first of the 45+ degree slopes. The light was really going by this point and the trail had a sharp turn beyond which was a steep cliff. My momentum would've carried me right over the cliff if I had run down that, so I sacrificed my dignity (no one was watching at least) and slid down the hill. The next slope was the toughest one (the 60-ish degree slope). There was no way I could've made it down it without slipping, so I left the path briefly and rejoined it at the bottom of the slope. I managed to run down the next two slopes and soon after that I was back in the fields. At this point, I was on the Up and Out path again, but I inadvertently diverged from the route I took on the way out (though I was still on the Up and Out trail). I ran through the fields before reentering the woods. It was almost completely dark by this point, but fortunately I only had about half a mile to go. It didn't take long for me to return to the Down and Dirty trail. Somehow I turned right even though the trailhead was just 50 feet to the left. It wasn't long before I realized my mistake and headed back to the parking lot. I wrapped up with a short distance on the field next to the parking lot.

My total time was 44:51 and my pace was 9:33/mile. My first mile was 8:36 and my second (the one with all the crazy slopes) was 10:21. Either my third or my fourth mile was 9:35 and I don't remember my time on the other mile. I look forward to coming back to this trail. I plan to do an epic run on Thanksgiving, so these trails might be a good place to do it.

Later I learned the explanation for all the trash: the course is on top of a former landfill. The views were superb though. The route was very convoluted and I don't know the trails, so instead of a map of my run, here's a map of the whole trail system:

November 23, 2014.

8.1 miles today. It's the longest I've run since late July. Perfect weather: 51 degrees; I ran in shorts and short sleeves. I did this run out at the Montour Preserve last week. This time I started at the visitors' center and ran up the road to the dam where the Chillisuagi Trail begins. I then headed out along the dam, going
counter-clockwise like last week. I managed to go around the worst of the goose droppings this time, although I did have to walk gingerly for about 20 feet. I then continued on my way, following the trail around Heron Cove and on to the pine plantations. The trail was kind of soggy and I kicked up a lot of dirt behind me. I turned onto the Ridgefield Point Loop around 2 miles in. That trail went down to the lake on a grassy trail before looping back towards the Chillisuagi Trail. Parts were strangely slushy and I got slightly muddy on this stretch. It largely stopped when I returned to the Chillisuagi Trail, where I went down a steep hill and up another steep hill before crossing Middle Branch Chillisquaque Creek. I then began heading back towards the dam and then down the road to the visitors' center. Then I did the little loop called the Wildlife Management Trail before heading across the road to the Goose Woods Trail and the Braille Trail. It was an interesting little trail. Parts of it had a woodchip surface, parts had a grass surface, and still other parts had a dirt surface. I ran alongside a mostly frozen pond for a while before the trail went into the woods. It crossed Middle Branch Chillisquaque Creek a couple of times before turning back and heading along the other side of the pond. When I got back to the road I crossed it and followed a short continuation of the Goose Woods Trail over to the parking lot. I still had a ways to go, so I crossed the parking lot and did the short Hummingbird Trail. En route I noticed a grassy offshoot and followed it. It pretty quickly spit me out on a trail right below the dam. I headed back to the road and down to the visitors' center. Here, I decided to finish up with one final loop on the Wildlife Management Trail. I was beginning to fade by this point and it was still slushy, but I managed to have a fast finish. I stopped near the trailhead.

For once, I actually remember all my stats. My time was 1:00:16 and my pace was 7:26/mile. Strangely that was 11 seconds per mile faster than last week though I didn't feel as strong. My mile splits were 7:18, 7:24, 7:41, 7:27, 7:27, 7:19, 7:42, and 7:13. (I don't know exactly what pace I did the last one tenth of a mile at)