First long run of 2010 - Done!

I was able to get out this Sat. for a long run.

I meet up with a couple of people for a run in Huddart Park and the Phleger Estate (in Woodside).

This run was going to be a 12 mile run.  We borrowed a run from the Palo Alto run club.  We met at a school about two miles away from the Park.  A few people wanted to run the two miles to the park.  Since the SV marathon in late Oct., I had not run greater than 8/9 miles so I was not keen on adding on another 4 miles (2 both ways).  We decided to drive to the park and those who wanted to run back to the cars could.

It was another great day for running.  At least for me, I like when it's nice and cool outside.  The first 6 miles were tough.  A lot of hills.  I believe the top was at 2100 feet.  Yet, the trial was great.  We ran into only a few other people out there.  There was one hiker that was rolling.  It took use a while to pull away from him.  Every though hill he seemed to catchup.  About mile 7 we had trouble finding the Loney Trial which would lead us back.  That added a little bit of mileage to our run.  A couple of hikers helped us find our way, otherwise the run might have turned out be significantly longer. We ended up running (some walking) about 12.5 miles.

My legs held up.  The first 6 miles I felt good and strong.  I was getting tired the second half.  Downhills tend to be harder on my knees.  Plus, it had been a while since I ran this far.  At the end, I was glad I drove into the park.  A few people ran the two miles back, while I gave a ride to another person. Overall, I'm very happy I was able to get out there.  It was a great run.  There are many trials and its easy to do shorter or longer runs.

Some general thoughts on the run:

1. Great trials.  The footing was solid and you have a lot of room to your selves.  The trails are well marked and with a map you can easily manage a long run without getting lost.  We had trouble finding 1 trail however, but I think that was more to use going from the Huddart Park and the Phleger Estate (two different parks).
2. There are a lot of trees which helps keep the rain the a min and also keep the trial shaded.
3. It does cost $5 to park, but you can park 2 miles away and get in an extra 4 miles.
4. It feels great to just run without having any race scheduled.  Getting out there and doing a long run just because you want to run makes the run very enjoyable.  You are not really worred about how far you go or time.  You are just running because you want to run.
5. I did think about Brooklyn alot during the run.

Here are some pictures:

Most of the trail was dirt, this part had some gravel.  It was very misty, but at times the sun shined through the trees.

This is me.  The phone is a bit blury.   This was about mile 5 (had just ran up another hill).

Another picture of the trial. Very isolated.