Training Log Archive: GlenT

Trail run at Evansburg SP, which turned out to be a bit more adventure than planned. I had the park map showing the trail network with the intent of working my way down to the “Eight Arch Bridge” crossing the Skippack Creek (a stone bridge built in 1792(!), repaired in 1874 according to Wikipedia which still carries Germantown Pike across the Creek). The trails didn’t go all the way to the bridge but it looked like only about a 300m bushwhack would be needed.

I started on some hiking trails which were more or less as mapped, taking me to a creek crossing on a “closed to motorized vehicles” bridge. The map showed a multi-use trail (people and horses, but no bikes) paralleling the stream from there. All I could find was a not-so-well-used footpath marked with a “no horses” sign - good enough, let’s see where it goes. The trail was muddy in places and I managed to slip and fall in the thickest, muddiest part. So most of one side of my body and of course both shoes were covered in mud (and my upper right arm got tweaked as I landed, so that’s gonna hurt for a few days). Continued on the trail for a bit until it disappeared, so had to head back the way I had come (the woods looked rather unpleasant for continuing along the stream, at least wearing shorts).

So, uphill on a paved road for a ways to see if the mapped trail there existed. It did but I was first fooled by an unmapped dirt road which turned out to be someone’s driveway. The trail I wanted was in a field paralleling the road, so I cut across and was on my way. The trail dead-ended at the creek (where I would’ve come out had the trail along the creek continued - apparently it does because there is a “no horses” sign at the beginning of a well overgrown place where a trail might have been).

Since I was at the stream I decided to take the opportunity to get some mud off and cool down a bit (it was sunny and low 80s). I was now about 300m from the Eight Arch Bridge and my planned bushwhack but it occurred to me that wading down the steam would probably be a lot more pleasant than going through the woods. So that’s what I did, never getting more than shin deep and managing not to fall in the water. The bridge was pretty impressive, about 200 feet long with 8 (duh) arches. Crossed the bridge to return on the other side of the stream where I knew ther were roads leading back to my car if the trails didn’t exist. The rest of the adventure was less eventful, although I did spend more time on asphalt than I wanted since some mapped trails didn’t exist. And of course about 10 minutes from the car I encountered some more mud and promptly fell in it, although quite less dramatically.

Up and down the hill on West Hopewell 5 times. Hill is about 220m with 15m climb. Ran hard on the ups. Anti-Bricker intervals (planned to do 4, did 5). Plus a warm up and cool down. Faded throughout, with each subsequent interval about a second slower. Upper 70s, still humid.

Started from Water St. parking area in Hellertown and explored Heller Homestead Park, part of the Lehigh U cross country course and the Thomas Ironworks site. Running surfaces included paved road, paved path, mowed grass, gravel path, dirt single track, edge of a cornfield and some bushwhacking through unmowed grass - quite a variety. Temperature in the low 70s but grossly humid. Hip flexors sore from yoga yesterday (and spending too much time sitting before that).