Boston Training: Week 13; Cartersville, GA

The fountain is the focal point at Dellinger Park. 

On Saturday, March 1, I completed my second 20 miler in preparation for the Boston Marathon while visiting my father-in-law in Cartersville, GA.   I did not look forward to the solo run after arriving late on Friday night.  To my surprise, the run was great.  I give the credit to the city and park planners who had the foresight to create great spaces to run and walk and to the  citizens who commit resources for recreation and physical fitness.   I had run at Dellinger Park and at the Etowah Riverwalk twice in the past year before this run and felt comfortable making up my route as I went along.

The start of the Etowah Riverwalk is about one mile from Dellinger Park, and one can run between the two on  a paved trail.  

My plan was to break 20 miles into 3 manageable segments with restroom and refueling breaks.  The Park has restroom facilities, and the Riverwalk has a port-o-potty.  From the Park, I ran the mile to the Riverwalk, which is an approximate 2-mile, paved loop along a river and around farm fields.  It has a few small hills, but it's mostly flat.  I ran around the loop twice and planned to return when I ran back toward the Park.  At the Park, the public track beckoned to me.   I hadn't been on a real track in a year.  The novelty of it kept me looping around for about 2 miles.  It was fun for a while when my legs were still fresh, and I found myself wanting to run 30 seconds faster than long run pace while on the track.

Along the Riverwalk

I eventually tired of the track and began running on the gravel path around the beautiful park.  The gravel on the path is small, but I wouldn't call it crushed.  It was fine to run on except where it was too deep at times.  I tried to stay in the part of the path where the gravel had worn away.  When I had about 6 miles left and thought I should turn back toward the Riverwalk, I was drawn to a neighborhood across for one of the Park's entrances. I ran through the neighborhood admiring the houses.  New scenery can keep a run feeling fresh.  I finished strong with a loop around the park.

One of the houses at the entrance to the subdivision.  I gawked and took a picture.

Sat.:  20 miles; 9:07 pace  (Was supposed to be a hilly 20 miler at Umstead, but I was out of town).
Sun.: rest
Mon.:  7 miles recovery run + 8X100 meter strides: 9:48 average pace plus strides
Tues.:  12 hilly miles for a medium long run; 9:35 average pace
Wed.:  Day off
Thurs.:  5 recovery miles +6X100 meter strides; 10:10 pace plus strides
Fri.:  Tempo run with 5 miles at 7:45-8 minute pace + 3 miles of warming up/cooling down; 7:41 average pace for 5 miles.

A farm bordering the Riverwalk.