Today was my long run. I think trail runs are much more interesting and fun, so I took off on Phil's Trail, west of Bend. This trail is primarily used by mountain bikers, and that is all I saw on the trail. Funny enough, throughout my run, I kept catching up with a group of about 7 mountain bikers as they rested at each trail junction. The third time they saw this runner coming down the trail to them, they commented they were going to have to really start putting the hammer down. To their defense, this part of the trail was the uphill portion, so it was easier for me to keep up with them. The last stretch of trail I shared with the mountain bikers was on a steep switchback section, where I actually caught the last of their group and passed her on the uphill. However my glory was short lived as this was the top the ascent, and once it hit the downhill, they were nothing more than spots on the horizon that disappeared never to be seen again. The trail was a nice one that twisted through a forest of what I think was Ponderosa Pine. The first seven miles was all uphill. I started around 4000' and ascended to about 5100'. the last seven miles was downhill to flat back to the start, but as they say, the downhill can never make up for the uphill. I averaged about 8:40 miles overall. This was supposed to be an easy run, but I found myself pushing a little harder than I should on some of the uphills. Oh, well. Sunday will be an easy day of biking with the fiancee, so I should be fine. The marathon training starts on Monday, however, Monday is a scheduled off day, so I guess it really starts Tuesday.
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