I wanted to get out for a longer run, but I wasn't sure how far I could go with my achilles issues, so the plan was to run up Provo Canyon as far as I felt like I could. It was hot, but near the river it wasn't bad and I was in the shade a good portion of the time. I parked at the park at the bottom of the canyon and just started off at a nice easy pace.
The first few miles went by really fast. There were a lot of people out enjoying the trail, mostly bikers. I stopped at Nunn's Park just to make sure the water was running. I had my handheld and wasn't too worried, but I wanted to know what my options were because it was hot. Bridal Veil Falls was amazing, but there were so many people on the trail, so I didn't want to stop. After that the next 1/4 of a mile was in thick trees with a lot of hanging caterpillars and that got kind of annoying. I had them all over me and I had to keep brushing them off.
At Vivian Park I stopped to have a gel and take a quick break. There were a lot of people out. I was feeling good, but it was hot and I was a sweaty mess already. The run back down to the car was fun. I just cruised at a comfortable pace (between 8-8:30) all the way and I stopped for a quick second at the falls and then again at Nunn's to refill my water. I got back to the car in 1:20 (9.5 miles) and took a break. I had to re-apply glide, use the bathroom and had another gel and an S-cap. I wanted to keep going, so I headed back down the canyon this time. I stayed on the trail and ran past Riverwoods and then just after 12 miles I was getting low on energy. I hadn't eaten solid food in about 7 hours and I was feeling it, so I turned around and ran back to the car. The last two miles were pretty slow because of my energy issues. I would have liked a few more miles, but I would have bonked pretty hard, so I am ok with 15.
My achilles didn't hurt at all. I used some heel inserts and they seemed to really help. Hopefully I can resume my regular training soon. | 