Discovering a new place to run is always a highlight for a runner or triathlete. Today's find was the America Tobacco Trail (ATT), a rails-to-trails program that now boasts 22 miles of soft and shaded cinder trails. Why didn't I explore these earlier??
A few factors make a running venue great for training: good footing, soft surface, shade, mile markers, absence of cars, and depending on the workout, pancake flat, or hilly terrain. The ATT offers all of these option in the flat variety, and for today's long run that's exactly what I wanted. I've found that long hilly runs are too much for triathlon training. Downhills pound the legs too much, especially legs that have been pre-stressed with a whopping bike workout the day before.
Today's run was a 15-miler. 20' warm-up, 4 strides, and then 1,2,2,1-miles with 1 rest per mile at an upbeat pace. I'm a crappy runner now and could only muster 5'45" to 6'10" mile pace. This needs work.
An added bonus is that the ATT trailhead is just a few miles from Jordan Lake's prime swim spot, so getting the recovery started with a cool-down swim is that much easier.
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