Today was the day to put my Lone Peak 5s to the test. They've already shown me that they work on the trails. Duh. That's what they were designed for. But how would they work on asphalt and concrete? I bet you can't wait to hear. Do not even pretend you're not interested.
Up to Farmville we went. I ran the same old same old -- the crushed gravel trail from downtown FV to the bridge. But before I got to the bridge I made a detour on the River Road. Below, you can see the trail line on the top of the map.
It's the curvy one. Below it is the River Road. It's more of a straight shot back into town. And it's mostly asphalt except for a portion when you're just about back to the parking lot. You start out here.
As you can see, the road falls off precipitously after about 100 yards. Which means you have a long downhill section where you can let 'er rip. The next phase is a flat(ish) section.
This is followed by a long uphill.
Then under the trail you go.
One last section -- you have to cross the Appomattox -- and you are home free.
Here's where I parked.
And yes, Charley's Cafe is to die for. I think I've only eaten here once. Way too expensive for my tastes.
How did the shoes do? Perfect! You run thinking you've got a pair of socks on your feet with rubber soles under them. Painless. Effortless. Worriless. This means that two out of three boxes can be checked -- Trails? Check. Roads? Check!
Alas, there's a third check: Hiking? I will let you know. I have a long day scheduled for my office in Wake Forest tomorrow (working on our little "secret"), but if the weather holds out I plan to do some peakbagging in the Appalachians on Wednesday.
(Inspirational part of this post.)
I'll close by saying -- ad nauseum -- how much like therapy running is. Yes, all I did was sweat like a pig today (FYI: Pigs don't sweat). Yes, I needed a two hour nap afterwards to recover. But hey -- I am a standby kind of guy. When I find something I like I tend to stay with it. I think mixing pain and pleasure is a good thing, don't you? You learn that your past is only a description of where you've been, not a prescription for where you will be. And faith is what keeps you going.