This was going to be the month.
July had seen a slight uptick on mileage and August was going to be the month that I finally pushed things up a notch. Only it didn't happen.
Some really solid running took place and there were many memorable on-trail moments, but I went in the wrong direction in terms of miles. I did a couple of mid-distance races, the Jupiter Peak Steeplechase, of which I've already written, and the seemingly underappreciated On the Rocks 16-Miler at Rocky Ridge Park in York, PA. I was reasonably pleased with both efforts (I finished 9th at On the Rocks), but admittedly felt some fatigue in the days after and struggled to cover additional miles.
No matter.
A couple days of tired legs are no big deal and other than keeping track of them for curiosity's sake, the number of miles really don't matter much to me. I do, however, need to remind myself of that now and again.
And so August wasn't THE month, but it sure was A month of running and one that I'm looking back on fondly as I sift through the photo evidence below:
 |
| Wednesday, August 10 - AM - First run after Jupiter Peak Steeplechase included a good bit of climbing at Pumping Station and on the Horseshoe Trail - legs feeling good. |
 |
| Wednesday, August 10 - PM - Back end of my twofer, a run home from work. |
 |
| Thursday, August 11 - Run to work - felt fatigued but held pretty solid pace. |
 |
| Sunday, August 14 - Morning run at Pumping Station/Horseshoe. |
 |
| Wednesday, August 17 - Morning loop run on Horseshoe Trail starting on southern side of 322, crossing over to Eagle Rock overlook and back on the conservancy trail - may have been the last go for these MT 101s. |
 |
| Saturday, August 20 - On the Rocks 16-miler at Rocky Ridge park. |
 |
| Sunday, August 21 - Colebrook Road to R2T to Junction Road loop - good effort the day after On the Rocks. |
 |
| Wednesday, August 24 - Horseshoe Trail out-and-back with Jefferson starting at Segloch Road and heading toward Middle Creek. |
 |
| Thursday, August 25 - Midday run on Penryn and White Oak roads. |
 |
| Friday, August 26 - Nighttime loop on Colebrook, R2T and Junction roads returning on Sun Hill - UTMB excitement and the pending arrival of Hurricane Irene had me feeling cabin fever. |
 |
| Saturday, April 27 - Post-UTMB and early stages of Irene on Colebrook, Hossler, Power and Sun Hill roads. |
 |
| Sunday, August 28 - Post-Irene afternoon/evening run at Pumping Station and on the Horseshoe Trail. |
 |
| Monday, August 29 - Midday run on White Oak and Penryn roads. |
 |
| Wednesday, August 31 - Pre-dawn run at Pumping Station and Horseshoe Trail - planting seed of hope for a sub-2 hour effort at the Conestoga Trail Run in a few weeks. Fingers are crossed. |
