Twenty – Twenty

I was more than a little apprehensive about this particular double-header. All of you who suggested caution were right, of course. I was already pretty fit, and overtraining is worse than undertraining. Not only did my hip bother me, I had a cold, which wasn’t just constricted to the head, as the frequent coughs can testify. However, this was my last double header, and I thought that if I could just push through one more time, I can rest after that. So I set my alarm for 4:40 in the morning, and when the time arrived I got up and got ready. The scenery was spectacular, a nearly full moon, plenty of stars, and hardly a cloud in sight. It was so bright that I was tempted to leave the headlamp behind, but brought it with me as a safety device. Due to my hip complaints I chose the less hilly route on the western side of Caragh Lake, though it isn’t exactly flat; I guess undulating would describe it pretty well. It doesn’t have any killer climbs, though. I felt pretty good for the first 5 miles, then turned around, and felt even better on the next segment. Once I reached our driveway I quickly went back into our house to get some water (I really should have left a bottle outside), and sneaked out again before anyone would wake. The hip had started to become noticeable, and I decided to add two loops to Ard-na-Sidhe rather than go back to the lake, to give me the option of bailing out after 15 miles. I started to tire on that third loop, but I still felt pretty good, and since the hip mostly behaved itself I never seriously contemplated bailing out. The last loop went amazingly well. I upped the pace with 3 miles to spare, and two miles later all I could think of was “wow, I’ve never felt so good at mile 19”. I guess all those double headers are paying off, I’m markedly stronger than I used to be. I felt really good, and the 5 miles splits for that run were 40:34, 39:36, 41:18 and 39:15. It was particularly pleasing to run the last section at the fastest pace.

Today’s repeat performance was slightly less glorious. The pain in my hip is actually getting better. Jeff had sent me an email earlier this week, telling me how he'd had a very similar problem when training for his ultra on the hills, and how it got better within a week of running on flatter roads. It looks like I’m following the same pattern. Maybe I shouldn't jinx it by shouting it out loud, but I think I managed to just about stay on the right side of the training/overtraining fence. It can be a balancing act, and I definitely started to wobble, but I think I got away with it. Anyway, my workout today followed the same route as the day before, apart from remembering to leave some water on the driveway to be picked up after 10 miles. The first two 5-mile sections were about 1 minute slower than Thursday’s, but then I slowed down more and more, and the last loop was the slowest of them all. No negative splits this time, I’m afraid. I tried to up the pace again with 3 miles to go, but the legs were running on empty by then (or old mushrooms, if that’s your preferred analogy), and in the end I was just glad to come home while still being able to run upright. This time the splits were 41:06, 40:36, 41:20 and 42:28. Those double headers are tough, and I’m sure one or two more would do me good, but I’m out of time, the ultra is just 4 weeks away. There is a 10k nine days from now, and while it clearly is not the focus of my training, I still want to do well in it. Therefore I’ll take it easy towards the end of next week, run the race, and add one more long run the day after that before officially starting my taper. Let’s hope the various aches and pains will be gone soon after.

1 Mar: 20 miles, 2:40:43, 8:02 pace, avg. HR 145
2 Mar: 20 miles, 2:45:32, 8:16 pace, avg. HR 142

(P.S. It's highly satisfying to be able to note down 2 20-milers in a row like this)