Long Gone

When I re-started running after the Loch Ness Marathon I expected to do a lot of very long runs, like ultra runners are supposed to do. Of course, with my pneumonia, things didn't work out that way, and I was happy enough to increase my long runs to 20 miles. I still wanted to run longer than that at least once, and today was the day.

On the one hand I didn't want to start tired, on the other hand I didn't want to put my training on hold for the sake of one training day, so I did 10 miles each on Friday and Saturday, both of them at reasonably easy pace. I realised afterwards that Saturday was the only time all week I managed to get under 8:00 pace on average, which is of course down to last Sunday's race. With the whole week more or less (maybe less) dedicated to easy recovery, I felt in good shape today.

Originally I had envisaged myself running very slowly, with a few walking breaks, and laden with supplies. The closer I got to the day the more I changed my mind, and I decided to emulate what I would do on race day. This meant running with two bottles in my hands, one water the other one a carbs/protein drink, because that's how I ended up running for good stretches of last year's ultra. It also meant running the entire time, though I made sure to keep the pace easy. I also decided to have a good hearty breakfast 2 hours before running, which meant getting up at 6:30. That wasn't a problem, I got up as soon as I woke naturally, which is what happens when you're fast asleep by 10pm. I went back to bed after that but didn't manage any more sleep. At some stage it meant getting ready myself, making breakfast for the kids and preparing my bottles. The carbs/protein drink was a mixture of rice milk and slim fast, which I had used in last year's ultra, and it seemed to agree with me. I used 4 scoops for 500ml of rice milk, which made a very creamy mixture; while I was fine with it and even liked the taste, I'll probably reduce the amount of slim fast for the race, to make it a bit more drinkable.

Anyway, shortly after 8:30 I headed out, with Niamh's words “I must have married a madman” ringing in my ears. I took it very easy, and set off at around 9:00 pace, which I intended to keep for the entire distance if possible. The weather was better than predicted; despite the heavy cloud coverage it never rained, the wind was ok for most of the run, and the temperatures were just about perfect. For the first 8 miles I followed the road around Caragh Lake, and then I followed the “Kerry Way”, which took me off road for the first time in a long time. The road got muddier and muddier, and eventually the sign pointed straight into a wood, where I could not make out a way. I stopped for a second, eventually hesitantly following the signs, but managed to spot another sign further on. This section turned into a bit of an adventure course, after a trail covered in roots I crossed a swamp (they provided little bridges for the worst sections), I had to climb over a few gates, and at one stage had to climb on all fours up a few stony steps, which was a bit tricky with my two bottles. Just as I was wondering how far I was from civilisation, I met another soul, out fishing. “You must have run far” “About 10 miles”. Shortly after that the route left the cross-country section behind and I was on paved road for the rest of the run. I was now in Glencar, a very remote collection of houses deep inside the Kerry wilderness. There is one central point, the Climber's Inn, which happened to be open, and where the landlady refilled my water bottle while I had a short chat with the patrons inside. I set off again, now heading northwards on a steadily climbing road. I reached the summit near a stunningly beautiful lake called Loch Acoose, right at the foot of the Reeks, Ireland's highest mountains. On a clear day the view is incredibly spectacular; the four mountains of Skregmore, Beenkeeragh, Carrauntoohill and Caher are forming the Coomloughra Horseshoe, the three latter ones being the three highest mountains in the entire island. Unfortunately they all had their heads in the clouds, which made the view less awesome, though it made for better running conditions. The road had been climbing for four miles, which meant I would be descending for the next four. Interestingly, the next 5 miles turned out to be the worst part of the run, I started to feel tired and still had a long way to go. I could see the valley stretching out for miles in front of me, and I knew that I would be travelling along the entire route. Downhill running can be just as tough as uphill, and today it definitely felt worse. Eventually I reached the end of that stretch, and a sharp turn brought me into much more familiar territory on the road towards Caragh Lake. I could see back into the valley and the mountains where I had just come from, and felt quite proud to have run all that way, with this being only a small part of today's run. I soon reached the 20 miles point, and knew I wasn't far from home. I started to feel better again, and decided to keep going even after reaching our driveway; I had come all that way, at least I should cover the entire marathon distance. The best thing about our driveway was the opportunity to finally ditch the bottles; my shoulders were rather tired by now. I had covered exactly 24 miles at that point, and felt rather gung-ho, so I decided not just to add 2.2 miles on an out-and-back section but to run another little loop. I passed the marathon point in about 3:52, not exactly blazingly fast, but of course this was just a training run. I was back home after 27.5 miles, feeling mightily pleased with myself.

I considered doing another 2 miles to get my weekly mileage up to 100, but decided they would be pure vanity miles and I shouldn't overdo things. I felt great, but 2 extra miles could be the straw that broke the camel's back, as they say around here.

I expected to be completely shattered after that run, but I'm totally energetic. After family lunch I cleaned the kitchen, played with Cian and Shea, and now I'm about to drill a few holes into the wall to put up a book shelf for Lola. Niamh commented that I looked like someone who had just gotten out of bed and is ready for a new day, which I think was a compliment. She asked if I would do another run like that, but while I had a fantastic time, the race is only three weeks away. I still haven't decided if 2 or 3 weeks of taper would be better; I might compromise, do one more long run (not as long as today of course) in the middle of the week, and taper from then on. At the moment I feel like I could run forever, which is a good thing for someone looking forward to an ultra, I suppose.

14 Mar

10 miles, 1:21:04, 8:06 pace, HR 139

15 Mar

10 miles, 1:18:57, 7:53 pace, HR 148

16 Mar

27.5 miles, 4:03:10, 8:50 pace, HR 139

Weekly Mileage: 98.6