I’ve never run on consecutive days. Even during the few years I did triathlons I didn’t ever have to run day after day. I love the cross-training aspect of triathlons; I think it is much kinder to the body. But as today I was to fit in a 90 minute easy run, run again I must. The whole point of having a fantastic person to write programs for you is based on two things: firstly, you trust them enough to know they know what they are talking about; and secondly, you do as you’re told! All within reason; and SMan knows things can be tweeked just a little…but this week was my first 4 run week, which puts the “every-other-day” scenario out the window. I was tired when I got up this morning, but felt OK after Fartlek-ing yesterday. That was good, as I’d planned to kill 2 birds with one stone today. It was baseball registration day so I hatched a plan to run there before MGirl left home in the car and I would arrive halfway through her first pre-season training session...
I headed out with the Camelbak backpack with 1.5litres of sports drink, a gel, and a banana just on 9am. As I was planning on this taking me 90 minutes, I was getting to the point where I had to start feeding myself while on the run. It will take a bit of experimentation with food to decide what sits best in my stomach at an elevated HR, what will stay down and what will give me the calories I need. At 45 minutes into the run I had to stop for the lights at a 6 lane dual-carriageway road, so I decided this was a good time to eat. I couldn’t stomach the gel, too sweet, after I’d been drinking sports drink. I really need water to get these down, so I just ate the banana. Experience has told me bananas and my body work well during exercise, so I knew it wouldn’t be a problem. I will have to try other things though, I couldn’t imagine eating only bananas for 24 hours during the race, and it probably wouldn’t give me the nutrition I needed over such a long period of exertion. In the reading I’ve done some ultra-marathon runners eat pizza! I don’t think there is a Pizza Hut out along the trail...bugger!
So banana down and 6 lanes of traffic crossed, I kept on running. Another 45 minutes to and I arrived at baseball, and the morning was sunny and beautiful and I caught myself smiling again. Stretching on the grass and soaking up the sun, I waited for MGirl to finish training. Couldn’t get a better Sunday morning really?
As the day progressed, my body stiffened and I really started to feel tired. My few aches I’d had recently, like my hip, didn’t give me any problems on the run and it still wasn’t, but my whole body was tired. During the run I was trying to figure out how long I’d had my sneakers as my feet were really starting to feel the road underneath. I think they are about 2 years old, and with average walking (before I started running 2 months ago) of FD#1, I figured I’ve done about 750km in this pair of shoes. It was definitely time for new ones, which I would’ve had if I hadn’t ordered the wrong ones of Eastbay! I haven’t returned them, but I really just have to get some new ones this week.
Needless to say, after 13.8km today, and 39km for the week, I was in bed early and slept like a log!
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