Training Run Mistake #1

I mapped a new route again for yesterdays 20. I was super excited about it. It had more dirt, different trails, new neighborhoods, lots of twists and turns. All the wandering around kept us on our end of town instead of running through 3 towns to get in 20 miles.

At just 1.5 miles in, there is a dirt trail that, on the map, wraps up around the back of the golf course, while the paved trail wraps around the front. I suggested the girls and I take the dirt up around the back, while Brian and the jogger stay on the front trail. So off we went. Up....up.....up. The trail does go right along the back of the golf course, but the PD has a firing range back in the woods that butts up against the golf course. You have to go up the mountain around it. It should have taken us 10 minutes to get to where Brian was, it took almost an hour of climbing up a mountain and then straight back down it.

Not a great way to start off 20 miles. All of trying to run up the mt was done while pushing Sophies bike. On the positive side, then new parts of the run were wonderful!! There were some hills, which is good. There was dirt, which is good. We were running along a trail that is new to us (we've seen it many times, but not run it), and we looked out across the open space and there was a heard of goats running through the open space. On the hill behind the goats there were wild turkeys (which we have everywhere here, see them every day, and am always amazed). We ran through some new, calm, peaceful, quiet neighborhoods. It was just really a nice run.

On the not positive side, when we run as a family, there are 7 tires to keep inflated. 7 tires full of goat heads that, even though they have been slimed, needed pumped up many times. Eventually Brian bit the bullet and changed out a tube because the tire just wasn't holding air for longer than a few miles at a time. There were also multiple trees and bushes, even 1 car tire, that may or may not have been peed on. These long training runs are always an adventure, that is for sure!

I am thrilled to report that today, the morning after, my legs are not sore at all. This is the first time doing a training run of 20 miles that they haven't been sore. I am thinking that these climbs up and down mountains are starting to pay off in endurance. I am not happy to report that my right hip has been having twinges of pain for the past 2 weeks. Nothing severe enough to prevent me from running, but definitely getting worse and not better. I had to take more walking breaks than I would have liked yesterday, but pushed through and was able to run hard the last 3 miles while pushing the jogger. I did have a hard time walking on it this morning, though. I am icing and Ibp'ing and thinking happy thoughts. In previous training rounds, when I go over 40 miles a week I start to feel random aches and pains. This week and next week are our highest mileage weeks, this week was 39, next week we have a 22 miler, but other than that i will let my hip decide mileage for the week.
3 weeks to go......