It’s like I’m being greeted by an old friend as I step out my front door. The birds are chirping, the sun is rising over the horizon and I can smell the fresh scent of daffodils and magnolias. It’s 7:00 a.m. and I’m about to begin a three hour training run, the longest run that I’ve attempted in a long time. In fact, it’s been around seven months since I’ve run for three hours or longer. I struggled with minor running related injuries for most of last year and decided to lower my training volume as a result. Before getting injured, these early morning long runs were a regular occurrence for me.
With a sense of trepidation, I leave my house and run north. I’ve planned a run to Glen Williams, a beautiful rural area in Halton Hills, Ontario. I’ve been steadily building mileage for the last few weeks however I’m still concerned that this run will cause an injury flare up. Before long, I’ve run out of town and I’m in the country, taking in the vistas of the farmland and enjoying the familiar movement of running along country roads. I’ve already run for one hour and my knees and ankles feel good, my two previous problem areas. I turn on a running podcast and continue putting one foot in front of the other. In what seems like a short time, I’ve run for another half hour and I turn around to make my way back home. The excitement of pain free running drives me along and I complete the remaining one and a half hours with hardly any effort. As I walk through my front door I can’t help but thinking that I’m back – I’m finally ready to train for ultra distances again.
Although I still have some nagging strains, I’ve been keeping them under control with daily stretching and foam rolling. Since this first three hour run, I have completed another three, three hour or longer, training runs. Two friends and I are planning a fastest known time attempt at the end of May (more details to come) and I feel like I’m on track for a good performance. I’ve included my training plan below for the rest of April and May, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that my running continues to go well.
