NL Simulation - Take 1

The weather in Halifax is definitely showing signs of spring...cool to cold mornings and if sunny, warm enough to wear shorts running in afternoos. It's time to put the running tights away...not a minute too soon.

So I decided to take Friday off...well, I took a vacation day. My plan Friday and Saturday was to test out some different strategies for our run across NL. Friday my plan was to try 3 runs in 1 day to see how my body would respond.

I pulled into Cheema at about 6:15 am...I quickly realized I wasn't the only one getting an early start. The Cheema paddlers were already out for their early morning run.

So here is the breakdown...

Morning run @ Cheema - Cheema is a great 5 km trail loop with some great flat views along the water. There are frequent uphills, nothing longer than 100m but enough to lower your overall pace by 1:00-2:00 min/mile. Finished 32 km in 4:08 @ a pace of 12:17/mile.
Afternoon run (1:30pm) - ran again at Cheema and completed 15 km in just over 2 hours.
Evening Run (5:30pm) - did this run on the Bedford Highway. Was very pleasantly surprised that my legs felt really fresh. Did about 13km at just under 9 min/mile pace.

Saturday morning @ Cheema - to me this was the big test...how were my legs going to feel after 60km the day before. I was suprised...the legs felt pretty fresh. I started just before 6am and Gordon and Mary joined me at 7am. I can't say enough how good friends and good conversation makes the time fly by. My original plan was to do a marathon but by around 20 miles I noticed my legs getting a achy. So begins the conversation in my head...'should I keep going and get it done or listen to my body and take a break'. I think I realized that if this was NL, this was the time for me to take a break, eat some 'regular food' and nap. I had only slept 6 hours Thursday night and the same Friday night so I think fatigue was starting to set in. So...I pulled the plug! 20 miles @ 13:43 min/mile -> down almost 1 min/mile from day before. I grabbed a Booster Juice and went home and raked the lawn.

Here is the big question....do I run again in the afternoon or settle for 90km in 24 hours? After an afternoon nap my legs were a little sore but I definitely could have gone for a 15-20km run. I decided that I have learned enough about run strategy and nutrition and that I was dancing the fine line of doing too much too soon. So, no second run.

Now that this is done, it's time to focus on the Pineland Farms Trail 50 Miler on May 29th. Have a great weekend!