Long Run - Warby

An early start Saturday morning, but not as early as planned. With a boy not well, being up for 40min cleaning the mess at 4am, made the 5.30 alarm very difficult.

So at 6.50am I was on the Warby Trail.

 

A pleasant morning, with the rain clearing overnight, the air was cool but not icy. Starting at Lilydale I took it very easy on the first long uphill. The plan was for 90min out and 90min back, so an easy start was essential. I found a nice plodding rhythm, that saw me at Mt Evelyn in 20min, Wandin in 45m, Water tap (past Seville) in 65m, Killara in 81m, then I turned around at a nameless gate, almost right on 90m. I forgot to check the distance, but when I remembered shortly afterwards my SDM read 17.84km, so roughly 17.7km out.

 

At this point I went for my trusty Natural Confectionary Co. snakes…..deciding to ration I only had 2 leaving some for later. From here I went for a more natural paced rhythm since I knew the return leg had some long uphill sections.  (For those who do not know the Warby Trail, it is not undulating, nor is it hilly. IT basically follows a long uphill long down hill pattern, the gradient is very slight, so much that you do not really notice on the down, but enough to sneak up on you if running the uphill when fatigued or not concentrating.)

 

I was feeling pretty good so I just let it flow. At the water tap, I had gained 4min. At Wandin 6min (last snakes taken here). At Mt Evelyn 8min. Back to the car in 80min. A 10min negative split over 17.7km. Return leg average pace was 4m31s, so slightly quicker than my GOR marathon pace. Most of the way I felt pretty strong, but I think the concentration went after I passed Mt Evelyn, that is the top of the last uphill. All the way to Lilydale is gently downhill. I remember several times losing all bearing of time and distance (I was deliberately ignoring my watch). Even though I was running OK, my form was holding up (as it should with a downhill – even a slight one) it just felt a little odd. Possibly a sign of my energy stores being depleted??? But once stopped and stretched etc, it was all OK, so no lingering effects.

 

Overall I was happy with the run, a thought occurred to me that perhaps I am a lazy runner since I did not want the return leg to take 90min. But that is a bit of an oxymoron – ‘The Lazy Long distance Runner’. On the flip side, perhaps it is my inbuilt mechanism for improving strength and toughness, as I rarely have an ‘easy’ run.

 

A slight soreness in my right bog toe – weird and new…. A bad case of inner thigh chafe (forgot magic stuff…..) Tired, but healthy. Longest run for several months.

 

More thoughts to follow