Just one sleep to go now until our HU virtual run together, be it 5k, 10k or 10 miles. Are you ready? Are you excited?
(If you're busy, at this point you may wish to skip to the end of this ridiculously long post ... if you have time on your hands and would enjoy a bit of a laugh at my expense , read on!!!)
I was ready … until a severe case of DOMS struck. Can you imagine two penguins going downstairs? That's me and Mr9389 right now. Getting to sit on the loo requires something to hold on to and elicits a quiet groan!!!
But, as Mr9389 keeps reminding me, at least we survived!
Survived what you might ask (unless you've already seen my strava that is).
On Wednesday we did a hike. Garmin tells me it was under 8k in all.
It was chosen and booked by Mr9389 before we left home. On Tuesday I asked to see the details, just to decide on choice of shoes, clothes etc. I discover we will take a short bus ride, followed by a climb to the highest point of the island and back again. Nice. Difficulty? ‘Very difficult, including a grade 1 climb’ and ‘the path is narrow and tilty’ What??? 😱
I didn't see that says Mr9389, but it's for 16-99 year olds so it must be fine!!! 🤔🙄
It got worse! We were picked up by two guides, and joined the other members of our group - three very fit young ladies in their late twenties/very early 30s! Bear in mind I am in my sixties and we are here to celebrate Mr9389 's 70th birthday in a week or so!!!
We arrive at our start point. The guide tells us the first 5k are easy, then it gets a bit more challenging. I shudder, but know I am reasonably fit so hope it will be ok.
We set off. It is already not fine! The ground is uneven, steeply undulating with big drops to the side, but worst of all, the narrow path surface is awful - loose rocks, sand and volcanic shale- my worst nightmare. After just 509m or so of terror, we get to an amazing viewpoint, but all I can think is … if this is easy, what will challenging feel like.
The guide is going at a cracking pace, oblivious to my caution and terror.
I could go on here, but will skip to the point where, shortly after the route begins it's second stage - a steep ascent of volcanic rubble - Mr9389 says ‘I'm not going to the top, I'll wait here'. I agree to stop with him, and one of the 20 somethings stays too. The other two girls and the two guides will be an hour and a half. No problem, the view is great!
I'm not phsically tired in any way, but the mental respite is very welcome. I should mention that one of the guides comes back to join us soon after we stopped - it's his first time doing the route and he doesn't like the height!!!
Eventually everyone returns, sharing photos from the summit, and we immediately head off again, still at pace! The guide says we will return a different way for a different view. It will be 'a little bit challenging for the first 15 minutes, but then it is OK!'
Trust me, there was no point in the next three hours where it was OK. The path got worse, steeply down and often back up again. At times we were clinging to the rockface, stepping on a loose ledge no wider than my feet! I was utterly terrified. Several times we had to stop because Mr9389 was exhausted. My legs were like jelly whenever I relaxed a bit, but the rest of the time they were completely tensed, waiting to rebalance every time the path gave way beneath my feet. I could neither look up nor down, just one step ahead the whole way. The view was dust and rock and shale! The guide praised my bravery (wrong, I was terrified) and my resilience (wrong, I was quietly crying inside my fear cave knowing there was no choice but to go on).
Finally we reached the bottom. I felt physically OK until a set of steps to climb up to the road … really? Yes, really, STEPS! … when I realised my glutes and quads were complaining.
The following day, Thursday, was a tempo run day according to my plan. The DOMS in my quads and glutes was beyond anything I have ever felt before, but ever keen to stick to my plan, I tried 😍
Running felt as if I had just come straight off a cycling session … my legs were simultaneously as stiff as boards, heavy as lead and weak as straw! They didn't loosen up at any point during the run 😭
Yesterday there was no discernible improvement. 😭😭
But today there is hope! This morning I reached the loo seat without holding on, and with only the slightest of thuds… my upper legs are still sore to touch, going downstairs is still a challenge but a little less comical to watch; I do believe they are beginning to take my weight once again.
Maybe, just maybe, one more sleep will do the trick, and tomorrow I will be on our start line as planned 🤞Whether it's the 19.5k long slow run on my training plan, or 10 miles, or 10k or 5k, at least (as Mr9389 would say) I survived!
As a footnote, we have a three day hike booked later this trip, before my Lisbon half on 9th March. I have yet to check the small print … but believe me, I will be checking it very, very carefully!
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Here is a link to a post which has all of the details of our two spring virtual runs, including a link to the spread sheet showing all of our participants tomorrow:
healthunlocked.com/marathon...
We would love you to join us, either tomorrow or for the main event in April. If you haven't already signed up, just let us know what distance you are aiming for 😊
