Another PR...but a sore hip is the reward

Thursday, July 29, 2010

To complete the tapering, I should have had an easy running day…or not run at all. I was going with the ‘easy day’ until I arrived at the park and started thinking how the weather, cool and less humid, would be perfect for a faster run. I hadn’t eaten all day and so my stomach was completely empty…another good indicator for a pr run. I knew this would not be particularly smart, what with the hip giving me problems only two days ago and killer hikes on the horizon…but I could not resist the urge to run fast.

I started hard, coming through my first checkpoint…around two miles…about a minute faster than my best ever. The hip was good until I reached about 20 minutes, but by that time I was committed to hitting a new pr. When I cruised through my third check point about two minutes ahead of pr pace, I knew I’d bag it unless I fell (something I do regularly) or really crashed and burned. Neither happened as I approached my finish. In fact, I felt strong until the end. I crushed my pr by 2:20, but my hip was hurting. I decided that even though it wasn’t too hot, I’d take a plunge in Clear Creek and let the cool water work on the sore hip. I was floating with only my nose out of the water and my eyes closed when I sensed I was being watched. A few members of the Mayfield cross country team had happened down the trail and were crossing the creek on the stones when they noticed me. I suppose I looked more dead than alive and the female in the group shrieked surprise when I rose from the water.

“Good place to finish your run, guys,” I said.

They ran away without a backwards glance. I climbed from the water and walked the remaining half mile to the car, happy with the pr and the conditioning I had achieved, but somewhat concerned about the continuing pain in my hip. Tomorrow, I would be hiking for over two hours with 60 pounds resting squarely on that hip and was hoping to climb a number of peaks over the weekend. Well…I’d pack my Allieve and hope for the best.

Run duration: 53 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 950.