DROP OF A HAT

I've always said I know I'm fit when I can drop a 15 miler in the middle of the week without even thinking about it. My friend Double who comments here has been known to say, "Get to the point where you can run 20 miles at the drop of a hat." I've been running 14-15 milers pretty regularly in my training for some time and I've run a few 20-22 milers. However, when Saturday's 18 miler turning into 20 without even realizing it, I finally understood what Double was talking about.

The group I run with on Saturdays rotates meeting spots throughout the metro area. Lucky for me, one of those spots is a mile from my house. Since the group is usually good for about 15 miles, I decided to add on a little before the run. I took my dog for a mile and then took the long way around the lake. By the time I met the group, I'd already run 4 miles.

The first hour with the group is fairly hilly and I never felt very good. Towards the end of the hour I even started to fall back. We took a short break and I was able to take a gel. I don't know if it was the gel, the flatter trails or the fact that I got to set the pace because I knew the trails the best. Whatever the case, I finally started feeling a little better.

While feeling a little better, I was still feeling tired from the half marathon, so I never really pushed the tempo. I never felt great and I never felt terrible. I just sort of kept plugging along. When I dropped the group off right at 2 hours of running, I realized I'd already been out nearly 2:35 and still had another mile to go. So while I only had 18 miles penciled in for the day, I managed to run 20 - at the drop of a hat.

I also managed to get my 50+ miles for the week (kind of hard not to with a 20 miler in there), with 59 miles. All of them were easy, except for a few strides. This week I'll add some quality back into the program.