A run of 4 quarters...

This weekend was a mixture of over-exertion, over-heating and over-indulgence. It started off with the dreaded 20 Mile training run at 7am on Saturday, running the risk of sounding like a football commentator I have to say it really was a run of 4 quarters! We had split the run into 4 parts with water/gel stops every 5 miles. Joe drove the route the right before and placed water bottles in convenient and easily recognisable locations.

The first 5 miles were pretty straight forward, we were in good spirits and looking forward to finishing the run. The time passed quickly and we had run over 5 miles before I my first time check; time for our first break... happy days! We walked while devouring the contents of our gels, washing them down with the cool water. We walked for not much longer than a minute before we were off again.

The second 5 mile quarter was much easier than I had anticipated. We were keeping a pretty steady pace and the conversation was flowing which helps make time past quickly. The sun was shining and we were running through wonderful countryside; rolling hills peppered with green fields, woods, farms and some stunning houses. On the down side the rolling hill were proving to be a bit of a problem as we had to run up most of them. The curious thing about running an undulating route is that the uphill stretches appears to be twice as long and the downhill stretches. Of course if you start and finish in the same place the net elevation is zero but it doesn't feel that way. Before we knew it we were at the 10 mile mark and time for another gel and water session.

The third 5 mile quarter was a little more noticeable, as in I was starting to feel the burn, but still felt good. Towards the end of the quarter the sunshine ebbed away and clouds slowly rolled in, we could sense the rain but hoped to have finished before it came down. Our luck didn't hang around and it started to bucket down. I can't remember when I last saw such a sustained and heavy downpour; it was coming down in sheets and pretty soon we were up to a couple on inches of water in places. When arrived at our final water/gel stop we were soaked to the skin.

The last quarter was tough. The rain finally stopped after another mile but there was a lot of surface water to deal with. The final stretch back into Naas was along a wide road with plenty of hard shoulder space. We were getting tired and looking forward more than ever to reaching the end. The last 2 miles were torturous for me and I pretty sure it was 90% physiological; I always get tired and stroppy towards the end of a run, regardless of the length. The final mile was pure pain and the closer I got to the finish the harder it was to run but I knew it was all psychological and I could make it.

And so we did; After 3 hours, 28 minutes and 56 seconds of running we arrived back at the spot from where we started from; exhausted, relieved, sore but very happy! We tried to stop but the momentum of running for 20 miles kept the muscles going for another few meters as we involuntarily jogged to the end of the street.

The next few hours were spent stretched out on the sofa, I was very tired and could feel my muscles ceasing up... I was in serious danger of becoming a landmark.

Before long it was time to go and we piled into the Fiat Barva to head for Dundalk. We were screaming up the M1 when a light came illuminated on the dashboard, a red one that had a menacing look about it... then we noticed that the temperature gauge had left the red and entered a whole new zone! As we pulled over onto the hard shoulder and the car eased to a halt the engine heaved a sigh of relief and smoke started to rise from the bonnet. We decided to give the engine a few minutes to consider its options before opening the bonnet, once we did the heat off the engine was intense as smoke continued to rise. Assuming we were in big trouble we called the rescue service and waited, these guys take 40 to 60 minutes to arrive.

After giving the engine sufficient time to cool I removed the coolant cap and, surprise surprise, the water level was below the minimum level. After topping up the water we tried again and the temperature gauge went off the scale again. After another check the water had again fallen below the min level, so we went through the process again and this time it seemed to hold.

We cancelled the recovery service and took off only to be overtaken by a plume of white smoke; the exhaust was pumping out enough condensation to water a garden. We pulled over again and called the rescue service who politely told us that we had fallen back to the end of the queue and that we'd have to wait 40 to 60 minutes.

So we waited and waited, they called to say that they were sorry but they would be another delay, another 15 minutes, oh well. Rescue finally arrived and the expected news was delivered; the car has died, or more specifically the cylinder head gasket had blown. We were towed to our destination so all was not lost. The lesson from that experience was never drive, much less buy, a Fiat... never ever ever do it... just don't even think of it!

After that very long and overheated journey we were ravenous and wasted no time pressing ahead with the plan of dinner and drinks, although I faded early and had to retire at 2am. The next day was very pleasant; a garden party and the weather obliged with clear skies and sunshine. After far too much much food and drink I sat down at the end of the day sure that I had finally recovered from the 20 mile run the previous morning. A thoroughly over indulgent but well deserved afternoon.

From here on we're tapering off; easy mid-week runs of 5-8-4 and a weekend training run of 12 miles on Saturday and a 5 mile race on Sunday. It' time to nurse these tired feet back to full health in time for the big day!