Tackling the Tuscan Hills

Just because I've been without an internet for a week, I don't want you to think that I've been shirking my training as well. Of course I made sure I didn't miss out on the usual holiday delights of sleeping in, sitting by the pool and keeping the palette in check with the local vineyard produce, I also managed to fit in a couple of training runs.

We arrived late and tired on Friday night a few lengths of the pool was all I managed to muster on the Saturday, not wanting to tire myself out before the big one on Sunday.

Sunday, got up at 8, took on a litre of water, a bowl of cereal and half a banana. As I was to be running without the support unit, I filled my camelbak with 1.5 litres of water and stuffed two halves of bananas in the side pockets. When I'd been used to running with support in tow, staring out over my route into the hills of Tuscany with an extra 2 kilos on my back, worried me a little. The prospect improved as I'd luckily picked up a running partner for the first 10k, or so, of the route.

We set off up the hill from the Villa at 8:45, ran 2k into the village of Chianni and started to descend into the valley. By the time we'd reached the valley floor, we'd run 5k. Not being used to running such steep hills, the thighs were working over time on the descent but I'd not felt any twinges to say that I was doing any damage.

About 8k in, I said goodbye to my running partner as I left him to tackle the 3-4k left to take him back up to the villa. Yes, the downside (or upside...) to running down into a valley for 4k, is that you have to get back to where you started.

I carried on for another 1.75 hours, silently jogging my way past men with shotguns out hunting presumably and numerous angry dogs, fortunately stuck behind fencing. Despite this, the route was spectacular. I was in the middle of the Tuscan hills, miles from any sizable town and motoring under my own power. Quite a way to kick off the Sunday morning.

About 24k and 2.25 hours into my run, I realised that I wasn't going to make it back to the villa as it was least 6k away and mostly uphill. I'd only been sipping on the water, but I'd run out and the late morning sun was starting to take its toll. Many of the roads I'd been running on didn't appear on the maps I had to hand, so I'd had to make a lot of it up and estimated the distances from one place to another. I decided to run to the bottom of the home stretch, where I'd left my friend nearly two hours earlier and call it a day. And why not. I'd completed 26k and run for 2hrs 34mins in increasing heat and hilly conditions, with a backpack on. My best effort yet and probably the toughest run I'll do before the marathon. Thankfully, I'd packed my mobile in my backpack and called for the support unit to come and take me home!

During the rest of the week I managed to fit in a 4k interval session and another 13k loop, taking in that killer uphill home stretch I'd not managed on the Sunday. I didn't crack my 5 sessions but made up in part by getting a few lengths in the pool in everyday.

Back to standard training this week...starting tomorrow.