Double the Fun

You may have noticed that I’m running the Green Mountain Relay this Summer Solstice. My relay team consists of, I think, wide range of talent. I know that our team captain is extremely organized and detail-oriented; I know that the driver of the second van is faster than most of us (when he signed up to join us he modestly said, “I can run solid sevens”); and I know that I will probably be willing to pay upwards of a thousand dollars for a shower by the time this whole escapade wraps up. However, apart from that, I know very little. I haven’t met any of my teammates yet, as I’ve had to back out of the past two team socials for various obligations. I haven’t thought much about packing, since June 20th is still two weekends away. Oh wait: I know I’m Runner #7, and that we’re running in Vermont.

So when Solid Sevens emailed us all several days ago with some tips on how to train for one of these relays, it was a revelation (a relay-vation?). Dulcet choral tunes and a bright light came out of my monitor when I read, “Thou Shalt Run Doubles. Thou Shalt Run Doubles Once a Week, for Six Weeks Leading Up to Your Summer Solstice Race Through the Green Mountains.”

It sucks when you finally see the light, only to immediately realize you’re behind the eight ball. As in, missed-three-weeks-of-proscribed-doubles behind the eight ball.

Better late than never (I’m not sure I agree with this but since I’m leaning heavily on the clichés for this post let’s just go with it). Having chosen Option A, “late,” I’m left with three weeks in which to run doubles (6/2, 6/9, and 6/16). My exact opportunities within those weeks: 6/4, 6/12, and 6/18, since I’ve races scheduled for each of those dates (look right for my event schedule).

I have to admit, as a Doubles Virgin, I was a little nervous for my first time. I had a lot of questions. For example:

• What if my body wasn’t feeling up to the evening double?
• Would it be okay to say No and stop halfway through?
• Would I be judged for wearing the same shorts twice in one day, or would I be able to just feel natural in my technical gear?
• What would happen the day after?

Luckily for me, everyone I solicited for advice had either run doubles before and were completely blasé, or they had no experience with them at all and thought I was Wonder Woman for even entertaining the notion. This left me feeling alternatively unconcerned and superfly.

The first part of my doubles workout I’ve already posted, as it was the NYRR 50th Anniversary 5-mile race. Since I ran a PR (in the rain), I felt I could in good conscience run an easy 3.5 miler home, as a recovery run. I had felt fantastic all day at work, energetic, strong and–since I’d taken the time to stretch well before I showered off–relatively limber.

The evening leg of my doubles went well. Except for the tightness in my hips, it was as if it was my first run of the day. I ran easy ten-minute miles and listened to the most recent The Dump Runners Club podcasts. Total distance for the day: 8.5 miles.

I didn’t get stopped by the fashion police, I wasn’t pulled over by nurses authorized to bring me in to the looney bin for examination, and I didn’t injure myself. I took Thursday off altogether. I definitely feel more tired than usual, but I’ve also gotten about an hour and a half less sleep per night than usual this week. All in all, a great way to pop my doubles cherry. (Hhmm that particular cliché doesn’t quite work…)

For my two other doublesm I’ll put the easy run in the morning, as I’ve got races in the evening and know I won’t be able to stop myself from running them hard. As luck would have it, I was able to read a great article in this month’s Running Times about doubling up the day before I tried it for myself. Check it out if you want more professional tips on adding doubles to your training; I can’t find it on their site yet which is why I haven’t linked to it.