My first attempt at a double Hockley Loop ended in a DNF. :(
Things got off to a great start with Myka agreeing to join me for Loop 1 at a slow pace in anticipation of a long day. We were walking most of the uphills unless the slope was really gentle, like one would do in a long race. We had a nice conversation for the whole run. Although the clouds looked threatening, the rain never came, and we even had some sun. We passed by a tiny fawn waiting for his mother (we hope!) in the long grass. We ran into other runners - my Facebook friend Scott Garrett and his friend Aaron.
And then after 9 km, I turned my stupid ankle again while pointing out poison ivy instead of watching where my feet were going. It's always something dumb like that. It's been a long time since the last crunch - some time in 2012, I think. This was probably only a 5 out of 10 but it wasn't one of those ankle sprains that goes away after a few minutes.
We went a bit further, then I stopped to tape it up. For the rest of the run, I was going back and forth about whether to do the 2nd loop. I really wanted to. I'd planned the day around it, my car was stocked up to be an aid station between loops, 'Bent had gone to visit his Mom for the day, and I really felt like I was at the halfway point as I approached the end of Loop 1. But I got occasional stabbing pains beneath my medial ankle bone, and I started thinking through the rationale for doing two Hockleys. It wasn't about fitness; it was about letting my body get used to pounding the trail for 6-7 hours. Given that my gait was affected by the pain, I wasn't going to get the proper benefit from the training session. I've also got some big stuff coming up - course testing for Wilderness Traverse on Monday and Tuesday, ESAR next weekend, and a longer training run on the 22nd.
So Myka and I went for a nice lunch at the Black Birch, then I came home to an ice bath for my lower legs. Luckily, I'm not running for the next couple of days so I'm hoping that's all it needs... :(