Week 27: March objectives

I am about six months away from my big race, "The Echappe Belle", and I am getting a little nervous.  The longest run I have done is 20km and that was not without difficulty.  In addition it was relatively flat.  "The Echappe Belle" climbs 2000m and descends 4000m.  I was hoping to manage 30km by the end of March, but following my hip problems I am going to concentrate on consolidating the 20km and work on my pace and hill climbing.
On Monday, I did some stretching, iced my hip and rested.  Then Tuesday, I went out for a 10km run that went quite well.  My hip gave a few twinges, but I warmed up before starting and stretched well afterwards.  The run certainly improved my mood which wasn't great when I woke up.  I made sure I stretched as as shown in the video from my last post and used my roller to massage my thigh muscles.  I also iced the area which was sore and felt tight in the evening.
I think I need to spend some time on flexibility exercises.  My muscles are feeling tighter and more toned but I lack flexibility.  I already discovered this after following yoga classes a couple of years ago.  Incidentally it is funny how many stretching exercises used by sportspeople come from yoga.  I have also been told by a physiotherapist that my muscle structure was well developed but that the muscles were all tight, so I should stretch more.  Perhaps my training has concentrated too much on building distance, speed and muscles and not enough time on stretching.  So I have a series of stretches that I will try and do every morning and after each run.
After a midweek gym session I went out for a very satisfying 10km run and managed a fast time.  Despite the cold weather and a twinge in my hip I felt very motivated and the run was over almost too quickly.  I hope I can maintain this positive dynamic.  A good stretch and plenty of water on getting back.
My final run of the week was a long one, 17.9km.  It had snowed the day before and because it was quite mild there was a lot of water on the ground.  In addition I was forced to dodge branches and trees that had been brought down by the heavy, wet snow.  It was quite fun, more like an obstacle race than a normal run.  I even had to shout at a ratty little dog that went for my ankle.  I have found that the best technique with 'yappy' dogs is to stop and face them off.  They tend to be terrible cowards when you turn and shout at them.  It is a pain to have to stop but at least you avoid being bitten.  Some dog owners are pretty good and call their dog to heel or attach a leash at the approach of a runner.  Others, in particular little old ladys with rats, are not.  I suppose dogs are just one of the hazards runners have to face.
Anyway the week finished on a positive not with me feeling quite fluid and comfortable.