All Happed Up For the Long Run

It's been cold today.  The car thermometer reckons it has been about 3C for most of the day.  I fitted in my long run after lunch, but had a long debate about what to wear.  Two tops definitely.  One or two pairs of trousers? Which socks: normal, thick or two pairs? Hat and gloves definitely.  In the end thick socks were fine, as were the two tops.  I should have put on two pairs of trousers and, although the Tracksters were fine for the start of the run, my legs got very chilled on the way home.  I also had a very cold chin, but that I can live with.

It was my longest run so far - 13.93 miles.  The first 6 miles were fine - along a part of the river Medway that I hadn't run before.  After 6 miles I hit a low as I was beginning to feel tired and was very aware that I wasn't half way through yet.  (I had planned to run 14 miles.)  After 9 miles things picked up a little, although my tiredness increased and I ran slower and slower.  From 12 miles, I felt awful - tired cold legs, my knees ached (probably because the run was nearly all on the roads, and even the river path was surfaced) and other bits of my legs joined in the complaints, so that I ended up walking a couple of times in the last (uphill) mile. I've never felt so glad to see my house!

Curiously, last week's long run was one of my faster runs.  My midweek 3 mile run this week was just as slow as today's run.  The human body and mind are strange things and I can't work out why I feel so bad some days (apart from the inevitable tiredness as the long runs get longer) and surprisingly good on others.

New Year's Update

Well, the training is going steadily and quite well, despite the predictable overindulgence in food and drink over Christmas.  The mild but wet weather is a mixed blessing: off road is very muddy and churned up, but soft underfoot so more comfortable on the knees; the weather has been mild enough on some days to run in a t-shirt, but it's warm enough that I need to bring water for my long runs, which are now almost 2.5 hours.  I am looking forward to the colder weather forecast for next week - I'm quite happy to put on lots of layers, gloves and hat.  Hoping I get some snow runs in this year.

Looking pink after today's 11.5 miles

I'm up to 11.5 miles or so now at a very slow pace - averaging over 12 minute miles, so less than 5 mph and theoretically I could walk more quickly (at a fair marching pace).  Am I bovvered?  Not really.  I'd like to be quicker, but my goal is to complete the marathon, full stop.  No qualifications on time (although I'd preferably like to finish before they shut up shop and go home). I'm a little quicker on shorter runs, and do manage a variety of pace on interval runs, but now is the time for building up distance, not necessarily speed.

More info has come through this week from the organisers of the Belfast Marathon and I've signed up with The Run Lounge website (http://www.runlounge.com/) for training plans and hopefully some mutual support.