Another week, another 20 miler. Wanted to run somewhere between 18 and 22 miles, depending on how I felt near the end, so happy with that.
Sunday was sunny! Was lulled into a false sense of spring and wore short sleeves for the first time. However there is still a cruel easterly wind, and 7C is not really that warm, so was very chilly for some of the run. Note to self: if in doubt, wear your gloves.
Found a lovely part of the River Medway between Teston and Yalding, that I had never been along - very beautiful and good for the soul. However the weather has been dry, as well as cold, of late and the ground was rock hard. That, plus more running on tarmac than usual left my feet aching. I never expected the long runs to give me the same achy feet that I get from spending too long shopping!
The CamelBak(ish) was very useful and I drank a full 1.5 litres of water on the way round. Have been meaning to try out some energy gels, but have been reading mixed reviews of them. In any event, I forgot to buy any, so ended up with some of the kids' Fruit Flakes and nibbled these at 13 and 18 miles. It's hard to say whether they boosted my energy levels noticeably, apart from making me feel warmer, which was great!
Two days later and my toes still feel bruised, but my legs have recovered.
The scary thing is that it's now less than 4 weeks to the marathon, so I will need to start easing off on the long distances soon. It would have been great to have run 23 miles before the marathon, but there's no point doing it all in training and having nothing left for the big day.
Just finished my first 20-miler in 30 years! Not feeling too bad!!
It's a cool day (about 5C) with a chilly north-easterly breeze. Wrapped up in two layers and wore hat & gloves. Some of the run was sheltered and sunny (hat & gloves off and sleeves rolled up); other parts felt bitterly cold in the wind.
Was very glad to have the loan of the Camelbak-type drink backpack (thanks Jenny!) and drank about one litre.
As usual, the first hour felt comfortably like a warm-up. The next hour was OK, then my muscles started to tighten up and the psychological games started (am I half way round yet?). My route was, as usual, unique (to me) in places and I had a nasty moment at about 16 miles when I took a footpath across fields at random, then wasn't sure where I was. It did take my mind off the distance though! ;)
All turned out well, although I was a little out on my estimated distance, so that I was still about 3 miles from home after 18 miles. (I had planned to run somewhere between 19 & 20 miles.) Usually I underestimate the distance, so that I have to add in a little extra loop at the end. However it was a great feeling to know that I would run at least 20 miles. When I hit that magic number, I stopped running and walked home as my warm-down. I had a think about whether I thought I could have managed another 6 miles: although I didn't feel the need to run any more today, I think that I probably could manage it. It's the first time that I've believed that I will be able to finish the marathon.
Towards the end, instead of feeling heavy-legged, my legs felt strangely numb and I felt as light as a feather. I almost laughed when I saw 20 miles on my watch. Not sure if that means that I hit and got past The Wall, or if I've just been enjoying the endorphins.
Must watch Run, Fat Boy, Run again...
