Twenty Twenty - Juneathon #5



New Kit


Today is officially the furthest these little old legs of mine have taken me in forty years. Sunday = Long run, I was up early for a Sunday (6-15am) so I could get some sort of fuel inside me. I managed a slice of Fruit loaf and half a bottle of sports drink, before crashing back to bed for half an hour,getting back up,stretching then leaving for my run. The weather was perfect for running this morning, mild but cloudy and I had my new running kit on (See tomorrows Blog for kit review).

I headed out along the Basingstoke Canal, The same Canal that I run at work but this time I was heading the other direction towards the Hampshire town of Fleet. I needed this to be a bit of a confidence booster, my previous two long runs of 18 miles were run on a very undulating course and had broken me by mile 16. Today I wanted to go longer but on a pancake flat course to see if I was stronger.



Trees and Water



By mile 4, any minor twinges had disappeared and I was soon in my rhythm and going along nicely. The plan was to be just under 9 minute miles, which I plan to be running for my Marathon in September. There was the odd Jogger, Cyclist and dog walker but generally quiet (Sensible people stay in bed on a Sunday morning!) The Canal can be quite hypnotic, it's very much the same mile after mile, the intense surrounding of the trees and the water. I got to mile 10 comfortably before turning round and heading back.



Er...More Trees and Water


I only had one gel with me today and my Camelbak filled with water. I took the gel halfway. By mile 13 I was starting to feel a little tired, which fills your thoughts with "Oh No, there's still 7 miles to go" but after a further couple of miles the tiredness had lifted and I was back on track. Mile 16 passed and 17 & 18 I actually picked up the pace. I tried to concentrate on my posture, as my head was dropping and I was looking down, I focused on looking ahead. Mile 19, I was feeling tired but not in the same way as my previous long runs.



I got home, stretched and sat in the Garden enjoying my Recovery Shake (Damn they taste so good after a hard run) I then hit an ice cold bath for 10 minutes to relieve the legs. After changing and feeling good about my run today, I was brought back to earth by my good wife with her comment of " God you look Ill".....Happy Days.


End of the Road