A very intense nine days of training culminated with my longest run so far on Friday- 18 miles. It was a test both physically and mentally for me after 38 miles and 2 gym sessions! My legs felt very heavy from the start and various aches and pains made it difficult to get into a good rhythm.
I was also weighed down with all the things needed to sustain me for such a distance. This included 500ml liquid, 3 biscuits, and 2 60ml energy gels. The effect was for my stylish running belt to dig in across my stomach. This was my first experience of energy gels and they are as horrible to eat, as they are difficult to carry. It’s essentially an over sized ketchup packet filled with something that has the appearance and consistency of wallpaper paste. The bizarre gloopy substance even sticks to the inside of your mouth and throat causing small amounts of gagging! However by the second packet I was able to swallow it all without breaking stride.
They must have been effective, as I seemed to have the strength to dig deep and grind out a time I would be satisfied with. I even learnt to enjoy the pain of the last few miles. I finished in 2hrs40mins, which, although slower than last week, was great considering the circumstances. It kept up my excellent record of only dropping into nine-minute mile territory once throughout my training- a horrible 12 miler I stupidly undertook around the time of my virus.
I think I deserve a rest after all that! I won’t be trying to improve on that until the 29th march for a 20-mile marathon warm up race in Hemel Hempstead.
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