I’ve done it... I’ve survived my longest training run. Twenty two miles of hard slog – that’s three laps of Richmond Park early on a Sunday morning. Super early in fact, because British Summer Time started this weekend. But I did it, and it felt good. It took 3 hrs 17 mins, and I was still smiling, standing, and holding a normal conversation at the end. Ok, so there was a bit nearing the end where I wanted it all to be over, but somehow I pushed through and carried on.
Amazingly, running that far isn’t just about the legs and lungs. There’s a heck of a mental battle too: dealing with the fatigue and pushing through it; knowing when to eat and drink...and what to eat and drink; the constant calculation of miles versus kilometres, hours and minutes, speed, distance, heart rate; deciding what to wear – gloves & jacket this weekend versus just a t-shirt last weekend. I just hope that on the day that it really matters, I manage to get all these things sorted.
This weekend I really noticed the plethora of runners in Richmond running in their charity vests – a rainbow of colours, a myriad of different shapes, sizes, speeds and running styles. But the one thing we all have in common is that we’re all planning to run 26 miles in less than four weeks time to raise money for worthwhile causes.
So, as the Bibendum team dig deep for our final few weeks of training, I ask you to also please dig deep in your pockets and click on the links to the right to support any or all of us in running for the Multiple Sclerosis society to achieve our goals.
And of course, a MASSIVE THANK YOU to everyone who has sponsored us so far!
Doing all this training has affected more than just my achy leg muscles and my creaky knees... this body is now pretty battered and blistered. In building up the miles, I’ve managed to get some chaffing in some pretty strange places...thighs, armpits and under the boobs/moobs are the common places, but I seem to have found new places to chaff. My décolletage is the weirdest spot – I have a new permanent ‘neckline’ courtesy of my sports bra (no more low cut tops for me!). I also seem to have a patch of recurring chaffing in the middle of my lower back, caused by running with the camelpak rucksack on. On the whole, the chaffing has been less painful this time around though – probably because training through the winter means less sweating... I’m certainly not complaining!
Another joy that hits most runners, and Dan has already talked about, is the blisters. Mine are generally on the ends of my toes – especially my little toes. Again though, I think I’ve been lucky and haven’t been too badly inflicted. The one thing I do really dislike though is the black toenails. I have three. Thank goodness it’s not open-toed shoe weather yet, because mine don’t look pretty at all! I tried on some sandals in the weekend, and was so embarrassed by the state of my toes that I rather quickly gave up and went home without new shoes.
One weekend, fairly early on in my training, I didn’t cut my toenails short enough before my long run, which caused my toenails to cut into their neighbouring toes and wasn’t a pretty sight when I later took my shoes off to discover my blood soaked socks... lesson learned there!
I’ve also discovered a new sore spot – well, it’s new to me, but I’ve come across other sufferers. It’s the tops of my feet. I guess it must come from tying your shoes too tight, or from where the tongue of your shoe sits across the high part of your foot... whatever causes it, it hurts a bit, and I hope it goes before my next run!
It’s not all bad though. Amazingly, I have already started to get a suntan from my hours in the great outdoors – plenty more freckles on my face, and the backs of my legs have a fabulously distinctive wide band of brown from the tops of my socks to the bottom of my shorts.
With less than four weeks to go, I am feeling good about this race. I’ve done more than I have ever managed before, and I can still move...bring on race day, I say. In fact, I’m almost starting to think about what I can tackle next...
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