Downer!

Struggling to pull things around!

I haven't written a new post in this blog for almost 3 weeks and have been actively avoiding doing so.  This summer is proving to be a particularly low period for me on the endurance running front.  Lower than I had imagined and low for a whole myriad of reasons, not least of which is the battle with getting my head into the game.

It has been a tough few weeks aside of running (long story, lots of details but not worth boring the reader over) but the ultimate outcome has been a set back on an emotional, physical and psychological level.  After my last post, I had just received a massage and was looking forward to a 14 mile training run with Zoe M.  It turned out to be a hot day and one that reminded me that I simply do not cope with running in the heat.  At the end of mile 9, my back and right calf started playing up so the next couple of miles became intermittent with running, jogging and walking.  Zoe was her usual great self, so full of praise and encouragement but I simply slogged my way through running for the last 10 minutes and finally completed a 12.25 mile session in 2 hours.  Two days later however, I managed 11 treadmill miles without too much difficulty but was conscious that my right calf felt tight.

Other than that, I've been exercising at every opportunity but several factors have been limiting my training, my progress and my confidence.  Firstly, having the children at home with me over the holidays has meant that I'm not able to 'steal an hour here or an hour there' after work and when I have been able to find the time, I've been pretty much limited to an hour on most occasions so the distances aren't really happening.  The heat (even on those days that aren't actually that hot) seems to affect me as soon as the temperature reaches 20.  The last couple of weeks in particular seemed to feel so muggy (and an awful lot hotter in the gym) that even when my muscles and breathing are up to par, my head isn't.  I suspect that most of my lack of progress is mental although I certainly haven't been shying off training. 

Having had a week in Devon with my niece and daughters, I ran most mornings (5-6 miles) although the Brixham terrain is slightly different to that of Suffolk.  Hills galore and woodland were both welcomed and beautiful but extremely tough.  That said, my training time was limited to 50 minutes maximum and whilst maintaining a reasonable level of fitness, the progress isn't being made.  I had originally intended on running a longer distance this last weekend but well, after running on both Saturday and Sunday morning at 7am and literally melting whilst doing so, yet another weekend has gone by without any more than a 5 miler as a training run.  So, having ran a marathon almost 6 weeks ago, my longest distances since, were over 2 weeks ago and nowhere near long enough to give me the confidence in myself in this next impending challenge!

I've always prided myself on my fight and ability to grit my teeth and work through even the toughest of situations but I'm genuinely struggling to keep my head held high and believe in myself where training this summer has been concerned.  Each and every time I head out for a run with the best of intentions, I seem to find the whole session a bit torturous - give me a step machine or a bike however and it seems to be a different story.  Still, I'm trying and am really hoping to get 8 miles completed tomorrow evening.  I have a couple of opportunities this week to train although nothing more than an hour until this weekend.  I'm hoping that some rain at the weekend will enable me to get some miles in - from that point onwards, I'll be in a better position to determine just how I'm going to cope with Wolverhampton.  I'm so worried that I won't get around or that I'm so under prepared that it will be 5 hours of torture - or worse, that it'll knock every bit of confidence out of me where the running is concerned ahead of future events.  On the flip-side, by not even attempting it or by reducing it to a half-marathon training run in preparation for other events, I know that I'll be 'failing' in the challenge that I've set myself by my own volition.  Given that I set myself this challenge for my own personal reasons, I'm just not fully prepared to give up on Wolverhampton. 

So, from this point onward, I'm just going to (try to) remain positive and give it my best, although my best may just not be good enough on the day.  TRYING to keep some of my grit and determination about me (just worried, under prepared and terrified of the heat, the hurt and stuffing up)!

Holidays, Heat and Training

Trying To Stay Motivated!

It has now been almost 3 weeks since my last marathon and only a month until my next challenge.  I have, as planned, allowed my body to get some well needed rest and am now in a position where I can kick start the training back in again.  If I'm honest, allowing myself to rest came so much easier than I had thought - not only was I physically incapable of running (I hurt beyond belief in the days following the last venture), I was also extremely tired and, to boot, had also managed to lose the will to even 'want' to run! 

I had anticipated that the end of term tiredness and emotional state would kick in at some point and when factoring a marathon into the equation, I was even more tired than I had planned for.  The inevitable need for rest and anything other than running had, by mid July became too much to ignore.  Perfect timing!

So, in the days following the marathon, I ran very little but instead swam, walked and used the stepping machine.  For someone who has been a hobby runner for years, I'm surprised as to how much I had stopped enjoying the running and have really appreciated the lack of intensive training runs.  On the downside, my muscles have clearly suffered as a result of the marathon training: the constant fatigue, tightness and ache in them has not been fun.  To the point that even the gentlest of runs has been painfully hard and any real exertion has produced a much lower performance than I thought could ever be the case.  If nothing else, I've learnt that repeated training at this level actually lowers performance.  I suspect that a lack of stretching, recovery exercises and rest before setting the training in again has ultimately not served me well.

Note to self - RECOVERY is as important as the training:

http://www.howtobefit.com/marathon-recovery.htm

I knew when I actually ran the endurance event in July that I wasn't really prepared for it.  The over training between Edinburgh and the track event had knocked me back.  So, now I'm in a position where I've had to rest and am now trying to pick up the pieces and train for another event that is only 4.5 weeks away - Wolverhampton.  Having spoke to a few people, read several forums and actually applied some common sense, I've now put together a training plan that will, I hope, give me a chance of coping with the next marathon.  In reality, however, I've lost some of the enthusiasm that I had at the start of the year and the warm weather isn't doing me any favours... with this in mind, I'll happily take getting round unscathed!

My training over the last week (1.5 weeks after the marathon):
w/c 23rd July (start of school holidays, woo hoo)
Monday - around Nowton Park.  Hot, slow and very difficult but actually easier than I thought may be the case
Tuesday - 5 treadmill miles
Wednesday - 5km (slow and painful) followed by 20 minutes of cardio on the step machine (my right calf and Achilles were really not good!)
Friday - 10km on the treadmill and surprisingly easy!  Go figure.
Saturday - 10 miles in total but over two sittings (6 miles and 4 miles) before heading out on the hen night for the lovely Jess. 
Sunday - I had hoped for a few slow miles but too many Pimms and Wine on Saturday put pay to that.  (FYI, too many Pimms by my standards probably serves as little more than an aperitif for most hen party participants; I am officially dreadful at drinking.)

So, now well over two weeks since the last marathon, my legs should be feeling OK but yet the fatigue has still been prominent.  5 miles on Tuesday felt slow, painful and almost unbearable at times.  Until today that is when Sheryl worked her sports therapy magic on my legs.  This afternoon I actually feel as if someone has given me a new pair as an early Christmas present.  So today, Wednesday, I wanted to enjoy this feeling of happy legs a little longer so merely worked for half an hour on the stepping machine.  Tonight I plan on drinking plenty of water and am hoping to complete a slow 14 miler tomorrow, Thursday (hopefully with a cycling companion in Zoe).  I think my legs are ready and mentally, I'm ready to give it a go but I'm also nervous.  Ridiculous really given that I know I can do this but I've been shying away from any distances and hard miles of late so this really does feel like yet another challenge to overcome!  Rest day on Friday, a short run on Saturday and hopefully 10+ miles on Sunday with a few of the Pacers.  Bring it on!

I hope that tomorrow works well for me so that I can actually look forward to Wolverhampton in the way that I had originally set out to do almost 32 weeks ago!

Marathon Hurdle Number 3 - Done and Dusted! Woo hooooo! xxx

Who would have thought that running round an athletics track could be so rewarding?

Well, today, 15th July should have been marathon number 3 but my last minute decision to change the event to an endurance track run on Thursday instead was SO the right move.  If nothing else, having the freedom to lay in bed today having already completed a marathon this week felt REALLY good!  Although, my calves may have a different opinion of what 'really good' feels like for they, most certainly do not feel 'really good'.

However, my marathon number 3 of the year is now complete!  As of today, I have now ran for 29 of my scheduled 48 weeks and completed 3 of my marathons.  That's me being well and truly past the half way mark!  Woo hoo!

As planned a couple of weeks back, I'd made the decision to run on Thursday.  Very low key in many respects as it was me running during my school's annual sports festival.  Running round and round (and round and round) the West Suffolk athletics track.  As part of the festival's opening ceremony, my challenge for the day was announced to the students.  Where I have been casually raising sponsorship for Macmillan Cancer Support, I'd chosen that any funds raised that day would donated to Sports for Rwanda, in line with the basis on which our sports festivals are built.

The set up for the day is that the opening ceremony finishes at 10.20am whereby the 'games' begin which, with the lunch, the games continue until nearly 2.40.  Just in time for the closing ceremony.  Given that our closing ceremony included the welcoming of a couple of the Rwandan Olympic athletes, it was to be quite a big deal.  My running therefore was limited to a little over 4 hours. 

If the truth be known, this suited me to the very core!  As per my last updates, the past 6 or so weeks have been really tough in terms of maintaining the training and my recovery between runs (I wholly accept that running 21 miles TOO fast only 18 days after Edinburgh was more than a bit foolish... Oh, the beauty of hindsight).  With this in mind, anything I achieved on Thursday was going to be less than anything I am truly capable of and would, therefore, be an achievement in its own right.  I was set on completing a marathon but with the time allowance being a lot less than originally anticipated, I wasn't going to complete much more... although once I'd set off, I was still hoping that I could push for 120 laps (30 miles).

So, my first lap started at 10:25am, anti-clockwise around the track.  Before the end of my first lap, a sixth former joined me and the company began.  Sometimes I was joined by only 2-3 others (students and staff), others by entire tutor groups and more... I think (although I could have been slightly delirious) that there was in excess of 100 students/staff with me at one point.  I am especially grateful to Simon (teacher) who ran with me throughout what could have been a very lonely and quiet lunch hour; to Ali (teacher) who pushed himself harder than he had in years and completed 10 miles with me; to Brian (teacher)who has over the past few years lost 7 stone in weight and managed the last 9 miles with me.  More than this however, the many laps run by staff and students on and off.  Joe (Year 12) who also kept me company over lunch and beyond with nearly 10 miles of company and the Year 11 lads (Oli and Jordan) who completed the last 8 miles with me.  Over and above this was the overwhelming support by the many students and staff who kept me focused and positive with their many words of encouragement and cheers throughout the entire day.  The weather was far too hot for my liking (on the ONLY day of sunshine this week, it happened to be sun-burning hot - this transpires to be the day THE day that I ran a marathon).

I was slow, really slow and my calves hurt, really hurt!  My 'clicker-counter' for each lap became my new best friend.  Initially I counted in 20's up until 60 laps in.  I then counted to 70, to 80, to 85, to 90, to 92 and then stayed in 2's from thereon in.  I knew that 104 laps was 26 miles and once I'd reached 85 laps, I was just working towards the marathon or rather 105 laps to give me those important extra few hundred metres.

Once I'd reached 100 laps, it suddenly all felt easier.  Those last few laps seemed to fly by and I suspect that my mental state released chemicals that helped to kill the pain!  One or our students who had been selected as a torchbearer ran the last lap with me (this was meant to be the 105th lap) but being that I was part of a school event, things could never go quite to plan and at the end of this lap, the Year 6 Primary School dance was well underway... I was then told to run around again (actually, I think I was asked to stop but I didn't cotton on to the waving by other members of staff until too late) and then ran another lap... this felt amazingly easy!  So, I finished after 106 laps or 26.5miles.  Around 4hr 15 mins of very slow running but I loved it, really loved it.  (Apart from the times where it felt really hard and I kept snivelling to myself.  Oh, and the time that my left calf seemed to cramp up.  And the time that I bent down to get my sports drink and felt a sharp pain in my back when standing up again.)

I'd originally intended to change direction at various points throughout the day but I can't bear running clockwise around the track.  Psychologically, stopping to do an about turn was more than what I could handle.  This was absolutely fine on the day but my goodness, I felt the inner/outer abs on my left hand side come Friday!

So today, my abs feel fine.  My quads and hamstrings are amazingly fine but my calves are stinging like you wouldn't believe.  A gentle swim yesterday, a gentle walk today and lots of sleep has and continues to do me the power of good. 

Next steps - another week or so without any real runs and then a sensible training plan to build me up to Wolverhampton which is 7 weeks from now.  I think I'll walk, swim and use the rower over the next few days although my training this week is severely limited on the basis that I'm working, hosting tea-parties and have the girls everyday/night with the exception of Thursday.  Me, being me, thinks that this constraint is probably a good thing right now.  Recovery most certainly aides improved results... advice I really need to pay heed to!

So, 19 weeks to go and Wolverhampton is my next hurdle on the horizon.  Bring it on.  :o)

Heat - Eugh and Last Minute Amendments!

Dilemmas, decisions and discipline needed!

Please excuse the fact that I didn't post an update last night but a faulty laptop and post-weekend away catch up won!

Anyway, it has now been 15 days since my last update and although my legs are beginning to recover nicely, my ability to run fast (by my standards) seems to have gone by the way side.  If I'm truly honest, this is definitely attributable to the fact that my work/family/social life balance have been winning over the training where motivation is concerned.  The training has been happening - just somewhat half-heartedly at times.  I'm still awaiting a much needed massage which I'm hoping is going to happen this week although, my legs feel infinitely better than was the case a fortnight ago.   I think I need to be really disciplined over the next couple of weeks!

SO, I don't have any major excuse for not training and have been trying to stick to some sort of training plan that would both enable my legs to recover and also help to prepare me for my next marathon venture.  In my last post, I said that I would try to spend a week mixing up other cardio-vascular routines with running which actually worked quite well.  Over a period of 5 training sessions, I mixed running with using the step-machine.  So ample time was given to training but running was limited to between 5k and 10km per session:

Monday 18th June - Interval training - 10km treadmill run plus 40 minutes of step machine
Weds 20th - 5 mile run
Thursday 21st - 6 mile run after work plus 40 minutes of step machine
Friday - 10km broken into a 4 mile, 6am session and a 2.25 mile jog after work
Sunday - 5km hill running (on the road) in Derbyshire.  This REALLY hurt but that wasn't down to tired legs, or pushing it too hard but more a case of Southern Jessie tackling the hills.  In total- fractionally under 27 miles.  Nowhere near enough to bank a reasonable marathon time but very well needed plenty of cardio-vascular endurance in there too.

Last week was disappointing in terms of getting the miles in but the effort was there - although the heat wasn't my friend.
A good start to training with 8 comfortable miles on Tuesday.  What was meant to be 18 long miles after work on Thursday (knowing that I was away at the weekend) was a struggle.  I hadn't arranged for a running partner/bike support so figured that the headphones, treadmill and the tv was a sad but acceptable alternative.  That seemed like a good idea until the lack of air-conditioning, lots of bodies and a very hot gym got in the way.  So nigh on 2 hours later, I'd managed plenty of exercise but only around 8 miles of actual running.  So physically hot, that I constantly moved between power walking (sub 12 minute miling), the step machine and actual running (8 minute miling).  To compensate for this, I ran 11 miles from my sister's house on Friday which was a slow, training run.  Having worked quite hard the day before, I couldn't have been much quicker anyway and it was intended to be a training run anyway.    The girls rode their bikes for a short while so that I could jog next to them on Sunday.  In total, around 29 miles this week which is still 5 or so miles fewer than I had planned for.

This brings the first dilemma - I really want to get another slightly longer session in prior to the next marathon but don't want to wait until the weekend as the event is only a week or so away now.  With this in mind, my schedule for the week:

Monday - STRAIGHT after work, 12 miles (ideally more if time permits before collecting the girls)
Tuesday - camping with the school but may be able to squeeze 10km in
Weds - 4 early morning miles, ideally
Thursday - Rest
Friday - 6 miles
Saturday - rest PLUS the Olympic Torch relay passes through Bury St Edmunds (very excited)
Sunday - 6 miles... I hope!

This also leads me to my second dilemma.  I have been working towards my marathon event number 3 of the year.  Fairlands Valley marathon event in Stevenage on 15th July.  This was always going to be difficult event as it's cross-country (which is ok, just a bit daunting) but is also the day after a wedding - my head won't want to know.  I've also just figured out that through a careless lack of planning on my part, I skipped the small print stating that it's not a properly marshalled event and is a bit of an orienteering challenge for the vast majority of the marathon distance (slightly longer than a marathon at 26.4 miles, IF I don't get lost).  This 'orienteering' I'm not up for when running by myself with only a small field of competitors... I'm going to have some experience of this in my ultra-race at the end of the year but not to the extent of this marathon.  That's the sort of thing I'd rather do with a large group of runners and make it a day of fun, just for the sake of it.  Having said that, with Summer being the season of shorter distances, there aren't many local marathons in the offing (plenty abroad - perhaps I should have been more willing to spend out on yet another weekend away and planned for it accordingly).  So, what to do, what to do? 

The decision:  As a teacher, my school holds an awesome 'sports day' every year, or rather a sports festival.  As part of that, the lovely Zoe has organised a staff running-relay.  A relay that will see a constant flow of teachers/support staff running around the West Suffolk Athletics track for the full 5.5 hours of the sports day, all in a relay, each running from 5 minutes upwards (most running for approximately 20-30 minutes), all in aid of Sports for Rwanda/Sports Relief.  As an alternative to an orienteering marathon that I'm really not brave enough to run, I am going to run a longer than planned for marathon for the full 5 and a half hours to support the staff in their relay and as a constant challenge for me.  Each lap of the track being 400 metres (1/4 mile) for a full day.  I have no idea how this will pan out for me.  The terrain will be easy (flat, track).  The support will be amazing (900 students and staff in the vicinity plus another member of staff on the track lapping me throughout the day, I hope).  The preparation has been going.... ok.... The only things against me are the lack of SERIOUS distances over the past 3-4 weeks, my legs don't feel as strong as they perhaps should, the weather (in whatever form that may be) and the sheer endurance of pure track running for such a long period of time (I've estimated that I could probably complete between 120-132 laps of the track or 30-33 miles). 

Now that I've made the executive decision for this to be the case (assuming that the weather doesn't defer the sports day until the following week), I'm hugely excited about the whole thing... a real sense of trepidation too but excited all the same.

I just now need to ensure that I train tonight, ease up properly, eat and drink properly over the next couple of weeks and then, well, act like Forrest and run! 

New Shoes, New Routes, New Aches and Pains!

Factoring in the off-road miles.

Well, this is the blog where I should be feeling rather chuffed with myself. This weekend saw the end of 25 weeks of training which means I have well and truly passed the half-way point in my 50 (actually 48 weeks) of training. This should be a good feeling - one where I can tell myself that I have worked really hard to achieve something, despite the many odds of 'my busy life' being against me. In part, of course I feel like this... I'd be mad not to acknowledge the fact that I've reached the hump in terms of my training time. If the truth be known, however, I'm having a week of feeling overwhelmed.

I may have survived the half-way point in terms of time but the real challenges are yet to come. I've still only completed 2 of the scheduled 6 marathons, 2 of the next 4 are off-road and the last is an ultra-race. So many of the first 16 weeks of training were building up to and becoming physically strong enough to cope with the demands of a marathon. My current state of training is about maintaining the momentum, distance and making the transition to factor in more off road running. I had seriously underestimated just how hard this would be and trying to run 20+ milers every 3 weeks as part of my 'training' is now taking its toll on me. I'm seriously struggling to find the time needed to put these distances in and then recover quickly enough to get back on with my life again with legs that are also beginning to command some recovery time. I think that any normal marathon runner would train for and participate in a marathon and then spend the next month or so avoiding running like the plague. For me, this hasn't been the case. Although I've allowed myself some recovery time, the very nature of the my frequency of marathons has meant that the recovery periods are short.

Now that the throws of work have kicked back in, the sleep is also beginning to suffer again.

SO - factoring in the off-road running, severe lack of sleep, sore (sometimes intensely so) legs - especially the Achilles and insufficient recovery time, I'm physically not feeling in a 'good place' this week. BUT it's all self-inflicted and as much as there's a need for this to be addressed, it's my place to address it!

The past week hasn't served me well at all:
10km at Nowton Park on the Monday (11th June)
Thursday saw me run 20.75miles (33.2km) on the treadmill AFTER 9 hours at work, following a 5 hour night's sleep... this felt ok (although I have NEVER ran 3 hours on a treadmill before).
4 miles at Nowton Park on Friday (this was horrid - legs were like lumps of concrete).
I was planning on running 8-9 miles on the Sunday evening but my legs were too sore to even knock out one mile. Instead I went on the stepping machine for 25 minutes and then headed out on my bike for a half-hour burn out.  None of which has been helped by my daughters' hamster dying yesterday.  Two forlorn children; one formal burial and a whole lot of hole digging (for the coffin) has only served to add to the stresses, trials and tribulations of a single, working, running mum's life!

My plans for this week are trying to keep active but also to respect the aches and pains a little.
Monday - 10km run and 35 minute stepping machine.
Tuesday - No exercise (work and girls)
Wednesday - 1 hour of tempo training on the treadmill if the legs allow it. Cross training otherwise.
Thursday - Some gentle exercise - maybe a slow (VERY slow) 4 mile jog
Friday - Bury 5 (if the legs can cope)
Saturday/Sunday - I'm away for the weekend but would quite like to try and squeeze in a 10 mile run (somehow).... although this is very much dependent upon the legs!

If all goes well this week and that my legs are able to recover a little, then I'm really looking to up the off-road miles next week but for now, let my legs get through this week first. To say that I'm nervous about a multi-terrain marathon in under 4 weeks is playing it down a little. I'm excited about it and am telling myself just to enjoy the experience but I would always want to do myself proud.  I know that with my legs feeling the stresses of training as has been the case over the past few days, then this is unlikely to be the case. I will, therefore, allow sense and sensibility to prevail when necessary. (Or am I just telling myself that in order to placate myself?)

Anyway - I have new trainers which I'm hoping aren't contributing towards my niggles. I've changed the terrain a little... I'm hoping this won't contribute towards my niggles. I NEED sleep which really won't help the niggles so intend on getting a couple of earlier nights in.... on that note, at nearly 11pm already, I'm risking falling at the first hurdle!

Edinburgh Marathon 2012

Edinburgh Marathon via Garmin Forerunner

Marathon Hurdle Number 2 - Check!

Edinburgh - done and dusted!

Well, a week or so after my last post and 8 days since my second Marathon hurdle of the year - and I still have the 'tan line' medals to prove it!

After my last update where it was evident that my nerves were picking up again, I found myself, yet again, looking for reasons to not take part.  The heat - yes, it was hot but that's no excuse.  The tiredness - yes, I was absolutely shattered but did I ever think that running a marathon at this point in the academic year would be anything different?  Tiredness is no excuse.  My tonsillitis - OK, fair point but I was nowhere near as bad as I could have been and was definitely out of the 'other side' by the time race day came so that's no excuse.  SO, being all out of excuses, I ran on Sunday 27th May as planned and trained for.

After a long drive up with my friend Emma and two of our children on Friday night, the 380 mile journey (not 360 as expected) which saw the most beautiful sunset, not one but TWO speed camera episodes, 3 burger/loo stops, lots of gossip and the entire world put to rights, we finally arrived at our hotel at 12.30am.  I'd love to claim careful planning on my part but it was purely coincidental that our hotel was about 20 seconds from the A1 and extremely close to the finish line - this made life SO easy on Sunday.

Saturday was spent being a lazy tourist in the city - I haven't been to Edinburgh in years and forgot just how beautiful it was.  Although the heat and lack of desire to be a tourist on a mission saw us spend the best part of the day sat by the new parliament building paddling pools and in restaurants although the castle and park were duly visited.  Too hot and sunny to even want to do any more than that, factor in the fact that I was running a marathon the very next day and the urge to be any more active on the Saturday was in serious decline!  I did however run (well, jog) a couple of slow miles early on the Saturday morning which, as expected, added to my nerves as it was already hot, hot, hot!

So, after a lovely day on Saturday, lots of pizza, olives, pasta and water (SO much water, having an aversion to running in the heat, I was taking no risks here.), I managed a reasonably early night.  A good feed up on Sunday morning, a taxi drive to the start with some random fellow marathon runners staying at my hotel, a mocha in a nice little cafe near the start line (I was, unbelievably, early for once in my life) and several loo visits, I was in my starting bay and a bag of nerves but ready to start.  The temperature at this point was a mild 15 degrees. 

The course itself is beautiful: starting in the centre of Edinburgh and moving out and down along the East coast, following a loop back on itself and finishing near Musselburgh Race Course.  I actually quite enjoyed most of the run and made a point to run at a pace that I might perhaps have felt a little fast but I knew that I would suffer in the heat and wanted to get as many miles under my belt before that time.  This was a REALLY good move and was on for a PB until well over 20 miles in.  My 30km split was 2 minutes ahead of the same split in Milan but then the heat really kicked in.  In the early stages along the edge of the coast, it was beautiful, sunny and benefited from the sea breeze.  By 12pm, this was NOT the case and by 1pm, I was desperate for a breeze, some shade and a light shower.  Sadly, nothing other than heat and sun!  I spent very little of the entire run without a bottle in hand and made sure that I took every opportunity to drink before and throughout the event - SUCH a good move as there were an awful lot of people not looking too well at the edge of the course, especially in the last few miles. 

By mile 21, nausea had kicked in and the pace slowed.  My earlier average of 8.25-8.40 minutes/mile changed slowed to 9 minute miles and at one point, I'm sure I clocked a 9.30 mile.  The typical mind over matter and literally 'talking myself through' the steps, the 400 metre marks (1/4 of a mile, 1 lap of the track) throughout the last 3 miles was SO hard.... and then, suddenly, I saw the 26 mile marker.  Lord only knows how but I then sped up.  My elation was so great I think that I managed to speed up to an 8 minute/mile average for this last section.  The little video of the finish clip that I have actually shows me speeding up and overtaking.  (To be fair, I was probably running so very slowly but others were running slower still.  I'm more than willing to admit just how deceptive the video actually looks.)

My final finishing time: 3:49:43  Exactly 95 seconds slower than Milan but given the conditions, I'm really pleased with this.  A part of me is berating myself for not going faster but sore hips kicked in at 18 miles and I genuinely couldn't have done any better.  Hence, I'm trying to focus on the fact that I did as well as I did.

My placing:  I was the 1991st finisher in Milan of approximately 6000 finishers.  In Edinburgh, approximately 23000 runners, I was the 1992nd finisher.  On that basis, I'm all the more proud of my time.

My highlight however was being passed by runners from Norfolk Harriers and Wymondham running club in the early stages but passing ALL of them again in the last 5-6 miles of the course.  Good to see other local East Anglia runners in the event but better to have beaten them (forever the competitor)!

Even happier when I arrived back in Suffolk after the long, stiff and tiring 380 mile journey home again.

So, the last week has seen me recovering from sore hips and tight hamstrings.  A lovely massage from Sheryl and I'm ready to go again.  I only ran 8 miles last week and have been deliberately lazy.  This week picks up the miles again a little but I don't really want to run any more than about 20 miles in total (including the Stowmarket 5 on Friday night) and then the serious training kicks in again next week.  The Stevenage marathon is in 6 weeks from now and is also partially cross-country/trail running.  My training plan will have to take this into account but more to follow on that one!