18 miles ia a long way!

During my training my long runs tend to alternate between longest ever runs and a little bit shorter e.g. 15 miles followed by 12 miles followed by 17 miles followed by 14 miles... Yesterday I set out to run 17 miles, I think the route actually worked out to be about 17.5.  However, due to it being the first time I had seen the route and a maze of footpaths I ended up running 18.6 miles and still ended up about a mile from my car! Most of the run was ok, I was was physically struggling for the last few miles so I know I need to get up earlier and get more energy into me.  I also ran without fluids other than my gels so that probably didn't help. I had ordered a Camelbak but it was out of stock with no ETA so I binned the order and paced another order elsewhere to and got a better deal to boot.
Hopefully next Sunday I'll have a running partner again for a 14 mile jaunt around Swindon.
Tonight I'm off to see Jack so he can work some magic on my glutes.

https://www.strava.com/activities/493148493

Long run Sunday...

On the eve of long run Sunday, 17 miles to do. Last Sunday I took part in the Longleat 10km, a hilly event that really took a lot of effort. It was different to the 10miles that was on the plan but it was good to run with other people, trying not to get carried away and stick to my own race. I've got 2 more races booked before London, the Bath half marathon and the marathon prep race, 24 miles. I'm still often surprised by how far I've progressed but it's a great feeling to hit a PB or a new longest distance. Running has really helped me keep me sane, during times of stress it gives me an out. That said, the thought of running a marathon often is terrifying and unreal but I'm proud to be supporting Sense, getting sponsored gives me a real boost and a kick up the butt to get out of bed when I'd rather stay under the duvet. 

New longest run

Another long run done, about 15.5 miles!

On Tuesday night I had to abandon my run due to tight hamstrings. Physio on Thursday was painful but effective it seems. Delighted with progress!

Longest run

Since the last update I managed a 10 mile run last Sunday which was fairly comfortable, the route was a completely new one and I ran the vast majority of it on my own.  I had a good run on Tuesday night but Thursday night my legs felt tired, possibly due 2 runs in quite cold conditions.  In light of the fact my legs were feeling tired and I had a 14 mile run planned for today I decided to not do parkrun and instead go to the spa to give the legs a heat and ice treatment session.  The jacuzzi was the hottest it has ever been in my memory but the ice brought the legs back down to temperature pretty quickly.  I got plenty of rest but think I should have hydrated and eaten more yesterday.  I was a bit nervous about the run today, a) because it was uncharted territory b) I was testing my fuelling strategy today (a gel pack every 8km) and c) my legs were still quite tired and I was running with someone who wanted a 5min/km pace.

I think the fuelling strategy needs adjusting, before and during the run. At around 15km I was feeling like I wanted to walk a while, by 20km I had a stitch that didn't relent but I was spurred on by the half marathon PB I could see on my watch.  90 days to go until the big day, in fact, in 90 days I hope to be reflecting on another longest run ever feeling even more satisfied after completing my first ever marathon.

Physio is booked for Thursday night so my usual run will be moved and I think I will schedule more regular maintenance visits!

Europe

Having spent the week travelling in Belgium, Holland and Poland for work, maintaining a decent diet and good level of training has been hard.  However, I did managed a couple of trips to hotel gyms, so everything has gone entirely to pot.  I found running in different trainers and on a treadmill to be hard work, what seemed like a fast pace was slower than usual but was far more difficult.
Back in the UK now and long run Sunday is set for about 10miles - hope to get back into the swing of things quickly!

Longest run

It's seems like years ago that I ran the Bristol half marathon but in reality it was just a few months.  Today I ran my longest run since that day in September, very different for a number of reasons.  1) no stitches 2) no water/gels 3) wetter/muddier/colder 4) no cheering/clapping supporters 5) feeling more confident about running that distance.

On the day I was nervous having never covered the distance before, I ate breakfast and grabbed every opportunity for water or energy gels along the route. Today, the only concerns I had were was it going to stop raining and not being 100% on the planned route.

As it turned out the route was ok in terms of navigation, stuck with the crowd for the first half then picked up the pace a bit for the second half. The bit around the lake was hideously wet and muddy from which my feet never recovered. I hate wet socks at the best of times but after only a few km into a 20km was a nightmare. Squelching, cold and wet. The last 10km was actually run in sunshine, a pleasant surprise and it warmed up enough for me to feel my fingers and my ears.  The countryside was looking good except for the large areas of flooding, high water levels in ditches/fields.

I'm travelling next week so I'm trying to get my trainers cleaned and dried before my early flight, I have no idea whether I'll find somewhere to run/train on Tuesday but Thursday's hotel certainly has a gym.  10 miles next Sunday should be ok based on today's performance depite the uncertainly of training this week.  

3 weeks later...

Well it's time for a long overdue update...

As you can see from the activity feed over there on the right, I have been making good progress with my running including back to back PBs on 9 mile runs.  I'm really pleased with how things are going so far but now the training really ramp up.  It's all about staying fit, not taking any unnecessary risks and listening to my body.  I have a great team behind me; my wife, my PT, a sports therapist and a sport masseuse.

I set up a TeamSense group on Strava to help myself and others stay motivated, encouraged and included - we're all on the same journey so it's great to see how others are getting on.
A good session on the exercise bike tonight doing a hill program, 14+km in 30 mins and a good stretch so I'm all set for tomorrow night's run.

Fundraising currently stands at £1,545.01 which is fantastic and I'm hugely grateful for the support!