I have to admit I'd been feeling a little nervous about doing my long run on Saturday morning. Maybe it was because I had failed to complete it last week when my stomach was hurting, or maybe it was because the route really is my nemisis. I hate it. So, why do I do it? Well, it's tough (for me). It would be nothing to a seasoned runner, but unfortunately I'm not a seasoned runner... I'm someone fighting back from a long standing injury and I don't even run the whole lot! Still... the route has an overall elevation gain of over 1000ft and this is mostly in the first half of the route, so, if previous attempts at this were anything to go by, the first half would more or less kill me!
Putting on my Camelbak was a shock. I'd upped the water from 1 litre to 1.5 litres, and I noticed the difference straight away. And to think I used to run carrying around 5KG... I dread the day I start attempting to do that again! I had felt quite energetic for the past week (despite a tough week at work) and I'd eaten well. Everything was in place for a good run, and why shouldn't it be good?.... Every other long run I'd done recently had left me with plenty of energy and I could have carried on, so I should be fine!
The run starts on a half mile long steep hill. I was immediately tired but kept telling myself it was all good training ready for a flat marathon. I used my inhaler at the top... about 5 times! The 4 minute walk break was over too quick and I was off again running up a long slow incline. The last time I'd ran this way on a 10ish mile run I'd had to stop and walk and take my inhaler. I wanted to walk, but I didn't. Again the 4 minute walk was over in a flash and I'm just about to start running at the bottom of another bloody hill... this one is horrible, the worst on the route because it doesn't just go up but also twists to the right. I was absolutely shattered at the top but had to keep running for another 3 minutes before my walk break. The walk done and yet again I had to run up a long slow incline. My legs were really tired and at this point and I'd only done 5 miles. I kept going though... the marathon is flat and this is good training for my legs, I told myself over and over.
It's now 6.5 miles and I'm running down a gentle slope. I was still knackered. Walk break done and now I'm running up another long bank... this time it's about 3/4 of a mile long and is the last very very long hill on the route so I tell myself it's going to be easy from now on. I didn't get to the top before having to have a negative walk break for around 1 minute. My asthma was bad today, which I presumed was due to the hills coupled with the cold air.
At the turnaround point I was pleased to be heading back home. Running the downhills was better, but my legs were very tired. The odd uphill on the way back hurt and at about 16 miles I had my second negative walk break, again for about 1 minute, because I couldn't breathe going up a hill. I kept telling myself I was doing well though... I'd wanted to walk so many more times but didn't, and again, I reminded myself that this is a much tougher route than the marathon I'm training for. The very last hill on the route I was actually on a walk break... THANK GOD! Although it was only a small hill, it was steep so I was glad to not have to run it.
I got home having done 18 miles in 3 hours 16ish and had nothing left. I couldn't have ran another step. I found myself thinking of next weeks planned run... an even tougher 20 miles with much more elevation. I shrugged off the thoughts as they seemed very depressing at that moment in time. Stopping immediately made my calves and hamstrings seize up. This is a feeling I haven't experienced for over a year, and whilst it was horrible, I cast my mind back to all of the months during injury, where I'd have given anyhting to ache this much because I'd done a long run. For once, I embraced the pain and was grateful that my foot allowed me to go that far! Graeme had done 19 miles and finished half an hour before me, so he is going great guns and more than on target for a sub 4. To be honest, I think he'll do even better than that! :-) I spent the next hour and a half coughing, which Graeme said was definitely an asthma issue. I took my inhaler a couple of times but it didn't help much until 90 minutes later when I felt my chest untighten and I was able to breathe properly again.
And today? It's like I didn't even run yesterday. I feel fine. Next weeks' long run doesn't seem so daunting after all. And the best bit about next weeks' run is it's taper time as soon as I'm done, with a lovely spa weekend straight after to boot!
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