That’s another long run in the bag. Well, I say “run”. This time I pushed myself too far, and for the first time ever in training since I worked out how to run, I had to walk. Admittedly in total it was only a mile’s worth, and I only started doing it at mile 13, but I think I’m pushing too much, too quickly. It didn’t help I was only supposed to run 15 miles but in a moment of insanity I decided to try for 16 miles.
The weather started out promising (heavy rain had been forecast, there was none, it was just overcast) and after the usual procrastination, I set off around 3pm to do this week’s Epic Run. Within a mile I knew I wasn’t feeling great – last week I’d felt pretty good as I ran but this week I just felt horrible. My nose ran constantly. My knees hurt a little for most of the run but never got any worse. On the plus side my back didn’t hurt – I guess it was strengthened by the work I did last week. However, my neck was agony – I’d pulled a muscle in it on Thursday night somehow and I have been in constant pain since and can’t keep my head upright very easily without massive discomfort.
Just after the mile point, an asshole on a trail bike came toward me at high speed (they’re forbidden on this path) and before he reached me, turned around and zoomed off. A few minutes later he came past again, splashing through the plentiful puddles at top speed sending enormous splashes. When it became clear he was not going to slow down on account of me a few dozen yards away, I had to stop in a rare non-puddle area and flip him the bird. I then pretended to call the police on my phone. Sadly I could still hear him going back and forth even a few miles further on as those things are LOUD. Next time I will call the police for real.
My pace continued okay, and at the hour point I took the first of the gels. I’ve been experimenting with different types and this week was the Lucozade ones, which don’t require water and will be the ones available for the marathon itself (although I’ll take my own). I seemed to get on alright with these, no tummy problems and they weren’t as sweet as the others. Only downside is they were a pain to open and I often had to bite the end off. I’ll need 8 of the darn things to get through I think, yikes.
I actually passed another lone female runner today – first time I’ve seen one that far out. She smiled and said hello as she went past – most runners on Sundays are doing long runs for the marathon right now so they’re all a lot more friendly than they were when I first started running. No fool would be out on a horrid day in winter that far from home otherwise – we’re all in this together!
At 6.5 miles I reached the turnaround point for the week before only this time I was to continue. I had reached the rather grim town of Erith, whose only redeeming feature is its Morrisons store (that should give you an idea) I had to briefly go inland for a few hundred yards, including past a pub that was blasting out music so loud I could feel it in my chest. Then there was a set of steps to go down which really did my knees in. Heh.
Then it was time to run where I had not run before – past the lovely Morrisons store and then along a grubby industrial road with enormous puddles that took up the whole pavement so I had to run in the road at times. After a mile it was time for the turn off onto Erith Marshes, an extremely desolate area of marshland with nothing to break the wind. In a moment of insanity I decided to increase my run from 15 miles to 16, and decided to run an extra half a mile onto the marshes themselves. Admittedly some of it was curiosity over seeing the marshes, which I haven’t visited for years, but still. A kid on a mini motorbike went past, but he at least this one went slowly. Finally, at 8 miles, I hit the turnaround point. I was shattered, and it was somewhat worrisome I was only halfway.
So I turned around, and oh. Seems the wind had been behind me all the way out. I now had to run *into* the wind. Oh dear. Given I was already exhausted, and wasn’t having a great run anyway, I realised I’d been a bit of an idiot. It even seriously occured to me at one point to just get the train home, but that wouldn’t help my marathon training. No, I was committed to 16 miles now. I took the next gel and soldiered on.
My neck started really aching at this point and it was a struggle to keep my head upright against the wind. I ran back along the industrial road, past the Morrisons and up the steps (oh yay) before finally reaching the halfway point from the week before. At this point the week before I’d felt quite fresh. Today I felt like a truck had hit me. Still, it was kinda nice to be on the home stretch even if it was a very long one.
Things weren’t too bad for a mile or so, but eventually I realised how far it was left and how horrible I was feeling and I was not happy. I had the third gel, and it was not long after that that I realised I was having serious trouble holding my head up with my extremely sore neck. The wind was still against me as it had been all the way back. No muscles were really aching but I was just so exhausted and feeling dizzy and my body temperature felt a bit odd. It goes without saying my pace was right down, it was a struggle to get below 13 minute miles whereas I was supposed to be doing 11:30 miles. Most of the time it was around 13:30 – appalling. I made a promise to myself that if I made 13.1 miles (half marathon) distance, I would let myself walk a little way. That last mile and a half lasted eternity.
Finally, I hit 13.1 miles. A good 6 minutes or so slower than I had last week, only this week I still had another 3 miles to get home. In the past I’d have thought “Oh sod it!” and carried on running regardless, but it is a testament to how awful I felt that I actually did stop and walk for 0.3 miles. I managed a reasonable pace walking at least. It then occurred to me that chances are good I might end up walking some of the marathon anyway, so I need to train my walking muscles to work after running for so far – 2.5 hours at that point.. heck even Paula Radcliffe doesn’t run for that long (yes, I know!) I ate one of my jelly shot things which I had to fill in the final gap once I’d run out of gels, and then started to run again. Oh wow, that hurt.
I couldn’t keep it up for long, and promised myself at the 14 mile mark I’d let myself walk again. It took forever to get there even though it was just over half a mile. It crossed my mind to walk the half mile to the bus stop and get the bus home but with only a few miles left it would be quitting. Still, it was such a relief to walk again. I actually managed a reasonable pace – around 14 minute miles. Not actually much slower than how I’d been running. Hmm. I had the last of my jelly shots and walked for 0.7 miles. Sunset had been and gone, and it was starting to get really quite dark. It’s quite isolated too, but fortunately the only people I really saw were a few other joggers who either smiled or said hello, or fishermen. I took off my headphones just to be safe.
With 1.3 miles left to go, I decided to run again, because frankly the fact it was getting dark was bothering me – no streetlights on deserted river trails! So off I went.
You can imagine my surprise when it was actually okay to run. My pace was quite happily what it was a few miles after starting out. In fact I ran the whole final 1.3 miles at a good 11:38 pace and felt I could have gone for quite a bit longer when I did finish. A second wind! Perhaps there is something to this strategy of run/walking. I always said I would run the damned marathon but it would be nice to actually finish in a reasonable time and if I can do that by stopping to walk for half a mile every 5 miles or something after the halfway point, so be it!
So I got home, 3 and a quarter hours after leaving.. I’d been running for 93% of that, and very brisk walking the rest. It was.. knackering. Lesson learned – don’t push yourself so damned hard.
So, injuries? Well, my muscles didn’t ache as much this week (I sure taught them a lesson last week, clearly!) aside from my neck which is unrelated to the running. However, I have blisters on my toes – matching ones on the outside of my big toe, and weirdly a massive red one just above where I got a black toenail a few weeks ago. It’s really odd. None of them hurt when I was running either, thankfully. Still, my body hates me and I don’t blame it.
My mile splits:
Mile 01 – 10:50:00 (fresh legs, yay!)
Mile 02 – 10:32:00 (ran faster as scared/angry at motorbike dude)
Mile 03 – 11:16:00 (slowed down a little once I was sure I was safe)
Mile 04 – 11:32:00 (settled down to “marathon” pace)
Mile 05 – 11:26:00 (pleased to see I’d kept to marathon pace without looking)
Mile 06 – 11:45:00 (a big very steep slope up and down)
Mile 07 – 11:59:00 (trying to negotiate my way through Erith)
Mile 08 – 11:18:00 (out the other side, wind behind me)
Mile 09 – 12:35:00 (ah. seems the wind is now against me)
Mile 10 – 12:15:00 (second gel kicked in I guess)
Mile 11 – 12:25:00 (not feeling good at all)
Mile 12 – 12:27:00 (I am rather unhappy and worried I won’t make it home!)
Mile 13 – 13:04:00 (almost wouldn’t call it running at this point)
Mile 14 – 14:01:00 (walked for 0.3 of a mile at the start)
Mile 15 – 14:58:00 (walked for 0.7 of a mile)
Mile 16 – 11:38:00 (wow – walking gave me fresh legs!)
And because I haven’t brought one of these out for a while, a chart!! Click on it to see the full size.
Mile splits over the last few long runs
It’s essentially a comparison of my pace over the last few weeks. The higher the line, the faster the run. I’m aiming to do the marathon with an average of 11:30 but there’s not a hope of that at the moment. Before pneumonia I managed 10 miles at below 10 minute mile pace, so that pneumonia business sucks.
Anyway, back to the graph – as you can see, last week was by far the best in terms of pace, and this week I wasn’t really any better than two weeks ago, except I kept going for longer (the important thing). Just goes to show how feeling like crap or feeling great can make such a huge difference to times. Really hope I feel good on April 25th!
I’ll do another night run this week, then my next long run is on Saturday as I have a portfolio-building photo shoot on Sunday. Might take a different route next week and run in the opposite direction for a bit of variety! I have four more Horrendous Runs to do (i.e. runs in which I run further than I have done before, so I feel like the dead for the next 24 hours – at least I’ve hit the halfway point with those now) and at least a couple of long runs over 10 miles left. They’re going to seem so easy!
Two weeks today until the Silverstone Half marathon.. eek. Eight weeks to go until the real thing.
