Happily Ever After
Life in The Rural Retreat with a beautiful wife, three cats, garden wildlife, a camera, a computer – and increasing amounts about running
Earlier posts can be found on Adventures of a Lone Bass Player, where this blog began life. Recent entries can be found here.
Officially Slow
by Russell Turner - 19:21 on 30 March 2018
Yesterday I received the official email I’ll need (along with photo ID) to collect my London Marathon race number and kit bag at the Expo. Along with it was a pdf magazine filled with handy information, including confirmation that my starting pen will be one for those Matchgirl loftily refers to as “the slow runners”.
This is not a bad thing. Starting with the geriatrics and the lame will help stop me setting off too quickly; it’s also an appropriate pen for me, based on today’s long run.
Three hours was the target, and maybe a little more to reach 16-18 miles. The reality was 15.5 miles in a minute less than three hours – I’d reached home and didn’t even have the energy to walk the extra 0.4 of a mile.
This was very frustrating. I’d maintained a slower pace than last week’s half marathon, I’d set up a water station so I’d have plenty to drink and I had more than enough energy gels. But after feeling good at seven miles, when I completed my first loop, ditto at ten miles, and reaching 13 in much better shape than last week, the struggle then began.
I could blame the two hills I put in my route (last week’s was flat) and the rain-filled headwind that spoiled the second downhill glide, but Matchgirl’s 31-mile ultra on Sunday looks likely to have even worse weather, so I shouldn’t complain. (Although I will.) My hopes of a sub five-hour finish look shaky.
There are a few positives so I’ll dwell on those: I controlled my pace well all the way; I kept going when I could have taken an early shortcut home; I did better on a hilly course than I did last week on the flat; I used fewer calories (marginally) to cover 15.6 miles today than to cover 13 last week (and reached the 13 a few minutes earlier).
That’s all very impressive, so why did I struggle instead of finishing with the knowledge there was more running left? Most likely culprit is the temperature – it was only when I got indoors that I realised how cold and damp I was. Good job I’ve not yet switched back to shorts, especially as it felt quite mild when I set off.
Fortunately, I’d recovered after 30 minutes, which included stretches. An hour in bed helped too, even if sleep wasn’t involved. On the down side, I couldn’t be bothered to go out for the Indian takeaway I’d promised myself as reward for today’s exertions. With luck curry will be on the menu at the King Haakon Bar in Skye where City Limits plays tomorrow night.
Being outside takeaway delivery range is the main drawback of rural isolation.
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