The burning question of the year is, “are you supposed to feel like this at the end of 17 miles ?” Because I did !
Me at 17 miles
I tried to learn from my rather disastrous 15 miles at the weekend. Lessons to remember:
- Spirits up, head up
- Map the distance, accept the distance
- Avoid the commute to work route
- Stay slow, no racing other runners….think hare and tortoise
- Pick a flatter one !
And I did it, it went on for what seemed a lifetime, I was impressed I remembered the route. Every time ( at least 3) I was passed by another runner I felt like shouting “I’m doing 17 miles!”
I forgot that Nottingham university campus going in at Beeston and out at Derby Road is actually quite a steady climb and being so awash with students, I felt a little old. They must have thought someone’s mum was loose in Lycra!
The last miles were hard on my legs but my head stayed in the game ( not to quote High School Musical! ) my 10 minute mile pace ( ok I use the term pace loosely) began to evaporate as my hips ceased up and the last mile dropped to 11mins, I just couldn’t go any faster.
All done, 3 hours on my feet whic is my longest and I’ll need another 30 mins at least to do the Ashby 20 this weekend, which still terrifies me.
I stayed awake the rest of the day which seemed a miracle but I did find that everything from my neck down liquidised during the afternoon! I know that’s an effect of running which I thought was a risk during a run ( a pet fear of mine) so in the comfort of my own home it wasn’t too bad. That’s something else to now stress about on the marathon.
The extra weekly difference has definitely caused my piriformis ( upper bum!) to flare up again so I think I’ll be booking physio after Ashby for a bit of acupuncture.
The good news is an HPP colleague, Sue has jumped into Ashby having never gone more than 16 miles. I think we may need each other and I’m happy to break protocol and run with someone.
I’m just keeping the mantra in my head. “If you can run Ashby, you can run London”
Fundraising got a nice boost this week. Trying all local businesses where I’m a good customer I thought I’d ask to see if I they can support me. There’s been radio silence from some emails ( don’t worry, I’ll be chasing) but a big thanks go to Nottingham Sytner BMW who donated £50. That’s now my car and me they’re helping keep on the road !
https://www.justgiving.com/Justine-Squitieri2/
Categories: Ladies of a Certain Age Running (LCA), Runners Problems
LCAruns - The 50 Files 
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