Catch up - first on the list - the long run

 15 August 2022

I slept 6 hours last night - it was very very hot, even with the fan on. I had hoped for an 11 hours sleep (for the sleep debt from the night before, plus the almost 3 hours of running yesterday). I am feeling so tired, but cannot even take a nap, although kids are entertained by their grandma. I am still prcessing my long run yesterday. It was the longest I had ever, in the heat. I remember clocking a 25km sometime in December perhaps, but that felt entirely different. That time, I didn't even take much water with me, and I only had about 2 electrolyte gels on me. Queue yesterday: 1.5litres of H2O in  backpack; 8 energy gels; a can of full sugar Coke.

The gels make a HUGE difference. I have learnt that fuelling regularly through long runs makes it for a muuuch more enjoyable experience, and I feel I am not a zombified mess when I finish the run - not as much.

 However, at km 17ish  I ran out of my 1.5 litres of water. I found mysef on a long stretch of industrial land, parallel to London City Airport, on the pavement by the dual carriage way, with absolutely no shade around, and no residential bits in sight, in the hot late morning. I felt panicky. I'd taken my gels on schedule, every 20mins or so, had the coke, but felt headachey and weak. I was so thirsty. Map showed a McDonalds 1 km in ahead of me, and I banked on reaching it for water, whilst cursing myself for not stopping at the last off-licence a couple of km behind.. The heart rate went really high up, the pace all over the place, weakness in my shoulders and heavier breathing. I decided to walk for a few minutes to calm down, then ask the first human I see where can I get some water from quicker than McDonalds. I truly felt like an idiot out in that heat out and about.

A man pointed me to a pub that looked lonely by the dual carriage way, and more like a deserted building from the back where I approached it from. Inside, there were sports on TV and a few people a bit older than me drinking beer and being merry bantering about. The lady behind the bar said they only take cash (I am f%%%%ed), but she told me to 'sit down love, it's hot outthere, what you doing out in this weather' - in proper est london accent. She got me a pint of iced tap water, then a juice 'on the house'. So bloody lovely!!!!! 

From there on my route said to turn north (thank you Jesus and all the gods, for it meant that the sun was behind me, and even with a cap and sunglasses the light can be very tiring). 

I saw a road sign pointing to Canning Town, and I knnew I was on the stretch home, no more checking the map! I passed a shop that took my card, bought 1.5 l cold water, poured in my bladder bag in my rucksack, then plodded on. The plan was to do first 15km at an easy aerobic pace, then the last 10 at mataton pace or faster. Soooo much easier said than done!! Every sligh inclide of the road made my heart rate spike a bit ( which I did not appreciate), made me analyse everything in a negative way, and every flat or slight decline after made me feel fast, resourceful, invincible, happy, even relaxed! What wasn't as great was that I was reaching highly people-clammed Stratford, and it took a lot of zen to not road-rage and just run into people. I managed some alternatives kms at 7:00min/km pace and 4:20min/km. My right hip flexor started protesting, and I suddently became aware of my sloppy posture; I stopped for a 20 secs stretch and realignment, and when I resumed it felt better, but with a lot of clicking in my right hip. OOpsie. Not a good thing at all. 

I kept at taking the gels religiously on time, and reached home cheerful, chatty (sorry G) but spent. Had a cold bath, then a warm wash, a stretch on the grass and a daze at the sky trying to digest what I have just done. I had a big meal, put my feet up, and tried to supress a niggling thought that I'm not enjoying running for so long, what'sthe point of beating my body so much, there are so many shorter races, what has got into me , what have I got to prove to myself or anyone with running a marathon. 

I got the kids dressed, had a coffee, and went to spend the afternoon at a dear friend's birthday party ( had to be driven to there, as I honstlyfelt I could not walk 10 steps without exhausting myself. 

However, at the party, it was wonderful! A different setting took me out of my shock, coffee kicked in as well, seeing friends and new people, and felt proud of having ticked that box in the training. 

In the next 10days or so there will have to be a 33km run. Divided by 1.6... about 20miles. 

That's an extra 8km to yesterday's run. 

That's an extra 17.2 km to complete a marathon.  The Berlin one.