Today was the day set aside for my longest training run - ever! It's also the last long run before the Marathon, as from now on I will begin to taper off so that I'm in peak fitness (!) for the big day.
The weather at the moment is glorious, and by 9.45am when I set off, it was already about 16 degrees. It was nice to head out knowing that I wouldn't need to tie layers of clothes around my waist as I warmed up, but by mile 4 I'd already finished my first bottle of juice and was glad I'd got lots of spare cash for supplies along the way.
I'd planned my route from Rubery to Worcester, mainly along the A38, but with a couple of diversions to allow for better paths.
I was determined to keep positive, but it was somewhat daunting to be doing such a distance on my own. (I had the phone numbers of taxi firms with me in case of emergencies!)
I'm pleased to report that the first six miles went past easily, although they were mainly on a gentle downhill. The was a killer hill at mile 6, a gentle climb from miles eight to ten, and another killer hill at about eleven and a half miles. Unfortunately, the path suddenly came to a halt at the bottom of this hill, and it took about 5 minutes to cross over the road as there was a constant stream of traffic. By the time I got across and started up the hill, my calves were on fire, and it took a couple of miles to feel comfortable again.
I felt that I was really flagging for the last three miles, but my times show that I was only marginally slower which is good to know.
I was so glad to make it to my Mum's, and even more glad to see that she was home. She welcomed me with a chicken sandwich, and I'm not sure anything has ever tasted so good!
All in all, it was a really good run. I was pleased with my pace, and my overall time, and now I've completed 17 miles with energy left in the tank I'm a little more hopeful that I'll make it to mile 26 on marathon day.
The best bit...? I now have the perfect excuse to do nothing all weekend!
I've photographed my netbook screen so you can see the elevation graph. Enjoy!
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