Distance : 18.5 miles
Total Training Distance (since beginning Sept 09) : 533.5 miles
Route & Stats : Trowse & Whittlingham Lane Loops
So this was it, the last long run before the much awaited taper towards the marathon. I was a little apprehensive going into the run having had a sore knee following last weeks off road run along Wherrymans Way. Joining me for this last long one were fellow marathon hopefuls Michael and Moses from work, and it was great to have some company, as these long runs have become ever more tedious.
I had loaded up with carbs the night before, demolishing a huge bowl of wholemeal pasta.
I woke to find that my knee was almost completely pain free and by the time I had gone through my normal pre-run routine - cup of tea, two rounds of toast and marmalade, a bowl of cereal, two ibuprofen, two immodium and a bottle of lucozade sport body fuel - I was feeling pretty good.
The route we had chosen was basically a figure of eight from Whittlingham Lane out onto the Kirby Bedon road and back and then out on Martineau Lane and back down White Horse Road. This meant we could leave drinks at the cross over point and take a few minutes breather between loops. However, I'm not sure stopping is a good idea as it really is a struggle to get going again, especially after the 3rd loop at 16 miles.
I had intended to do 20 miles, however at about 17 my right ankle really started to hurt and I decided to call it a day at 18.5 miles to avoid making it any worse. This is annoying because I haven't had any ankle trouble for a few weeks. After icing it and then a hot bath the pain had completely gone so hopefully no lasting damage.
Still it was a decent run and considering the number of hills along the route it was probably worth more than 18.5 miles. So now it's the taper. 10 miles next weekend, 5 miles the weekend after that, then lots of rest, lots of food and probably lots of nerves as the big day approaches.
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