A good week's training! 3 runs totalling 26 miles, the longest of which took 4 hours and covered a little over 15 miles. I also did a one hour cross-training session on the exercise bike, and 2 strength sessions. More donations have come in, bringing me to £2,347.50 so far. A friend held a fundraising day at her home on Friday, half of the proceeds of which are heading my way. That should take me past the £2,500 "finishing line", which is fantastic news. I look forwards to exceeding my original target my a considerable margin.
The same cannot be said for the marathon itself!! My run on Monday was, once again, my furthest so far. The aim was to be out for four hours, and I hoped I might manage 16 miles in that time, though in the end it was just over 15. I did this run on the Southwell Trail, which I have used before as it is fairly flat. Since running up hills places a greater strain on the calf muscles, it was safer for me to stay on flat terrain. I used my car as a base, returning to it twice to top up my water bottle and energy supply, in the form of Lucozade Sports drink and ShotBloks - energy bars which have more than a passing resemblance to raw jelly. I have since managed to buy some Lucozade energy gels, which not many places seem to stock. It's important to try these out, because the Lucozade products will be given out during the marathon, and it's advisable to try them in advance to be sure they don't upset my stomach.
Four hours is a very long time to keep moving! I followed my walk-run pattern, with every so often a slightly longer walk segment to break things up. The weather was very benign, with just a few spots of rain which came to nothing. I used my MP3 player to listen to a podcast called Marathon Talk - a radio programme on the run, if you like. I also listened to some music, and some of the time I just enjoyed the sounds of nature. Naturally I was getting tired towards the end, but I was determined to complete my four hours, and I did. My legs were rather stiff for a couple of days, and my knees slightly sore. But I managed the rest of my planned training during the week.
I am however very glad that I had decided on the up week/down week pattern, and I am not going out to run for four hours tomorrow morning! Instead, two (and a bit, maybe) will do nicely. I did feel, during each run this week, that I was nursing my calf. It was never painful as such, but I was conscious of it feeling vulnerable. Consequently I am making no attempt at this stage to run faster, even though at Monday's pace, the marathon will take me around 7 hours. I am hopeful that my calf will strengthen, so that I feel confident in moving a little quicker (but I still don't expect any prizes). So you can see why I say 26.2 miles is far enough, and I have no wish to exceed that target.
I had my sports massage on Thursday, which left my legs feeling much more comfortable. The therapist discovered a number of tight spots, which she said were probably long-standing, and would cause me to stand and run slightly lop-sided. These can be improved, but she said it would be better to wait until after the marathon to work on them. I've booked another session in a couple of weeks.
So, that's it for this week. The training is getting tough, so it's time to buckle down and get on with it. Only six weeks to go.
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