Half Marathon!

Yesterday's mileage was the scariest yet. And the most rewarding (once it was done!) I actually ran thirteen miles. Of course, it depends on how loosely we define the word run, especially in the last two or three miles. My patented move, the Shambolic Shuffle, really came into its own then. But regardless of the fact that an old woman, walking a three legged dog could have overtaken me, I still did the whole distance without stopping. And I'm very proud of myself.

It's very easy for me to to  get caught up in  the miles that  I still have to do, instead of celebrating what I've already achieved. Yesterday, once I got home, I tried  to concentrate on what an amazing thing I'd just done. It took me three hours and one minute, but I did it. Of course, that sort of time will  take my whole marathon time to over six hours, which is the threshold that I'd like to beat, but I can't get preoccupied with that. I just have to finish! I need to keep telling myself that.

I ran to Donaghdee and back. It was less intimidating to run somewhere and return, than it was to do what I did last week, which was to run the whole distance, then get the train home. I got cold and stiff on the train, which was quite unpleasant. At least this week, when things got tough at about mile ten, I knew I was on my way home. The last two miles especially were not easy. It's hard to tell on the way out, but they are very much on a gradient, and  it's all uphill on the way home. I'm not joking when I say that a dog walker could have overtaken me. I really was on a go slow. But in hindsight I don't care. I didn't stop. I didn't give up.

The book told me last week to have a mantra that I can recite to myself. Mine is (please pardon how corny it sounds) "I am a marathoner. I love to run. I run with a smile on my face. I always finish my run. I am strong and  getting stronger. I am a marathoner." If I say it over and over to myself, I get into a rhythm with it, and I sort of forget where I am for a bit. A few of the kilometers went in quite quickly that way. Of course, when  I say to myself, "I run with a smile on my face," and I try to actually smile, it's more of a rictus grin, but I'll keep working on it, because occasionally it comes off as quite natural.

Yesterday was the first time I've tried to fuel on the go. I will try gels next week, but they didn't arrive in time this week, so I used dried fruit and nut bars, along with my sports drink. I'm not sure if it did any good,but perhaps the last few miles would have been more difficult if I hadn't eaten them. I used nearly two litres of fluid replacement, so I'm getting used to drinking on the run.

My shoes, which I'm now convinced are half a size too small for longer runs, when my feet swell up, did not give me too much bother yesterday. My toes were well plastered up, and I had a good Compeed plaster on my right heel, and barring getting my first proper blister on my left big toe, my tootsies remained in relatively good shape. I went out today though and bought a pair of Brooks shoes, in a size seven. It's about a month earlier than I meant to buy new shoes, but they were only £50, so I won't feel too bad if I decide to buy another pair before the marathon. They feel nice and wide at the toes, so as they swell with mileage, they have room to spread out a bit. I hope they weren't too cheap. I hope they offer enough support.

Enough waffle for now. I'm going to plot out my fourteen mile route for next week.

Update... forgot to say that I'm still neglecting the stretching. Not sensible at all. I do a couple of stretches after the long run, but a lot of them hurt my knees, so I don't do many, or do them for very long. And I know my core strength is not good enough. I have been meaning to work on some ab exercises since the start of January. So only two months late then! Still better late than never, so I did fifteen sit ups, five crunches, five leg raises and a ten second plank this evening. I will do the same tomorrow. It's the thirty day ab programme that I started before,but didn't complete because I hurt myself around day eleven. So I'm just going to take it easy and not increase the reps every day. I will do something for three days in a row, possibly increase a little on one of those days, and then have an abs rest day. That will strengthen them a bit.

The other update is that I wish I could get rid of the nerves I always feel when  I start to think of running, especially the long runs, or the weather when it's cold. I really worry about ice stopping me going out. And when I do go out, I worry about slipping and hurting myself. But my biggest worry is the long run, where I'm going to do it, whether I'll be able to finish it, whether I'll hurt myself by doing too much or not being well enough fueled or hydrated, all that sort of stuff. And actually, those nerves are under the surface pretty much all of the time. I am really looking  forward to this effing marathon being over so I can finally rid of the constant butterflies.