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I'd be fibbing if I said that Richmond had knocked the confidence. For sure, I knew the answer was in the fuel, but there's always that "what if" thought or thoughts at the back of the mind. As the running week started, there were these doubts in the back of the mind for sure!
Following the Sunday recovery run, I tried to step things up again with two 5k runs on Monday. Saturday wasn't out of my legs yet so the morning run with Dave was best described as a "Re-recovery run" as I tried to establish some sort of rhythm! Later that evening, it was my turn to help out at track, so Lucy and I managed a bit of an improv 5k down to Preston Park and back which though slower, felt a little more comfortable! Maybe, just maybe I'm ok!
Tuesday was another wonderful occasion for yours truly to sample the hospitality of David Lloyd Leisure. We checked the forecast and it was supposed to be "cloudy" and in fairness there was a lot of cloud....and wind....and rain! "Character building" Lucy called it and I don't mind admitting my head was already focused on the post run coffee! We'd agreed to keep it steady given our levels of tiredness and the weather - so of course it was anything but! All miles were sub 9 mins which isn't the plan, but ultimately it felt ok, even if the hamstrings felt stretched! At least the jacuzzi gave them a blast afterwards!
Wednesday saw me back down the prom with Dave for our usual 5k jaunt. I'm not sure if I blasted the legs too much the evening before but the glute was aching a bit. It was one of those "just carry on" kind of aches, and didn't really interfere with the run...but it was there! Any runner will know what I mean there.. I hope! Whilst the ache did instill some concern, thankfully it did allow for some common sense and that evening I restricted the GoodGym run to two miles....which bloody typically felt fine!!
The wind was, well to be frank, becoming another pain in the arse. (Did you see what I did there? Glute? Pain in the ar....oh never mind. This is wasted on you lot isn't it?) Thursday's 5k was a complete negative split but at least I was abusing the tail wind to allow myself to get going quicker! It was smashing that Antje joined me as it had been some time since we ran togther! And not being put off by the bloody head wind deserved kudos alone! That would normally be it for the week for me, but with it being my turn to be Run Director at Hove Prom parkrun on Saturday and that being the day before my next long run, I moved the rest day to Saturday from Friday. I think the legs switched off to be honest as Friday was a bit of a struggle to get going and keep going! Still it was done in the morning, all before 9am which effectively gave me two days of rest for the price of one!
Saturday was brilliant back at Hove Prom parkrun and I hadn't been "RD" there for a number of weeks! Rachel came down for some tourism and finished as second lady on another gusty day and 320+ people had a great start to their weekend! Result!
Naturally once the post-parkrun admin was done, thoughts then turned to Sunday's run. I bought the train ticket and the only way I could deal with it was to be in complete denial until I started the Garmin! So Sunday, got up early, breakfast (fuel!!!), water, caught train to Ford (where I would wait for 15 freezing minutes for the connecting train to Littlehampton). Superstition kicked in...so there I am on the right hand side of the train, not for one moment looking to my left as this is where my route home is. I'll see it when I get there, not before.
Arriving at Littlehampton, the wind was incredible and I was so grateful it would be behind me for 95% of the time! I struggled to remove my old jumper, a last sip on the spare water bottle before they were dumped in the bin, start the music, and I'm off!
I don't often run with music but I felt I needed all the help I could get. Heading out along the prom (knowing that in the coming months, several people will regularly run here on a weekend morning) I looked into the distance and out to sea...nothing there. No sign of my destination, no Shoreham Power Station or i360. I was a long way from home! The only way to get there though is to put one foot in front of the other. Little diverts away from the coast broke the run up and that was a help. I was plodding along quite contently. Soon enough I was at Goring and took to running on the road as there had been a log of soggy, muddy grassway to navigate and I was there, back in the Worthing Half Marathon once again! Heading towards Worthing , I could see a crowd of people on the grass. This was where the 10k and 5k races started. I'd been concerned that I would be caught up in crowds and road closures but nothing could be further from the truth! The races were those wonderful low-key events that have a real community spirit about them. I was safely out of the way on Worthing Prom (on part of the parkrun course) when the runners sped past me. Great to see some familiar faces out there and Arena 80 were very well represented. Ahead was Worthing Pier and there too was another familiar face.
One of my other concerns about the run was running out of water. My usually faithful bottle had not been sufficient last week, and as a result, Lucy had very kindly agreed to meet me at the Pier, with spare water and to cycle the remaining 12 miles or so home with me. It was really good to have a chat too as I ran, and within a few yards of passing the pier, I saw the i360 and Brighton far in the distance. Instead of this intimidating me, I took it as a huge boost. At the start of my run, I was so far away that I couldn't see home - now I could!
Together we safely navigated the turning point of the 10k race, heading along the shared pathway out of Worthing and then onto Lancing where we joined the parkrun course there as we headed to Shoreham. Like the previous long run from Lancing a few weeks earlier, I wasn't looking forward to the U-turn back to Shoreham, not least this week because I'd be running INTO the wind! With the company, before we knew it, we were there and yes, the wind slammed into me, but all I could think was that it was short term and that Dave would be waiting for me at the bridge to run the last 10k home.
As I thought that, some yobbo in a Mini Countryman shouted abuse....of course it was Dave! He'd come looking for us, worried that he'd missed us and this despite us being ahead of schedule! Working together, we negotiated Shoreham (poor Lucy had some awkward pavements and terrain to deal with), and we headed down to Shoreham Locks. In the back of my head, being held up here wouldn't be the worst thing in the world as 1) I was feeling it and 2) it would not be my fault. With no ships though in sight, we trotted across the lock and turned east once more for the last section of the run. I clocked Lucy taking a selfie so put on a smile for the camera, but the camera does lie as I wa starting to deal with the tiredness and emotions that a long run brings.
I was asking Dave to slow the pace...and then stepping up! I needed to work out for myself what I should be running whilst acutely being aware that things were tiring that little bit more than normal. This was different to last week though. This week I was fuelled and ready and this is what the training is all about. Getting to those longer miles and dealing with what hits you. The route, I knew so well now and I distracted myself thinking of previous runs here and how I'd done them and how I'd do this! Plus the more we ran, the further we got away from the smell of poo!
Hitting the promenade, I realised we would need to add on a little (which is something I hate) if 20 miles were to be achieved. In the distance, the West and Palace Piers and I let myself see how close they were, knowing that I didn't need to run that far! My head started to think that this should only be a 19 miler according to my schedule, but sod that! It was 20 or nothing. We clicked over 19 miles on Hove Prom (yes, another parkrun course) and I had a panic. Was that right? Had the Garmin imagined I'd gone out to see in the wind and was this going to ruin everything? Keep plodding, keep going! The last mile is always the hardest on whatever distance. Sometimes my mindset is that it should be shorter by way of a discount for the earlier miles logged. Of course, that is not the case - mile 1 is as far as mile 20, it's just that I'm impatient for it to finish!
The add on meant we would have to finish into the wind! As we approached the Peace Statue I looked at the Garmin - 19.90 miles! Only a tenth into the wind! Result! We turned, we hit the wind and we hit the 20! Boy did that coffee taste good afterwards!
Manchester will be my 14th marathon and there is always something to learn. On that day, I learned that marathons aren't always solo efforts - sometimes they're a team and I was grateful to Lucy and Dave for bringing me home! Dave didn't even have time for coffee due to work commitments and Lucy faced a 4-12 shift after this! I had my own issues of course since Arsenal beat United but I was incredibly grateful that the guys took time out of their busy lives for me!
Unsurprisingly Monday was a rest day, and on Tuesday morning, Dave and I hit our usual 5k jaunt! The legs took a bit to get going but the run was just what they needed! It was good to get them going again! Later that evening, there was a really nice 4 miler planned with Lucy and Elly (whom is also marathon training). We took on the wind first and were rewarded by a stunning sky! Great that even at 6pm the sun was still up and a useful distraction in that headwind! Elly captured the moment perfectly so naturally I "borrowed"* it for my Strava pic (*with permission). Great to run and talk all things marathon based!
Next morning the wind was still there so Dave and I abused it completely! 9+min mile into it.....7:50min miles coming back! Great to feel like I was cruising for the first time in ages, even with an ache or two but I'll take that! With GoodGym later on, I'll see how the legs deal with it. But as I always say, that's another story!