I have now raised £1370 for Macmillan and this afternoon completed my long run - these are known as 'the bread and butter runs' of marathon training as from what I now understand, they play a crucial part in the success or failure of the race. Today I ran my longest long-run to date - 15 miles. It was not as bad as I thought it would be despite the cold and rain and certainly felt easier than my 14 miles last Sunday.
Here are 15 things I have learnt about marathon training so far - one for every mile run:
1. 15 miles is a long way - fact.
2. When I go for long runs, sometimes I feel baddass! Most of the time I want to cry like a baby.....
3. Undoubtedly, we live in a beautiful part of the world and seeing it at ground level gives it a whole new perspective.
4. Energy gels taste revolting so I have tried wine gums instead; these are very hard to chew without choking when you are gasping for breath.
5. There is a very small Yorkshire terrier who lives nearby and has twice tried to bite me when I run through the park - I do wish his owners would put him on a lead.
6. After long runs I get the most painful stomach cramps - apparently this is because oxygen is redirected from the intestines to the legs.
7. However gruelling the training can seem at times, it cannot be as bad as chemotherapy, radiotherapy or dealing with the emotional fallout of cancer. This has been, and always will be, my running mantra.
8. Every run I complete is always done with someone in mind who I love, am grateful for or who has inspired me. Today's run was in honour of 23 year old American war veteran and amputee, Kirstie Ennis. Google her; she's an inspiration.
9. I am very grateful for the sense of community that the marathon has given me; the support from Nicky Kay and Michaela has been immense. The 'camping mums' (you know who you are!) continue to be amazing - I am more grateful to these lovely people than you could ever know.
10. A completely unexpected side effect of the marathon training has been the impact it has had on my level of self-discipline. This is a quality that I have NEVER possessed in bucket loads (ask my mum) but the marathon has forced me to become very organised, plan ahead and become self-disciplined due to the time demands that the marathon involves. Training takes two hours out of my day, six days a week. I have become much more effective at planning and this has had a huge, positive impact on my life. Some would argue I should already have learnt this by the age of 42, but better late than never.
11. Running is a great stress-reliever; I cannot express what a positive influence this has had on keeping me balanced during the stresses of last year. It is a great medicine for mental health.
12. My friend, Kyla is baddass
13. I must have eaten my body weight in pistachio nuts
14. I have the best family for letting me do this.
15. The human body is an incredible thing and has the capacity to adapt to so many situations; six months ago I would never have believed that I could do this.
That's all for now; thanks for reading and I will update again soon. x
