Only gone and done a 20 mile run this morning. The furthest i have ever run. To put into context two weeks ago I did my furthest run of 16.7 miles and prior to that the furthest i had done was the Leeds half marathon in May. Almost 60 miles of road running over the last two weeks. Please if you haven't donated on my justgiving page any donation helps the two charity am doing it for. Now going for a lay down and a bit of a cry.
Managed to recover from Sunday and got another 8.4 miles of running in the legs today. Advised to reduce my pace and try to maintain a consistent speed and to continue to trial some energy gels which have helped. Might be starting to taper off my training soon.
First time I ran 13 miles it nearly killed me, so well done. Although at the minute I'd struggle to make a mile without collapsing.
I too am going to run a marathon next month - driving to Abingdon to run on the 23 October. It's my second marathon, the first came 2 years ago down in Farnham. I've not been able to do many long runs this time around due to various commitments. What I would say though, from my limited experience, is that the marathon is really about a 6 mile run...it starts at 20 miles and finishes at 26.2. I was going quite well until about the 20 mile mark, then lack of long-run training started to kick in and runners started passing me right at the end. So I'd suggest getting at least one run in that takes you to about 22 or 23 miles before you start to taper. And do plenty of hill running.
Brilliant effort! Anyone that's willing to run that distance gets my respect. How did you find the Leeds half? I loved it this year (despite the heat and the hills!) and managed to finish in 1:36 which I was really happy with. I'm planning to go again next year to see if I can get close to, or under, 1:30 but we'll see ; ) Not sure if it helps but I always find it handy to keep a few Dextro or Lucozade Energy tablets in my pocket. They're really cheap and actually taste good, give you that burst of energy you might need and aren't awkward to carry. Some of the gels have given me a dodgy stomach which is the last thing you need!
I was badly affected by the heat this year and also got tripped from being 100yards in and badly scraped both knees. It knocked my confidence and I even thought about walking off the course. I didn't and got round in 1 hr 42. Last year I just got my head down and went for it and managed 1 hr 36. My pb.
