Today I did my longest ever run!

Weeks running.......
Monday 27th Jan: 13.12 miles, 1115 kcal, 9:29 mins/mile, time 2:04:33, location: London - Regent's Canal and Limehouse Basin, Victoria Park
Tuesday 28th Jan: 20.01 miles, 1700 kcal, 10:13 mins/mile,  time 3:24:07, location: London Town! Saw the changing of the guard and all my old haunts - good times!
Wednesday 29th Jan: 10 miles, location: London - Regent's Canal and Limehouse Basin, Victoria Park
Thursday 30th Jan: walk 2.7 miles, location: Andrew's house to Kings Cross (note: Do NOT wear healed boots to walk this far, I am weeks into training with no blisters, and now I have TWO!!!)
Friday 31st Jan: 6.21 miles, 528 kcal, 9.02 mins/mile, time 56.10, location: Leeds, Roundhay Park
Saturday 1st Feb: rest day
Sunday 2nd Feb: 30.02 miles, 2551kcal, 11.12 mins/ mile, time 5:36:09, location: Yorkshire Dales, Ilkley
Total miles: 82.06 miles

So this week I ran my most ever miles per week and also did my longest run ever - 30 miles! 

Hurrah!!!!

So I guess that's what I can achieve with a week off from uni :-)

Am still buzzing from the run today! It wasn't all easy, so I will carefully record the run here, as it feels quite significant to me, and I must not forget how it felt to run that far for the first time.

I decided to get the train to Ilkley to do the run, mostly because it's nice there and I thought the scenery might distract me from thinking about the distance, and also I didn't fancy running 30 miles around Leeds. I did feel a bit worried about running somewhere I wasn't too familiar, and worried I would get lost in the Yorkshire Dales and the weather would be bad and I might get stranded and lost because I'd be tired, and I'd get hypothermia and no one would know where I was, and that would be it. I guess that's a little dramatic, but to feel more confident I purposefully planned the route along roads so that I would never be anywhere too remote. This is my route:

The weather was beautiful this morning. I was glad because last night there was a gale and rain hitting against my window and I didn't much fancy being out running in that, what with all the becoming lost/ hypothermia fears. But no worries. I packed a picnic, water, a waterproof and fleece in case of bad weather, and set off......

The Yorkshire Dales are full of cyclists! And they are all friendly! The first part of my run was along the valley beside the River Wharfe from Ilkley to Bolton Abbey along a quiet lane and hundreds of cyclists must have passed me all shouting out "MORNING"! The sun was shining, the scenery was stunning. If scenery could get you drunk, this place is like my Dad's gin and tonics. Potent. For some reason I thought of Postman Pat, seeing all the stone walls and fields and little lanes snaking between the stone houses. Unfortunately, I then had the Postman Pat theme song in my head for 5 miles. It wasn't so charming by then.

On reaching Bolton Abbey my mood reached even higher! How can somewhere be so beautiful?! The way had been good  going up till here, on paths or if on roads they were quiet. But that all changed on leaving the Abbey, I was running along a B road, but it was fast and busy....why are all these people DRIVING around the Dales?! They should be in them! And with cyclists going past at the same time it was all a bit hairy. The sun also went in and it started to rain, and there were several miles steadily up hill to Barden. All of a sudden things weren't quite so rosy anymore. 

Also, and this is really disgusting! I crossed a bridge over a little brook and suddenly there was a really bad smell. For some reason at that moment I looked to my right on crossing the bridge, and I'm not kidding, on the wall there was a huge pile of dead animals. I don't know what they were, maybe water voles or something. I was nearly sick and fell over. EWWWWWWWWWW! Why would someone do that??? Now I can't stop thinking about it :-(

So, I was feeling pretty low at that point! But, if there's one things I've learnt from running, it's that moods are fleeting. As quickly as you feel in the depths of despair, just as quickly you will be on top of the world, so you must never give up. I have scientifically plotted my moods during the run on this graph:

Eventually, after another 500 miles (actual distance - 14) I saw Burnsall in the valley below, which is where I knew I had to cross over the river and start running on the other side of the valley. This cheered me up as I thought the road over there would be quieter and I had scheduled in a sandwich stop by the bridge. Hurrah!

I was looking forward to the peanut butter sandwich on a cinnamon and raisin bagel. I'd had a couple of snacks, but was feeling hungry by now. Alas! No cinnamon and raisin bagel...but an ONION one! Bleugh! There also wasn't enough peanut butter and the bread was dry. It would have been more pleasant to eat raw flour. Sandwich skills are not up to scratch. Must remember to read packets properly.

So, across the river and up Hartlington Raikes. I don't know what a raike is. But this one was very steep. Although the road was quieter. Probably because it's so desolate up here no one would ever come. It started to rain again. It's very windy. It's going dark. I am going to die up here of hypothermia. I told you so.

I reached the top of the raike. The little road joined another B road. This was worse! Do NOT run along the B6265, ever, not even if you really have to, unless you wish to be hit by one of a zillion speeding cars and ending up like what must be at least half of Yorkshire's small wildlife which are squashed into the tarmac. And it was all freaking uphill. How high am I by now??? And it's still flipping raining, and the flipping wind is now roaring up here. How much further??? Please, it must soon be over!

In time (a long time) I reached the turn off from this Godforsaken road. I was headed back down to Barden. Things perked up a bit. The sun came out, it was downhill, I was over half way. Really pretty again.

The downhill was loooooong and my legs got a bit shaky after a bit. Without explanation, the tune of Steps 'Tragedy' came into my head, but with the following (much improved) words. Please sing (with actions):

Gravity...

When your legs have gone

And you can't go on, blame

Gravity.

When your muscles cry

And you're way up high

It's. Hard. To. Bear.

With no one to help you

You're going nowhere.

Gravity.

The Gravity Song took me back to Barden and from there I ran along the opposite side of the valley to before, along a lovely quiet road and then a footpath next to the River Wharfe, which was about to burst it's banks, back to Bolton Abby. 

This sign pointed back to the way I had come. I thought it was a bit melodramatic perhaps, but then it did describe some parts spot on.

From Bolton Abbey back the same way to Ilkley, some nice cyclists passed me running up a hill and all shouted out nice things like well done, keep going! I suppose I must have looked quite tired for them to say that, but it was very nice of them anyway and gave me a boost.

Got back to Ilkley with 1.5 miles still left to go. Ran along the river a bit further to make up the miles, reached 30 miles running back across the big bridge up into town! Done!

Started walking and heard someone running up behind me. "Where is the train station?" she asked, so I pointed her in the right direction, and then her friend ran past too. What's the rush I thought? Then I looked at my watch and realized that there was only 4 minutes until the next Leeds train, and after that there wasn't one for a whole another hour! Arggggggggghhhh! So set off running, faster this time, UP the hill to the station. This is a cruel blow. 

I made it! And then I got off the train and straight on a bus home which NEVER happens. I guess someone was on my side today :-) Certainly there were some less enjoyable, sure, even utterly unpleasant parts. But I never felt like giving up, and I always felt like I could do it. I was a bit tired at the end, but I felt like I could have carried on. So, a good day!

Also a big CONGRATULATIONS to my Mum and Dad who were also out training for the Woldsman today and did 22.6 miles. Brilliant!