Bit late this one, still on a high from last weekends running! Am trying some long 'back-to-back' runs in my quest for 100 mile success. So had a long weekend off, totally dedicated to the cause = best weekend ever! Friday had a whole days running along my favourite ever route. From the house down to the River Thames at London Bridge, along to Putney, then on to Kew and Richmond, up and a lap of Richmond Park, and back along the river to Putney. 36.5 miles altogether. Had a little mishap at the start, as I had forgotten to bring the seal bit of the water reservoir for my camlebak, so tried out some improvised seals using hair-bobbles and clips, and soaked my bag and it's contents (twice) in the process. Tip: if you've forgotten your seal, don't bother with the camelbak, however annoyed you are feeling at your bad memory, and just take a bottle.
Once I finally got started, it was a great run. Highlights included it not raining, a small furry dog trying to eat my sandwich when I was having a little break for some food in Richmond Park, and listening to 4 solid hours of Agatha Christie 'Death in the Clouds' on my new audio book app (I am so addicted to this stuff it's unreal).
Adjusted the 'back-to-back' approach slightly and had Saturday off to go to my god-daughter's 2nd birthday party - Happy Birthday Josie, you little legend you!!! A lovely day with great friends, who always restore feelings of well being - big thanks to The Childs family for having us! Also got an amazing gift - lights to tie to my trainers which light up each time your feet hit the ground (see next post to see them in action)!
Afterwards, Andrew and I drove to Aldershot to get some rest (and a square meal of giant Yorkshire puddings with sausages) before the Punchbowl Marathon the next day. The Punchbowl Marathon is a long-standing staple on the LDWA calendar, and one I have wanted to do for almost 3 years, after being recommended it by a guy I met while running another marathon. It's either 20 or 30 miles (we did 30) around the Surrey countryside. It was a sunny day and a beautiful route, and was 5 million times better than our last race two weeks ago.
Great practice at map/direction reading (hardly got lost, that's a first), chilled out running, and great scenery. Three awesome checkpoints, where a veritable feast was on offer. Checkpoint 2 had an entire table full of sandwiches of all possible combinations of fillings. I also re-discovered fig rolls, which I was completely obsessed with when I was little, but haven't had for years. Good times! We finished in 6 hours and 33 minutes, and were instantly rewarded with a ginormous plate of beans on toast, rice pudding with fruit, and hot coffee.
Before going back into the village hall to finish, everyone had to take off trainers/ walking boots. On returning outside after stuffing ourselves to replace our lost calories, it was a pretty tough task to identify the right shoes. Mine are purple and green usually, but by the end, everyone's were the same colour - a fetching shade of mud.
On the pus side, this was my first proper outing in trail shoes, and oh my goodness, why have I never had any of these before?! I was sceptical to be honest, when people kept saying I should get some, I mean, a trainer's a trainer, right? No! These are magic! No falling over, slipping, sliding, or wet feet! Yes, they are actually waterproof! I think these will genuinely change my running life, love them!
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