Back to back running for marathon des sables

Now having successfully got a number of ultra distances under my running get, albeit slowly, I've started upping the game of the back to back runs for the great marathon des sables.

So this week I've managed 3x 15 miles Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

Brain says yey! Legs say nay! (though I have just had a massage which was Ammmmmmaaaaazzzziiiinnnngggg).

Friday, I shuffled from North London, down to the river Thames, turned right, headed to the iconic Battersea Tower along the not-so-iconic Nine Elms main road - yuck!, span around, ran back to the equally lovely Tower Bridge (ah! thoughts of London Marathon came fondly back), high fived a couple of beefeaters, then headed back to Chancery Lane and to work. Boo.


Any burgers to hand sir?

Day 1 actually felt the hardest. I think this was because I was running to work, but also because I was carrying a pretty heavy bag too. It felt fine to begin with but around mile 11, my shoulders really began to feel sore.

Time taken: Two and a half hours.
Lots of thoughts about burgers after Tower of London (beefeaters, beef, burgers...)
Burgers eaten: None.

Saturday, I upped the shuffle to A JOG, with two laps around Richmond Park. Oh, it was refreshing to be running somewhere a bit different. And also to not have to think about where I was going. Round and round in a circle. Happy days.

Two sleb spots: Ben Shepherd (mental note: maybe got a bit too over excited about that in front of boyf) and Andrew Marr (not so excited, but excited nonetheless).

No Nell McAndrew - though I have seen her there before. Nor any Kenyan runners. Oh, how I love seeing them in Richmond Park. Even though they make me feel like a huge heffalump, stomping along as slow as you like while they bound gracefully past like gazelles on springs.

Nor, disappointingly did I see Benson the dog.


Not Jesus Christ Benson

Day 2 felt great, because it was somewhere different and I had no pack to carry, plus I saw Ben Shepherd.

Time taken: Two hours fifteen (fifteen less than Friday possibly due to speeding up after Ben Shepherd).
Lots of labradors seen, but none named Benson.

Sunday, back to marathon des sables shuffle pace. Down to Regent's Canal, along to Regent's Park, sneaked across West London into Hyde Park, along Rotten Row (sand and dog poo avoidance practice), high fived Her Madge, then ran back again.

Day 3 was a little tough mentally - I am just finding the long runs a bit boring sometimes, as I've done the routes again and again. However the last 4 miles or so were better as I sped up to challenge myself, which gave me something to think about, instead of moaning to myself about the fact that I was bored.

Time taken: Two and a half hours, with negative splits, but lots of negative thoughts.

So pretty pleased with that. My legs are feeling tired, but okay. I could run again tomorrow, though I'm having a rest (from running day).

I'm trying out 20x3 in a couple of weeks time. This weekend is the sand dunes. Gulp! Weather forecast says it's minus 10 but sunny. Small mercies I guess.

Official ultrarunner!!

Whoop whoop. I ran my first ultra training run at the weekend. 30 miles. I woke up the next day feeling like something exciting had happened and remembered that it had! 30 miles.

For anyone running their first whatever distance - you will get this feeling. It's brilliant. It's like you've gone out there and achieved something all by yourself, for yourself, and no one can take that away from you. This is partly why I run. So I can feel proud of myself.

Whenever you're having a bad day, the inner you can go "yeh but you smashed that run the other day!", and that will sit with you forever.

Anyway, my point is any milestone run should be celebrated, whatever level you are at. You'll never run your first again so make the most of it when you do.

Pam Reed, ultrarunner extraordinaire said a similar thing in her book "The Extra Mile" when she said she got a little jealous of her friends when they ran their first marathon. I feel the same. I remember thinking during the last few miles of Edinburgh marathon (my first marathon) that I had to remember this bit. And I did, and I still can picture the pain! But also that feeling of absolute elation when I'd crossed the finish and could stop and seize up in agony (joking, kind of).

So, yes, I'm fairly chuffed about reaching past the mara post, though also painfully aware I'm at the start of training still. Got a 45 miler race looming on the horizon in January and still not quite sure how I'll manage all these back to back long runs in the desert.

The route I took for 30 miles (just to remind you I ran 30 miles! 30!!) was from Embankment along the Thames Path to Richmond Bridge and back again.

I started off pretty slow. This was helped by listening to audio books rather than heavy trance and house music. Little bit of running, little bit of walking. No stopping. Lots of eating. Probably too much eating.

The first half felt fairly easy, though it seems that this sort of training is a whole different ballgame to marathon training as it's all about endurance, not speed. So a 12 minute miler pace rather than 8 for long runs.

Started to feel a little tired towards Richmond, though I am sure this is a mental thing, as I knew I could stop and have a drink/sort my trainers out/sit for a minute.

On the way back, I ramped it up with some music to stave off the boredom. Again felt okay till I had about 6 miles to go. Then felt really tired. Though strangely it was easier to jog than walk. Walking gave me wierd stabbing pains in my legs. Really I should have stopped and stretched. The worst pain was in my hip and knee joints rather than my muscles. Though even that disappeared the next day. Result!

It's a lovely route once you get past the tourists around Embankment and Westminster. First there is the glorious Battersea Park to run through. Then sporty "Jack Wills" Putney, with all the rowers out on the Thames. Always love to watch them. Then you hit the offroad part of the path. Just lovely all through the year, but particularly at the moment with all the trees still in their autumnal colours.

For anyone who doesn't get why people run, being outside is one of the reasons, especially in such a busy city as London. Being able to enjoy places like the more rural parts of the Thames Path takes some beating. I don't know if I would have liked to be anywhere else at that point than jogging along between trees and river, saying hello to dog walkers, and seeing the sun through the trees. Happy days.