13K? Oh yes I can...

Morning all,

Aussie here with a pre-storm report from SW London. With wild storms due later today it was an early start for the long run today. Light rain was forecast so I was excited to get out there in slightly cooler conditions as this was shaping up to be my longest run to date...

Out the door, SPI belt (yeah, cheap hobby this eh?) attached and a gel or two strapped to it (it's going to be a 90 minute run remember) and we're off after the usual 5 minute warm up... What a glorious morning... on towards Richmond Park from my house and then a left turn up Ham Gate Avenue towards Ham Common and then onto Ham House (following my bike route from yesterday).... On past Ham House and towards Petersham and we're around the 4km mark... it starts to rain! PERFECT, GLORIOUS, COOLING RAIN... not pouring - just that perfect drizzle! On we go... towards the riverside now and a right turn towards Richmond and we're at the 5K mark...

Now it's time to turn back towards Kingston and follow the towpath all the way back to Kingston Bridge (that was the plan anyway)... On we go - this is a well tread path for me so it's easy enough and before I know it I'm at the YMCA in Kingston and we're at 9.5K... no problems yet... everything is working as it should.. breathing is fine, heart rate nice and steady... legs moving.. head up and stride on...

It's about now I decide it's time to try some of this gel stuff... having never done that before I had been warned that your tummy may reject it rather quickly if you're not used to it... Hmmm... not ideal at the 9.5K mark... Ah, I know, I'll turn back up this bike path here and loop around... any issues at all and I'm 500m from home and 400m from the YMCA should I feel the need to make a quick dash! Sorry - TMI I'm sure, but having never had these things "on the run" I needed to be prepared!

Needn't have worried! Phew... I can see why these long distance runners have those gels... wow! 5 minutes after it and it's sugar rush, carb loaded push... unfortunately I'd forgotten I was running 13K today and got all excited between 11-12k as I made my big finish... Doh! About 11.4km my brain kicked back in and I realised I actually had another 1.6K (a mile) to go... sigh... wish I hadn't have pushed quite so hard over that last couple of hundred metres Aussie! Oh well... slow down again and think of it as an unplanned interval session...

The last mile was tough - I won't lie... I was off the towpath and in the local streets... it just felt "boring" and I wanted the last km to be over SO bad... but I kept on pushing myself... I could do this... it was a mental thing... it wasn't like there was a wall at 12km that said "ooo.. no, you couldn't possibly go ANY further or your legs will fall off..." ... it was only another 1000m after all.....

Up past the church (praying it'd be over), past the school (closed thankfully so no school run mums laughing at the sweaty man trying to stumble on).... and BUZZ - Garmin informs me it's lucky 13km...

It's done - my longest run... 8 miles of glory, rain and with moments that were tough... those tough moments taught me to slow it down, speak to the gremlins and get it done... I'm ready for that 8.2 mile race in October and I'm going to have that half in Feb too....

My time? 1:26.31 ... 6:39min/km average (a bit quicker than last week's 12K)... happy with that alright!

I'm rather pleased with myself today... now to fuel up properly on a proper breakfast!

Happy Sunday folks...

EDIT: The tags on this post make me laugh...

EDIT: For those wondering "What next Aussie? Intervals on Friday, 14 miles on a bike yesterday, 8 miles running today... what does tomorrow hold?"... the answer is "I'm on annual leave and I will be doing absolutely NOTHING... Nil... nada... a PROPER rest day awaits"... I may have already mapped out a 15K route though...

[Clara29 Graduate]

Blimey! Well done!

[Hidden in reply to Clara29]

Thanks Clara - all down to C25K, Laura and "taking it slow" in terms of getting to this point... oh - and these awesome folks on the forum... almost 6 months since I started and I can almost taste 20km... Almost...

All the lessons I learned from Laura came into play on this run (check your form, check your breathing, "nice, slow jog now - not too fast", etc.. )...

[I_will Graduate]

Great post

What's the gel?! Glad it did the trick for you. Is it called 'Make or Break'?!

[Hidden in reply to I_will]

Ha! It's one of those "Isotonic Energy" gels - hideously expensive sugar in a tube basically...

scienceinsport.com/sis-prod...

Jury's out on whether they actually do any good...

Next up is a water belt as although during races there are water stations, it's a bit hard to stash water in London every 3 miles... someone is sure to lift it!

[pinkangel16 Graduate]

Well done you - fantastic!

x

[Hidden in reply to pinkangel16]

Thank you!

[MrsSparkle Graduate]

Great stuff. I love reading your posts, they're so positive and upbeat. You are doing so well.

[Hidden in reply to MrsSparkle]

Thank you - none of this would be possible without C25K and the support of the folks on this forum.. it's a place to come and "talk running" with people who don't do the usual "oh - you jog a bit then, yeah?" thing...

You know - these questions...

runnersworld.com/photos/the...

[tanyag_163 Graduate]

All power to you. I'm sure half the trick with these gels must be the mental boost they give as much as the physical. I got a free vegan gel as a sample from my local health food shop and have to admit I wasn't much impressed by it. The taste/texture was rather strange. I can't comment on other brands as am vegetarian and can't use most brands out there because of the gelatin content

[Hidden in reply to tanyag_163]

To be honest, 67 calories of sticky sweet gel mustn't really make that much difference to the muscles eh?

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Well done Aussie. You are well on target. Boredom is a problem on longer runs, even in a beautiful environment, which is one of the reasons that I tend to only run 10ks now. Also that way I can avoid the gels, etc. which gave my mate stomach cramps in the middle of the London Marathon last year.

Keep running, keep smiling

[Hidden in reply to IannodaTruffe]

The gel was okay - but the run did get a bit "boring"... it was fine of course but it did turn into a bit of "plodding along" in the last mile or two where it was certainly a "are we there yet?" moment... that'll all be fine on race day with (hopefully) the streets lined with loads of people cheering me on... and then when I stop at 8.2 miles I can cheer on the elites doing 24 miles! I mean - WOW!...

[Ullyrunner Graduate]

You should feel pleased with yourself. Soundalike an excellent run. Ready for that race now!

[Hidden in reply to Ullyrunner]

Yep - all ready for the 13K race with plenty of time to work on form and pace... Only another 5 miles to a half... <gulp>

[danzargo Graduate]

13K done and dusted. Cool beans dude, well done. Those gels sound kind of revolting but at least they didn't seem to upset your stomach. You are really going for the distance running thang aren't you? Have you put your name down for next Aprils London marathon yet?

Superb 13K performance though Aussie and enjoy that massive brekkers!

[Hidden in reply to danzargo]

Thanks Dan! An 8-miler in October, followed by a 10K 6 days later and the Hampton Court Half in Feb 2015 will keep me busy enough (with some Parkruns in there too)...

A marathon just so seems SO far away... Never say never though... And I have Laura to thank.. I do enjoy the long run on the weekends though... it's a great way to relax (perversely!)...

[paul2014 Graduate]

Fantastic post, Aussie and what a great distance covered. Loved the bit about having an unplanned interval session Well done matey and it looks like you'll smash the race in October

[Hidden in reply to paul2014]

Thanks Paul - I'm happy I'll cover the distance of that 8.2 mile race without a problem now... time to work on progressing it up another 5 miles or so to 13.1 by Feb... <yikes>... I reckon my 5K times will be tumbling with all this long distance running soon enough too... intervals, hills, long runs and nice easy runs... variety is the spice of life!

[ju-ju- Graduate]

brilliant, great achievement and the gels sound like the dogs b*******... I am just revisiting getting some to try out myself, sounds like they are worth it?? Enjoy your AL

[Hidden in reply to ju-ju-]

I found them okay... I'm not sure I'm sold on the "sales pitch" of these over taking some wine gums and/or jelly babies... I mean, let's be honest, these are carbs as sugar... simple as that really... so long as they're easy enough to digest...

I'd say buy one or two (you can get them at the supermarkets) and give it a go...

I have a "water belt" on order now... I won't need it for races with water stations but for my own long runs on my own I figure I should start carrying water as my long runs are approaching 90 minutes these days...

[Burgdude Graduate]

Great post as always Aussie! I liked how you described the gel sugar rush

made you feel like a million I bet! Great work again.

[misswobble Graduate]

I bought some baby porridge fruity breakfast for the 10 miler but I didn't use it. I don't eat anything on my runs. The only time I've taken on water was during the 10 miler. You'll be fine without food Aussie. If you've had your porridge or whatever an hour before then you should be ok to do without grub for 10 or 13 k and beyond. I wouldn't fancy gels to be honest. They sound dodgy. LOL

[Nellyharte Graduate]

Gret time and distance and after such a short time running, large pat on back.