Ive had an awful chest bug last week and have been off work. However Sunday was a scheduled long run so I knew I had to dig deep. I am a great believer that fresh air and exercise is the panacea for all ills...
So I just wanted to share with you some of my strategies that I employed to get me through...
1. I took a flask of tea- strong green as a treat for halfway- it really buoyed me up. The pic of Viktor my Garmin shows my halfway stats
2. I take a breakdown of breaks and treats. This gives structure to the run, I rip off each stage and munch on the assigned treat. I really look forward to these 'breaks' and at each one I allow myself to walk for 1 minute. I look forward to that!!
3. After 14 miles I allowed myself a 30 second walk at the end of each mile. That really helped my legs as they were starting to really hurt!!
4. I found the sign 2 miles from home but it was pointing the wrong way!!!!
I did 17 miles in 3 hours 18 minutes and I am very happy with that. The next long run will be 19 miles... but i really feel I am getting there, that marathon is in my grasp.
I am heading up a new community and wanted to invite you to join. It is focussed on support for marathon training and if you are training for a race ( any length)... anyone is welcome
healthunlocked.com/marathon...
Happy panthering
Juicyju
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I think I'm delerious! I read "egg nog bar" ! Oops Sounds jolly nice though!
That sounds wonderful Ju! You did that really well. So well planned and executed! You set your stall out to do a good job and it worked. More power to your running legs. I think the walking break is a good idea. It will keep you going in the long run (you know what I mean)
Glad you feel so much better after your lurgy bout.
Bows low on both knees in respect at your awesome distance. Yep I will join your community. I am missing long runs. Not done one in an age. I was feeling a bit like I fancied entering a half marathon and then chucking the 10 k race in (in March) as a bit of a training thing. However, I then felt a bit of a mug for being so easily drawn in. I don't want to over-run again. Well I do but ....
Well done. Did you have the flask in the back pack? Did it not bounce around a lot? I like the plan! I was planning on having a nutrition and walking break every 5km on my HM, but wasn't up to my long run yesterday.
I agree with you totally about the exercise in the great outdoors being a good medicine. I found that from starting C25K in Sept 2014, until my ankle problem in Apr 2015, I had no real colds or flu, I ran at least 3 times every week during that period. Between April 2015 and Sept 2015 my running was very limited and I seemed to get one bug after another. I've now been back to running 2 6km runs and one long run each week since Sept 2015, and again I have not has any colds or bugs during that time. During 2005 and 2007 I used to do indoor rowing for an hour every day, and again, during that period, no significant colds or bugs. When I'm not exercising regularly I seem to get colds one after another.
I'm the same, I got ill in the summer when I was injured... Although this time I think it was because I got v v cold and was in wet clothes after running 15 miles for more than 3 hours 😨
Fantastic. You are running some epic distances. Love the idea about the eating plan. If I ever get to big enough distances im going to use that idea. Good luck - hope the training keeps going to plan
I'm impressed. You're so much further than I am. Can't see myself running for 3 hours. Pretty sure I'd need a toilet break too..... bit worrying that thought actually.
that amazing juicyju, such a long way! i love your notes of treat etc, a great tip to follow! and brilliant what with you felling a bit rubbish all week, so impressed! will take a look at your link, going to book in for Southampton HM in April!
PS Boz's mum is a vicar, for her bday last year he bought her a mug with "more F*****G tea Vicar?", she loved it!!
Well done Ju ! Absolutely brilliant , that is some trek !!!
Hope youre feeling better after your illness, they can really drag you down , but youve bounced back with a vengeance !
Love your notes , must admit though I have really gone off Creme Eggs. They taste so different to me since Cadburys was taken over but I bet it went down a treat after that ! xxx
Ooh, waves of nostalgia seeing that road sign (no, not nostalgic for having motivation!) - that used to mean 'nearly home' for me too.
I am mostly a 'get to the end then treat' sort of a person but I have found that getting my teenagers out in the fresh air and keeping them pleasant to be with is much improved using a strategy like yours. In some danger of developing a serious veggie Colin Caterpillar problem.
Lovely post Ju and pleased you were feeling well enough to do your long run. I love the idea of tea en route. But, how do you transport that and a cream egg without any leaking and melting! When I take a fiver with me it comes back all soggy and limp! I think I'd have to have the egg at mile 0.5! X 😊
Hi Julia, OMG you are so organised and structured. No wonder you are meeting your running targets. 17 miles! Outrageous this early before the Marathon. My older brother is a Vicar and one parkrun in the summer, he and I got exactly the same time and both achieved a PB, he running Abingdon and me Newbury.
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but I bet it went down a treat after that ! 
Update
Smug mode engaged !!
C2Great west run!
Half Marathon here I come! 🏃🏼♀️❤️🙏 Long post alert! 😂
