Today was the day! I'd planned to take the long run further this weekend although the thought of Shrewsbury Park Run was tantalizing! I needed to know I could go the full HM distance during training so stuck with plan A and the route I'd mapped out, which turned out to be pleasantly flat and dry.
After running the last long run without hydration and nearly banging on my daughter's door at 7 a.m. in desperate need of water (not a good idea; I stuck with the dehydration) I bought a pack to fit the Osprey hydration bladder I already use for long walk days. Bit of a hammer to crack a nut, but it worked well and meant I could stash a few wraps of jelly babies in handy pockets.
It took me two and a half hours and I was longing to hear Coach Carter count down from 11 miles. I heard the magic countdown and gave myself a few extra metres in case Garmin was being mean, then went thankfully to a walk. Walking! What had happened to the ability to put one foot in front of the other in a walk? It seemed pretty tricky to get those thighs to move up and down in a walk! I think stairs are going to be interesting for a couple of days, too!
Despite all that, I can do it; run the distance of a HM. Looking back over my posts from the last two years has given this real perspective. Like so many on the C25K journey, I started from not having run at all. I am now going to bask in just a little smugness (please forgive this) for a while and then take my wonky legs for a cool down walk.
Have a lovely weekend VRBs! 🌸😊🌸
First time HM distance
First HM run complete 
Planning to progress to HM distance
Post Half Marathon Runs