8 miles done!

[bforts]

I’ve been loosely following the NRC half marathon plan for a few weeks and on this week it was an 8 mile run.

I went to snow + rock this week and bought a soft flask for my vest and a couple of energy gels. This is totally new territory! Does anyone have any energy gel recommendations?

It was a 6am run but everyone I passed said hello! It seems to be the same dog walkers, runners and fisherman every time which is nice.

I did it! I was very shocked and had a smile on my face all day. My next long run says 15km and I am slightly terrified!

I’ve entered the London marathon ballot (as I’m sure a lot of people on here have) which I think gets announced soon? Doing this longer run gave me hope that one day I can do a marathon!

I hope everyone else had good runs this weekend too!

[Beachcomber66 Administrator Half Marathon]

I don’t think that you will notice much difference with the 15k run bforts. You have built up to this properly; I would try to just relax and enjoy it. I think that the plan is really good. I just did 3 runs per week, starting with one recovery run, one speed run and the long run, although I have moved on to two speed runs and treated the long run as a recovery run recently. You are running really well👍

[bforts in reply to Beachcomber66]

I’m hoping to take a new route and i think that will keep any doubt at bay. I’ve really enjoyed the guided runs, it feels a little bit like a security blanket as I was missing the structure of C25K. That’s a good strategy with the three runs! Thanks for saying that 😊

[SueAppleRun 10 Miles]

That's a great 8 miles, good luck in the ballot

[Sandraj39 Half Marathon]

Great distance bforts - well done! 🙂👏

Re energy gels - they don’t appeal to me personally. I use Tailwind which is fuel and hydration all in one. Link below. I would say, try a few things and see what works for you. I also used to take a Power flapj ack with me when I was on my long runs training for a HM. Good luck!

tailwindnutrition.co.uk/

rockrun.com/blogs/the-flash...

Obviously, the recipe can be tweaked if you like - I replaced the pine nuts with flaked .🙂almonds

[bforts in reply to Sandraj39]

thank you! Ooh I’ll take a look, I think I might get on better with that than the gels. My friend relies on Percy pigs so I’ll probably try that at some point 😊

[Irishprincess Administrator Half Marathon]

As your miles increase you’ll want to experiment with food and drink. Have a look at this post for some suggestions. What suits one person may not suit another.

healthunlocked.com/marathon...

Well done for the run 👍 You’re more than capable of the next one, just trust the training plan.

Good luck and enjoy 🍀

[misswobble Marathon]

well done! Another one ticked off ✅🙂 I did that run last week and have the 15k this week. It’s not much further so don’t worry 🙂

I don’t really do gels as they make me gag 😝. The high five don’t taste bad though. I’ve made a fresh batch of peanut power bars this afto. I might add a sachet of Tailwind to my 500 ml flask. If it’s not hot I’ll probably just take a smaller flask of water

Good luck with the ballot! Enjoy your run 🙂

[linda9389 Administrator Marathon]

Well done, that's a great achievement. Don;t worry about the 15K - rememeber what we all say about C25K. 'Trust the plan'! We are capable of so much more than we realise. I see IP has already given you a link to a nutrition post; I don't like gels and prefer chews or bars, but it's very personal so keep experimenting. We have a shiny badge waiting for you when you hit 10 miles (16.1k) - so do let us know when you get there. In the meantime, bon courage for the 15k - trust the plan, you can do this!!!