– GUEST CONTENT –
I’m halfway through my London Marathon Training! After a good recovery week, I was feeling fresh & ready to go. With my health & nutrition due to take effect at the weekend I might have made it an excuse to consume a few too many treats in the days leading up to it – in hindsight, this probably wasn’t one of my smartest moves. Run 1 of the week felt absolutely fine but boy did I pay for it on Run 2. My stomach felt bloated, I needed the loo the entire time & to be honest, the overall theme of the run was ‘bleuurrgghhh’. With the dreaded 12 mile Sunday long run approaching, me & Elliott were lucky enough to have a 24-hour getaway to the No.15 Great Pulteney Spa Hotel in Bath (thank you PMC).
Training has been so rewarding but it does consume your life so it was lovely for both of us to get away for a bit & pamper ourselves. We were treated to private access to their spa which was built in a wine cellar, followed by a 60-minute neck, shoulder, back massage & facial. It really loosened up all of the tension I had in my back, although part of me wished I was able to have my legs massaged as well, but alas it was not one of the treatments they offered on our package deal. The evening concluded with a delicious 3-course meal & a raid of the pantry near our room (sweets & popcorn galore). 24 hours of relaxation made me well & truly prepared for my 12 miles. We decided to head to Elliott’s parents’ house at lunchtime so that he could spend the afternoon with them & I could run in the gorgeous countryside of the Vale of the Horse. I was able to watch the sunset over the hills, pass through some beautiful English Villages & came across many runners, cyclists & horse riders along the way (everyone always greets each other which is such a lovely touch). The run felt so long but I felt amazing afterwards. Ok, my calves were aching & my lower back was stiff but mentally I felt incredibly proud of myself and I’m nearly at the half marathon distance now.
Here’s a summary of my runs.
Week 8 Run 1 – 20/02/2019
4.5 miles today. A really nice easy evening run today. A glorious temperature & feeling good after recovery week.
Week 8 Run 2 – 22/02/2019
Starting health & nutrition this weekend so been enjoying my last few days of treat but it meant I felt a bit ‘bleurgh‘ on this run. 12 miles next – eeeek….
Week 8 Run 3 – 24/02/2019
12 miles – flipping heck! Feeling the aches & pains after that but such a beautiful run through Longcot & Uffington in the Vale of the Horse. Countryside running is gorgeous.
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