Let's Get The Party Started

The countdown is almost at its end and tomorrow the fun begins.

Could you possibly imagine a better way to spend your holidays than running a marathon every day? Me neither!

I've been ticking along the last 3 days, taking it easy, especially this morning when I ran 7 miles relaxed and easy entirely on autopilot and at the same effort I'm planning for the first marathon tomorrow. After that, I'll play it by ear and decide at the time what effort might be appropriate. If it's 8 minute miles, great, if it's 12 minute miles, fine, if it's walking then not so fine but that's still better than stopping.

I guess at some stage this week and/or next there will be a higher possibility of a DNF than for any other race I've done ever before. I know I can toughen out a fair amount of discomfort but if I think I'm going to do myself some permanent damage then I will not continue. That reminds me of my Achilles, it has been getting better every day and by Monday I thought it was all healed for sure when I accidentally banged the back of my left leg against a chair and a rather sharp pain left me in no doubt that all is not right. Obviously that's not how you want to start a marathon, never mind the first one out of ten, but that's what I have to deal with and I will just have to try and nurse it along.

I'm not entirely sure if/what kind of internet access I'll have in Sixmilebridge, so if the stream of updates stops at some point then that's not necessarily a bad sign.

We're getting some publicity as well, the Indo has a write-up but I think I prefer the way the Clare Champion calls us all a group of elite athletes (unless elite athlete is a new euphemism for nutcase - entirely plausible, of course).

1 Jul

8 miles, 59:17, 7:25 pace, HR 143

2 Jul

8 miles, 1:01:45, 7:43 pace, HR 141

3 Jul

7 miles, 54:28, 7:47 pace, HR 137