Traning over. Now the hardest part. And then the race.
Yesterday I ran the last miles of what I would consider "training" for this event. My goal was to do 500 miles in August and 150 in the last 5 days. I exceed both of those. In August I have spend 75 hours running, that's 3 days non-stop. I got the numbers I wanted to.
More importantly, I feel so much different from how I felt at the beginning of the month. I felt tired and weak, possibly due to the diet. As I heaved myself over the finish line in the Salisbury marathon I realised things had to get better if I was to finish what it one of the hardest races there is. For the past week I have run every mile of the long runs like they were my first. Keeping a constant pace for 40 miles even though I may have done 30 the day before. I am so pleased with how I felt during and after each run and now I enter the "tapering" period which is going to drive me mad.
I feel like I could just carry on upping the miles into a 200 mile week. The only limitations on the amount of running I can do are the working day and pub outings. Along the way I've eaten so many McDonalds meals I have a whole set of Coke glasses. I'm gutted to have to cut down but know that I have to.
The Ridgeway 85 mile race was this weekend. I decided not to do it and didn't really pay much attention to it. It'shard not running races that you enter, harder still when you feel like you could do it and do it well. I showed reasonable restraint in not doing it though.
So, I know I can run 150 miles over 5 days and not feel a single ache. I can run for hours in the sunshine and not feel the heat. I can run straight after eating a fillet o fish and fries. All signs look go now. All I need now is a chest infection.
Now I just have to read through the instructions for the race. This is where the nerves start...
August Running
| Date | Miles | Time | Pace | Speed |
| Sun 2 6pm | 9 | 01:10:00 | 07:47 | 7.71 |
| Mon 3 12pm | 24 | 03:45:00 | 09:23 | 6.4 |
| Tue 4 7am | 9.03 | 01:15:00 | 08:18 | 7.22 |
| Tue 4 5pm | 9.03 | 01:15:00 | 08:18 | 7.22 |
| Wed 5 7am | 9.03 | 01:15:00 | 08:18 | 7.22 |
| Fri 7 5pm | 12 | 01:45:00 | 08:45 | 6.86 |
| Sat 8 2pm | 6 | 0:45:00 | 07:30 | 8 |
| Sat 8 6pm | 9 | 01:14:00 | 08:13 | 7.3 |
| Sun 9 6am | 27 | 04:00:00 | 08:53 | 6.75 |
| Mon 10 7am | 9.03 | 01:15:00 | 08:18 | 7.22 |
| Mon 10 5pm | 9.03 | 01:15:00 | 08:18 | 7.22 |
| Tue 11 7am | 9.03 | 01:15:00 | 08:18 | 7.22 |
| Tue 11 7pm | 9.03 | 01:16:00 | 08:25 | 7.13 |
| Wed 12 4pm | 28 | 04:15:00 | 09:06 | 6.59 |
| Thu 13 4pm | 10 | 01:30:00 | 09:00 | 6.67 |
| Sun 16 12pm | 24 | 03:30:00 | 08:45 | 6.86 |
| Mon 17 7am | 9.03 | 01:15:00 | 08:18 | 7.22 |
| Mon 17 5pm | 9.03 | 01:15:00 | 08:18 | 7.22 |
| Tue 18 7am | 9.03 | 01:15:00 | 08:18 | 7.22 |
| Tue 18 5pm | 9.03 | 01:15:00 | 08:18 | 7.22 |
| Wed 19 4pm | 30 | 04:10:00 | 08:20 | 7.2 |
| Thu 20 4pm | 4 | 0:30:00 | 07:30 | 8 |
| Sat 22 11am | 36 | 05:20:00 | 08:53 | 6.75 |
| Sun 23 8am | 13 | 01:50:00 | 08:28 | 7.09 |
| Sun 23 12pm | 15 | 03:00:00 | 12:00 | 5 |
| Mon 24 7am | 9.03 | 01:15:00 | 08:18 | 7.22 |
| Mon 24 5pm | 6 | 0:45:00 | 07:30 | 8 |
| Tue 25 7am | 9.03 | 01:15:00 | 08:18 | 7.22 |
| Thu 27 5pm | 26 | 03:45:00 | 08:39 | 6.93 |
| Fri 28 12pm | 24 | 03:30:00 | 08:45 | 6.86 |
| Sat 29 2pm | 40 | 06:00:00 | 09:00 | 6.67 |
| Sun 30 10am | 21 | 02:50:00 | 08:06 | 7.41 |
| Mon 31 9am | 21 | 03:00:00 | 08:34 | 7 |
| Mon 31 11am | 19 | 03:05:00 | 09:44 | 6.16 |
| Total | 521.39 | 75:55:00 |