On Friday I decided to hook up the heart monitor for the first time to see how much of my 'i'm about to die' feelings are all really just in the mind. All I had to do was strap it on and turn on the watch. I haven't quite worked out how to accurately calculate my maximum heartrate and therefore what my appropriate training intensity should be in terms of bpm. Historically Friday evening runs haven't worked out that well for me because I'm usually tired after a long week at work and trying to squeeze in the run before heading out to start the weekend. This one was much better. Over a distance of 5 miles I averaged 9 minutes 39 seconds per mile had an average heart rate of 174. All in all it was a solid run and I felt in control throughout. Saturday morning was sunny and I hit Battersea Park for a quick 3 miles. The heat slowed me down a bit but it was still a pretty good run. I'm finding that I am enjoying the middle distance runs the most at the moment. 5 miles is long enough to settle in, too long to try and rush it but not long enough to get really tired. At 3 miles I am trying to push myself and the first and second miles seem to go on forever.
And so we reached today. 10 miles... hitting double figures for the first time. I was slightly nervous but also excited. On the advice of a friend I got in car and drove out to Richmond Park to run round the perimetre. I arrived just after 09.30 and it was overcast but warm. I strapped on the heart rate monitor, plugged in the iPod, switched on the Garmin and grabbed my bottle of water. One lap of the perimetre is 7.2 miles so I would need to double back a bit to make up the distance. I had no aches or pains from my previous two outings (could be something to do with The Stick, which I have been using religiously, but still too early to tell) and after the first mile I began to settle in to a run that was going to take me an hour and a half at the very least. Not long after, I encountered my first hill which was pretty tough going - but having hit it so early on I dominated (as my flatmate would say) and carried on. The sun had come out and I began to worry that I hadn't hydrated enough before the run.
My major problems began at mile 4, primarily because I thought I'd already run a mile further than I actually had but also beacuse my iPod decided to die (time for a new one I think) and I could feel the beginnings of a painful blister on my left foot (new socks - not a wise move). The iPod was annoying but no big deal, the mileage was disappointing but still overcomeable and the pain wasn't so bad as to need to stop but it was the combination of factors that put me in a bad frame of mind. Whilst grumbling away to myself I obviously took a wrong turn (no idea how - it was a fairly well marked trail) and ended up at a dead end with the only option being a slightly sketchy looking hill path through some trees. The hill was hard and I had to walk after about three quarters of the way to the top. It was at this point that I encountered some weirdo/scary looking dude picking blackberries whilst on a bicycle. I almost turned back to re-find the place i'd originally gone wrong but was near the top of the hill so stumbled on and luckily popped back out near one of the main entrances to the perimetre of the Park.
I needed a break to regroup and pull myself together. I stopped for a couple of minutes and downed a lot of water. Today was going to be a mental battle and so far the desire to give in was outweighing the will to continue. Starting off again I felt much better and my talking to seemed to have done the trick but I couldn't help feeling that if I'd had someone else running with me things would seem a whole lot easier. So I visualised that they were. The Non Runners Guide to Marathon Training really does seem to anticipate exactly what I'm going to feel like every single week. The latest chapter recommends creating films in your head to help you along the way when things get tough. Some suggestions include, remembering your greatest run so far... the sounds, sights and smells and where you were; another option is imagining you are as light as a feather or that all the muscles in your body are rowers you can command at will. I chose to imagine friends and family members accompanying me along the way. Some would join me for a mile or so and I would imagine what we would talk about, others would cheer me on from the sidelines and tell me to keep on going. I know it all sounds a bit strange but it massively helped.
My legs felt fine and my breathing was shallow so I knew it was all in my mind. The visualisations worked up until about 8 and a half miles, by which time I'd already done one lap plus a mini loop and was just passing the car for the second time (aghhhhhhhh). After that I just gritted my teeth and furiously clock watched for the next fifteen minutes. By that stage there was no way on earth I was going to stop before my 10 miles was up. I had worked it out perfectly and collapsed over the car bonnet in a sweaty bedraggled mess.
10 miles. Done. However it made me realise that the long runs are going to get even harder and that this is going to be as much of a mental battle as a physical one. I also need to pay more attention to what I'm eating and drinking ahead of the long runs. I think my mind was partly tired due to insufficient fuelling beforehand. Once home I checked the blisters (massive one on each foot - the new socks are now in the bin) gave myself a good going over with The Stick and sunk about a litre of water. Roll on Week Six.
The Stats
The Long Run
Distance: 10.02 miles
Time: 1 hour 41 minutes and 57 seconds
Pace: 10minutes 11seconds per mile
Calories Burned: 1107 (yes!)
Average Heart Rate: 175bpm
New experiences
Blisters the size of 10 pence pieces
Feeling dehydrated after a run
Running in Richmond Park
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