With the ongoing blister saga, which to be honest is becoming rather dull, I decided to investigate treatment options. Besdies a new pair of trainers I have tried Compeeds, vaseline, regular plasters, dual layer socks and bandaging them but nothing really seems to do the trick. My work buddy Bos has a friend in the Army who lent her some zinc oxide tape and she recommended giving it a go. It is white, super sticky and works a treat. It has revolutionised my running. Hoo Bloody Rah Ray! Looking like a foot extra for the Return of the Mummy I headed out on my mid week runs round the bridges with my flatmate in tow. We were both feeling a bit out of sorts on the short run and struggled to finish the 5 miles we had planned. The medium length run was much more successful and the ever-entertaining banter from Wes made the miles fly past. Having him carry my Zade is quite helpful also.
By the weekend it was time to go shopping. Now is probably not the best time to admit that the trainers I have been running in are almost two years old, have been used primarily for the gym and netball and I only got them because they were a nice colur and half price in Lilywhites. Sensible - I know. So it was with some nervousness I stepped inside a specialist running shop in Clapham Old Town to seek the advice of the experts and subject myself to embarrassment of video gait analysis on the treadmill in order to determine my form. The guys in the store were really helpful and as I suspected I have quite a neutral running style which means I don't need too much support in my shoe. So then it was down to style and comfort. One near death experience on the treadmill later - I'm petrified of them and when the guy hit stop I promptly shot off the back and smacked into the wall (Smooth)- I was ready to commit. Being Cornish has its advantages and in this instance it was a 10% discount and a free pair of socks!(the owner of the store is also from the motherland). Either that or he just felt super embarrassed on my behalf over the teadmill incident. Anyway here are the shoes that will hopefully carry me across the finish line in NYC.
One of the consequences of marathon training is less partying and that has meant bulk movie watching in recent weeks. I've seen some great ones with some pretty cool soundtracks and so there are a few additions to the running playlist on the wonderous shuffle. The latest is by The Temper Trap entitled Sweet Disposition and featured in 500 days of Summer.
By the weekend I was ready for the 14 miles. My NY marathon running buddy was over from Brussels for the weekend and this was going to be our first training run together. We got up early, headed over to Richmond Park and set off for two laps at a reasonable pace. I always get a bit nervous when running with someone new. What happens if they are too fast for me or worse still, they slow down to my pace and spend the whole run wishing they were going faster. Luckily she and I seem reasonably well matched and I really enjoyed running with her. We struck the right balance between chatting and focusing. The miles really did melt away, I felt strong on the hills and I genuinely enjoyed our two hours out in the sunshine.
I'm taking a bit of a break this week. Not ideal but work is off the hook and i'm off to Barceolna for a few days. Hoping to fit in a medium run round the city but we'll see. Not feeling too guilty right now but I'll update you next week.
The Long Run
Distance: 14 miles
Time: 2 hours 17 minutes 41 seconds
Average Pace: 9 minutes and 50 seconds per mile
Lessons Learned:
Treadmills are dangerous and should be avoided at all costs
Not everyone is as interested in my blisters as me
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