Week 12 - 200 miles and counting

So I was going to devote part of this week's post to my running blues. After the high of Week 11 (which was always going to be unsustainable for the next month) I was floating around in a haze of self confidence before coming back down to earth with a bump on Wednesday with a slow, slightly sore and generally dull 5 miles around the bridges. Week 11 had been the best week of the training so far but at the start of Week 12 I felt like running was becoming a chore and yet I still had another three weeks of high mileage ahead of me.

Researching an appropriate image to capture this mood effectively on the blog I typed 'depressed runner' into Google and what should pop up on the front page but a picture of the delectable David Beckham! I kid you not - any doubters (read David Beckham fans) try it for yourself. That was reason enough to lift my mood and then, after chatting with a few people about my Week 12 downer, it dawned on me that I'm actually pretty lucky. Week 12 of 16 is not a bad point in the schedule to encounter your first 'i'm over it' vibes, in fact the Non Runner's Marathon Guide predicted I would have hit 'the emotional plateau' a good couple of weeks earlier... So the first 5 miles of the week were a struggle, and maybe I didn't quite make the full 8 miles of the medium run... and ok so I might have missed out the second 5 mile run of the week but once I'd kicked the 21 miler into touch it was all downhill (in mileage terms) until the big day.

But back to earlier in the week. Having got two long runs under the belt I had a better idea of what to expect for the coming Sunday and so for the first time I was not only apprehensive but also had a feeling that I just wanted to get it over and done with. Not ideal. Training for a marathon has made me fitter, stronger and generally more positive (not to mention all the mini highs along the way) but this week I felt a bit obsessed with running, bugged by muscle pain, tired and bored with pounding the pavements on my own. I still hadn't shaken off the running blues by Sunday morning and was unconvinced about my ability to complete the 21 miles even on my drive to Richmond.

Three laps of the Park meant three lots of seven miles (more manageable mentally) and two stops for water, gels, painkillers and any other necessary paramedic assistance. I took a deep breath and got going. The serious runners were out in force, sinking gels like tequila shots and I swear at least one of them lapped me. The shuffle battery life was going to be tested to the limit. On the third lap I had to remind myself that running a marathon isn't supposed to be easy and just because I felt a bit like giving up didn't mean I should. A worrying niggle in the top of my right thigh gave me reason enough to walk the hills (up and down) on the last lap but I still managed to finish with a strong last mile. Chalking up the 21 miles didn't give me the sense of satisfaction that I got from ticking off the 19 miles or the 16 miles. I just felt a bit numb - probably the four Ibuprofen.

The Non Runner's Guide really has been invaluable in the training. I've known what to expect and it usually been spot on and it has also reassured me that what I am feeling is completely normal. It's made me look back to all of the reasons I chose to run a marathon in the first place and forced me to acknowledge just how far i've come in the past five months (about two hundred and something miles so far). I'm swinging back into the happy camp for Week 13 when I'm going to turn my attention to the most important aspect of the pre marathon preparation... what to wear!

The Long Run
Distance: 21.01 miles
Time: 3 hours 31 minutes 27 seconds
Average Pace: 10 minutes 04 seconds per mile
Calories Burned: 2313

Lessons Learned
Tropical flavour SIS gels taste great but Apple flavoured caffine infused ones sound even more up my street
The last 5 miles of the marathon are going to be tough as hell
Too much marathon chat can send people to sleep