I got off to a bad start today - forgot to set the alarm ! I woke up about an hour later than usual to find my son had beaten me to the bathroom so I rushed around getting the KT tape and painkillers ready to go before having a soak in a hot bath. I taped my knee and feet then swapped the insoles in my shoes so I could compare with the insoles I used yesterday and decide which would give me the best chance of surviving a full marathon tomorrow.
I skipped breakfast again as it had suited me yesterday and I didn't have much time anyway. There was a bit of a panic at the car park as the ticket machine was refusing to accept coins. Gemma knocked on a door and managed to get notes written on scraps of paper saying that the machine wasn't working. The chances are no-one would have checked for tickets anyway but we now had three matching excuse notes on display in our car windscreens.
The weather was a bit more drizzly today but it was still quite mild. My legs were feeling better after my massage yesterday and I had liberally sprayed deep heat over hamstrings and calves. Another friend from running club, Angela, had offered to run the first lap with me and after chatting to other runners we all set off again. I had a few walk breaks when my calves were feeling quite tight but ran most of the first lap. I had a drink of cola at the 4/5 mile mark, followed by a few raisins. Most of the first lap went by quite quickly, chatting away and hardly glancing at the watch. When we got back to race HQ, I had another cola and got my water bottle refilled, grabbed a 9-bar and a painkiller and started walking back up the track for the last 4 mile lap. Angela walked with me for a while before heading off for a shower and work and I started running again.
I'd already decided to take it really easy and take photos for the Running Photograph Scavenger Hunt challenge on the way back. A runner coming the other way warned me he had narrowly missed being attacked by the branch of a tree and a bit further along the track I found the branch - it would have hurt if it had hit him. It was probably as long as I am tall - I took a quick photo then dragged it off the track. I kept running most of the way to the turn around point but made mental notes of things I wanted to take pictures of on the way back.
On the way back, the track crossed a river and I could hear the sound of running water - one of the things on the Scavenger Hunt list ! To get a photo, I would need to duck underneath the fence to look over the wall of the bridge. It sounds easy but it's not when all your muscles are screaming at you and I had doubts I would stand up again. I did manage to stand up but I'd walked into some sort of stingy/irritant plant so my legs were prickling and tingling. Still, I got my photograph of running water and as a bonus I later found I also had a picture of a reflection - another one off the Scavenger Hunt list !
I had a few failed attempts at taking pictures of squirrels - "wild animal" is another one on the list. Squirrels have an annoying habit of staying perfectly still and staring at you then vanishing as soon as you try to take the photo. No squirrel pictures ! I took a few more pictures on the way back and was pleasantly surprised to find I finished only a few minutes outside the time I took yesterday.
My feet were hurting again and, unsurprisingly, there are plenty of other aches and pains. I'm surprised and pleased to find that I don't feel particularly tired.
I've really enjoyed the challenge so far. My low point was on Tuesday, where I had been looking forward to completing another marathon at Lightmoor but had to admit defeat as I was in too much pain. I've met some lovely, encouraging people and enjoyed the company and support of friends I already knew. It's also been interesting finding out what I can do - from the moment I started running on day two I was venturing into new territory. It would have been "nice" to manage a marathon every day - but I can't be too disappointed with running half-marathons instead for the last three days. It's still a hell of a lot more than I knew I could do and I have enjoyed almost all of it. Each day has been well organised with lots of support and encouragement from the organizers, other runners and friends.
I'm scared and excited about tomorrow - I'm aiming for the full marathon so I can finish the 6 days on a high.
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