Many training plans for marathons will include runs up to about 30km or 20 miles. I think that each of the marathons I’ve done previously have included just one run at or over 30km.
In my preparation for the Jungfrau Marathon, I’ve now run four at 30km or over, with just the big 42.2km run to come on 5 September.
11 July, 30.0km – I got an early train from Elmswell to Kennett allowing me a 6am start on my run across the Fens, concluding with Ben’s Yard parkrun with Lucy. The slower pace for the last 5km wasn’t entirely representative, but it was still a good period on my feet. It nevertheless included some challenges – my legs felt heavy to start, and by 2km I was already thinking that there was no way I was going to be able to manage 30km this morning. At 10km my digestive system woke up from its early morning slumber and I had to have an emergency visit to the bushes. But by about 16km I started to get into my stride and the remainder went very smoothly, with the 24th kilometre being the fastest by some margin, showing plenty of energy reserves as I approached the parkrun.
2 August, 32.6km – After a partial easing off of the training plan (two weekends with reduced load at either end of a holiday), today saw an early run before bellringing, starting at 5.35am. The training plan called for 31km but I decided to run the Tarpley 20-mile race route. I also experimented with eating bananas en route, since there will be bananas at a number of the aid stations on the Jungfrau Marathon route. It went well – no difficulties eating the banana and no GI effects noticed. I got a little knee paid around 16-18km but it faded and caused me no further problems. Another good run.
9 August, 34.1km – after bellringing I took the car to Elmswell and then ran to Ipswich. I was heading for a particular hourly train to get me back again, and was about 8 minutes later than intended in setting off, which rather ate into my 20-minute window, but I ran faster than planned and saved 10 minutes compared to my plan. It was a warm run at 28°C, so though I’d got 2½ litres of water and electrolytes and food, I used them all up. So arriving in good time allowed me to stop in the little Coop and get some fresh drinks and an ice cream for the train. Very pleased that this went so smoothly even in the heat. I felt some fatigue from about 27km but it didn’t stop me speeding up towards the end. I also practiced taking photographs en route and posting them to WhatsApp, as I hope to do from time to time on the day of the Jungfrau Marathon.
15 August, 31.4km – we were staying in Coventry for the European Athletics Championships, so I ran 11km to Coventry parkrun, did parkrun, then took an alternative 15.4km route back to the hotel. A very encouraging run – although the parkrun-sandwich nature of it meant there was a bit of stationary rest, nevertheless I found it got easier both mentally and physically as I went on, with a little fatigue after 25km but nothing to constrain me, and I sped up a bit at the end.
Because this week’s long run was on a Saturday and the previous one on a Sunday, I’d run 106km in the last 7 days – probably my most ever, and I felt no discomfort, no excessive fatigue, no DOMS, very little GI distress. All good signs.
I’m very pleased with how each of the four has gone, and taken together they give me a good deal of confidence. My hill training has been separate from the long runs, but has gone well in its own way. As the three-week taper progresses, I think I’ve emerged from this training block with my fitness probably never higher, and in as a good a place as I could reasonably wish.
I’ve commented to several people that I’m fluctuating between quiet confidence and a belief that I’m being naïvely optimistic. Some confidence is good, some anxiety is normal – we shall just have to see how it goes on the day.
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