First Long Distance Run at Race Pace: A Successful Half-Marathon Training Run

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 Today is day 70 of my London Marathon 2023 training, and after a day off from training yesterday due to life getting in the way, I was determined to get back on track. So, I set my alarm for 6:15am, had a small breakfast and a cup of coffee, and hit the road by 7am for my first long distance run at marathon race pace.

I planned an out and back route, which took me along the A2 to Faversham. Surprisingly, I found it easy to settle into race pace whilst operating in heart rate zone 3. The run started off well, and I was feeling good. However, at the turning point, I quickly realised that I was feeling a little low on energy. I made a quick stop at the Co-Op to get a bottle of Lucozade. Note to self: in the training runs closer to the big day, I'll have a stash of energy gels about my person to counteract this problem.

The rest of the run was fairly uneventful, and I completed the half-marathon distance with no issues. Well, except for the fact that I had miscalculated the distance added on for going via the Co-Op. This meant that including the warm down, I managed just over 14.5 miles today, which is still a great effort!

After the run, I had a mini-spa booked, so I spent some time in the sauna and then had a massage. It was such a great way to recover and relax after a long run.

If anyone has any loose change lying about, please feel free to donate to the Sittingbourne Carnival Court via my GoFundMe page. All proceeds are going towards restoring the carnival float and providing new dresses to the girls in the court, one of whom happens to be my daughter Daisy! It's a great cause and I would appreciate any support.

That's it for today's blog post. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you on the next one!

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