Ten Green Jelly Beans.....

I didn't really care what colour they were, but they got me through the last 10km of today's 28km long run! Started at the school in Radio Road and ran an 8km loop there and on Bong Bong Road. I started very late but as it was cool again, I don't think it made any difference from getting up early, as I'd intended to do. So, around 11:00am start; cool; misty rain.

The second loop was 10km on Diamond Fields Road and the 3rd loop, 10km on Inkerman Road. All OK for the first 2 loops at 18km and able to return to the car after each loop for water. By then I was starting to dread the last 10km : my feet were hurting; my back was aching and my legs were saying : No more!

Here's where the jelly beans came to my rescue. After 10km on Diamond fields Road I was back at the car and feeling in need of something to have sufficient energy to run the last 10km, I ate about 6 jelly beans and then put 10 more in my pocket so as to eat one as I completed each of the final 10kms. I swear I wouldn't have made it without that hit of sugar! I should have had gels & sports drink but forgot to buy some. I kept looking at my watch hoping to see if it was time to eat another jelly bean!

Even with the jelly beans I was so out of energy that, had a police car driven past, I'm sure they'd have arrested me for running while intoxicated, so wobbly had I become! I still had about 600m to go when I got back to the car, so I removed my shoes from my aching feet and ran around the school quadrangle in my socks until the Garmin showed 28km....done!

This run has made me realize something I'd almost forgotten : how everything changes - for me anyhow - after about 22km and by 28km to 30 and over, it can become another new world....and not such a nice one either! Hence, the necessity, if I'm ever to run another marathon, of getting as far past the 30km and as often as possible. That way I might get used to the changes that happen to both mind and body and not be taken by surprise as I was today. After all, I'd run 25km last Sunday; you'd think 3km more wouldn't make such a difference.

However, now that I've recovered somewhat, I realize that this 28km came at the end of a week that had two other high intensity workouts and they would have taken some of the freshness that a taper would have given.

Oh well, it's all training for the mind and body to get used to what it takes to run long distances, but also improve at the shorter 10km races and half marathons as well.

After that ramble, the results:

Distance = 28km
Time = 3:43:36!!
Avg. pace = 7:59; Best 5:32.
AHR 110 (70%); MHR 125 (80%)
5km splits = 39:06; 40:57; 38:09; 40:37; 38:36......(+25:06)