14 miles? That's quite far enough!

Three weeks to go to the OMM, and my training is about to start easing down!

Today was the day of the Clarenedon Marathon and Half Marathon, our biggest local race, running from Salisbury to Winchester. Pete and I had pondered running the Half as a training race, but didn't in the end. So while Kath was out acting as a chauffeur to a team of girls from the village, I set out on my own equivalent, plus a bit.


The Clarendon is unusual in that nearly all of it is off road and it has a lot of hills.  Seeking the same experience I sat down at Google Earth, and planned a 14+ mile route over an area that I haven't run on before, out to the East of here. Armed with printed maps I set out in the surprisingly (and annoyingly) warm morning and disappeared into the distance over the fields.

The route took me through a lovely mixture of woods, paths and tracks, including a number of old drove roads, before returning me to familiar territory in Micheldever Woods for the last few miles. (I also went past this village library, installed in a phone box!)  It was nearly all off road, and more undulating than hilly, but the uphills felt like enough effort, especially with my permanent companion, my 7kg pack!

It went OK, though I probably could have done with more water. Navigation over the new territory was straightforward, and I ran the whole thing apart from a bit of one hill at 10 miles, and another just coming back into the village after 14 miles. I got round in 2h 40m, including about 12-15 minutes of breaks. Just over 11 minute miles.

I was probably getting close to the limit of my endurance, though. I stopped for a drink about a mile from home, and felt a bit dizzy and disoriented, probably due to lack of water. (I had only taken half a litre, having drunk lots before I set out. But the day turned out to be a lot hotter and sweatier than expected.) By the time I was home I was truly shattered.

So today's 14.2 miles (with a pack!) will be my longest training run. Maybe 10 miles next weekend and 6 the weekend after that. Time to taper off and give my body a break before the big day!