A Marathon Long Run

Did the longest run I've done for ages today. Quite an interesting route and took far more of it off road than I intended to.

I headed down to the Coast Road and knew that there was a track at the side of it for a fair way, so followed the track rather than the path. Wound around all over the place. Eventually got to the beach, so ran along that for half a mile, until the tide meant I had to return to the road for another mile or so, before hitting yet another off road track.

Was absolutely finished off by the end of it - incapable of running! The amount of uneven surface was just too much for me, or at least I hope that's why I suffered as I did! If not, then why was I struggling before even half way?

I saw on a mapping tool that someone else has plotted almost exactly the course I took. I probably joined his route half a mile or more further into my run and where we split routes at the end it was near enough even, maybe a touch further for me. But his route measured straight along the Coast Road and totalled over 17 miles. Hopefully, by not following the straight route and zig zagging all along the route and my slightly longer start, I've done 18 - 19 miles. Hard to know exactly.

Either way, was out for 2 hours 25 exactly. That would be a touch over 8 mins / mile for 18 miles or 7:38 / mile for 19 miles. Slower than what I need for race day, but then I did have a few miles of sand dunes to contend with, followed by beach and dirt tracks.

Anyway, it's a starting point. If I try that route again in a month or so I'll be able to compare times.