further

Yesterday I ran further than I’ve ever run before.  22km (13.6 miles) in 2:14:35 and it hurt!

The thing is that I’m not feeling too bad today.  My legs are a bit stiff but they should be after that kind of distance.  Nothing hurts more than it should and the only real side effect was that I had to go to bed for an hour after the run.

I’m starting to realise that marathon running is mostly mental, probably in both senses of that word.

Running 26.2 miles isn’t a sensible thing to do.  It hurts.  A lot.  It’s further than you’re meant to run.  Your body starts using itself as fuel towards the end.

To do that to yourself requires a strong mental attitude.

My friend Anthony ran his first marathon at Lochaber the weekend.  His account of his run really shows how strong in mind you need to be.  I love his section about ‘The Wall’.  Cramp at 19 miles is absolutely the wall!  Finishing the next 7 miles with cramp is pure mind over matter.

Also, well done to Ross who completed the Great Welsh Marathon this weekend.

Of course training helps.  I’ve run half a marathon, which in reality is about a quarter of the race… mentally.  They say that anyone can run 20 miles, it’s the last 6 that count.

There’s a reason that only 0.1% of the population train for and complete a marathon.  I’m starting to find out that it’s because it’s hard.  Really hard.