We have been watching Friends on Netflix and have just got to the one where Ross makes the pro and con lists for Rachel and Julie. Now, I didn’t do this for the run this weekend, but it has been playing on my mind.
20 mile organised club run:
Pros: No need to map out a route. Running somewhere different can be more interesting- and I know some of the route is very pretty indeed. I might run a bit faster in a sort of race situation. Tea and cake at the end (included in the £5 entry fee- bargain). Water stations- no need to carry my own. If I struggle there will be lovely marshals and support vehicles (or something) to help. No headphones allowed- good race day practise.
Cons: I have to drive there. I might get lost. Probably not, but I will worry about it. I have to park at the station and walk- I might not find the start. Probably I will, but again I will worry about it. It doesn’t start until 9.30am, with a staggered start to avoid congestion- so I will probably not finish until gone 1.30pm. Then I would have to drive home again. I will get very stiff legs driving and may not be able to get out of my car once I get home. It is a undulating route with some pretty tough hills. I will probably need the toilet by the time I have driven there- what if they are horrible toilets? I don’t know anyone else doing it- all my club mates and runner friends are doing a local half or a cross country event. No headphones allowed- I was just catching up on Marathon talk. No official timing so I can’t check last years results to check I will come in within the time limit- if you are slower than 4 hours they ask that you make this known- I should not be, but again something else to worry about.
Running 20 miles on my own:
Pros: I can go out early and be home earlier. No need to drive. No entry fee. I can listen to podcasts. I can choose a route that I fancy. If I run slower will I recover quicker?
Cons: I have to map out a route myself. I will probably run slower. I will have to carry water.
In case you have not guessed, I opted for a run on my own. Yesterday I got myself in a bit of a tizz worrying about this race/run- worrying about what time to get up, when to leave, how to get there, and in the end I just thought that I am the only one who chose this race, and it’s a training run, so it doesn’t matter. I still did the miles, just on my own, and I am sure once I made that decision last night, I slept better for it too.
I got up early, had 2 pieces of toast with coconut butter and jam, and a nuun tab in a glass of water, pottered for a bit, then put 2 packs of yoyos and one nut bar in my belt along with my phone. I put another nuun tab in my water bottle and left that at the bottom of the stairs. I did a loop of 10.6 miles, collected my bottle from home, and then did an out and back route. I cut home across the fields (as a treat) but the got a bit lost, and in the end had to run up and down the road for the exact mileage- it was my jantastic timed run- although that takes the time from Strava and has given me a slightly longer time, not sure why.
20 miles on the dot. It was fine until about mile 16 where I started to slow, but my leg (which has been stiff this week) was fine all the way through. I only ate one pack of yoyos (mile 13 and 14) and then had the almond cereal bar on the fields when I was trying to work out where to go (around mile 18 I think), and finished all my water in that second half. All done. Taper time. Phew.
Are you a fan of pros and cons? Good running this weekend?
Blimey, 20 miles is amazing, so much respect! I’m a fan of pros and cons lists, they certainly help see the situation around decisions more clearly. Glad that it went well for you! Also re your last post that red velvet cake looks amazing!
Yes, it did really help this time, even though I didn’t write it down until after.
Good stuff dude. I went out on my own for 20 too instead of the group run up on the hilly downs. At this stage we gotta do what’s right for us, and get to that start line injury free and raring to go! Well done x
Very true 🙂 Glad you had a good run too.
You must really have to dig deep to find the motivation and go and run 20 miles by yourself. I guess that’s the benefit of being part of an organised group as you’re already committed to something. Great work Maria! 🙂
Thanks Jemma 🙂 I am glad that it is out of the way now!
As much as it’s easier to follow the crowd at a race, I totally understand your reasons and to be honest after the whole Spen20 / Netty debacle I don’t think I will ever enter a race that has a cut off time that is close to my comfortable time to complete it. (In case you hadn’t read, Netty was told at 1.5miles in, that at 12min miles she was too slow to finish the 20 mile club race and that the marshals would not wait around for her and she would’t get a time … apparently in a not very nice way either).
Also much harder mentally to do the 20miles on your own, well done.
Yes that was playing on my mind a bit too and added to the panic.
I did two ten mile runs instead, much easier 😉
20 miles is amazing – I am seriously impressed.
Also, I have Friends on in the background at the moment. I never get bored of it
We watched it a bit like that but the episodes are all muddled so we decided to go back and re-watch it in the right order 🙂
Glad you had a good run on your own. Running in a race and using it as a training run is a good idea but for me I’d have been stumped by the headphone thing and the driving home. I know I shouldn’t rely on headphones but it’s something that I love about my long runs – just listening away to random chatter and chilling out. It’s part of the enjoyment for me. I use it as a tactic in the marathon as well, letting myself have a podcast from miles 10-20 so it fills in the time and stops me zooming off or getting lost in my head space of doubts and “oh this is so hard” thoughts.
I always plan my routes beforehand (I used runkeeper to do this which is just brilliant) as I hate having to think on my feet during a run to work out where to go. It drives me mad if I have to do twisty turns up and down roads to make up mileage if I haven’t got it right. I like to just run without thinking really.
Glad it went well though – I think you made the right decision!
Thanks- I don’t mind no headphones, but it is a long way. I did think I might take my phone with me for the marathon, for an emergency really as last time I wished I had, as there was one part with no crowd support, and it seemed very lonely.
I should look into runkeeper, I use mapometer but it is a bit laborious to use really.
Great running. Enjoy the taper.
Thanks 🙂