Well the longest week of my training has come and gone…all 40 miles (64 kms) of it. I’m happy to report that I survived the week without too much trouble. My shins and my knees had been bothering me a bit earlier in the week but thankfully they were fine on Saturday for my 20 miler. As you can see from the photo on the right, the big run itself was a pretty boring course, and the fact that I was running alone didn’t help.
The weather was pretty much perfect for running, overcast with a light rain and not too cold. It was refreshing for most of the run but in the end, I paid the price for the cool and damp conditions…I finally experienced the nipple chaffing that I’ve heard about. Ouch! I didn’t realize it until I got into the shower after the run, but as soon as the water hit me – I knew. Not fun.
I’m also happy to report that Dave finished his 20 miler this past weekend too. I had to start my run early (due to our plans for the weekend) which is why we didn’t run together this weekend. From the sounds of things, Dave preferred running alone anyways. Not me though – I was bored out of my mind, I always prefer to run with someone instead of alone. Perhaps if I could have listened to some music then running alone wouldn’t have been so bad. Is an iPod shuffle in my future before the marathon?
… in fact, that’s far from the truth… but it was good to see how I’ll fare running alone in the marathon. I’m afraid that you’ll be a few miles ahead most of the way and so I likely won’t see you which means it’s good that I was able to get this practice in.