Potters Bar and back

Got off work "early" this evening (in other words on time, but it therefore felt early), which was a good job, because tonight was pencilled in for a long run, and I was due at a pub quiz by around 8pm...

Headed out just before six and went on my usual route up to Oakwood. I like that route because it starts off with some pretty intensive hills - not something that I really enjoy, but it tells me how I feel. If I get to Oakwood and decide that my body just can't take a long run, I can turn round and head back - it's still a good half hour run, and it saves me from doing something silly. I usually set out with a plan of the sort of distance I'm going to run, but it's much more manageable for me if I split it into stages and never commit myself to more than a few extra clicks.

Tonight was no exception. I got to Oakwood feeling OK, then committed myself to run to Cockfosters, then on to the road that cuts across to the Ridgeway. then on to the M25 and eventually all the way out to Potters Bar. Each time I pass a landmark I'm only committing myself to run at most for another fifteen minutes (before I can turn round - so another half hour on the run). It's great psychology - I 'm sure some people would just give up at the first hurdle, but I'm an achievement freak. I think to myself, "I'm not feeling too bad at the moment, so I could just go that extra distance, and I'll really feel pleased with it tomorrow".

Of course, you pay for it on the way back, because the only time you give up is when you're really feeling like you can't go much further. On the way back I could feel pain in various parts of my body - managed to fight off the beginning of a stitch, the toes on both feet were hurting a little, my right ankle and achilles tendon and my left knee weren't too good. But I got home, and it doesn't seem to be anything serious. I guess what they say is true - your body can improve its lung capacity/heart strength quite quickly, but the legs take longer. That's why I'm starting to build up the miles now.

Speaking of mileage, just how far was this run? Well I did my usual gmap-pedometer of the route and it came out at 19 kilometres - slowly edging up to the half marathon milestone. With nineteen weeks to go, I only need to increases my distance by a little over a kilometre each week and I'll get there with ease. Yay!

Anyway - it's quite cool having run all the way to Potters Bar, and it looks like I'll be able to extend my journey out north from there without too much difficulty, which is good. The time was a little disappointing - nearly 100 minutes, but it felt like a slow run, and I struggled due to lack of sugar/water near the end, so there's no reason why I shouldn't improve on the speed the next time I do a long run. I'll soon be hitting two hours :). Or should that be :(.

136 days to go. And 14.5 more miles.