Finally the roads are clear! I’ve been itching to get out and do some proper training for days – as opposed to hopping and skipping around the roads and pavements avoiding the snow, slush and hard packed ice. As luck would have it though, my long run fell on Boxing Day of all days (could have been worse) so it was hard enough lacing up the shoes, let alone going out for a 16 mile run. However, I did manage to get out of the door and after the initial stiffness of the first mile or so I loosened up and started to enjoy it. My 16 mile route has a couple of fairly mean gradients though and I really felt them today – especially as one of them is that type of hill that never seems to crest because it’s made up of several steps! You can view the GPS log here but it’s a route you will have seen before.
Anyway, it wasn’t quite as bad as I was expecting and the hills were noticeably easier than than the first time I did this route but the last couple of miles were harder than when I did the 20 mile run to Tower Bridge the other week – probably a combination of this being the first long run in 2 weeks and secondly the over indulgences of yesterday coming back to haunt me. Oh well, lesson learned there I think…
