Day 63: The Great Wee Dilemma: A Runner's Struggle!

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 It's day 63 of my London Marathon 2023 training, and I'm pleased to report some exciting progress. Today was the day where I finally started to work in some extended running at my proposed marathon pace.

The session began with an hour in heart rate zone 2 to get myself warm and well into the endurance running zone. I then progressed to half an hour in heart rate zone 3, which appeared to be a perfect level as I was able to comfortably run at around 5:45min/km. If I was able to keep that pace up for 26.2 miles, I would complete it in just over four hours!

Now, let's be honest, there are far too many factors on marathon day that could prevent me from running at that level. So, my main goal is to beat my previous London Marathon time of 4 hours and 52 minutes, which I believe is possible after this training programme.

But there are two things any runner will encounter on a long run - other runners and needing a wee. And today, both happened to me at the same time. I had another runner running just about the same pace as me, but about 50 meters behind, and I had the feeling that I really needed to go for a wee.

Now, usually, this is an easy situation as you just find the nearest field with enough cover and go. But amazingly, there aren't that many secluded areas on the A2 from Sittingbourne to Faversham, and having someone running reasonably close was causing me a problem.

I tried speeding up a little, but it didn't work. I even slowed to see if they would overtake, but they appeared to be comfortable running 50 meters behind. Eventually, I couldn't take it anymore, so I made an abrupt U-turn and ran back past them. I did the awkward wave/smile that all runners do and then prayed to the running Gods that she didn't also do the same U-turn.

Fortunately, I was released from the shackles and was able to jump into the nearby field and relieve the now burning need to go for a wee! Ahh, the joys of long-distance running.

Tomorrow will be a rest day once more, and the morning runs will be starting to increase in both intensity and duration. So, it's imperative that I organize my time well so that I can fit everything into the day.

PS: If anyone feels that they have a few extra pounds burning a hole in their pocket, please consider making a donation to the Sittingbourne Carnival Court via my GoFundMe page. Every little bit helps!

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