Saturday long run

I ran twice around the normal Sunday training route in order to get a long run in this weekend.

It was another warm morning with the Summer finally arriving here. I was pleased to be running in the shade and even with the cap on, I could feel the heat of the sun on my head.

I set off at a comfortable pace and soon settled into a steady rhythm of 4:30 per km. In fact, as the Garmin beeped at me for every kilometre, I was impressed at how regular and steady I was.

I ran the total circuit in 1:43:26 for just under 23 kilometres, or an average of 4:31 per km.

I weighed myself both before and after the run, just out of interest: 77.9kg before and 76.0 afterwards (having drunk 1/2 litre of water on my return). So I lost almost 2.5 litres of water in sweat during the run. No wonder I have to watch my water intake so closely over the marathon. This was a real demonstration of the levels I need to be consuming: 2.5 litres for 23 km equates to 4.5 litres over a marathon.

I can afford to lose 2 litres without it affecting my performance too badly, so I need to drink 2.5 litres over the race, on a warm day, or 325 ml at each of the 8 feeding stations. This is a small bottle or a can at each stop. I've never done this in the past, but will take more care in the future.