I hate running!

Sunday 25 March
"I hate running!" That was the mantra that kept going through my head this morning as I ground out 7 laps of the Malabar circuit which is 35k. Started at 5.30am (thanks to daylight savings) and ran quite comfortably thanks to the cool southerly change which blew away the humidity. The first three laps were painful and I was a little behind the program's prescribed three hours.

In the first three laps a voice kept going off in my head, "Running sucks", "You're a hopeless loser", "You run like a gumby", "On TV characters called Alan are always killed off first", but gradually they dissapeared and I started thinking positive thoughts like "Don't see any other runners going this far", "You have gone 20k and are looking good", "Alan Ladd was a Movie Star -remember Shane".

When I got past 30k I remembered my first marathon in 2004 when I finished in 3hr 36. back then at the 30k mark I was suffering, and yet over the last 5k today I felt better and better and picked up the speed. I was seriously considering doing another 7k, just to say I had run 42k before breakfast....stupid idea. I finished 35k in exactly 3 hours, feeling reasonably pleased. Finished off with 120 leg lifts and 200 situps.

Fortunately my sore left hip has improved and while I can still notice it, I think a little TLC will get it to the marathon. So I iced it as soon as I got back and did the prescribed exercises and stretches.