21 days to go - Goodbye to an old friend

Route #9(mod) Distance : 20.1 miles Duration : 3 hrs 3 min 17 sec Energy : 2026 KCal Max HR : 154 Bpm Av HR : 135 Bpm Mile pace : 09:07 min/mile Mission statement : 22 miles in approx 3hrs 30 slow (09:30 120 - 130 -140) A bit of a setback today. This was meant to be my longest long run before the race. Theoretically it should have been a gentle, confidence boosting session before my final taper. As it turned out it was a bit of a nightmare. I set out to do the same three laps as the two previous weeks, but with an extra mile added to the first 2 laps. The weather was pretty good, except for a pretty brisk north-easterly breeze. The first lap went pretty well, I felt fresh and up for lap two. The arch of my right foot was feeling a little hot and sore, but nothing to worry about, not even any pain from the old hip and knee. As lap two wore on, the problem under my right foot started to get worse, so much so that I decided I would make a pit stop to swap my orthotics for a simple heel lift before I took on lap three. Removing the orthotics relived the pressure on my blistered arch immediately and I set off for lap three revelling in the slipper like feel of my unmodified trainers. Crisis averted I thought, just seven miles to go and into the shower! As an added bonus, Glammy had joined me on her bike, so I would have some company for the final seven miles. We had not covered more than a mile or so of lap three before the twinges in my right leg, that had begun during my pit stop, began to develop into a constant nagging pain in my right knee and hip. By the time we got to the twenty mile mark things had got really bad and I felt that discretion being the better part of valour, I had to stop. Anna biked on ahead and came to pick me up in the car. I think that this injury is most likely to be associated with running without the support of the orthotics. I have also noticed that the pain tends to set in once I stop running. I definitely started to get twinges the moment I pit-stopped. I think I might visit a physio to get some advice. In case your wondering, it's the A4 that has moved on to pastures new, good luck old friend. Sponsorship news A huge thank you to Bridget, what a star you are.