It’s about 6.7 miles from here to there so I figured run in in the morning and run back in the afternoon. To do this, I used a new backpack I bought a couple of weeks ago that I have been using when I cycle into town. It’s a really nice piece of kit by Deuter called the Race EXP Air that also takes a hydration pack in it but can also fit a proper change of clothes in too.

So off I set, a little weighed down by books for the course, the water pack and my kit and a little hot thanks to it being another boiling day in this very un-English summer.

Getting to Bankside gym where my course takes place was not a problem but after a day spent demonstrating resistance machines in readiness for my next assessment, coming back was.

It had got much warmer, the return is almost exclusively uphill and I’ve decided I went half a size too small on my latest new pair of Brookes Adrenalines.

True Blood

After a mile or two, I was beginning to regret running back and several times came close to sticking my hand out for one of the many busses that come between Elephant and Castle, which is near the gym, back into Streatham.

Something told me to keep ploughing on though, despite niggling pains in my right shin and ever tightening glutes.

I eventually got home, doing 13.6 miles in a little over two hours for both legs. A good 20 minutes outside my personal best for a 13 miler but one that I’ll take given I was more weighed down.

When I took my shoes off, I had a bleeding toe and blister all over the shop… not a pretty site as you can see.

Click here for a link to Garmin Connect for a route map and details of the run

Miles today: 13.6
Target: 885
Miles to date: 1,179.21

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This morning was my last long run before the Brighton Marathon in two weeks time – a 19miler that saw me run from Streatham, through Brixton to the Kennington Oval, up to Vauxhall, Victoria and around Hyde Park before coming back through Sloan Square, Battersea, Clapham, Balham and Tooting. It really was a round London run.

The funny thing is that despite me going out at 8am on Easter Sunday, I still managed to see the wide range of people who live in London. At 8am, it was the Catholics, heading to our local church for mass, Brixton was groups of young black kids kitted up for a Sunday morning kick around, in Hyde Park the joggers that, as Blur said, go around and round, in Sloan Square, rich Arabs window shopping and smelling of expensive after shave and a couple of homeless people living in doorways… it all made me want to do the London Marathon, perhaps next year.

Post run, I’ve been very good. A full ten minutes stretching, a cold bath (which I can now sit in for about 15 minutes) to reduce the muscle pain and the rest of the afternoon, chilling on the sofa. I’m wearing attractive pressure socks to help circulation and am regularly icing to reduce any swelling in my legs… On the box we’ve watched a selection of romantic comedies, Ashes to Ashes and Gladiator and had a great leg of lamb for Sunday lunch… A perfect afternoon.

Please donate to my chosen charities by clicking here

Miles today: 19
Target: 591
Miles to date: 781.07

Click here for a Google Map and full details of the day’s run

As part of my marathon training plan, I’ve also been looking into how to stay hydrated on longer runs and so this week I bought one of these Innov-8 waist hydration packs.

As opposed to backpack hydration systems, this sits around your middle in a bum bag with the liquid inside, sitting in the  lumbar of your back, supposedly making it easier to carry. A pipe comes out that when you bite on it, it releases liquid for you to drink.

I took it out this morning to check out whether it was worth trying in tomorrow’s race but soon came to the conclusion that it’s not… for one thing, you have to pull it all quite tight to stop it the water inside from splashing around, for another, finding a place to put the pipe is quite complex.

At first I had it coming through the inside of my tee shirt and out of the neck but soon got fed up of it flapping across my face with every step and ended up pulling it out and tucking it in the belt itself.

Given it carries two litres of liquid, it’s also bloody heavy… I’ll definitely use it on long training runs but for racing it’s out… There should be enough marshalls on the race itself to keep me hydrated.

See you at tomorrow’s half way point.

Click here for a Google Map and full details of the day’s run

Miles today: 3
Target: 546
Miles to date: 712.98

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I decided to run Streatham Common to get some hills back into the training and actually felt surprisingly good though, naturally, a little stiff. At about 1.7 miles I had a bit of a scare when my right knee just locked up but I stopped for a minute, stretched it out and it was fine. Cramp around the knee? That’s a new one.

I’ve also not mentioned much about nutrition on here (other than the occasional hangover run!) but I am trying my best in the run up to the upcoming Water Of Life Half Marathon at Bisham Abbey this weekend and the Brighton Marathon in five weeks. One of the things I have introduced after most runs is a smoothie: half pint of milk, a banana, punnet of blueberries and a scoop of Maximuscle Promax protein shape all go into the blender… I figure it’s got carbs, protein and antioxidants in spades and doesn’t taste half bad either.

I’ve also been indulging in my running consumerism ahead of the race. With the sun out yesterday, i had a few of those bits where when you walk or run past a fence, it has a strobe affect and no I’ve ordered some cheapish running sunglasses from Wiggle to try out… I also ordered a hydration pack that stores about 2 litres of fluid in a bum bag with a hose to drink from during long runs.

I’m not sure how much use it will get but running with a bottle, either in hand or in a belt is a pain. The hydration pack should, theoretically, sit in the lumbar of the back making it easier to carry. I’ll let you know how it fares when it turns up.

Click here for a Google Map and full details of the day’s run

Miles today: 3
Target: 531
Miles to date: 697.56

Want to dedicate a run to someone or have one dedicated to you? Click here