I went to the well...

...and the bucket came out dry.

Today should have been a dream run. Good company (Mark "Fat boy" Hamilton[1] & David McLelland, my partner in crime for my shortest day WHW run), perfect weather and fine scenery along the River Ayr Way. Reality has a way of kicking you in the teeth occasionally however and with hindsight, I should perhaps have seen today's problem coming.

I've had a week of good/hard runs and was riding a wave of overconfidence. Anything seemed possible. Today however, my legs reminded me that I'm only human and that rest is an important part of training.

I'd set off from Glenbuck, planning to enjoy an easy run down to Sorn, a distance of 17 miles. The first hour went easily but after that I struggled to maintain the pace and by the time I'd been running for two hours, I was really feeling like I'd hit the wall. I had some gels with me and had been consuming them hourly and whilst they'd helped, they didn't make a big impression on the "running on empty" feeling. There wasn't a lot I could do other than to slow down and plod along at my own pace.

Whilst my training hasn't been that tough in absolute terms, I think Tuesday's speedwork and Thursday's tempo run had taken more out of my legs that I had realised. Lack of a decently calorie-laden breakfast may also have been a factor. The problem is that I really have no feel for how my legs are before a run. I need a meter that I can strap to my legs with a "Cream crackered" to "Fresh" scale on it. Failing that I guess I just have to learn from experience like every other runner but I don't hold out too much hope for that. ;-)

Still, it's another 17 miles under my belt and my last long run before Loch Ness. I'm sure by the time that rolls round my legs will be feeling fresher. Post run we retired to the Failford Inn for some well deserved beer (they brew their own) and a spot of nonsense talking. What better way to finish a run?

[1] It's only fair to add that "Fat boy" is a singularly inappropriate moniker now. Since his return from Spain, Mark is now one lean, mean, running machine and beating him in next year's WHW race isn't going to be the walkover I was hoping for. Still gonna beat him though. ;-)