Roads 2 Rome by Menton

A cold this week and Rome only 2 weeks away had me concerned that this might be too much to take on but a flat course and some friendly and chatty club runners along the way made me glad I made the effort and knocking a couple of minutes off the PB made it even nicer.

The water stops might not have been plentiful but as a person who always stops to take on water it was a helpful lesson in judging just whether I need to take on fluid or has it become force of habit.

As a runner who never chats on a run to fall into a couple of conversations at the 11.4 kph pace I was running also gave me a confidence boost, simply because it is usually beyond me.  So ta to D & T from Benfleet and the two vets from Chelmsford AC & Springfield the first for the chat between 10 & 12 miles and the other who kept me company from 16 miles to home, a couple of huhh's were all we exchanged but it all really helped, so thank you.

So now taper and pasta, the marathon and whatever happens now is a bonus. I've reached the end of the long runs and whilst anything can go wrong on the day the hard yards have been done and that alone I now realise by marathon 5 is the real achievement.

The usual thanks to all the clubs who've helped Gade Valley x 2, Reading, St Alban's, Great Bentley.  I was pretty convinced in early January that this was going to be my last marathon, and it may be, but that was before each of the above laid on training races which have been enjoyable for differing reasons and a piece of me wants to enjoy that buzz again next year.

I'm now off to do nothing for a couple of weeks, well 13 miles next sunday, but what seemed 5 weeks ago a run to the end of the world I now remember is the point you turn for home and hope you can hold your form.