Week 13 – Unlucky for some…
No sooner did we get back on track, then we fell behind again! Week 13 was the last of the longest runs before we officially started to “taper”.
Both Lissi and Weeman were executing the original plan of running a half marathon as a gentle warm up to the Regency 10k in Leamington, while Daz finally came to his senses and realised he could quite happily outsource the 20mile (32km) running support role to Weeman… again! He finally managed to make a decision and did go to Brighton to run the marathon. The quality of the Regency medal definitely played no part in his decision. At all. Promise!
The week started well for Lissi with a decent 10k while still suffering the final effects of a cold, and a second, 5k tempo run. Her main error here was taking her eldest who comfortably pushed her to speeds her feet couldn’t handle, and ultimately finishing their run through a field of sheep. Definitely baaa-rmy training for a city marathon!
Sheep!
Weeman was as consistent as ever during the week, but his “juicing” schedule fell right before the planned 20miler - something that will have made the challenging run several magnitudes tougher. He still managed to somehow sprint finish the last 5km and then a day or two later, cracking out a 5.30 p/km 7km “recovery run” – the kind of speed that would leave Daz needing some recovery days after! Never one to shy away from a challenge, he duly collected Lissi on Sunday morning in plenty of time, and off they went for their half-marathon warmup. However, the weekend added fuel to the fire of Daz’s hypothesis that it’s Lissi that is always late, and he’s just late by association. Weeman and Lissi managed to complete 22km and make the start of the Regency on time… sort of! They literally had to roll the starting line back out for them to cross so that the timing chips would work. Then they had to “Cole Trickle” it past the event pace car to get back into the race. Determined not to finish last, and now with the fatigue kicking, Lissi discovered she now had the turning circle of the titanic - so they set about bowling through stragglers never veering far from the racing line to complete the 9.98km course in very respectable time. Being the running pro that she now is, Lissi saw the course come up short on her watch and did that Strava thing of frantically running circles for the last few meters in the cool down section. In her head she was telling everyone that giving her the “who’s that crazy lady” side eye, that she was in fact 200 meters short of a 32km run, not the 10k they had just completed!
Lissi and Weeman pre 32km in Leamington!
Meanwhile, Daz was up and about at 5am in preparation for the trip to Brighton. Arriving early and surprising Grandma and Grandad Kittendorf he picked up his car-pool buddy for the road trip. Will this finally nail the coffin shut that it’s Lissi that’s always late?! The trip down was eventful for Grandad K with Daz pointing out the wildlife, including buzzards and even an owl along the route as the sun began to rise. We made it to the starting pen in plenty of time, and the lesson learning began. One top tip – if you want to run a marathon, join the toilet queue as soon as possible. Then once you’ve been, join the back of the queue immediately and go again! They are that long!
There were several other lessons learnt during the marathon including:
Take your own poo toilet roll for your drop off bag!
Sun cream also needs to go on the back of you legs!
Do NOT fall over (luckily not Daz, but seeing a couple of people take a tumble, it’s really something you want to avoid at all costs!)
Caffeine gels should only be used at the end, in an emergency. That stuff is rocket fuel, and was goes up, comes back down!
The run itself was good but gruelling. The exposure on the out and back was very reminiscent of the trio’s first long run, the Bristol Half Marathon in ’24. After completing 32km in relative comfort Daz decided now would be a good time to have the previously mentioned caffeine gel and rocket to the finish. The next 5km were the fastest of the marathon and he was literally flying… but then disaster struck around the 38km mark. What can only be described as full leg cramp he was forced to slow to a crawl for the next couple of ks. Attempting to stretch a quad forced cramp in the hammy, and attempting to stretch a hammy gave cramp in the quad!! Well, at least he didn’t poo his pants! The legs eased enough as the finishing crowds gave him the mental boost and saw him waddle home like a penguin for the last 2km.
What a lovely medal!
Thanks must go to Lissi and Grandma K who both had wise words and insisted Daz driving himself home would not be a good idea and that maybe Grandad should come along too! Biggest thanks to Grandad Kittendorf (or “Dad” as I like to call him!). Popping up at random points along the circuit to yell “Get a move on Daz!” and still playing taxi service to his favourite son after 42 years of loyal service was hugely appreciated! He even covered 18 thousand steps himself which must be close to his own half marathon!
Daz and Grandad K!
And this is where we leave you, with the longest post for the week of longest runs. Wracking up a HUGE 160km collectively! I think we are all looking forward to the taper week. Only the half marathons each to run next week…
KM Counter:
Weeman: 59.9
Lissi: 47.43
Daz: 55.84
Weekly Total: 163.17
Total: 1414.29