Long Run - 28km (working out some goals for the year)

dannewton just finished a 28.05km run, that lasted for 171 minutes.
This run helped dannewton burn 2031.0 calories.

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Description from Strava: It is once again the weekend (and nearing the end of the time off work). And after trying and failing for the past 4 weeks, today I actually managed to complete the long run as scheduled on the Saturday (and not the Sunday as I have been doing).

It doesn't technically make a great deal of difference, but with a shorter easy run on Sunday, and then a longer run on the Monday, it makes more sense training-wise to do the longest run on the Saturday

And unlike last week I woke up this morning knowing precisely where I was running today. It was still a boring route, but at least I didn't waste time procrastinating trying to decide.

So it was at approximately 9:07am I laced up my shoes and headed out. The route of choice was down to Navenby/Welbourn and back. The weather was still cold, but slightly warmer than it has been off late. The change is due to a change in wind direction, instead of the freezing cold North wind we had a much warmer Southerly wind. This change in wind direction will bring storm Isha tomorrow, with very heavy rain and very strong winds.

I think I'd prefer the cold to be honest!

That change in wind direction resulted in me running into a significantly strong headwind for the first half. I wasn't sure how far I was running today, and had set a time limit instead of 90 minutes in one direction, and then I'd run back home again.

Despite that strong wind, I trundled relatively easily along the route, passing through a variety of small villages. As I was coming put of the other side of Welbourn, my watch showed I'd just reached 14km (in a time of 87 minutes), and decided that was as good a point as any to turn and head back.

The run home was even easier with the wind behind me!

In other news... I've been trying to work out some goals for the year in terms of running

yeah I know, I know, it is already halfway through January... I guess I've been distracted

But I want to have something to aim for for the year, I don't necessarily need to complete them, but just having them in the background is enough to keep me motivated.

The first goal is actually due to how well my speed work session went earlier in the week. In that I managed to get a 5km time of 23:11 which was faster than I expected to be able to run with my current fitness levels, and has made me determined to push harder and keep up with the regular speedwork/interval sessions. Not sure on a time to aim for, so for now I'll set a target of 22 minutes. Ultimately I'd love to be able to get under 20 minutes, but we'll see how that goes.

The second goal is one I've already started, which is the yearly distance goal. I was trying to think of a target that was both high enough to be challenging, but still able to achieve if I stayed consistent.

I chose a target of 3,500km for the whole of the year, which seemed sufficiently difficult, but when I looked my stats at the end of the 3rd week in January, I am already 47km ahead of my target. I know a year is a long way to go (and I know stuff goes wrong, such as my calf injury last year) but it looks like that total is well within my reach. It will still depend on me being consistently training...

As for other goals... I'd like to get some races booked in. This has ended up being harder than it sounds, namely as I'm struggling to find suitable events locally. I've already mentioned I have a 7 hour event in February (just 5 weeks away eek!). I'd like to try another official Marathon again, so it looks like I'm going to be entering the Boston Marathon* in April

*This is the UK event by the way, not the famous US version!

And then I've come unstuck. I have no real interest in racing 5km or 10km as they are too short. I'd really like to try a proper Ultra Marathon either 50km (or even 100km if it is later in the year).

The problem is there is very little here in Lincolnshire, and many of the more interesting ones are the other side of the country. If the race starts at 8am then that means I need to travel up the day before, and probably stay the following evening before coming home. So a race for £80-100 plus £150-250 for 2 nights in a hotel, along with £50+ in train tickets or taxi fares becomes ridiculously expensive very quickly.

And if someone mentions camping, then 1. I don't do tenting, and 2. I don't own a tent, so that'll be another expense

So if I can't find events that are suitable, then perhaps I will need to try to create my own adventure. It won't be quite the same as a proper 'race' and it'll have to be entirely self supported, but it will be a way to tick off some much bigger distances without breaking the bank.

I am still researching where I can go from my Doorstep, but 2 possible options are the Water Railway and the Viking Way

Option 1 - Water Railway

The path follows the River Witham, and I've run part of it near Lincoln. The plan would be to get a bus down to Boston, and then Run/Walk the 55km back home. I've previously run 45km so the 55km for this route doesn't faze me. It'd probably take me 6-7 hours depending on walking breaks (and time for snacks). And if this goes well then that opens the idea to running to Boston, and then back home again for a slightly scary 110 km. Potentially that could take 12-16 hours, and I'll need to make sure I have the right kit/equipment to tackle this challenge safely.

I think I will try the shorter 55km version first as a test!

Option 2 - The Viking Way

The Viking way is a long distance path that runs 148 miles from the River Humber (near Hull) down to a place in Leicestershire.

Viking Way Map Source

While I'm nowhere near able to run the full 148 mile route, it does pass through my home town of Lincoln, so there will be an option of say getting a bus to Horncastle, and then running home. I need to research more on the route, and check maps as it literally crosses farmers fields, and will be harder to navigate than the Water Railway (I'll need to brush up on my map reading skills too!)

So anyway, back to goals. I've got 2 races penned in for February and April, and then in Late Summer/Early Autumn I will attempt a route of my own creation. It might be one of these or it might be another route I find, but whatever I pick, I know I need to put in much more effort to plan the logistics of where I'm running, what I need to bring kit-wise (and where I can stock up on snacks on route).

I think this all this will keep me entertained for the rest of the year, and of course I'll update you here on my progress as the year passes

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If you would like to check out this activity on strava you can see it here:
https://www.strava.com/activities/10593768761

About the Athlete: Living in the UK, I am an intermittent Runner, but always striving for more consistency. When I'm not training I can be found photographing insects or listening to really loud angry music (which is the best type of music obviously!)

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