After last weekend's fiasco concerning my abbreviated run I was hoping to somehow make up for it today. With a week or so left to go before the marathon I thought that I could still get in a long run without jeopardizing the taper.
In the lead up to my first marathon in 1983 I had put in a long run the weekend prior. Of course I was much younger then and my ability to recover from a strenuous physical effort was much greater. Perhaps putting in a long run at this point was not going to be productive. The psychological benefit of having run at least half the marathon distance, I thought, would be worth it.
So after some careful stretching and the application of vasoline in the right places I set off. I followed my usual route down to Premia, taking care not to run too fast as I warmed up. The weather was agreeable; overcast with a threat of light rain but not cold. I ran in shorts, a polypro long sleeve with a t-shirt over top. I carried my fleece pullover tied round my waist.
At Premia de Mar I stretched again and then set off toward Barcelona. There was hardly any wind. I did not bother to time myself as this was strictly an attempt to put in some mileage. On the other hand I was not feeling particularly fast but I was not uncomfortable either. I had no problem with chaffing.
I followed my regular route to the railway tunnel, then on to Badalona, on to the marina and paused at Sant Adrias de Besos to call home and arrange where and when to meet in Barcelona. Once over the river and in Barcelona I just kept heading toward Placa de Catalunya. I had some water, a beer and a cheese sandwich in a cafe as I waited for the girls.
Total time for the run including stops and pauses was about 2 hours and 25 minutes.
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