Today I’m going long. Long, as in long distance. I’m 2/3rds of the way along my plan and I need to move things up to the next level.
I need to run for about 3 hours. It’s slightly daunting; whilst I’ve some experience of the level of endurance needed from the triathlons I’ve completed, I’m moving into unknown territory from a running distance point of view. Not knowing if there are limits and what they may be.
I know I need to give myself positive mental markers. When I get to six miles I need to think ‘that’s over 25%’ and at ten miles ‘that’s half way’. The hardest part will be from 15 miles onwards as I push on past previous distance bests so I need to remember that each additional mile is an achievement. Fortunately as my route is on familiar roads I’ll be able to use the visualisation techniques I’ve mentioned before.
That’s it really. Every additional word here is now just putting off getting my shoes on and making a start. Stepping past the apprehension is the first hurdle and the simplest way to achieve that is the Nike strapline.
Donovan Jones will return….