Maybe it's not getting easier after all...

I've run a number of 10 milers over the past several months and having completed the 14 mile last weekend, this weekend's 10 was feeling like a bit of a drag, I wanted more of a challenge, I didn't want to go back down to 10 miles.

Possibly I was being a bit cocky. When people asked me what I was running this weekend, my answer was "just 10 miles". JUST 10 miles. Hmmmm...

I really struggled the first 4 miles. My legs felt heavy, my muscles felt achy, my shins felt tight and I felt tired. I wanted to walk at 2 miles in but was determined not to. I wanted to walk at 3 miles in but was determined not to. I was regretting my "just 10 miles" comments. This is still a challenge, there's no JUST about it.

But then at 4 miles, I finally got into a pace that felt right, I felt happy enough to plod along, my muscles stretched out a bit, my joints warmed up and I was finally able to 'zone out' (my favourite thing about running) and stop thinking about how much I was not enjoying the run.

At around 7 miles still feeling good, I thought about the big hill that I was going to face soon enough, a hill that has always ruined me and one in which I have never managed to run up in full before. It was then that I thought I would give an energy gel a try. I have been warned that these can make you need the loo so I wanted to try them on a run where I would be nearer home, as a precaution.

Well they certainly did not have the toilet effect on me but they truly did have an effect on my energy levels. Although I didn't fly up the hill, I ran it in it's entirety for the first time ever. I also did not suffer towards the end of the run as I have in the past. In fact I picked my pace up for the last mile, which is something I have also never done on a 10 mile run.

So maybe it was the energy gel, or maybe my head is getting stronger, or maybe my legs are getting more used to the distance, any which way I ended up improving my time for the 10 mile distance and realised that although I do need to up my distance, I also need to get used to running "shorter" distances in between my increasing miles, as these runs will improve my mental strength and they are no mean feat, they still involve running constantly for 1 hour and 45 minutes and they will, in the end, assist me in achieving my aim of completing the London Marathon.