So quick bright things come to confusion

I’ve done my last long run now so along with all the other marathon trainers I need a taper. This marathon training seems very strange; what would I want with an odd-toed ungulate? Doing a long slow run today seemed like a good idea before I set off. The legs were feeling less fatigued that at any time since East Hull, the weather forecast said rain and wind from tomorrow and everyone else seems to have run their last long run at the weekend. So, having listened to Liz and David (and Emma via David) I decided that a run along the canal from Silsden would be a fine way to finish my endurance training. My plan was to run an out and back, turning round somewhere between 10 and 12 miles from Silsden. Within the first couple of miles I’d decided that this would be at 10 miles as the running wasn’t as easy as I’d thought it would be. It’s not as if I was trying to go too quickly as I settled into a nine minute mile pace at the start and didn’t deviate from this the whole way. I guess I’d run hard on Sunday and I wasn’t as recovered from that as I thought I was. I looked for distractions all the way, but there wasn’t much variety; perhaps it was one of those rare occasions when the ipod would have come in useful.

Still, it’s done now – twenty miles in three hours. Finished with a raging thirst. Partly slaked this with a pint of shandy (don’t laugh) in the Bridge Inn in Silsden. One of the distractions along the way was imagining what would be my beverage of choice in each of the numerous canal-side hostelries between Silsden and Shipley. Just my bad luck that the one in Silsden is a pub dying on its arse. Great selection of hand pulled ales (but I don’t drink beer) and absolutely nothing else going for it. That’s not just my opinion either as the place was deserted. Was sorely tempted by the ice cream barge in Saltaire, but it was doing a roaring trade and I couldn’t wait in the queue.

Unless I’m totally confused by the concept of the taper (again) I believe I can just lounge around on the sofa eating buns and just rock up on marathon day. Can’t wait.