I decided to drive out to Bridge 63 of the Leeds Liverpool Canal (near Haigh Hall) and run out for 8.5 miles along the canal and then back again, as this seemed far preferable to running along the roads.
I wasn't feeling like running so far today as I worked out that I would be out for about two and a half hours and the thought of doing that just running along a canal bored me senseless so I really hard to force myself out.
I parked up and set off, heading towards Chorley. The first mile seemed to drag on for ages and I ran it at quite a slow pace (9.06 minute mile).
Just after I started mile two I was very narrowly missed by a dollop of bird poo which came out of the tree above me. Seriously, had I run a split second faster it would have been all over me and it was huge!
It was a lovely day along the canal and there were quite a lot of people out running, dog walking, cycling and boating. After the first couple of miles, they started ticking off quite fast and I was soon running past Botany Bay.
Shortly after Botany Bay though, I seem to have gone wrong. I didn't realise that the canal split and that I would have to come off the tow path and cross a bridge to get back onto the canal and so I carried on along but it soon became apparent that the canal I was now on was coming to an end because there were trees right across it so boats couldn't get through. I ended up getting to the end of the tow path when I was only at 7.75 miles and so would be 1.5 miles short of my 17 miles if I turned back. I decided to turn back anyway and thought that once I got back to the car park, I would just carry on along the canal in the other direction for three quarters of a mile and then turn back, enabling me to get up to the 17 miles.
On the way back, however, I decided to come off at the bridge before the White Bear Marina, and I ran down a road to the A6, I then ran along the A6 a bit, back in the direction of Chorley, before getting back on the canal and heading back to the car park. This loop got me enough mileage in so that I wouldn't have to carry on once I got to the car park.
At about 11 miles I was starting to feel a little tired but I soon got a second wind and picked up my pace again on my last few miles, finishing really strong.
I'm really pleased with my pace for the entire run - 8.45 minute mile - given that I was supposed to do the 'fast' bit in up to an 8.41 minute mile yet I did the entire run in nearly this pace. I would never have thought that I'd be able to keep up a pace like that over such a distance, given that sometimes that pace is tiring enough just for the 5.5 miles I run with Kathryn along the canal.
This is actually the furthest I have ever run non-stop. I have obviously run much further than this in the past, having done a good few 25 mile fell runs, but they haven't been non-stop at a steady pace. They have been runs where you stop and have a natter at the top of a hill, or stop for some food or even just stop for a stile.
When I got back to my van I had a good stretch before setting off home. I was boiling and wanted to wind the window down but there was a huge wasp on my wing mirror and I didn't want it to get into the van. I thought it would fly off once I started moving at speed but it didn't and it just sat there all the way home!
I was sweating so much that my suncream was dripping into my eyes making them sting and I had to keep wiping them with a spare t-shirt all the way home to avoid crashing through blindness!
Why is it that when I was running I was feeling really strong but as soon as I stopped I started to ache, especially my right bum cheek? When I got home, I ran myself an ice bath and sat in it for twenty minutes whilst reading a book to try to take my mind off how awful it was. Getting in is the hardest part. I hate being cold so it takes me ages before I can get fully submerged even though I know it would be easier to just get it over and done with in one go. I must have looked a right sight sitting there with a jumper on my top half and a cup of tea in my hand!
Today was also the day we picked up our new moggy from Bolton Destitute Animal Shelter. He's not as big as we first thought he was. In his cage last weekend he looked huge but maybe it's because the cage was small and all the other cats around him were tiny because he's not anywhere near as big as our other cat, Croker. He also doesn't looks as much like Croker as we thought he did. We have actually been debating whether he is in deed the same cat that we picked out at the shelter last week or whether there has been a mix up and we still can't quite decide. The lady who showed him us last week told us he was nine months old but when we picked him up today, we were told he was 15 months old which again makes us wonder whether he's the same cat. Either way, he's adorable so if he is the wrong cat we don't mind, would just be nice to settle the debate.
Here he is anyway. As yet unnamed but probably going to be Mr Bridger. In the meantime, we're calling him Moon Face as he has a big round head.
Total distance - 17 miles
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