The training is well underway. Sixteen miles in to be exact. Surprisingly (it’s best to be honest) we are really enjoying it! This is probably due the flood of achievement (and a little bit of relief) we get after running further than we did the weekend before. This delight certainly helps pursue partial ignorance towards the slowly tightening, and burning glutes! And it’s safe to say this is not the only pain in the butt (literally) we have encountered.
For all you likeminded fools running the 26.2 miles across London in just just over a month and a half, we share with you the problems met so far…
1) The Route
You (Emily, because Hannah has zero sense of direction!!) maps it out corner by corner, kilometre by kilometre. We are sure we’ve noted down every road name on the little scrap bit of paper that will accompany us. And then bam a road comes out of nowhere. Or Boris decides road signs are not a necessity in central London. And suddenly we end up in Whitechapel when we’re supposed to be in Vauxhall.
2) Small pockets vs lots of snacks
When you have the bum of a weightlifter rather than a runner those teeny tiny pockets positioned just on the perkinest part of ones derrière become even smaller and simply not roomy enough for the number of snacks required to fuel 3 hours of cardio (hardio). Luckily for you we have a solution in the making. Keep your eyes peeled
3) Who carries the water?
Hydration is essential. Dehydration as we have unfortunately discovered leads to feeling well under the weather. But running for hours is struggle enough. Let alone running with a constant glug following close behind. Luckily camel packs provide a fantastic solution. Once you work out the trick to securing it that is
4) CRAMP!
For us (Hannah) this is definitely the worst. Exclaiming ‘Emily my right bum cheek is causing serious issues’ is not something the London General public want to hear. But seriously is anyone else struggling with serious right glute cramps?
5) Traffic lights
We are sure, sure they are working against us. It’s like they tease us. When your 300 yards away, struggling (often with serious right glute cramp) they flash at you. Literally. 6 seconds. 6 seconds is all they give you before you become stranded on the wrong side of the road as the cars endlessly continue to cross the path you wish to cross. And so the cramps worsen and the traffic lights snigger.
6) Pavement Hoggers
You’d think the jingly keys and the heavy breathing would be enough to encourage movement. But no, it would seem the public are completely oblivious to runners. Especially those smoking or pushing prams. They seem to think either we can squeeze through any given gap, or that we appreciate the challenge alongside that of running for hours upon end.
So these are the slight issues come across so far. As previously mentioned our marathon journey has been enjoyable, but as with anything the little things start to really grind your gears, and these are those!
What are your pet peeves during training?
TTH x
