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| It's a long way up, which means a long way back down again with 11.8kgs |
The rucksack weight started to take its toll though after about 4 hours, when the muscles of my upper back really started to ache. I also really felt it in the legs as I began to tire from the weight on my back, particularly when descending off the high moors.
What this shows is that it will be critical to try and get my MdS rucksack weight as low as I can get away with: the heavier the weight the slower the run, the more energy being burnt (which isn't being properly replaced) and the longer I'll be out in the desert heat.
I'd intended the next day to go out for a 20 miler but when I woke up I realised I may have pushed it a bit with the previous day's weight. And considering what I've done over the last few weeks I'm really noticing how much more tired I'm feeling generally: injury beckons if I'm not careful.
So it seemed sensible to instead take the day off and I went out for my 20 miler on the Friday.
My intention for this outing was to go out with a far lower weight (just 2kg) but increase the running time along a flat route. It took a good 3-4 miles before the various pains in my overworked hip and buttock muscles eased off.
Other than a 20 minute walking period (waiting for 100g of jelly beans to kick in and do their stuff!) I maintained 8 minute run/2 minute walk for about 3 hours then changed this to a 4 minute run/1 minute walk to finish the 20 miles in 3h58m.
From the off it was a beautifully sunny early spring day. I wanted to give myself a bit of a boiling in the warmth and refused to take off my woolly hat and three layers including a windproof/waterproof jacket which doesn't breath. A few runners I passed were looking at me as if I'd lost the plot (Why's he dressed for the depths of winter when it's dry, sunny and in the mid-teens?!?).
Unsurprisingly I'd used up the 1.5l of water I had with me within 2.5 hours and suffered the rest of the way, but I was not going to remove my woolly hat and three layers!
