On Sunday, Beast from the East or not, we needed to do a long run. Well Peter's fine really, but the Manchester Marathon keeps getting closer and I haven't done more than 19 miles. We kicked around ideas for finding 20 miles in town, but when I saw the Edinburgh to North Berwick train-line had opened up again after a few days of all the trains being cancelled, we were pretty much agreed a run from NB was our best bet. The steady, cold wind from the east was persisting and it was best to have it at our backs. After Friday's run home from work - which is pretty much all downhill - I had irritated the tendons at the sides of my legs again. I think it's from excessive braking. I was reluctant to do anything hilly as a result.
Looking at the pictures, we were remarkably cheerful and optimistic given how dark and grey it was.
Our plan was to head to the beach straight off the train from NB in the hopes that it would be snow-free and easy going. This was pretty much the case, at least at first. After a couple of miles we bumped into Neil Jones and Harry who were just turning around for their return journey, so had a catch up for the next section of beach. After Yellowcraigs we had to head up onto the snowy trails. We were still quite fresh and were enjoying the unusual mix of snow and sand. The bright reflected light from the snow gives an illusion of it being brighter than it is.
Morale stayed fairly good, in fact, to Gullane and about 8 miles. I was starting to struggle a bit - some of the snow was quite deep and uneven. I hoped that the wildest and least inhabited stretch along Aberlady bay and over the nature reserve would be restorative, but instead the sand was quite sinky and my right leg started to hurt, just under the glute. Then back up on the nature reserve there was quite a lot of difficult snow. I think I had low blood sugar by this time. Peter had eaten a bar of something or other earlier, but I hadn't felt hungry at all and wanted to hold off until Aberlady. I realised I was quite grumpy when the fact that Peter seemed to be able just to skim quickly over the surface of the snow while I felt I was wallowing clumsily in it was making me quite angry. How come he could run so much better than me? It didn't make any sense. My legs were stiffening up like concrete - a familiar feeling, although I don't know why it happens - it didn't used to.
It was a bad low point. I didn't see how I was going to run 20 miles - I had just run about 10 - and yet I couldn't pull out of it. The thought of the places we still had to run to was making me sick - that whole stretch past Prestonpans and beyond. My leg felt really sore and I wondered if this was a new injury. We were turning out 14 and 15 minute miles but I couldn't go any faster. Aaaaaaaah!!!!!
When we got into Aberlady, Peter was cracking on about wanting pizza. I thought he was off his head. I suggested we go and have a banquet for two at the Grace of India and then see how our running was with a big curry and extra poppadums on board. The thought of getting something cold out the shop and then sitting on the cold, wet wall outside was just too grim though. We had a look in the window of the old Aberlady Inn. I don't know if this is newish but we didn't remember seeing it before. It looked fairly informal and had food so we headed in. I was at my wit's end anyway so went with the plan of having a half pint of lager and lime and thinking about what to eat, while Peter had a pint. Even sitting down the top of my hamstring in my right leg was spasming. I really thought I was done for. But then...my lager and lime was delicious. There was live music playing which at first we weren't pleased about but quite soon I was feeling like singing along, or maybe doing a solo turn. We looked at sandwiches and stuff on the menu - Peter had soup and a cheese sandwich - but it was the dessert menu that spoke to me. I "plumped" for the chocolate fudge cake and cream and a toasted tea-cake and a big Americano and another half of lager and lime. And continued my transcendence from zero to hero. A while later, back out in the sleet, I had to run slowly because I was full as an egg, but I had forgotten about the future and the Pans and all that and was back firmly in the present and enjoying it. My leg had eased up entirely and I was relaxed and warm and good humoured. The battery on my camera was nearly done so there are few photos from Aberlady on.
The going was objectively tough. There was some uneven snow and some very nasty cold, wet slush - but it never got me down again. Our pace was glacial but our hearts were happy. Peter had a growing ambition to "do" a Tynecastle Bronze. I thought I would ship out at Prestonpans Train Station. My mileage was up to 19 miles by then so I'd make over the 20 running up to the station and back down from Waverley - but I felt strangely reluctant to call it a day. I don't really know what moved me to say I'd carry on. Peter wasn't bothered about pace - I was a bit worried I'd kill him with the slow pace as he was wearing less than me - but he was trying to make up an extra 2 miles along the way by running forwards and then back to meet me.
So to cut a long story short I kept on keeping on. At Musselburgh quayside I had a sit down to take off my trainers and check my feet. They'd been soaked for hours and I felt like I was developing hot spots. Seeing my feet however, there was nothing to be done. They were all shrivelled up. I'd just have to hope they were tough enough to withstand it.
Along Porty prom it was dark. Peter put in a lot of work to get his extra mileage in so that we could finish together. We made it back to the house and I had run 27.8 miles and Peter had to just run to the end of the street and back to make his mileage up to 30.
So if there's a moral to the story, it's something about living in the present and staying relaxed and happy. I know that in principle anyway but alcohol made a remarkable difference. Peter told me it was the Graham Nash method. I was pleased about it anyhow. It's been a while since I actually impressed myself - but yesterday I did.
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