Plan B

Weather was foul yesterday so neither of us were very enthusiastic about two laps of an Edinburgh hill in a southwesterly gale and squally showers.

So a lazy day on Sunday but today I was off work and after the gasman had been I went out with the intention of doing a long run. Having got a bit bored with my normal 2 mile lap around the park I did a bit of pre-planning and worked out a larger lap totalling 4.6 miles which I figured I could probably do twice.

A lovely day for running, very different from yesterday: almost no breeze, cool but with a hint of sunshine. The route was relatively flat, with one long gentle incline, and I managed both laps without any real problems (other than having to dodge the traffic around some of the ever-present Edinburgh tram-related roadworks).

Having got to the 9.2 mile mark I was in a good rhythm and still felt there was some running left in my legs, so I kept going and added on one of my usual smaller laps of the park, bringing me to a total of 11.26 miles - a new record !

I must admit I was pretty tired by the end and felt the beginnings of cramp in my legs. I could maybe have done another half mile or so but that would have been it.

However a half-marathon is starting to look well within my grasp !

70 miles in October now, and nearly 463 overall.