Brrrr!

If it's good enough for Paula Radcliffe... Luckily I only had one tray of ice cubes, still it was pretty darn cold in there for the 20 seconds I managed to stick it.

I did my last big pre-marathon training run on Easter Sunday, a 20 mile loop along the main road, down the canal, down the river, back up the canal, through the meadow, back up the river, back up the canal and down the main road.

It was a really lovely morning for a run (at least for the first 2 and a half hours) and there were lots of friendly people to say hello to. I think that country living is rubbing off on me. I never (when in the south - up north we're much more friendly) ususally say hello to walkers whilst I'm running and only usually speak to runners when we've passed each other 2 or 3 times.

I managed to keep prety well hydrated and Katie had fixed me up with a couple of Go-Gels for an energy burst (thanks Katie). I shall definitely be stocking up on those at the pre-race expo. I also (after about 18 miles) started to think that some pain relief gel would be a good idea, however, I won't really have a chance to try it out pre-race and I know that you should never try a product for the first time mid-race. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for a cloudy day though. Last year's conditions (light drizzle) looked perfect for the runners plus it will be an excuse for the parents to take along the high visibility BWFC brolly so I can spot them more easily.