Tour De Furness on foot!

30 miles was the target today. I set the alarm for 4:30am and went to sleep. Unfortunately Joanne was poorly again last night and I was up a few times in the night. Id also been working last night until 10:30pm so I was a little sleep deprived when the alarm went off.
Its an extremely important week of training this week, the big one, the peak week, so turning over and enjoying my bed was not even an option. I got straight up and went downstairs to wake up a bit, have something to eat, get ready and get out. I left the house about 5:15am and had a good run. I returned and after a bath and some lunch, cleaned the car and power washed the front steps (as you do after a 30 miler!) before tea. The day caught up with me as I sat down to play Xbox with Oliver and fell asleep for 5 minutes with the controller in hand!!I got him to bed around 8.30pm and after Ive written this its bed for me too!

Running 31 miles 10:00 / mi  5:05 hours

It was the local charity bike sportive today, The Tour De Furness, which has several routes up to 50miles long. My good friend and coincidentally Brother in Law, Garry, was taking part in it. He was setting off after 8am so I decided my route would intersect his at some point so I could shout out abuse...I mean support him as he rode past.
I decided to do the Ulverston Loop that I did the other week, but reverse, so I ran the main road first, up the Hoad for breakfast and continue along the coastal road back to Barrow, where the Tour route came along.
It was a fine start to the day and the sun soon shone through the dark morning warming the air very quickly. It was going to be a hot one. As I ran along the main road on the way out my legs were quite tired. I knew this was going to be a tough one as Id already ran 17 miles Friday and 10 Yesterday, so I was ready for it. I decided to put some music on and drift away whilst the miles ticked over.

Early morning light

Before I knew it I was at Ulverston, wading through the aftermath of the previous nights Lantern Festival. Cleaning crews were already busy gathering the rubbish from the busy night. A local CoOp was open so I took the opportunity to top my water up as there isn't a shop on the coastal road. I made my way into Ford Park at the foot of the Hoad Hill Monument and made a slow but steady ascent to the top for my breakfast. I didn't need to do this for mileage, but I figured a big hill climb in the middle of a run is good practice for an Ultra in the Lakes. I sat under the huge white monument at the top and quietly ate my breakfast of nuts and dried fruit.

Cracking views of the Bay

After 5 minutes of drinking in the stunning views of Morecambe Bay and the South Lakes, I made my way down the the bottom and back out of the park, stopping to use one of the conveniently placed portaloos from the festival (it was better than a bush but only just.). It was from there, onto the coastal route that would take me along the shores of Morecambe Bay back to Barrow. A few cyclists were already out and I received nods galore from most of them as we passed each other. I ran part of the 5k race I did the other night, still in disbelief at the performance I gave. I will remember that for a long time.
As I continued out of the town, the sun was making its way across the sky and I managed to get a few shots of it as it peeped out of the clouds. Although it was overcast, it was still bloody hot and the sweat was pouring off me. Half way down the coast road I was well through my water and was glad I had the foresight to carry a 500ml bottle of water extra in my pack. I stopped and filled it up, eating a flapjack and watching out for my Brother in Law.

My nutrition was absolutely spot on again today. I never once felt short of energy, sure I was tired but that's different altogether. Ive definitely got that part of my race plan sorted. Im using a mixture of electrolytes in my water, solid fuel every half hour and gels on the hour (after the first 90min). This seems to work really well for me and doesn't upset my stomach. Id bought some SIS gels that were on offer in tescos. It was a seven taster pack with all the different flavours in them. Now im not a massive fan of gels and some of the flavours were disgusting. The orange one in particular was horrible and tasted like cheap, nasty undiluted orange cordial. The best of the bunch was Pink Grapefruit, but even that had to be well washed down!
After a while I spotted one of Garrys team mates (Id enquired what they were wearing before hand) so I grabbed my camera and got ready to snap him as he passed. As always happens when I try this sort of thing, he was upon me in a flash and the phone didn't activate quick enough. I only got a snap of his back (many would say its his best side anyway haha) as they continued in the opposite direction.

Garry on Tour!

The coast road was soon at its end and I still felt good, however my feet, especially my heels were getting sore. Ive experienced this before and know exactly what it is. My trainers have had it (returning home I looked on strava where I logged them and Ive done over 600miles in them! since June), so its a good job I get paid next week! I took the Green Way through Rampside and into Barrow Town centre. I was about 3 miles short of my 30mile target once I reached Walney so I turned away from home to North Scale and onto my usual route.
By this time the sun was blazing on my back and the sweat was dripping from me as I made my way down the prom. I was knackered but still had energy and drive enough to carry me home. My Garmin lasts about 5 hours and gave up the ghost about 3/4 of a mile from home. I plodded back home, had an lovely Chocolate Iced Protein drink in the garden as I enjoyed a long and slow stretch in the sunshine.
Another Epic run to add to the collection. After a hard week of running I still felt really in control and fit enough to complete the run without any major problems. I feel like Im pushing my body to its limits but not exceeding them, which is my aim. Its a rest day tomorrow and Ive bloody well earned it!

Food Diary:

Pre Run Breakfast:
2x Fuel Bricks with blueberries, skimmed milk and honey

Run nutrition:
3x SIS gels, 3x Tesco seed and cranberry flapjacks, 1x small bag of nuts and dried fruit, 2 ltrs water with 4 electrolyte tablets.

Post run breakfast
Iced Chocolate Protein Shake: Neskwik powder, skimmed milk, Ice, hemp protein

2 slices of wholemeal toast with thin sliced cheese.

Lunch:
Salmon fillet with wholemeal rice

Dinner:
Sticky Chinese style Pork with Honey, Soy and Ginger, wholewheat noodles, baked crispy Kale and stir fried veg

Fat Free Greek Yoghurt with blueberries

Snacks:
Apple, Chocolate protein recovery bar (I found it in the cupboard!)

Drinks
Lots of water, a few coffees and a chocolate Ovaltine before bed. Night Night!!!