Now that I’ve started ramping up the miles on my sunday long run - 90 days until the London Marathon! - I’ve been trying out some new strategies to distract myself from the pain.
Yesterday’s strategy had two parts. Firstly, deciding precisely what pizza I was going to scoff afterwards (in case you are on tenterhooks, a margherita with extra sun-dried tomatoes from Franco Manca, who make the best pizzas in London. No, that’s no an ad, though if I ever was to be sponsored by anyone, it would save me a fortune if it was them...)
Secondly, what exactly I’m going to wear afterwards. No, this is not a fashion blog - it’s just that finally, I’ve realised the point of yoga wear. It’s perfect for really sore legs. After about 16 miles plus, I suddenly become possessed of a desire to dress like I’m in a high end sportswear mail order catalogue - one of those aspirational lifestyle shots with someone doing stretching on a beach. Only without the flexibility, obviously. Or the budget. Or the weather.
In fact, I find that after long winter runs, my body temperature seems to stay rather low all day and I never really feel - despite a hot bath - like I’ve warmed up. So, multiple layers, preferably of merino, a cup of tea, and pizza on standby.
So what’s your post-run ritual - do really long runs leave you pining for leisurewear, or is that just me? Feel free to mock if so - I wore some fluffy slippers yesterday too. I’m not proud.
