I switched things up a bit on Friday and went for a 17 mile run along the Sharpness to Gloucester Canal.

Worse places to run

I learnt a few things along the way…

• 17 miles is a long way.
• A trail is very different on two feet than it is on two wheels. What suspension hides legs find.
• Those dusty, gravelly stone trails you get alongside canals, they are the devil’s running track. Every footfall slips an inch before it gets traction. I never realised how important traction is, I’m actually looking forward to running on dry tarmac next week.
• 24 degrees is warm.
• According to some basic maths based on pre and post run weigh ins I lost around 3 litres of sweat in the 3 hours I was running, which I replaced with 500ml of fluid. This is very bad practice, I won’t be doing that again.
• Water voles are a protected species.
• Narrow boat owners are friendly, power boat owners are not.
• Running long distances in new places is fun, but it’s much better if you have a plan for the end rather than walking an extra mile through a busy city centre looking like a sweaty deranged mentalist who is losing the power to stand upright. Getting on a train to get home is even worse.
• 17 miles is a long way (Did I mention that already? Well it’s important)

What have you learned on your runs recently?