Tuesday 31st January MARATHON 18

Woke at 6:00 pressed snooze a few times and got up at 6:45, best nights sleep so far and did not want to get up!

Foot still very sore and after a good stretching session last night, thigh a bit swollen! Should have iced more after! Did my warm up and had breakfast, porridge and honey, very nice, and a cup of tea. Showered, packed up and out by 8:15. Short drive to our start point, 5 miles north of Nazare and prepared to set off. I put my 2XU compression running tights on, as suggested yesterday by Dave from Berco Sports, to help with thigh strain. Photo taken, video done in one take, again! And I set off at 8:55 along a coastal tree lined road heading North Towards Vale de Paredes. With my foot in agony and my thigh tweaking every time I planted my left, blistered foot, the first 5 miles were not great! I got my head down and cracked on thinking that I would run until the pain, either in my foot or my thigh, got too unbearable and I would stop. Coming up to 10k (6 miles) all started to feel ok, not great, but ok. I looked at my watch and 10k in 1hr 1min! A lot quicker than I intended but my mind had been on the pain and not the running. I settled in and started listening to the Hobbit, ipod almost doing as I wanted, and bobbed along, pain still there in my foot but thigh was not too bad. I got to half way and still felt ok. Our planned route went to pot at this point and I found myself facing the sun at worst or with it on my right cheek at best, heading south and east! We travelled through lots of villages and then hit the town of Marinha Grande! We tried a few lefts in an attempt to go north but without success! We ended up going under a motorway IC1 took the next left and finished the run just past Barosa, 13 miles further East than planned! We had our customary exchange of views as to who's fault it was and we settled on it being my fault as I was running, not dads as he was driving with the sat nav, map and full instructions! Great to finish though and after a little sulk time we spoke, took the video and photo, had an orange that dad had bought from a road side van, 14 oranges for 1 Euro and 50 cents! Coincidence I am sure, but the orange purchase turned out to be at the point we, sorry I,  made the route error! Marathon distance in 4'18"30 very good time as I am still not running properly! I think the compression tights worked. Now back at Sao Pedro de Moel, the point dad made the orange transaction and we left the coast road. The town is very nice, a bit like Pool and Sandbanks in Dorset, but absolutely empty! We found one cafe restaurant open after a long and fractious search, however we had a  nice meal served by a very friendly man who was the spitting image of the man in League of Extraordinary Gentlemen! I was starving so I bolted my food and felt very ill for the next hour! Anyway thigh was iced after the run and feeling generally good, foot is still killing though! We found another camp site that is 2 minutes from our start point tomorrow. Brand new, clean, warm, hot water and again not too dear! Icing legs again with my left foot in a bowl of antiseptic. Hopefully a good night ahead and may be a bit better again tomorrow.