Day 106 Sunday 15th April 18 miles : miles to date 716.6

Having spent the morning marshalling at the AFF 10k, I returned home shattered and feeling as if I had run the race. It was great fun watching and supporting the entire field as they went past, from AFF's own Phil Holland in such fine form at the front through to the equally amazing sprightly octogenarian Iva Barr of Bedford Harriers who was last but certainly by no means least. Having arrived expecting a run with Fi, I was told by the current Mrs.Owen that she was blowing me out and going for a sauna and relax with the current Mrs. Else. Not quite enough for a verbal warning given her recent run assisting duties, so she retains the position of Chief motivator and first running buddy.
 So to the run and what a run it was. I left the house honestly not knowing  if I was going to run three or twenty six miles. I donned the shades for the first time this year, which guaranteed rain at some point. I wound one way and then the other out of the village, not quite sure what to do. I began going in one direction and essentially changed that around three times with each new direction taking me further away but still within spitting distance of home if I changed my mind. Then it hit me. The answer was of course putting on a classic rock, punk and ska playlist on the i-pod long play thingy machine. Def Leppard, Sex Pistols and Madness turned my non committal indecision into a lets head ten miles away from home and see where we get to after that moment.
 I wound to the outskirts of Bedford, where I chanced upon the starting point of a rowing regatta and found myself running level with a single rower. That was fine, until he was overtaken by a faster rower and that was it. In the same way as I raced a bus for four miles into Luton not long ago, I picked up the pace and tried to keep level with a not unattractive young lady in the boat. I soon found myself running at below seven minute mile pace just to keep level, although lost a lot of ground as I  crossed a busy road bridge, whilst my new nemesis went under without breaking a paddle.
 On the other side, it was game on. I pressed the accelerator and for the next mile ran at around a 6.25 pace along the embankment, dodging pedestrian's, race watchers and other rowers milling around. As we got closer to the finish the crowds increased and I had no choice other than to hammer through and way past until I was out of sight, for fear of looking like a right wally blowing up in the middle of the throng. I did that half a mile further on. I wasn't even half way and the lactic in the legs was by now burning strong and for the rest of the run I slowed and struggled all the way home.
 A hail stone storm battered me for ten minutes, freezing my legs and hands. The sun then came out intermittently, with two further showers in between. What glycogen stores I had evaporated and my body clearly started using my fat stores, which is great if you are dieting but terrible if you are running. I limped home in just over two and a half hours, having experienced four seasons in one day, reminded myself of some epic anthems and run about fifteen miles more than I thought I would. Oh, and I didn't put the shades on once.