Glorious day, it could cope with a bit of pain...

PB-Twickenham Railway Bridge (17.38 miles!) 2h 38m 04s (9.1 minute miles). Sunny!

I slapped on the suntan lotion today, and wore no second layer! Dare I dream the winter is over?! Must get a cap...

I took two water bottles, as suggested by RW, to even out weight distribution, but had to ditch one after a mile- I need a free hand to manage my watch, my 'loose' earphones and the usual batch of tissues of course. I alternated carrying hand instead.

I had high hopes of cracking 17 miles today, but my right knee was cranky from thursday and my head was cranky from red wine so I was prepared to fail and just took it really easy. A sunny saturday, it was busy of course, and I had to concentrate hard to not toddler-trample, or fall victim to the often uneven path. Every legitimate slow down (shoelaces to tie, sticky gel to navigate to mouth) brought pain, it seemed easier to keep running. Failure hurts more than anything, I am learning. Even so, if it wasn't for the afternoon play on Radio 4 (Alan Bennet and Maggie Smith in The Lady in the Van! A tonic for any affliction...) I might have given in at KB, and settled for the 12 mile option.

I made it to the first bridge past KB, but on my return I was limping. I stretched my right leg as advised by a yoga expert friend, which got me home, but no such remedy came to mind for the red raw skin under my armpits, on my back and on the top of my arms which had both been subjected to my iPod band. I winced on.

My last 2 miles took me passed four busy pubs, the agony etched on my face kept strollers out of my path. I crawled up the stairs and cracked open my own beer. Sod the Gatorade. And the stretching. Beer and bath and Sudocream is my holy trinity.

I have signed up for a 20 mile race in Cornwall in 2 weeks' time. That means another 3 miles to bear, and in my experience it will be hilly, probably wet, and the prize pasty that will be handed to me on crossing the line (if....) will be full of illegal meat. I need a new dose of hope.