Today I ran 15.9 miles – this is the longest I have run since training for my last marathon in 2007. I did it in a time of 2 hours 31 mins – average pace of 9.29 m/m – which I was really pleased with considering this included my warm-up and the route is not flat.

The route was two laps from my house. I am never sure if I prefer doing loops on a long run or a single route. On one hand doing multiple loops you are never so far from home and can restock energy drinks etc but psychologically it can be difficult covering the same ground for a second time. I always try if possible to alter the second loop a little, like going round part of it in the opposite direction.

I had all four seasons today in the space of 2.5 hours, from sunshine (when I wondered if I would be too warm in my jacket) to rain, hail and wind. Towards the end of the run my legs, and especially my calves, felt stiff and a bit tight. It’s always at this point that I think – how on earth will I manage the full marathon of 26.2 miles – bearing in mind that there would still be another 10 miles to go. What I then remind myself is that this is the whole point of building up the long run distance to get your body used to running for long periods of time. There are still 7 weeks to my marathon and a few more long runs to fit in before the taper, so hopefully this time in 7 weeks my legs will be even sorer but I will have completed 26.2 miles!

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