Famous Sailor to Run London Marathon

Seems like I'm not the only sailor planning to run the London Marathon. First solo female to navigate the globe non-stop west-about Dee Caffari will be running too. In the latest update to her Marathon Training Diary on the Yachts and Yachting site she writes about her plan to do her 18-20 mile long run over the Easter break.

I'm psyched about the marathon now. All the paperwork including my official race number arrived this week. And after failing to complete the 25-26 mile run a few weeks ago, I managed to complete the longest run of my training last Friday with a 29 mile run on the East Bay Bike Path in Rhode Island. What a superb route for running (or biking if you must). The path winds from Providence to Bristol for 14.5 miles with good views at points of the Providence River, Narragansett Bay and Bristol Harbor. Not many sailing boats out yet but I did spot one yacht sailing on the far side of the bay and a couple moored near waterside homes in Barrington.

It started as a still sunny day with some wisps of wind on the other side of the river. The breeze reached the bike path around 2pm and some welcome clouds kept the temperature down to more reasonable levels than on my previous long run. I maintained a relaxed slow pace, kept well hydrated, and took breaks for snacks, drinks and other needs of nature. The next day I felt surprisingly fresh but my legs knew I had done a long run when I went out to run again the day after that.

It's all downhill (metaphorically speaking) from here. No more long runs as I taper the training in preparation for the big day 17 days from now. I'm feeling good.

But I have to admit I don't look as good as Dee!