Better

After last weeks meeting with the wall, I was not particularly inspired with the thoughts of the remaining training.
Monday was an easy 6 miles, Tuesday was to be tempo run day. With the usual 1 mile warmup, I set off with 7 planned at 6:35. The going felt pretty good, so I changed the plan to make it 9 at tempo pace. Finishing easily, I would have kept going to 11 but I had to head home to go to work. The 9 were at 6:31 avg.
Wednesday was rest day which usually ties in well with a long day in the office at the wife's Pilates.
Thursday was a glorious day of sunshine, and with no work for the day, I was under no time pressure with 10 miles planned. I headed out with the 'easy' pace planned of 7:20. At about mile 8 I decided to extend the run a bit as the day was so nice and the pace felt so easy. I figured 12 might be nicer. At 11 miles, I had the option to head for home or keep going for a few more, so keep going I did, all the way to 18 miles. No water, no sports drink, ending the run on a 7:16 avg.
I was really pleased with this, it gave me a bit of confidence back. Obviously I am better off  without the sports drink, up to a point I believe.
Friday was 6 easy, and Saturday was an unplanned rest day ( largely, but not confirmed, that I may have had been feeling some ill effects of one or two alcoholic beverages the night before ).
Again today was a beautiful day, and make miles while the sun smiles was again the order of the day.
I headed out for a long run planned, but at an easier pace. 7:30 was the target, the distance a bit uncertain,but hoping 20 miles might be achievable. I had put a drink of water at 6 miles, which would  also be 12 miles on the lap, and at 14 miles a bottle with water and a drop off cordial.
The pace felt very nice early on, a gentle amble, which I knew would be torturous by 18 miles. I met a clubmate out at 9 miles who joined me for 6 which was really great. I had forgotten how nice and how much easier it is to have some company. When he left me at 15, I feared I would find the pace hard going, but thankfully it would never arrive. Mile 17 and 18 were amongst the fastest, probably due to the cordial effect. Finishing the 20 strongly with an average of 7:28, I felt I could have easily kept going to finish another 6, which would have been somewhere around a 3:15 marathon, although I do realise that actually running another 6 miles might tell a very different story!
5 weeks today, another 4 weeks of  hard training ahead hopefully, the roller coaster continues.