22 lung-bustingly hard (in Addis)

Last night's dinner party - featuring the world's largest loaf of bread (they don't do pudding here it seems)

23M long run incl 22M crescendo (6.50min/M 0-7M; 6.18 7-14; 6.03 14-22)

I've been lining this one up and kind of dreading it for a while. It's my last hard one here in Ethiopia - I fly home tomorrow night. It's the session I needed to feel I've really nailed things while I've been here.

I ran it solo around the same gravel road route I ran on Sunday (the others went off en masse for a shorter sharper run). And I tried to treat it like a proper long one - pre-race-style milkshake for brekkie plus water as I went.

I was a good deal faster than last Sunday... though the timing compared to home is hard to judge with the gravel road and undulations (the last 3 miles are all up hill), not to mention the altitude. Maybe take somewhere in the region of 30-35 seconds off per mile?

But judging from the pain I was in for the last segment, it must have been a good one! Good mental and physical preparation for 22nd April.

The 1000-strong chain gang who I ran past three times seemed to think I was doing ok too.