Bonus Points For Guessing...

...where I ran to yesterday!

Correct! It's the Cutty Sark. The Cutty Sark is almost exactly 7 miles from our front door along the flattest and most picturesque route I have found so far. The Waterlink Way is one of my regular routes for long runs, going straight out and back and adding extra distance by going further before turning back. I've now done the whole Way twice, the first time accompanied by my good (if not slightly mad) friend Rebecca visiting from Ireland. We chatted the whole way which was quite a revelation for me since I didn't think I could talk and run at the same time and those 2.5 hours flew by. The second completion was yesterday and my longest run so far at 15 miles. I wasn't feeling top notch to start and only really felt good after 6 miles. The 10-mile blister kicked in as usual and the following 5 miles were a struggle, especially the loop I had to add on to make the distance. I guess that's the way it goes sometimes but finish it I did.

Before setting out I made two further Go Go Gu (GGG) formulations to test. The first was the original, heated gently to drive off some water and the second was one mashed banana plus 12g Whole Earth crunchy peanut butter. I also tried an experimental delivery system (sounds flash huh!) consisting of a disposable piping bag with a small hole snipped off the narrow end and sealed with sellotape and folded and clipped at the wide end. My findings if anyone's interested are as follows:

• GGG #1 heated almost fits in one medium GoToob, but not quite - more work needed
• GGG #1 heated requires more chewing though drawing breath whilst eating is easier and less likely to dribble over oneself
• GGG #2 is really tasty! 
• GGG #2 has greater quantity and took nearly a mile to get down
• GGG #2 needs smooth peanut butter. Chewing nuts while going along feels like a choking hazard!
• The piping bag delivery was awesome though didn't feel terribly robust

GGG #2 is really nice and at around 150 calories I think it's a good addition to my 'natural energy gel' arsenal. I may add a smidge more peanut butter and divide the mixture in half to make two 'gel' doses next time. I also realised that I ought to try shop-bought gels for at least one run to remind myself what the comparison is like. Next test: banana and jam.