of Relays and long, long, long runs (for me)

I shouldn't do these updates on a Sunday morning, I'm sleepy and my brain is like fudge. I'm writing after what has, in terms of running, been a tough week for me. Not the training - well, not solely the training - but more of the motivation for running. I'm desperately in need of a change, the training is getting me nowhere and I'm getting slower and slower and more frustrated over it. Highlight of the week: Tuesday night's 8 miler. Sun, warm, a lovely trip round the Wrekin and the Ercall all performed at a reasonable lick (well as much as I could manage post Hutchinson Way). I wasn't able to do much better at the Shugborough Relays though. The days of me tearing round in 11 minutes seem long gone. I found it difficult to motivate myself, I got it into my head it was just a trot round and that's the way it turned out. When I wanted to put a bit more in, I put down the pedal and...nothing. Let's hope this is a temporary lack of form and not "the end" in sight. Roll on to Saturday and the long-dreaded 20 mile training run. That is 2 x big runs in 6 days. I decided to make it up as I went along, so I meandered out of town and eventually found myself picking up a bit of last week's route before diverting into Telford Town Park (not impressed - fences everywhere - looks really tumbledown) and on to Stafford Park and a long meander before making it to St. Georges. Thankfully it was a big downhill from there as I was already in the red zone. The last 3 miles were done from memory! So that's it now. No more long runs before the marathon, if indeed I do the marathon. It's going to be an extremely hard day. Hopefully I can fit in a race next weekend as a warm up - before that it's Ironbridge 4 miles and I'm just hoping I don't put in another lame performance.