Other thoughts

CamelBak
I went to use it on Saturday and filled it up, put it on and water started squirting out of the mouth piece. I found it had a small hole and the pressure of wearing it was facing the water out. I was straight onto Wiggle and they were very good. I explained I needed it for a marathon I'm doing in 12 days so didn't have time to send it in first. They agreed to post a replacement

Tyres
All hail the Continental GP4000s tyre. I don't know how they did it but the 65 miles I rode where on some terrible roads, unseen pot holes due to all the water, loads of leaves, fallen sticks and branches and lots of general crap on the roads. Not once it I slip, skid, wobble or get a puncture. Amazing.

Taper time
In the past, two weeks before a marathon has been a serious taper fortnight. This time, as the marathon is less time pressured, I'm going to try and run hard up until Saturday and then taper for only 7 days. I wanted to see how fresh my legs feel. It may backfire a little but I am curious.

Yearly Targets
As mentioned previously, I am going to miss both my yearly running and riding targets but I have set new smaller ones to get to at least 80% of the cycling and 60% of the running. The cycling is very doable, the running will take a bit of effort but I should make it.

CamelBak Octane XC

With my marathon fast approaching, I new I had to sort out my back pack. The EnduranceLife series requires you to carry water, a space blanket and a phone. I have a very old CamelBak that I used the on one of their half marathons but it wasn't great. It was uncomfortable and rubbed a little so I figured by the end of 26.2 miles, it would be a disaster.

So I looked around and decided on the CamelBak Octane XC from Wiggle.

It has a 2 litre capacity and three pockets, two big ones around the sides and a small one on top. I had gels in one pocket, inhaler in another and my phone and money in the top.

I gave it a good test wearing it on my 20 mile long run at the weekend. It felt heavy when full of water but once I put it on it was fine. The strap around the waist made it feel stable but the strap around my chest did feel like it was lifting and separating and giving me a nice rack so I didn't do it up. Vanity over comfort.

After I started, it was fairly uneventful. The water did slosh around and the noise was a little annoying but the movement was minimal. It was very comfortable, didn't make me too hot and didn't rub. I had to tighten the shoulder straps a few times as they felt loose but that was all.

I'm extremely happy with my purchase. £45 well spent.