True grit

This was my last long run before Lanza.  2 hours and 40 mins in the rain and howling wind - 19 miles.  At one stage I could see my breath and my gloved hands were so cold I couldn't get my gels out of my zipped pockets.  When I did I dropped one and got a mouthful of grit when I opened it.  I was told to enjoy my last run but in those conditions it was mental torture.  Physically it hurt towards the end but then it will on Ironman so this is good practise.  To polish it off a lorry went through a big puddle and the wave went over my head - thanks pal, suppose it didn't matter as I was wet anyway but it also supplied me with some more grit to chew on.  There were a number of times when I could have given up but at times like this I think of the Lance Armstrong quotation; "Pain is temporary, quiting lasts forever".  He's so right and now I am enjoying my recovery in the knowledge that I "manned up" and completed the key task.