Last week’s report can be found here.
Weekly Training:
This week I had planned 6 sessions; 4 runs, 1 weights session, and 1 Yoga session. Just like the previous three weeks, this plan wasn’t set in stone and would depend on how my niggling knee felt day-to-day. I was also recovering after my recent half marathon.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| Rest | Club Run | Weights | Club Run | Yoga | Parkrun | Long Run |
Monday 25th March:
Rest day. My quads were a bit tender after yesterday’s half marathon, but physically I was feeling okay. I was still disappointed with my time though.
Tuesday 26th March:
Forget what I said for yesterday as the DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) is real. My quads were really feeling it today. It made walking from my desk to the toilet at work quite amusing for my co-workers.
I had hoped to run, but I figured it would be best to let my legs recover. To avoid not doing anything at all, I completed a 15 minute core strengthening session. This incorporated push ups, planks, glute bridges, Russian twists, V-ups, etc.
Wednesday 27th March:
Still suffering with DOMS I took another rest day. I decided that I should be ready to return to running club on Thursday.
Thursday 28th March:
Boy did it feel good to be back! I had missed talking to people at the club and just running with others. My legs were still a little tender so I had planned to stick at the back of the pack. I had also forgotten my knee brace so I was a little anxious as I hadn’t ran without it for a few weeks.
It turned out that I needn’t have worried. My knee held up okay, granted there were a few bursts of pain at the start, but nothing too worrying.
I ended up running faster than planned. There were a few long waits to cross roads which pulled the average time down though. Another group had joined ours as they only had 2 members running. They were quicker than my usual group but I felt comfortable riding on their coattails. I was able to match their pace without my knee giving in. We ran 5.2 miles in total; it was a little shorter but I rounded it up on the car park!
Overall I was glad to be back and people commented that I seemed to be running well. Now it’s on-wards to my marathon training ready for Sunday 28th April.
Friday 29th March:
No workout today. I didn’t have a Yoga video or routine planned out in advance. As such, I got home and ended up being distracted. Chris was also late back so I put him some food on. Before I knew it the clock read 9pm and my Nan was calling for our weekly catch up.
Saturday 30th March:
It was actually really easy to get out of bed for today’s Parkrun! I guess not being able to run properly for a few weeks has taken its toll as I was eager to be back out. The plan was a steady run to get some miles in my legs before tomorrow’s long run. My DOMS had eased off a bit so I was looking forward to running, even if it wasn’t racing.
The klaxon sounded and off we all set. I started further back than usual to try and stop myself from rushing out too fast. Despite this slower and more congested start, my first mile came in at 10:21. After being unable to enjoy the act of running recently, I just wanted to run at a pace which felt okay. I didn’t have the willpower to slow myself down so just continued at what felt comfortably hard.
Mile 2 came in at 9:40 and I decided to push a little harder for the third lap to try and negative split. I also had an eye on finishing in under 30 minutes, although I had told Chris that I expected to take around 35 minutes.
I managed to hold onto my increased pace and completed mile 3 in 9:21. Then came the sprint finish which I managed with an average pace of 7:27, although my Garmin did measure 0.03 short which I had to round up manually.
It felt good to be back at Parkrun after a few weeks out. The run was comfortably hard, but I didn’t experience any real discomfort with my knee, despite again forgetting my brace. I’m still on to get my 50 Parkrun milestone this year, and this should be a bit easier with the summer coming around soon!
Sunday 31st March:
I knew that I had been optimistic in wanting to run 18 miles today. If all had gone to plan, then it should have been possible. But hey, when do things go to plan? I woke up feeling unwell, as if I have a cold coming on. Chris was ill recently so I’ve probably got it all to come.
18 miles went out of the window, but I still contemplated aiming for 12-14. As soon as I got out of bed I knew that the answer was a “no”. I felt light-headed and my muscles achy. My mouth felt really dry, despite the fact that I drank more juice yesterday than I have for a long time! Rather than risking it I opted for a hot shower and rest. The last thing I need at the minute is to be out from running for longer than necessary, so recovery is key.
Weekly Summary:
Total Miles = 8.3
Training Hours = 1:49:27
Positives = attended a club session for the first time in weeks and held a decent pace.
Negatives = no strength work or long run. Low mileage and total training time.
Next Week = I’m hoping to get back to a 5 day run week as I haven’t managed one for a while! The clock is ticking as my marathon approaches on April 28th. I’m not really feeling ready so I need to nail these last few weeks.
