Berlin Marathon Training: Week Five

Away from pounding the pavements, this week has been a bit draining and stressful, so much so that at times I did not even feel like I had the energy left to run. I have managed all my training though, and can honestly say that despite at times really not having the desire to log my miles, I have always felt better after running.  

MONDAY: my usual Body Pump class was cancelled so I opted for a steady cycle on the bike at the gym to try and ease some soreness form my post Clumber Park Half Marathon legs, then totally undid any good I probably gained from this by doing a 30 min high intensity Body Attack class!

TUESDAY: lots of short intervals today - 6 miles with 12 x 400m reps and 200m recoveries. I aimed to keep my intervals at around 7 min/mile pace, and whilst at the halfway point I felt like I would never make it through another 6 reps, I did it, sticking almost perfectly to pace. Abs class at the gym after. 

WEDNESDAY: an early morning 8 miles which required some serious mental grit to get out the door. I woke up and I was hungry; not a good sign when I needed to get out quickly and certainty had no time to digest a substantial breakfast. I lay and debated momentarily if I had the energy to get through 8 miles, but in the end I just grabbed a banana, overrode the doubts and went for it, managing a steady 8.25 min/mile pace. Later in the evening I headed to the gym for another weights based class, again replacing my usual Body Pump. 

THURSDAY:  I felt really drained today; perhaps luckily I seemed more mentally exhausted than physically though. The thought of running hence seemed an effort, so I bargained with myself to ease off the pacing pressure and just do what I felt I could. I had a 6 mile tempo run on the plan, with the four middle miles at 8 min/mile pace. Without pushing myself too much I actually nearly succeeded in meeting this exactly and it felt good to know that I could somewhat naturally run at this pace without feeling I was going all out. 

FRIDAY: Rest Day

SATURDAY: there was no Lincoln parkrun today, so along with my friend, I chose to switch my long run to Saturday. It worked quite well for me as I was due to be going out that evening to celebrate a friend's birthday, and the knowledge I had my long run banked would certainly help me feel more relaxed at the celebrations. We completed 16 miles, which felt like the next step up in terms of long run mileage, and seemed a bit of a signal the next phase of training had started. It was a warm morning and we also threw a few big hills into our route, but I was happy with a 8.40 min/mile average pace, and after a tough week it was good to simply run and chat.

SUNDAY: doing my long run on Saturday certainly helped me enjoy my friend's birthday - for the first time in a very long while I partied until 3am and consumed many alcoholic beverages - probably how most non running obsessed 20 something year olds spend their weekends! The best thing was though I felt no concern or worry about my training, which I am often guilty of letting bother me at social occasions. Needless to say I was not totally fresh come Sunday - after nearly a two year break from any form of all night dancing and drinking I was actually expecting to feel a lot worse though. I allowed myself a day of recovery then felt good enough later on to head out for a very easy 4 mile run, giving me another chance to break in my new Nike Pegasus trainers (see image) - which of course are bold, bright and purple, just how I like all my running gear to be!