Christmas Week

Twas the week before Christmas and Alice is still running…obviously!

I have been on annual leave for the vast majority of this week, which has consequently meant some changes in routine for me. I am a very routined person, as might be apparent from my training efforts, but I have really enjoyed a bit of variety this week, and my body feels a bit more refreshed for it too.

MONDAY: Body Pump and Spinning; this was probably my last Spinning class for a while with my London Marathon training starting in the New Year, so I pushed myself extra hard.

TUESDAY: today I enjoyed a morning run in the winter sunshine with my friend. The beauty of being able to run in daylight hours during the week meant we completed a more rural, slightly hillier loop. I ran eight miles with my friend then completed a final mile solo, which included a stop off at my gym for some strength and conditioning work. Nine miles and a gym session all in the bag before lunch – for someone who rarely takes leave from work I felt like I was suddenly realising the perks of using my annual leave!

WEDNESDAY: back at work today, and at the end of the day I was greeted by a huge headache, which seemed a bit odd considering I had been out in the countryside virtually all day setting up walking routes; hardly stressful! I have been struggling with a slight cold this week though and I think that may have triggered the headache. I decided not to run, knowing I would have time later in the week to get some miles in, but managed Body Pump at the gym.

THURSDAY: Body Attack class – my annoying sniffles meant I found my breathing was not as easy as I would like, and I relied heavily on my legs to just keeping going whilst I focused on gasping for air!

FRIDAY: another morning run, and again I took advantage of daylight to complete a countryside loop. It was hard going at times; hilly and I was battling against some very strong headwinds in addition to my breathing still being a little more of a struggle than normal. I swore wryly to myself a few times as the wind tried to force me backwards, and a couple of walkers also jokingly commented I must be mad! I finished on eight miles with an average pace of 8.21 min/mile, which I was happy with in the conditions.

This is an early weekly round up blog with Christmas being at the weekend, and I will thus be away enjoying the festivities with family. As I am sure is no surprise, I will still be running though; a Christmas Eve parkrun tomorrow and I am lucky to have a sister who also likes running, so I will easily tempt her to join me for a few Sunday morning miles on Christmas Day. Merry Christmas everyone!