London Marathon Training 2018: Week 11

This week should have seen me complete my third race in three weeks, with my hometown Lincoln 10k event due to be held on Sunday. However, the return of snowfall sabotaged my plans (and that of many others!)

MONDAY: my body was very sore after Sunday's Milton Keynes 20 Mile Race. My quads, which had troubled me during the race, were tender to say the least. During my evening Strength and Conditioning for Runners session I could understandably feel the fatigue in my body during certain exercises, but overall my weary body did cope better than I had feared!

TUESDAY: today my muscle soreness was still apparent. To be honest I think was feeling the accumulative effects of having completed two hard races (Milton Keynes 20 Miler and Cambridge Half Marathon) in the last two weeks, and now my recovery was just taking a bit longer. My plan was for 6 miles of relaxed fartlek, so I started gently and increased the pace as my legs simultaneously loosened up. The first mile felt like my first run back after a marathon - almost sick making! I survived though and went to a Body Pump class afterwards. 

WEDNESDAY: an early morning 7 mile progression run. I had some doubts if my legs (which were still sore) would be ready to cope with this type of test so soon, especially as I am notoriously rubbish at keeping my pace in check during progression runs. I tried to push aside my fears though and just see what my legs could manage. In the end I made it extra hard for myself, my poor pacing (shock) meaning I went sub 8 min/mile pace very early in the run, and I therefore had to really force my aching quads to knock those extra seconds off from each mile. I was pleased with my final splits though; 8.26, 8.09, 7.50, 7.43, 7.43, 7.38 and 7.16 min/mile respectively. 

THURSDAY: with the Lincoln 10k (supposedly) on Sunday, I had switched my planned weekend runs around a little, and with my long run now scheduled for tomorrow, I kept things nice and easy today with a very gentle 3 miles.

FRIDAY: I was a little nervous about today's long run - another 20 miles. It was only 5 days after the Milton Keynes 20 Mile Race, and my legs had only really just started to feel recovered. I was not sure if they would be up to another 20 miles so soon and I literally had visions in my head of it being a long painful slog. Thankfully I was wrong. I ran with my friend (see image), who had also completed the Milton Keynes race, and we consciously tried to take the run steadier, which I think really helped our legs. Now and again my quads did protest a little, and the final three miles were tough, but overall I was really happy with how we managed to get ourselves through the miles again. We ran an average pace of around 8.40 min/mile and what was extra satisfying was post run I did not feel too knackered and nor did my legs feel totally battered - which was probably a good thing as I then had to go to work!

SATURDAY: Rest Day - and volunteering at possibly the coldest Lincoln parkrun I have ever known!

SUNDAY: this was supposed to be Lincoln 10k day; a day I look forward to every year as not only is it where my running journey kick started, but also because I know so many people taking part, and it just has a great atmosphere. However the weather had other ideas. Heavy snowfall over night saw the event postponed. I was sad, but it was totally the right call, and there was nothing the organisers, Run For All, could have done. To be honest it might have been a blessing not to put my legs through another hard race. It was also a blessing we had got our 20  miles in early as the prospect of 20 treadmill miles would have been pure hell for me! I had been looking forward to the social element of Lincoln 10k day though, and a treadmill 10k, in which I kept ramping up the speed just to get it over and done with, was simply no substitute. ​ Fingers crossed that Run For All are able to agree a rearranged date - I want my Lincoln 10k day!