Manchester Marathon Training: Week 11

After a tough week last week both physically and mentally, this week saw slight improvement - although still was a bit of a toughie!

MONDAY: my now usual Monday routine of gentle cross training, foam rolling and Body Pump class.

TUESDAY: my plan offered a bit of flexibility today; 7 miles with 5 miles fartlek in the middle. I chose to do a session which I knew would be hard, but that I would still enjoy. I much prefer shorter, faster intervals so opted for 400m fast work, followed by 400m recovery/slower paced. I felt good despite my hamstring being a little niggling and tight - thankfully it was sports massage week.

WEDNESDAY: my mid week slower run was a fairly moderate 6 miles this week. This mentally seemed to lift me, and I didn't find it as hard as previous weeks, running 9 min/mile pace comfortably instead of the 9.40 min/mile pace suggested. However, as I finished and arrived at the gym for my Body Pump class, it was like someone had pulled the plug on my energy levels. Everything drained from me, and although I managed to get through the Body Pump class, it didn't feel natural, and I felt a bit like a space cadet - not really on this planet!

THURSDAY: I probably should have predicted today would be tough after Wednesday night's struggle, and I woke up feeling drained. I had my sports massage first thing which was quite painful on my 'well worked' legs, but thankfully no injuries or niggles surfaced. The massage left me feeling refreshed but also very sore, which added to my levels of fatigue. I dropped down my planned evening miles to a steady 5 miles to allow for a bit more recovery. 

FRIDAY: Rest Day

SATURDAY: nipping out between rain showers I fitted in a quick 5k run and a good foam rolling session ready for my planned 20 miles tomorrow.

SUNDAY: 20 miles - which feels like a bit of a landmark in marathon training. It was also a significant run as my friend who is training for the London Marathon, joined me for 13 miles on her first run back after being out badly injured for a month (see images). How she managed to run 13 miles I am not even sure; she was also still able to leave my legs for dead on some of the hills! I was very grateful of the company, which made time fly by, but more so just happy to see her out running again. The last 7 miles were slightly harder alone and as tiredness fully engulfed my legs, but my pace did not slow too much, and a I finished in 3hrs 3mins 23secs, averaging 9.10 min/mile pace. I am pleased with these stats, which show good improvement from my training last year - progress is good! ​