The Blurry Week

This past week has been a bit of a blur to be honest - life is busy, which I like, but I still think it is important for me to find the time to reflect on my running. This is a relative 'down' period for me in terms of training, I have half an eye on a local 10k in a few weeks time, but I am also mindful that with Autumn goals to chase, I need to keep myself from overdoing things. 

MONDAY: a double strength session of Strength and Conditioning for Runners and Body Pump - it has been a while since I have managed both, so I knew I would probably feel the effects from it. 

TUESDAY: the soreness in my body was already developing as I woke this morning, and it is at times like this I am pleased to get a run in early before the real DOMs hit! I opted for the same intervals as I ran last week, 5 miles with 6 x 600m repetitions, as I had enjoyed it before. My legs took a bit of time to loosen up, but I finished quickly with some sub 7 min/mile reps. 

WEDNESDAY: my Wednesday morning running partner couldn’t make it this week, but I surprised myself by finding some motivation to attempt some solo hills without him. I could not quite face the entire 'rolling hills' route we usually do, but I mapped out a 5 mile circuit which still had five good hilly tests in. I am definitely feeling stronger from this type of running, it does take enduring some tough runs, but I think it pays offs. 

THURSDAY: an easy 6 miles just to ensure I am not constantly asking a lot from my legs, averaging around 8.20 min/mile. I logged maybe a mile or so at Run Club later on as Run Leader – probably not even that!  

FRIDAY: a vague Rest Day, although I did take a group of young people to a Trampoline park with work and ended up completing a two-hour jumping session!

SATURDAY: today I felt my strongest at parkrun for a while and incidentally it was also my quickest time for a good few weeks, logging at 21:01. I started well and found myself running behind a fellow female runner who seemed my pace. I hung onto her for the full three laps and the motivation to keep with her really helped me. I actually managed to out sprint her in the final few metres to stop the clock first, which I did feel almost a little guilty about after she had unknowingly helped me all the way round! I made sure to thank her and shake hands though in the finish funnel, as that’s the kind of running spirit I like to be regarded for having.  

SUNDAY: after a full on week I struggled a little today on a longer run. It was not horrendous, but I just felt a little tired. It was warmer than I anticipated too and I do not feel I am quite adjusted to running in that kind of weather yet. For the first time in while I also found myself wishing I had someone to talk to on the run, especially as I was just taking things quite steady. I ran an out and back route to the top of a hill - I can’t seem to get way from hills at the moment! - and back down again, which gave me 11.5 miles in distance. I was testing the hill for a future Run Club session, so the purpose to the run did help me keep a bit more focused.
 
I have some more busy weeks ahead as May finishes and throughout June – a mix of running and social commitments. I am looking forward to the mix, and it has rather helpfully all fallen quite well, as my shift in focus for Autumn races will begin at the end of June. I therefore hope I will feel more free and able to enjoy my time in the weeks ahead, before I can reveal and start to work towards my next goal.  ​