Post Berlin Marathon Week

I am notoriously rubbish at resting/taking things easy. However, following the joys of the Berlin Marathon on Sunday I made a promise to myself that I would take things steadier. After the Manchester Marathon earlier in the year I did not really take that much care of myself; which was partly due to being upset by my performance and thus feeling unable to reward myself accordingly. So this week I have been trying to find a balance between preventing the post marathon blues from hitting me (I am badly susceptible to this) and also allowing recovery to take place. Oh... and I have also ran the Lincoln Half Marathon... told you I am rubbish at taking things easy!

MONDAY: the day after the marathon and I was shocked by how good my legs felt. When I say good, I do not obviously mean so good that I could actually walk normally, but my legs were markedly better than after previous marathons. I was stiff getting up and down and my left calf felt battered, but I was able to move much more smoothly than I expected as I traveled back from Berlin to the UK.

TUESDAY: my mobility was still a bit poor today, once I got moving I was alright, but after being sat for any period of time I reverted back to a wooden legged walk. Today was also my birthday and I was pleased to have the happy distraction of celebrations to prevent me from contemplating any exercise.

WEDNESDAY: I returned to the gym today doing some cross training on the stationary bike and then a Body Pump class. My legs felt good after a spin on the bike; I gradually built resistance up to test them a bit, and afterwards braved the pain of the foam roller. Body Pump was also much less painful than I feared; squatting and lunging actions were sore and my range of movement was definitely inhibited, but again I was happy with how recovery was progressing.

THURSDAY: I tried my first run today, a steady 5k, keeping my pace under control at approx 9 min/mile. I was a little nervous about running in case I discovered some pain or niggle that had yet to surface, but I was pleased to find my legs responded well, with only a small level of soreness. 

FRIDAY: another cross training session in the gym; all soreness had left my legs today and I was beginning to feel more confident about the Lincoln Half Marathon on Sunday. 

SATURDAY: Rest Day and a return to parkrun volunteering on International parkrun Day (see images). 

SUNDAY: Lincoln Half Marathon. Probably not the best idea just a week post marathon, but after trying to resist entering the race for as long as possible, the draw of a brand new half marathon in my hometown was too much. I kept my expectations low and just wanted to experience this event. The result - a pleasantly surprising new PB of 1:46:10. Not sure how I did it, but I did it! Full blog to follow. ​