The Half Way Point

Is it acceptable to go to bed at 8pm on a Sunday? I hope this blog will make some sense, as I sit writing I feel very tired and not as though I am thinking to my usual full capacity! Today has been a long day to end week 8 of marathon training – the half way point! It has been rewarding though, and I make these sometimes slightly crazy decisions to fit in my training because, ultimately, it is what I love.

MONDAY: Body Pump class

TUESDAY: seeing mile reps on my plan for today’s interval session did fill me with a little bit of fear. They are long efforts, and although I ‘only’ had four to log across a 7 mile distance, I knew it could be a test. Aided by a nice cool morning, I was pleased with how well I ran; I felt strong throughout and my interval splits showed very little variation. I think its ok to feel a bit daunted by a run at times, it means you respect it, and once you accomplish it, it feels even better!

WEDNESDAY: on a grey and very wet mid week evening the prospect of running probably doesn’t sound too appealing to most. I had agreed to meet my run buddy at 7pm for 7 miles (7 for 7!) and as I opened my front door to meet her, I gave a look that said – are we mad?! However, once we started running the rain was long forgotten, and easy miles passed effortlessly as our usual catch up conversation flowed. Running with company is just so much easier sometimes, and we logged an 8:17 min/mile average pace, which felt incredibly comfortable. We were rather wet when we stopped, but it was certainly worth it.

THURSDAY: not long after last night’s evening run, I laced up again for my morning miles. My legs were heavy and I was thankful to have another ‘easy’ run on my plan. I aimed for 10 miles, but it was a bit of a slow slog, and as I passed my house on 9.15 miles, and with a Run Club session later – I called it day for the time being. At Run Club later I thankfully had a bit more life in me, taking part in a short, sharp hill session, which rounded my miles up to 11.5 for the day.

FRIDAY: Rest Day

SATURDAY: during marathon training I keep my speed expectations relatively low. I take part in interval sessions and alike during the week, but these are ultimately focused on the 26.2 mile distance, not a 5k. At parkrun I therefore take whatever my legs seem capable of, and at the moment, I am really pleased to find and feel some speed in there still. Today, I managed to log another sub 21 minute time at Lincoln parkrun and felt good for the duration. My final mile was actually nearly as quick as my first - which rarely happens for me! I also had a very strong finish left in my legs, which made me think I probably could have dug a little deeper a bit earlier on!

​SUNDAY: I knew today was going to be a tiring one even before my alarm woke me at 5am. I was working at a community event for the vast majority of the day, and with 16 miles planned, an early alarm to ensure adequate fuelling and running time was therefore unavoidable. Solo long running has been tough of late; in the summer heat I seem to welcome distraction and the extra support, so I have had to really draw on my determination at times. Recently after my long runs I have felt both physically tired and also mentally drained from having to constantly drive myself, and I will admit, it does take some of the enjoyment away! Today I thus had one sole focus; to try and enjoy this run. I decided pace did not matter; I wanted 16 strong miles and I guess I wanted to boost my confidence a little when running longer. It was warm even early in the day, with a fairly gusty breeze, so my decision not to focus on pace felt even more justified. I kept steady throughout, feeling comfortable and never doubting I would get to 16 miles. I think I could have upped the pace towards the end, however I did not want to jeopardise things, and kept to my focus, My average pace was just over 8.30 min/mile – which is not what I want to be running marathon in, but I enjoyed it much more and I feel this run did me good.
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Half way to Chicago…  8 more weeks of work to go. ​