23 weeks left, 5 training runs, 2 core workouts and a spin class

This week has been very diverse in terms of the range of training I have done. The start of the week was strong as I did both my core workouts and a lap of my usual 5.4 mile loop in around a 25 hour window.

The friend I have been doing the core stuff with was game for trying a quick 10 minute run at the end of the session both mornings and it was a good challenge to include alternating inclines/sprints for 2 minutes at a time.

I tried to do 5 miles at a faster pace on Thursday and managed to get around 45sec/mile faster than my usual 10km time which was satisfying. Luckily I had booked my place on the cycling class beforehand and would never have let the spot go to waste. If you think there are long waiting lists at your local GP, I’d back my gym to have longer for some of the classes!

The cycling itself was a good way to keep my HR up and increase the time spent exercising for the evening by 45 min. There is an expression in a cycling book called The Secret Race where Tyler Hamilton says he could tell he was going at his absolute maximum when he could taste blood in the back of his mouth. I’ve never come close to this running but had it happen once when going flat out to set a new PB for cycling 10 miles.

The addition of cycling to my training should mean I can train at an increased HR for longer as I can settle into a pace when just doing the 1 activity.

I did 15 miles on Saturday and while the first 7.5 miles was uneventful, the second half of it was a lot harder and I really struggled to keep focused for the last bit. I think this was because I found the same distance less challenging last week.

I’m not a big fan of anonymous quotes as I quite like knowing a bit about the person and being able to link the quote to their experiences but there are a few exceptions to this rule. One of these I remembered during the last bit of my run which helped me believe it would get easier near the end, which it did.

I finished the week with 7 miles today which I tried doing as 14 separate blasts of 800m on the treadmill at around my usual 5km time. I managed to do the first 10 at this pace but had to slow down for the last 4 which was infuriating! Hopefully varying the pace of my training like this will mean I don’t fall into the trap of everything being at one speed like it was before the Skiddaw race.

I’m pretty happy to have got through the 1st 2 weeks of the plan and feel like I’m adapting well to it. Whether I’m still saying this around Christmas when the weather has been bad for a while will distinguish between whether the Skiddaw race was a one off and I peaked at the right time or if I can compete at these distances. I know which one I think it will be.