Marathon Training: Week 2

Week 2

Monday 11^th May – Rest day with 60minutes walking

Tuesday 12^th May

Distance: 9.99km

Location: Altona

Following the long hill run over the weekend, it was good to have a few days of rest, not only to allow my muscles to recover but to also keep the challenge fresh and exciting.

I was eager to run today and this proved the case as I went off a bit too fast for the first few kilometres. Knowing that my goal was to run for 50minutes I settled in to a good rhythm along the promenade.

At the halfway point I turned around and ran back on the same route, something I don’t usually like to do as I prefer a looped course. So in order to keep things interesting I ran on the beach, the sand provided a good platform as it is soft on landing and helps strengthen leg muscles.

The second half of the run was difficult due to strong headwinds, but I still managed a decent and consistent pace until the finish.

Due to the cold conditions I made sure to do a thorough stretch after the run, along with some squats and planks to toughen my core.

Wednesday 13^th May

Distance: 8.9km

Location: Altona

Under Keith’s training schedule the focus of week two was to add on an extra run but decrease the length of the runs as the week went on.

With 40minutes on the clock I decided upon my route around Cherry Lake and set off. I felt really strong for the first 5k, it was reasonably flat and running at a pace of sub 5minutes per kilometre.

The last 3k were just over 5minutes per kilometre as my legs were starting to tire from yesterdays run. As I began to feel it in my legs, it became a mental battle to continue running.

Instead of doing another lap of the lake I changed my route and ran along the streets near home, this way feeling as though I was heading to the finish line.

With this little boost and by lengthening my stride (almost like a lunge) another run was soon complete.

Thursday 14^th May – Rest day with 60minutes walking

Friday 15^th May

Distance: unknown

Location: Altona

According to the program I was meant to run for 30minutes today, however my legs were aching slightly so after talking it over with Keith we decided to give the run a miss and to go for a bike ride instead.

Cycling for an hour won’t put too much strain on my legs but will help with cardio and help the movement of other muscles.

Saturday 16^th May – Rest day

Sunday 17^th May

Distance: 14.8km

Location: Altona

This was the second ‘long’ run planned in my FRG program and what a beautiful day it was to run it.

Up around 19C it was warm and so the esplanade was the best location to start the run. The track along the beachfront then lead on to the Altona steps, once again the focus of the run was to build up my strength on the hills.

Each lap of the hill was tough, what keeps me going and what I highly recommend to any solo runner is to have a good music playlist, something that you like with a high tempo.

Certain songs keep me going and help me power on up the hill as the tunes help me maintain a rhythm.

Usually I do prefer to run with other people, though on a long run it can be difficult, but what helped me on my return leg was the lone runner I could see ahead. This runner acted as my pacemaker for the last few kilometres as I took on the challenge to chase him down.

Once on the flat I felt strong and was happy to finish within my set time, another run ticked off the list.