Marathon Training: Week 5

Week 5

Monday 1^st June

Supposed to be a rest day, however due to my antics over the weekend I rearranged my long run for today.

One-hour 30minutes was the target, but everything just seemed to go against me, it was cold and wet, my Nike+ app crashed plus I was tired from work/the weekend.

So I only managed around 50minutes and did not enjoy the run one bit.

Tuesday 2^nd June – Rest day

Wednesday 3^rd June – Rest day with 60minutes walking

Thursday 4^th June

A run with a combination of other drills including high knees, side steps and butt kicks was scheduled but not completed, or even started for that matter.

I had a busy day at work; I was tired and lacked motivation to get back out in the rain.

Friday 5^th June – Rest day with 60minutes walking

Saturday 6^th June

Again a similar run to Thursday was planned with a combination of other drills and again I didn’t manage to do it.

I had to stay back late at work to cover someone else and was just so tired by the end of it I decided on a quiet night in.

Week five was turning in to a nightmare, no motivation, no training and no enjoyment.

Sunday 7^th June

Distance: 20km

Location: Altona

This is the beauty of running, just when you think things are going bad you can pull out a decent performance.

Having woke up at 4:30am to watch the Champions League Final (Barcelona beat Juventus 3-1) I decided to stay up and head on out to get my legs moving.

With a stunning sunrise as my backdrop I set off with no real intention other than to see how far I could go and to enjoy my run.

With a slow and steady pace I looped around Cherry Lake then headed down on to the Esplanade towards the Altona Hill. 10 reps completed, five on the steps, five on the hill each with a slow recovery back down.

Already I had passed the 1hr 30mins planned by my coach Keith Fearnley, but as I said I was relishing my time on the track so carried on, finishing 20km in just under two hours.

This was nowhere near my best effort, but was important in raising my confidence and helping me get back on track.

Now I need to sign up for my event in Australia or New Zealand in July to maintain my focus.

Suggestions/thoughts welcome.

Marathon Training: Week 4

Week 4

Monday 25^th May

Distance:16km

Location: Altona

Titled in my program as an ‘Easy Week” this wasn’t to be the case, mainly because I had a busy weekend and had to reschedule my long run for today.

But not to worry, this was 80minutes well spent reminiscing about the Sierra Leone Marathon in West Africa, which I completed over a year ago.

So with my African tunes blasting I set off for the Altona hill again. 25minutes on the flat, 40minutes off hill reps and 15minutes recovery back to the finish line.

It was a beautiful day, the weather was warm and I had a spring in my step, I could feel the few weeks training was starting to benefit my fitness.

Though I must admit that the run was made harder from drinking over the weekend plus a session on the trampolines didn’t help either…. But I survived and felt better for it.

Tuesday 26^th May – Rest day with 60minutes walking

Wednesday 27^th May

Distance: 8.12km

Location: Altona

I wanted to push myself today knowing it was a short run and that I didn’t have too much in the program this week.

So I started at a steady pace, settled in to my stride then upped the tempo around Cherry Lake. With one loop completed I went straight on to the nearby athletics track and pushed even harder.

Running on the grass was easy on my legs and helped me increase my speed, so the track certainly proved a positive for short speed runs.

I really could feel now that I needed new running trainers, it is important to feel comfortable when training and worn out trainers can actually lead to injuries, such as shin splints or sore feet.

Thursday 28^th May – Rest Day

Friday 29^th May

Distance: 7.51km

Location: Altona

My second 40minute run of the week, I started at a really slow pace and although it picked up slightly it was nowhere near the speed of the previous run.

I just didn’t have it in me, especially after a long day at work plus I was trying out my new running trainers and just trying to wear them in.

What did help though was the full body massage I had on Thursday, I didn’t know so many muscles could be in such pain or knotted in that way. The massage really helped loosen my muscles and relax my body, something I should do more regularly when clocking up the kilometres.

This was a simple run; 20mins out around the nearby streets, turn around at the halfway point and double back on myself. Not the most exciting course, but easy to measure.

Saturday 30^th May – Rest Day

Sunday 31^st May

Oops again a long run was scheduled and once again I had to postpone it following a heavy night of partying. I don’t think Keith will be best pleased but I’ve got to be realistic and need to enjoy my weekends too. I will do it on Monday, I promise.