Getting Stronger ?? part 2

However this week it’s a different story; I'm feeling very tired and as if I'm starting with a cold; that scratchy feeling at the back of my throat and a lot of sneezing….. But I pushed on and carried on with my training.

With 11 hilly off-road miles on Tuesday with Derwent runners and I have one more 20mile run to do, but with working on Friday I was struggling to decide when to fit it in, especially as we had a busy weekend as well.  Then the idea struck me why not get an early finish on Thursday and follow up my 5 mile run with another 15miles bringing me up to 20 on the day. 

Unfortunately my headphones gave up  halfway through my 6am treadmill 5 miles run and then despite hoping for an early finish, it didn’t happen  meaning I didn't get back home until 18:00.  But I pushed on to get it done, which I did but it wasn't pretty and it was getting very tough towards the end.

Sleep came easy but I didn’t stay asleep for long as my legs ached soo much and my general feeling like crap got worse and then before I knew it is was 6:30am and the sun was streaming through my window. After a long day working from home and moving furniture,  I  managed to get out of the door around 17:00 for a 4 mile run, whilst it was the best I had felt all day something felt off.

I've still been sneezing all day and felt like there was a cold lurking in the background waiting to pounce at any

minute. As the evening wore on the worse I felt and decided to take the next two days off from running to hopefully re-charge the batteries and perhaps it was the effects of overtraining and burn out….

So fingers crossed next week I started to feel a little more like my old self again, just in time for the taper!

Getting stronger ?? part 1

I started this blog post last weekend and it is now a post of two halves…..

There round 5 weeks left to the marathon, getting stronger both in terms of my running and mentally. I ran 21 miles to my parent's house on Easter Sunday.  We have had a very busy weekend with decorating the two back bedrooms, I'm convinced it would have been easier to move but Sean said that I was a bit too dramatic!

I said that I was more than happy to decorate, but there was a 20 mile in the plan for some point at the weekend and the plan was to run to my old homestead and would be needing a lift back.  We settled on Sunday as  most of the decorating would be out of the way and would be left with glossing (which I hate!) but at least I could the skirting boards meaning shuffling along on my bum!

We had been blessed with a wonderful Easter weekend, wall to wall sunshine and warm temperatures it was a joy to be out running in it even doing a long run! I had my podcasts ready, my hydration pack and a front-loaded route. There is nothing more soul destroying than having to find an extra 2 miles at the end of your run.  Off I set with the sun on my face and a spring in my set; the run went well I ran up to the Bet 365 stadium and then on to the canal for a run into Stone. 

Miles 4 to 10 were along the canal which was lovely, quiet and peaceful and odd barge tootling along and 

giving a cheery wave, I also saw a couple of Herons on the banks and managed to take a snap before I continued with my run. Half way is done with an average pace of 9:20 and now on to the next stage of the run was along the busy A34.  I  decided to change things up and put some music on, it was going to be too difficult to hear podcasts as cars zoomed at 60mph. 

Miles 11 to 18  along the A34 were very different to the canal on the only notably site was a viagra packet on the side of the dual carriageway… I didn’t stop to check to see if it was empty or full but it did distract me for a bit thinking about why and how it ended up on the side of the road.   The music definitely helped me up and over Yarlet Bank which is a bit of a climb, but once it is out of the way it is mainly downhill or flat for a good couple of miles.  As I approached Stafford my pace alarm was going off to tell me to slow down, which I did try to do but not that well as my average pace of 9:08 between miles 11 to 18. 

Miles 19-21 (?) there was a lot of bargaining going on with regards to the route, I had already realised that it would be 20 miles well before my parent's house, now the dilemma was, do I go up one big hill and run around 22 miles or take the alternative shorter route few a couple of sharp inclines and only run 21 miles…….21 miles it was.

As I turned in my parents street I was well and truly done in, but 21 miles at this stage in my training is great going…especially when it is followed up by 7 chatty miles with Jen the then next day!

You do have love long bank holiday weekends, these are even better when the weather turns up.  As I said that the start in terms of my marathon training, things are going well and getting stronger all the time!!


However, part 2 .........

Highs and lows of a 20 mile training run

Pre run:	Have I got everything I need? hydration pack ✅, gels ✅ , podcasts ✅, Garmin and headphones charged ✅, route planned ✅, phone ✅, emergency£2 ✅….  Right let’s do this🏃
Mile 2:	20 miles is a long way, perhaps I could shorten it, do 14 miles now and go out for 6 later? I’m I mentally strong enough to do this, I still have 18 miles to go
Mile 6:	whoop whoop gel time! Also, I get to stop and take in my surroundings but mainly the joy of stopping is quite nice.
Mile 8:	this is really silly, why does anyone want to run a marathon, I still have another 4 miles until I can stop and have another gel
Mile 10:	only mile 10, I know it’s halfway but really it feels like it should be more like 12-14 miles,  still 2 miles before my next gel/stop is this route long enough or am I going to have to reroute
Mile 12:	whoop whoop gel stop!! A gel has never tasted so good!! Oh no it's over too quickly time to get going again and brilliant only 8 miles to go
Mile 13:	what I still have 7 miles to go!!! Gutted
Mile 14:	why on earth did you plan a route which includes a hill at mile 14, you could have gone along the canal again!!
Mile 16:	only 4 miles to go, but in distance, it’s only 3 miles, need to re-route!
Mile 17.5	left turn extend extend
Mile 19:5	another bloody hill, we are going move to the bottom of the hill
Mile 20:	Done IT!!!! To be fair there was a point between mile 6 and 14 where I was kinda in the zone, whilst these were my random thoughts I didn't once think about giving up. The podcasts I listened to this run where: David Tennant does a podcast with James Corden Oxygen Addict with Simone Mitchell Ted Talk - can't remember for the life of me! Marathon Talk - night at the science museum with Martin