Week 8, Session 1 - Recovery Run (4 Miles)
Session 2 - 3 x 15 Mins Marathon Pace Intervals (9.5 Miles)
Session 3 - Recovery Run (4 Miles)
Session 4 - Long Run (16.5 Miles)
Another busy week and yet again I didn't get chance to write a mid-week blog entry, and I couldn't face sitting at my laptop to write my end of week entry yesterday after my long run. So here it is . . .
This week started off with a bit of recovery after the Half Marathon the previous weekend, so there was no fast paced sessions, but the mileage still increased. I was pleasantly suprised at how good my legs felt on Tuesday's early morning recovery run. Usually after a race my legs are feeling a bit sore for a few days, so I must be doing something right during this training program. I'm certainly more focused on my post run recovery, nutrition and stretching.
On Thursday lunchtime I had to take an extended lunch break to fit my marathon paced interval session in as it was going to take 75 mins to run it and then there's the 15 mins either side getting ready/showered etc. The workout involved doing a mile warm up followed by 3 sets of 2 miles at my marathon target pace with 5 mins recovery (0.5 miles) between each set and a mile cool down. I was going really well for the first half of the run, but then it felt like I'd got a little stone stuck in my sock under my big toe. It was really annoying, but no matter how much I wiggled my toes about mid run I couldn't shift it . . . and there's no way I was stopping to sort it out, because I never stop mid run unless I get held up by traffic. My pace dropped off a little during my third interval because of this, but I still maintained my target pace as my first two reps were a little faster than I should've been going. When I got back to the changing rooms I was desperate to get my trainers off so I could get that stone out, but to my horror it wasn't a stone, it was a blister!! I have done all sorts of sports such as mountainering, hill walking, football, running and have never suffered with blisters, so this was a real suprise. It was caused by a little hole that had developed in my running socks and the friction of the bare skin rubbing on the orthotic in my running shoe turned into a blister. Arghhh . . . I didn't know what to do with it. Should I pop it or leave it. After getting some advice from the lovely people on the Real Buzz forums I decided to leave it and cover it with a blister plaster.
Saturday's recovery run was going to be a test to see if covering my blister with a plaster was going to be suitable for the long run on Sunday. Luckily the blister had subsided a bit and wasn't painful to walk on at all and the run went hassle free, so I was good to go on Sunday.
I'd taken the kids over to my mum's for 'one sleep' on Saturday afternoon, so I was free to get up early on Sunday morning, to get fueled up and hydrated a few hours before my long run. I planned it so that I would be running at roughly the same time that the marathon sets off so I was out the door at 10:00am. Conditions during the run were weird to say the least. It was glorious sunshine when I left home, but the closer I got to Weston the more foggy it got and by the time I got to the seafront I couldn't see more than 50 yards in front of me. Then I had a really surreal moment . . . I was approaching the Grand Pier and I could see loads of Storm Troopers walking towards me through the fog with blasters raised and as I got closer Darth Vader, Chewbacca and a Dalek came into view. There was some sort of sci-fi event being held on the pier. At that point I was wishing I wasn't running because my boys would've loved me to have taken them to see Darth Vader. A few miles later I was back out in the sunshine, but after 11 miles my route took me up onto Sandpoint with a nasty little climb back up into the fog. Going cross country up there in thick fog made navigating my way accross the hill very tricky indeed and I had to slow up a bit to make sure I kept on route. After dropping back down to sea level I was back running the final few miles under blue skies and sunshine. The knees started to ache a bit after 14 miles, but that was too be expected after some of the climbs I had on the route. In total I ran 16.5 miles in 2 hours 21 minutes and my blister gave me no trouble at all, although it has come back again. I fear I have another toe nail casualty as well, making it 3 for the training so far . . . mmm, how many more can I lose before Aprill 22nd.
It's been a very enjoyable week of running, but that is all going to come to an end next week. Week 9 contains some very tough sessions and the weekly mileage will go over 40 for the first time. I'll end the week with an 18-19 miler which is unknown teritory for me.
Week 8 Summary - 34 miles : 4hrs 44mins
Session 1 - Recovery Run - 4 Miles
Session 2 - 4 x 15 Mins Marathon Pace Intervals - 9.5 Miles
Session 3 - Recovery Run - 4 Miles
Session 4 - Long Run - 16.5 Miles
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