I was going to rest on Sunday but was encouraged by friends to head out. We went and did a circuit of St Aiden’s nature reserve which turned out to be around 4 miles. Pace was very leisurely and we were chatting all the way around. Concluded with a coffee at the Rivers Meet cafe in Methley. Would recommend.
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Saturday 13th May – 3 miles, 26:31 mins
Had a long day of work on Saturday but gathered enough energy at the end of it to go for a run. Didn’t push too hard but was just happy to get out of the house. 8min48sec average split.
Fri 12th May – 8x1min intervals
Today saw a return to interval training, and felt very positive. 8x1min intervals embedded into a 3 mile route. Felt strong for all intervals and able to maintain concentration throughout. I especially find alternating focus between putting effort into the legs and putting effort into the arms helps maintain focus throughout.
Thurs 11th May – 5 miles
Had a mini weigh-in yesterday and found that I had lost mass on my week off down to 81.8kg. This inspired me to continue to increase my mileage as I rehabilitate so moved up to 5 miles today. The weather was hot (set out at about midday) and the route included a significant hill so the going was tough but didn’t feel like too much of a slog. Ended up averaging around 8:30 min/miles. Felt drained for rest of day.
Weds 10th May – 4 miles
I had only planned on running 3 today as part of my ramp up back into training after illness. However, the weather was beautiful and I felt inspired so decided to do 4 instead. Took it easy, doing around 8’30” min/mile pace but felt good and energised. Good stretching before and after to prevent injury after the week off.
Tuesday 9th May – First run after illness – 2 miles
Last week was grim, falling ill with a brutal man flu on Wednesday. Many years of being sick while training have taught me to just accept that I have to take some time off, so I did. It turned out to be a week which felt bad and drove me mad. Still not fully recovered but was keen to get out again so just went for 2 miles easy. Jogged around, not pushing, but it opened my airways and I felt better after. I’ll move up to 3 miles tomorrow.
Tuesday 2nd May – 2.35 miles short run
2.35 mines, 17 mins 14 secs
Today did I targeted a short-ish run to recover from the long run the previous day which I was still feeling the effects of. I extended my usual 2 mile route to about 2 and a half miles and tried to go at a moderate pace throughout. This averaged out at about 7:30 min/mile splits which was fine. Supplemented with some pullups.
Monday 1st May – Long run (7 miles)
7 miles, 70mins 7 secs
Couldn’t do the Park Run on Saturday due to work all day and shamefully missed Sunday due to hangover and laziness (although I did walk 4 miles) but was back today after 2 days off. Decided to use the morning I had free thanks to the bank holiday to do my long run which is up to 7 miles this week. Lucy wanted to do 10k (~6 miles) so I ran the mile to her house to pick her up then did the 6 miles with her to make up my 7. The route was largely cross-country in the area north of Garforth. We kept a very leisurely pace, talking all the way, but that is good for long runs which I use to build endurance and not speed. The relaxed pace was reflected in the just sub 10min/mile splits and 70 min total time. Despite the speed my legs are really feeling it this afternoon.
Thursday 27th April – 4 miles (slow)
Had organised to go running with Lucy at 8pm, met at my house under grey skies after heavy rain earlier in the afternoon. The session was mainly social so the pace was leisurely, an average of 8’51” minute miles. Put a bit more speed in for the last half mile after I left Lucy. Followed up with some pull-ups when I got home.
Wednesday 26th April – 8x1min intervals
Debated whether I had the mental strength to do intervals today, but went for it anyway. Made sure to stretch beforehand then ran for about 5 minutes before getting into the interval routine. Started off strongly and managed to maintain concentration throughout. Paused watch a couple of times, once to get across a road, another time to descend a steep hill which I couldn’t have properly sprinted down. Bright sunshine but very cold, strong wind against at times.
JH 