Training Week 6
I have reached the half way mark in my training plan. Realising I have less than 6 weeks until the marathon is a fairly daunting prospect. That said I am quite pleased with my progress and I am seeing some changes in my fitness and stamina.
I am also seeing some other strange changes. For instance this week when discussing running with @chrisnotwell I described a 45 minute run as "only a 45 minute run". Only? It would appear I now regard 45 minutes as easy! When did that happen? 4 weeks ago I was pleased with managing to run 20 minutes and now I'm "only" doing 45 minutes. Wonder if by the end I will be saying things like "oh I'm only running a half marathon this weekend".
Following on from last weeks post, I have made some progress with ice baths. Making the bathroom as hot as possible as well as drinking a cup of mint tea means I can last for an additional 30 seconds (so I am now managing a respectable minute and 30 seconds before enjoying the warm cascade of the shower).
In order to fit in some longer runs during the week, to compliment the "only" 45 minute runs, I decided to add a commuting run in this week. On Tuesday I got a bus to work and with my trusty new backpack (keep meaning to write a blog about it as it is a really awesome bag and it is rare that I get excited by something so ordinary) packed with the days stuff, ran home in the evening.
Now, my worry with running through central London was the amount of people. It is good to practice dodging slow people but I thought this might be even harder with the sheer number of people wandering the streets but actually that wasn't so bad. The biggest issue I had was pollution. I don't really notice it as much on the bike for some reason but running through Soho, I realised I was struggling to breathe easy. It didn't feel like a fitness thing, more I cannot find enough oxygen thing as I was fine once I was across Waterloo bridge and running along the river. I know London has always been heavily polluted but you would think in this day and age of electric and hybrid vehicles this would be less of an issue.
On the positive side though, I have now established that it is quicker to run or cycle home than getting the bus!
The other thing I learned this week is that HIGH HEELS ARE BAD! Well, I kind of knew that already but when you are training they are really bad! It is no secret that I am more Converse than Christian Louboutin but every now and then an occasion calls for something smarter than a military boot. On Thursday we had a girls night out to the opera and we all decided to dress up. It's a rarity for me to be found in an evening dress so I was looking forward to it. But evening dresses do really require heels and although the ones I wore are neither ridiculously high or a stiletto they still managed to annihilate my feet after a mere 20 minutes of walking. I am not talking just a bit of pain. I'm talking blood blisters and pain that lasted days! It wasn't pleasant and was still slightly painful when running on Saturday. Thankfully I had packed some flats into my bag otherwise I dread to think how much more my feet would have hurt. With hen dos and weddings on the social horizon I think it's time to search for something in a kitten heel unless anyone knows of heels that exist that are not instruments of torture?!
Stats wise this week was the best yet:
Planned:
250 mins
36.5km (22.68 miles)
Actual:
263 mins
40.49km (25.16 miles)
Weight: 66kgs
I smashed it on the time and distance which made me very happy. I even got an interval session in at the gym before body conditioning (ah yes - the mental day when I decided to cycle to work and back, run for 30 minutes at the gym and then partake in body conditioning for 60 minutes - needless to say I was slightly sore the next day).
I'm not so happy that my weight is staying so constant. I know my muscles are getting bigger but surely I should have lost some weight by now? Time to re-evaluate my diet I think. Something isn't right there.
And last but not least, i made a really good start on the fundraising path with some very generous donations from friends and family. If you would like to donate you can at www.justgiving.com/urban-fox. Cancer Research is a great charity and I would love to smash my target!
I am also seeing some other strange changes. For instance this week when discussing running with @chrisnotwell I described a 45 minute run as "only a 45 minute run". Only? It would appear I now regard 45 minutes as easy! When did that happen? 4 weeks ago I was pleased with managing to run 20 minutes and now I'm "only" doing 45 minutes. Wonder if by the end I will be saying things like "oh I'm only running a half marathon this weekend".
Following on from last weeks post, I have made some progress with ice baths. Making the bathroom as hot as possible as well as drinking a cup of mint tea means I can last for an additional 30 seconds (so I am now managing a respectable minute and 30 seconds before enjoying the warm cascade of the shower).
In order to fit in some longer runs during the week, to compliment the "only" 45 minute runs, I decided to add a commuting run in this week. On Tuesday I got a bus to work and with my trusty new backpack (keep meaning to write a blog about it as it is a really awesome bag and it is rare that I get excited by something so ordinary) packed with the days stuff, ran home in the evening.
Now, my worry with running through central London was the amount of people. It is good to practice dodging slow people but I thought this might be even harder with the sheer number of people wandering the streets but actually that wasn't so bad. The biggest issue I had was pollution. I don't really notice it as much on the bike for some reason but running through Soho, I realised I was struggling to breathe easy. It didn't feel like a fitness thing, more I cannot find enough oxygen thing as I was fine once I was across Waterloo bridge and running along the river. I know London has always been heavily polluted but you would think in this day and age of electric and hybrid vehicles this would be less of an issue.
On the positive side though, I have now established that it is quicker to run or cycle home than getting the bus!
The other thing I learned this week is that HIGH HEELS ARE BAD! Well, I kind of knew that already but when you are training they are really bad! It is no secret that I am more Converse than Christian Louboutin but every now and then an occasion calls for something smarter than a military boot. On Thursday we had a girls night out to the opera and we all decided to dress up. It's a rarity for me to be found in an evening dress so I was looking forward to it. But evening dresses do really require heels and although the ones I wore are neither ridiculously high or a stiletto they still managed to annihilate my feet after a mere 20 minutes of walking. I am not talking just a bit of pain. I'm talking blood blisters and pain that lasted days! It wasn't pleasant and was still slightly painful when running on Saturday. Thankfully I had packed some flats into my bag otherwise I dread to think how much more my feet would have hurt. With hen dos and weddings on the social horizon I think it's time to search for something in a kitten heel unless anyone knows of heels that exist that are not instruments of torture?!
Stats wise this week was the best yet:
Planned:
250 mins
36.5km (22.68 miles)
Actual:
263 mins
40.49km (25.16 miles)
Weight: 66kgs
I smashed it on the time and distance which made me very happy. I even got an interval session in at the gym before body conditioning (ah yes - the mental day when I decided to cycle to work and back, run for 30 minutes at the gym and then partake in body conditioning for 60 minutes - needless to say I was slightly sore the next day).
I'm not so happy that my weight is staying so constant. I know my muscles are getting bigger but surely I should have lost some weight by now? Time to re-evaluate my diet I think. Something isn't right there.
And last but not least, i made a really good start on the fundraising path with some very generous donations from friends and family. If you would like to donate you can at www.justgiving.com/urban-fox. Cancer Research is a great charity and I would love to smash my target!
Comments
Post a Comment