Strong finish

Monday 13th February

7 miles – club session

I started off doing the speed session but my legs were wrecked and so just before the turn Lesley and I turned back and just ran steadily back.  Well I say ran steadily back but we definitely ran quite a bit of it faster than interval sections on the way out!

Tuesday 14th February

weight training

6.5 miles, with Susan

Nitsdale Road route, it was a total slog for both us.  I was definitely ready for a day off!

Wednesday 15th February

3 miles very slowly

Thursday 16th February

weight training

20 mins bike

I did try to run today but it was hopeless and I tried not to feel too guilty since I needed my legs recovered for Sunday.

Sunday 19th February

35.12 miles, 9 hrs 14 mins, 15.47m/m pace

Drovers – Inversnaid     1:58        16.35m/m

Break                                    5.31

Inversnaid – Beinglas    1.51         16.52m/m

Break                                    9.27

Beinglas – turn                  2.39        15.14m/m

turn – Drovers                  2.30        13.48m/m

I enjoyed the run to Inversnaid with Karen, it was great to catch up, and most of the way back although by the time we were nearly back at Beinglas I was just thinking about having to go so far out again!  I have to say I pretty much hated every step of that 11 miles or so out and the difference in time for both directions certainly shows this, especially considering the way back includes the extra to the Drovers. 

If I had been by myself I wouldn’t have taken the breaks but if we hadn’t had them the others wouldn’t have caught us and then I might not have made it all the way to the turn so it all worked out!  My throat was really sore from about 14 miles and quickly made my back sore too.  It was agony from about 20 miles which is another reason I am pleased that at least my legs finished strongly.  I had muttered to John I might not make it to the turn and quite rightly, he told me afterwards, he decided to basically ignore my whimperings!  I’m glad he did although psychologically and physically that 11 miles were torture!  My downhills in the forest were good but that was about all that was good about that section.

My uphills seriously need work!  I was lagging behind on most of the uphills in the forest and then finding myself at the front on the downhills.   On our way back in the forest I went off down the last hill and just carried on when I got to the big gate as I was thinking with my throat I was going to have to take a lot of walking breaks  to relieve the pain and at least if I had a head start I could be near the others for longer.  I did take quite a few walking breaks but went reasonably quickly when I was running and in the end they never caught me back up.  My legs felt really strong and if I hadn’t had my throat problem badly I think I could have been quite a bit faster today – that and if it hadn’t been two out and backs!  The beautiful day made up for it though!

I could not swallow anything until about 10pm that night and my back was still sore when I swallowed the next day.  I was at the hospital again the other day and I have one more tablet to try but other than that they are totally stumped!

Total 51.5 miles.  I’ve learned my lesson and I’m having an easy week this week…and another sports massage.

Better week (ish)

Monday 6th February

Gym at 6am  – 30 mins weight training, 30 mins cardio

Had to miss the club tonight as I was going to a PTA meeting, disappointed to miss it again.

Tuesday 7th February

Gym at 6 am – 30 mins weight training, 3o mins cardio

8.5 mile run with Susan – nice (mostly) steady run although I really needed the toilet from halfway and the last mile was torture with me having to do some walking.  Really pleased to get a longer midweek run, would like to keep this up.

Wednesday 8th Febrary

Bit of a disaster tonight at the running club. First of all, the folk in my group were a bit fast for me but if it had just been that I would have carried on.  However I really needed the toilet again and had to turn back and only did 2.5 miles – in agony!  I’m wondering if it is somehow not a coincedence that I was having a couple of protein only days?!

Thursday 9th February

Gym at 6am – 3 mile run and 30 mins weight training

3.5 mile run – pm.  Had planned more than this but legs were totally dead.  Ended up going round to the Kynaston’s for a pep talk!  Got advised to take a rest day on Friday which I did and think I really benefited from.  It wasn’t exactly a rest day though as I looked after my niece and nephew all day – covered a couple of miles pushing them both in pram/boogie board which really burned in the calves and ended up swimming twice – once with each of them!  Evan keeps asking about Neal, that’s a long time to him he’s been away so I got him to facetime with them – they were absolutely fascinated to see and talk to him – and see themselves in the corner too!

Measured my fat % loss today – 10 % loss in 5 1/2 weeks!  Would still like this to translate into more pounds lost as that will make the running that bit easier.

Saturday 11th February

20 mile run with Silke and Katrina.  Good day out – mild weather and dry although misty, lots of walkers and runners and chat.  WHW from Drymen 10 miles out and back.  Going back up Conic again is always tough!  Can’t believe the difference in the forest, I felt very disorientated.  I loved the smell of all the logs though, it took me right back to living in Canada.

Sunday 12th February

Slogged round 10 miles today on the road.  My legs were not sore before I started and apart from my Achilles Heel were ok on the run but I just had no ‘oomph’ for want of a better description. I save up the WHW race podcasts for these runs by myself and loved listening to Dave Waterman’s interview on the latest one.  I was laughing out loud while I was running!

Total miles – 47.5

Plan for next week is run Monday – Thursday and then have Friday and Saturday off before running 35 ish on Sunday on WHW.

Mixed bag

Monday 30th January

Ended up doing nothing again on Monday as hadn’t slept on Sunday and felt like I was catching Rebecca’s cold so I ended up in bed asleep before the club would even have finished their session.  Text John in the morning feeling much better but also very guilty.  I was reassured though that as well having a plan I needed to listen to my body.  I was a bit annoyed though as it was my first planned session I have missed really.

Tuesday 31st January

5 mile steady run

1/2 hour weight training – TRX

Wednesday 1st February

I measured myself this morning, as I had done on the 1st January and I had lost 7 1/4 inches, mostly from waist and hips.  Really pleased with that, although I want to see the pounds going down as well too.

5.4 miles running club, same route as with Michael a few weeks ago and very marginally faster.

Thursday 2nd February

I’ve been trying not to do less than 4 miles if possible but only got 3 done today as left school too late and no time for more before babysitting so Susan could go to a running club for the first time – Giffnock North.

3 mile run

1/2 hour weight training – circuit

Friday 3rd February

5.6 mile run – very steady, speeding it up towards the end.

core, stretching, massage on power plate

Saturday 4th February

I had planned to do 13 miles on the road but really, really struggled to do 11.  Just not feeling right and my legs were totally dead.  Still, not so long ago I would have given up a long time before 11 miles if I felt like that and I did get slightly better towards the end.

Sunday 5th February

A friend and I had planned 18 today, starting reasonably early, going from Drymen to a couple of miles past Balmaha and back again. However when we started it was just sheet ice everywhere after all of the rain yesterday.  I had not even noticed when I left the house or drove so it came  as a real shock!  With no improvement after a mile we decided just to give up.  I’m not the best at staying upright in those conditions and didn’t have my spike things with me for my shoes so thought we would go back and do something closer to home.  Might have been ok if I hadn’t been starting till later.  Ended up going to go up Glennifer Braes but only managed 6 miles – my legs were still dead with nothing in them.

To be honest I had done too much last weekend when it was supposed to be an easy week and I was definitely suffering for it this weekend.  I’d been meaning to start sports massages again so that made me phone Achilles Heel and I got an appointment for that afternoon which I think has helped – and I’ve booked the next one for 2 weeks time too.

Total for week:

30 miles

I had planned for 50!  So although my week did not go to plan I’m ok with that as:  I had overdone it the weekend before and my mind was still motivated it was just that my legs were totally not up for it.  Will be trying for over 50 again this week though.