14th - 20th May 2012

M 6.07 miles recovery (7:18mm avge) AM, 4.16 miles recovery (7:03mm avge) PM

T  10.13 miles general aerobic, including 10x100m strides (6:22mm avge)

W  Rest

T 12.23, including 4.51 miles @ 5:16mm (6:00 mm avge)

F 10.07 miles general aerobic (6:26mm avge)

S  6.39 miles recovery (7:13mm avge)

S  13.18 miles progressive (6:16mm avge)

Total 62.23 miles (6:31mm avge)

So first week of taper and I even decided to put in a rest day! Only reason was I was absolutely shattered from the first day of a two day conference with work and when the alarm went off at 5:00am I figured some days are just meant to be rest days. If there’s a time to take them, it’s in the taper too. It was nice that this coincided with my wife Hania’s birthday as well so it meant I could spend some time with her and the baby before getting up and going to day two of the conference.

Thursday I got up and set off for my last session before Edinburgh and knew within the first 500 yards that it was going to be a good run. Usually after a rest day my legs are somewhat jaded but this time they felt light and springy and really up for a bit of an effort. So after 5 miles of general aerobic running, I started a lactate threshold effort. I was very pleasantly surprised to see the pace under 5:20 per mile and not only was this quicker than I generally do them but the effort did feel very comfortable. I would say that it felt as if I was running with the handbrake on for all the way too. The session ended up averaging 5:16 per mile at an effort which I would suggest was somewhere around half marathon pace effort. This gives me great confidence for the Autumn where my main focus will be to break 70 minutes for the half marathon. I may be in sub 69 shape by that time too judging by this run. I then did a short run home.

Friday and Saturday was just a bit more filler running and then Sunday where I did a progressive 13 miler keeping the effort nice and controlled. I felt like a coiled spring and the legs were eager to get going which is a really positive sign seven days out.

Overall this week has gone really well, I have been conscious not to push the efforts too hard and general and slow mileage has been very disciplined so I have hopefully avoided pushing the envelope a little too far. This week the mileage will drop by another 50% before the big day with only 2 miles at MP and a few strides planned as faster running.

My number arrived this week and I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised when this little number dropped through the letterbox.

So far I  have managed to avoid (touch wood will continue to do so) the lurgy although I am ever more conscious of folk sniffling around me. There was a lady who had a streaming cold who decided to sit next to me on the train during the week and then she tried to ask me a question about getting to the tube station on exiting the train. Poor woman must have wondered what on earth I was doing when I suddenly took about three steps back to stop her breathing on me!