Week 7: 30th Jan - 5th Feb 2012

M  AM 6.05 miles recovery (7:14mm avge), PM 4 miles recovery (6:57mm avge)
T  11.13 miles including 5 miles @ 5:23mm (6:06mm avge)
W  15.21 miles progressive (6:16mm avge)
T  6.89 miles recovery (6:53mm avge)
F  13.18 miles progressive (6:23mm avge)
S  6.19 miles recovery (7:11mm avge)
S  20.11 miles sort of progressive! (6:28mm avge)

Total  82.76 miles (6:32mm avge)

Interesting this week this week in that it was the first week that I was to do over 80 miles and also because it's the first time I've really deviated from the plan; once from not reading my schedule correctly and the second time because the snow made running truly progressively very difficult indeed!

On the whole it was a good week and I am most definitely feeling fit, in fact I think I am probably feeling fitter than I ever have before. Tuesday's run was an 11 miler with 5 miles at lactate threshold and doing this in sub zero temperatures at 5:30 in the morning was always going to be a bit of a struggle, but once you're on your way it's fine. I was really chuffed in that I actually beat my 5 mile PB despite only running at my lactate threshold. I hit 5 miles in 26:57 so in a race at a kinder time of day and with a number pinned to my vest, I may be able to go about a minute quicker than that. I'm not sure if I'll be able to get a 5 mile race in before London but it'd be interesting to see how I would do.

Wednesday was another very strong run to work and I was hitting some really good paces with the corresponding heart rate showing again I am in good shape. This was especially pleasing considering I had done the hard tempo run the day before.

By Friday I had to do another progressive half marathon which was OK and quicker than last time for roughly the same effort but I was definitely tired which I put down to a late night at a work do on the Wednesday. Luckily I was to have a recovery day on Saturday...... or at least I did have a recovery day on Saturday despite the schedule calling for 8 miles general aerobic with 10 strides. I didn't read my schedule until I got back and saw the error of my ways. I was tempted to go back out and do some strides but felt that the crumpets and massive bowl of cereal I'd just eaten wouldn't have been too keen. Oh well, I'm sure Pfitzinger & Douglas wont mind if I deviate from the schedule on a couple of runs!

The snow had been forecast for Sunday pretty much since Thursday. A part of me was hopeful that it wouldn't arrive. Now, I appreciate it's very pretty but it makes everything so much more difficult. Getting around, going to work, shopping but most importantly RUNNING all become tasks that are a great deal harder! But snow it did and I went to bed on Saturday night a little grumpy about how tough the long run was going to be....

Normally I like to get the long run done and dusted by 9:30am, so I have the rest of the day to spend with my wife and daughter but today I went out at about 9:30 with an ETA of 'I don't know'. I just didn't know how I was going to fair in the conditions. I had been hoping to run fairly progressively and I suppose I did if you look at the embedded link below but it wasn't as planned. Truth be told, despite feeling incredibly strong aerobically the legs didn't like the snow at all and when I tried to pick it up in the last 6 miles or so there wasn't a great deal of pace there. The route I took was fairly clear but I probably still ran about 40% of the route on snow. All that said, it ended up being a good run averaging 6:28 per mile which I think is the quickest I've ever done that course with or without snow! It was a minute and a half quicker than when I did the run 3 weeks ago and my heart rate averaged 4 beats per minute less this time showing the improvements coming through in aerobic fitness.

So to sum up, very happy with the way things are going but I really hope the snow doesn't hang around for long!