T 8.11 miles general aerobic, including 8X100m strides (6:16mm avge)
W 6.01 miles recovery (7:19mm avge)
T 9.14 miles, including 3X1Mile VO2Max Intervals (6:07mm avge)
F 5.11 miles recovery (7:11mm avge)
S 4.1 miles general aerobic (6:27mm avge)
S 13.65 miles, with 6.28 miles @ 5:38mm avge (6:07mm avge)
Total 52.31 miles (6:31mm avge)
Just a very short round-up in this the second week of tapering and I am really starting to feel it; doubts creeping in, phantom niggles, possible lurgy re-emergence!
Runs of note though to start with Thursday's run which was 3X1Mile intervals averaging a fraction under 5:00mm. The last one was very tough indeed and I had to dig quite deep to get it close to 5:00! But close enough to the pace I averaged at the Parkrun last week.
Friday and Saturday were very strange runs in that I just felt rubbish, especially Saturday's which was supposed to be 7miles with 8X100m strides. I decided to cut it short as I just felt very below par and my heart rate was quite high and thought that my body would be pleased with the extra rest. I was very worried that I may be getting the lurgy again as my daughter Mia has had a cold this week since our visit up North.
Then to Sunday which was supposed to be a13 mile progressive run, but I decided to include the Darent Valley 10k into the run and keep a lid on things. This race was part of the Kent Grand Prix and as it was on my doorstep for a change and wouldn't impact on family life too much it would be a good opportunity to get some good points for the club. I did a good six and a half mile warm up which included quite large parts of the course to get a feel for what was to come, jumped on the start line and off we go. I settled into a gentle rhythm and the kilometres drifted by. I was around 10th or 11th by half way and then decided to up the effort. I gradually started picking off runners feeling very comfortable and I decided that I would really put a bit of effort in the last 3k to see if I could get close to the podium. As it turned out I hit the 7km marker in 5th position and then pulled another spot back to 4th. I could see another guy about 70 metres in front but with only a mile and a quarter to go it was unlikely I would reel him in unless I really put the foot on the gas, so I did. I put in a 5:00 dead mile to catch him and fly past him, he couldn't respond and seemed quite shocked that I had seemingly glided past him so effortlessly. It wasn't effortless but I tried my hardest to make it look like it was! After another 200 metres I knew I had enough on him to really pull back the pace and walked over the line for 3rd place. I then did another mile warm down to bring me to just over 13.5 for the day. Another nice confidence booster with one week to go. I then rushed back to get a sports massage from Mike Abousselam at Orpington Sports Massage to iron out any creases and make sure the legs are in good order for next week.I have been suffering a little from a sore glute/tight hip but the massage thankfully seems to have done the trick.
Now to the last week which will be horrible. I will tear my hair out, getting by on little runs all week like a junkie without a fix. My next post will probably be the race report and will probably follow at some point during next week when I've had the time for a few reflections. In the mean time, to whomever reads this I hope you have enjoyed the journey with me; I have had a brilliant time, I have pushed myself harder in training and in races than before, and started to get the sorts of results that I knew I was capable of. I have had a minor set back with an illness but all in all I feel ready. Now I just have to keep a cool head, put the brain into cruise control on the big day and deliver what I know I am capable of.
Target 2:27:59.
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