44 miles this week, lowest week yet but considering I was forced to take 2 days off with blisters and having to work a taper into the week, I think that’s just fine. The bulk of the training is done so if I was to get blisters, now is the time to get it out of the way. I got 2 key sessions in this week and hopefully the 10 mile race tomorrow will give me another good indicator I’m on track for this 2:50 attempt. The half marathon time 3 weeks ago equates to roughly 61-62 mins for 10 miles. Of course it would be nice to get below 60 mins but I think that’s possibly for later on in the year, if I hit 61:xx that’ll be a good result.
Sunday – 15m
I’m was staying down at my sisters house in Wicklow town to be at a christening/birthday double for my nephews and also had the privilege of being Oscars godparent (i.e supplier of presents). I slept like a log after yesterdays tough MP session but was up early thanks to the reliable nephew alarm and I was ready for my run by 8am. I was down for another 20m this morning but having spoken to Jim during the week we decided to make this a 15 miler given the pace miles yesterday, sensible option I think as I don’t want to jeopardise the rest of the weeks training. The blisters on my feet were pretty bad and I knew it was only going to get worse but it’s all part of the job, off we go. The run was fine, not sure where I was going most of the time but another beautiful sunny morning (no jacket, gloves OR hat today, amazing), great scenery and quite enjoyable once I got going. The first 4 or 5 were difficult, the legs felt tired and I hit a monster uphill at mile 3 which really took the wind out of my sails but I got going once I summited that. I found a good rhythm at around 7:15-30 min/mile pace though the blisters were starting to flare up, otherwise feeling fine. Average pace for the run overall was 7:39 min/mile which I’m pretty happy with after what was probably the toughest session of the schedule yesterday. Got home, went to mass and then gorged on soup, salad, cake and treats for the afternoon before making the long journey back to Cork. Excellent 2 days training and confidence is high though the massive blister on my left foot is looking pretty nasty and needs some love and care and probably a day off tomorrow, blisters must be treated with the respect they deserve.
Monday – Rest
A day off work and a day off running, what am I supposed to do!! I took care of the blister soaking it in a bowl of warm water & dettol and hopefully it will be healed up for tomorrow, if not I’ll take an extra rest day as I’m taking no chances at this stage, the last thing I want is an infection. Did some strength and core work in the morning and looked out the window for the rest of the day, I saw a red car.
Tuesday – Rest
Extremely frustrating to take another day off but I know it’s the sensible option. The blister on my left foot is still in bad shape, it hurts to walk, it’s still not healed and running on it is just not a good idea, it’s not. It kills me to take 2 days off in a row but when I take a step back and think rationally about it, I’m not losing anything really, a 6 and an 8 mile run, 2 runs that will not make or break my marathon. Tomorrow I’ll be in good shape for an 8 x 1 mile session I hope and we’ll be back on track. Weekly milage though a nice metric to look back on after a weeks training is really irrelevant at this stage.
Wednesday – 6 x 1 mile (11m)
Well the blisters were still hanging around today but not causing any pain to walk on so I decided I was going to do the session tonight, 3 days without running could cause serious mental side effects. Today I also got a last minute entry to the Mallow 10 miler on Sunday which was a race Jim mentioned would be a good one to do and it’s not far so I’m signed up for that. This changed the dynamics of my training for the rest of the week, I’d be taking it a lot easier and incorporating a mini-taper which means the 8 x 1 mile session today changes to a 6 and then easy running for the rest of the week. It also means I am sacrificing one last 20 miler but I think I’ve got some good medium and long runs under my belt at this stage (4 x 20m+, 18m, 17m x2) and racing a 10 miler would be just as beneficial, particularly in terms of confidence. Anyway straight forward session tonight, headed down to the city 2 miles warmup including some laps on the Mardyke track but had to leave as a group were starting a session. I headed out the Carrigrohane road for 6 mile repeats with 90 seconds recovery, 3 of which were into a fairly tough wind. I settled nicely into the paces and the splits were pretty consistent running 5:58, 6:03, 5:54, 6:04, 5:56 and 5:54. 2 mile warmdown and good session in the bag, great to be back running after what felt like a week resting and the blisters didn’t complain, gerupyaboya!!
Thursday – 8m Steady
Nice run today, headed into the city and looped around Carrigrohane and Model Farm road. The paces were anything but steady but averaged 7:15 min/mile for the first 7 and then a laborious 8:30 for the monster hill mile home.
Friday – 6m Easy
Another jaunt through the city but this time headed a new route and a new monster hill home. Popped into Lidl on the way home and somehow managed to run 2 miles home with a bag of groceries, that’s winning.
Saturday – 30 mins Easy (4m)
Looked out the window and it was a smashing morning, sun beaming just like last Saturday but this time I thought I was being smarter and didn’t bring my hat or gloves, I should have. The first 2 miles were ok, legs were sluggish but then the elements turned on me as it always does, rain, wind, baltic air…I just wanted to be home. I read a nice quote recently, by Winston Churchill, “If you’re going through hell, keep going”. This wasn’t hell of course, it was mild but it can really apply to any difficult situation when running or racing. No matter what happens, if you keep on running you’ll eventually get to your end-point and everything will be fine, I like it and I’ll probably think of it tomorrow.