Week 3 of the training plan and the aim was to increase the mileage slightly on week 2’s and all was going to plan but then I had an invite to run around Talybont Reservoir on Sunday so ended up with a 50 mile week with two tough 14+ mile runs. Hopefully the legs will feel ok in week 4.
Tuesday – 7 Miles
0410 alarm, roll out of bed at 0415, on the road at 0425. Your future self is always grateful for your past self for getting your run kit ready the night before. I was surprisingly alert by the time I started running and was even more so when I ran past a bakery in the first mile 🍞.
This week continued in much the same way as last week with runs slightly increasing so today was a 7 mile easy run rather than last week’s 10k. The legs were feeling a bit heavy after the weekend’s running (probably shouldn’t have opted for the 10 mile tempo on Sunday) but still enjoyed the run and the peacefulness that an early morning run brings.
Distance: 7 Miles
Wednesday – 6 Miles (with hills)
Hill day, yay! Newport town centre has some decent hills of varying lengths so is ideal for hill repeats. There’s North Street for short and medium length repeats and Stow Hill for longer, slower climbs. Both streets have cut through points where you can turn each repeat into a loop for recovery.
After a 2 mile warm up I opted for North Street for some 15-20 second sprints cutting through to Stow Hill for the loop back to the bottom of North Street. Wasn’t really feeling it today so not particularly speedy but got a dozen repeats completed and 10k overall distance with the run back home.
Distance: 6.22 Miles
Thursday – 7 Miles
Awake before the 4am alarm so easy to get up this morning for today’s planned 7 mile run. A pretty uneventful run on an uneventful route but at least it was milder and I missed the rain.
This is the third week I’ve managed three mid-week 0430 runs and I’m actually enjoying completing the runs before the sun rises.
Distance 7 Miles
Saturday – 16 Miles
We’re finally free and how liberating is it to be able to go where we want in Wales? Ive been wanting to head out for an adventure for so long so plotted a route along the Wales Coast Path that I haven’t been along before.
My training plan was for a 16 mile run and I’d rather run a linear route along the coast rather than a circular route or an out and back so parked the car in Bridgend and would catch the train back from the end point at Pyle.
The route took me along trails and country lanes in Bridgend eventually meeting Merthyr Mawr for a long run along the sand to Porthcawl. Then it was along Trecco Bay, Sandy Bay and Rest Bay and then at Sker Point it was back inland to Pyle and ultimately the railway station to catch a train back to Bridgend (caught it with three minutes to spare!).
It was such an enjoyable run and a much needed mental boost. It was so good seeing the holiday home owners coming out of hibernation, the golfers teeing off, the kite surfers on Rest Bay and the horse riders navigating the dunes at Merthyr Mawr.
Looking forward to my next adventure.
Distance: 15.75 Miles
Sunday – 1h 20m
The second adventure of the weekend and it was a revisit to a route that I had run last in 2018. It’s a loop around Talybont Reservoir with a 6ish mile uphill start followed by a faster, technical downhill trail run followed by more hills and then faster tarmac section back to the start. Running around this part of the world is very scenic whatever the weather and whilst it looks stunning on a sunny days it’s still equally stunning on a grey and mizzly day, and it was mizzly!
This was the first time since July 2019 that I had run with another person and was such so enjoyable.
My training plan had been to run for 1h 20m after yesterday’s 16 mile run so at I wasn’t sure whether I should attempt this run not just because of the distance but also because of the hills and also the faster downhill sections but the being able to run with people again was too much of a draw for me so I went for it. The first 6 mile climb was straightforward and the downhill trail section was something I hadn’t done in a while. The second hill section was tougher and at times was run/walking and the quads were aching a bit on the faster descents. the run ended with a somewhat faster (~7:00/mi) 2 miles along an undulating lane to the finish for a Kit Kat and Malteser milkshake and other tasty treats.
Distance: 14.4 Miles
No Comments