The start of a new week and a slight increase in mileage with 10, 7 and 8 during the week followed by 26 on Saturday and 2-2.5 hours on Sunday. I’ve brought the challenge forward two weeks so that it fits in with the plans of some others who may be able to help on the day. I wasn’t starting from ground zero on week 1 so I don’t think it’s going to be an issue removing 2 weeks from the plan.
Tuesday – 10 Miles
The night before this run I had a slightly later bedtime due to the cinemas reopening (yay!) and struggling to fall asleep which is not like me at all — perhaps too much excitement about getting up for a 4am 10-miler?
The alarm went off at 0350 and surprisingly I instantly got our bed and was on the road by 0405. Twilight was already making an appearance by this time and it wasn’t long before it was right enough that the head torch wasn’t needed. The run felt really good and managed almost negative splits throughout with an average pace of around 8:00 /mi and some quicker miles towards the end of the run.
Distance: 10 Miles
Wednesday – 7 Miles (Hills)
Hill day and much like last week I didn’t fancy hill sprints so opted for the 0.4 mile climb that is Stow Hill in the centre of Newport. The hill is a long pull but completely runnable and offers a good opportunity to recover on the way down. It does take it out of your legs but managed 5 before I headed home to keep with the 7 miles planned.
The run felt good throughout and a hill session is always rewarding even if it’s tough at the time.
Distance: 7 Miles
Thursday – 8 Miles
Despite an evening of all-you-can-eat buffalo wings and craft beer it was very easy to get up this morning and awoke some time before the alarm. Rain was forecast for the morning but I was fortunate to miss it and was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the sunrise.
Today’s run was the usual 8 mile route via Somerton and the Transporter Bridge and went really well. I felt good throughout and any issues that I had with my knee and left foot appear to have gone.
Post-run I was feeling a bit fatigued so looking forward to tomorrow’s rest day and then it’s off to Cheltenham on Saturday for a 26-mile run.
Distance: 8 Miles
Saturday – 26 Miles
On the training plan for Saturday is a 26 mile run and after the 19 mile trail run last week I wanted to opt for a road run. As usual I like to travel somewhere for a running adventure but running between two places on the road can be tricky to plan due to the risk of encountering busy roads without a pavement. I try to use Google Maps to check, and it is useful, but with longer distances it’s easier to use trails and footpaths. So instead of running between two towns I opted to run around one town and selected Cheltenham.
I did some research to discover interesting things to see such as graffiti (there’s a lot there), parks and any other interesting sights. Using OnTheGoMap.com I plotted a route which took in GCHQ, the view from the Devil’s Chimney, the most instagrammable parks in the town, amazing graffiti and interesting architecture.
Part of the reason why I chose to go to Cheltenham was to visit DEYA Brewing do and their taproom near the railway station. I haven’t been since before the first lockdown and it was the perfect way to finish a long run.
The run was tougher than the last marathon distance run that I did a couple of weeks ago. It was a little warmer at times and I was losing a lot of salt despite taking on salt tablets. This was making things difficult towards the end of the run and leg, neck and arm muscles were aching quite a bit once finished but after a couple of hours that subsided.
Distance: 26.2 Miles
Sunday – 2.5 Hours
On the training plan for Saturday is a 26 mile run and after the 19 mile trail run last week I wanted to opt for a road run. As usual I like to travel somewhere for a running adventure but running between two places on the road can be tricky to plan due to the risk of encountering busy roads without a pavement. I try to use Google Maps to check, and it is useful, but with longer distances it’s easier to use trails and footpaths. So instead of running between two towns I opted to run around one town and selected Cheltenham.
I did some research to discover interesting things to see such as graffiti (there’s a lot there), parks and any other interesting sights. Using OnTheGoMap.com I plotted a route which took in GCHQ, the view from the Devil’s Chimney, the most instagrammable parks in the town, amazing graffiti and interesting architecture.
Part of the reason why I chose to go to Cheltenham was to visit DEYA Brewing do and their taproom near the railway station. I haven’t been since before the first lockdown and it was the perfect way to finish a long run.
The run was tougher than the last marathon distance run that I did a couple of weeks ago. It was a little warmer at times and I was losing a lot of salt despite taking on salt tablets. This was making things difficult towards the end of the run and leg, neck and arm muscles were aching quite a bit once finished but after a couple of hours that subsided.
Distance: 2 Hours (10 Miles)
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