On June 30th I jumped back into a marathon training schedule just 1 week after completing the Hackney Half Marathon. I honestly wish I’d recorded more about myself during that week, but beyond this post I’ll endaevour to provide more detail. In the meantime, a short recap should cover the runs I completed, the workouts that I didn’t miss & the schedule the first seven days worked by.
My rest days are seldom what they seem to be, I started the day at 7 A.M with my PT. Legs were the order of the day, and he really put me through it in an hour long series of squats, box jumps, deadlifts and kettle bells, interspersed with climbs on the loathed Jacob’s Ladder. After completing the session, it was straight to work in the Henry Burgers Kitchen, 12.5 Hours prepping and cooking before heading home for some much needed rest.
My Training Plan called for a 4 Mile recovery run to start the day but my body had other ideas. I slept through my 6 A.M alarm, and headed for work feeling pretty pissed at myself for wanting the extra sleep. After 7.5 Hours in the Kitchen it was time to dash home and grab my running kit. Tuesday Night is for Run Dem Crew business and that only means one thing, fast running with a fearless pack. Suicide Pace seems to always be the order of the day but we look after each other and stick together. Threshold Run — Done
6 A.M alarm call for a pre-work Half Marathon. The morning was hot but it felt great to get out and explore in the relative tranqulity of a commuter town at dawn, seriously glad I wolfed down some Cliff Shot Blocks on the way round, it’s probably time to start exploring some different nutrition options during my longer runs. What followed was another 13 Hour day in the Kitchen, getting home late is rough, but any morning run is worth it for views like this…
I was up at 7.30 to complete a 4 mile recovery run, the first time I’ve consciously used my Garmin to check up on my heart rate during a run. The plan said keep it under 135bpm and that is a hell of a lot harder than I though. I can say it, there was walking about 1km in to bring my HR back down, but after a few more km things settled down. It was mentally tough slowing down like that but I was hoping to see the benefits later at track. Unfortunately life got it in the way of those plans… after a death by pollen day at the hands of my summer nemesis hayfever I was exhausted. (take note of the drowsy warnings and don’t exceed the recommended dose on the packet people). 7 hours in the kitchen down, and I headed home for a pre-track nap. Unfortunately I didn’t wake up until 2 A.M. I guess you just have to listen to your body sometimes and take the rest. Friday was going to be a big one.
The morning called for 10 miles, and I set off at 6:45 AM, the sun was beaming down again and the views across the estuary were pretty spectacular. It’s enough to remind me how much I love this town in the summertime. Considering the mileage for the week I was feeling good! Time ran away with me after getting called into work early so I had to miss a PT Session, but like I said the views were pretty spectacular and the pace was just right…
After a beautiful morning run it was into the kitchen. I don’t want to go into huge detail about work, but hopefully you’ll see that the hours contribute to the way I train and my ability to train. Friday’s are pretty hectic as you can imagine and this one was no different. After a 14 Hour day it seemed only right to have a couple of beers. This inevitably turned into a couple more, and then a Gin & Tonic or two… before I knew it my watch read 3:30 A.M and i had to make a move with work in the morning. Nobody is perfect eh?
Dragging myself out of bed was pretty tough, and I certainly didn’t make the 6 mile Recovery Run scheduled. It was clear the affect the previous night had and after a long shower I headed into work at a leisurely 10.30.
Saturdays are absolute chaos, and after what felt like an eternity I managed to escape slightly earlier than expected, only clocking up 11.5 Hours for the day. None of the previous nights mistakes, this time it was home and out for the run I should have completed in the morning. I was fortunate to have a steady stream of charity walkers for company across the distance, and although I picked things up towards the end to avoid getting soaked in the rain things still felt good. Late night running is always going to be special to me.
Sundays are traditionally the Long Run day and for me it was no exception, after a nice lie in I headed out around 10:30 AM to complete 16 miles. It was already hot & humid and with the aim to complete the first 8 miles at a gentler pace before ramping it up in the second half I decided to head to Canvey Island and attack some hills on the way back. Things started off really rough, I couldn’t get into my zone, the Rich Roll Podcast I was listening to was throwing me off completely and my breathing felt laboured. About 1/3 of the way into the run I ditched the headphones and things began to feel better. Essex Way is quite a climb to attack but climbing hills is something I’m really growing to love. There’s something about the determination it takes to say “shut up body, we’re going all the way” when you’re convinced you need to stop and take a breather. It certainly didn’t feel easy, but I made it through…
After a welcome fry up I was London bound for the other side to my working life, music. DJing in Camden with my partner in crime Harrison, we had a 7 hour set to knock out on what was hopefully going to be a sunny afternoon / evening. British Summertime got the better of us and after some stormy weather and a rainbow sighting we kickstarted things off again. I got back to Harry’s at 2 A.M and after a few hours kip headed to Southend for work.
We’re back at the start, today is a welcome rest day from running and although I was in the kitchen for 8 hours after a minimal amount of sleep, managing to escape early was the godsend that allowed me to start documenting this journey and catching up on rest until we training kicks off again in the morning.
This is a work in progress and I fear it always will be, I’ve got a plan on how best to document things and from tomorrow I’d like to hope that the detail will improve related to my weight, diet, and other aspects training life. The upcoming weeks hold a hectic schedule and I’ll be experimenting wih ways to keep healthy and happy throughout.
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