Week 2 of 16
Slowing down (but not stopping)
40.3 miles done this week (79.9 total).
This week has been tough. I’m going to say that again: this week has been tough. I ran slightly further than the week before but my pace and my motivation have dropped significantly. I know why, but that doesn’t make it easier to ignore.
The second (and sometimes third) week are like an early hill to climb. You’re over the excitement of the first week. You’re down on energy and everything aches. Add on top, the time of year; it’s cold and it’s dark. Even if you’re not training for a marathon, this time of year is enough to bring most people down.
I need to keep reminding myself why I’m doing this. My son has already been through so much pain with his kidney disease so I’ve got no excuse not getting out the door and running a few miles every day. I’ve been handed a great opportunity to run the London Marathon (many apply and don’t get a place), I need to make the most of this opportunity. I’m running with Kidney Care UK and have already raised over £2,000 with the help of my friends and family who are all supporting me to do well.
This week involved some slowing down, but I haven’t stopped. I’ve made sure I’ve gone out and ran at least 5K every day. I’ve never ran 5K every day for 14 days in a row before. Slow progress is still progress. I can #KeepGoing.
Day 8 · 4M Steady inc. 3x Hill Reps
Sweaty hill reps to start the week. Hills are my biggest weakness so I know I need to do more to build up stamina.
Day 9 · 3M Steady + 30mins Yoga 🧘♂️
I got my white running top from the 2017 Chester Marathon out to discover I’d accidentally washed it with my dark jeans. The whole thing was a little discoloured but the worse part was where I usually apply BodyGlide which had attracted most of the colour from my jeans.
This truly is unfiltered sharing.
Luckily, it was dark so no-one saw and a steady evening run was followed by a longer yoga session. Namaste 🙏
Day 10 · London Half-Marathon
Yay! I managed to run a half-marathon without needing to stop and walk. This was especially surprising as I felt terrible on this morning. My family, and I, were struck with Round 3 of this awful winter bug 🥶
I still have a long way to go to get my pace back down.
Day 11 · 5M Progressive
Progressive runs are great for building longer run stamina as each mile you aim to run faster than the last.
This activity meant I hit the 500 mile mark in my Brooks Adrenaline GTS 16 shoes. These were the first running shoes I got in December 2016 and they’ve lasted pretty well, to be fair.
I’m going to need to invest in a new pair soon. I want a supportive, lightweight road shoe. Advice and recommendations in the comments 👇 (please, only recommendations that are without animal materials 🌱)
Day 12 · 3M Trail Run
I couldn’t bring myself to get up and run early this morning; I needed the extra rest/recovery. So: instead I chose to wait until later in the day when it started snowing and go trail running 🤦♂️
Day 13· 3M Trail Run
I missed Parkrun due to a family swimming lesson. I decided to hit the trails again instead later on. More snow. Super slippy. Lost the trail and ended up in the middle of a farmers field. Ground uneven. Both ankles and left knee twinged. Running fail 🤦♂️🤦♂️
Day 14 · 6M Fast
Sunday is supposed to be my longest run of the week to get my body into a rhythm, ready for the marathon race on Sunday 28 April 2019. But: I couldn’t face it. I’d had a couple of down days (this one included) and it was so cold out still. At least, I pushed myself to do a fast run (my first all week) with a bit of downhill assist. I could barely breath after; a spluttering mess. I am not made for exercise in this climate and I was starting to question it all.
Next week
Week 3 of training will (hopefully) see me keep going. I’ve pushed concerns about where my pace is to one side. My body isn’t used to running in cold weather like we’ve got right now. The important thing is to keep going my short daily runs and include more resistant training at home while I get over this illness and the days get milder 🤞
Monday: 3M Trail Run
Tuesday: 3M Steady + 10mins Kettlebell Workout 🏋️♀️
Wednesday: 4M Steady + 12mins Kettlebell Workout 🏋️♀️
Thursday: 5M Steady inc. 5*2 Hill Reps
Friday: 6M Recovery
Saturday: Parkrun Race
Sunday: 15M Steady Long Run
👉 Follow me on my journey every day on instagram
👉 Dive into the data on Strava
I’m running the London Marathon 2019 with the Kidney Care UK charity and have already raised more than the £2,000 target in support to them. This is a cause that’s very personal to me as my four year old son has kidney disease.
I’m worked-up to donate my left kidney to him when his completely give up (in the next year or hopefully two). This is another reason why I’ve set myself such a hard goal for this marathon as it may be the last chance I get to run at full health.
If you want to make a donation, awesome. If not, that’s cool too. I’m sharing my training to make myself accountable and to inspire others to push themselves and reach their own goals.
