With such a strong start last week, I was excited about what was to come. This week was a reminder that there is still a long way to go.

I’ve actually been a little unwell these past few months. My GP isn’t sure what is causing it, but it isn’t just the stress of redundancy. The main thing I’ve learnt at the start of this marathon journey is don’t just write off how you feel just because there’s crap going on in your life. Keep talking and reach out for help.

ANYWAY, let’s get on with it shall we?

W/C 10th June

Tuesday

There was no Lindley Running Club intervals session today, so I ended up doing a mini session that morning.

It was a short one because I had PT at 7am. This will now be part of my weekly routine. When it came to intervals, I hadn’t given myself enough time to recover so I listened to the groans of my body and kept it short with a pyramid hills sesh.

It went well, I was tired but it had been a busy morning so far.

I don’t have anything really to say about the stats other than I’m glad I was able to get them done!

I did find it difficult but I’m proud for taking those first steps.

Wednesday

For my active recovery day, I chose to volunteer for the Canal & River Trust. The session was to remove an invasive plant called Himalayan balsam. This plant spreads quickly and prevents other plants from growing.

The volunteer leader, Gordon joked that I’ll start seeing Himalayan balsam everywhere now after spending a few hours removing it. He was right!!

Thursday

Thursday 5 miles was actually a mile and a bit run uphill to meet my running club and then 4 miles with them.

Some of them had completed a race the night before, so rather than running in 3 groups we ran as one at a relaxed and chatty pace.

This felt really good again, I think it has highlighted to me that I run well with others even though I am the slowest one there. They can keep chatting away and I can use it as a distraction. So thanks guys.

Weirdly, even though it was a chatty social run, we didn’t take a team photo. Tsk tsk.

Saturday

After last week’s great parkrun at York I was quietly confident I could continue my success at staying under the 30 minute mark.

It’s just, Huddersfield parkrun is difficult. Some people call it a mario-kart style course with it’s twists and turns, up and down… How did I manage to run my PB here?!

Anyway, I set off with the best intentions. Anyone who has run Huddersfield parkrun understands how deceiving the first lap is. You feel in control, all is fine… then you have to do it again.

At this point I was huffing and puffing, but I could still see the 30 minute pacer. If I could just keep them in my sights I could go for it at the end. They got further and further away. I could still see them in the distance but I knew, it wasn’t going to happen today.

I carried on, pushing up shouty hill when… the 31 minute pacer sprinted past! It was my friend Steve and his watch was telling him he was behind schedule. It WAS disheartening to see him but glancing at my watch I knew I wasn’t going to be over 31 minutes.

As I continued on and reached the bollards to start the sprint finish, there was Steve having a walk. Couldn’t help but tease him as I ran past and finished with a time of 30:30. So compared to a flat course last week, it was about the same and not a terrible time in the grand scheme of things. It just didn’t feel great…

Sunday

The Sunday long run required me to run 11 miles. I could do that easy.

I’d planned to run on the Huddersfield narrow canal from my house, up to Sparth reservoir and back. As motivation I gave it the catchy name of the Sparth Res 11. Like it’s a thing. I had the strangest conversations with myself when I’m running 🤣. Anything to keep me going!

I set off feeling fine, but soon began to feel the usual sluggishness I have been suffering from these past few months. It is really frustrating because the endurance and fitness is obviously there, but the power and energy is not. I had set my time goal in mind but I was nowhere near it.

I have tried many things, yes, including rest. Which is why I’ve gone to my GP.

Anyway, I got it done and then it began to bounce down with rain. Glorious! I did feel tired afterwards but I was pleased to have got it done.

Week 2 thoughts

A mixed bag of a week, there were highs and lows. I do think running with others is what is going to keep me going throughout this training cycle.

Please note this blog post isn’t for readers to send me what they think is wrong with me – let’s leave it to the professionals eh? I do think it is important for me to be honest and transparent on this journey. Training for a marathon isn’t easy and I’m not going to hide away from that.