Week 4 ticked off and I’m cruising through. I’m getting stronger with my strength training and my running is comfortably consistent, even when I’m hungover!

Monday

I had a full rest day, work was busy and other than some light foam rolling, not much to say.

Tuesday

Another great track session! All about building speed. It was laps of 4, 3, 2, 1 (with a lap recovery in between) and a 200m final sprint to finish.

I did really well, made sure I paced my efforts sensibly and making sure I emptied the tank on the 200m haha!

I am definitely getting more confident with pacing different efforts and how they should feel. I can’t wait to get stronger as the weeks go on.

Wednesday

Crosstraining day and I felt tired after last night’s track session.

I did the same slightly longer BodyPump session and managed to do the same weights as last week but afterwards I just felt so exhausted!

I would normally then go on the bike but I opted for a yin yoga session instead. This was definitely the right decision and felt a bit better afterwards. Next week I’ll probably skip the weights and maybe get the resistance bands for something a little bit different.

Thursday

Another run before work, but not as early as last week.

That doesn’t mean I found it any easier! It was a 60 minute easy run with 6x 15 second hill sprints.

I think the reason I found it tough to get going was because it was an hour run, which to me is a long run. I only really run longer weekday runs during the summer, so it’s something I’m going to have to get used to.

I got it done, I can’t say I particularly enjoyed it but I’m pleased I didn’t sack it off like my mind was telling me to!

It was also great to have 3 friends message me after saying they saw me on their way to work haha!

Friday

Today at PT we had to modify a little as I think I lifted a bit too heavy in Wednesday when I was tired and I hurt my wrist. Nothing serious, I’m double jointed and sometimes my hand goes a bit too far back…

Anyway, it was still a really good session as we tried different things. I still dislike the chest press but just as I was beginning to like triceps, my PT found a new way to torture them. It was a tricep overhead extension using the pull machine or whatever it’s called. There’s a video that shows it here if you’re interested.

It was a shock to the triceps that’s for sure! But I finished the session feeling strong and accomplished as always.

Saturday

Yeah, I woke up to my triceps feeling very sore!

I hadn’t written off parkrun, but I thought I wouldn’t be able to run as hard as I had hoped.

So I set off at a strong and comfortable pace. A few friends sped off ahead. During the 1st lap, I focused on telling myself not to run too hard as there’s still another lap to go!

This is where the track sessions are paying off, knowing when to run strong and smart but leaving some power for the 2nd lap.

Those friends that set off too quickly I had in my sights. I managed to catch two of them and carried on.

As I got to the top of shouty hill for the last time, my triceps were screaming at me. I focused on my legs and they still had that strength I’d saved and allowed me to carry on pushing to run a sprint finish overtaking more people. My time was quicker than last week and it felt good.

Sunday

So it’s my birthday on Tuesday 7th March, which meant I had a boozy afternoon tea and several drinks after on Saturday!

So I was a little hungover…!

Fortunately, the plan was 90 minutes easy and I had a tried and tested route on the canal. All I had to do was put one foot in front of the other.

It was a really relaxed and pleasant run. I’m enjoying running with Tailwind hydration, I have the Berry flavour. I also tried black cherry yoghurt Torq gel which was delicious!

Experimenting with fuel is going well, but they’re going to be more essential in the coming weeks.

I went faster than the plan states, but I felt relaxed and I didn’t vomit so I’m taking it as a win.

Overall Thoughts

Strength training and weekly track sessions are really going to pay off in the coming weeks. The mileage jumps in about two weeks so I can’t wait to see what happens! I feel equipped to handle it as I continue on this long journey…

Talking of the runs getting longer, I’m starting to think about music to run to during these runs. I revisited some old playlists and found a few gems.

I will share a song every week, but it would be great to hear what your go to songs are for long runs.