Weekly Mileage: 70 miles
I have to admit that, despite worrying about it greatly before my holiday, I didn’t miss running much at all during my time away. I did do 4 days of cycling, some kayaking and two beach runs, but generally I did not crave my daily run. I did think a lot about running while I was away. I read both Dean Karnazes’ books, which were very inspiring! I also, during some spare time, wrote my Amsterdam training plan, so it was never far from my mind.
I knew that as soon as I got back I would be itching to get going and so I was, as soon as the plane touched down in Edinburgh I decided I would go to Tuesday’s track session, even though I had been travelling for 24 hours straight with little sleep! I did have some time during the day to relax and take it easy, but I was far from fresh when I arrived at Meadowbank that night. In fact the 2.7 mile run from my house felt so gruelling that the idea of doing anything but turning around and going home made me feel nauseous. It was good to see everyone at the club and I felt I was back into my old routine, well at least until the first rep! The session was 4*(500m*2 with jog recovery) and then 8*100m. My lungs burned with pain for the first 500m and my legs felt like I’d run a marathon I was exhausted and felt incredibly unfit. I managed to do the first 3 sets, so 6*500m, the middle 2 got quicker, so I knew there was speed somewhere in my legs, but I felt tired, heavy, exhausted and unfit by the time I called it quits. It was great to be back!
Wednesday I woke up feeling very stiff and heavy and my first run to work for several weeks felt like running a marathon flat out. It was so tough. By the time I got to work I felt like I never wanted to go on holiday again and make myself so unfit. My evening run was meant to be a short, quiet one, however I agreed to meet Kim and she ended up leading me on an 11 mile run over the Braid and Blackford Hills! I was fine for the first 8 miles, but then my legs completely went and the last 3 miles home were a real struggle. Still it was a lovely scenic run and it was good to have the company and to chat running!
Thursday I was back at club. My legs after 2 days hard running felt ruined, so I wasn’t expecting much from the session. The first part of the session 4*45secs flat out saw me finish middle of field each time, which was immensely frustrating, as I am normally in the first 2 or 3 depending on who’s there. I was feeling pretty despondent by the time we came to the second half of the session, which was 4*1200m. Normally I love the longer interval stuff, as it suits my endurance skills, but I was far from hopeful. I was quite surprised then that I managed to finish the first rep just behind the first two. Not bad, but I felt tired and sore, so I wasn’t sure how many more of the four I would be able to do. I wasn’t timing them either, as I felt that would have totally demoralised me, so I was judging my reps on where I finished and how I felt. I slowed down a bit for the next 3 reps, but was probably only 5-10 seconds away from where I would normally have finished, so I was pretty happy with that. Again I was exhausted, tired and sore. I felt as if I had not run for years.
I have found this all very hard, as just before my holiday I was in the shape of my life running PBs almost at will at every distance I tried. Now I feel as though I have gone back by 12 months. Alex, my coach, assured me, after the session, that it will take a couple of weeks to get back into my pre-holiday shape. I wasn’t convinced.
Friday was an easy day, just a run to work and home.
I spent the weekend in Whitehills, a lovely coastal town on the Moray Firth coastline, near Banff. Gail’s parent’s live there and we were up to celebrate her Dad’s 60th. One of the great things about Whitehills, apart from the superb company, food and welcome you are guaranteed to get, is there are some lovely runs, both road and trail. There are probably loads more that I haven’t even discovered yet! I really enjoy running there when I get the chance.
On Saturday morning I left the house just after 8am in beautiful sunshine for a 10 mile run. It was tough! I was certainly hauling about the week’s heavy training in my legs and my lower back felt a little tight and niggly. I have to admit I started to question my motivation a bit and began to wonder if I would ever feel good running again. By the time I reached home I was shattered, but I did feel better for having done it, although far from great.
Sunday morning was the same, beautiful sunshine and great scenery. I ran 14 miles and although it felt slightly better than Saturday I was still struggling and sore. Again I questioned my motivation and even wondered what the point of it all was. For a few seconds I even contemplated giving up running, but it was just for a few seconds. I got back totally exhausted and shattered. I clambered down to the sea and waded into a rock pool where I sat down emerging myself in icy cold sea water. It felt great and I knew it would be good for my legs. Feeling better I laughed at myself for even thinking for a second or two that I might actually give up running.
This week has been one of the hardest weeks since I took up running. I have never been injured before (still haven’t, touch wood!) so the 2 ½ weeks holiday break is pretty much the longest time off running I have had, even between marathons, during the 3 ½ years I have been running. It has been a real shock to my system, as I did not think it would be this hard. I have taken Alex’s promise to heart and am working towards a 14 day recovery plan. I also have to convince myself that the time off I have had will be good for my running in the long run, so I do not resent my break too much. I have found it frustrating, but despite a little mental wobble I am both motivated and inspired to get back to where I was before and ultimately get the time I am aiming for at Amsterdam. Onwards and upwards for next week!
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