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Recent tweetsToday called for a five-mile run, which would take me a little over an hour. The first two miles were the most difficult; running around the headland, my muscles felt like they were really creaking.
It really feels like I’m stepping up the pace and getting stuck into this marathon training now. The steady increase in distance and intensity makes me feel like I’m really working for it.
Monday was a tiring run after the exertions of the past weekend. Today’s four-mile run took me round the headland, up to Hairy Bob’s Cave (such a place really does exist) then I turned round and continued on my usual route along the Promenade, up to the Sea Life Centre, then back through Northstead Manor Gardens and through Peasholm Park. I finished by running back along the Promenade again to where I started.
I really felt it on my legs this time, especially around the three mile mark, entering Peasholm Park. They felt more like lead than flexible muscles. Usually I can polish a four-mile run off without feeling too tired, but this time I felt much more exhausted. I’m glad I’m not running tomorrow!
This week I’ve decided to step things up a gear. Last week was full of three mile runs, which formed an introduction to the training schedule. I should have done two weeks of these easy runs, but because I’ve already done about three or four weeks’ worth of base training, I decided to skip ahead to the next week of training.
So this week began with a four mile jog on Tuesday. Then I did a five mile run on Wednesday and a six mile run on Thursday. I felt the pace was acceptable, I didn’t feel totally exhausted after each run, which I think justifies my decision to do all that base training.
By the end of this week I was getting tired. Friday was a rest day, which was welcome. The weekend involved two runs; A six-miler on Saturday and a seven-miler on Sunday. The six-miler felt fairly comfortable (about as comfortable as a six-mile run can feel), whereas the seven-mile run was more exhausting. After I’d completed them I felt like I was returning to my training runs of old, feeling totally drained yet feeling great about running so far.
Last week concluded my first week of marathon training for Dublin. This time my training plan is based on a schedule that I downloaded from the official Dublin Marathon website (www.dublinmarathon.ie). This first week was just a warm-up, with five 3-mile runs on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
The first day of training on Monday was tough, tough, tough. This was more down to the fact that I hadn’t prepared properly by going to bed late the previous night, getting up early that morning and skimping on my warm-up because I was running behind. Bad idea. Following my usual route, once I left Northstead Manor Gardens at Burniston Road, my legs weren’t playing ball. They felt about as flexible as iron and as heavy as lead. So I gave up around that point and walked home. When you’re in that situation, there’s no point punishing yourself by continuing running. It’s better to save your energy for the next session.
My next run on Wednesday was much better, probably because this time I didn’t skimp on warm-up exercises or have a late night beforehand. I’m not going to say it was easy, but it was easier to get into a rhythm which carried me through.
On Thursday it got even better and I felt that Thursday’s run was just a little bit easier. So it looks like that base training has done me the power of good.
Last week saw the end of my base training schedule. Now I need to crack on with the actual marathon training so I have a hope of meeting my 5h30m target. Unfortunately, the classic British summer weather meant that my first day of marathon training was not a good one.
Now I don’t want to sound dramatic, but today’s run was definitely not fun and involved an element of suffering. It was grey and overcast when I set out and it didn’t improve at all. First, it started spitting, then it turned into a full-on rainstorm. Even though I had foreseen this and taken my coat, this soon became wet through with the rain, making every movement cold and uncomfortable.
So all of this combined to make what should have been an easy 3 mile/30 minute easy jog into a gruelling slog. Each step felt like I had already ran a marathon before it. Hopefully the weather will improve in time for my next run on Wednesday.