Week 11

How did it get to week 11 of my training already? That was quick!! Well wasn’t a bad week overall I guess, not brilliant either though!

I gave Monday night Spin a miss as I was still feeling a little run down from the cold, too much energy is required for it at the best of times! Was able to go to Body Balance on Tuesday though which I enjoyed.

By Wednesday night I was feeling much better and so able to go out for a run. I did 5k in 28mins 21secs, averaging 10.6kpm, which is the fastest 5k time I’ve done this year! Was very happy with it, it was one of those runs where I wasn’t thinking at all that I hope I can last to 5k, it was just a matter of how quick I could run it! My mile times were 9mins for the first, 9mins 25secs for the second and 9mins 3secs for the third, so I need to work on that second mile time! That was the one where I run back up the hill though….!

I wasn’t able to go anything Thursday or Friday night, so Saturday went out with the other half and ran round a loch that is near us, which is 2.78k long (to be exact!) As I run a bit slower than him, he was doing some Fartleking, sprinting ahead then jogging back and running with me for a bit then sprinting ahead again. I completed the lap in 15mins exactly, averaging 11.1kph. I was well impressed with myself, especially as I had been out the night before!! The other half did a second lap while I recovered, and I then jogged to meet him at the other side, doing another 1.3k, strangely averaging 10.3kph when I thought I was going really slow! This time last year that would have been fast for me! After that we did a couple of hill sprints, which apparently are great training, if not just a form of torture! The second hill sprint I was given a slight head start and other half was aiming to overtake me, I knew he was right on my shoulder as we were approaching the top and I suddenly got a burst of speed and broke away, reaching the top first! That was a fun moment! (He won’t thank me for saying that!) It is good if you are out training with someone who runs at a different pace than you add in such things as Fartleks and chases as it saves one person having to run slower and definitely brings a more competitive edge to the running!

Was out a bit later on Sunday as had been visiting my mum, being Mother’s Day of course! It was a really windy day and I was feeing a bit bored, so ran a mile in 8mins 52s, averaging 10.9kph, then did 5 hill sprints, up the usual bit I struggle with on the way back up my usual route. I then ran a fast kilometre back home, at 5mins 29s. It was nice to do something a little different for a change, it does get a bit repetitive just going out running the same route all the time!

This week I have quite a lot on at night, got Spin on Monday night again though, and I’m taking a day off work on Friday so would really like to try do a 7 or 8k run…..will let you know next week how I get on!

Training song of the week – Gonna Fly Now from the Rocky soundtrack, got me through the hill sprints!