Week 3 of 13 (14th > 20th Jan)

WEEK 3
Mon Lunch - Conditioning work
Mon PM- 9 miles easy (8:10 m/pm)
Tue AM - 9 miles easy (8:15 m/pm)
Tue PM - Track session 14 x 1300 @ c6:33 m/pm off 1 min
Wed Lunch - 7.9 miles trail (7:47 m/pm)
Wed PM - Strength : Cleans & Squats
Thu - Treadmill session 15 x 650m @ c5:25 m/pm off 1 min
Fri - Rest
Sat - 17 miles easy including 4 miles @ 7:00 m/pm (ave.7:39 p/pm)
Sun - 37.5 miles (8:14 p/pm)
TOTAL MILEAGE - 101.7

So who says you can't run in the snow! As per last week's blog I said this was going to be a week of bigger mileage and a little bit more speed on the track and I executed the week to plan even given the weather.

The first half of the week went relatively smoothly and on paper the track session looked like it was going to be pretty tough. Whilst the pace wasn't super fast, the stop start nature of these reps always builds fatigue more than you would expect. However, the recent higher mileage seems to be flowing through and this session came pretty comfortably.

However by the time I got to the weights session on Wednesday evening I knew I was ready for a rest and that Thursday session was going to be a toughy. I couldn't wait for Friday's rest day. I've been doing weights and conditioning work reasonably consistently for the last 3 months and at the moment it is difficult to assess the impact of these sessions. However by the time we start racing and as we sharpen up in the summer then we will know. The important thing is I enjoy doing them, building up the pistons!

Thursday's session was planned for the track, however the weather was pretty cold and the track has a habit of freezing up pretty quickly (and I have a habit of falling on my arse). So I opted to do this one on the treadmill. Again on paper this one looked pretty quick, at least for this part of the season. In the summer I would have absolutely beasted this one. I found myself a quiet corner in the gym to do the session as other gym goers seem to have a habit of looking at your screen and trying to compete with you, which is nice compliment I guess but bloody annoying. Still didn't avoid the gawping gym rats. Maybe they thought I was Galen Rupp...Turned out the pre-run pep talk chat with Kevin helped me out. He too has to battle with treadmill sessions this week. Roll-on the summer.

Friday saw the snow really start to come down and this was when I started to wonder if I could complete the week. When the weather sets in like this you just have to accept this as an external event, out of your control, and make the most of it. Maybe that is two easy runs, maybe its two gym runs, you just have to play it by ear. Saturday's session was set at 11 miles easy, 10 mins rest, 5.5 miles @ 7:00 p/pm. I set off onto the snowy footpaths with the hope of doing the session, but I really wanted to assess the damage that the snow would do to Sunday's planned super long run (the term I have dubbed for those runs of 30 miles and beyond). The session on Saturday didn't come out entirely as planned but to all intents and purposes it did the job. I finished the run by taking a photo for a young couple enjoying the wintery views of the river Thames. Funny how the weather sometimes brings people together. Not sure my photos were great though.

The pleasing thing was that the ground was good and easy to run on. I knew I could make a good attempt at the super long run of 37.5 miles the next day. Joined by Kevin for multiple loops of a snowy Bushy park and we just about got the session done. Conditions were not so nice as on Saturday because it snowed for the full run which started to annoy me a little (kept getting in my eyes). Kevin joined me at the 13 mile mark and was due to run 20 miles with me. I would then either finish the session on my own or stop with a solid 33 miles to my name. Sensing I was wavering towards the end Kevin did me a massive favour and ran an epic 25 miles to see me to the finish. Super long run number 5 since November. Rewarded of course by a large Papa Johns pizza. I think the snow underfoot gave a little cushioning as whilst I'm tired now, my legs are not feeling as awful as after a 5 hour pounding on the roads. Pleased to have survived the weather without needing to use trail shoes, particularly as at present I don't even own a pair. I'm a road runner after all.

I'm off skiing next Saturday was will be a smaller week of training due to the loss of the weekend (however maybe I should run, I've proved I can run in the snow). Looking forward to a nice week of active week on the slopes and some time to chill with the Mrs.

Mileage so far: 39, 73, 102