This week started with a holiday and was full of pretty spectacular summer weather. It was also the start of a new month and marked nine weeks until I head off on holiday so it was with a fresh set of motivation pants on that I faced this week.
Monday 1st May
Today was a holiday which meant I could run during the day and still be home in time to do normal people things like relax, watch TV and eat dinner not at 9pm (although most of these things didn’t happen as I got stuck in about the garden when I got back). Today I ran 10k through the trails. It was the first really warm day of running that I’ve had since last summer, so it felt great, but also took some getting used to!
As you can see, I started out too fast and this hindered me in the rest of the run. Also, this shows only 5.2 miles because I hit the wrong button on my watch and started the first mile as a cycle…😐 anyway, my total time was around 52 mins and I was quite happy with this given that I ran on the trails the full way; a change I am still getting used to.
Tuesday 2nd May
Back to work today and back to focusing on my nutrition – spinach, bacon, eggs and tomatoes for breakfast, smoothie and yogurt for lunch and chilli burrito for dinner. I had snacks too throughout the day and when I got back from bootcamp tonight. Found that I had a headache by about half seven but putting this down to having less carbs than usual! Tonight’s training was bootcamp at the gym and it was a great session. Quite a bit of running involved with different stops around Auchinleck to do body conditioning exercises. Really enjoyed it.
Wednesday 3rd May
Headed to the track tonight to do some intervals. Decided to do 10 one minute intervals with one minute recovery and found it surprisingly enjoyable. Usually I am not a fan of intervals and can find it hard to push myself if I am on my own. Ran a total of three miles including to and from the track and was chuffed with a best pace at one point of 5:14/mile. Assuming that happened for literally a milli second, but at least it is there 😝
Thursday 4th May
Thursday is my usual PT day and is a busy evening afterwards so usually I don’t run. My PT was good tonight – focussed a lot of strengthening my legs and core. I find doing this is slowly but surely helping my running. I recover faster and don’t get injured as much as I used to.
Friday 5th May
Had a rest day today as I was feeling tired and had heavy legs. I had trained pretty hard every day since Sunday and planned a long run for the Saturday so wanted to make sure I was fresh! Went a walk in the sun with the dog to keep my legs nice and loose. 
Saturday 7th May
Today was my first long run (double digits anyway) in a while and it felt really great. I ran off road for about 90% of the run so I am feeling pretty happy with my time. This run took me through Dumfries Estate where there are loads of lovely little paths for running. I headed out towards Ochiltree and did some 3 reps on the bing on the way out at a slow and steady pace. On the way home I met a man who had run 5/6 marathons and he gave me some good training advice – he was an advocate of hills so I felt glad to tell him I had put in my reps that morning. Came home and stretched and iced my feet and ankles in a cold bath – never gets pleasurable!
Sunday 7th May
A rest day! Walked the pup to get ice cream and found the shop was shut – disaster!
All in all I am quite happy with my training this week. As always there are areas I want to work on and improve, but I am seeing slow and steady improvements in my running. Time will tell!
