I missed Tuesdays run due to other commitments so started skipped straight to Wednesdays run. Wednesday is the day my running club meet and we did a steady 7 miles (annoyingly my watch only kicked in at mile 2). We also incorporated some good hills, which are stating to get easier. This was our longest run in a while and despite some rain was a good run.
Thursday I got up early and did 5 miles worth of intervals on the treadmill, with a break after 3 miles for some ab work. Then in the evening went back to the gym for body pump and a spinning class. Surprisingly I could still stand at the end. I'm trying to incorporate pump and spinning into my training plan as much as possible for strength and cross training.
I knew I would miss Saturdays 3 miles due to Meet the Experts so managed to squeeze in a quick 3 miles Friday night. Technically it was 3.5miles as again my watch didn't kick in for half a mile. I was going to call it quits as it was pouring with rain and really windy but my watch picked up signal just as I got to the front door so I turned around and did my 3 miles.
Sunday I wanted to hit the 16 mile mark in preparation for the Bramley 20 miler in 2 weeks time. The rest of the group were wanting to stay closer to the 14 mile mark so I ran the 2.2 miles to the meeting point to get in the extra. We then set off on a lovely 14 mile lap of the city and surrounding area. The weather was kind to us again and we had a really enjoyable run. There are 4 of us in my running club taking part in the London marathon and Sunday's run was just us four - I'm not sure anyone else fancied the 8.15am start just for the fun of it. But we passed a lot of other early morning runners all training for London, which is always encouraging to see. We did stop and walk a few times, I paused my watch at this point so while the others had a total of 14 miles when we finished I only had 15 despite being 2 miles up at the beginning. Annoyingly we reached the car park at .8 miles so had to do a few laps of the car park to make the mileage even.
I was a little unsure as to if I should be sticking with the 20 miles for Bramley this early in the training. There is also a 10 miler taking place the same day and I wasn't sure if I should drop down but on Monday my legs felt so light that I am going to stick with the 20 miles. The fact I am not aching the following day makes me think I am not over doing it and pushing too hard at the moment. After the 20 miles I will drop down the long run mileage for a few weeks before picking it back up again mid March..
Saturday we went to the Institute of Education in London for a day of seminars organised by the London Marathon about what to expect on the day. I hadn't anticipated it being so good, but I found it really interesting and informative.
They did a run through of what to expect on the day from getting to the start, the baggage area, the race itself and what to expect at the end. I actually had a lump in my throat during this part (the others admitted they did too), it really got me excited for the day of the marathon.
Interestingly they showed a photo of the Isle of Dogs (mile 9) a few years ago during the race and there are about 4 spectators, they then flashed forward to last year and in the same spot it was 4/5 deep with spectators. I went and watched the marathon last year and it really is like a 26.2 mile carnival and this year I get to be in it. It's amazing though what a difference a few years can make and how amazing each and every supporter really is.
The guest speakers included paralympian Richard Whitehead, health and fitness writer Sam Murphy, Runners world editor Andy Dixon and Olympian Liz Yelling, as well as race director Nick Bitel.
They all provided useful tips and insights into training and the marathon itself as well as their own first hand experiences. I was hooked on every word from start to finish. Sam Murphy included some great balancing exercises which I am trying to include in my daily routine.
Lucozade were also on hand to provide samples of their Lucozade Sport and Elite range and Buxton kept us hydrated with as much water as we wanted. Adidas were selling the official merchandise and I could resist a nice long sleeved training top.
I'm hoping the training top will help me run faster...
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