Last Saturday I was a little hungover after enjoying a good night out with an old friend! Consequently it was after 3pm before I could muster enough energy to go for a run and rather stupidly I was still determined to fulfil the long run that was on my training plan!
I decided to do a "there and back" route so that I could do the exact number of miles I wanted plus I could practice a "negative split" run where I hoped to run back faster than I had run there!
Believe it or not it was my first run this year in a T Shirt and cropped tights, up until now I have been wrapped in long tights and long sleeved tops as its been so cold!
However, on this run despite the Summer attire I was still feeling rather warm (perhaps it was all the alcohol seeping out my pores!). I tried just to concentrate on my running form and not think about pace. I had set my Garmin to tell me when I had run 5 miles as at this point I wanted to turn around.
I felt fine running on the way there but when I turned round to come back I really struggled and there was no way my legs were going to go faster however hard I tried!
I managed 10 miles in 1 hour 32 minutes which is an average 9.12 minute mile. Not too bad considering this is the longest run I have done since the beginning of December! I didn't manage a negative split but was pleased that my return run time was identical to my outward run time so at least I didn't slow down!
However, once I had got home, showered and settled down to watch the Grand National I was feeling really really sick! I decided that it was perhaps because I was hungry and tried to force some sausage and baked beans down! I managed the baked beans but no way was the sausage going down!
I'm not sure whether this was caused by running with a hangover or pushing too hard on a warm day!
However, being a glutton for punishment I was still up for going to a Beer Festival although I must admit the drink didn't go down too well and I nursed a couple all night!
On Sunday I was feeling much better and we went for a easy 5 mile walk before I went for a swim in Lake Windermere. Thankfully it was a nice afternoon and the lake was very calm, the only problem with good weather is it encourages all the teenagers to sunbathe on the jetty whilst drinking beer!
I hate swimming with an audience as I feel under pressure but with this gobby lot watching there was no way I was not going to push myself!
The lake is now getting busier with boats so we decided to swim along the shore to the piers and back again to stay away from the boats in the middle of the lake! Once I got going I fell into a comfortable stroke and really enjoyed it! I managed my longest swim in the lake this year - 800 metres! Hopefully I can start building back up again now the weather is improving!
On Monday I had my Ladies running club (Women on the Run) and it was the first time we had split into 2 groups to enable us to have a faster longer run and a shorter slower run!
At the first group we had 16 ladies and we ran 4.4 miles at an average 9.40 minute mile pace which is much faster than they have previously run, then with the next group we had 10 ladies and ran 3.5 miles at an average 13.16 minute mile pace. This was a fantastic achievement considering a lot of the ladies are very new to running!
The weather on Tuesday was horrendous so I opted to go for a pool swim. It was extremely busy in the pool with a lot of slow breaststroke swimmers so I only swam 1700 metres in 39 minutes before calling it a day! I didn't want to let my lane rage get out of control so thought getting out was the best option!
On Wednesday I went to the Tri Club Swimming Training Session and this time I had the opposite problem of keeping up with the other swimmers in my lane! This time I did 2300 metres in 56 minutes and felt exhausted at the end!
On Thursday I went for another lake swim and although it was very calm it was much much colder than it had been at the weekend! However, we did the same half mile jetty to the piers swim. I didn't enjoy it as much as I had on Sunday as I felt really cold and my hands and feet felt numb!
I have been resting since then ready to be in peak condition for tomorrow's triathlon! Its my first triathlon of the season and although it is only a pool sprint tri I am starting to feel extremely nervous about it!
I have an extremely early start time of 8.00.20! This means I am with all the slower swimmers - I hope lane rage doesn't bubble up inside me!
I have decided on 3 goals.
A. The slowest time I would be happy with.
B. A realistic time I think I can achieve.
C. A "Dreams are made of this, Too good to be true" time.
400 Metre Swim:
A. 8:52 B. 8:40 C. 8:30
Transition 1:
A. 2:01 B. 1:30 C. 1:30
18K Cycle:
A. 47:30 B. 46:00 C. 44:50
Transition 2:
A. 3.10 B. 1:20 C. 1:10
5K run:
A.27:10 B. 26:30 C. 26:00
TOTAL FINISH TIME:
A. 1:28:03
B. 1:24:00
C. 1:22:00
I will report back tomorrow and let you know how I get on!
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