Week 5 – “Highs and Lows”
This week was a hilly week of highs and lows. After a brief moment where the sun came out and we all thought that Spring was coming, our hopes were dashed and we rapidly returned to freezing temperatures, icy evenings and cold dark runs...
Lissi started the week on a high, completing an interval run at a slightly faster pace than recent runs and after a positive physio session, completed a 12km run - her longest run since September! However, a low was soon to follow. The 12km run wasn’t pain free and less than 24 hours later, things took a turn for the worse – check out Lissi’s Foot Pain Level (FPL) on the homepage. After some chat with her physio, they’ve come up with a plan to try and get her to the next long run. This meant swapping Saturday’s easy run for the exercise bike, some obsessive foot rolling over the weekend and some extreme use of the massage gun in an attempt to accelerate the healing process. It has also led to some very sore ears for Daz! After such a positive start to the training plan and completing all runs so far, she’s definitely felt like she’s taken a backwards step to return to the bike. We’re taking a positive attitude though (yes we are!) and after some “rest”, disciplined recovery, more strength work and calve sleeves (whatever they are!) she WILL get things back on track to run 15km next weekend. Having spent the weekend dissecting every decision, she’s now brought some magic tape that running guru Weeman has recommended so she can wrap her up legs from the knees down!
Speaking of Weeman, he has covered a whopping 44.2km across his 4 training runs this week. It’s crazy to think that pre marathon training, completing a half marathon with a PB would have been followed by a recovery week! Weeman has also run into issues this week (I won’t pardon the pun!). While still battling against the freezing temperatures and the dark evenings, he also faced the disappointment of one of his new pairs of trainers rubbing during an interval run. Oh the disappointment in a shoe that promises so much! Luckily, thanks to Hoka’s 30 day trail period, there’s still time to test these trainers further before making a decision on their future, although his wife has got a very keen eye on them too…
Daz is also back in the market for new trainers this week after succumbing to Lissi’s relentless chat about “shoe rotations!”, convincing himself (and her!) that he really did need another pair. He’s down to only one pair that are suitable to run in – the horror! Turns out giraffe’s wear through shoes quickly! (Although the reality is far more likely to be the FOMO if you’ve read our previous blogs!). Naturally he’s had to order, not one, but two new pairs to try out. This whole, ‘running is a cheap hobby’ has escalated quickly since marathon training came in to the picture. Finally, after getting blown by gale force winds around Draycote, Daz sailed to his longest run ever this week at 26km. He is looking forward to a “recovery” week next week to test out his new purchases - photos to follow in the next post!
Despite the lows, all the drama does mean we finish the week on a high though – as a collective, we smashed our first 100km week! That Saturday night chippy tea was well earned this week!!
KM Counter:
Weeman: 44.25
Lissi: 17.64 (but lots extras: bike, physio, strength, pilates!)
Daz: 47.65
Weekly Total: 109.54
Total: 455.37