Training Week 1, 2013

Frankly I'm tied but only partly through training.

A good week in general but a few gaps in the specifics.

New Year's Day's easy 13 miles around Pitsford turned into something a little more demanding in terms of pace and became 16 miles through the undulating countryside between some nearby villages.  Genuinely good fun in places and it wasn't a pace I could have held with this time last year.  Well not without making myself good for nothing for a few days afterwards.  As ever, Steve was to blame.

The short easy sessions were there-or-thereabouts in terms of speed.  Generally the problem was keeping the easiest of miles to a slow enough pace.

The second quality session of the week was interesting.  Three miles, first at marathon pace, second at half-marathon pace and third at 10k pace.  Repeat another two times.  Including the warm up and cool down, 12.5 miles of running around in circles at the track.  Before arriving, I didn't think I could finish the session.  After the first set and I was pretty sure I'd detonate during the third set.  And then it was suddenly finished.  Paces were all good, within a couple of seconds either side of the goal pace.  And so I'm really pleased to have got in another session that I don't think I could have completed just a few months ago.

That Thursday night session was however the high point of the week as Friday brought with it a leaving party for a colleague and as a result, Saturday morning brought the first heavy hangover I've had for months if not years.  Just about pulled myself together enough to marshal at the County Cross Country Championship in Abington Park.  Somewhat sobering watching those guys run themselves into the ground for four tough old laps of a sapping course.

And feeling humbled, I managed to crank out a light mile in the evening before completing the mileage for week one with Sunday's easy run which would have been much easier without the ill effects from the excessive alcohol still floating around my body.

So in review, good to have got the two quality sessions in.  Happy to have hit the target 42 miles and in retrospect, a lighter end to the week knowing that the following week targets 54 miles may turn out to be a good thing.

15 weeks until London.