Training blog

I've felt better over the last couple of weeks than I have in quite a long time. Probably due to more sleep, better nutrition and more recovery time (reading a book in the sun vs on my feet all day at work). My training has undoubtedly benefitted. I've also read some great books. My sanity during this very sad and unpredictable time has been preserved by regularly escaping into a novel.

I go back to work on Monday which is great for my brain and my general wellbeing. I haven't found being off on furlough easy at all - I'm a busy bee at heart and like going 'full gas'. If any of my colleagues are reading this they'll concur! Furlough has been a good time to reevaluate what I'm doing with my life and time. Hopefully I'll bring a bit more of the balance and recovery when things return to the new normal. I change jobs at the end of June and I'm excited for the new challenges that will bring.

Hayfever :(

My last rest day was Monday May 18th. I mostly spent the day reading Girl by Edna O'Brien. One of those books that I could not put down!

Tues 19th May -> AM easy 40, PM easy 40 and 20 mins core stability work

Wed 20th May -> Warm up, 6 x 1km off 2 mins, Cool down.

This session was a stormer! Conditions were perfect. I went to Dorney lake early in the morning with a friend (Minna - check out her interview) and we definitely pushed each other. I got a bit of confidence from the previous Saturday (75 mins tempo) and that really helped.

Thurs 21st May -> 70 minute progression, S&C for one hour in the evening.

Fri 22nd May -> AM easy 40, PM easy 40 + strides

Sat 23rd May -> Split tempo 80 mins with 3 x 10 mins (45 sec jog), Upper body workout and core in the evening.

Another good session but this time we had a head wind for two of the reps and a tail wind for one. I felt strong but definitely tired by the end.

Sun 24th May -> 90 minutes easy. This was a bit of a struggle but gradually got better.

Lower body and core in the evening for 30 mins.

Mon 25th May -> AM 50 mins, PM 40 mins and mobility session with Team Vosser.

Tues 26th May -> Warm up, 6 x (2 min hard, 1 min easy, 1 min hard, 1 min easy, 30 sec hard, 1 min easy), Cool down. 40 mins S&C in evening.

This was a killer! The 2 minute reps felt like they went on forever. I did this on a road loop which wasn't totally flat and it felt like every 2 minute section was on the hill!

Wed 27th May -> 80 easy. I was dreading this and faffed around a bit cleaning the kitchen before heading out the door. In the end I had a really good run. I listened to a podcast which ended up making me really angry and that helped me get the legs moving. My hayfever has really flared up. Even the non-drowsy antihistamines make me sleepy so I felt pretty groggy all day.

Thursday 28th May -> 10/10/10 progression. I try never to look at my pace during sessions, instead I just focus on effort. This felt tough and slow so I was pleasantly surprised when I checked my Garmin at the end - it's usually the other way round!

Friday 29th -> Rest day. I woke up with a swollen face from the pollen. After sticking my head in cold water for several minutes I went for a lovely early morning walk at Farley Mount with Goose, a friend and her dog. The rest of the day has been sunbathing, reading and doing laundry. In my fight against hayfever I've added in nettle tea, quercertin and Beconase nasal spray. That's in addition to bee pollen, local honey and my normal cetirizine and acrivistine anti-histamines. I'd really like it to rain! 20 mins core before dinner.