Week 70 got off to a difficult start with a 13.1 mile Peter's Pies 6 Tyne Bridges Challenge. The reason why that run was so tough was due to the fact that I'd ran far too fast in the Pennines the previous day. It was quite pleasing to knock 7 minutes off my previous best though!
I learned a lesson from that lack of discipline and the aim for the rest of the week was to keep each mile around about the 10 minute mark. With 7 half marathons to get through, I think that approach was quite sensible. I think this paid dividends as not once did I ache after a run. In fact, I remember waking up each day thinking that there didn't seem to be any physical evidence that I'd ran a half marathon the previous day. I did suffer a bit with dehydration on Thursday and Friday but I soon got that under control. The one effect that all of the running had was to my level of tiredness, which was extreme most days! A few early nights helped cure that though.
It's been a busy week where I've had to fit my running around The Children's Foundation AGM on Monday, a massage on Wednesday, the Tyne Tees shoot on Thursday, the talk at Northumbria Uni on Friday and the match on Saturday! Needless to say I wasn't in the office much last week!
I doubt I would get away with that type of schedule in 4 weeks time when I'll be running 16 miles per day for 7 days or 4 weeks after that when it's 19 miles per day for 7 days. I can't afford that amount of distraction on these big running weeks. I just about got away with it this week.
I started week 71 with the Peter's Pies 6 Tyne Bridges Challenge. Yet again at the end of the run I felt as if I hadn't even ran at all. This tells me quite a bit about where I am with my training given that I'd ran 113.7 miles in the previous 9 days.
I've learned important lessons this week. If I cut out the distractions and keep the pace sensible I've got a very good chance of getting through the next big test relatively unscathed in 4 weeks time.
