the daily update

Yesterday evening I did 13km biking. Running this morning: 15.5km in 1:30hrs. Tomorrow is another long run in sight, around 20-22km.
The temperature now is around 20 C and I am finding it increasingly difficult to train in the heat, esp for the long run...

super short update

My training today was a long run: 25.5km in 2.30hrs. I genuinely enjoyed it.

the usual update

I did on Fri evening some power walking at the beach. On Sat I did 15km, very tired, needed sleep! Some biking 20km in the afternoon. and on Sun: 17km, of which: 6x (1min run at full speed, jog 30sec) and then 2.8km in 11:30min. In the evening I did another 9km.
Total weekly mileage: 90km, of which about 6km fast.
An overview of my tempo plan: once per week do a session of 5-8 sets of (1min run at full speed, jog 30sec) and then one fast set, that will increase in time every week. For example, last week I did 11:30min fast. So this week I aim to do 13-15min fast. Eventually this will become a fast session of 40-45min, ie a perfect tempo - hopefully!

tgif

Thank God it's Friday - and the weather is still perfect! Yesterday evening I opted for 20km biking instead of swimming. There are two issues between me and swimming these days: 1. the water temperature is 12.5-13 C according to official measurements; and 2. even though I have a neoprene swimsuit I am too embarrassed to wear it, because all Dutch and German swimmers are tougher than me and swim with a normal swimsuit. Maybe rest tomorrow and go for a quick dip in the evening?
training was straightforward this morning: 22km in 2:03hrs. I will do tomorrow about 18km and then on Sun pick up the pace.

regeneration 2.5

Yesterday evening the weather was incredible. 19 C, sunny until 22:00, no wind. So my power walking turned into... 12km running! I just couldn't resist! I started at 21:00, and after running I walked and did some callisthenics. I had serious trouble sleeping after this night training. I tossed and turned in bed last night, my body was still so tense. Right when I had started to fall asleep... it was 06:00 and I was up again!
Today's morning training: 15km at slow pace, 1:26hrs.
This week I will do every day 15-20 km at relaxed pace, and some biking. I was also thinking of swimming, since the weather is still perfect and the beach is 200m from my home. Maybe on Sunday a faster session, but the key point is to enjoy these summer days.

3 in a row

Tuesday was the second day of my 3-day regeneration... it is very difficult to resist running! On Monday and yesterday evening I went 30km biking and then tried to sleep early. Today I will go power walking at the beach. And tomorrow I will start running again- I can't wait!
It is a mental exercise, trying not to run for three days in a row. But I think it pays off because you listen more to your body. And hopefully you resume running fresher!

weekend and km

My training this past weekend: on Sat a long run of 23.5km in windy Scheveningen. 2:13hrs. On Sun: 15km in 1:27hrs, of which the last 6km in 30min. Very,very windy. In the evening, I headed outside for a walk and ended up running... another 9.5km!
Last week's summary: 121km including one speedwork session and 6km at faster pace.
So today is a day off. Peculiarly enough, I am feeling pretty ok and not tired. Still, I think I should resist and rest for three days until Thu, following my mini-regeneration plan.

psyched and cautious

Today's training was very satisfying: I did in total 15-16km, including the following speedwork: 10 sets of (1min run at full speed, 30min jog). And then 1 set of 4min fast tempo, ie a bit faster than my 6km race last week.
I actually do enjoy running faster and raising the heart rate! I also think that after speedwork one feels more fresh due to the pumped adrenaline.
Tomorrow I will do a long run and on Sun I will do whatever my body dictates. Then I am planning to take a 3-day off from running and do more biking/walking/callisthenics/sleep. I would like to start the core of my marathon preparation in about 10-12days, and before that it is important that I have rested.

double update and preview

Update from windy Scheveningen: Yesterday I did 16km and today 20km at slow pace. I am feeling pretty tired, I suspect it's due to the very long days: I tend to spend more time outside and sleep less. As a consequence, yesterday I didn't go to work, I stayed home and slept 6hrs!
I am planning to pick up the pace on Fri or Sun, depending on the wind (seriously, 5bft do not let you do any temp/speedwork at all!). If I am still tired by the end of the weekend, then I will follow a mini-regeneration programme I have in mind for next week. We'll see!

the first of two

Today I did a long-ish run, the first one of two for this week. Training recap:

Yesterday evening I did 30min power walking and 30min callisthenics. Today:
distance/pace: 22.5km in2:10hrs
terrain: dunes
weather conditions: wind E 5 bft, sunny, temperature 8 C
Windyyyyy!

a weekend playing it safe

My weekend was e-xce-llent! The weather was perfect, I went to the spa, the beach, and I bought tons of fresh blueberries and strawberries and cooked my own forest-fruit compote, inspired by my last year's trips to Finland and Norway... mmm!
and training-wise: On Fri evening I biked 27km, so on Sat morning my Italian fellow runner was dragging me in the long run in the dunes. I managed to do 25.5km. On Sun I did 15km at slow pace.
Summing up the week: 89km, including the 6km race. After the race I was super careful in view of a tired and warm ankle and rested more, and applied ice on my ankle. Now there is no pain, no swelling. So I take it I am fine!

a quick update on the ankle

Good news regarding the strained ankle, but I will continue with prevention: I will start ice treatment this afternoon! Yesterday I rested, and in the evening I went for 30min walking. No sign of pain/tiredness on my ankle. Today I went runnning, I did 21.5km at relaxed pace. Again, no pain at the ankle. Still, I will play it safe and: 1. apply ice for the next days starting from today. 2. forget speedwork and tempos until at least mid-next week. 3. keep the mileage this week at 85km and next week at 90km. 4. get more sleep. 5. do less callisthenics and power walking, because they engage the same muscles as running does. 6. change running shoes - a new pair is waiting in the closet.

All looks good, plus the weekend is here!

a race and an injury alert

Yesterday morning I took the day off... because in the afternoon I participated in a race! Every year, the jogging club of the company I work in organises a 6km cross-country run. The route is mostly flat but includes 2 steep hills at 2km and at 4km. Results: I clocked in 26:02 minutes and finished first among the women! Overall I ranked 30th, the winner clocked 21:47 minutes! There was some serious running going on!
After the race (and the award ceremony!) I biked back home and then hit the spa at a beach hotel near my place.
Today is a day off, I won't even go biking or power walking in the evening, because... last night coming back from the spa, I felt my right ankle tired and twitching, and it was warm right on the spot where I had my over-training injury last autumn. So I will rest, rest, rest today and I will drop the mileage for this week to 80-85km. And I will not be so active in the evening. Prevention and listening to my body should be the two lessons I learnt the hard way.
I will update on how my ankle responds in the next few posts!

Yesterday evening at about 20:00pm I did 20km biking at the dunes and then headed to the promenade along the beach for 30min power walking. Amazing sunset!
Today was my first long-ish run of the week: Super early in the morning, 21.5km in 2:07hrs in the dunes. Weather was ok, no wind, so no extra resistance!

the first one

The first post of many to come! This weekend I did:

On Sat I did a long run with an Italian colleague: 25.5km in 2:30hrs. I will keep my long runs at this level, and start increasing in end of July to 27km and above. Yesterday I did 15km, of which: 3.8km warm-up, 3km in 15min, 3km at slower pace and then 3km in 14min. The rest was at relaxed pace. I wanted to do more intervals, or maybe go faster, but: On Sat evening I had gone biking at the dunes, 30km, and came back at 22:00... So on Sun morning at 07:00 my legs did not obey my will for intervals!
I should decrease biking in late summer. For now, the weather is so nice and the days so long, I can't resist. And why should I?

...and this morning I came to work by bike. I will probably go biking at the dunes in the evening, if it is not very windy! No running for today, the week starts with a day off!