End of Week 1.

Satisfaction has been obtained. Seven days in to the 16 week training program and it’s ticking over sensibly. From here to 15^th April, I get two days a week off, Monday and Friday, every other one has a run of some sort and this week was simply to adapt to the intensity of what’s coming, nothing fancy, just time on my feet and steady. Thursdays run was much better than the previous couple. I had been aching in the morning, but stretching out regularly and when it came to run time the running action itself didn’t invoke any pain or stretches, it was opposite actions that had been causing the discomfort. Anotherther changes to Thursdays routine was a haircut, but I can hardly attribute any improvement to a close crop!

 It was a straight run, round the island only this time I listened to “Killer Sounds” by Hard Fi… seemed to work quite well as I finished up knocking 2 mins off the lap time and finishing with a time of 50 minutes.

Friday was a day off….sorry, recovery day.

Saturday I decided to experiment and NO MUSIC. I was able to listen to my breathing, think about what I was doing or allow my mind to wander on to other things. The rhythm of my feet barely changed and I was able to press forward (just a little) in my favourite spots. The end result? A 50 minute circuit, 2 minutes quicker than the previous day but a lot more enjoyable (though still a little struggle in places) and not an ache to be had.

Sunday (for the next 14 odd weeks) is “The Long Run” and it didn’t feel like it. Two shorter circuits and a straight gave me a distance of 6.3 miles in a very gratifying 60 mins flat. My pace is up and the mileage is building…..

In order to put this in to some form of perspective I am transferring the mileage run in training on the islands, into a mapped progress......map, so far since I started running in December, I have got from Lands end to 'almost' Dobwalls. That's the Yellow Pin, bottom left, to the yellow pin top left but not necessarily in a straight line...... I am calling in on friends along the way!