Training Update to April 1st : Working up to Marathon Distance Again

It feels like a while since I gave you an update on what my next events are and my training for them. You'd be forgiven for thinking that perhaps I was taking a break... But you know me, there's always something in the diary! My next events are the Royal Berkshire 10k on May 15th, Cakeathon May 30th and the Stour Valley Marathon on June 5th. I mention them all in the same breath because the training I'm doing now, isn't really for the 10k, it's looking further ahead to the marathon.

And that said, all these dates feel like a long way off which makes it hard to stick to a training plan sometimes. Oh not until end of May? Never mind I didn't manage that long run today then. What do you mean it's just 6 weeks away. Oh dammit. I won't lie, it's been tough trying to get into the right headspace lately, to get out the door or even out of bed some days. But I'm doing my best to stick to the plan, to get a good mix of cross-training in as well as getting the right ratio of listening to my body but recognising when it's all in my head.

The week ending 25th March was quite a tough one, incorporating Swimathon, an aborted attempt at 18 miles then a further 23.5 miles to boot... Looking back it's no wonder I felt tired. I hadn't given myself enough space to recover. As a result the next week was hard work. Really hard work. I finally took a rest day, had a couple of days where my only activity was yoga and a short walk around the forest, and my scheduled runs that I struggled around. I ended the week with Clubbercise, just to ring the changes, which helped. Yoga is still a crucial part of my training regime; I find it wonderfully restorative whilst still being challenging sometimes. I'm making sure I get a class in every week to help body and mind.

It may look a little haphazard but the weeks were roughly on track. I'm sticking to three runs a week (Monday-Sunday) and the distance is creeping up even if my confidence isn't. Just as important as the mileage is the mindset. I *know* I can run the distances I need to, I just don't always *believe* it. I'm not sure I'll be setting any new PBs at Royal Berkshire which is a shame, but who knows. Time will tell and my biggest challenge in the weeks to come will be to develop and maintain a strong mental attitude.

Week ending 25th March

Saturday: 2.5km swim (Swimathon - gosh was it really that long ago?)
Sunday:10.5 mile run (aborted 18 mile attempt)
Monday: 30 minute home yoga video
Tuesday: RunFitUK (took part to make up numbers)
Wednesday: 5.5 mile run
Thursday: 10 mile run
Friday: 8 mile run

Week ending 1st April

Saturday: Rest day
Sunday: 30 minute home yoga video
Monday: 30 minute home yoga video, 2 mile walk
Tuesday: 5 mile run
Wednesday: 20 mins skipping, press up matrix, sit up matrix, 2 mile walk
Thursday: 6 mile run & 90 minute yoga class
Friday: Clubbercise

What's been your biggest challenge in training so far this year?