An improvement.

First up, I made the three times out this week. It wasn’t perfect but it was an improvement and that’s something to keep in mind over the next month and a bit. If you can improve week on week you will be doing exceptionally well. It’s winter. It’s coming into Christmas. It’s not always easy. So take every positive as a success.

Monday was my first day out for a short run. And boy was it short! Running to and from my house I was under the clock as the winter light faded dramatically. Wearing the illuminous Trim Braveheart 5k orange tech t-shirt from last summer with a running vizzy vest layered over it, I couldn’t be any more visible on the road. However, on a winter’s dusky evening I wasn’t going to take any chances and as soon as I hit 2.5 k I turned for home and into the final retreating breaths of light. It wasn’t perfect but at least I made it out.

Next up was Wednesday when I got out for a short tempo* session. On my own, with not a lot of time nor a lot of extra energy I decided the tempo run was the right amount of tough for me this week.

And then finally on Sunday I capped the week with first another 5 k long run, which I did in the wonderful company of my wife at a pace where we could take in the rusty beech hedges, the fleeting appearances of robins and those new white squidgy buds that now populate the recently groomed hedgerows. When done I hit the nearby hill for three steep speedy ascents to push myself that little bit more. While it may not have been the longest I’d completed since the marathon it was definitely several feet in the right direction. Well done to you all for a second week completed. Roll on week 3.

This week’s training schedule:

Slow run: 30 minutes.

Tough run: 10 min warm up - 4*4 mins intervals* with 2 mins recovery - 10 mins warm down.

Long run: 70 minutes slow.

* Definitely will have more on tempo and interval training sessions this week.