3 outdoor runs this week plus 2 brief sessions on the treadmill tacked onto my gym sessions, giving me a total of 25 miles for the week. My longest run was 13.25 miles, 3 hrs 4:30 minutes - so meeting both the time and distance goals for this week. I have finally managed to exceed half-marathon distance :). The first 10 miles of the long run were done at 1 min run/1 min walk, with more freedom to run after that. My midweek run was walk-run according to feel, while the treadmill runs were continuous. And this morning's parkrun was continuous - the longest non-stop run I have done since the calf strain. No more added to the fundraising total this week, but quite a few people have asked about sponsor forms, so that bodes well.
This week I have really appreciated the different running communities to which I belong. One of these is online, and there are only a handful of the people there who I have met in the flesh (at parkrun). Fetcheveryone.com is a website which allows training to be recorded and analysed to death, information to be shared and discussions had with fellow runners. It is one of my main sources of information, and also encouragement. This blog is weekly (or thereabouts) - on fetcheveryone, I blog about every single run. The comments from other runners are supportive, helpful and encouraging. And no matter what your running problem or challenge, there is always someone who knows something about it and will help you.
The other community is parkrun - where no-one is too old, too fat or too slow. All runners, whatever their ability, are welcome, and will be told "well done" and clapped to the finish. I have missed the last two parkruns, and for the previous two, we could not have the usual post-run coffee, because the sports centre was undergoing work. And I realised this morning that one of the things I was really looking forward to was the camaraderie with other runners. I know some better than others, of course - but it is lovely to talk to people who share my passion. I had a great conversation today with two other women about Christmas presents. I told them about a pair of Merino wool running socks I had been given, which are brilliant - and one of them commented, "It's only runners who are excited about getting socks for Christmas". How true - as long as they are special running socks.
Also on offer today was a free post-run massage. I told the guy that I had strained my calf 4 weeks ago, and afterwards he was able to pinpoint exactly where the injury was, because he could feel the area of tightness. He said it is still slightly swollen, which was a bit of a surprise to me, because it has not bothered me at all this week. I suppose that is a reminder not to get carried away - to stick with walking breaks on my long runs, and keep the pace easy.
Also this week I have been exploring the facilities of my new running watch, which was my special 50th birthday present from my Mum and sisters. It has lots of extra features, including the ability to estimate VO2 Max from what your heart rate does as you run, and convert that into predicted race performances. After having seen me run a few times, it has decided my VO2 Max is 34 ml/min/kg, which is above average for a woman of my age, and predicts a 5K race time of exactly 30 minutes, and a 4:45 marathon.
Now, don't get too excited - those are estimates of my best possible performance assuming adequate training and all-out effort. I don't expect to be doing those times any time soon, in fact with a weakness in my calf to protect I am more determined than ever to keep my marathon goal as simply finishing it. But it's nice to know the potential is there for the future. And since VO2 Max is related to body weight, if I could get rid of some Christmas bulge, I would run even faster.
So, there we are. Another satisfactory week's training in the bank, which I will consolidate next week with a moderate length run on Monday. Only 12 weeks to go.... it doesn't seem long enough!
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