Week 2 London Marathon training summary

18Jan/090

Wow, another week has passed already. Last week didn't go all to plan, which wasn't helped with the cold weather, or the cheeky pizza midweek, so I really had to pull one out of the bag.

This week has not been kind with the weather either, but determined to get out, I have managed to follow the times / distances as per the schedule although not exactly the days.

Having missed Tuesday's run due to many train delays, Wednesday was the first day out this week. Actually that was quite nice, considering 2 days rest after doing 60 minutes on Sunday.

It was Thursday that filled me with a slight nervousness. Some people at work who regularly go for a run at lunchtimes, invited me out. The 70 mintues quoted on the group email was enough to make a few people find alternative things to do at midday, but I was committed to going out. I went for a run with a colleague which took us into Richmond Park.

Now the pace was a bit tasty on the outset, and didn't really want to raise this in case I looked like a complete novice. The plan was to go out for 40 minutes, but it felt like a 7-8 minute mile pace and I started to doubt whether I'd be able to keep up. "Smile and Wave" was a movie quote that came to mind, but dug in and kept it up.

When we were deep into Richmond Park I almost asked where the turning point was, but it was quickly apparent there wasn't one. I did question why we were running up a steep climb, and it was such a relief to hear that once at the top, it was all flat and down hill from there. Thank goodness for that.

Whilst I was pushed quite hard and the distance must have been about 5 miles, I can gladly say I deserved it. And am thankful for it. Writing this now on a Sunday evening looking back at the week, I then managed to do 50 minutes on a Saturday evening. Already I'd gone more than last week, with the long run still to go.

And it certainly was a long run! In fact, I actually did it in Bern, Switzerland after 8 hours travelling, with -C temperatures alongside a picturesque backdrop of snow. Even more impressive was dodging the frozen ice which was on the paths throughout the city. I followed the river around the city, click here to see in Google Maps, and managed to find a section that was snow and ice free. It was this section I must have ran about 6 times. I must have got some odd comments from people on the Schwellenmätteli riverside restaurant, looking across and seeing me running back and forth for an hour.

I did manage to do 80 minutes non stop with the assistance of the iPod, and even found the energy to get up the steps at the end by the river bank. The milage must have been around 8-9 miles in total, which is great for the confidence.

The special treat to end the week, was a meal at the Kornhauskeller restaraunt. Click the link for the photo gallery from their website. The restaurant sits in the cellar of the former grain house which was built in the early 1700's. The ceilings are covered with amazing paintings by Rudolf Münger, who painted them over 100 years ago.

Schedule: Tue: 10 mins ER, 20 mins SR, 10 mins ER, Wed: RD, Thu: 40 mins SR, Sat: 50 mins SR, Sun: 1 hr 15 mins LR

Achieved: Wed: 20 mins SR, 20 mins ER, Thu: 40 mins SR, Sat: 50 mins SR, Sun: 1 hr 20 mins LR (in Switzerland)