So yesterday I awoke at the crack of dawn with the intention of running 28 miles.  This is a great feeling knowing that I can do this after last week doing 34 and the week before that doing a 30. This finally feels like the training after all these years is coming in to fruition.  The work I've done over various distances and terrains.  The different trainers I've had with differing ideas on how to prepare me has payed off as have learnt so much physically and mentally from all these guys.  I haven't stuck to my plan necessarily over the last few weeks but I have stuck to the structure of it and done the different elements to the workouts as required.  What lockdown has enabled me to do is have the time to get some extra miles in and long miles.  What I have tried to do over the past few weeks is incorporate Ronnie's training program for me with long runs and the virtual races that I entered.  The virtual races were from the Hardmoors series which have acted brilliantly as motivators over the past 3 or 4 months helping me get out for longer. The Hardmoors 1000 club isn't over yet!

The last few weeks has given me the opportunity to go further and for longer.  My first effort of 32 miles was on the back of doing 16.5 miles a few weeks ago.  What motivated me further was the fact that I'd entered the Hardmoors Virtual Saltburn marathon and Roseberry Topping marathon and desperately needed to fit these in before the deadline.  The first of these was Saltburn hence 32 miles.  This was a cold wet miserable morning, rising at the crack of dawn as per usual to get the dog walked and out of the door early enough to be back by lunchtime. I was a little setting off but only a few minutes so all was good.  I comfortable chugged my way through the first 14 miles before my hip started getting tight and being an issue.  I pulled over to the side to stretch and try to walk it off for a few mins.  What I thought was going to be a problem was my knee as I'd a niggle over the last few weeks which wasn't enough to stop me from doing anything but enough to keep bothering me.  It wasn't going, it was going to be decision time soon as all I could manage was half a mile running before stopping and stretching again and a walk.  This does not bode well at the half way point.  I pushed on to the last point of no return, the opportunity to go home doing 3 miles or carry on and do another 12.  I decided it was great but ok to carry on I would just take it easy and get the mileage done trying not to injure myself to much.  This proved just about ok with no lasting injury or additional suffering, just a few days of soreness which I'd expect from a 32 mile run anyway.  I spent the rest of the week trying to monitor my hip flexor and my knee stretching and managing them constantly.  I put a few short runs after a few days of walking before contemplating another long run the Sunday after.

Last weeks epic of 34 miles was just brilliant.  To know I can just put my trainers on and go out the door and complete a 34 mile run without too many issues is a great feeling.  The plan on this occasion was to do a slow first half and a quicker second half so therefore the opposite of the Sunday before even if that was as a direct result of being hampered by injury.   What I wanted to achieve here was firstly having the energy to push on and inject a little bit of pace to complete a 30 plus run and secondly to experience having tired legs but forcing myself to push on and run.  So yesterdays run was again with another strategy in mind of not going quite as quick as I know I could but to run the whole thing at a good steady pace.  My target here was 11 min miles consistently.  I was aiming for 28 miles so a little under the last few weeks but still a decent distance to really benefit.  I was really pleased with the initial 15-20 miles which went great and felt fairly comfortable yet I also felt I was pushing myself.  My legs felt strong and weren't getting weiry,  but then I dropped off slightly for a few miles which I had to really dig deep and step it up. I had to keep reminding myself what the race plan had been, and this was to push through to the end after being consistent throughout and not letting the pace or effort drop off!

All in all its been a great few weeks of training and I now need to just get the last few weeks in, who knows I might be back at work in 4 weeks! Maybe.....