2 very very hard runs this week. Neither should have been particularly challenging – by the planned distances and paces alone. 8 miles yesterday – should have easily done it in under an hour but pace was all over the place after 1.5 miles in and finished up taking almost 1 hour 10 minutes. Then 4.5 miles today – intervals – but way slower than normal. One other run this week – on Monday – only 5 miles but good pace and felt good. So why so slow these last 2?
This is week 2 of the 10k plan. One run from the 4 planned runs last week was missed – due to my little sister coming to stay with her family. But wanted to do 3-4 this week and get back on track. Started off ok on Monday with a good 5 mile run but then 3 days off and late nights and long days on trips – so too long a break between runs.
I picked up a cold on a work trip to London last week, which never helps, and it’s still lingering on the chest a bit. And also has been passed onto the rest of the family as well. To top it off, it’s very very hot, and pollen season here in the UK, so hayfever is kicking in.
Add all these together and running (or any other exercise) is going to take a hit. When I set out yesterday for the 8 miles, I planned a nice easy 7:30 minutes per mile but finished at over 8:30 – rubbish. Legs were so heavy as well.
Back to the normal plan next week – only 6 weeks to go. And need to focus on pace and speed work more.
The moral of the story this week…
- Don’t leave big gaps between training
- Don’t run when sick or set realistic expectations and take it very very very slowly
- Come up with a plan on how outdoors to run during the pollen season
Number 3 is in progress and I’m open to all suggestions. Do you suffer from seasonal ailments like hayfever and how do you train around them? In previous years it’s not affected my running like this and never in May.
Some pointers that I’ve found to help me before (though not this week):
- Wear wrap around shades
- Run in the early morning where possible
- Stick to roads and avoid parks and grassy areas
- If you belong to a gym, use a treadmill – air conditioned enclosed spaces a big big plus
- Rub Vaseline on your nose and up your nostrils – stops pollen particles getting up
Vaseline as a miracle running medicine again – you’ll remember the previous post on sore nipples.
