Day 28 - 8 miles

Miles ran in training - 130.2


Finally over the cold!!! Managed to get into the gym yesterday and finally got out for a run today and boy did i go for it

Havent managed a run for 10 days or so so what do i do today. 8 miles!!! A tad ambitious but i managed it so thats the important thing and in 1 hour 8 mins. Not my fastest ever but not bad. The calf was pretty good too. Its still not 100% but its not far away got most pain from my right knee this time but it has been Painful for the last couple of days for no aparent reason and only really started to feel the calf in the last K

Was wearimg the new trainers today as well and that made a difference. I could definately feel the better padding. Will hopefully get out over the next 2 days and then its holiday time so the should really help the calf come on

Still injured and still got the cold

Its now been 8 days since my last run. The calf feels a bit better although still a bit tight. The bad thing is i still have this heavy cold and it is not shifting. Friday was a nightmare. I was up all night coughing and did not get a minutes sleep. Had to sit up on the sofa all night so i wouldnt wake everyone else up. I was hoping it would have cleared sufficiently to allow me to go for a light jog today but thats just not happened. Still got the cough and whilst thats still there no way am i going out. Nose is still bunged up too. To make matters worse the weather is really good just now, probably the last good week we will get for another 6 months!!!

Oh well. This has probably put me back about 3 weeks and with the holiday comin up thats gonna put me back further. Typical. Was just movin up to 9 milers too!!

Injured and got the cold

Been a few days since i put on a post mostly because i've not been training due to my right calf. I also now have a full blown cold with a terrible chesty cough. I suppose its lucky that i have this cold at the same time as my injury cause it is forcing me to really rest this calf
I honestly really could not do any training just now. Hopefully the cold will be gone in the next few days so i can get for a couple of runs befor going on holiday

Day 27 - still injured

In an effort to manage my dodgy calf i have thrown out the trainers i have been wearing which were quite old anyway and will be using a nice new pair in a hope that the extra life in the soles helps

Today i just did 45 mins on the cross trainer to lessen the impact and just to try and keep me ticking over. We will see how it feels tomorrow and i will try and get out for a few miles. If its still no good i will stick to the cross trainer

Day 26 - 5.4 miles injured

Miles ran in training - 122.6

Miles ran this week - 5.4


I had hoped that a 2 day rest would have cured my sore right calf but its not to be. I am officially injured. Went out today with high hopes and to start with i was moving along nicely. A couple of bowls of cornflakes and a Freddo providing the fuel but was starting to feel the injury from about 3K. When I hit 6K it really started to kick in and I was mostly nursing it til I got back to base. I had really hoped to do 12K today but the calf just wouldn't let me do it.

With 2 weeks exactly til I go on holiday I will have to nurse it along and hope that the 2 week lay off in the sunny climes of Florida will cure it so i can kick on when I get back

Day 25 - 4 miles

Miles ran in training - 117.3

Miles ran this week - 20.2

After last night my legs have been as tight as a drum. I decided to have a wee run roind strathclyde park. I was gonna go round twice but as soon as i started i knew that was just not going to happen. Firstly my legs were just plain tight and sore. Secondly my right calf is really sore. I've got a good bit of strapping on it but it just feels on the verge of popping which is just not in my plans, especially not at this early stage of my training

I managed to get round which worked out at 4.02 miles but i just could not pish it due to the calf. Tomorrow qill be another enforced rest day which is what my calf needs. We'll see how it feels on saturday but it my be prudent to rest it up then to. We will see how it goes

Day 24 - 8.1 miles

 Distance ran in training - 113.3

Distance ran this week - 16.2


Well what a week this has been. Put off by cows, beat by work, bamboozled by the weather

Sunday it was a case of straight out of bed and going to work so no chance to get any running done then Monday and Tuesday was the tail end of Hurricane Katia so no way was I going out running in a howling gale and pouring rain when I didn't need to. So tonight was the first chance I got to get back out. Had to wait until 7.45pm though because of running kids to and from Brownies and Scouts.

Felt pretty good at the start and thought I was moving pretty good but when I got my time check at 1K it was 5.06, practically walking pace!!!! That was a shock but I soon settled into quite a nice pace and eventually got back onto steady 5min/K pace and when I hit the 10K mark it was in 50.08 mins, by far my fastest so far. 12K came and went in 1hr 11secs which was over 4 mins faster than my last 12K last week. Eventually did 13K on the dot which is the 8.1 miles. Was starting to feel the pace at the end but it was my longest run since starting serious training and the first over 8 miles in a looooooooooong time. Probably benefitted from the little enforced lay off so will try to get another 10 K in tomorrow which means I will still have managed over 20 miles this week even though its been very stop start.

Day 23 - 5.4 miles Fartlek

Distance ran in training - 105.2

Distance ran this week - 8.1


Above distances include the 2.7 which i covered yesterday. After yesterdays debacle i got my mojo back today and went out for a 5.4 miler and decided to make it a fartlek session. Every 5 mins i did 1 minute at an increased pace. At the end of the run i had covered the distance in 40.13 mins but i was totally knackered. It didnt help that i got held on at work until after 4 am and had to get up at 9. Did manage to get back to be for a couple of hours but i was still done in

Looks like tomorrow will be an enforced rest day so will get back into it on monday probably with a 10 or 12K

Day 22 - A complete blowout

Today was a weird one. I had set myself up mentally to get out there and do a fast 5.4 miles, really pushing on through kilometes 2 and 6 the murder hill kilometers, to keep that average time per K at 5 mins. Reached Kilometre 3 in an average of 5.08 which I knew I could pull right back over the next couple of K's until I saw a guy standing in the middle of the road. As I drew nearer i knew it was the farmer and I knew he could only be standing there to stop traffic. I knew the only reason he would be doing that was because he was, I was hoping, about to bring cows onto the road from the farm yard. As I got closer still he turned and saw me and started waving and then I noticed the cows coming up the road.

"ye'll need tae wait son 'til we get them in. If ye try tae go by them they'll scatter n run back doon"

I had 2 choices then. turn round and run back the way I had come or wait. I decided to wait. I paused my training app, thinking that I'll start it again when I get moving no disruptions. More than 5 mins passed before I could get moving again and by then I was shot. My resolve had gone and I couldn't even motivate myself to run. I literally jogged the next K then walked from there to the house. I had set myself up mentally for this fast 5.4 miles and when I couldn't do it I was mentally gone.

What a weird feeling

I'll try again tomorrow.

Day 21 - 7.5 miles

Distance ran in training - 97.1

Distance ran this week - 24.8

The slow cranking up of the milage continues

After yesterdays fartlek session i decided to up the milage today. I went round my hilly 10K course and tacked an extra 2K on to the end which gave me the 7.5 miles, my longest run so far in training. The down side today was the weather again, wet and windy. I managed to start off in reasonable weather but of course as soon as i reached the long uphill slog, 3K constantly uphill, thats when the rain started again, nice n heavy it was too and the wind picked up, right in the face. What it meant was that when I hit the 10K mark I was a minute slower than last time but I wasn't too disappointed. That time last week was totally out of the blue and to pass 10K todat at 52.40 was still a very reasonable time.

The last 2 K were a real struggle though and my time really slowed down so that 12K was completed in 1hr 4mins, an average of 5.20 mins / Km, still not too bad but that equates to 8.35mins / mile. I really want to get that down to 8mins / mile but I still have almost 8 and a half months to go so no cause to worry just yet!!

I have also changed my diet. I have let things slip recently, eating crap (for me) cause I thought i could get away with it with all this training but 4 pounds has crept on so bread has gone and the grazing also has to stop. Also theres a bit of vanity in there too to be honest cause its less than 4 weeks til holidays and we all want to look our best on the beach, dont we???!!!

Shortish, fastish run tomorrow, probably a 4 miler. Will try to get a run in on friday then maybe Saturday will be a rest day, we will see.

Day 20 - 5.6 miles Fartlek

Distance ran in training - 89.6 miles
Distance ran this week - 17.3 miles


A hard one today. Firstly, it was blowing a gale. Second, i was completely shattered and third, my legs were still stiff from the running machine. I was supposed to go out for a run yesterday but having come off the nightshift i was shattered. I know i have said before thats its just mental tiredness but i just could not keep my eyes open. I do feel guilty but not much. Lol

Anyway to make up for it i promised myself i would go out today and as a punishment the weather gods decided i had to run in a gale!! I also decided it was time i did a fartlek run so i did 5.6 miles which was 4 times round a little circuit i have doing a 20/25 second sprint twice per circuit. Doesnt sound to hard but at the risk of sOunding like a broken record it does knock lumps out of you. Still i did it and managed to average 5.08mins per kilometer. With tomorrow n thursday to go this week looks like quite a big milage week.

Day 19 - 10K

Distance ran in training - 83.7
Distance ran this week - 11.7


Yesterday was another enforced rest day, life coming befor training again. My ankle hqs been starting to give me a few twinges so i think it was just as well I had a day off to give it a rest. This is the first real sign of any pain starting to come through. Hopefully it just because the milage and pace is starting to go up and my body will adjust and get uswd to it.

Due to the ankle i decided to run on the running machine today, a little less high impact hopefully helping. Ran at an average pace of 4.50mins per km then really cranked it up over the last km finishing in a time of 47.55 which i think might be the fastest 10k i've done on a running machine.

Hitting the gym now then its off to work. Just as qn aside my weight seems to be going up even though im training like a mad man. Again i hope its just my body storing energy because of all the training and it will stabilise soon

Day 18 - 5.4miles

Distance ran in training - 77.4
Distance this week - 5.4


Today was a toughy. Wind was back and in the face the whole way round. Again I did not really push myself today. Like yesterday it was more about getting the miles done rather than setting any times so no watch or apps today again.

I have been really pushing it lately and I think my body is just tired. A few wee twinges particularly in my right ankle which is the one that gave me all the trouble after my last marathon. What is pleasing is that I'm still managing to get out and do the runs even when I am tired cause today I was REALLY comfy on the sofa.

I did consider doing another circuit which would have pushed todays miles up to 8.1 but though better of it and if I feel up to it thats what I plan to do on Monday. Tomorrow is a rest day due to the Scotland game, C'mon Scotland!! Back to another 5 miler on Sunday then, like I said if I feel up to it 8 miles on Monday!!

Day 17 - 5.4 mile

Distance ran in training - 72

Distance this week - 22

Today was an easy day depending on your definition of easy! After yesterdays exertions it was back to the 5.4 miles. No watch, no training apps today, just a gentle run to go easy on the legs, which are still pretty sore. Will get a run in tomorrow them Saturday will be a rest day as im off to the Scotland match!!

Things are coming along nicely but I have to say I am pretty tired today, no doubt about it.