Marathon blog week 9-12
What has this 4 weeks dealt me, a blooming roller coaster that's what.
It started out so well, I was feeling so strong and finished the week with a 10 mile PB and a Half Marathon PB by 6 minutes, chuffed to bits.... Ooh and I got to run in my shorts, first time this year, could Spring finally be coming? That's where the positivity ends I'm afraid.
No Spring was not on its way and that was the end of my happy feet too, because the truth was running that half marathon as I did, going out too fast, was the half marathon that broke me, well my feet anyway and that started a 5 week recovery process of fixing the feet. 3 weeks filled with hard, awful, painful runs, that actually made me cry.
Thankfully as always I got by with a little help from my friends.
They were so supportive, positive and everyone had loads of nuggets of help to give and I was so in the place to receive and act upon every tiny bit of it and try everything anyone told me to fix them.
I've finally, after way to many warnings ditched my asics which have way to big a drop, it's like wearing high heals, no wonder my toes were suffering so from blisters with the pressure from the impact at that angle. So back to my trusted sauconys which only have an 8mm drop almost the best you'll get with enough support. I taped my toes too with zinc oxide tape like Kate and Heather suggested, that was so much better. I bought my met dome insert as recommended by Susie to redistribute the impact pressure correctly on my right foot and after gaining permission from Susan I carefully deflated all my blisters and scrubbed my pressure points with surgical spirit to harden them. Gary suggested different socks, they got purchased too, what a process!
Finally by my long run week 11 they were much better and 3 hours 20mins for 20.2 miles was done and I recovered well. Knowing mentally I could easily go a tad faster and do 6 more miles- 4 hours 15 minutes was achievable again, psychologically and physiologically.
So 11 hard weeks of training finished on a high and two weeks holiday in the Alps commenced. So all the foot rehab has been topped off with a further 2 weeks rest, we'll sort of if you count skiing and snowboarding from the start of lifts to the end of lifts everyday- but what do they say, a change is as good as a rest! That's how I feel for sure.
So driving home from a fab hol, I know I am straight back into it, with my b-spoke plan courtesy of my amazing Coach Cat, as soon as I can I'm out for a 3 hour run to get my legs back in the game, some tempo and then it's taper time.
Three weeks to go and then I'll be on the start line in Prague with Keith-May 7th can't believe how fast it's come round, although I'm sure the holiday has helped big style.
Thank you to everyone of you who's following the journey, being interested to enquire about my training and egg me on, it really does help and I'll value and need that more in the next few weeks so please keep it coming.
If you can spare a few pounds for a great cause too, please donate to our just giving page to raise much needed funds for MND to find a cure, anyone who knows anyone with MND knows how important it is, we need it so much-
Here's our Just Giving Page Link
Lots of love and thanks for reading
