Getting Stronger

Well - that IS the focus of training at the moment.

The basic plan has been to run twice, most days, one shorter easy run, and then a 'main' run of the day.

The vast majority of our miles have been nice and easy paced, the idea being to build a really strong and robust endurance/aerobic base.....

and NOT get injured.

It's working.

Last week - I racked up 87 training miles. That is on the back of a 73 and 85 mile week.
they are without dount the longest three weeks of continuous training that I've done, and yet I didn't feel that I had had to work that hard for it!

Each run of every double day felt like the first one - and there are good signs that I'm adapting well to running long, and running again without ill-effects.

Last week was a funny one. Having run the Windermere course on Sunday, I'd intended to have a full rest day - but actually ran twice, notching up just 9 miles with 2 really easy paced runs.
Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday saw main runs of around 11 miles, and short ones of 4-5, and on Friday - just a short one of 5 miles

Of all of those runs - just one was run at PMP for the Challenge - the 11 miles on Wednesday
Everything else was nice and easy.

For the weekend we were heading to the Lakes - the Keswick Buttermere 34k beckoned as a "Brathay Time-on-feet" run for me - and a benchmark training run for Lorna.
On the way up we stopped of in Bramhall, to take part in the Bramhall Park Time Trial - a 5k Parkrun, and to meet up with a friend who is helping me with aspets of a website I'm building.
I wasn't planning to run this particularly hard - under 20 milutes would have done, but I was feeling good a mile in, so put the hammer down a bit, and posted an 18:43 for my pains.

And it felt good
And I felt strong.
Just 20 seconds outside of my best time for the distance, and I hadn't intended to race!

When we arrived in Keswick, we met up with another friend, and had a little leg-turner around Latrigg - before getting an early night for Sunday.

The Keswick Buttermere 34k is a GEM of a race.
Taking in Honister and Newlands Passes, it can be described as 'lumpy'.
We weren't racing - this was out LSR for the week, just on Cumbrian 'undulations' which is something we don't have in the West Midlands.

I never stopped smiling. Running conditions were fabulous. The course is an absolute peach - and Lorna and I resolved to come back and run it 'properly' sometime.
And we finished in 3:28:55. Perfect Marathon Time (for the Challenge) on feet for me - and an outstanding run for Lorna who is running more and more strongly as the weeks go by
:o)

The best bit - really springy fresh legs on Monday and Today.

It is a great feeling to 'feel' like you are running strongly, and for all the evidence to be suggesting that, in fact, you are!!

Draycote Marathon is on the horizon at the weekend, and Alyson is coming down for that.
Can't wait!!