I've just come back from a lovely 2 week holiday with family in Norfolk. Great to be away for a while and get out of the office! The house was fantastic and we were lucky enough to have a private pool and hot tub!
But holidays in summer and autumn marathon training don't always mix! With just over a month to go til the Berlin Marathon I really need to be getting in the long run, and here I was with 2 weeks of just wanting to sit around doing nothing but sunbathing and chilling out. I think I just managed to get away with it, but only just! I did have to run, quite often too. I wouldn't want to spend 2 weeks doing very little or no running - a week perhaps if the days are relatively active (walking, swimming etc) but not two weeks. It would only be much harder to get back to it when I returned home.
So I started off by making sure I got a long run in (17 miles) the morning before I set off, and planned another long run (18 miles) 2 days after I got home. So in the meantime I could allow myself a bit of rest and just do shorter runs, maybe 3 to 7 miles, every couple of days. I also planned to make good use of the pool and would bring my bike on holiday to get some rides in. All good intentions!
The 17 miler went ok, I mixed it up a little by splitting into 3 parts, one after the other. 9 mile run to the park for Park Run, then the 5k Park Run, and finally a 5 mile run home. There was a short break between getting to the park and starting the 5k (very short break though, having realised I was late I wandered over to the start only to realise they'd already gone!!). I did stand around chatting for a few minutes afterwards though, before heading home! It was very tempting to go off to the cafe for cake and coffee!
It was a long day, that first Saturday, with the run then a 100 mile drive, but I treated myself to the hot tub when I got there. Bliss!
Throughout the holiday, I managed a 3 and a 5 mile run in the first week, and then the Norwich Park Run and a further 5k immediately afterwards (following a similar route to Park Run) on the following Saturday (did the Park Run with my sisters). Also did a few cycle rides, the longest being 16 miles (sadly I did not use my bike as much as I thought I would). In the second week I managed 4 miles, 7 miles and 5 miles. Although the area was very lovely and had some great views, the roads weren't amazing for running as they were narrow country lanes with no footpath. Luckily they were quiet though, but I didn't want to wear earphones so i could hear the cars. I got round this though by putting my iPhone on loudspeaker so i could still get a bit of music and still full awareness. I got the feeling the drivers weren't used to runners on the roads though!
Did a bit of swimming too, as the pool had a jet that you could swim against. It only stayed on for 10 minutes at a time though, and then shut off for 20 minutes, so could only do short bursts of swimming. It was fun to just mess about in the pool though like in the old days!
Unfortunately I had to abandon what turned out to be a truly horrendous swim/run workout! The swim was fine - 10 minutes followed by a quick transition into running gear and a 3k run. I had barely done 1km and was already feeling very light-headed and was getting bad stomach cramps, so I had to stop and finish it early. Really annoyed as I have never cut a run short before (slowed and walked, yes, but not cut short). Turns out I DO need to eat a light breakfast before going for a run!
The rest of the holiday we did plenty of things such as day trips to the beach, local attractions, theme parks and trips to some of the cities such as Great Yarmouth and Norwich. It was so nice to be away from it all! Ah well I'm back now, and I guess the routine will make it easier to stick with the training plan. On Sunday I did 18.6 miles and next weekend I've have a crack at 20. My times are still slow, nearly a minute slower per mile than I was doing last year, which is quite frustrating. I'm wondering if I've not allowed myself enough time to recover after London and Prague, before going into the triathlons. But over the summer I was doing a lot of cycling and swimming, and less running, so I'm just a bit confused. I have looked at loads of websites and running forums and there's a lot of conflicting information out there! Maybe I am not doing enough short, fast runs! I know I could have done more interval or hill training, but a) I didn't do this for Loch Ness yet achieved my PB, and b) I'd have to replace one of other running sessions or a cycling session.
Ah well, that could probably be a post of it's own but it probably won't make for very exciting reading (or writing) so I'll head off now and send my wishes to anyone else who is still on holiday or is taking a September break, happy a lovely time and happy days!
PS - will try and upload some holiday snaps so you can see our lovely pool and the views from the running routes.
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