Holiday time is almost here!

It’s been a while again. I’m slacking on writing here. But not on training. Last weekend I wasn’t able to make it to the 20km race organised by the Warsaw Marathon Foundation, so on Sunday I’ve decided to run my long run in marathon tempo. And I did that almost exactly on the dot – 21km in 2 hrs. Very happy about that as my speed work is finally paying off. I don’t remember doing any runs this fast with the prior marathon training, so this is a good sign. But, the key to great run is good sleep and proper nutrition. I can definitely see a difference in my performance or even motivation levels when either of the two are missing.

This week I’m taking it easy in preparation for the Tatry Tour on Saturday. I’m looking forward to testing myself on the bike and am praying that weather will be good. If it rains I’ll have to re-think if I’d want to start at all. Not sure if I’m that comfortable on the road bike.

After the race we’re staying in Zakopane for a few days. Planning to do some hill work while there, plus hopefully some more bike riding. But, above all, relax and take some nice trips in the mountains. Then, we’re off to see U2. Been waiting for this concert for soooo long. Can’t wait!!!!

Long runs are progressing...

So even though I've been slacking off during the week. Mostly due to being too tired to wake up in the morning, my long runs are happening over the weekend and have been progressing pretty well. Last week I did 22.5kms and today 21. Today I timed myself to ensure that I'm keeping up the tempo. Essentially, every 3 km I hit the "lap" button on my garmin and I instantly got back my pace. And I managed to do it, with about 20 sec differences in my pace. Not so bad, considering the heat. Even the forest was extremely hot!
By the way, last weekend we got convinced to go kayaking with some friends. Never ever again! What I thought would be a nice enjoyable 3 hrs in a kayak ended up as being freezing cold in the kayak after the kayak flipped over and I got caught in the current. Anyway - lesson learned - I'm sticking to biking, riding and swimming only in controlled conditions!

Another day of running...

After the long run on Sunday (5th June) where I managed to do 21.5 kms in just over 2 hours, I have to admit I’ve been a bit sluggish. Hate to blame it on the weather, but I have to. It’s been cloudy, rainy and cold. But after no running on Monday & Tuesday, I did go out yesterday after work. And, boy, if I run with this tempo during the marathon, I’ll come in way under 4 hours. Here’s a bit about my run. Since it was raining most of the day, I’ve decided to run on the sidewalks. I haven’t done that since the winter, since without question the forest is much more pleasant. But at the same time, running in the forest is a lot slower. So, being out on a hard surface yesterday really showed me how much I’ve improved. I’ve averaged out at about 11 kph with running at 11.5 kph quite a bit. The average went down due to some lights that made me stop. So, overall excellent run that really built up my level of self-confidence.

Now, this morning was a totally different story. I think that I still didn’t fully recover after last training so I was very sluggish, almost struggling. Did manage to complete a 10km loop. Tomorrow a day off running (bike ride in the morning) before the long run – this time on Saturday. On Sunday a long bike ride awaits! Again – just need the weather to cooperate J

Past week

So, after a short break, I'm finally back in full training mode. A short summary of my runs during the past week:

Monday - 12 km
Tuesday - 9 km (12 x 200s) + warm up/cool down
Wednesday - 10 km - a bit junkish - finished in exactly 1 hr
Thursday - off - couldn't do anything due to a stress of having to deal with electrical failure at the house (thankfully, hopefully, it got fixed)
Friday - 11 km - approximately half of that at marathon tempo

What's left? Saturday - perhaps a bike ride and Sunday - a long run - around 20 km.

All of the runs this past week were done in the early morning. Since a warm front has hit us, the only other time would be to go after 9PM. Somehow, I know my body would not be able to adjust to something like that. Hence, the 6AM wake up call, and out the door at 6:30. I'm just hoping I can keep up with this schedule for the rest of the summer. I've been blessed with having very few sports-related injuries over the past few years, but at the same time I know that the line between being in top shape and overtrained (hence prone to injuries) is very fragile. One thing I always bear in mind is to listen to your body. And that applies both during and off training. Plus nutrition - always need to give yourself the fuel to make it stonger and able to take on more endurance. I've realized that I'm looking forward to the Marathon in September. I would be beyond elated to finally break the 4 hours mark. But to get there it will take some hard work - that's what I tell myself each day that I don't want to get out of bed.