First run in the sunshine!

Saturday 14th March
Body pump this morning. Missed out squats and lunges, but instead of nipping downstairs for an orange juice I used the breaks to do some core exercises. Did some more core work after the class as well which was good. Also had a long chat with Rachel (Barber) who was covering for Ali and who is also running the London marathon next month, for the first time. The only advice I was keen to impress upon her was not to worry too much about her time and simply celebrate the fact that she is taking part in the best race on the planet.

Sunday 15th March
Long run today and beautiful weather for it. Did the half route, starting from the gym, and soon realised that it was too warm to be wearing two layers of clothing.

This was actually a really good run. I wasn't sure if I'd cope with the distance after the 20 mile race last weekend, but my legs held up well I thought. The big difference was the mood of the people I met on the way; everyone was so much friendlier, other runners and cyclists said hello, drivers ackowledged me and the world seemed a much happier place. What a difference the weather makes.

That took me 3 hours 10 minutes and I knocked out a very slow mile on the treadmill when I got back to the gym. I wondered later if I hadn't missed a trick here as my legs felt strong enough to go a bit further.

Had a steam after the run and wondered if that is helping my training, ie are the sessions in the steam room keeping my muscles looser and reducing the build up of lactic acid? It's the only thing I've been doing different of late so it could be.

Monday 16th March
Recovery run. Up the railway path (was just about able to see where I was going, so the light is improving), down Drove Road and back through town to the gym. One hour ten minutes approx. Not bad for an easy run.

Tuesday 17th March
Speed work. Out to the lake, then three laps hard. Approximately one hour on my feet. Would have done more laps but needed to go to Sainsburys and wanted to go to the cinema tonight. Felt I did well on the laps considering I was still recovering from Sunday.

Cheap Tuesday's film was He's Just Not That Into You, which I really enjoyed, and not just because it featured a semi-naked Scarlett Johansson. There was a lot in there about relationships which I could relate to, and it was good research on the subject for my writing, if you see what I mean.

Wednesday 18th March
Body pump with Ali followed by RPM with James. Excellent as always. Noticed the latter was busy, wondered how many people noticed me making a tit of myself in pump when a weight went flying off the end of my bar in the back track?

Thursday 19th March
Run with Kev and Gerry. We covered 11 miles at an average of just under 9 minutes per mile. It was faster than that, but a slow mile up a hill dragged that down. Still, good effort for a Thursday, especially considering how tired my legs are now. Definitely rest tomorrow, pump and core work Saturday ahead of the Hogweed Hilly Half on Sunday.