Here's a little run down of what I get up to in a typical week.
MONDAY
Rest day! It's so nice to begin the week resting, knowing that I've done the hard work over the weekend. My Monday evenings are strictly for tea-drinking, eating good food and just chilling. Some foam rolling normally goes on too to make sure that my muscles are ready for the week.
TUESDAY
I'm lucky enough that my job lets me spend my lunchtime running, so on a Tuesday the running shoes go on and I'll do a good 3 or 4 miles in my "Runch" break. Most of the time a friend will join too which is really nice. It's the best way to de-stress and take your mind off the day.
On a Tuesday evening I attend a Kettlebells (or Kettlehell as I like to call it) class. It was 18 months ago that I discovered the class, and it 100% played a part in the 25 minute PB I got in the Paris Marathon 2015. It's the perfect way to strengthen not only your glutes, which is super important for runners, but also every other muscle in your body. Adding kettlebells to my training has been a life changer and I'd highly recommend it!
WEDNESDAY
Once again I'll try and get out for some Runch-time action on a Wednesday and do about 4 miles.This is a tough one after the strength session on Tuesday night, so sometimes I'll decrease the mileage a little bit depending on how heavy my legs are feeling.
THURSDAY
By Thursday the DOMS have well and truly set in from Tuesday night, which makes it the perfect day to stretch out and do some Yoga! I have fallen in love with Yoga over the past year and go to a class at the gym. It's great to help prevent injury as well as for your mental wellbeing. If you've never Yoga-ed you need to get it in your life pronto.
FRIDAY
In preparation for my long run, Friday is a rest day. I'll do a mini carb-load at lunchtime and try to grab some pasta, as the long runs are getting over half marathon distance now. An early night and avoiding alcohol is key (and also very Grandma-esque.. yep I'm 80).
SATURDAY
LONG RUN! Saturdays are completely centred around the long run at this stage. The day starts with an 8.30am alarm, breakfast of overnight oats with berries and a banana and route-planning whilst digesting. If I can I'll be out running by 10am, but more often than not it's more like 11. I'm up to 14 miles in my plan at the moment, and rely on 'High 5' Energy Gels for nutrition on my way round.
Once the miles are done, I'll have a good stretch, grab a shower and get into my Skins recovery leggings. They're like a big hug after being out in the cold for hours. My post-run meal normally goes something along the lines of chicken breast and sweet potato, but I like to change it up with eggs and avocado sometimes too.
I'm thinking about doing a 'Long Run Saturday' vlog on my YouTube channel (let me know if you'd like to see it?!) so keep your eyes peeled and make sure you're subscribed!
SUNDAY
On Sunday an easy 3 miler is the norm, which is supposed to be at a steady 10-11 minute mile pace. I generally get overexcited and run faster than this, which is not good.. but I'm so competitive with myself that I struggle to slow it down.
...And that's it! This plan fits my lifestyle perfectly at the moment and has me into a good routine. In the past I've aimed for 3 mid-week runs, which was just unrealistic with working full time and ended up with me feeling disappointed that I wasn't hitting my target miles.
Let me know what your training plans look like- especially what you do for cross training :) I'd love to read about it!
