Running Training - October

After a disastrous September with very little running time and far too much rest and recovery, October is a different month than initially planned.

According to the MyAsics plan I am entering the "Getting Faster" stage of my training, but realistically I need to refocus on the recovery more than anything and hope that I quickly regain my stamina.


I have noticed that the plan has smaller runs for October, but the pace has increase.  So my intentions are to keep the distances the same and slowly increase the pace as the month progresses.  Next month I am taking part in the Norwich Half Marathon with my brother, so the distance and stamina will need to be worked on for the next few weeks.

So what does October hold?


I will update after each week and keep a check on the knee, I hope to do a couple of vlogs each week as well so brighten things up on here.

Week 1: 1st October - 4th October
My first run of the short week was with Rosh, I had not been out on the roads for a couple of weeks resting my knee injury so wanted a steady pace, a short distance and a great friend with me for support.  Thankfully Rosh provided all three and we were off around our home town for a little 4 mile jaunt.  I wore a knee support for the full run and felt no pains or aches.

The second run of the week was at my local ParkRun.  My ma and her friend have recently started taking part in the events so I was happy to tag along.  Whilst chatting with my ma at the start, I missed the race briefing and subsequently lost track of time and didn't start my GPS watch so had to run without a pacer.  I finished strong and with a time of 24:58 which I was happy with after two weeks off.

Week 2: 5th October - 11th October
I started the week with a quick(er) paced run to see if the knee could support me for a longer distance than ParkRun and I am happy to say it did.  The long uphill stretch to start with was counterbalanced by the steep slopes through the countryside on the way back. The last mile was a struggle as I didn't have much left in the tank, but things can only get better.

After feeling like old times with my Rosh Run, I asked when he was next going out for a jaunt if I could join him.  So for my second 5.5 miler of the week I tagged along and we set a gentle steady pace to collect his cousin and then return.  We ended up doing a 10k and still got a sub 1 hour run which is always fun.

To end the week I ventured out for a "comfortable" 11 miler.  I say comfortable as the pace was fine but the initial 5k was the most grueling uphill climb ever.  With a 450ft elevation gain, I was happy to see the crest and have a gentle downhill before my next climb.  I was tentative as I approached the 7.5 mile marker as this is were my knee has given up on previous runs, but I am happy to report that there were no issues at all and the run finished strong.

Week 3: 12 October - 18th October
What a week it was.  Dreading my first run of the week due to the ridiculous pace settings I carefully planned a route that didn't end with a big uphill.  Having a pace set to 7:38 per mile as a max I set out as quick as I could hoping to hold the pace for 5.5 miles.
I got to 3.5 and had to take a second to cross the major road, and I needed it, I am sure I left a lung around the 4 mile mark but I haven't been back to find out

My ParkRun weekend was originally planned as a 10 min mile jog, but this pace is no fun at all so I opted just to run without guidance but just to feel as fresh at the end as I did at the start.  I crossed the line in just under 25 minutes and felt great.  Not only had I not pushed myself too hard, but I had done it in style
To end the week, I asked Rosh to join me up Hell Hill, 3.5 mile of continuous climb.  At the highest point Rosh has a sneaky suspicion that he may projectile vomit, but managed to keep it down.  A quicker pace home, but Rosh complained of hitting the wall with nothing left in the tank so would like to do the run again soon and complete stronger, I am happy with that.

Week 4: 19th October - 25th October

First run without a knee support, primarily because I forgot to put it on but subconsciously because I want to start running without it again.  I know for security I will be using it on the long runs or the hilly runs, but knowing that I can go out for a 10k now without any issues is a good feeling.  I kept a good steady pace for the full run aiming to finish as comfortable 
as I started.  Oh, and I had a couple of bovine encounters!

After indulging in copious amounts of Birthday food, I decided that I should try to burn some extra caolories on my next run, so set off for a half marathon attempt.  My planned route looked like a killer with some serious climbs throughout the whole run, and it was.  I felt like the first 8 mile was a constant up hill and the final 1.75 mile down my initial incline was a welcome finish.  Happy with the 1 hour 55 mins time I feel confident to run the Norwich Half Marathon with my brother next month.

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