Last week was hectic with my birthday, work and a lot of other stuff going on. A few niggly bits in my knee wasn’t ideal, and a few workouts slipped by the wayside. However, the week before that was bang on track, so let’s focus on the positives!

Week 4

Monday– Rest day

Tuesday- 7 Mile run commute- 9.30 warm up mile, 8.11, 8.04, 8.20, 8.19, 8.03, 8.12, followed by Reformer Pilates class after work with my Mum. It was her first reformer class and I think she enjoyed it!

Wednesday- Kilometre repeats, done on the treadmill as that was the only way to fit them in to my day. Treadmill set to a 1% incline; 4.20, 4.17, 4.17, 4.15

Thursday- Boxing Class at the gym. I really enjoyed it, despite being very nervous (not made better by being the only girl in the class). My arms and core ached by the end of the session showing that it was a great workout as well as good fun.

Friday– Hour long walk with Steph followed by a 30 minute swim.

Saturday- Rest day- birthday brunch with friends and a surprise party for another friend! Lovely day but a few too many drinks.

Sunday- 13 hungover miles, average pace of about 8.36 min miles

Week 5

Monday- Arms and Abs workout  and a lot of foam rolling.

Tuesday–  6 X 400m sprint repeats along The Mall ON MY BIRTHDAY! The first one was my fastest, whilst rep number 5 I really, really wanted to give up.

78 seconds, 83 seconds, 85 seconds, 83 seconds, 96 seconds, 84 seconds

I have to say this is the first time I’ve had to run sprints on my birthday, luckily I had a few treats waiting for me at work when I got there.

Wednesday– Rest day- knee was feeling a bit off, and crunchy, so I played it safe and took the day off.

Thursday– Boxing class and a new 5K PB at Great City 5K Race

Friday– Yoga for runners at home.

Saturday– Rest day (and a day trip to France, with Tom flying a few of us for lunch!)

Sunday– 10 very sweaty and muggy miles along the River Thames, at an average pace of 8.37. It felt hard, probably because I wasn’t very well fueled, and it was hotter than I thought it was. I ended my run covered in sweat, salt, snot and dead flies- not particularly attractive!

Last week’s training wasn’t ideal, and after a rather stressful day on Friday, I worry that I may need to do a lot more early morning workouts rather than relying on lunchtimes and evenings as work gets busier. However, there are still a fair few weeks to go, and with a new 5K PB and a successful hungover 13 miler, I am definitely seeing improvements in my speed and strength. Yet again it’s my stretching/strength work and cross training that I need to ensure that I make time for over the coming weeks.