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Phoenix Marathon Training: Week 2

Oct 2, 2018 | Running, Running Advice | 2 comments

Phoenix Marathon Training week 2 - Project BQ

Another week down… I got to Sunday evening and I was genuinely excited to start another week of training, which is really how it should be at this stage.

Monday:  Barrecore class – I have to admit, I really miss the teachers at Chiswick. I used to love Emily’s classes when I lived just down the road from the studio.

Tuesday: Track session. After last week’s test mile/half mile, I had ‘floating 200s’, 12 x 200m at 6.40 ish pace with 200m jogging recoveries at 8.30-45 min mile pace. I usually love 200s but this was much harder with the faster recoveries. I find that I push too much during the speed portion but then really need the recovery section to get my breathing back under control – I’m hoping this improves as I see my fitness progress over the next 18 weeks.

1.75 mile warm up (9.18, 9.26) I arrived early at the track so did a solo mile before running a couple of laps with others), then 12 x 200m (46, 49, 49, 48, 50, 49, 46, 47, 48, 47, 46, 46 seconds per 200m rep), then 0.75 mile cool down.

Don’t forget you can join us at the track workouts every Tuesday morning by signing up here….

Phoenix Marathon Training week 2 - Project BQ

Wednesday: On Wednesdays I run commute – this time I made the mistake of running from work to nannying, which meant navigating a very busy Oxford St at peak time. I won’t make that error again!

4 miles at 8.50ish min mile pace while listening to Dolly Alderton’s book (read my fave Sept reads here). I felt like I had to work harder than I would have liked to have run that pace, but was glad to have completed an afternoon run without bailing! I am definitely a morning runner!

Thursday: 1 mile warm up (10.41), 3 x 1 mile at 7.30-45 pace (7.21, 7.36, 7.26) with 30 second recoveries between, 0.5 mile cool down (8.42).

I felt stronger during this run than the previous day, although finding a mile stretch without an undulations was quite tricky. I ended up going back and forth along Portobello Road before it really woke up for the day.

Phoenix Marathon Training - Week 2 Project BQ

Friday: Every other day has gone to plan so far, but today… today I was exhausted. Went home, ate a packet of Colin the caterpillar rolls (yes, the whole packet in an 8 hour period) and worked. I know for next week that I either need to book a class in for lunchtime or pre-work on Fridays (or run commute), because if I leave it until I’ve commuted back home, it’s game over.

Saturday: 10 early miles with my friend Cara, 9.16 average pace.

I’ve recently decided that I quite enjoy a Saturday morning long run, meaning the whole rest of the weekend is ahead of you by the time you finish. I was so happy to have company for 6 miles – running 2 miles to and from home to meet Cara before she went to a wedding, and I headed in to London for PT.

I struggled a bit with this run, feeling really bunged up (snotty, for want of a better word), and found it difficult to talk and run, even at what should have been a comfortable pace. I’m not sure if I just haven’t run and chatted for so long that my body is out of practice or if I really have lost that much fitness this summer but it was an eyeopener of just how much work there is to reach that BQ goal (more on that in Thursday’s post!)

Phoenix Marathon Training - Week 2 Project BQ

Sunday: Even my rest days aren’t rest days on this PT course as we test out moves and training formulas in the gym… as I type this my legs and quads are still sore form a squat/squat jump set I went through!

2 Comments

  1. Kat

    I am not a morning person and am always impressed how you keep it up with the morning runs! But as you said if you leave the workout for after work it doesn’t happen most of the times…

    Reply
  2. Cari

    Your favorite reads doesn’t link anywhere – just FYI
    I agree with you on Saturday long runs. Last two Sundays have been long and that just doesn’t work in my routine. Happy training, and great photos

    Reply

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