Sunday Run Down #15 and #16 -Taper Time

I combined these posts for two reasons, 1) I am officially tapering so less running to discuss and 2) I’m really bored of these posts so I guess you will be too….

Monday

REST.

Tuesday

Hot Yoga. I haven’t managed to get to Yoga for a while and the last few weeks have been suffering with really tight hamstrings.  I swear, I couldn’t even touch my toes at the start of class in fact it was painful just reaching below my knees but I felt good afterwards.

Wednesday

3 miles. I had to work late and missed my Wednesday run buddies Emma and Mairi. So Kevin ran with me, I ran to my sisters for tea and cake, Kevin kept running to get some miles in he’s really far behind with his training, I thought he’d just pull out as he doesn’t like to fail but he said he’ll just run with me.  I doubt he will but I’m not sure if I want him too.

Thursday

3 miles. I was pretty slow, my hamstrings and calves were tight but I don’t know if I just wasn’t feeling it, I’m starting to feel like I’ve done all the hard work I can ease off now, so maybe I was just lazy.

Friday

REST

Saturday

11.3 miles. Yeah it should have been 12 but I got lost haha! The shop we run from are having a station on marathon day, we can leave water bottles or fuel and use their loo so Mandy decided we’d give a try today following part of the actual marathon route and pass the shop at 8 miles for water and loo stop.  It was pretty warm (it’s Scotland, it’s never hot) but I get too hot running any weather so I felt like I needed water at mile 3, I also decided I really needed to pee.  Mile 5 I’d fallen behind the group but so had one of the other girls so we ran together. I got back to shop at 8 miles desperate for water and a pee just as the group were leaving for their next 4 miles.  It wasn’t until I left the shop I realised I wasn’t sure where they were going?! I couldn’t see them so I decided I’d just do my own thing and headed off to run out 2 miles then back…except I got bored and a little bit lost so I tried to just head back and  realised I was short on miles…oh well.  I’m not obsessive over hitting numbers, it’s so funny some of the girls on the group keep running if we are 0.2 of a mile short and some of the older ones don’t run with watches or apps they just go with how long they’ve been running 0.7miles short or not.

That night I had a sisters and misters date which was so much fun, its been so long since we all went out together!

Sunday.

Rest.  Back to Glasgow, shopping for holiday clothes for Kevin.  I got NOTHING!!

WEEK 16

Monday

Fees Bootcamp.  Ok so I was planning to join Fee’s Fitness again after the marathon but she posted on Facebook about an 8 week challenge and a discount on joining for the 8 weeks…so I signed up! Bootcamp class was great, I’m still not where I was with regards to upper body and arm strength but it felt good to smash a workout and not pound the pavement.

Tuesday

6.5 miles.  I ran with Mairi because I knew I couldn’t on Wednesday. It was a good run we both felt pretty fatigued and tight but we got it done.

Wednesday

Sports Massage.  Ouch.  Caroline worked all over my legs and identified some areas that I need to work on with the foam roller. There’s a big knot in my right calf and my right quad is super tight, she tried and tried but could not loosen it off.  She also could not get into my left glute (butt cheek) at all, not for the love of trying, I felt like she was trying to push me through the bed and I could hardly sit when she was done. So I have some homework to do, of the foam rolling type.

Thursday

Rest. Kevin left at 5am to go to Las Vegas for a stag party for 6 days… he claims he’ll still train when he is away. Hahaha

Friday

2 miles.  I just felt like I had done nothing since Tuesday and it was a nice night so I went out for a short one.

Saturday

8 miles.  Guys this was our last run as the Run 4 it- Bridge of Allan, Beginner Marathon Group, it was kind of emotional.  As a treat Mandy arranged for us to start and end our run at Dunblane Hilton Hotel where we had free access to the pool, sauna, steam room and jacuzzi and free coffee.  She had also made us all a little goodie bag, only 8 of us made it to the last run but it was the core group who have made almost every run since October and we have all became good friends.

The run itself was great,  a straight 4 miles out to Andy Murray’s Cromlix House and back. I felt strong, I could feel my niggly IT band on the last 2 miles but no pain.  The weather was cooler than it had been all week, the sky was grey but the rain held of to just a drizzle until we were done.
We had the best time chilling in the sauna and pool, chatting without running is so much easier, haha! We’ve already planned a night out for dinner and drinks and may have discussed still meeting up to run…3 miles and a coffee sounds about our limits though, haha! NEVER thought I’d say this but I’m going to miss the long group runs.

After, I went shopping for some holiday clothes and bought NOTHING again!! I officially hate shopping!

In the evening I had a great little movie night with my sister Donna we watched Fantastic Beasts and where to Find them and then 12 Years a Slave.

Sunday.

Rest.  I could cry, my knee is throbbing and it kills going downstairs again.  Arrrrrgh! On the plus side, I got my period a week early so I won’t have that to contend with on race day.   That does also explain why I have felt so emotional the last couple of days, like, crying every time anyone mentions the word marathon, I really hope I don’t ugly cry before, during or after the race…. and fingers crossed my knees/IT band holds out!

My friend and running buddy posted this on Facebook last night it made me giggle..

This was the last Sunday Run Down, I have a couple of short runs this week but I won’t report on those I guess I’ll do a race report and let you all know how I do.  Good Luck to everyone running the first Stirling Scottish Marathon, were going to have a great time, right?
Weekly mileage:  17.3 & 16.5

Weeks until Marathon: 1…ONE WEEK!!!

It’s 12.30 and I’m thinking that this time next week I could be very near the end of my marathon journey eeek!

How was your week?

Thanks for reading☺️

Have a great day❤

Angela xo