Week 14 Part 2: Maybe, just maybe, we might get there...

I have managed to run a total of 6 miles this week against a target of 55.  This was going to be my highest mileage week of the whole damn plan.  That would be the plan that I had to rip up and chuck out the window a few weeks back.

On an up note however, I have managed to run a total of 6 miles this week.  Perspective is everything.

On Friday I did an exploratory half mile on the treadmill, which told me almost straight away that I should not be running on the dodgy calf.  The Achilles was also giving me a dull ache and the whole thing was incredibly tight.  I did some limited cross training but I'd spent so much time on the bike already this week that my quads were basically dead.  I did what I could on the bike and then used what was left in my legs up doing low weight high repetition strength training using the machines in the gym.  My calf hasn't been up to squatting all week.  I have been faithfully doing all my physio exercises, theraband stretching, ice, massaging and rollering all week.  I did it again.

On Saturday I woke up with somewhat less pain and I decided to attempt an incredibly slow 3 mile loop of Hook, the town I was staying in.  I made 1.5 miles, running over 9 minute mile pace, and my calf and Achilles went so tight I stopped there.  Four weeks and a day to go and I couldn't run three miles at over a minute and a half off what a few weeks ago was my target pace.  Again I did all my physio exercises, etc etc, same as above.  I also got rather down, and then in the evening I got rather drunk.  Getting drunk is always more fun when my little sister in law is around.  

On Sunday I woke up with no pain at all, actually no pain, although my Achilles was very tight when walking down stairs.  I was meant to do 16 miles today including 4 at marathon pace.  Clearly, I was not going to manage this, but I did feel up to trying another run.  I ran a mile steadily and it felt OK.  I stopped off to drop off my coat and gave my leg a little stretch and massage, and set off to run another 4 miles.  In the end I did just over three, stopping when the tightness kicked in, but it was more than I'd expected to manage and while it wasn't fast it also wasn't crawling pace either.  It was absolutely lovely to be outside in the sun wearing shorts and vest, despite the cider induced hangover.

I then went into the gym and spent two hours, yes two whole hours, on the cross trainer.  Luckily I started it feeling somewhat buoyed by having been able to run, because this was dire.  For the first half hour my entertainment was my music, OK, and Songs of Praise on subtitles.  Luckily the rugby came on before I actually punched the TV.  This had pros and cons.  The pros of course being that I love rugby, and while incredibly scrappy, it was a reasonably entertaining game.  The big con of course being that while I had the time covered on the machine I was using, once the match started I had the match timer right there, and seeing the minutes go by was definitely not helping. 

But, I did it, it felt good to really stretch my legs out, the range of motion was great for aching legs, and better still I actually maintained an average heart rate roughly equivalent to running 8 minute miles so from a pure fitness point of view it was bang on.  

This therefore allows me to finish the week feeling more positive.  I'm going to have to be incredibly careful with the calf and Achilles, they really aren't quite right, but I might be able to muddle through this and manage to run the marathon at a reduced pace without breaking myself.  In many ways that doesn't sit well, but that's the reality and I need to go with that.  I'm hopeful of managing 20 miles over 3 runs this week, that's my target if the leg is up to it.  Two midweek runs topped up with cross training, and then if I can a Sunday 10 miler which I'll top up with the same length of time cross training.  I've got an aqua belt which unfortunately arrived too late to use today, but it's here now and aqua jogging is on the menu for a couple of my cross training sessions.  I have no shame, I really don't care about looking like a tit in the local pool while doing it if it helps me keep the right muscles working.

So fingers and toes are crossed, four weeks to go and I'm just going to have to go with the flow and listen to my body on this one, two things I'm not always particularly good at.  At least for today I have the satisfying "good ache" of having worked hard and actually achieved a decent training session.