Over the hill

A.M.  Woke up at 5am and it was luxury to stay in bed and doze for another couple of hours. Cold and very windy today and I felt chilled. Easy pace recovery run on hilly logging tracks. No probs with my achilles until a slight ache about 2k before the end of the run, much better. The trees are starting to bud now and Jan is nearly over, better running conditions ahead. Total 17,2k in 1:27:04, av pace 5:04/k, 8:09/mi.

A.M. Marathon specific long run in the plan. Inspired by reading how the Japanese train I ran continuous 4k circuits around a lake, it helped to focus in.  A little nervous apprehension beforehand, I struggled with a similar shorter workout end of Dec, but as soon as I started at marathon pace the doubts disappeared and I knew I could finish the workout. 5k warmup, then I concentrated on keeping each 5k split under 21:15. Splits: 21:11, 21:06, 20:59, 21:06, 21:13 (started to fade on the last one and had to work harder to achieve the split), cooldown 5k. Fueling – I ate an energy bar 15 mins before starting, then drank diluted apple juice at 10k, 20k and 30k. I felt much happier this week by just sticking to fluids only while running. This was billed as a confidence builder workout and in that respect it achieved its aim: I feel a bit happier after this, this is the fastest I've ever managed to run a long run in training.

A.M. Cold and frosty and I was sore, tired and uninterested in running. A short, slow and easy recovery run to recharge. Total 10.5k in 54:11. av pace 5:10/k, 8:18/mi.

A.M. warmup 5,5k easy pace, then 5 x 600m w/90 sec recovery. Splits: 2:12, 2:12, 2:12, 2:10, 2:10. My legs felt fatigued, I was faster on the same workout 2 weeks ago by 3-4 secs. 9,3k easy run back. I've felt knackered all day today and I intend to ease back on the pace tomorrow. Total 19k in 1:24:30, av pace 4:27/k, 7:09/mi.

A.M. Cold and misty, hilly trail run that was just a hard slog today. One of those runs where I just wanted to call it quits all the way through.  Total 25k/15,5mil in 2:02:53, av pace 4:55/k, 7:55/mi.

P.M. Short evening run, dragged myself outside for 6,3k in 28:45, av pace 4:34, 7:21/mi.

Carnival season here is reaching it's fever pitch before it all ends on Ash Wed. Today is Weiberfastnacht (women's carnival day), the women carry scissors to cut the men's ties in half. Sensible men don't wear ties today or wear cheap ones bought specially for the occasion. Visitors don't always realise what is going on which can lead to some amusing moments. The women also storm the townhall to obtain a symbolic key from the mayor. They can also kidnap the mayor and ransom him back for a round of schnapps. All good fun.

A.M. White rabbits, white rabbits, white rabbits, first of the month. Not that it brought me any luck with the weather, cold and stormy with strong winds and rain. An easy 12k recovery run in 1:02:18. av pace 5:12/k, 8:21/mi.

A.M. High wind chill factor this morning, despite a thermal vest and fleece mid-layer I was chilled through by the end of the run. Drove to a carpark in the nature park, from there I ran a 8k loop on a horse riding trail, then ran a 12k hill run on a lovely mountain bike trail that took me up high into the snow. Pickup for the last 5k at 4:12/k, 6:45/mi.

Total 20k in 1:33:39, av pace 4:41/k, 7:32/mi.