Happily Ever After
Life in The Rural Retreat with a beautiful wife, three cats, garden wildlife, a camera, a computer – and increasing amounts about running
Earlier posts can be found on Adventures of a Lone Bass Player, where this blog began life. Recent entries can be found here.
Taking It Easy
by Russell Turner - 17:04 on 08 January 2024
The first week of Virtual London Marathon training began and finished at an easy pace. I’m following the Intermediate plan, which features four runs a week for 16 weeks; all four in Week 1 were easy, and barely troubled heart rate zone 2. I’m assuming that’s a good thing.
I used the Advanced plan in 2020, when I achieved my now barely believable 4:37 PB, and had stuck with it ever since, despite getting nowhere near that time again. A step back in 2024 seemed a good decision, especially when training through winter weather, so it seemed that The Running Gods were teasing me by making the first week’s conditions cool, mostly lightly winded, and with enough dry days for me not to need waterproofs.
Week 2 also looks set to be dry and windless, although today’s sub-zero temperature is likely to persist; ungritted side roads will not feature in my route planning. I’d be tempted by the woods but defrosting the car so I can get there might be beyond my patience. We’ll see.
The Week 1 distance didn’t even top 18 miles, including a couple of walks. As runs get longer, and the pace turns to steady, that will increase and before I know it the year’s first challenge – the Inverness HM, only nine weeks away – will be upon us. That, and Alloa HM the following week, I’ll treat as training runs; London Landmarks is where my PB hopes rest. Assuming training goes to plan.
As for the virtual marathon, anything under five hours would be a triumph, especially as that’s also a training run – for the Race to the Stones. Completing that is the year’s No1 target. Anything else is a bonus.
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