RED January and Marathon Training Update

Hello lovely people. 

How’re you doing? 

I’m doing absolutely fantastic. Well kind of. I’m pained due to just finished my 15 mile training run. But apart from that, I am healthy! 

It’s now the February 1st, I swear January goes on for like 6000 years!! 

The purpose of this post is to break down my January challenge of running every day for MIND, the charity. It’s purpose is to beat the blues. You don’t have to run every day. Just be active every day. 

After starting my marathon training back on 16th December, January came around so quickly. I looked at my training plan and agreed that I’d do no more that 5k on my supposed ‘rest’ days. This was hard for me. When I eventually got out, I felt that a mere mile, or mile and half was just menial- pointless. Like, why did you even bother lacing up?! But maybe that’s the distance runner in me. 

In one month I’ve totalled 108 miles. Possibly the most I’ve ever done and the longest run streak I’ve ever done Indefinitely. However, it didn’t come without its downers. Sorry MIND. But at times. It was hard. The first two weeks felt fairly difficult. But the last two flew by, and I actually got sad yesterday that I wouldn’t be running every day. Very strange. 

WEEK 1- Milage Total = 32.4 miles

This marked my 3rd week of marathon training. My plan included 3, 5, 4, 8miles! Not withstanding other activities. On the 1st, I ran 8 miles around Draycote Water, me and Lizzy had also done an hour Toning class before! I was wrecked! 

The following Monday and Tuesday, I had work. With that, I totalled 10 cycling miles. On the 5th, my Mum was asked to cover Spin for 45 mins. I agreed to go. Like why? But the new Spinning Bikes were ace. Ultimately, I felt like in the first week, I’d really gone a bit to overboard. 

Week 2- Milage Total = 26.1

My 4th week of marathon training. Included on my plan was 4, 3, 4, 10 miles. 

I struggled from the week before. My eating habits were not great, and that’s the first thing I learned about when running every day is... You need to refuel for your body to recover effectively. My 10 mile felt absolutely disasterous. I went to Zumba in the morning as a ‘warm up’, and then started en route for 10 miles from the Village Hotel. From the start I just felt so lethargic. My legs, heavy and disunited. Although still averaging a 11:09 min/mile and finishing in 1:51:34, I felt really disheartened. I had to have walk intervals and my stomach went dodgy at about 6-7 miles in resulting in me walking until it subsided. I used no SIS gels as fuel either. So all I carried was water. 

Week 3- Total Milage = 24.5 

Marathon training week 5- 5, 3, 4, 12 miles. 

I gained a bug on the 19th. Violent diarrhoea with nausea. Not that you needed to know that. But I got so utterly disgraced that I didn’t run. I really put myself down for it, especially because I was suppose to run 12 miles on the Sunday. Then I obviously got over it, because I couldn’t change that I hadn’t run on the Saturday. I was luckily fine after 24hours and felt back to normal. 

Week 4- (consists of 9 days) Total Milage = 37.2 

6th week of Marathon training. 3, 4, 6, 5 (12) 

Because of the bug, I was suppose to have an easy week with my long run only being 5 miles. But I had to change that to the 12 I’d missed on the Sunday. So I ran the 12 on Friday 25th. I felt fine until about half way when I had a massive accent from 200ft to 575ft in over around a mile. But I felt 100% better than I did after the 10 mile the other week. I ran it in 2:10:22 average pace of 10:52 min/mile. My recovery was fairly good too. My legs felt back to normal within 24 hours after completing this. However, I did have a hamstring niggle on the right. But I’d been suffering with that for about a week before this run. I just kept stretching and foam rolling and it as it stands it’s kept it at bay. Thankfully. 

Last week of January,  marathon training and the last days of RED has seen me so far run 1.6, 3.1, 3, 1.5 and 15 miles. 

I’ve only got a 5 miler to do on Sunday. I’m on a great runners high. I completed RED January for the first time (having made up my day of illness with my 15 mile run today). I started to struggle at about 10 miles. But pushed on and got it done. The only thing of significance, regarding pain, was my lower back. But I know full well that’s because my core is so weak. I gave up strength for 2 weeks, due to it being to much to run every day with that on top. So my focus now is to speed/hill run on shorter distances and to really focus on strengthening my core and glutes after working Tuesday and Wednesday in the mornings. Maybe some added core after my PT course on Saturdays. 

What I’ve come away with having ran every day:

1. Your mind feels so healthy, if you do not become obsessed with running a high distance on you ‘rest days’ or simply doing too much, this wouldn’t have been the case if I weren’t marathon training. 
2. It’s taught me to slow down. I felt at the start that I have to for a full blow out every run. If anything, RED has taught me to slow my shit down. It’s highlighted the need for me work out a ‘recovery pace’ for ‘recovery runs’. 
3. I feel so much more motivated, and I’ve stuck to my marathon plan like glue. 
4. It’s difficult in the first week as your body becomes accustomed to pounding the pavements everyday, but stick it out. 
5. I don’t feel that I have got faster, as some people on Run Mummy Run have stated. I feel more healthier and I feel my endurance for shorter runs have definitely increased. 
6. You have to EAT PROPERLY! Recovery is key, and I found this out the hard way after having legs that felt like lead on a couple of runs. 
7. If you’re unwell have the day off. Don’t feel guilty. Just make it up at the end. Nobody cares. Really they don’t. There is no one spying and slagging you off for not doing it consistently, every consecutive day. 
8. Always have Volterol or Ibuprofen gel at hand.