If you read the literature, everyone says that you should avoid any undue stress in the last few weeks before a marathon… chance would be a fine thing! With the 16 weeks previous being a metronomic picture of training consistency, week 17 has been flying by the seat of my pants.
| Day | Book Plan | My Plan | Actual | Notes |
| Monday | Rest | Rest | Rest | |
| Tuesday | 7m General Aerobic (8 x 100m Strides) | 7m General Aerobic (8 x 100m Strides) | Rest | |
| Wednesday | 8m (3 x 1m Intervals) | Rest | 7m General Aerobic (8 x 100m Strides) | |
| Thursday | Rest | 8m (3 x 1m Intervals) | 7m (3 x 1m Intervals) | |
| Friday | 5m (6 x 100m Strides) | Rest | Rest | |
| Saturday | Rest | 5m (6 x 100m Strides) | 5m (6 x 100m Strides) | |
| Sunday | 12m Medium-Long | 12m Medium-Long | 12m Medium-Long | |
| Total Mileage | 32m | 32m | 31m |
On Tuesday I was meant to run… but I had a last minute request for work to go to Reading in the morning. This put back the whole day, which meant I didn’t end up having any time prior to the club AGM. So instead, it was Wednesday before I ran my 7 miles with 8 strides. The extra rest day really helped – my legs felt amazing, and the run was very comfortable. I even managed probably the fastest complete set of strides I’ve ever managed. This was very encouraging!
This meant I missed the rest on Wednesday and went back-to-back on Thursday with 7 miles and 3 x 1m Intervals. The book wanted 8, but I wanted to drop the mileage a little farther this week so cut it down just a tad, and made for a simple 2 mile warm up/down. I’ve always struggled with this session in the past. This time, I really nailed it. Some great reps, just a shame the last wasn’t a smidge quicker – but there were some obstacles slowing me down! Finished feeling like I’d had a good workout, but didn’t feel too battered. The taper may just be working!
On parkrunday we stayed close to home as I was still working on a DIY project I needed to be home for. Got in my 5 miles with strides. Got some funny looks as I was switching between 8m/m and then sprinting off at sub-5 pace! Good session though, with some super speedy strides.
Sunday was the last “long” run, 12 mile medium-long. My legs were still VERY sore from all the DIY which meant it was a lot tougher than it should have been. I really would have liked for it to be a real easy confidence builder. Not to be! I ran a decent pace though, and even managed to grab a CR on a segment I’ve had my eye on for a while.
Summary
Welll that’s pretty much it! All that’s left is a few recovery runs and a rehearsal run. I’m writing this on Easter Monday, full of chocolate. I’m off to Copenhagen tomorrow morning for work and will soend the next 5 days eating very clean as a last minute boost to self confidence. Before I know it, I’ll be at the expo!
Looking at my “Fitness Trend” I’m about where I need to be. With 6 days to go, I’m hoping my remaining runs keep me where I am at and let my legs freshen up.
And here’s what I’ll be doing next week!
| Day | Book Plan | My Plan | Notes |
| Monday | Rest | Rest | |
| Tuesday | 6m Recovery | 5m Recovery | Just a minor mileage reduction |
| Wednesday | 7m General Aerobic (2m Marathon Pace) | 6m General Aerobic (2m Marathon Pace) | Just a minor mileage reduction |
| Thursday | Rest | 5m Recovery (6 x 100m Strides) | |
| Friday | 5m Recovery (6 x 100m Strides) | Rest | |
| Saturday | 4m Recovery | 3m Recovery | Just a minor mileage reduction |
| Sunday | VMLM 2017 | VMLM 2017 | |
| Total Mileage | 22m (Pre-race!) | 19m (Pre-race!) |