Happy Bank Holiday y’all!  What are you up to for it?

I’m so excited for this three day weekend, even though (actually, especially thought!) I have only a very few plans.  I’ve had the most manic week – works been crazy and I’ve been out every night, plus I had my lovely friend Jess staying on Wednesday night so it’s been ALL SYSTEMS GO.  In a good way obvs, but having a nice lazy weekend is perfect!

So … amazing news … my foot has managed to run around for a full week!  This week (for these purposes Sunday-Saturday) it’s transported me on the following:

• Sunday 21 May:  15km (run/walk)
• Monday 22 May:  12km (walk – this was supporting a friend who was doing it for charity)
• Tuesday 23 May:  6km (800m intervals)
• Wednesday 24 May:  5.2km (fartlek broken up with strength exercises)
• Thursday 25 May:  5.4km (tempo steady state + hill sprints)
• Saturday 27 May:  15.5km (run/walk)

Weekly total:  59.1km!  And then on top of that I did the Westminster Mile today (technically it’s a rest day, but I’ve had this race booked in forever, it’s one I do every year).  My foot is, if I’m honest, more achey than it’s been for a while, but I think that has to be expected right?  It’s had to go further in this one week than the rest of the month combined.  I actually kind of want to knacker it out (ooh yay pain!) because I have a specialist appointment on Tuesday at 09:00, and the last thing I want is for it to feel fine and me not to be able to tell her what hurts and what doesn’t!

My runs this week have honestly been amazing.  The weather’s been fantastic for the most part (not always, but a lot of it), and the park is like a whole new world of love.  Monday’s walk was lovely – I wouldn’t normally count this as training, because it was only walking, but it’s just time on my sketchy foot which I think has to count for now!  The walk itself was the London Legal Walk, which my friend Flora (a different Flora to the one who’s also doing Wadi Rum) was doing with her work.  Despite being a lawyer I’ve never done it before, and I should have – it was such a well organised event and the atmosphere was fantastic.  I was also super-proud of Flora, she absolutely hates exercise and this was a massive challenge for her and she did brilliantly!  She didn’t love the last km but she did it anyway and she deserves a humungous cheer.  Woop woop for Flora!

My runs have been basically the same as they have been (when I have been able to do them) all month, like, the 800m reps and the run broken up by body-weight exercises have been on the schedule every week but I haven’t really been able to do both any week until now.  My run on Thursday was … interesting!!!!  As I mentioned, my friend Jess was down from Shropshire for an appointment, and she stayed with me on Wednesday night.  We arranged that we’d do a run on Thursday morning, then have breakfast, then she’d head off to her appointment and I’d wiggle and jiggle on to work.  What I haven’t mentioned though is that Jess recently came 3rd in Europe at the European Duathlon Championships and she is the speediest lil speedster since Speedy Gonzalez hung up his sombrero.  Therefore, even though she assured me she was doing an easy run and I’d easily keep up I honestly thought I might die pahahahhahha!  I lasted with her for about 3km (which I was actually very proud of) and then we split so that she could continue on her “easy” run and I could do some hill sprints.  Since my heart rate was going nuts, why not eh?!  They were the first hill sprints I’d done since the foot situation, but actually they’re a lot easier than running on the flat because my foot strikes differently … my heart wasn’t so convinced though, frankly it’s astounding I didn’t have some kind of cardiac infarction haha.  I got through them though and then it was all about the breakfast, which we had in the full on baking sun overlooking the boating lake in Battersea.  Oh yes.  And it was THE DREAM – poached eggs, sourdough, feta, smashed avo … yeah baby, this is literally why I run.  I RUN FOR FOOD.  

I’m going to post about my Saturday long run separately because it was so iconic (completely by accident) – it’s definitely worth its own blog post.  Therefore I’ll love ya and leave ya for now, but I hope you’re having an amazing Bank Holiday weekend!

xx