Weekly Training Blog Sabbatical: March 2022

Since 4x4x48, I have not had a chance to blog my training updates. To be honest, I haven’t a hope of remembering all the individual workouts but will gloss over the main ones in March and why I missed getting the blog updates in.

After 4x4x48, I struggled to train for the next few days. I got a light gym workout on the following Tuesday, but I didn’t feel great doing it. More so going through the motions, if I’m honest. But my sleep pattern was shot! I was waking up every 2 hours thinking I needed to run or take on a new challenge! While I felt great after the 13 x 4 mile runs physically. Mentally, with the lack of sleep and my sleeping pattern in shatters, I was exhausted.

By Thursday, March 10th. I was starting to get back to myself again. After being surprised on my birthday with muffins and croissants, I decided to go for a deadlift PB, hitting 1.5BW for 5 reps. Definitely, the strongest I have done on deadlifts, though still very cautious of my lower back as you can see by the lockouts in the video linked.

A light 8k run on Friday morning followed before going to the girlfriend’s sister’s wedding that afternoon. Despite the late night and the “odd” glass of wine… like 7 or 9 on top of everything else, I foolishly went to the gym on Saturday afternoon and got my pull-ups in along with a quick upper body session. By the time Saturday night rolled around for Day 2, I was wrecked! “You look like how I feel,” one of the women said to me at the bar, effectively ending any hope of me having a drink that night.

8-9 hours of sleep on an early night and I was back on a long run. Run 1 of two long runs that day! The goal is to add as much mileage, as safely as I can, o the weekends towards a challenge I am hoping to sign up for in August.

After the events of the weekend, and I’m sure the 16k and 11k didn’t help, I got another going through the motions workout in on Monday. The challenges and training were starting to catch up with me. I had neglected recovery and my body was crashing, or so I thought.

B the time O got to Tuesday afternoon, I had no energy. i decided to take the day off. One afternoon and evening of rest and I was convinced i would be ok by Wednesday to train again. When the girlfriend came home sick, soon followed by her sick Dad, I knew I was about to have a lot more time off.

Yep, positive Covid test. Right on Paddy’s week!

Night sweats and bad cold/flu symptoms had me in a bad way until Friday when I started to feel better. Not good enough to run… but it didn’t stop me from trying anyway! Not by best decision. I cough and spluttered through most of the slow 5k run.

I loaded myself up with fluids and different vitamins and did some work around the house.

On Sunday, it was time to try to run again. Ths time the results were much different. I felt great!

Halfway through the run, with Hans Zimmer Live blaring in the headphones, kicking into that part of the Lion King soundtrack, My pace increased to a 4:30km run. I finished the run, without knowing it, hitting my second fastest 15k time (more than likely my second fastest 10 miles too).

It was almost like I had gotten stronger and fitter with Covid! And here I was fearing long covid and a long road to recovery.

Obviously. Covid didn’t cause me to be more fit, but the rest certainly helped.

A full week of training followed, including getting a PB in reps on pull-ups at 15 in a row and a new push up challenge set.

With feeling comfortable at a 4:54 pace over 10 miles and hitting and maintaining 4:30 at the 9th through 11th km, I was feeling great heading into my 10k challenge in Straffan. So much so that I posted on the Any Given Training Day Instagram, guaranteeing a new 10k PB and that I would start the race at a 4:20 pace to see how long I could maintain it.

The 10k started downhill, which meant I was up to a 4:10 pace before settling in at 4:15. It was a two-lap course, so depending on how I felt halfway through, would decide how I pushed for the second half. 21:35 at the halfway point, I felt great. Doing the maths in my head, I knew I had the extra couple of seconds and a sprint finish in me to get under the 43-minute mark

A new PB was set! 42:28 for the official time on the Straffan 10k, I was beyond thrilled. I was even happier to see how well everyone else at the ABC Run Club got on in the event as well!

At the time of typing, a brick session was done on Monday, hitting 34k on the bike. My lower back felt sore after the long cycle, trying to tackle every hill I could find to prepare myself for Quest this Saturday. But it did loosen out during the run. Hopefully, that’s not foreshadowing but I am feeling good for the vent right now!

A lower body session was done today with the plan to do an upper and then sneak in a lower body session on Thursday before yet another wedding. Will have to ease into this one with Quest on Saturday!

With last Friday’s InBody results, despite a week of eating crap with Covid, I feel like I am the leanest, strongest and fittest I have ever been! And the pressure is on to keep it up through Quest this weekend and aiming towards a half marathon PB in May