A hectic month at work, a bout of laziness and a full-on snot/coughing sickness (I’m a girl so I can’t call it ‘flu) meant that I only ran 20km in November, and only completed 4 FASTer Way To Fat Loss* workouts. Slightly less than ideal, but it could be worse, and to be honest I think I needed a rest. I haven’t really taken any real time off from training in the last couple of years, and so rather than beating myself up about it I am focusing on the future.
This morning I decided to head out for a bit of a joggle. I hadn’t coughed myself awake over night, and I have been able to bend over and put my socks on without coughing for the last two days as well. So after a walk to Sainsbury’s to grab my soup for lunch I switched into my kit and headed out for a 20ish minute economy run. I have a new route near home which has a flattish section to warm-up and then a gentle, runnable hill. It is about 1.5km to the top of the hill, which makes it the perfect way to turn a short run into one that gently increases my effort level without me having to up my pace.
Success! Just over 3km run in 23:30, not coughing and no more snotty than a standard winter run. I suppose this means I am officially well enough to recommence full training, so in addition to the 6 minute assessment the magic plan has snuck in for tomorrow, I will also be doing today’s missed leg session from the FASTer Way plan.
I am definitely ready to get back on track, not exercising does not suit me and despite not being able to walk up and down the stairs this week without getting out of breath, I have definitely been grumpier for not working out. Now I can breath again it’s time to switch focus and start getting ready for what 2018 has in store for me. First up, getting next year’s races written into my new awesome Marketing Planner from the Girls Mean Business. Not just a planner, this also has a Facebook support group and a bunch of shiny online modules to help you get the most out of your business (or blog). Why not take a look, and maybe snap one up to drive your 2018 forward! Behold the awesome Marketing Planner*
With my first race (just) 126 days away, I have time to get fitter, faster and stronger, and I intend to do so. With 5 ultras on my to do list I am keen to make it safely home on each without being right up against the cutoffs (something that could be especially tricky at Wendover Woods 50!). This means sticking to my planned TrainAsONE runs, hitting the HIIT and weights hard with the FASTer Way, and getting back to doing yoga as well (since my Yogaia membership is feeling sad and neglected).
It also means attempting to blog a bit more to share my progress and make everyone else feel better when they skip training too! To that end I just bought a new Bluetooth Keyboard* to use with my iPad Pro. The recent iOS update has meant the Smart Case Keyboard is being a bit temperamental, and as I like to blog in front of the TV on my iPad rather than my laptop I needed something that worked consistently. I found this one on Amazon, and had to buy it because it has cool, colour changing backlights…it reminds me of the old Alienware laptop I used to have… and who doesn’t love coloured backlit keys? You can snap one up for just under £15 at the moment. Shiny Backlit Bluetooth Keyboard*
I’m really looking forward to 2018, and so the last month of 2017 sees me giving a final push at getting a solid base in place for my plans. What are you planning for 2018?
As always *indicates an affiliate link – it won’t cost you more to buy but I may get a small reward.