Week 5 Training For The London Marathon

Week 5 Training for the London Marathon

Just a couple of things to start with. To read the opening story about my training for the London Marathon please start here or click on the links for the previous week’s training updates. Secondly, I’d love to hear what you are training for, how it is going and any questions you may have. Please comment below.

Week 5 training for the London Marathon has seen everything ramp up and get into full swing. I’m really pleased with how I’m feeling after my first week hitting over 60 miles since October. I miscalculated the mileage on my physical plan, and upon closer inspection needed to adjust. That said, what originally looked to be a 52 mile week only had 46 scheduled. I more than made up for it, and had some quality miles in the mix as well.

I did not get a yoga session during my week 5 training for the London Marathon. Finding the time is turning out to be a little harder than it should be. I will go out of my way this week to not have to admit this again next week. This week also had a wider variety of training and weather, making things a little more interesting.

This was a productive week despite coming down with a chesty cold and working through that. I’ll not say it affected my training, although I skipped a couple of the early mornings due to some sleep deprivation caused by the cough. No excuses, it was just a blip and I think that’s behind me now.

Monday

Monday was a rest day, and an opportunity to take Chief up to Jenkin Lakes for a 5 mile walk. It’s tough terrain with a challenging elevation gain, even when walking. We both enjoyed it and it was the perfect recovery day. This was the first day I felt the cough coming on me. Nothing too sinister, but something was brewing.

Tuesday

Tuesday called for a 6 mile hilly run. I can’t think of any other place better than Crocknagrally. Chief joined me on this 6 miler. I think I’ve mentioned it before, but I’m a better downhill runner than he is. To his credit, he is 10 times better uphill than I am. My 6 miles were hard, but very rewarding, with the wind kicking up making everything just that little bit tougher.

Wednesday

Wednesday of week 5 training for the London Marathon was supposed to be 7 miles easy. Instead, I took on my 7 mile progression run. This was supposed to be done on Wednesday. I ran it from home, which meant the first mile was mostly downhill. This also meant the last mile, the fastest, was going to be a tight pull uphill. I like this as a challenge and managed a good progression:

Mile 1: 8:43
Mile 2: 8:25
Mile 3: 7:57
Mile 4: 7:47
Mile 5: 7:36
Mile 6: 7:16
Mile 7: 6:54

Thursday

For Thursday, now a 7 mile easy run, I planned to meet a couple of club mates for these miles. One of these is also running London and whom I’m coaching. It was a perfect opportunity to discuss, in person, how training is going and any concerns. These small group runs are particularly enjoyable and I thoroughly enjoyed the run, the chat and the laughs. This 7 miler ended up being 10 as we finished the last 3 miles around the grounds of Castlecoole. 

Friday

I had Friday as a rest day, but as I said, I mis-calculated the miles, so I adjusted on the fly. I met another friend for a run around Enniskillen. Once again, this friend is also in week 5 training for the London Marathon. We ran a nice steady 10 miler around the town. 

Saturday

Although it was supposed to be parkrun + 5 miles, my wife, Roisin, was also taking on her long run. She is training for the Manchester Marathon the week before London. I ran the parkrun and then met her for the remainder of her miles. This took me up to 10 miles for the third consecutive day. The best thing of all, I had a steady build up in miles and I was feeling strong. I was really pleased with how the week was shaping up. Despite the cough/cold I was feeling remarkably well. My heart rate on this run told a different story though. According to the watch I was in zone 5 for the vast majority of this easy run. This is either due to the illness, or a malfunctioning watch. Hmm…Let’s hope it was just the cold.

Sunday Runday

Week 5 training for the London Marathon was capped off with a solo 18 miler. I ran this one from my front door on an out and back route. I got very used to these runs last year. Although it isn’t a great route, it is familiar. It was a very cold start with the temperature at -1 when I got started. The skies were bright though and the weather was dry. I would much rather a warmer day, but at least it wasn’t unpleasant. This concluded my week 5 training for the London Marathon. A good solid 7 days of training. 

Metrics:

I was expecting worse numbers after having come down with the cold. However, it wasn’t too bad. My average daily resting heart rate is down, which is great. My weight is slightly up, but again, this doesn’t worry me in the slightest at this point. I do need to drink more water and consume more protein and I will focus on these things.

Upcoming Week 6 Training for the London Marathon:

Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 8 miles steady
Wednesday: 10 miles easy
Thursday: 5 miles @ 7:40 + 5 miles at 6:40
Friday: rest
Saturday: Parkrun + 6 miles steady 
Sunday: 23 miles long slow distance run