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Valencia Marathon - Week 2/12

Feels like the weeks are flying by, maybe a sign I'm in the zone and enjoying myself. Week two was almost an exact replica of the first. The only changes were an extra rep on Friday and a slightly faster long run on Saturday. 
Before I go into last week's training in detail, I just want to mention my nutritional changes, they're quite simple really, eat more! For me this is extra bowls of cereal and also toast and jam. My energy levels appear infinite, and as a result I'm looking forward to every run.

Monday
8 miles (13K) easy, weather was perfect for running and energy levels were high.

Tuesday
8 miles (13k) easy, humid and windy, my least favourite conditions. I also got a reminder from my left quad to foam roll.

Wednesday
7 miles (11k), up to Marlay Park for my first session of the week, which included 5 miles (8k) at 160 heart rate. For this run to happen I have to be out the door by 6:30am. I love these early morning starts but it does take the body time to wake up. For this reason it took some time for the heart rate to hit the 160 zone. Still another strong session, even if the paces were slightly slower than previous week.



Thursday 
5 miles (8k) easy with RCSI crew, nice chats.

Friday
6 miles (10k) which included 6x1k at an average of 6'39 mile pace (4'08 km) off a 60 seconds standing recovery. Started at 4'14 km pace and progressed each effort, the last rep hitting 4'01. I was always in control, felt strong and confidence is building.

Saturday
15 miles, didn't sleep very well the night before due to pure excitement for this run. It was another early start at 6am, I like this time on the weekends as the roads are quieter.
The run would follow the same progression format as the previous week but with slightly higher power numbers. The result was 7.5 miles (12k) at 8'06 mile pace (5'02 km pace), 4.5 miles (7.2k) at 7'43 (4'48) and 3 miles (5k) at 7'29 (4'39).
I was certainly working hard towards the end. I took a lactate reading straight after and had 1.5 mmol. I should have taken a second reading as I expected to see a higher number to match my effort levels. Don't get me wrong, lower is better but fairly sure the reading was inaccurate, so not kidding myself.

Overall another solid 50 mile week (80k), motivation still high and feeling focussed. In preparation for the Valencia Marathon, I also signed up for their half marathon. This takes place in four weeks time, October 22nd. I'm hoping for a big performance but nothing is guaranteed and I've actually no clue to what kind of shape I'm currently in. This is dangerous territory as the heart and gut feelings start to lead the conversations, but I guess the excitement is in the unknown.
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Location: Valencia, Spain

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