Bad days build better days | The Yorkshire Dad of 4

Bad Days Build Better Days

As hard as we might try sometimes, not every day can be a good day. I’d go so far as to say that anyone who says they never have bads days is lying through their teeth. Sometimes you might want to portray that your days are good and nothing is wrong, but eventually, the mask slips.

First things first – I’m okay. I just need to vent and my blog is a place I feel I can do that. But, it’s also very public so sometimes I need to be sparing with the details.

Running is my constants. Without a run, I go a little bit crazy. I need that time and that physical exertion to give my mind time to process things. To put it in computing terms (as I am IT Manager) I am defragmenting my brain (had drive).

This is why I have issues with training plans.

I have committed to running the Blackpool Marathon in April. Initially, this was just for me and a personal challenge. The last time I did it I used it to raise money for charity – The British Heart Foundation. This time I was setting myself the challenge of a time under 3 hours and 30 minutes.

My holistic method of training wasn’t really going to deliver the results that would facilitate that sort of marathon time. So, somewhat reluctantly, I looked at training plans.

I chose a Runners World plan for a 3:30:00 marathon. Then the crazy thoughts hit me. If I training for a 3 hour marathon I might do better.

Ah, the good old – AIM FOR PERFECTION AND YOU MIGHT JUST CATCH EXCELLENCE.

Or die.

Last night my plan said I had to run “8 miles – slow (60 minutes)”. I do need to check I am understanding it right. Did it mean run 8 miles in 60 minutes, or was it 8 miles or 60 minutes.

8 miles in 60 minutes is a pace of 7:30 mins/mile. If I extrapolate that out to running a marathon (26.2 miles) at that pace then it would be a time of 3:16:30. That’s not too far from my goal time of under 3:30:00.

SPOILER ALERT: I was nowhere near an average of 7:30/mile.

I ran bang on 8 miles in 1:04:31 – that’s an average pace of 8:03/mile. Here’s my pace for each mile:

I felt like I had a terrible run. I’d had a bad day at work and a hectic time after work getting the youngest two ready for panto while ensuring all the children had tea. I was so looking forward to this run to wash away the day.

But, thanks to trying to run to a training plan, I didn’t really enjoy the run. I didn’t feel like running 8 miles to start with plus the route was undulating so I knew before I started that averaging 7:30/mile was a pipe dream.

12 hours later I was out running again. It was dark (as usual) and foggy. Did I fancy running 7 miles in 45 minutes? Did I f*#$!

And I didn’t. I ran just over 6 miles in 52:01 – and an average pace of 8:35/mile. That was significantly slower than last night. Not massively surprising considering the recovery gap in between (and I forgot the stretch – again).

I chose not to take Duke with me this morning. I just felt that it might be too much for him after only 12 hours between runs. There I am worried about the dog without really worrying that it might have been too much for me.

I am mentally exhausted.

Work is stressful at the moment and I am feeling strained. Homelife is hectic (or, more hectic than normal) due to it being panto season. Add to the mix that I have set myself a challenging training plan and you have a hattrick.

I am physically tired.

Yet, come Saturday when I can run in daylight all will be well again. My nearest parkrun at Castle Howard is back on this week after a two-week hiatus and I am hoping to go do that.

Is it just the winter months getting me down? I mean, we’ve not even had any snow to cheer me up.

I am going to see out this week on the training plan I currently have. To be honest, it’s felt like too much this week. Training for a marathon, especially one in the spring, is chuffing hard work – make no mistake.

I’ll take stock at the weekend after my long run and let things settle back down. Then I’ll decide if this is the plan I will continue with or switch to an alternative.

This post has taken a little while to write. I’ve been back into the office twice tonight to sort some issues that kept cropping up. Now I’m settled in bed while H is doing a night shift. I can’t settle when she’s not here so goodness know how little sleep I’ll get.

No bother, got a steady 4 miles to crack out in the morning…!

Thanks for reading.

D


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