I’m slow updating the blog this week, busy times… So going back to last Friday…

Back playing squash with my Dad again following the Christmas shutdown. First game I nearly won but after that I was soundly beaten. Two weeks off and the muscles were not expecting 40 minutes of dashing around and I was quite achy on Saturday morning.

Saturday I decided to shake out the squash aches with a run. This was the worst run I have ever had. I was out for a little over an hour and covered seven and a half miles but I didn’t enjoy it. My legs fatigued so it was laborious to move them, just underneath my toes started to ache, my shins were sore, and I found myself having to walk for stretches of the distance. Not happy about that really, I have less than seven weeks to go before the killerthon and I’m running like I did 12 months ago. To compound matters all of the above aches are with me five days later which has meant that I haven’t really been out there rebuilding my stamina.

Yesterday I played squash, this time with a mate from work. This is secret extra court time so that I get good enough to give my dad a run for his money, and certainly playing someone of my own ability I was able to win a couple of games, but it is a good all round work out too. Nearly a thousand calories are burned during a game of squash which seems to be more than pretty much any other activity.

I’ll have a rest day today and then another game of squash on Friday with a run on the weekend… I do get the feeling that I don’t know how to train for an race though. When I was training for the DW kayak race (which is still on my mind btw. I just need a plan of action) I was running and swimming. When I was training for a swimming event I was out on my bike and now that I am training for a distance run I am playing squash.

I do need to research into my sore feet problem though as it is quite a painful issue at the moment and quite demoralising knowing that after a run I am going to be hobbling around for a few days. The internet will find a solution for me.

Last weeks training was a complete fail. The snow and ice was too much and in the end I didn’t head out at all fearing broken ankles. Saturday swimming was also a non event due to other plans, Sunday however was a nice day and I went out for my first run since the end of December. It was a five mile steady run with a burst of VO2 Max at the end because a thumping tune came on my iPod.

I have been suffering with wicked blisters, absolute killers. I had read on the web that blisters might be caused by too tight trainers so I tied my shoes less tightly and I didn’t suffer so badly. Next run out and I will tie them less so again and hopefully I will be able to get rid of them completely.

This week I am back into gear though. Honest. I have convinced a mate at work to start playing squash and now that the weather is back to pleasant I am sure I will be out running now…

I’ve got nine weeks to go now before the killerthon and I have really got to get my training into gear. I have been using the Christmas period and the wintery weather as an excuse for doing little in the way of training for this race but I can do this no longer.

Sunday I got myself moving again with an arctic trip up Snowdon, deep snow, avalanche warnings, crampons and ice axe. It was actually one of the best mountain trips I have had for years. All the additional kit added to the weight hauled, and the deep snow and technical nature of the climbing meant that we were moving more slowly that we would have otherwise. Six hours on the mountain and about 6 miles covered. Absolutely knackered today though.

The people at the killerthon are sending out weekly training emails which are pretty comprehensive and very similar to my own drafted training plan, so I will adopt theirs as it gets emailed to me once a week and reminds me that I should be doing something. I will be following the intermediate schedule.

So this week I will be doing.
Monday Rest.
Tuesday – 30 minute easy run.
Wednesday - 4x 750m, 3x 500m, 3x 300m with 90sec recoveries
Thursday - 50 min relaxed or steady run
Friday – rest (actually will be playing squash)
Saturday – Cross train. (swimming)
Sunday - 1 hour 20 min long run

Monday rest, no problem with that. My PS3 is calling my name for that session.
Tuesday 30 minute easy run. Perfect, I have a nice 3 miles route just for runs like this, just need to wrap up warm and hope it doesn’t snow too hard.
Wednesday… Not sure about this one. I will need to work out some sort of plan with a running track or something. Not sure will have to research how to do this one.
Thursday 50 minute relaxed run. Again, no issues other than the cold weather.
Friday I will be playing squash instead of resting, but I don’t think that should cause too many problems. Different muscles get worked out on the squash court so I should still be resting the running ones.
Saturday cross training fits nicely with my Saturday swimming sessions that we were doing before Christmas.
Sunday big run. Again, not real issues with that, though I might substitute that with another expedition up a mountain while we have snow to enjoy.

Well the Christmas went pretty much to plan. Too much food, too much drink, pretty much zero exercise and here I am with ten weeks to go before a 24km race not exactly in race trim.

I did have a guilt fuelled run on the Saturday after new year, a jolly five miler but that was all.

The start of the new year has now seen snow of epic proportions and although I have had every intention of going out for a run, I actually haven’t dared to venture out into the cold.

I’m going to have to do something though, I am feeling a tad unfit and have added some additional insulation to my midriff which will need to be shifted.