50km at 50: The Diary of an Ultramarathon Runner
Week 04: Recovery week, 4 weeks in, 11 to go, and summer's just getting started.
This week is recovery week; one of just two in my training plan; and with the intense heat over the last couple of weeks, it’s very welcome. That said, the mileage starts to build steadily after this, so I’m making the most of taking it a little easier.
Four weeks down, eleven to go until the big day!
And it doesn’t look like the heat is easing up anytime soon; I’ve just heard on the radio we’re due our second heatwave this weekend…
Week 04: Day 14:
This week’s run club sessions was a steady 10km; exactly what I needed after Saturday’s (very hot) 21km.
According to my official plan I was supposed to run 6km with 5x 20-second strides, so I just worked these into the 10km route.
My legs felt a bit tired and heavy to start with, although once I got going they soon warmed up.
I managed a pretty steady pace at 6:01 min/km, which was ideal for a recovery week; though I did end up on the leaderboard for one of the segments (while running my splits… so guess that’s allowed?).
Once again it was super hot tonight, despite the day being mostly overcast and cooler; by 6.30pm, it was the hottest part of the day (typical), with a warm breeze that didn’t help too much.
Week 04: Day 15:
Finally, an overcast and slightly cooler day; although still very humid; and the delight of flies sticking to me.
Today’s plan was:
10 mins at easy pace (6:20-6:50)
4 x 6-minutes tempo intervals (5:20-5:40), each followed by 2 minutes easy (6:20–6:50)
Then another 10 minutes easy to finish
I decided to round up to a full 10km, continuing at an “easy” pace (or so I thought) for the remainder.
During the run, I genuinely believed I’d slowed right down; but once I checked Strava, that was an epic fail, averaging a 5:33 min/km!
I’d worked out beforehand that my average pace should’ve been around a 6:10 min/km, based on the tempo efforts. So yet again, way off.
At one point mid-run, I even convinced myself that these tempo/interval sessions are designed to slow you down overall; a kind of enforced pacing strategy, because honestly, they’re brutal!
Except... judging by my splits, I’m still going way too quick.
Week 04: Day 16:
There was a very welcome breeze today; although it was still humid.
No pub run for me this week, as I’m meeting up with some old work colleagues this evening. I’d planned an easy 5km, although ended up running 6km since I needed to drop off a package in town, so why not kill two birds with one stone!
Today’s run was then followed by this week’s strength training session.
This weeks session included:
5-minute warm-up
Squats: 60 seconds
Single Leg Deadlifts: 30 seconds each leg
Bridges: 60 seconds
High Plank Hold: 60 seconds
Repeated x4 times, followed by a 5-minute cool down.
I have to say, I found this week’s strength session noticeably easier than when I started four weeks ago; so something must be working!
Although annoyingly, I’ve started getting a coupe of small blisters on the side of the ball of my foot; which is slightly concerning, especially as I haven’t even started the big mileage yet!
It’s clearly a problem area, as it’s the same spot where I ended up with a massive blister during the Brighton Marathon.
And no, I don’t expect anyone to want to see photos of my feet (unless you have a bit of a foot fetish; in which case, bonus! No extra charge on this platform 😉). But hey, it’s all on show here, the good, the bad and the downright grim!
If any of my running friends are reading this and have any tips; please do let me know.
Week 04: Day 17:
As it’s recovery week, I only needed to run 16km today. Still very hot, though there was a bit of a breeze to contend with, strong enough to blow my cap off on the way home, although it did help cool me down slightly.
I ran solo today and managed to maintain my pace reasonably well (kind of).
Around 10km in, I started to feel the side of my foot getting sore (where the blister’s been flaring up). It eased off after a couple of kilometres, although wasn’t a pretty site when I took my trainers off; and even more delightful as the afternoon went on. 😳
Running the last stretch I was overtaken not once, but twice by a woman running with a buggy.
We ended up chatting briefly and I discovered she’s a fellow ultramarathon runner, having completed one back in March. She offered a few kind words of encouragement before carrying on.
When I got home, not only was my foot sore, but I also had a bit of chafing under my arm; oh the delights! Although nothing too much to worry about.
That’s week 4 complete, and I’m now making the most of two days off before it all starts again.
The pub garden is calling me.
As always, a huge thank you to everyone who’s donated so far; £120 raised for Mind, a charity doing vital work to support people facing mental health challenges.
Your support genuinely helps carry me through the tough training days. 💙
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Thanks again for reading my weekly diary; and for all the support so far.
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50km at 50: The Diary of an Ultramarathon Runner is an additional weekly post every Sunday, sharing my ultramarathon journey, as I prepare for my most gruelling challenge yet.
If you missed any of The Diary of an Ultramarathon Runner series you can catch up here:
