Training Log | The Final Christmas Countdown: Week 9 Ultra-Training

WEEK NINE 

18th December - 24th December

Monday 18th December

Final day in the Lake District and time to work on my climbing legs. A huge day mostly in the snow making for extremely achey legs! 5 Wainwrights climbed and 4 other tops. Really proud of how far my winter hiking has come.

Hiking: 17.9km | Time: 4:59:06 | Elev Gain: 932m

Tuesday 19th December

Back in London for the final working week of the year. Bike is back out, feeling bolstered by an amazing time away in the mountains. In the evening attempt a 5km treadmill run - oh my gosh it's so hard! How do people run on treadmills?!

Running: 5km | Time: 23:48 | Av Pace: 4:46/km | Elev Gain: 0m
Cycle (commuting): 19.5km | Time: 1:08:26

Wednesday 20th December

Run to work. Literally running late (haha). Can't even nip up Primrose Hill. Still that's part one of the day done. In the evening tear my way from work to the Running Works for their Run for Mulled Wine special event. Who thought starting running events at 6:30pm was a good idea?! This does have the advantage though that I run to the event, run round the veeeery pacey 'casual' paced event they do and then run home racking up some decent mileage for the second run of the day. Home for dinner literally in the bath. Don't even care.
Running: 6.3km | Time 35:52 | Av Pace: 5:37/km | Elev Gain: 57m

Running: 17.1km | Time 1:33:27 | Av Pace: 5:27/km | Elev Gain: 279m
Double day total distance: 23.4km

Thursday 21st December

It's Thursday - it's the final Beigel run of the year! Obviously as it's the final one of the year we dress as Santa in huge Santa suits. I don't know if it's the mileage of yesterday or a lack of water in the morning but I feel like I'm dying. Maybe Santa Suits and ultra training don't mix. Group are amazing and help ensure I get back but it's grizzly stiches the whole way. Don't pass out. Sometimes running is a bit grim! 
Plan a swim before work but the pool is only open from 10am-4pm because it's Christmas. WHAT EVEN IS THAT?!

Running: 10.6km | Time: 1:04:18 | Av Pace: 6:04/km | Elev Gain: 184m

Cycle (commuting): 10.2km | Time 45:08

Friday 22nd December

Final day in the office! Bike to work and then catch the death express AKA the train back to Birmingham with apparently the whole of the rest of London. Back in Cheswick Green, Graeme's home town in the evening I head out for a quick 5km before the Christmas feasting begins. This is one of the great things about the Advent Running challenge: I don't let anything get in the way of me carving out some time for my 5km!

Running: 5.1km | Time: 26:20 | Av Pace: 5:09/km | Elev Gain: 43m

Cycle (commuting): 6.5km | Time 24:18

Saturday 23rd December

Really nice to be back at Brueton parkrun and I don't know if it's the encouragment of Margaret, the oldest woman to reach 250 parkruns or the recovery post-Beigel-of-death from Thursday but I feel on it at the start. And I am. I run my second fastest time ever at 5km. And I'm only 2 seconds off my all time PB. Go me! 
Celebrate by finding a lovely local villager to borrow a foam roller off and spending a solid 25 minutes rolling. 

Running: 5km | Time: 22:54 | Av Pace: 4:35/km | Elev Gain: 39m

Sunday 24th December

Christmas Eve and my lovely Father in law is pretty excited by Strava flybys that I've just introduced him to so we set up a challenge which sees the Speedster running 14km, me running 11km, my father-in-law running 2.5km and my mother-in-law walking the dog 5km. It's fun to enjoy the lakes near their house and to repeatedly see them on the way round. 
Being back in Brum for Christmas also gives me the perfect opportunity to go cup chasing (Apologies: #stravawanker). The shiny Dambusters crown becomes mine just in time for Christmas.

Running: 11.7km | Time: 1:07:42 | Av Pace: 5:47/km | Elev Gain: 66m

Week Nine Totals

Running: 78.8km | 10:31:00 | 1,624m

Cycling: 36.8km | 2:17:00 | 357

Swimming: 0m

Thoughts: Really pleased with another good week of training especially in the build up to Christmas. Legs are pretty tired after the Lakes so next week will probably be a true cut back week as I've got a few days in Iceland so it will be harder to run.