After the storm…the rain?
Yesterday, Monday, was a rest day from running…Started with strength without for the legs (VSA legs*3), the 3rd reps being way tougher than expected (and boring!). Won’t do this serie more than twice and have to add some difficulty instead. Plankan variations 50 sec was a tough cookie, but as usual it feels so good afterwards! Stormy weather outside so skipped the run-I-should-not-do-anyway-because-it-is-a-rest-day. More work done and bedtime came later than planned…
Therefore the surprise when I heard the clock this morning…Must be something wrong…just jumped into my bed a second ago… Anyway took 10 minutes to recover, go up, put in the morning running gear and off in the cold… Actually not that cold, pretty nice in the air. Still shorts and once again had to take of my rain jacket after 5km as I was to warm. Nice 10K before back home, shower breakfast and work.
This evening was so inviting for another run that the gear got themselves out of their drawers on their own… Pitch black, only city lights on. Had planned a 15km with progressive pace. First 5km went according to plan. But when you start a faster part with a stiff slope, it ain’t gonna work! Still got a good grip up to the top and then it was just to fire off downhill. Those second 5km were faster than the planned 3rd. Therefore changer of strategy, the last 5km would be slower. Got a bit of fun with a nice sprint during final 500m đ
Now my eyes are so tired they are closing themselves, no longer responding to the impulses from the brain… More later…
Berlin – Recovery Day 2&3
Two in one!
Tuesday
4:40am…no clock ringing, just the mind wanting to go up (really?!?!).
First day back at the office with nonstop meetings from 8am to 4:30pm… Can I run a marathon with a smile all the way, I can well survive such a day! Really tired afterwards but fit enough for restaurant outing with GET to celebrate đ Late in bed (again…) but still happy!
Did absolutely no running, not even to catch the ferry this morning!
Wednesday
4:40am…AGAIN! Start to believe there is something special with this particular time of the day! Not enough flour, so no pancake :o(
Early start at work once again, directly to meeting. Feel so clear in the mind after a race, this is almost scary. Can see much brighter, focus more and get the dots connected… Sushi for lunch under the sun. And full afternoon meeting until aiming fast home to hear that the vaccination for T is tomorrow and not today… So much for my planning!
Spaghetti bolognaise for dinner, meeting at the athletic club and ended the day with croque-monsieur and glass of chocolated soymilk…Sounds like have been eating all day, but no!
Bedtime story and final reading about the recommendations regarding the week after marathon for maximizing recovery. Pfitzinger recommends at least 2 days off-running and then super easy run if really need to. It always surprise me having fellow runners already in their running gear the day after the marathon. Not that I do not want to run then…my whole body shouts for more running! But so far, have always had a full week or so without running, before resuming training. Berlin being the last marathon for this year, it is nice actually to rest a bit, not chasing anything… Will see how long I can say that and still smiling đ
Time for beauty sleep and muscle recovery…
Why even going up?…
Ok, it was not that bad. But after a terrible night with a heavy-snoring princess close to me, a late bedtime and as usual an early bird happy to wake up anyone in the neighbourhood… the motivation was not on the top to even go up this morning.
Got the alarm to snooze an indecent number of times and finally got my feet of the need and the legs did follow, soon after the whole body… đ Gear on and suddenly feeling much more awaken. Went for an easy recovery run. Took another route for a change (well, more likely an old route not used since a long long while). Nice in the air, almost for a “no-shirt” run. Got a nice and steady low pulse throughout the run, which was the aim when I felt I could not (and would not) run faster than this. Nice breathing, the air felt fresh after a night of rain. Turn back after 5K and then the return way felt extremely boring. Finally home from this morning 10K, got stretch done and usual after-run-plank. Prepared a good fruits smoothie (mango and forest fruit + soygurt vanilla taste) and a protein shake (less good).
Then time for work. Which took all morning. Lots completed, fortunately as the afternoon was purposed to GET. Went to visit the Maritima and all its boats.
Followed some shorts shopping for GE and them more light running to get back home. Completed the day with a pizza on the side of the river (because it tastes so much better with the sun in your eyes and the noise of the water in your ears…!). And back home in 3 loooooong km. To m make then disappear quicker, the trick wad to talk talk talk and talk again. So yes, by the time we reached home, all were pretty tired. Warm bath and now bedtime.
Hopefully tomorrow will be easier to wake up…
Same same, but different..
…or “why settling for 12, when you can do 14…”
Up with the Birdies once more, got into my gear, Gel Skyspeed on and off I went. Challenge of the day given by E was to run 1 hour. So I settled for another route to get up to 12 km. Why? Because 12K in one hour sounds cool đ
Heavy feet, aching but ok in the thigh/bum muscle…passed the first 6km in 31+ min and it was the flat and easy part… Changed music after km 9 and it made all the difference! Up to speed, it ended into exactly 12km for 1:00:41… Challenge completed!
Concert at school and then work. Early lunch with double portion of pasta (not really planned so, but it looked much less in the boxes… Never trust the leftovers!!!) No worries, all went down. Rested briefly with a quick powernap and then decided to go out again and try the same route and see what I could get out of it.
Sooo different! Planned to run alternate km fast/slow (to have a bit of fun). But it did not work this way, having the 2 first km already under 4:40… So skipped looking at the watch and ran along under much warmer sun, much brighter light and much more dangerous roads with cars not looking where they drive… Anyway, passed the 6 km with 4+ minutes ahead of the morning run and this was for the easy part…from this point it just become faster. Stopped at a pizzeria at 10km mark for a glass of water and them back to the road. Reached my 12km 10 minutes ahead of morning run so continued running until the 1 hour was completed… Exactly 14km in 1:00:13… Yep! A good time for running!
Sweaty and probably not to appealing, I picked up my sites at the shoe store and them quick back home, shower and more work. So nice and sunny outside, warn and humid. Ended the day with soccer team photo and now sandwiches in the oven before bedtime stories.
Tomorrow will always be another day, but today was a great running day!
Forgot your fish stick?
So cool to have a caravan of soul...
The Swans lake đ
So nice and idyllic view...
Peaceful when looking back as well!
Small houses looking at the sea
Only 5 km left...
Just Running Around... 