In the current circumstances (2020 Lockdown), any sign of a potential race made me feel extremely excited!! I got into a 5km road race that was organized under strict rules.
Up to this point I have been running mostly on the trails, so I had to switch my mindset as well as training terrain to prepare for a flat 5km road race. We also had to leave France in a hurry, with tightened travel restrictions that were coming into effect.
On Thursday, I received the most exciting news of the year: I got a spot in the London marathon that was taking place in less than 7weeks!!!
I ran a 40km Long run with renewed motivation and excitement.
Two speed workouts were on the cards in preparation for the 5km road race on Friday.
I was delighted with my 5km time of 15:45, a win and a heart full of excitement and disbelief.
There was no time to waste. Restrictions lifted once again and we decided to travel back to France to ensure a fully focused month of training, away from any distractions.
I ran another long run around a lake in Tignes which sits at an altitude of 2100m above sea level.
Another week with my main focus being a track workout on Tuesday followed by a Tempo run on Thursday.
I combined my long run with a virtual challenge organized by my running club. I never spent too much time focusing on any of the virtual challenges, but this specific challenge had some prize money at stake and fitted perfectly with my planned long run.
I was very pleased with both workouts during the week and even though they weren’t easy, I felt in control on both occasions.
I decided to push my usual weekend long run forwards and to do another speed workout on Saturday. It was a lovely day and autumn in the alps made for some stunning scenery.
On Monday, I practiced running in small loops of 3km which resembled the race route of 19 laps of roughly 2,5km each!
It felt good to complete my last tempo run faster than my planned marathon pace. It is never easy practicing race pace during training and knowing that I could run slightly faster on tired legs helped me gain confidence in myself.
Race week: Where has the time gone? Too many covid tests and a travel day but I didn’t complain because I was one of a lucky few who got to race during these unprecedented times!
A race that would be difficult to forget!! A 7th place finish and only seconds off the National marathon record at the time!! We battled through the rain for19 laps of St James’ Park, I was ready for some much needed rest, recovery and celebrations!!!
I wrote down affirmations and read them over and over to myself before the race. I constantly reminded myself just how fortunate I was to be at the race, fit, healthy and ready to go!