530 miles...

This is how many miles I've clocked up training for the London Marathon so far - having just done a quick Google this is roughly the distance from London to Aberdeen which is CRAZY!

With two weeks to go i'm starting to taper my training so my legs are in good shape for the big day. This morning I did a solid 15 miles which felt good despite the wind and rain (I am not going to miss this!) and came home dead on 1:55.

Puppy is so heavy now - its a workout just lifting
him up!

The next couple of weeks will continue to consist of interval training and steady runs but the distance will drop hopefully leaving me feel fresher than I do currently. I've been feeling super tired for the last month or so (going to bed at 8:30pm has happened) which I think is a side effect of all the training.

I have started to work on my training plans post marathon which i'm really excited about, especially to get back in the gym and start building some muscle again! Plus i'm going to completely overhaul my diet plan which has changed drastically from where it was pre training. I will of course be sharing this once its finished and keep you updated with my progress from Cardio Queen to Gym Bunny. Running will absolutely still be a part of my plan as I love it but I will be more focused on shorter distances in preparation for the 2 10k's I have over the summer.

In other news this week, I got discharged from the Osteo I had been seeing for my back and neck which means I'm fixed again! it definitely feels good to be running without the distraction of a painful neck and crunchy back. Turns out, my back problems stem from my old hip injury, meaning the way I carrying myself as a result is causing the symptoms. I hope to get that worked out post marathon but now isn't the time for that!

Short and sweet update this week - happy Saturday x

New Miles & New Arrivals

Today I managed my first 20 miles! I was feeling quite nervous before going out this morning as in my mind, this was when training got serious. I didn't feel as good over the first 17 as I did last week, my legs just weren't as fresh but I pushed on all the same and made it home in a respectable 2:33:21.

Mile 16 onwards took some grit to keep going, especially the last 2 miles as my route was a there and back situation, which isn't great for mentality. That aside, everything went fairly smoothly however I have started to get the dreaded chafe. This has started where my sports bra finishes at the very top of my abdomen - so will need to start addressing that!

So that 20 miles brings me to the end of another weeks training and I've clocked up another 45 miles, bringing me to 90 miles for February so far. I was told to anticipate the feeling that i'm not doing enough but that is absolutely not the case so far! This coming week is slightly lighter on the miles as i'm running the Brighton Half Marathon on Sunday 22nd - i'm hoping to break my PB by going under 1:39. I'm really excited as I love the atmosphere of a race, plus its an excuse to push a little harder and improve fitness.

Not to cast my 20 mile achievement aside but the big news this week is the arrival of Zeus, our Siberian Husky puppy who is absolutely gorgeous, see for yourself!

Huskies are a high energy, intelligent breed, renowned for being top jogging partners so I cant wait to start training him up to be a distance runner like me...this is however a little way off. For now, we're just enjoying having the little bundle of joy bouncing round the house. He has two moods - sleepy and crazy, which he switches between on an hourly basis.

Can't wait to share more of his shenanigans with you but right now we're working on the basics - toilet training. He's reluctant to poo in the garden (sorry for lowering the tone) which means we have to walk around for hours (literally) until he goes. This did however provide the perfect warm down for me today so no complaints on my side.

This evening I have a three course meal to look forwards too, courtesy of my wonderful boyfriend who has pulled out all the stops - check out the menu! Cannot wait to eat my body weight this evening, feels well deserved.

Happy Valentines x