Good morning. I can’t believe it’s Monday morning again. As always, I hope whoever reads this life and training update had a fabulous weekend. If, like me, you didn’t, I hope that the next seven days are more positive for both of us.
For the reasons I outlined last week, I decided to start again with the Couch to 5k training plan that is available on the NHS Live Well website. This version of the Couch to 5k training plan should take nine weeks.
The NHS Live Well website provided the following information about the interval sessions in Week 3 of the Couch to 5k training plan.
My Tuesday and Sunday interval sessions started with a fast 5-minute warm-up walk and ended with a slightly slower 5-minute cool-down walk. I supplemented the three interval sessions with cross training sessions on Monday and Saturday and rest days on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
As I’d love to complete the Couch to 5k before the end of the year, I allocated time every day to stretching. In addition, I used my Bob and Brad Q2 Mini Massage Gun to massage my quads and calf muscles before each interval session and whenever I felt my legs would benefit from an extra massage.
Monday – 30 mins cross training
The third week of my latest attempt at completing the Couch to 5k didn’t get off to the most positive of starts when I woke feeling like I was fighting off a cold. This set the tone for the next seven days and if you don’t want to read a somewhat negative weekly life and training update, I’d stop reading now!
My review of Week 2 of my Couch to 5k training was published and I started to plan my training for the week ahead. Work was challenging. As I’d failed to leave the house at lunchtime, as soon as I finished work I got changed into some running gear and spent 30 minutes trying and failing to complete a basic yoga workout. Following a healthy takeaway from the local Chinese restaurant, I laid out some running gear, made sure my Garmin was charged, and checked my alarm was set for 5:30am.
Tuesday – 18 mins intervals (run 90 secs/walk 90 secs/run 3 mins/walk 3 mins x 2)
After spending hours lying in bed overthinking and trying and failing to sleep, knowing I had a busy day ahead of me, I abandoned the idea of running before work. Although I felt guilty, this turned out to be the right decision as after spending several hours feeling completely overwhelmed and incapable of doing my job, I ended up finishing work at 3pm. I’ve so much respect for people who seem to juggle work, families, side hustles, and training.
Following a post-work nap, after discovering that entries had opened, I entered the 2024 edition of the Run Up to Christmas virtual event and set a target of running/walking 100km. I also treated myself to a festive running top. Hopefully, both purchases will motivate me to leave the house in December. I got changed into some running gear and used my massage gun to massage my legs and calf muscles.
The first interval session of the week wasn’t exactly what I’d describe as a success. It didn’t take me long to realise it was incredibly mild out and that I was wearing too many layers. Midway through the interval session, the top of my left foot started to feel painful. By the time I reached the end of the interval session, I had pins and needles in my left foot and walking felt strange. I loosened both of my laces and walked home praying that my foot pain had been caused by my left lace being tied too tight rather than something more serious.
Wednesday – Rest
I was up and out of the house bright(?) and early as I had a dentist appointment. This meant an expensive start to the day – I tried not to dwell on the fact I could have bought myself a pair of trainers for what the dentist set me back – but hopefully, if I don’t do anything stupid, I won’t need to return for another six months.
After a somewhat tedious morning meeting, I needed a screen break, so I headed out for a lunchtime walk and just about managed to dodge the rain. This meant I ended up walking a total of 5 miles on what was meant to be a rest day. I’ll never learn.
Thursday – 18 mins intervals (run 90 secs/walk 90 secs/run 3 mins/walk 3 mins x 2)
Following a third consecutive early morning overthinking session, I ended up getting the no so grand total of four hours of sleep and woke feeling and looking like a zombie. Work was such a struggle I should have taken the day off. The lack of sleep left me feeling so shattered I decided missing the second interval session of the week would be more sensible than forcing myself to train. I reminded myself that running is meant to be fun and not a chore.
Friday – Rest
This weekly update is already rather long and waffly, so I’ll keep my recollection of what happened on Friday brief. I woke feeling more positive after sleeping for almost 8 hours and my mood improved further when I realised it was payday. I remembered to reschedule my osteopath appointment, I just hope my knees and legs can hold on until the end of the month.
Saturday – 30 mins cross training
When my ‘parkrun alarm’ woke me and I heard the all too familiar sound of heavy rain, I decided to go back to sleep. Sorry parkrun, but I didn’t fancy spending hours in a wet and gloomy Sutton Park. Fingers crossed I’m still able to achieve my Bronze parkrun Obsessive ‘badge’ this year. I ended up having a quiet but reasonably productive Saturday. Highlights (or possibly lowlights) included decluttering the loft, some gardening, and listing some of my unwanted bits and pieces on eBay.
#StormAshley brings strong winds and heavy rain for much of the UK on Sunday morning
Latest warning info 👉 https://t.co/QwDLMfRBfs
Stay #WeatherAware ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/89Gd2WYW7G
— Met Office (@metoffice) October 19, 2024
Before I headed to bed, I wanted to ensure I was dressed appropriately for my final interval session of the week, so I checked the weather forecast. I discovered that Storm Ashley was expected to be bringing strong winds and heavy rain on Sunday morning, awesome.
Sunday – 18 mins intervals (run 90 secs/walk 90 secs/run 3 mins/walk 3 mins x 2)
For once the weather forecast was correct and I was woken by the sound of heavy rain lashing against my bedroom window. I decided to stay in bed for a couple more hours. Once I’d had enough of doom scrolling on my phone and snoozing, I got up and ended up having a far more energetic morning than I had anticipated. Apologies to all the spiders and daddy longlegs I evicted during my mammoth vacuuming session.
How did the final interval session of the week go? After spending the afternoon and early evening preparing more eBay listings, I finally left the house just after 8:30pm. Although I’d managed to avoid the rain, it was still fairly breezy and about three minutes into my warm-up walk I realised wearing a running cap wasn’t one of my better decisions.
I didn’t enjoy the interval session. Although I’d made sure my laces weren’t too tight, after the second running repetition the top of my left foot started to hurt again. The pain in the top of my left foot was matched by occasional twinges in both of my calf muscles. By the time I reached the end of the final three minute running repetition, I could tell I was getting pins and needles on the top of my left foot. So frustrating as I was finding running quite easy. I once again walked back home wondering what was going on with my left foot. I don’t think this selfie captures just how pi**ed off I was feeling.
So, that’s week three of the Couch to 5k not exactly successfully completed. Apologies for the slightly negative weekly update. I just hope my temperamental knees and left foot continue to cope with the training. I also hope the weather doesn’t prevent me from training. The way I feel at the moment, I’m not sure I’ll cope with another lengthy break from running.
The fourth week of the Couch to 5k training plan I’m following looks more challenging than the previous three weeks. Unless I run at a sensible pace I have a chance of maintaining, I know from past experience I’ll struggle to run for 5 minutes. It’s clear from reading my previous Couch to 5k training updates I’ve always found Week 4 of the Couch to 5k difficult.
Training totals:
Niggleometer:
Did you have a good weekend? Did you manage to avoid the wet and windy weather?
Have you ever experienced pain in the top of your feet while you are running? My trainers are new, so I’m going to investigate different lace-tying techniques.
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