Good morning and happy Monday. I hope that everyone had a fabulous weekend. My weekend had two quite predictable highlights; successfully completing another week of my Couch to 5k training and yet another visit to Bistrot Pierre for lunch.

The NHS Live Well website provided the following information about the three interval sessions in Week 5 of the Couch to 5k training plan.

After finding completing the same interval session three times a week more than a little tedious, I looked forward to completing three different training sessions. I uploaded the interval sessions onto my Garmin, and tried not to stress about the final and most challenging session of the Couch to 5k so far; a 20 minute run with no walking.

As in previous weeks, I supplemented the interval sessions with cross training sessions on Monday and Saturday, and rest days on Wednesday and Friday. Each interval session started with a 5 minute warm-up walk and ended with a 5 minute cool down walk. As I’m not very good at swimming and don’t have a functioning road bike, my cross training sessions comprised of a 30 minute power walk around Four Oaks. As I’ve realised I need to increase my flexibility, I attempted to follow this 15 Minutes Full Body Stretching Routine video Maria very kindly recommended. I also spent at least 30 minutes a day going through my strength and conditioning exercises and using my massage gun.

Monday – 30 mins cross training

Thanks to a slight failure on the alarm clock front, my week started with speedy power walk to see the dental hygienist. I mean, there’s nothing better than starting the week having your teeth scaled and polished. It was very much a case of things can only get better. I left the dental surgery with a pack of interdental brushes, a super slim interspace toothbrush, and another appointment for 3 months’ time. I can’t wait.

Thankfully, the rest of my Monday was far more enjoyable. During my walk back from the dentist, I bumped into one of my A-level geography teachers. It’s a long time since I left school so I’m always amazed and a little concerned whenever a teacher recognises me. I mean, I quite literally weigh twice as much as I did when I was 18 and have grey hair. The remainder of my Monday was productive, it was very much a ‘getting shit done’ kind of day.

Tuesday – 21 mins intervals (run 5 mins/walk 3 mins/run 5 mins/walk 3 mins/run 5 mins)

After waking up at 3am and spending almost an hour trying and failing to get back to sleep – I hate it when my brain goes into what I call ‘over thinking mode’ – I decided to attempt my interval session as soon there was enough light. I was rewarded for my earlier than planned start with perfect running conditions. At 4am Four Oaks was eerily quiet; it was just me, the occasional cat, and what sounded like hundreds of birds. The temperature was perfect, both of my knees were niggle free, and I managed to start the first run interval at a sensible pace. I think running somewhere different helped me to slow down and to maintain a sensible pace throughout each 5 minute run interval. The majority of the first interval session of the week felt so easy it was a real confidence booster.

I think it’s fair to say that I peaked far too early on Tuesday. By mid-morning, I was starting to feel so tired I was struggling to concentrate on anything technical. I’m meant to be a technical specialist so this was far from ideal. By the afternoon my office was feeling so warm I was really struggling. Let’s just say that it was a good job my food delivery included a box of Fab ice lollies; these quite literally saved the day. Fortunately, a nap after work made me feel slightly more human.

Wednesday – Rest

As this weekly training and life update is rapidly turning into another essay, I won’t describe the first rest day of the week in detail. Like last week, I managed to beat the heat and got a much-needed 8 hours’ sleep. Unlike last week, I had a day of meetings, so although it was a case of time flies when you’re in meetings, I wasn’t able to make a start on any of the items on my things to do list. After work I treated myself to another nap, used my foam roller and massage gun, worked through my strength and conditioning exercises, prepared and ate far too much dinner – I must remember I’m only doing the Couch to 5k – laid out some running gear ready for the morning, and headed to bed at a sensible time.

Thursday – 21 mins intervals (run 8 mins/walk 5 mins/run 8 mins)

I don’t want to sound like a drama queen, but even after my confidence boosting interval session on Tuesday, I had major concerns about running for 8 minutes. When I headed out the door just after 4am I realised that I’d be battling the weather as well as my lack of confidence. Although it was cool and I’d definitely beaten the heat, it was also quite breezy.

I completed my 5 minute warm-up walk and spent a couple of minutes trying to psych myself up. During the first 8 minute run interval I managed to get my pacing spot on and as a result, I reached the end of the interval feeling like I could have carried on running. The majority of the second 8 minute interval also felt easy and I only struggled during the final minute. I ended the interval session feeling slightly more confident I’d be able to run for 20 minutes on Sunday.

You all know my post-interval training session routine now so I won’t repeat it here. The rest of Thursday was so busy I didn’t have time to feel tired. Work was hectic; it felt like one minute it was 8am and the next it was 5pm. I was so busy I committed the ultimate crime of not taking a lunch break. I suspect that when I headed to bed I fell asleep instantly.

Friday – Rest

I think the highlight of what was a stressful Friday morning and lunchtime – I very nearly had to skip lunch again – was spotting this tweet from the organisers of parkrun.

It's the news you've all been waiting for! 🤩

More than 500 events have full landowner permission to return, which means we now have enough to confirm a restart date for 5k parkrun in England on Saturday 26 June.

Read more
👉 https://t.co/4Q1wHdp39w

🌳#loveparkrun pic.twitter.com/ozUBedEfRM

— parkrun UK (@parkrunUK) June 11, 2021

I’m aware that what Boris has to say later today may well mean that the start date is pushed back by a few weeks (hopefully not by a few months). I’m just pleased that when the time is right, parkrun will be able to start up again.

Saturday – 30 mins cross training

Like last week, I kept things simple and completed another 30 minute power walk. I also met up with a friend in Bistrot Pierre in Mere Green for an early lunch. Unlike last week, my crispy duck salad was somewhat disappointing, mainly because it felt like it was half the size of last week’s crispy duck salad. Just looking at the photo I took of the salad makes me feel a little disappointed!

The rest of my Saturday was a relaxed affair; just what I needed after a busy week but not exactly what I’d describe as blogworthy. I watched far too much sport, read a few more chapters of The Lost Art of Running and spent a couple of hours tackling the weeds in my back garden. So, although my Saturday wasn’t what I’d describe as exciting, I ended the day feeling refreshed and ready to attempt the final run of the week. It’s just a shame that although I went to bed at a sensible time, I struggled to sleep.

Sunday – 20 mins running with no walking

Being woken at 4am by my alarm after what could only be described as a terrible night’s sleep was far from ideal. I briefly considered postponing my 20 minute run until the evening but I knew that if I didn’t run at 4am when it was lovely and cool, I’d end up not running at all as I don’t enjoy running in the heat.

Back to the final training session of Week 5 of the Couch to 5k; a 20 minute run with no walking. If you follow me on Instagram you’ll already know that my run went really well so apologies for the repetition. I made sure that I started at a sensible pace that I felt I’d be able to maintain. I’ve spent a lot of time complaining about more far from ideal pacing skills but I think this chart of my 60-second splits shows that my pacing wasn’t too bad.

Between 14 and 15 minutes, I suddenly started to find running tough, the self-doubting started, and I wanted to walk. This is going to sound stupid, but I knew I’d make it to the end of the run when I spotted two magpies. I’ve always been superstitious about magpies, reading this article made me realise I’m not alone. Anyway, seeing two magpies gave me the confidence I could run for another 5 minutes and I did. In typical Emma style, once I knew the end was in sight my pace seemed to automatically increase. I was so out of breath at the end of the 20 minutes; I had to spend another 5 minutes getting my breathing back under control. I’m not sure that given my fragile knees, attempting to leap with joy was a good idea. I’ve no idea what happened to my arms and if I’m honest, the sunrise in Four Oaks was a little underwhelming.

The remainder of my Sunday was a relaxed affair. After getting a couple more hours sleep, I spent what was left of the morning reading. After watching the England game I treated myself to an afternoon nap and I spent some time writing blogs and replying to emails. I’m a creature of habit so once I’d packaged some eBay sales, my weekend ended with a Chinese takeaway.

The sixth week of the Couch to 5k training plan I’m following looks challenging but achievable. I know that I said exactly the same thing seven days ago but just looking at the interval runs makes me feel quite nervous. There are three different interval runs which based on my experiences this week will help rather than hinder me. The duration of the longest run interval increases to 25 minutes. I don’t completely understand the theory behind the Couch to 5k, but I’m sure there’s a reason for the increase from 20 minutes this week to 25 minutes in Week 6.

Training totals

• Runs: 15 (out of 15)
• Time: 5 hrs 3.5 mins
• Distance: 26.03 miles

Niggleometer

• Right knee: 3/10
• Left knee: 3/10
• Right foot: 2/10

Did you have a good weekend? I hope that the weekend weather was as kind to you as it was to the residents of Four Oaks.

Do you like running first thing in the morning? I never used to be an early morning runner as I was far too lazy to get out of bed. I now find it hard to imagine running in the afternoon or evening.

Are you superstitious? My family seem to find my obsession with magpies highly amusing.  

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