My Background

Monday 13 January 2014

To run, or to walk???

First off, here is last weeks training:

Monday: walk 2 x 3 miles
Tuesday: rest
Wednesday: run 5.2 miles, 
Thursday: run 6.3 miles
Friday: rest
Saturday: run 12 miles
Sunday: run 14 miles, walk 2 miles

I'm in Scarborough for a few weeks at the moment, for my course.


It's beautiful! My accommodation is about 3 miles from the hospital. Last week I got a bus ticket and traveled there and back by bus every day. Then over the weekend, I thought, well, maybe walking is also good preparation for an ultra marathon? If I walk to work and back every day that's 6 miles a day = 30 miles in a week. Have done a bit of reading around about if doing walking sessions is any help for the training. Haven't really found anything that advises it by itself, apart from perhaps using very long walks (6 hours plus), the advice focuses more as using walking as a part of your long runs.  

But hey, it kind of makes sense to me - I want to get as many miles and time on my feet under my belt as I can, and here is an opportunity in my daily routine to do that without increasing my running days!

I also remembered something. I know, woah. The second marathon I did was the London Marathon in 2010. In the weeks leading up to the race I had a ghastly time trying to finish the lab work for my PhD, I was living in Southampton but was working at the labs in Reading doing some experiments that took hours and hours and hours, so I would leave my house just after 6am and get back about 10pm. My training schedule went up in smoke and I was desperate, I really wanted to train properly for the London Marathon which was my dream to complete! Due to the efficiency of the bus service from my house to the train station, I ended up walking there and back every day each week, about 4 miles a day. Not much, but better than nothing. And I ran only at weekends. I was nervous on race day, I thought I had missed too much training to do any good, but I ran a PB, which is still my PB today. I know, it could have been any number of things which contributed to that, but I do think that the walking helped in some way.

So anyway, I've gone on too long. This week I have set myself the challenge of walking to and from work each day, to add to my miles. 

I really hope tomorrow morning it is not raining or icy. And on Wednesday. And Thursday. And Friday. Is that too much to ask of Yorkshire in January? 

1 comment:

  1. Walking is good!!! It will be an excellent addition to your training plan. Did you take an umbrella to Scarborough with you?!
    Mum xx

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