“It’s like Kilroy, but with tea, Wagon Wheels and Sue Cook”

Alan Partridge, I’m Alan Partridge

Monday 24th August – Despite downing quite a few pints yesterday, I feel quite chipper today.

My voice is a bit raspy and strained from the match. It’s the price you pay for singing about Isak being a c**t for 90 minutes.

I’ve got a busy week, so there will be some slight amendments to my plan.

First off, I don’t have time for my weights at lunchtime, so I do them later on.

Before that, I do my 30 minute virtual yoga where I feel great – probably the best yoga session I’ve had in months. No creaking, flows naturally.

It’s a good start to the week. It can only go downhill from here.

Tuesday 25th August – Tonight’s club session is on the track and it looks like a killer.

It’s ‘Michigans’, which I assume is named after the college where this session was conceived, and not because after completing it you want to drown yourself in the Great Lake of the same name.

There’s a lot going on in this session. It’s one of those where you need to write it on your hand, but there are so many distances and paces to be aware of, that I don’t have a limb long enough.

Lots of people have programmed it on their watch anyway, so I’ll just follow them.

I luckily find myself in a good group and get it done. It is hard work, and the final 400m I’m complete blowing out of my arse.

It’s a long session as well. Between this and my warm up, l’m just shy of 12 miles, and I’m completely spent.

It was definitely the Lake Michigan theory.

Wednesday 26th August – Last nights epic track session is still on my legs when I get up.

Which is a problem. I have a busy day at work and Newcastle are back at home this evening.

So the only window I have for my 6 miles easy is first thing this morning. This is the way I suppose.

The thought of going down the normal Wagonway route and back doesn’t fill me with a lot of motivation if I’m honest.

So instead, I’m heading down the seafront for this one.

It’s a lovely morning for a run – dry and calm. It is starting to feel a bit like summer is over and we’re heading into Autumn.

This is far less painful than I thought it might be. Autopilot legs get me though. Other than the last half a mile where I’m going uphill, I don’t feel tired and end up enjoying it.

A pleasant plod.

Later, I head into town and watch Newcastle win 3-2. We get Millwall away in the next round. Yeah, I won’t be off there. Not without my stab vest.

Thursday 27th August – I’ve worked out – I think – that based on last year’s plan, this evening should be the Threshold peaks.

Therefore this will be the longest and hardest of the lot.

As with all of the Threshold sessions, I’m not really looking forward to it. However, it’s a necessary evil, and I need to get it done.

It’s 4 x 3 miles at Threshold Pace. So with my warm up and cool down, this will be around 14 miles long.

As such, I’m going to mix it up a little on my route. I head out on my warm up and start in the same place as usual.

However, rather than then drop down the coast, I head off down the Wagonway. It’s hard work, but I’m getting through it.

I come off the Wagonway and Holywell, through Seaton Deleval, then drop onto the coast there. This is a premeditated cheat – it’s a good mile and a half of down hill to get there.

I then nip along the coast to Blyth, before turning for home.

The last mile of the third threshold is hard work. Then the final three miles are a real grind.

However, I get them done, stop the watch, and it’s 14.56 miles in total. Phew.

That’s not the most interesting bit though. My watches flashes up with ‘New Record.’

I’ve inadvertently run my fastest Half Marathon ever – 1:42:54. Around a minute and a half off my old PB.

Whoops.

Well, I have spent the last 12 weeks saying I’ve been going far too fast on these sessions. I wasn’t lying.

I’m absolutely knackered anyway. No surprise really, when you look at my times.

Still, big one out the way, it should drop down next week, then again the week after. Then Threshold Thursday will be over.

I won’t miss them.

Friday 28th August – As predicted, physically, I’m proper knackered today.

My lunch time weights session is hard work. Really hard work.

Later on I get out for my hills session. It’s as leggy as I thought it would be.

Down the sea front it’s another quiet evening. Apart from the Bank Holiday Monday and Christmas, this is how quiet it will be from now till next summer.

The hill reps are hard. The final five especially the legs feel like they’re made of lead. I would say through the whole 12 weeks so far, this is the most tired I’ve felt on a run.

Hey, if it was easy, everyone would do it.

Saturday 29th August – I mentioned last week that I’m not going to be volunteering at Parkrun for a while. Today it’s because the fair is in town and it’s plonked right on the start and finish. So it’s off for the week.

Instead, we’re off to Beamish Museum to meet some people we got friendly with on holiday. They’re up for a wedding, so we this seemed like a good place to take them.

The only problem is, Beamish is a huge open air museum. So I end up spending far too much time on my feet and walking.

I also eat Sausage and Chips instead of Pasta.

I’ll pay for both of those things tomorrow, I’m sure.

Sunday 30th August – Today has the potential to be a disaster.

I’ve mentioned about eating badly and walking too much the day before maybe putting me at a disadvantage from the start.

But I’ve also woken up with a slightly tight right calf that just doesn’t feel right. I think (or more likely, I hope) that I got cramp in the night.

I’m not sure if I dreamt I did, or just did. But the calf being tender would actually point to the latter.

So, hopefully, that’s all it is. A calf cramp hangover. If it is a cramp hangover, can I run on it this morning?

Or, more worryingly, have I actually strained my calf slightly from walking yesterday. Can I run 20 miles on it this morning? Can I run 1 mile?

I can feel myself getting slightly stressed out by this as I eat my pre-run porridge. Which means my heart rate is up, which means I’m going to make the run even harder for myself if I don’t chill out.

When I start my run, it feels ok. In fact, I can’t feel it all. Good start.

However, I’m still paranoid about it and the worry is definitely making this first part on that coast hard going.

Slowly though, I start to focus less on it and get into my podcast. Despite it being only around 14°c and cloudy, it feels quite close and sticky.

At mile 11, I suddenly get a ping of tiredness in the legs, which in turn triggers more anxiety about the calf.

It’s all in my head though. The calf hasn’t twinged once and I know that I’m not really tired – I’ve managed to somehow psychologically sap energy from myself.

At mile 15, I take a gel and finally relax. I’m not going to injure my calf. It was just cramp soreness, I’m going to make it to the end.

This in turn takes away the tiredness from my legs, and I run the last 5 miles home comfortably. In fact, I speed up.

I complete 20.24 miles in 2:57:31. Don’t let anyone tell you that running is all in the legs and nothing to do with the mind.

Today’s run was ALL about the mind.

When I was feeling stressed and negative, it was hard work. When I chilled out, it was comfortable.

I also feel positive that this is 20 miles in crap circumstances – terrible prep the day before, anxious on the day of the run. Yet I still got through 20 miles.

4 weeks to go now, just this last ‘hard’ week to get out the way.

It’s all good.

Mood: Relieved