Coach Gary January Update

I posted in our Facebook group about a few challenges / goals that I have set myself this year and thought I would post an update at the end of the month... if I remember! 

parkrun times are all I have to go with regards to outcome goals and I have progressed my post illness PB from 17:35 to 17:21. I should also note that the 17:21 was run with the start as my 1k and then 1 mile PBs and just hanging on... yeah not great to do the first km in 16 minute flat pace. There has also been much more consistency with my parkrun times, they are trending downwards with my times getting consistently quicker. I really feel I have a big PB in my legs and just need the competition, weather and pacing to be right. 

I have also signed up for my target half marathon now, so going to run that and hopefully PB there. If any other Plodders are doing the Paddock Wood half let me know. 

Process goals, well I am staying on top of my diet, mental training and strength training and have been doing really well with both. I am loosely aiming for 3000 miles in the year (subject to illness and injury where I can sub in cross training). And that is going well as well, I have just about broken 300 miles this month, so I am on course to have a buffer to taper for and recover from the half marathon. So far things are going to plan, hopefully I can get a few breakthroughs in Feb. Firstly I would love to get the sub 17 monkey off my back and keep the mileage fairly high. 

I have had a rest day every Sunday as that just fits in with my week. Other than that I have run everyday and only 2 runs have felt bad. One of those runs I was underdressed for what turned out to be a bitterly cold day, with a bitterly cold wind and bitterly cold rain, not that I am bitter about it. The other one I hadn't slept great. Proud to say that on both occasions I ditched the runs early and focus on the other aspects and bounced back the next day. 

Just for fun... because I am a data Geek I noticed that my times this year are following a very similar trend to last year. Tomorrow will be 52 weeks since I set my PB, the week after the weather was awful and the week after that I had the op that didn't happen because my heart stopped.... and then I made a mini comeback in March and then had a nasty infection for 3 months and only went to a handful of parkuns and then the Op I was supposed to have. So safe to say I am hoping I follow a better trajectory over the rest of the year.