Cold, wet and windy...

This week all has gone to plan, I have had a good weeks training. The week began with a 10 Mile walk in Ramsey with Lee. Just as we got out of the car there was a down pour of hailstones so I jumped back in the car and waited for it to pass, and thankfully it did as quickly as it had started. We walked from Ramsey out on the Bride Road, turning just before Bride to head into Andreas, following the Andreas Road back in to Ramsey. I really enjoy walking different routes, it makes it a bit more interesting than my normal Douglas and Onchan routes.

The temperatures dropped during the week, and we all woke to lots of ice and frost on Wednesday morning, and I’m sure I wasn’t alone when I looked out the window praying it would clear up quickly so I could get out later in the day.

For the rest of the week I mainly ran, with the marathon coming up it’s important I get my legs used to running long distances. I find running over winter helps keep my fitness up, with colder weather running is quicker so I am also out for less time. Running to me is very different to walking, with running I have to increase my distance very slowly. I am currently following a marathon training plan that will sees me running up to 21 miles, which is only 5 shorter than the distance on the day. There is no way I would ever walk even half of the parish distance in a training walk, let alone 80 miles.

My long run was 15 Miles. I set off with my lovely friend Kathy at 7am on Saturday morning from the Grandstand. We did a 12 mile loop out to Crosby which conveniently ended at the start Line for parkrun, just before 9am. It would have been rude not to complete the full distance incorporating a little parkrun. Then we headed straight down to the New Noa Bakehouse to meet Lee and the girls for a well-deserved breakfast, which was lovely.

Sunday saw some awful winds and I found it hard to force myself out, Lee suggested taking the girls to Costa, so I thought it was a good opportunity for me to get a 3 Mile run in, by running down to meet them ahead of my planned 13 Mile walk that evening. By the time we started our walk at 7pm the wind had completely dropped, but it was bitterly cold. The 7 of us headed out from my house down Little Mill Road and back down through Onchan following Harbour Road down to King Edward Road. There was a loop through old Lonan before we climbed up Ballagawne Road coming back down Begoade Rd, where we enjoyed the lovely downhill section to white bridge. (Picture below of us at the end).

This week I have so much on, so it is going to be a challenge to get all my training in, but I will give it a good go!

Stay safe in the cold snap, only 145 days to go