2010 Progress Entrant - Iola Wilson

Contents:- -Intro- Report -1- -2- -3- -4- -5- -6- -7- -8- -9- -10- -11- -12- -13- -14- -15- -16- -17- -Final-

Report 4 - Week beginning 01/02/10

The X-ercise Files - Diary of a 'wannabe better' long distance runner

And I thought week 3 was a busy one.... This week I have worked 4 days, prepared for a holiday and travelled to West Yorkshire. I have found it hard to fit my training in, but managed to get out 4 times with a lower overall mileage.

I started the week with a Pilates session before work on Monday. I'm really seeing an improvement in my core strength now. I find the exercises easier, I have noticed a difference in my posture and running style and my niggling back pain is disappearing. I feel the difference in my core strength when I am doing speed sessions, or when I try to pick up the pace on longer runs when I am feeling tired. I managed 4 pilates sessions this week.

Tuesday was my day off and I had a half-hour lunchtime run. It had been pretty snowy again and the pavement conditions were variable. I had to run on the road at times and made a bad decision, taking what turned out to be a very slippy and precarious path. It slowed me down and resulted in a very odd running style for about half a mile, fortunately no-one else was silly enough to take the path, and I don't think I was spotted!

After work on Thursday I went out for a speed session. I did a 1 mile warm-up, then 6x400m fast, with 400m recoveries, and a mile cool-down. I had been in a pretty lousy mood and felt quite demotivated before I went out, so was very pleased to manage the fast reps at a very steady pace and quicker than the week before.

On Friday and Saturday we spent hours in the car travelling to West Yorkshire for a family holiday. We arrived in time for me to get out for a quick run before it got dark. I ran 4.6 miles, but at a slow pace because I wasn't sure where I was going. It felt like a 'get out and do the miles' run and was a good after being cooped up in the car but I didn't enjoy it much.

Sunday should have been long run day, but we had a busy day and my legs felt tired and sore(I had some fairly major hills in the Saturday run) so I decided to listen to my body and keep it a bit shorter. I ran 4.5 miles along the Huddersfield narrow canal (we are staying right beside this). I went out at a fairly quick pace and at the half way point sped up, running home faster than I went out. This had a lot to do with the fading light (the route wasn't street-lit) but also my insecurities about running on my own in a place I don't know. I felt tired but was buzzing by the time I got back.

My fitness level is improving rapidly at the moment, and I am seeing a good increase in my speed. However, I have noticed my weight has been stuck the last two weeks. I wondered if an increase in muscle bulk might have been partly responsible for this, but I also feel much hungrier and have probably been eating more. I find myself wanting to snack more and having dips in my blood sugar the day after a run. These days have also been work days, so it may have something to do with not having the time to fit in a healthy snack and then ending up so hungry that I reach for something sugary for a quick boost. I am finding it difficult to balance my food intake so that I have enough energy to train hard but also gradually reduce my weight. My aim over the next few weeks is to organise and eat 2 healthy snacks a day on top of my meals.