May Roundup: Feeling hot hot hot

May Roundup: Ah, that time of year when it hits 16 +, it’s sunny, running equals pools of sweat and distinct tan lines… fun times… (and well, the tunes, I couldn’t help myself).

Now, I’m well aware that my friends in Australia will laugh at me. Growing up, we’d put our jumpers on once it hit about 20 or 21 degrees. Very occasionally in winter it might get really cold and dip below double figures. Yep, I’m from Brisbane so a little sub-tropical and where they sensibly start Parkrun at 7am – even then you need to take water, wear a hat and sunglasses, and put on that sunscreen.

 

 

 

 

But I’ve been in the UK for 18 years now. I’ve acclimatized.

So the last month or so has not only been confusing weather wise, but it’s meant it’s been really hard to get used to running in heat and sunshine. And London has a peculiar sort of heat. Twenty-five degrees here has a very different feel to other places. A mate I met from Instagram did his training for the London marathon over the summer in Perth (the Aus Perth that is). His London marathon fell apart a little…

 

 

 

Not that I’m complaining. It really just means while I’ve had some good runs, I’ve had some pretty shit ones as well. Here’s hoping my 50k in July isn’t a hot one!

 

The Plan

So my miles are still pretty low for 50k prep – it is what it is. My reasons

• not wanting to push too hard after having back issues again a couple of months ago;
• wanting to build miles slowly to avoid injury. I’ve been a little prone in the past….; and,
• I can be a rather lazy at times.

 

What I have been doing rather than only looking at running miles is building my basic fitness and strength. I’ve started including

• squats;
• hills, glorious hills, and on occasion getting pretty close to hitting my lactate threshold i.e. when I have to stop as nausea strikes;
• going for a longish walk with a weighted backpack (yes, there is method to my madness); and,
• tweaked my diet a little so aiming for 7-10 serves of fruit and veg a day.

 

There have been some real benefits.

The first and most important is that I’m feeling stronger in that way that I’m standing a little straighter and feeling more confident engaging with the world.

The second, and something that perhaps shouldn’t have surprised me but has, a reduction in cellulite! Who knew!?!

And third, while there’s a long way to go, the squats, hills etc are doing wonders for my butt (and no, there will be no before and after photos).

I have no idea how this 50k is going to go with a little over 6 weeks left until the big day.

 

This is how my training has gone. I’ve added in some numbers for perceived effort in ( ).

 

May Highlights

It goes without saying that the highlight of the month was pacing the Hackney Half. You can read all about it here.

For the few days following I was a bit of a miserable git. I think it was a slight case of the post-race blues. There had been so much excitement in the build-up – meeting the other pacers, having the chance to run with a few folk at #meetthepacer events. Good times!

 

If you enjoyed this post, why not subscribe. Don’t worry, you’ll only get notified of new posts….none of the spammy stuff.

 

What are your highlights of the month?