Coming Ready.... or Not

Progress

If you read my post back at the start of the month I was feeling very under-prepared but it's amazing how much one can progress in a matter of 2 weeks when working on three sessions per week.
When I last wrote, I had just worked up to my first session without a walk break at 25 mins. The following week was week #9 of my training and I extended my time out to 40-50 mins with intervals 2 x 20mn run with 2mn walk break and 3 x 16 min with 2 walk breaks.
I finished week #9 with a flat parkrun 5km.

Pushing Further
Week #10 was my week to extend time out, first with a 3 x 18mn run with 2mn walk intervals (54 mins and 8.5km), then my first 'long' continuous run of 42 mins, which unfortunately coincided with a really warm day 23C and I was shattered when I got home. I was rather alarmed by how long I took to recover heartrate and breathing after this one but I think it was the heat.
Rounding the week off, I returned to parkrun 5km but this time on a taxing hilly course.

Final Approach
I began this week (week #11) with my final extended run yesterday, a continuous run of 48min covering 8.1km. With this duration and distance under my belt I am confident that I can achieve the 10km next Sunday.
The rest of this week will be 'take it easy' with no more stretching runs. My plan is limited to a gentle 20mn on Wednesday and a 10mn on Friday just to keep things moving.

Parkruns

Parkruns are great fun and I love them as a training option. If you've never tried them, you should. There is no elitism or pressure and a great feeling of community and they are great fun giving Saturday morning a boost.

Slower Paced
Experiencing setting off in a pack and learning to resist the pull of the faster runners and stick to your own controlled pace is valuable. Many people take it easy all the way around, some almost walking the entire route so there is no need to feel intimidated by the faster runners.

Faster Paced
The same applies if you are aiming for a faster pace, experiencing how to steer safely and courteously around slower runners and learn patience when necessary. Parkrun is a good place to get an idea how taxing the first mile will be in a popular 10k as physical and mental energy is wasted looking for and steering toward gaps and speeding up and slowing down to negotiate them.

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Wythenshawe parkrun

At the end of the first week I took myself over to Wythenshawe Park to join a flat parkrun around the park in which most of my childhood was spent building dens in the woods and fishing in Baguley Brook. With nice wide paths and mixed surfaces, much on grass but all fairly even, it was a good return to running amongst others. 5km in 28:14 which I was delighted with.

Bramhall parkrun
The second week I took on Bramhall which is a hilly course with narrow paths and hard work on lungs and nagging injuries such as Achilles. I managed 26:39 which was way faster than I had anticipated so things are looking good.

Route Plans

I tend to plan training sessions around duration rather than distance and as I extended out beyond 30mins I found it helped to have a route in my head instead of making it up as I went along. I know now what speed I'm running, in my case generally just under 10kph which makes the calculation conveniently easy, so if I'm going out for 45mn I know to plan a route of approx 7.5km. Without this, I tend to end my session too close or too far from home. The first affects my cool down and the second is just inconvenient.

Injury & Illness Avoidance

Because I have had problems with chronic injuries I am being ultra-careful to stretch before and after and am even taking to a cold bath after by longer runs. Not a pleasant experience but either I'm not injuring anything or it is working, either way it's a win.
I am trying to lay off alcohol this week and eat plenty of good food. I'll miss my Saturday evening wine and salty Chinese takeaway but I don't want to be dehydrated Sunday morning. After having to pull out of the 2014 Great Manchester Run as I got a severe cold I'm eating lots of citrus fruit in the vague hope of some protection.

I may see you Sunday if you're there, Good Luck if you're running.