I felt really down after Frostbite last week, despite it not being an A race for me, I’d still hoped to do well on what looked a very runnable and speedy course through some lovely countryside, my DNF felt really significant after a few days thought.
The main reason for it was a really good chat with my brother in law who like me has slimmed down significantly in recent years and his activity of choice is cycling and the focus of our conversation was diet based more than training and it’s something I’ve never really made the same level of effort with compared to the actual running.
When outlining my regular diet – not terrible ready meals every day by any stretch – it was pretty clear some changes should be made and in particular in the two weeks leading up to a big race. Having breakfast cereal and takeaway curry swilling around my system in the days leading up to a race probably aren’t helping.
The mileage has dropped right off this week too and I felt really fatigued on Tuesday so actually went to the doctors because I figured a checkup probably wouldn’t hurt.
It’s been a really frustrating mix of good and bad in the last few races. Ladybower was ultimately OK but could have gone much better, White Rose was absolutely all I could hope for and then Frostbite was a disaster so as I ponder next years challenges and aims I think diet needs real attention.
I actually saw the list of races for our club championships next year and I must say it actually looks good – a mix of road and trail at a range of distances up to half marathon so I’m going to make an effort to compete in those races next year for sure. Be good to fit in some shorter road races as well as local trails.
In the meantime, after passing 2000 miles for the year the other week, I have only one goal remaining for the year and that’s to get through 200,000ft of vertical ascent. I’m 3,000ft off with 2 weeks left so this should be achieved and it’ll be a nice way to round off the year.
- Monday – 7.2 miles
- Tuesday – Rest
- Wednesday – 7.4 miles
- Thursday – 5.2 miles
- Friday – 7.4 miles
- Saturday – Rest
- Sunday – Rest
Total: 27.2 miles, 1,600ft elevation