1 week to Berlin / Team Challenge Triathlon

Last week's 13 miler at 8 min/mile has left me with a minor injury hangover, the first in many weeks of training. With hindsight, it probably wasn't the best route to have chosen for my marathon pace long run. Throwing in unnecessary steep hills on top of the exhaustion levels I was running at, 14 weeks into my training, was just that, unnecessary.

The pain is completely bearable, at least it has been for the sub-hour sessions I've put in this week. Best bet I feel is to not overdo it and apply the usual combination of ibuprofen gel and ice. I think I strained something pushing up onto my toes, while running up a steep hill. The pain runs from my achilles, down across the ball of my foot until it reaches my big toe. But, as I say, it's not severe and too late to worry about it now anyway. Always good to get your pre-race excuses in anyway!

The taper is in full effect and this week's training was certainly less intense than last week's. Intervals were based around 1k reps and Thursday's tempo run was a 10km river loop with the first 2 miles easy and then a 3 mile blast at 6:45 min/mile, which was challenging to maintain.

More photos...

I rounded off the first week of taper with a triathlon. No, I'm not insane, it was a relatively short triathlon and, more than that, it was a team event (The Fix's TRI Challenge Team Triathlon). This meant that, while we all completed every event, we had ample time to recover between legs. It's a good race to introduce triathlon to novices as you get to do all the events, don't have to worry about transitions and get to catch up with your mates and take in the atmosphere, while the other member of your team is off doing their bit.

It's the first training plan run I've missed, since switching onto the FIRST training program about 7 weeks ago. I was supposed to have done 10 miles, instead I exercised for about an hour at a greater intensity, but only ran for 5km. It's going to have to do and it's probably rested my injury more than a 10 miler would have.

Boy am I looking forward to that cold pint of lager this time next week!

Race Result: 2:59:03 - 32nd (out of 91); distances 3 x 400m swim, 3 x 15km cycle, 3 x 5km run (results...)

Week commencing Sunday 12th September

Total exercise: 4h 48m
Distance covered: 85km

• 60km cycling (incl. 15km in triathlon)
  
• 1.7km swimming (incl. 400m in triathlon)
  
• 23.3km running (incl. 5km in triathlon)
  

Breakdown:

• 5 x 1km reps @ 3:40 min/km, with 400m jog recoveries
  
• 2M easy; 6M @ 6:45 min/mile; 1M easy
  
• 5km @ 4 min/km (as run leg of triathlon)