Getting Ready for Colchester Half Marathon Race Day

"There is no such thing as can't" - my Dad

My dear Dad's words of encouragement have helped me throughout my life and in the lead up to the Colchester Half Marathon on Sunday 16 March 2014 I am going to keep them firmly fixed in my head.

It is exciting getting ready for a race and satisfying that months of training are coming together at last. Everyone is chatting about their race plans, their nervousness and what they will wear and I am no exception. So here are some of my plans for this week:

Day by Day:

Monday:  A short relaxed run of no more than 40 minutes at a gentle pace.

Tuesday: Cross training - 45 minutes of spinning

Wednesday: A stretching class - 1 hour of supple strength, pick up race pack 

Thursday:  Another run at a gentle pace no more than 50 minutes

Friday:  Rest day - sort out race things

Saturday:   Chill out day 

Sunday:   Race Day!!

Now I could have sworn I put it in here somewhere

(Even the best planners amongst us can come unstuck at times)

Monday

The weather has been very warm during the day making the evening feel colder than usual. Four of us set out for a gentle run, chatting about the upcoming race at the weekend. A good stretch before home everyone, I am sure, thinking and rethinking plans for Sunday.

Split              Time                         Distance Avg                           Pace Summary              41:51.3                             3.61                              11:35 1 11:10.3 1.00 11:10 2 11:14.0 1.00 11:14 3 12:13.1 1.00 12:13 4 7:14.0 0.61 11:49

Weather

45°

Feels like 39°

10 mph NE wind 

Tuesday 

I love my spinning class. I have been going for years and the chatter is so funny helping to keep your mind off the hard work. Marie is an excellent instructor and I was mindful not to put too much resistance on in case I overdid the impact on my legs. 

I also sing twice on a Tuesday in two different choirs. What has that to do with running you may think but I can assure you it is very good for relaxing and for breath control. That is something a runner can always improve on.

Wednesday

Today I went to my Supple Strength class which is also taken by Marie. This was a good opportunity to stretch and relax.

So that is it for this post as I am all up to date. I will record the rest of the week as separate posts and then a race recap to follow.