Running is my favourite form of cardio and I run 23 miles on average a week. Over the last 3 years i have ran 7 half marathons, and recently achieved my personal best this summer at Windsor half marathon. I managed to run this beast of a half marathon in 1hr 54mins and 54 secs, as i passed the finish line back in September i could not believe i was finishing 15mins faster than last year!
Although getting here has not been easy! For some running comes easy, for others it is gruelling long runs and painful training sessions. Let me tell you I’m in the others category, but i enjoy the feel of pushing myself and achieving distances which i know is a challenge.
I set myself 3 runs a week; these are interval run, 10k fast run, and a long distance run. Both the 10k and 10 miles generally include undulating courses to get hill training into my week. I find that any more runs in the week and I struggle with my long distance run on the weekend.
The interval run is usually 5k and ran on a treadmill; I always tag on some weight training after. Interval training is renowned to help with increasing speed, endurance and overall aerobic capacity. If you wish to increase your running speed, than interval training is a must!!! It is also great to burn fat and calories in a short period of time, and actually getting more out of your workout vs. 1hr of low intensity cardio! But beware it’s not for the light hearted and can be tough if your new to interval training! This is usually ran at the beginning of the week, as my legs are still recovering from the weekend 10 miles and anything longer then 5k just doesn’t seem possible.
My 10k is usually run outside and it’s my favourite run out of the 3. The distance is just right to be a workout and for speed to be the focus. I never seem to mile watch when running 10k, before you know it you are half way there and 3 miles to go never seems too daunting! I cover this distance on a Wednesday; the legs are rested by then and ready to cover the distance. I usually run this with my running buddy and it’s great to have someone as crazy as me, who will go for a run at 6am and in any weather condition.
My final run of the week is the long distant run, covering 9-13 miles. This run is important to me because it’s key to my preparation for the half marathons i run throughout the year. This is definitely the hardest run, and most weekends i do try to make up an excuse to avoid it. However i don’t want to focus on maintaining the distance but instead on my speed, so it’s a must!
Currently i am signed up to 3 runs, each a different distance and course! I'm very excited to run each one; however my favourite will be the Reading Half Marathon next March! My aim is to beat my PB of 1hr 54 mins, i think it will expected seeing that this is a flatter course than the Windsor Half!
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