A run with Yasmin!

6M am recovery run with buggy

Yasmin and I went on our first run together in a year today. I took the buggy. It worked pretty well and we found a nice buggy-friendly six mile route on the Heath.

Rest

Another day of lots of driving and no running.

Rest

A busy day. No running. Lots of driving.

Recovery

15M double; recovery runs x2
7M am recovery run with buggy
8M pm recovery run with buggy

I ran to and from the Science Museum with Hana in the buggy to see the Collider exhibition with some friends. It's a hard life this paternity leave.

A fragmented session

12M double; 3M hard and 9M 'buggy fartlek'
3M am tempo
9M pm buggy run on the Heath with smooth uphills run hard

I had a work meeting this morning so my parents looked after Hana. I then ran back full pelt to take over parenting duties. My second run was with Hana (asleep) in the buggy. I ran the uphills hard where the path was smooth and the rest easy. It was easier than a proper fartlek, but the buggy makes uphills a nightmare at the best of times, so my legs were really tired by the time I got home. I think I might work on this session. If I could find a good route, it would work really well. Today, I spent too much time on dodgy paths where I didn't feel comfortable going fast.

Rest

Planned rest

Two hours with friends

17M am gentle long run

I ran for a couple of hours around the Heath and Highgate with Mike and Henry among others. A nice chatty gentle long run. Just what my legs need right now.

Six recovery miles

6M am recovery run with buggy

Yasmin and I went for our first run together in a year today. Thanks to the buggy.

Recovery

15M double; recovery runs x2
7M am recovery run with buggy
8M pm recovery run with buggy

I ran to Borough Market and back via Westminster with the buggy today. Nice and gently. My legs could still feel yesterday's session.

Tempo

9M pm incl 7M tempo

This was a really good one. I found myself in a good, focused rhythm from within the first mile or so of the tempo part of my run. My legs felt great / awful afterwards.

Ten more buggy recovery miles

10M double; recovery runs x2
3M am recovery run with buggy
7M pm recovery run with buggy

I ran another two buggy-assisted recovery runs today. The first was around a small loop in the Heath on my way to the library for Hana. The second was along the canal from Camden to London Fields and a visit to the E5 Bakehouse where my sourdough sandwich was to die for. And I brought a loaf home.

Moonlit mile reps...

9M am incl 5x1M off 90s jog

I got up unpalatably early again today to get a buggy-free session in. I'm not sure I've run by moonlight before. I felt pretty sluggish and wasn't helped by little areas of ice on the home straight, but my legs felt exercised for the rest of the day, so I think it must have been worth the effort.

Ten buggy recovery miles

10M double; recovery runs x2
7M am recovery run with buggy
3M pm recovery run with buggy

I ran two easy ones today into town and back home on an errand with Hana in her buggy. It's harder work with the buggy, more like a steady run if there are hills involved (as there were on my way in).

Fifteen with the buggy

15M pm longish run

The mileage doesn't sound long, but this took two hours and a little bit. It's different running with a buggy. I think my posture isn't bad. If anything, it probably pushes me further forward onto my toes. But you can't move your arms and hills are obviously an issue.

Hana seemed to enjoy the ride - she slept for most of it and babbled away to herself for the 40 or so minutes she was awake.

53 miles for the week.

Seven slow miles with my buggy and then a tempo run

Looks comfy n'est ce pas? It's a Bobgear Ironman. I bought it in a sober navy.

14M double; recovery run with buggy & tempo run
7M am slow run with buggy
7M pm incl 5M tempo

I gave the buggy a spin around the Heath today. It's great, though there's no amount of technical brilliance that can make it a breeze to push a chubby baby in a buggy up Parliament Hill.

Nevertheless, I feel liberated and will be able to run my easy runs during the (normal) waking hours)... And to prove, it I fitted in another run in the evening. It was a good little tempo run on the roads around the Heath.

Rest / buggy maintenance

I sacrificed running for sleep and buggy maintenance today. The brakes needed a bit of a tweak (at the bike shop). I should be good to trial it tomorrow.

K reps

7M am incl 8x1K off 90s jog

ANOTHER early morning run today. Again, it felt pretty sluggish.

But thank goodness, the buggy has arrived. I just need to get it roadworthy and I will be able to run and sleep.

Eight miles - I am SLEEPY!

8M am recovery run

An easy early morning run again. I am SLEEPY!

Early morning mile reps again

9M am incl 8x1K off 200m (~90s) jog

I made another early morning visit to the track to run K reps. They felt pretty sluggish.

Rest

This was a semi-planned rest day. Basically, I couldn't face getting up early again just for a recovery run. I hope the buggy arrives soon...

15 gently

15M pm slow medium-long run

I ran a really gentle pre-dinner 15 miler today. I had had a really heavy lunch, which detracted from the enjoyableness of it but it did at least mean I ended the week with a decent number of miles under the belt (and two solid sessions).

51 miles for the week.

Tempo!

8M incl 6M tempo **

I ran a hard evening run today, with six miles hard. I felt really good for the first time since the marathon. I had a real spring in my stride from the moment I left the door.

Rest

No time for running again. Too tired to get up early.

Mile reps (around the dark track)

9M am incl 5x1M off 90s jog

I don't know how long I can sustain 5 am starts to squeeze runs in, but it turns out not to be a bad time to run reps on the track! The gentle glow of light from the city means that I could see where I was going and it seemed a safer surface to choose than leaf-strewn pavements. It was hard to see my watch until closer to six-thirty.

Nine

9M am recovery run

Another 5am start. Another recovery run. I will be ready to run hard tomorrow I think.

Ten...

10M am recovery run

I got up at 5, yes 5am, to fit in a recovery run around the roads skirting the Heath. It was nice out, but it would have been nicer to stay in bed longer and run later.

Paternity leave

I started two months of paternity leave on Friday to look after Hana who is now 8 months old. She will start at nursery in January. Until then, I am home full time with her.

What that means for my running, who knows. My first step has been to order a running buggy. It will arrive in one to two weeks. Today, I didn't manage to work out a time to run. I think it may require early mornings or running just before dinner once Yasmin is home.

Eight

8M pm recovery run

Hardly a long, run but this feels like good progress.

Six, very gently

6M am recovery slow

This was definitely a run, even if it was very slow. My calves got tight about half a mile in, but didn't stop my making my slow way around the Heath.