Training Mon 5th May - Sun 11th May

Since I've come back from Lanzarote I've had quite a different approach to my training. I feel so much more disciplined with what I'm doing. Every session I'm completing has it's own purpose, and it's own effect. All of which are positive and are making me more confident that that I'll achieve what I want to do with my running. This in turn, keeps my motivation levels sky high.
All the extra training elements, and the new regimes I picked up and promised myself I would keep, have been kept, bar the getting up early part! I've improved greatly and since I've been back I haven't even come close to getting up in the pm! I'm treating it like my training, as I slowly increase the mileage, I slowly decrease my time spent looking at the back of my eyelids. No need to do too much too soon! But as for the rest of the new regime, it's going well. Gym work, as well as core strength and stability exercises, are now more organised and focused, with greater emphasis on running specific strength and conditioning exercises. I'm also increasing my flexibility well. No longer do I wake up stiff as a board, barely able to walk down the stairs. I'm now up and running straight away thanks to my gentle morning gymnastics! I’m taking great inspiration from TV-AM's fitness whiz Lizzy. (You remember her!?) A great blast from the past, as I remember my Mum using the same video in the mid 80's when I was a wee whippersnapper. You'll be glad to know I've only used the video as a guide, and the majority of the exercises are from a more up to date and competent source. But I like to put her tape on whilst I'm doing my exercises, it's an even better way to start the day when you can marvel at the most wonderful 80's perm and dazzlingly disgusting sweatshirts!
Running wise this week I felt ready to attempt my first speed session. I demanded that my coach set the group a longer slower session, just to accommodate me, and to my surprise he did. I didn't want to ruin my rehabilitation running 300 metre reps! So we were set 4 x 1500 metres. As this was my first bit of speed work in well over two months I proceeded with great caution. With each rep I slowly increased my lap times. It felt really good to be pushing myself again. But I kept it controlled and didn't give it everything. I ended up running the final rep a minute quicker than my first.
The next morning I was suffering from some stiffness in my calves. But that's quite normal for me after a track work out. If anything, my legs felt better than normal, which is another good sign that my conditioning work is paying off.
By Thursday my legs were quite tired and I felt susceptible to injury and tightening of the muscles, so I took a rest day, rather than trying to run for the sake of running. I now take greater care over what my body's trying to say to me. I followed this up with a day of non-impact training and hit my new cross training best friends, the pool and the bike.
Over the weekend normal service was resumed. I finally completed the full set of running sessions. A quick twenty-minute tempo run and the fail-safe long Sunday run. I'm pleased to report that everything is in one piece and for the first time in a long while I'm looking forward to a full weeks training.