Wednesday Training

am: 70mins easy on trails
pm: Strength & Conditioning
11mi

I overslept this morning which I think will be a good thing in the long run. I slept through really well last night - a total contrast to the previous night. I quickly grabbed a strong cup of coffee and headed to meet the group. As has happened a few times already, Ryan's car wouldn't start so it had to be hooked up to Thewlis' before firing off ok. I wasn't sure where we were running today and when we pulled up in the Pyrenees 2000 bottom car park my heart sank. I did not want to negotiate these hills today. I felt quite tired and my hamstrings were still a little sore. I ran stubbornly slowly at a pace I was relatively comfortable at – anything quicker was markedly harder. The hills were a struggle today but I just had try and keep them as relaxed as possible as I like to keep Wednesday as a pure recovery run. I had bad belly ache running today which didn't help and I eventually made a pit stop in the woods and was much better for it! I skipped strides due to the tired legs and went to get my snack from only to hear Ross Toole shout 'you won't have much luck there.' It turned out Bruce Raeside had locked the car key in Jonny's boot - classic school boy error. I hitched a lift back with Ross whilst Vince got a coat hanger and easily broke his way in. A bowl of porridge, some fruit & yoghurt later I decided to start on Charlie Spedding's book in the sunshine. After a bit of tan time we nipped to the supermarket for a few things - bog roll most importantly - and Ricky wanted to get some protein shake to get massive. I had egg and beans on toast plus some fruit when we got back and then chilled on the laptop until it was time for S&C. I had a cup of tea and then did my jog to the gym. I felt absolutely horrific jogging. When I started my weights I felt dizzy and weak and after squats & my shoulder exercises I called it a day. After I’d sat down for 10 mins feeling sorry for myself I felt much better. I was mainly just flat and worn down with my sore neck, coupled with not feeling 100%. I decided I should just get it done and ended up smashing out the whole session in double-quick time feeling fine! I didn’t jog afterwards as a precaution but my legs felt looser for the walk back to the apartment. I nipped in to George's room for a quick chat about training over the next few days and Saturday's session looks great! I'm considering taking tomorrow a little easier and not running at threshold in the evening; I'll speak to Phil tonight to go over things. I had a couple of cereal bars before cracking on with dinner, helping Lewis make huge amounts of steak, mash and lots of vegetables. We then drove around in vain (probably for the best) looking for an open supermarket to get some dessert. I enjoyed seeing Jose and his team cling on against Barca as I really am a big fan. Afterwards I had a long Skype session with my Dad to go through training and just catch up in general before speaking to my Grandparents and Mum. I realise how lucky I am to be here when speaking to them about what we've been doing these last 10 days - to think I am only halfway through my trip! Dropping economics is the best thing I have ever done.