Go to my April Update.
May was an interesting month on paper. And it became even more interesting in reality.
There was always going to be times during the training planthat things went a bit off the rails. A busy working life, family with young humans and all that, just means that training is a juggling task and give and take.
You can also throw COVID into that mix as May was when i got my first vaccine jab, and that knocked the stuffing out of this usually cast iron immune system of a man!
The training this month had a mix of continuing building the endurance, and also to then start a period of recovery.
The highlight of the month should have been 2 40/40+ mile runs. Sadly onw bit the dust due to the jab. There was no way i was running 400m given how horrible I felt. That run just had to be chalked down to the ‘didn’t quite make it’ pile. A 40-mile run can’t just be slotted into the calendar over lunch, or before work (well at least not for me) so it just had to be chalked off. Never mind, one run doesn’t define a training plan.
The other long run happened as planned and boy it was a cracker. The decision was taken to go to my in-laws for lunch as restrictions for COVID were now starting to lift.
This was my months highlight and a glorious run involving the Ridgeway, The Brenda Parker Way, The Tess Way and The Wayfarers Walk. A group of stunning trails around Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Hampshire and ones that i need to spend a lot more time exploring (Well maybe the Ridgeway is a bit of an obvious one!).
Nutrition
I continued to invest some time in nutrition and have added mini pork pies to my carry load – brilliant little pick me ups those!
I also tried out Veloforte bars. These are not cheap so i thought i would by a trial pack and give them a whirl as they boast a high carb to calorie ratio, allowing me to increase my carb intake wihtout OD’ng on calories.
In review – OMG they are brilliant. They are soft, juicy and tasty, easy to eat and a real source of energy. They wont be my sole source of nutrition (i would have to sell a kidney to afford it) but they will definitely be in my long run reportoire.
The recovery phase
So following this recent focus on distance i was surprised to see there was a significant drop in mileage for a full 4 week cycle. This seemed odd and i thought that you just needed to continue building up to taper then ease off. But this plan has an additional section in, and it makes sense. Running 40/45 mile long runs week in week out is hard work and your body needs recovery time. The one week in four cycle gives this to some extent but not enough to fully recover, so during the training your body will get progressively more tired. This recovery block is designed to maintain fitness and strength but not to push it, not to continue driving the body hard. Give it time to refuel and rest, before some further cycles of distance, endurance and fine tuning, then taper. So that’s what I’m now at. I’m in a quiet phase, less load and less effort, but still 50 or so miles a week to keep fitness stable and the body in good form. Then we hit training again for July/August before a taper and race. Getting close now!
Ridgeway Runner 
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