4 days after Cardiff Half
Snowdonia marathon training
In preparation for my Snowdonia Marathon on the 26th October, this Sunday I will doing my last LSR before taper time yay! Having taken part in the loch marathon 2 weeks ago, my training plan has been a bit sketchy to say the least, however, for the first time ever, I tapered (Sport chat: practice of reducing training in the days just before an important race), and I mean really tapered, following my plan to the T and I have to say it paid off. Standing at the start line on top of a remote mountain, in the Scottish highlands, in the freezing cold…I was raring to go. So I’m planning on following suit for Snowdon.
The good thing about this Sundays LSR is I will be joining my fellow club members, many of whom will be running Snowdonia too therefore on a similar plan (you’ll find many have their own mileage, training, tapering methods tailored to suit but principles remain the same) and should make for a sociable run. I was flying solo for my previous marathon, many club members on different mileage, so my longer runs have been as much as a mental challenge as well as physical. I’ve given up listening to music on my runs and having nothing but your own breathing to listen to can sometimes be as much as a hindrance as a benefit. However, picking my routes carefully can provide welcome distractions. I’ve been running slightly off the beaten track, taking in country lanes, trails around forestry’s and ridgeway tracks. There’s some beautiful sights to be seen, you just got to climb a hill or two sometimes to truly see them. Incorporating hills along the way, sometimes towards the end of a run can help build strength. Throwing in an occasional flat road run then feels like you’re speedy mcgreedy.
As part as my training plan I’m hoping to fit in some cross training this week, a bit of a swimming, a spin class….but let’s see how Sunday goes😁
