Taping

I bought this amazing kinesio tape. I am a big fan of The Tap Tap (band) and by buying this product I actually contributed to their charity. Also, I have a strong suspicion that my arch is collapsing so I had to test the tape immediately.

Tahák

I should want to stay in the range of 65 - 80 %.

Shoeeeeezzzzzzz

New Toy

I used my Marathoner discount and bought myself this as a reward. Time to get my running to the next level.

I am a marathoner

Restless

This training plan is not demanding enough. Who trains for a marathon by running 3 km, seriously. On top of that, it is a rest day today. Look at this:

Week 1

Monday         5K easy
Tuesday        cross-train
Wednesday   3K speed
Thursday
Friday           2K sprint (5x200)
Saturday
Sunday         12K tempo

I really want to get out there and run, but NO, I will trust the process and learn to be patient. It is not a bad thing to take it easy now, considering my recent problems with the hip and the experience of burning out during the training last year. Maybe I could sneak in some NTC workout, though. Yoga does not ruin the prescribed rest day, right? :D

Speed?

Yesterday was a cross train day. I did the 30 minutes Sweat and Shape as part of the Get lean NTC program and then added another 45 minutes of Advanced Yoga. I wish there was some Beginner yoga workout though, some of the poses just make me laugh. There is no way I could do a crow pose in near future :)

I kind of dreaded the run today as it was supposed to be the speed run. I have just one pace that I am comfortable with and any change of that is killing me. It is around 6:45 min/km, I am a slow runner.

I am not sure, how to read my training plan but if it says: "Ready for today's speed set? Take it up a notch with a 3K fast-paced run.", I read it as "run for a warm-up, then do the 3K and then run to cool down". All together it was 5,52 km and it was not at all bad. My "fast" pace was 5:45-6:15 min /km (mind you, there was some elevation on the way). I could keep that pace for more than a few hundred meters, I did not die, not even thought of dying.

I am very happy about the workout. It may sound weird, but I feel like a real runner now.

Training Program Started Today

My marathon training plan is for 15 weeks. I still have 18 weeks till the race but I figured there is no reason to wait and rather repeat 3 weeks later in the process than keeping my general running now and then decreasing the mileage to start the program. I chose the Nike training plan for beginners available in the new communities (not in the app).

The plan today was 5km, easy pace. My brother's girlfriend joined so it made me slow down a bit (which is good) but we had to make a few unplanned stops (not so good).

To increase my fitness, I also started the Nike Training Club (NTC) program. I have the app for years but used it only for post-run stretching or not at all. With the recent update I find it much cooler and will try to stick with it, but guess what ... my favourite workout was removed from the app (bummer). I chose the Get lean - advanced and did the first workout Razor Sharp. Big mistake. It is terrible how out of shape I am. A real eye opener. Which is unfortunate, because I originally just wanted to lose a few kg and strenghten my core, because I train for a marathon :D I will need to take this more seriously than expected.

So, I decided to downgrade to Get lean - beginner. The workouts are slightly easier and I prefer to do the excercises properly and feel good about the workout than slack and have my confidence crushed. The beginner program has less sessions per week but at least it gives me room to try the other workouts in the app that look appealing (Maraton prep, for example).

New Shoes

Aaaaah, new shoes :))) They are so shiny! I can't wait to take them for their first mud run.

Soon they will look like this. Dear old shoes, let me introduce you to the washing machine :)

Happy New Year!

The New Year's Eve celebration was pretty epic. I drank at least a half bottle of whisky plus a few beers, I smoked a whole pack and got home around 4 a.m. I woke up around 11:30 wondering, how the heck would I go for a run today.

Well, guess what. I did it and it was at all not as bad as expected. The fresh air actually made me feel better. This gives me so much hope for my training in Yerevan :) 

5,24 km today.