Interval training

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Well I went to an injury clinic on Wednesday since my last blog - the foot is fine, just have advice on what to do if it flares up again. Luckily my doctor has run the London Marathon before so I have plenty of advice on training schedules, stretches and advice right down to getting my name put down on my running vest.

She also advised me to do interval training - on the shorter runs, to vary the pace more, stepping it up a little for short stints, so as to increase stamina and help run at the slow pace on the day.

I ran my 3.5 mile loop, not knowing if I intended to run more or not. As always the first mile was hard to get going, so it was only in the latter stages that I thought I might vary the pace. Admittedly some of it was forced on me - I think at least four times I had to stop dead because of traffic pulling out of side roads.

When I did step the pace up a bit it felt OK, but it did leave me with stitch when I slowed back down again. The idea was just to run a little bit faster for two or three lamp posts, then back to normal again. I did do it, and certainly felt a little hotter and sweatier at the end of each stint than I otherwise would have done, though probably just got about three short bursts in.

I finished in a little under 35 minutes for my 3.5 miles, so difficult to justify that this made any difference. Motivation for the shorter runs is a little difficult because I have just one thing on my mind (well, two - Silverstone and London). Each week is about the long Sunday run and whether or not I can go a mile further than the previous week - whether my shorter runs are 4 miles or 6 miles seem to make little difference. This week is no exception - I know that tomorrow (Sunday) I have to try 11 miles again.

I've mapped out a brand new 10 mile route so as to avoid the monotony of three loops round a loop I now know very well, which will take me out and back into the surrounding villages. Another word of advice is to run on roads, not pavements, so just maybe this will help ...