This week started with what I thought were two broken toes, which were the absolute last straw. Parent still in hospital on the other side of the world, London still in Lockdown and a list of other things which – on their own – would be completely managable, if they hadn’t snowballed into a giant pity party.

Then, the calm came. An acceptance that; yes, things are shitty, but there is only so much in your control.

And I ran in the rain.

The Stats:

Mon 9 Nov 2020	PM	Outdoor	2.8km	7’19” pace
Tues 10 Nov 2020	PM	Outdoor	4.2km	7’15” pace
Thu 12 Nov 2020	AM	Outdoor	2.4km	8’15” pace
Fri 13 Nov 2020	PM	Outdoor	5.0 km	7’46” pace
Total distance			14.4 km

Heart health –

• Resting heart rate – 67 bpm (previous week: 69 bpm)
• Fitbit ‘cardio fitness’ rating – 34 : “average” (previous week: same)

Observations:

My breathing has been much better this week – probably a combo of the above, and my improving fitness – and I can really feel the difference. It doesn’t necessarily show in the runs, but look at that change in my resting heart rate!

I’m also learning a lot about what does(n’t) serve my body. In particular: hydration. I can run for half an hour without a water bottle (which would have been unheard of two weeks ago!) but I struggle to do it on morning runs – presumably because I’m not drinking water throughout the night, whereas I’m fully hydrated when I head out in the evenings after work. Makes sense, of course, but it’s helpful to know in the training toward a much longer, early morning race.