3 personal bests in 1 week!

This week has been entered into the marathonmorris book of records...

So I'm off the injury bench.. I took a total of 5 days off running ( I know I said I wouldn't run for 2 weeks but we are talking about me here) anyway where was I... 5 days off running then started again doing the usual 10.30 minute miles nothing out the ordinary. Then on Tuesday night I did some research into the Torremolinos half marathon and discovered not only do they have a rather tight cut off finish time of 2 hours 30 minutes there are individual cut off points along the route like this..... Maximum Timings will be shown at set points. Competitors will be permitted to continue up to a maximum of time of: km.5: 35´,km.10: 1 Hr 10´, km.15: 1h 45’ km.20: 2h 20’ Finish. 2h 30’. Failure to make these limits will result in the participant’s being disqualified. Fanbloodytastic I thought I'm really close to the 10k cut off with a pb of 1 hour 3 minutes on a good day.. Run for Fun friends rallied around and told me I can do it, I just need to focus on the times maybe it's more motivation for me to get a pb.

Well they must have been right as Wednesday evening I set a new 5k pb of 27 minutes 35 seconds! Split times of 9.24 / 9.14 and my last mile with a sprint finish of 8.35!!! Wowsers. Excellent but I'll sometimes get a 'fast flukey day'. Thursday came along and I decided to see if I could run 4 miles at around 9.40 min mile pace which will see me through to a pb for a half marathon.... with split times of 8.55 /8.40 / 8.47 and final mile again a sprint finish of 8.37 min miles I had set ANOTHER 5k pb of 26 minutes 55 seconds and was running a little too comfortably at 8 minute mile pace??


What the feck is going on?!? 

Friday was a rest day although I didn't feel as though I needed a rest, if anything I wanted to keep running as I was worried this fast streak may not last... Saturday it was thundering so I decided to run on the treadmill... right lets really see what's what Morris! I set the heating up to 18 degrees to acclimatise myself to running in the heat with laptop on, a box set at the ready I set out to run 8 miles. I set the treadmill up at a constant pace of 9.04 minute miles..could I really maintain this for 8 miles? with the heating on?   Well the answer is yes and I even adjusted the incline between 1 & 2% percent throughout to mimic outdoor running and sped up at some points running at 7mph.

I ran 8 miles in 1 hour 12 minutes .... just to put that into context my average 10k (6.1 miles) is 1 hour 10 minutes, I ran a whole extra 2 miles over that. With this run in the bag I had got yet another pb my 10k pb went from 1 hour 3 minutes to 54 minutes 59 seconds. I seem to be peaking at just the right time and I'm over the moon though im trying to fathom out what's going on?

I've come up with a few ideas 1/ I've been doing core work every day since the 2nd Jan. 2/ I keep telling myself when I'm running 8 - 9 minute miles that I'm actually running slow, almost tricking my mind. 3/ I've just simply been lazy the last two years and not really pushed myself but I actually don't feel like im pushing myself running this speed. 

Tonight's run should really have been a recovery run after yesterdays fast 8 miles and the week in general just being ridiculous speed wise but off I went and couldn't run slow, I did 3 miles with splits of 9.01 /  9.03  and sprint finish again of 8.40...... I think I've come up with idea number 4.. maybe my garmin has broke!!!

Either way if I can keep this up I'm going to bloody win the Torremolinos half marathon and possibly get a podium finish and make it into the Spanish papers.

Sarah Marafun wins Torremolinos Half Marathon