End of another month

Well I never made it to 100km this month in the end. I can partially blame a mild cold in the last 10 days but I should still have made it out in all honesty. Still I passed 80km for the first month ever so I'm still happy and got a new personal best for a half marathon.
With the earlier sunsets now and worsening weather I am anticipating a reduction in miles achieved in the next couple of months. I would like to think I can compensate for these problems by running at the gym but how long I can spend on a treadmill depends how busy it is at the gym. I'll just have to wait and see. The Richmond Castle 10k is in 2 weeks and I am still hoping to enter.
I had a game of squash the other day too so maybe that is a way to maintain my fitness during the winter months. My muscles were aching from it today but I loosened them up with a 12k run so feel ok again now.

Interval training is unreasonably painful

This month's target of 100k is looking tough but it's still a possibility provided I don't get ill, everyone seems to be full of cold at the mo and I really hope I can avoid it. I followed Middlesbrough up with a 13.6k run on the 5th in which I felt really good, especially since I limited myself to 6oo calories that day. Then on the 7th I settled for a gentle 7.5k stroll.
Tonight, to mix things up a bit, I opted for an interval session. I managed 8 reps of 600m flat along an old railway line that is now a cycle path. I restricted recovery to 2 minutes between efforts and averaged about 2:11:80 per 600m. It seems slow considering the idea is to really kick up the pace but I was knackered by the end of the session to the point I thought I would pass out before making it home. My knee is a bit sore now too so I'll have to be extra careful if I decide to do any more similar training sessions.
I'm hoping to manage a longer run on Sunday. It's the Great North Run and although I didn't get a place I've designed my own half marathon course from home. So assuming I'm fit and healthy, in three days I'll be 21k closer to that target for September.

Letting things slip

Well, the enthusiasm of the last post didn't last. I failed in my bid for 80k last week. I haven't really got a good excuse either, the best I can think of is that I've had car trouble, which has led to late returns home from work, in turn giving me less time to train. I managed a 16k on the bank holiday though and felt comfortable.
Today was the Middlesbrough 10k, I was hoping for a time under 44 minutes but only managed 44:43. It was really hot though and the whole race felt like hard work. So, with only one race to go in 2012 it looks like the first target for next year is to break 44 minutes. There's nothing to say I can't do it in training but it's more likely in a race I think.
The aim for September remains 100k but after last month's poor late showing 80k is the minimum I want to manage.