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Running through Christmas

Posted by Vicki on

It’s a funny thing, Christmas.  No matter how disciplined you are normally, no matter how much your body is a temple and your training routine is sacrosanct, Christmas is a time to indulge.

The key to Christmas, in my experience, is to give yourself permission for that indulgence.  Don’t get the guilts because you drank prosecco all day – make it part of your plan and enjoy it.  Cake?  Plan it.  Cheese.  Go ahead and plan that sh*t.  It’s Christmas.  It’s once a year, and the world won’t stop spinning on its axis because you go to bed with a food baby.

However… as I’ve said, I’ve been finding it hard to get into a groove lately.  So I was a little worried about Christmas.  I decided to give myself a break and mix it up a little.  So a week before Christmas, I started the plankathon.  It’s an excellent 14 day abs programme.  It takes 5 minutes a day, builds to be really quite painful, but gives you *something* to do.  Each day.

I ran on Christmas Eve.  A fast 5k to the station, narrowly missing a sub-30 minute PB.  It was wet and wild (the weather, rather than my performance) but I was out and I did it.  IMG_2113

Yesterday, my family indulged my running habit, and spoiled me with a IMG_2112
Nathan hydration vest and a new pair of trail shoes – I love my Newton road shoes, and since my lovely colleague is intent on getting me to run in the mud, these were a necessity and a luxury, all in one go.

Today, I went out and did another 5k to the station – faster this time and breaking my fastest mile PB (9:09 minutes).  I sweated pure process and the weather was less than ideal, but since I have friends up north who are battling floods and torrential rain really a bit of wind and drizzle was nothing to worry about.

Tomorrow I turn 49.  I probably won’t run as my marathon training programme starts in earnest the following day (don’t worry; it’s a rest day!).  So I can have one more day of indulgence, and then I’m on it. Like a car bonnet.  Brighton, I’m coming to get you! As long as the marathon is no longer than 5k, I’m pretty sure I’ll smash it!