The Daily Runner Blog: Back in the game

The Christmas break wasn’t the training bonanza I’d hoped it might be – in fact for four days straight I didn’t even look at my trainers due to various festive commitments, torrential rain and Quality Street for breakfast.

Excuses, excuses…I know plenty of people who run whatever the weather, and on far worse fuel than the much-coveted noisette green triangle, but a slow start to the day and the anticipation of cracking open the Cava by lunchtime was a far more seductive proposition than slogging away around muddy lanes.

To ease my conscience, since New Year’s day I’ve alternated longer runs with Tabata-style sessions – basically running flat-out for 20 seconds, followed by 10 seconds rest, repeated eight times. Sounds easy? It isn’t – apparently if you’re doing it right you should be on the verge of throwing up, which sounds a bit extreme to me (and might worry my fellow runners and dog-walkers in the woods of a morning) – but even my less ferocious efforts should boost my fitness levels in super-quick time.

I’m a bit worried that I’m still not putting in the distance work I should be, as my ‘long’ runs are still no more than 35 minutes, but there’s 10 weeks to go, which should be plenty of time to work on building my stamina (check this out to learn the benefits of slow and steady cardio).

An office move means a new route to work – one that takes in a couple of the larger green spaces London has to offer, and I’m planning on building up to running the whole way a couple of times a week, which is just over seven miles. I’m looking forward to the challenge, but a heads’ up in advance to the passengers of the Central line, on which I’ll cheat the last leg (to begin with, at least).

If happen to spy a sweaty, red-faced woman looking as though she might be gasping her last, worry ye not. It’s just me, wishing I’d had the willpower to give the noisette triangles a swerve. Happy New Year!