Dymchurch Marathon 2015 Training: Week 4
Yesterday, I started to write a post about how I haven’t been slacking off, but that post was flatter than a can of Coke that had been left open for three weeks and so I spared you all and deleted it.
However, in case you’d been wondering – what with the lack of marathon training updates – if I had been slacking, then I’m here to tell you that no, I haven’t. Whoop.
But (you knew there was a ‘but’ coming, didn’t you?), I probably should confess that I’ve ignored the Thursday runs my schedule has down for me but, as far as I’m concerned, it’s not possible to slack off something you had no intention of doing in the first place.
Anyway, so now I’ve confessed to not slacking, I’m going to confess to not slacking again. I really didn’t fancy a 5 mile run today, so I asked Twitter if I could go to the gym instead and Twitter – bless it and all who Tweets in it – replied.
@jogblog @UKRunChat gym can be a hundred times more effective to the overall goal. Running is one element – gym highlights weaknesses
— Fitability PT Studio (@BoutiqueBPD) September 2, 2015
That was good enough for me (although the only weakness I could see the gym highlighting for me was my ‘slacking off to the gym’ weakness*). This next reply was also good enough for me:
@jogblog @UKRunChat #ukrunchat I’d say “perfectly” the cross training will be good for u & no point forcing a run, just because! — g.®™??????? ??????? (@theAngryKenyan) September 2, 2015
and the confirmations I wasn’t a slacker just kept coming:
@jogblog Programmes are guides not religion
— 100Marathons4PTSD (@SimonABuckden) September 2, 2015
and so off I skipped to the gym, happy in my heart that I wasn’t a slacker. But… then… oh no… Twitter must have been broken because it was letting Tweets disagreeing with me through, like this one:
@jogblog @UKRunChat NO……get running, unless you really are fatigued then rest, or you have no gym days in your schedule……….. — damian clapham (@damianclapham) September 2, 2015
and this one (although this was more encouraging than disagreeing):
@jogblog @UKRunChat sometimes my best runs have been the ones I wasn’t going to do!
— paul worboys (@warderbois) September 2, 2015
but it was too late – I’d already been to the gym. While I was there though, I did 20 minutes on the rowing machine, 15 minutes on the treadmill and 5 miles on the cross-trainer (that’s about all we have in my little local gym – nothing posh like a vibration plate or anything, not that I’m complaining; I love my little gym) and, seeing as those 5 miles were the 5 miles I was supposed to run, I’m considering this valid marathon training.
*’weakness’ reminded me of this scene from Trainspotting. (Please note I am not advocating a) taking speed before a job interview; or b) telling an interviewer your weakness is that you’re a perfectionist. If you do that, you’re a nincompoop.)