8.5k to begin a new training plan - injured or not

Last night I took myself out for a run, indeed my second in about 8 weeks thanks to my calf injury. On a very nice day for running (sunny, light breeze, and a cool / comfortable temperature) I set off at a warm-up pace intending to then hit a comfortable controlled 5k effort pace. It was a simple plan and I simply didn't get out of warm-up pace the entire way round, come the cool down I was already cool enough (!). The reason 'plan A' sank was that my legs were not capable of carrying me much faster without the feeling that my calf would 'go' again, there was no sense of strength and why would there be after the best part of 2 months 'off'. In the end I took all the positives I could out of it, after all I ran the whole thing avoiding tarmac (where possible) and ran an entirely new frankly fun route around the park / river.

Over two months of niggling and often painful calf trouble I have turbo trained here and there and tried to do things - frankly though I failed (!!) - I didn't stay fit, I didn't cross train enough, and I really didn't eat well. There was nothing much more I could realistically expect from a first effort back in training. My hit out at last weeks parkrun was good for my soul but set my calf back again, so was silly to have done at the intensity I did.

Now I am looking forward to being back in a plan, whilst probably running only once or twice a week and cross-training all the other sessions in the schedule I hope that the structure will do me a power of good. It is the plan I followed at the start of this year that is good and progressive (and familiar). This time around by applying some common sense (!!) and by not running every and all sessions I hope to get to my next target at the Swansea half-marathon. That target is now essentially to get onto to the start line and get round, all thoughts of progressing my pace questing a faster marathon in the autumn have been forgotten for the moment.

April - the only way is up

March was a wash out, I lost the entire month to injury niggles and frustration. March's woes were compounded by the knowledge that January and February had gone so well, the contrast could not have been starker. Now April and spring has arrived I am looking forward to more forward momentum and hopefully no more set backs.

There were obviously highlights in March, mostly non-running / non-sporting / non-exercising related, involving a family holiday and way too much eating (!!). One of the highlights that did relate to sporting endeavour was signing up for the...

Cardiff half-marathon 2016  the mass participation event as part of the IAAF/Cardiff University World Half Marathon Championships Cardiff March 26th 2016 -  Event website

...so I have another goal to look forward to next year that should help to limit just how much focus I put on the marathon this autumn.

I hope to get back to running this week nursing my calf, and perhaps back into a training plan next week if all goes really well.