Week fourteen, at the start of the week, just 9 training sessions to go to reach the big day and with the training minutes starting to rapidly reduce as strange sense of slowing down and not covering big distances start to hit home. Obviously it makes sense to calm the runs down in the final few weeks before this race or any race but it just feels odd, almost like now my focus is about mentally preparing for the race day rather that the previous 3 months of training more physically. I’m feeling an introduction of nerves, the anticipation of the race, as much as I am looking forward to it the stage is much bigger than Brighton two years ago and I will be overwhelmed by this come the 24th. Its now Monday 18th and I’m off work today so I get the leisure of the rarity of writing my blog during the daytime. Looking back on last weeks runs in my diary and they are also seen below.
  As you can see the durations of the runs dropping, the runs seem inviting and make me feel like I have more time around me, I not sure that’s entirely true though, there’s always something else to do. Speaking of things to do… hearing things going on for the following week after the marathon and planning other things later in the year are making me realise just how close I am to this huge run next Sunday. I want to throw out a huge thank you to Emma, she has been brilliant this last week, I literally unpacked the delivered shopping by Tesco’s about an hour ago and its loaded with carbs and other foods she knows id be loving to consume on this final week. The funny thing is I remember her doing the shopping online the other day and I’m not even thinking whilst she is considering how important it is for me to be consuming the right foods in the final countdown. Thank-you.
 My week was full of long hours, well, we’ve just started an new trial shift pattern and at the moment I’m working Tuesday through to Friday 6:00am to 4:30pm, with the option of various overtime on other days if fancied. So I started the week in fact working a 12-hour day Monday as overtime and the rest of the week as per my scheduled shift. I was in fact working Sunday too, which turned out to be a long day but at double time and Monday off I wasn’t worried too much. So this explains why I am off today and I have also booked this Friday off to get plenty of rest prior to Sunday, so a cheeky little three day week this week is a nice way to give me some essential preparation and rest time.
  I ran five times this week and starting Monday with 30 minutes easy paced was nice, after working the full day Monday as overtime I was tired, in fact id driven to Ipswich and Norwich, as you can see above when I left in the morning the sunrise looked worthy of a photo. The easy run was just that though and I was looking forward to just getting home after the long day out, getting some dinner and resting up. I’m introducing a bit of rest crazy into my final week. Talking of dinner check out these great mince loaded peppers and tomatoes with mozzarella melted on top.
  Tuesday was my first of two interval runs of the week and it comprised of 10 minutes easy, 15 minutes at marathon pace, (60 seconds at threshold, 60 seconds walking x4) and finally finishing of with 10 minutes easy, totalling to 43 minutes and covering just short of 5 miles. After the marathon paced part It was interesting going into short 1 minute intervals but the walking part of it was definitely a nice way of catching my breath back.  Wednesday was similar but a bit more demanding, with no walking and longer durations at tempo speeds. A 50 minute interval run 10 minutes easy, (2mins tempo, 2mins jog recovery x5) 10 minutes marathon pace and finally 10 minutes easy again. I was sweating after this one, I’m always sweating after every run but this one got me feeling like a work out, the two-minute spells at a tempo pace are tough to maintain. Id completed these first three runs of the week in the gym and was also finishing up on the treadmill again for Thursdays run. I wasn’t enjoying the four runs all in a row but the fourth run of the week was the same as Monday, a 30 minute easy paced run, and in-fact I mimicked Mondays run to a tee. Running the 3.23 miles at and average pace of 9:17 per mile, just a nice easy pace, just how I’m looking to wind down. I was going out on Friday with some mates so there wouldn’t be much time to squeeze the run in before or after work with the night out planned too, so four days on the bounce it had to be! On the plus side this did make for a nice feeling for the rest of the weeks with only one run left with three days to complete it in.
  So with the weekday runs complete I had the night out to look forward to, minus the excitement of watching all my friends drinking the night away the food was great and we had a good laugh. Making up for my lack of alcohol I decided to push my food limits and order this massive burger. Ill let you decide from the picture below but 18oz chuck steak, 200g pulled pork, 6 rashers applewood smoked bacon & 6 slices American cheese in a bun with chips was enough for me! We had some seriously hot ‘viper’ chilli chicken wings too, which made a good laugh at the table. Of course most of the gang wanted to keep going after so we headed a few doors down to the pub. My plan was to do my run Saturday and it was only, I say only, but in comparison 70 minutes seems short to the previous runs throughout the training. First things first though I was up early with Luke, we was doing a trip to the rubbish dump to get rid of a few bits I had been storing for him for a while and we managed to creep in a sneaky bit of breakfast too which went down a treat. Not sure my body would of loved all the fatty foods had I not been doing so much running though and my excuse was id run it off in the next week or so. Ha, ill have to be careful after the training though. This run was only an easy paced run too, so I didn’t have much pressure on me for it, just to get out and do it! I wasn’t feeling ill but I noticed a sharp pain and lets just say it wasn’t pleasant. By this time I had planned my run and didn’t want to miss getting out there and completing my run, especially with work the next day, (Sunday) so I braved it and headed out. Bang on half way through my run I stopped to use a toilet and I had the same pain again, this time more serve. I thought how’s my luck and decided to keep running get home and get down to the NHS walk in centre. After a few hours waiting around, surrounded by sports injuries and drunken falls from peoples previous night out I saw the doctor and she assured me after a sample that I had a urine infection, and this was causing the pain… Great! Fortunately she prescribed me some antibiotics and they started working that day, straight away removing any discomfort and touch wood 2 full days later, all good. I’ll finish the course and hopefully that will be that. So frustrating though, I’d come this far in training and I was just praying that nothing would stop me now, I would of hated for something to get in the way, just bad timing. I had to make the decision to go to the walk in centre over going to Chelsea that evening too, gutted I had to give up my ticket, but I just had to find out what was wrong and get treatment ASAP with the run looming. The run was fine as a run, just a nightmare of 70 minutes of worry, especially after the halfway point. In the 70 minutes I ran 8.08 miles at an average pace of 8’40 per mile, a nice easy pace.
Saturday night I was relieved to be on the mend and chilled in doors with no intentions of going out just to get a good rest before work the next day. My last rest day of the week was filled with a long 12-hour working day but at least it was worth it. I knew I wouldn’t be getting involved with any overtime this final week before the run so it seemed like a good idea to get as much in before as possible. Em and I finished up the week with a trip to Nandos, id hardly eaten all day and Em was hungry so we order plenty of chicken, before coming home to chill. Now it being Monday afternoon and on 6 days away I’m really looking forward to these last few days, they will fly by and Sunday will be here before I know it. This week is all about training little, getting plenty of rest and eating lots of carbs for me and I plan on doing just that. All bar I’m popping out tonight to watch a good mate in his football teams cup final, so good luck Pas!
 Every single person who has spoken to me about the run or visiting on the day to come and watch is such a huge support to me and I see you all as part as my team. I’m just the legs for the team and we are all in this together.
 Next Sunday in emoji’s…
