PMMP

[marathondan]

And so to the Post Marathon Maintenance Program, or PMMP™.

I guess you know you're a creature of habit when you start planning out your running cycle a year in advance. 

Richmond was a fabulous event and fits my lifestyle perfectly. So if it runs next year, I'll be there, hopefully in bigger and better fancy dress. If not, I'll find another September marathon. 

Meanwhile, the maintenance plan is to average a mile a day, probably taken as a single dose of 7 miles on a Saturday. I will have the opportunity to mix it up, and maybe enter the odd event, in half terms and holidays.

Yesterday I got my 7 miles in running home from Windsor to Maidenhead. Just as I set out, an idea popped into my head, inspired by listening to Liz Yelling on Marathontalk last week. Could I start at a gentle 10 minute miling, and then speed up by 30 sec with each mile? Some quick mental maths revealed that the answer was very likely to be no, but I could probably manage 20 sec. 

I wasn't at all confident, but was pleasantly surprised to find I managed it, dipping below 8MM for the final mile. Well, all but mile 6, which includes a steep hill, and I was 3 sec off. So, a really nice session, which feels like it's combining endurance and speed work into a single outing. 

It will be interesting to see if I can keep it up, because my fitness should now be on a gently downward trajectory.

Footnote: it goes without saying that I am astounded to be able to do that session a week after a marathon, a point at which I am normally enjoying a month off running. Still not sure how it all went so right. Even in battered shoes .