"Set your Goals in Concrete" but lay your "Plans in Sand"

What can I say about last week's training progress... it turned out to be a low mileage precautionary week... with an important lesson!
You know... sometimes you need to have a training plan that is flexible enough to enable you to adapt it to suit your needs... and not one that is so rigid that means if you pick up an injury, you are always falling behind.

My visit last Monday to Juliana (My Antipodean Physio-Terrorist) highlighted exactly that... I needed to build in some more recovery following my recent 80 miler, as after 40 minutes of expert thumb and elbow pressure applied through skin and muscle to my "deviant sciatic nerve", hamstring and piriformis muscle, I just knew I wouldn't be putting in any mileage til Wednesday.
I left Castle Clinic feeling, just on the tender side of sore, but with a smile on my face, because I knew from the work intensity, that Juliana had worked her magic on what otherwise would have manifested itself as a run halting injury and all I had to do was take it steady and let it recover.
I learned to respect her advice after pushing my luck too soon after treatment last year and undoing her hard work, and compounding the injury.

So I ran on Wednesday with Wetherby Runners, on a gentle five mile run wearing my backpack weighted to about 8lbs. Every run will now by with pack and full race kit, before I begin to taper down in the last week of March.
Thursday was ofcourse Valentines day so a meal out and a bottle of wine with my lovely wife Caz was also built into recovery.
Friday was also invested in recovery, and on Saturday we drove to Scotland to collect Lauren who had spent the half term week with her "bestest friend", her Granny.
Sunday saw a 4 hour return drive home, and I managed to get home with enough daylight left to fit in 14 miles at a steady pace as the sun dropped low in the sky followed by the temperature to about -2c in the last few miles to home.

I'm glad to report that the return visit to Juliana tonight has picked up only a slight bit of residual strain in my left hip flexor and apart from that my week is off to a good start.
You know... all joking aside I cannot reccommend too strongly that if you are enjoying your training and building mileage to Marathon distance and above that you have a check over with a physio early on, and then regularily during your training plan, so you get a chance to build trust and rapport. Your physio will also help you understand how to read the signs your body gives you, and you will learn to back off the pace in time to prevent a late injury ruining your chances of achieving your goal... remember, the purpose of your training is to get you to the start line fit to compete and prepared and ready to go the distance!

I just know it's going to be a good week... see you all soon, more later.
P.S Thanks Juliana, "a Bonza Job"