Wk 7: Mon 17th – Sun 23rd Feb

Run: 7hrs 34mins (50mi) / Gym: 1hr 17mins / Crosstrain: 30min

This week was all about cautious progress, feeling things out and keeping the knee in check. Monday kicked off with a very slow five-mile recovery run, the sort of plodding effort where walking might’ve been quicker. But I followed it up with 20 minutes of knee work, which—against all odds—actually seems to be helping. The evening brought another five miles, a heart-rate-focused shuffle while my son was at football training. Played it safe, averaging 131 bpm at a pace that felt almost comically slow, but better to hold back than push too hard.

Tuesday was more of the same—another heart-rate run, another five miles. Except this time, my heart rate was stubbornly high despite the easy pace. Probably still feeling the effects of Monday’s double run.

By Wednesday, I decided to give the knee some extra grace, swapping running for a 30-minute turbo session on the bike. More strength work followed—just keeping the cautious approach going.

Thursday morning, I ditched the watch and just ran by feel over the usual 7.65-mile route. Surprisingly, I was moving better than expected, clocking an 8:16 min/mile pace, though the heart rate crept up to 143 bpm. The evening run was all about discipline: heart rate locked in at 133 bpm, pace dialed back by a full minute per mile. A careful balance game.

Friday, the knee gave a little warning, so I skipped running altogether and hit the gym while my son trained. Better to stay sensible than force something.

Saturday brought the classic ‘parkrun sandwich’—a three-mile warm-up, a parkrun effort clocked at 20:14 (seems like adjusting expectations is finally paying off), then 3.5 miles to warm down. A much cleaner execution than last week.

Sunday’s long run wrapped up the week with a controlled 10 miles—keeping the heart rate low at 131 bpm, a steady 9:15 min/mile pace, and most importantly, no knee complaints. Careful but productive. Exactly what I needed.