Week 25: Monday 24 – 29 June

Run: 7hrs 27min (51.59mi) / Gym: 20mins / Crosstrain: 0mins

Monday’s morning loop was steady and familiar, and I was quietly pleased to follow it up with a decent stretch session—starting to make that a regular habit rather than just a good intention. Tuesday marked a long-awaited return to the running track. Having finally had the all-clear from the abdominal strain (ultrasound in the morning, at the track by lunchtime), I was itching to reintroduce some structure and speed. The session was a classic: 2-mile warm-up, then 12 x 400m off 200m walk recoveries. With no idea what sort of pace to expect—anything from 85 to 95 seconds felt realistic—I was genuinely delighted to find myself hitting 81s and 82s consistently, with one rogue rep sneaking in at 78. I jogged a 2-mile warm down and even found five minutes to stretch beside the track before swapping my running shoes for spreadsheets.

Wednesday was a welcome rest (well, until the evening), when I ticked off 6.75 miles during my son’s football training. Thursday now means tempo runs, and this week’s was a bit of a reality check. I opted for a route just shy of 9 miles: 2-mile warm-up, then 2 miles at marathon target pace. I’d normally kick off a block with 3-mile efforts, but with fitness unknown and confidence unsteady, I just went as hard as felt sensible. Midway through the second mile, I glanced at the watch and saw a pace of 6:45—tough, but plausible. Then I looked again—5:45. Right. That explained the creeping sense of collapse. No wonder the tank was empty. I cut the third tempo mile, jogged the final 5 miles home, and logged it mentally as a line in the sand.

With no football training on Friday, I swapped the usual evening slot for a morning shakeout. Something different, something gentle—I was still carrying fatigue from the week’s reintroduction of speed. Saturday was a travel day, up early but behind the wheel rather than on my feet, ferrying my eldest around university campuses. I tried to make up for it on Sunday with a satisfying 12-miler first thing, followed by a short form session on the treadmill in Vibrams to work on foot strike and posture. All in, a week that felt like a turning point—rust knocked off, gears shifting, and purpose slowly coming back into play.