Wow, this month has been tough. That knee injury I picked up last month has plagued me for the whole of this month. I’ve managed to run a grand total of twice! However, despite this I have been in the gym 3-4 times a week working on strengthening my muscles and improving my cardio.
9km along Copacabana Beach including 4km of beach running.
I don’t have too much to share this month because of my lack of running, so instead, I thought I would share an average gym work out for me this month.
My Gym Routine
Warm up – five minutes of fast walking on the treadmill
Plank – two minutes in total: 30 seconds with arms stretched, 30 seconds resting on elbows, 30 seconds on left side, 30 seconds on right side. REPEAT three times.
Squats – 20 reps with a 10kg weight bag. REPEAT three times.
Push ups and abs – 10 push ups followed by 20 twists with weight ball and legs in the air (I don’t know what this is called but it looks like the picture below). REPEAT three times.
Lunges – 20 reps (10 on each side) with 4kg weight in each arm. REPEAT three times.
TRX – 10 reps of inverted row (again, it looks like the picture below). REPEAT three times.
Bike – 10 minutes of hill intervals at level 6
Crossfit – 10 minutes of intervals at level 8
Cool down – five minutes normal paced walking on treadmill then five minutes of foam rolling my calves, quads and IT band.
Inspiration
I have been using Pinterest as inspiration for things to do in the gym as well as on my yoga mat at home this month. You can find my ‘get fit’ Pinterest board here.
Knee Support
Well the good news is the Dr says I have done nothing serious to my knee. I probably just sprained something but I certainly shouldn’t rule out running the marathon, I just need to build back up slowly now. I invested in a strong knee support last week and that has enabled me to run without much difficulty this week. Keeping the circulation going and my knee warm has been a key part of that. Thankfully, I’m back in warm Rio and hopefully my runs should start progressing again now.
Energy Gels
As the marathon is now a month away, it is time to start testing out some energy gels and tablets I will be using on race day. I have been using Dextro Energy tablets for sugar after my gym sessions just to see their effect but now have SIS gels to test over the next two weeks. But if I don’t get on with them then I’ve heard jelly babies are a pretty good source of energy.
Cancer Research
As I’ve mentioned most months I have decided to run for Cancer Research despite securing a ballot place for the marathon. I have been real slack at fundraising due to my injury and wondering if I’m actually going to run this thing, but with a renewed faith for being able to run I am back to trying to secure as many sponsors as possible for this amazing charity.
I think that is all for this month, the next post I write about training will be days before the race itself. Scary stuff.
If you have any recommendations of food before race day and energy gels etc. to try, then leave a comment below. Any help you can give is highly appreciated!
Tags: Fitness London Marathon Running Training
