Week 20: The snow has arrived.

This week started with a short 5 kilometre run, once around the local resevoir and then some hill sets.  Running as fast as I could uphill for 30 seconds and then a recovery jog down.  I am a little concerned that I have difficulty running uphill, I usually only manage a fast walk before running on the level sections and descents.   My target race in August has an overall climb of 2000 metres.
Normally Tuesday is my gym session but I was passing a test to accompany schoolkids skiing.  I decided that this could replace my time at the gym, as I would work on my thigh and backside.  After my midweek rest day I had an intensive session at the gym; cycling hard for 20 mins followed by some weight training for core strengths.  I finished off with some work on the running machine, setting the incline at 7.5% and running as fast as I could for as long as I could.
Friday I was due to go skiing with the school in the afternoon but managed to slot in an 8 kilometre circuit round the reservoir.  I was quite pleased as despite the cold and icy conditions I managed a personal best time.
I finished the week with a long run.  It was hard to get out in the cold -1°C, so I made sure I did a thorough warm up.  The first fifteen minutes wasn't easy but once I got into my rhythm I felt quite comfortable.  Unfortunately my iphone decided to act up and stopped recording after 7.5 kilometres.  Up to that point I seemed to be making good time of around 10 kilometres per hour.  Despite my annoyance I pushed on.  There was an icy blast blowing off the resevoir and a few snowflakes falling, but I didn't feel too cold.  The run went relatively well but the last couple of kilometres were hard work as my hip and knee were sore.  Once home I stretched out my leg muscles and calculated my kilometres on a map.  I think I managed approximately 20 kilometres, my longest run yet which might explain my leg pains.
Now I think I'll start looking into a watch to record my runs.  The front runner at the moment is the Garmin Foreunner range.  They link with Strava and I will be able to associate them with a heart rate monitor.  This means I can record and work on my effort.