PBs and Prohibition

It's been a few weeks since my last blog and there are a couple of bits and bobs I wanted to put down on paper (or screen if we're being picky about it).

Generally, it's been a really successful few weeks with my running. The Nottingham 10k gave me a real motivation boost and has made me more determined than ever to hit a sub 60 10k. My next race is five weeks away now and until the last week or so I'd been quite confident that I could do it. 

I've had quite a few PBs since my last blog post, namely:

• Completing Parkrun in my best ever time of 29.13. I've done treadmill 5ks quicker but that's my best non-interval training time
• Hit 8min mile for the first time. It was the only mile I did that day and I couldn't have kept up that speed for long but I did it! 
• Ran my longest ever run at 13.17 km (just over 8 miles) with two lovely ladies from my running club. 

I think this has been helped in no small part by actually planning my training - something which I've not massively done before. A big bit of this has been scheduling in some interval training which I've never bothered with because I always thought it seemed too much like hard work. However, I think it's finally clicking that if I'm going to improve, it is going to be bloody hard work. 

Which brings me on to the second 'P' of my blog title. Prohibition. I know I've mentioned in blog posts before that I love a drink. Whether it's a glass (who am I kidding... a bottle) of wine after a long day at work, a pint of strongbow in a beer garden or a vokda and lemonade to celebrate the weekend. 

Despite how much I love a good drink, it's becoming more and more clear that drinking and running just don't go together. It's far too easy to abandon long-run day in favour of Netflix and feeling sorry for myself after a pot or two the night before and equally, I always seem to struggle if I run within a day or two of a heavy one. 

It's now 24 days until I jet off to Benidorm with my family, and ideally I want to lose the best part of half a stone before then (well really I want to get rid of 2 but that's looking less and less realistic..). It's also car insurance month in June which is a massive burden on the old bank balance! 

So all these factors lead to one thing really. A 24 day drinking ban! I'm cheating a little bit because it's not like I had any huge social plans which I'll be rocking up to sober, but any any plans won't be involving alcohol (well, not for me anyway!). I really want that sub 60 10k and I know how annoyed I'll be at myself if I don't think I've trained my absolute best to get there. 

Here I go then, 24 days and counting!!