Update 2 and I'm already fretting!

Good evening!  So, Sunday night and the end of my half-term has been reached!  Back to the madness of military motherhood/work routines as of 6am on Monday morning.  I say this however knowing that the 'daily grind' so to speak enables me and my world to function at a happy and productive pace with familiar and welcomed routines.

Anyway, my week as was:
I've been pretty lucky this week and have been able to work to the schedule that I had wanted and could knowingly fit into my life.
Monday @7am, 2 mile slow jog after a long run the day before - before collecting the children at 8am.
Tuesday morning when the girls were at a club - some intense interval treadmill training. 
1 mile slow (8.30 pace), 10 x 800m at 7.30 reducing to 7.20 pace followed by 200m jogs (10 min miles), 1 mile slow (8.45 pace).  Felt good!  The gym is definitely the preferred option here as it enables me to control my the pace in a way that I never really manage on the road.
I didn't have the girls on Tuesday evening so hit the gym at 6am on Wednesday morning for a solid 5 miler at an overall average of 7.45 pace... for those of you who are about to shoot me down for using the gym for a simple run - I'm scared of the dark, end of story!  Ready and finished to collect the girls at 8am for a day of motherly fun!  :o)
I didn't do anything on Thursday... oh it was so nice!
As I said in my last post, this has been an easy week for me and the children in that they get a couple of full days with their dad by spending their weekend with him.  As much as I miss them, it also enabled me to focus on the miles.  So on Friday evening (just as it was getting dark) and again on Saturday morning, I ran a simple 4 mile loop around Moreton Hall.  Slow, short and easy.  Average of around 8.30 min/mile - quite hard to keep it this slow for such a short run as my natural pace is faster but wanted to save my legs for Sunday.
And the grand finale of my week was the added bonus of being able to run with a few of the Pacers from the Leisure Centre on Sunday morning.  When so many Pacers had taken to the Bungay XC for the day, I just wanted to put miles in on the road.  Several of us were turned up today running anything between 12 and 19 miles - I had wanted to run 16 and managed 16.1 (special thanks goes to Peter for going over the 14 mile mark and running just over 15 - this extra few minutes of company was great for my own mind set.  I only then had to run just under a mile on my own to complete my own personal target for the day).    My average pace today was 8min48/mile.  This is ok and what I had planned.  I know I'm capable of so much better than this but I need to keep reminding myself that it's about the distance on these long runs and to concentrate only on the miles for now.

A well loved cup of tea, flap-jack at the leisure centre followed by what felt like my own body weight in food: Mars milk drink, cheese on toast, fruit, jaffa-cakes and a lots of fluid were all taken within minutes of arriving home - then b*gger to the ice bath, I had a lovely hot one! Girls arrived home this afternoon - nice to see them and just enjoy them!  Tonight once they were in bed was a focus on getting ready for the week ahead at work.

So, I've totalled 38 miles of running this week which was what I had hoped for.  I definitely have deadlegs.com and a realisation that in 8 weeks from now I'll be running 26.2 miles which is more than 10 miles longer than today's little effort.  Worse still, that's just the opening gambit for a full year of this!  So, this dawning of what is to be has hit me and the fretting has begun.  That said - I've said I'm doing it, I've committed pen to paper in the computerised metaphorical sense and bring it on!  Only 8 weeks to Milan, my first of the year of running but am also thinking beyond Milan and the next adventures - more to follow on that one.

This week is going to be particularly difficult: Back at work with lots of evening work including a parents' open evening on the one night that I don't have the girls for the next 7 days (Thursday).  My plan therefore is as follows:

Monday after work before collecting the girls - to try and get 2 slow miles by running around the school field.  I'll probably be at the track but only in the capacity of taking my eldest there (youngest is still too young to join.  I've well and truly primed her for joining when she turns 6).
Tuesday - Nothing, meetings dictate this... although if the energy levels are up, I'll try to get some Sky TV yoga in once the chidren are in bed.
Wednesday - Meeting/work dependent, I may be able to get 5 miles in on the school treadmill/school field. Not sure whether I can make this interval training as I need some good reserves for Thursday night.
Thursday - I may be able to get to the gym for about 8pm and run for 8 miles - I hope.
Friday - I could probably squeeze 5 miles/10km in straight after work before collecting the girls.
Saturday - Mum day!
Sunday - Mum day and marshalling for the Tarpley 10/20 with the girls. 
All in all this is going to be an absolute maximum of 20 or so miles,highly likely to be less. This is, however the worst week in every 3 and perhaps this 'down time' will be good for my overall recovery.

I genuinely wonder how people who, like me, are not professional athletes are physically able to put in 70-80 miles each week when training.  Where do they find the hours to do so? Full credit to them and to anyone who is training for any Marathon - it's no mean feat to actually commit yourself to a training schedule.  :o)