Wednesday
Day off from running. Went to body pump which was a bit of a struggle - I hadn't slept well the previous evening and was feeling tired. Decided at the last second to do James' spinning class afterwards. As usual ended up with a really stiff bike, so got a good workout even if I couldn't tweak the resistance as much as I would have liked.
Thursday
This was meant to be a rest day as we were meant to be holding our quiz evening at work. When I found out it was postponed until March I asked Becky if she wanted to run this evening, and she did. We ended up doing the Cheney Manor route, which is 5-6 miles, at just over conversation pace. It was so cold neither of us wanted to hang about, even though I had tired legs and she had no energy. Quite a good run in the end - good to do an endurance run with a few races coming up.
Thursday 31 January 2008
Tuesday 29 January 2008
28th / 29th January
Monday 28th January
Legs felt very sore today so just did 10k on the treadmill at a very slow pace to loosen my legs up and burn some of the calories I consumed over the weekend. I never used to be this sore the day after a 10 mile run, so I definitely need to get my body used to long distance running again.
Tuesday 29th January
Decided not to go to the track tonight as I wasn't sure what a "whistle-stop session" is. Having struggled with the hills on Sunday, decided to go to the gym and do hill reps at the ridge. Last time I did any hill reps was on Boxing Day last year, so no wonder I find hills hard at the moment. Instead of doing 2 sets of 10 or a mixture of hills and sprints, I did 3 sets of 8 with recoveries in between. This seemed to work well - managed to push myself hard enough to be out of breath all through the sets and was on my feet for a good hour. Quality session and I need more of these.
Am especially glad I did this session tonight because if I hadn't I wouldn't have known it was my friend Esme's birthday today (they put the names of all the people whose birthday it is on a board at the gym) and I wouldn't have been able to wish her a happy birthday. Sometimes it is good to be reminded of the real reason I do this sport, namely for the nice people I have met as a result.
Legs felt very sore today so just did 10k on the treadmill at a very slow pace to loosen my legs up and burn some of the calories I consumed over the weekend. I never used to be this sore the day after a 10 mile run, so I definitely need to get my body used to long distance running again.
Tuesday 29th January
Decided not to go to the track tonight as I wasn't sure what a "whistle-stop session" is. Having struggled with the hills on Sunday, decided to go to the gym and do hill reps at the ridge. Last time I did any hill reps was on Boxing Day last year, so no wonder I find hills hard at the moment. Instead of doing 2 sets of 10 or a mixture of hills and sprints, I did 3 sets of 8 with recoveries in between. This seemed to work well - managed to push myself hard enough to be out of breath all through the sets and was on my feet for a good hour. Quality session and I need more of these.
Am especially glad I did this session tonight because if I hadn't I wouldn't have known it was my friend Esme's birthday today (they put the names of all the people whose birthday it is on a board at the gym) and I wouldn't have been able to wish her a happy birthday. Sometimes it is good to be reminded of the real reason I do this sport, namely for the nice people I have met as a result.
Sunday 27 January 2008
Upping the mileage
Thursday 24th January
Out for a meal and a few drinks in Bath so complete rest. I think you need at least one day off a week.
Friday 25th January
Interval session at the lake. Struggled badly with this after the previous evening. I didn't have a great deal to drink, but I have cut down on alcohol since Christmas and my tolerance level has definitely dropped. Managed 5 laps in total but had to make a "pit stop" on almost all of them. Still, this is a good "all in one session" when you do a good few laps, as it is kind of a speed session but I also cover about 8 miles, so mega calories burnt off.
Saturday 26th January
Body pump in the morning followed by six miles steady. Went quite heavy in body pump, especially on the squats and lunges. Time to start strenghening the leg muscles. It did mean I struggled on the run a bit (did the lethbridge route which is roughly 6 miles) but to be fair the wind was also a factor. Wanted to run after pump as it was our running club (the one at the gym, not the Swindon Harriers) night out tonight, including a meal at the Dolce Vita.
Sunday 27th January
Oh dear! I guess running was always going to be a struggle after an enormous meal and several beers. I swear to God, the steak I had last night was the biggest piece of meat I've ever seen! And most of us went to the Revolution bar for more beer after the meal. True to form, I was one of the last to leave at about 1.30am..
Anyway, made my way to the gym not really knowing what I was going to do. As it turned out I bumped into Terry, Kev and Gerry who were setting off on a 10-miler. Was apprehensive about joining them but they assured me they were suffering as well and were going to take it nice and steady.
In the end we did 10 miles on a tough course at roughly 9-minute miles, which is excellent under the circumstances. I also learnt a new route, which is a variation of a route I do out to Wroughton, instead you go through a place called Elcombe. Lovely route, but a couple of tough hills. Still, I certainly sweated out most of last night's beer, and often it is more rewarding to do a tough run at a good pace when you're not feeling great.
One other thing..
Had some great news at work this week, as it was appraisal time; basically in the next round of pay reviews I will be moved up to a higher grade and will receive the concomitant pay increase (not as much as I'd have liked to be honest, but the grade increase is more important). This is obviously due to a lot of hard work on my part and my performance generally over the last twelve months. But i think running has had a lot to do with it; it has certainly improved my confidence which has impacted how I perform at work, but also running the marathon last night means I am recognised for that, as opposed to just Jon Weedon from parts pricing. Basically I am seen as an achiever, which is why my boss managed to get so much support from senior management when fighting my case. And if I say it myself, I am.
Out for a meal and a few drinks in Bath so complete rest. I think you need at least one day off a week.
Friday 25th January
Interval session at the lake. Struggled badly with this after the previous evening. I didn't have a great deal to drink, but I have cut down on alcohol since Christmas and my tolerance level has definitely dropped. Managed 5 laps in total but had to make a "pit stop" on almost all of them. Still, this is a good "all in one session" when you do a good few laps, as it is kind of a speed session but I also cover about 8 miles, so mega calories burnt off.
Saturday 26th January
Body pump in the morning followed by six miles steady. Went quite heavy in body pump, especially on the squats and lunges. Time to start strenghening the leg muscles. It did mean I struggled on the run a bit (did the lethbridge route which is roughly 6 miles) but to be fair the wind was also a factor. Wanted to run after pump as it was our running club (the one at the gym, not the Swindon Harriers) night out tonight, including a meal at the Dolce Vita.
Sunday 27th January
Oh dear! I guess running was always going to be a struggle after an enormous meal and several beers. I swear to God, the steak I had last night was the biggest piece of meat I've ever seen! And most of us went to the Revolution bar for more beer after the meal. True to form, I was one of the last to leave at about 1.30am..
Anyway, made my way to the gym not really knowing what I was going to do. As it turned out I bumped into Terry, Kev and Gerry who were setting off on a 10-miler. Was apprehensive about joining them but they assured me they were suffering as well and were going to take it nice and steady.
In the end we did 10 miles on a tough course at roughly 9-minute miles, which is excellent under the circumstances. I also learnt a new route, which is a variation of a route I do out to Wroughton, instead you go through a place called Elcombe. Lovely route, but a couple of tough hills. Still, I certainly sweated out most of last night's beer, and often it is more rewarding to do a tough run at a good pace when you're not feeling great.
One other thing..
Had some great news at work this week, as it was appraisal time; basically in the next round of pay reviews I will be moved up to a higher grade and will receive the concomitant pay increase (not as much as I'd have liked to be honest, but the grade increase is more important). This is obviously due to a lot of hard work on my part and my performance generally over the last twelve months. But i think running has had a lot to do with it; it has certainly improved my confidence which has impacted how I perform at work, but also running the marathon last night means I am recognised for that, as opposed to just Jon Weedon from parts pricing. Basically I am seen as an achiever, which is why my boss managed to get so much support from senior management when fighting my case. And if I say it myself, I am.
Wednesday 23 January 2008
Weds 23rd Jan 2008
Body pump tonight, tried to up my weights on most tracks. Think the chest track is finally getting a bit easier. In fact, most of the new release is getting easier I think.
No spinning tonight, decided to run indoors instead. 8 km in total, but at a very steady pace. Felt like I needed to loosen my legs up a bit after the race and track session. Plus I won't be running tomorrow as I am having a much overdue night out in Bath. Will make sure I do a good session Friday to burn off the calories.
No spinning tonight, decided to run indoors instead. 8 km in total, but at a very steady pace. Felt like I needed to loosen my legs up a bit after the race and track session. Plus I won't be running tomorrow as I am having a much overdue night out in Bath. Will make sure I do a good session Friday to burn off the calories.
Tuesday 22 January 2008
First track session of 2008
Tuesday is the day I go to the track. Or at least it should be. Until today I hadn't been, due to being ill after Christmas and too sore after the rough n' tumble.
I was still sore today, but not overly so. The main problem was a mental one, i.e. I had to psyche myself up to go. The track session is usually the shortest session of the week, but always the hardest.
Tonight I was stepping into the unknown as the session was 30 x 200m (2 sets of 15 x 200m with 3 minutes' rest in between) - not something I had ever done before. So it was a bit daunting, but I told myself the Bourton 10k is not far off (24th Feb to be exact) and if I want a hat trick of PBs at that event I need to do some hard training in the next few weeks.
As it turned out, I did fine. In fact, I managed all the reps. Granted, I was in group 3 (the coach splits us into 3 groups at this time of year, group 1 being the strongest). Also, it transpired that we had longer recoveries than we should have had. It was meant to be an effort every 1 minute 35 seconds, but the coach made a mistake and we did a rep every 1m 45.
That notwithstanding, I actually managed to get stronger towards the end (I have no idea how that works) and was leading the group in some of the later reps. All in all an excellent session and I've gained confidence from it. My training for the year finally seems to be on track (no pun intended).
I was still sore today, but not overly so. The main problem was a mental one, i.e. I had to psyche myself up to go. The track session is usually the shortest session of the week, but always the hardest.
Tonight I was stepping into the unknown as the session was 30 x 200m (2 sets of 15 x 200m with 3 minutes' rest in between) - not something I had ever done before. So it was a bit daunting, but I told myself the Bourton 10k is not far off (24th Feb to be exact) and if I want a hat trick of PBs at that event I need to do some hard training in the next few weeks.
As it turned out, I did fine. In fact, I managed all the reps. Granted, I was in group 3 (the coach splits us into 3 groups at this time of year, group 1 being the strongest). Also, it transpired that we had longer recoveries than we should have had. It was meant to be an effort every 1 minute 35 seconds, but the coach made a mistake and we did a rep every 1m 45.
That notwithstanding, I actually managed to get stronger towards the end (I have no idea how that works) and was leading the group in some of the later reps. All in all an excellent session and I've gained confidence from it. My training for the year finally seems to be on track (no pun intended).
Monday 21 January 2008
Highworth Half Marathon
Friday 18th Jan - complete rest. Or was it? Got quite a lot of housework done and they say that burns a lot of calories.
Saturday 19th Jan - Body pump in the morning. No running or cardio work. Went very light on the squats and lunges. Managed to up the weight on the chest track but it meant I struggled to knock out the last few reps. With hindsight, that was a mistake.
Sunday 20th Jan - Highworth Half Marathon. My first road race of 2008 and my first half marathon for two months. And to be fair, probably one of the toughest half marathons I have done. It was very hilly, and as I had been warned, the second half was tougher than the first. As it was, I started to feel tired after about 8 miles, which is probably due to me not keeping up the long runs. It was definitely a wake-up call, as my stamina has definitely dropped - if I want to do the Blackpool marathon in April I have got some work to do. Oh and guess what - my chest muscles hurt. I knew that extra weight was a mistake.
Having said all that, I'm not too disappointed with my time of 1:55:02 - given the course and the conditions, it's quite a respectable time. And I wasn't last in the Swindon Harriers' team (this is a race for club runners only) which I thought I might be. As I write the next day I'm fairly sore, so I know I gave it a good go.
Monday 21st January - was meant to have a PT session with Ali (core work) but having packed my bag in a rush this morning I forgot to bring my shorts. What a muppet. It wasn't worth going home to get them, and I couldn't have run tonight anyway to be honest, so an enforced rest day. Probably not a bad thing and I have another two weeks to practise my core exercises.
Saturday 19th Jan - Body pump in the morning. No running or cardio work. Went very light on the squats and lunges. Managed to up the weight on the chest track but it meant I struggled to knock out the last few reps. With hindsight, that was a mistake.
Sunday 20th Jan - Highworth Half Marathon. My first road race of 2008 and my first half marathon for two months. And to be fair, probably one of the toughest half marathons I have done. It was very hilly, and as I had been warned, the second half was tougher than the first. As it was, I started to feel tired after about 8 miles, which is probably due to me not keeping up the long runs. It was definitely a wake-up call, as my stamina has definitely dropped - if I want to do the Blackpool marathon in April I have got some work to do. Oh and guess what - my chest muscles hurt. I knew that extra weight was a mistake.
Having said all that, I'm not too disappointed with my time of 1:55:02 - given the course and the conditions, it's quite a respectable time. And I wasn't last in the Swindon Harriers' team (this is a race for club runners only) which I thought I might be. As I write the next day I'm fairly sore, so I know I gave it a good go.
Monday 21st January - was meant to have a PT session with Ali (core work) but having packed my bag in a rush this morning I forgot to bring my shorts. What a muppet. It wasn't worth going home to get them, and I couldn't have run tonight anyway to be honest, so an enforced rest day. Probably not a bad thing and I have another two weeks to practise my core exercises.
Thursday 17 January 2008
Still hurting
Its not been an easy few days, the rough 'n' tumble took more out of me than I thought and my calves and hamstrings have been giving me gyp the last few days. Just goes to prove that a race like that does make for a good strengthening exercise even if the time is disappointing.
So, on Tuesday I eschewed speedwork and just went to step class instead. Its not the easy option it might sound - by the end I was soaked in sweat and all the lunges off the step did have me blowing a little. The instructor, Frankie, always does a good class, and she is a lovely lady to boot - always says hello, always has a chat if she sees me shopping in Sainsburys. If only she would switch her step class to Monday, it would make the perfect recovery session after a race or long run.
Wednesday was the usual cross-training day, pump and spinning back to back. Found pump a bit easier now I'm getting used to the release, and managed to up the weight slightly on the chest track. Spinning was good but didn't get the usual sweat on. Not sure why this is, I had plenty of resistance on and was pedalling hard enough. Maybe I'm just too fit these days!
Tonight (Thursday) my calves were still sore, so I just went out for an endurance run; what I know as the Cheney Manor route via the church. At a guess its 6-7 miles and it was nice to just go out, switch my music on and jog round. It seemed to do the trick because by the end my legs felt much looser and I managed to up the pace a bit. In fact, I had so much energy left I did most of my core work when I got back to the gym. Good session.
Tomorrow will definitely be a rest day, I may do pump Saturday morning but will be going very light if I do. I'm meant to be taking part in the Highworth half marathon on Sunday (weather permitting it still goes ahead). This is for club runners only and I'm only in it because I asked to do it. One of my fellow team members is the lad who won the Swindon half marathon in 2005 so it should be interesting to say the least!
So, on Tuesday I eschewed speedwork and just went to step class instead. Its not the easy option it might sound - by the end I was soaked in sweat and all the lunges off the step did have me blowing a little. The instructor, Frankie, always does a good class, and she is a lovely lady to boot - always says hello, always has a chat if she sees me shopping in Sainsburys. If only she would switch her step class to Monday, it would make the perfect recovery session after a race or long run.
Wednesday was the usual cross-training day, pump and spinning back to back. Found pump a bit easier now I'm getting used to the release, and managed to up the weight slightly on the chest track. Spinning was good but didn't get the usual sweat on. Not sure why this is, I had plenty of resistance on and was pedalling hard enough. Maybe I'm just too fit these days!
Tonight (Thursday) my calves were still sore, so I just went out for an endurance run; what I know as the Cheney Manor route via the church. At a guess its 6-7 miles and it was nice to just go out, switch my music on and jog round. It seemed to do the trick because by the end my legs felt much looser and I managed to up the pace a bit. In fact, I had so much energy left I did most of my core work when I got back to the gym. Good session.
Tomorrow will definitely be a rest day, I may do pump Saturday morning but will be going very light if I do. I'm meant to be taking part in the Highworth half marathon on Sunday (weather permitting it still goes ahead). This is for club runners only and I'm only in it because I asked to do it. One of my fellow team members is the lad who won the Swindon half marathon in 2005 so it should be interesting to say the least!
Monday 14 January 2008
Roughed 'n' tumbled 2008
Yesterday (Sunday) was my first race of 2008, the Rough 'n' Tumble 10, at Milton Lilbourne. I say race, but event or training exercise would sum it up better. There was no chance of me competing in this kind of event (cross country). I just don't get this kind of running.
Having said that, it did provide a good training run. I did it last year in the build-up to London, so knew what to expect i.e. mud, sweat and possibly a few tears. It lived up to my expectations and then some.
How to describe it? An awful lot of mud, which makes moving forward a challenge in itself, some horrendous hills, including one at mile six which necessitates using all four limbs to pull yourself up. Throw in the odd gale and a fall on one of the downhill sections, and you have to question my sanity when I could have stayed in bed with The Sunday Times. By the time I got to any flat bits, I was so exhausted, the best I could manage was a jog.
I was disappointed not to beat my time from last year, but to be fair I think conditions were tougher. There certainly seemed to be more mud, but I seemed to cope with it better. I was wearing proper off-road shoes, the downside being I hadn't worn them before the race. A massive risk I know, but it seemed to pay off. Also, my posture seemed better i.e. I wasn't flailing around as much as I was last year. So maybe the core work is paying off.
Stopped off at the old gym for a shower then headed home and cracked open a beer. Some of my habits will change in time. Hopefully post-race beers won't be one of them.
Tonight (Monday) I was suffering, especially in the lower legs, so just a few gentle miles on the treadmill to loosen them up. Hopefully I'll be up to a speed session tomorrow, either on my own or at the track:
http://swindonharriers.com/training/neilenglandschedule
Having said that, it did provide a good training run. I did it last year in the build-up to London, so knew what to expect i.e. mud, sweat and possibly a few tears. It lived up to my expectations and then some.
How to describe it? An awful lot of mud, which makes moving forward a challenge in itself, some horrendous hills, including one at mile six which necessitates using all four limbs to pull yourself up. Throw in the odd gale and a fall on one of the downhill sections, and you have to question my sanity when I could have stayed in bed with The Sunday Times. By the time I got to any flat bits, I was so exhausted, the best I could manage was a jog.
I was disappointed not to beat my time from last year, but to be fair I think conditions were tougher. There certainly seemed to be more mud, but I seemed to cope with it better. I was wearing proper off-road shoes, the downside being I hadn't worn them before the race. A massive risk I know, but it seemed to pay off. Also, my posture seemed better i.e. I wasn't flailing around as much as I was last year. So maybe the core work is paying off.
Stopped off at the old gym for a shower then headed home and cracked open a beer. Some of my habits will change in time. Hopefully post-race beers won't be one of them.
Tonight (Monday) I was suffering, especially in the lower legs, so just a few gentle miles on the treadmill to loosen them up. Hopefully I'll be up to a speed session tomorrow, either on my own or at the track:
http://swindonharriers.com/training/neilenglandschedule
Saturday 12 January 2008
Getting back into it
This cold still hasn't gone away completely but is now really just an annoying cough.
Thursday I managed to get out. The weather was quite mild so I decided to do an interval session at the lake (at Sparcells). Basically the session is this: jog out to the lake (I think it's roughly a mile and a quarter from the gym), quick recovery, then laps of the lake at about half marathon pace with a short walk recovery inbetween each lap. A lap, I am led to believe, is just over 1 mile - someone told me it is 1.8km.
On a good day I'd do 5 or 6 laps. I read in runners' world magazine this is one of the most important sessions a distance runner can do as it teaches the body to deliver oxygen to the muscles. It was something Anthony used to have me doing as I was getting into marathon training, and certainly seems to work for me.
On Thursday I took it fairly steady and only did 3 laps. I still can't push myself to the limit as my breathing won't take it, plus I didn't want to tire my legs out before the rough n' tumble 10 mile race on Sunday. But it was great to get out and do some "proper" training at last.
Friday I had a rest day and had a full body massage with Ali. My legs weren't as sore as usual (they have had an easy time of it lately, to be fair) and my back was nowhere near as tense as last time. Think the full body is a good option as I can cram two sessions of pain into one.
Today (Saturday) I just did body pump, going fairly light with the weights, especially on the squats and lunges track. Nice to see a few of my friends turning up for it, as to be honest I only really went for the social side of it today.
Thursday I managed to get out. The weather was quite mild so I decided to do an interval session at the lake (at Sparcells). Basically the session is this: jog out to the lake (I think it's roughly a mile and a quarter from the gym), quick recovery, then laps of the lake at about half marathon pace with a short walk recovery inbetween each lap. A lap, I am led to believe, is just over 1 mile - someone told me it is 1.8km.
On a good day I'd do 5 or 6 laps. I read in runners' world magazine this is one of the most important sessions a distance runner can do as it teaches the body to deliver oxygen to the muscles. It was something Anthony used to have me doing as I was getting into marathon training, and certainly seems to work for me.
On Thursday I took it fairly steady and only did 3 laps. I still can't push myself to the limit as my breathing won't take it, plus I didn't want to tire my legs out before the rough n' tumble 10 mile race on Sunday. But it was great to get out and do some "proper" training at last.
Friday I had a rest day and had a full body massage with Ali. My legs weren't as sore as usual (they have had an easy time of it lately, to be fair) and my back was nowhere near as tense as last time. Think the full body is a good option as I can cram two sessions of pain into one.
Today (Saturday) I just did body pump, going fairly light with the weights, especially on the squats and lunges track. Nice to see a few of my friends turning up for it, as to be honest I only really went for the social side of it today.
Wednesday 9 January 2008
Starting to feel better
Managed to train yesterday and this evening, although still some way from feeling my best.
Yesterday (Tuesday) should have been a track session, but I knew I would never make it through that, so just ran indoors (again). Thought about doing some speedwork outside, but it was a good job I didn't; I couldn't run any faster than 11.4 km/h on the treadmill before the breathing became a real problem (too much coughing and spluttering). Still, managed to knock out 10k in total somehow, plus I did my abs work so not a bad session under the circumstances.
Tonight (Wednesday) I did pump as usual, going fairly light, not just because I am unwell, but also because I am learning the new release. Remember the biceps track feeling heavy, but was only using my usual weight. I guess that proves what the lurgy takes out of you. No spinning tonight (fancied getting home at a decent hour for a change) but did 3.2k on the treadmill to warm up instead. Enough for now.
Yesterday (Tuesday) should have been a track session, but I knew I would never make it through that, so just ran indoors (again). Thought about doing some speedwork outside, but it was a good job I didn't; I couldn't run any faster than 11.4 km/h on the treadmill before the breathing became a real problem (too much coughing and spluttering). Still, managed to knock out 10k in total somehow, plus I did my abs work so not a bad session under the circumstances.
Tonight (Wednesday) I did pump as usual, going fairly light, not just because I am unwell, but also because I am learning the new release. Remember the biceps track feeling heavy, but was only using my usual weight. I guess that proves what the lurgy takes out of you. No spinning tonight (fancied getting home at a decent hour for a change) but did 3.2k on the treadmill to warm up instead. Enough for now.
Monday 7 January 2008
Still poorly
Oh dear. I made a futile attempt at a long run yesterday, planning initially on being out on my feet for a good two hours, but it wasn't to be. I underestimated the effect this cold is having and found I had to walk at regular intervals.
In the end I did what I know as the Lethbridge route, which I often did with Anthony as an endurance run, which is roughly 6 miles. As a steady training run I usually knock it out in about 54 - 55 minutes (it would be interesting to know what I could do it in now if I had someone on my shoulder pushing me round). Yesterday it took about an hour and 10 minutes. In the end I was just glad to get back to the warmth of the gym.
Today (Monday) I'm at home ill. I feel a lot better today, but decided as soon as I woke up that I needed another day of resting to get this cold out of my system. So no gym obviously.
It's frustrating, obviously, but it may all be for the best. A few days rest can often do more good than harm.
Tomorrow was meant to be a track session but I'll have to see how I'm feeling. Another lengthy treadmill session may be better, to burn off some serious calories, perhaps followed by some core work.
In the end I did what I know as the Lethbridge route, which I often did with Anthony as an endurance run, which is roughly 6 miles. As a steady training run I usually knock it out in about 54 - 55 minutes (it would be interesting to know what I could do it in now if I had someone on my shoulder pushing me round). Yesterday it took about an hour and 10 minutes. In the end I was just glad to get back to the warmth of the gym.
Today (Monday) I'm at home ill. I feel a lot better today, but decided as soon as I woke up that I needed another day of resting to get this cold out of my system. So no gym obviously.
It's frustrating, obviously, but it may all be for the best. A few days rest can often do more good than harm.
Tomorrow was meant to be a track session but I'll have to see how I'm feeling. Another lengthy treadmill session may be better, to burn off some serious calories, perhaps followed by some core work.
Saturday 5 January 2008
Poorly
Oh dear. Not a good start to the year - I have gone down with the dreaded lurgy..
Not such a loss yesterday (Friday 4th Jan) but disappointing today as I couldn't go to body pump. I didn't sleep well and despite dosing myself with whiskey toddies last night (don't laugh - they work) am still not feeling too bright today. Weak, more than anything - hence a weights session would be pointless. I hate missing pump on a Saturday morning, not just because its a great class and strengthens and tones everything, but also because of the social aspect - I've got some good friends there.
Sigh. Oh well hopefully I'll be better tomorrow and can go out for a long run. Nothing hardcore, just a long, steady plod - 90-120 minutes on my feet perhaps. Last time I had a cold it cleared me out, so I'm hoping to give it a go.
Not such a loss yesterday (Friday 4th Jan) but disappointing today as I couldn't go to body pump. I didn't sleep well and despite dosing myself with whiskey toddies last night (don't laugh - they work) am still not feeling too bright today. Weak, more than anything - hence a weights session would be pointless. I hate missing pump on a Saturday morning, not just because its a great class and strengthens and tones everything, but also because of the social aspect - I've got some good friends there.
Sigh. Oh well hopefully I'll be better tomorrow and can go out for a long run. Nothing hardcore, just a long, steady plod - 90-120 minutes on my feet perhaps. Last time I had a cold it cleared me out, so I'm hoping to give it a go.
Thursday 3 January 2008
Early days
Tuesday 1st January
I had been hoping to start the New Year with something hardcore, such as a long run or track session, but as I'd been training pretty much every day over the Christmas break and had sunk a fair bit of alcohol on New Year's Eve, decided to just run indoors today. I managed to run continuously for an hour, and covered 11.4km in that time despite starting very steadily. In any case, the main aim of treadmill sessions is purely to burn calories - and there are a few to burn off from the holiday season.
Followed up by practising some of the core work I had practised with Ali the day before, concentrating on the cable rotations/pushes/pulls and a few lunges, as well as the clean and press movement from body pump which needs honing. Building a strong core is key if I am going to take my running to a higher level.
Wednesday 2nd January
Back to work today, and back to the usual training routine i.e. Wednesday is cross-training day; body pump followed by spinning.
Opted to go a bit lighter with my weights in pump as Ali was teaching the new release (most of it at least) today. It takes a few goes before I know what my limit is with each track. Didn't find the music too inspiring, but know I'm going to struggle to use a heavy weight on that chest track.
Spinning was a bit disappointing, when I got in there my usual bike had been taken and I ended up with one of the crappy ones where the resistance is either non-existent or rock solid. Managed to improvise and sweated out an extra 700 calories..oh well that's one of the bottles of wine from Christmas burnt off..
Thursday 3rd January
Was hoping to do some hill reps tonight but it is now getting seriously cold outside and I couldn't face leaving the gym so ran indoors again. I'm not a big fan of this, but to be fair, at this juncture I will benefit more from losing a stone than I will from any amount of hill reps so I don't feel too bad about it. Had a very stop start session as I needed the toilet a couple of times (I have a bad habit of drinking too little water in the mornings and too much in the afternoons) and my MP3 was playing up.
Still, 8k in total, with a bit of speed work at the end and I did more of my core work, this time concentrating on ab work using the stability ball. Fell off the ball a couple of times doing the plank with toes on the ball, which was especially embarassing since someone from work was in the room at the time, but I soon got the hang of it. My abs aren't as strong as they need to be so I need to keep this up. 20 minutes of this after a treadmill session seems a good way to go about it.
I had been hoping to start the New Year with something hardcore, such as a long run or track session, but as I'd been training pretty much every day over the Christmas break and had sunk a fair bit of alcohol on New Year's Eve, decided to just run indoors today. I managed to run continuously for an hour, and covered 11.4km in that time despite starting very steadily. In any case, the main aim of treadmill sessions is purely to burn calories - and there are a few to burn off from the holiday season.
Followed up by practising some of the core work I had practised with Ali the day before, concentrating on the cable rotations/pushes/pulls and a few lunges, as well as the clean and press movement from body pump which needs honing. Building a strong core is key if I am going to take my running to a higher level.
Wednesday 2nd January
Back to work today, and back to the usual training routine i.e. Wednesday is cross-training day; body pump followed by spinning.
Opted to go a bit lighter with my weights in pump as Ali was teaching the new release (most of it at least) today. It takes a few goes before I know what my limit is with each track. Didn't find the music too inspiring, but know I'm going to struggle to use a heavy weight on that chest track.
Spinning was a bit disappointing, when I got in there my usual bike had been taken and I ended up with one of the crappy ones where the resistance is either non-existent or rock solid. Managed to improvise and sweated out an extra 700 calories..oh well that's one of the bottles of wine from Christmas burnt off..
Thursday 3rd January
Was hoping to do some hill reps tonight but it is now getting seriously cold outside and I couldn't face leaving the gym so ran indoors again. I'm not a big fan of this, but to be fair, at this juncture I will benefit more from losing a stone than I will from any amount of hill reps so I don't feel too bad about it. Had a very stop start session as I needed the toilet a couple of times (I have a bad habit of drinking too little water in the mornings and too much in the afternoons) and my MP3 was playing up.
Still, 8k in total, with a bit of speed work at the end and I did more of my core work, this time concentrating on ab work using the stability ball. Fell off the ball a couple of times doing the plank with toes on the ball, which was especially embarassing since someone from work was in the room at the time, but I soon got the hang of it. My abs aren't as strong as they need to be so I need to keep this up. 20 minutes of this after a treadmill session seems a good way to go about it.
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