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.