Monday 22nd September
Running club tonight, just the three of us; me, Terry and Gerry. The last time we went out together I couldn't keep up and had to let them go after 4 or 5 miles.
Tonight was a very different story; we ran about 10.5 miles at an average pace of about 8:29 per mile, and at no point did I feel uncomfortable. In fact, we managed to keep the conversation going all the way, even on a fairly hilly course.
Went home very happy with my efforts. My fitness seems to have improved (can only put it down to the long runs) and I am becoming more confident. Even a couple of months ago I would have baulked at the idea of running with those two.
Tuesday 23rd September
Speed session on the treadmill, two sets of one minute efforts with one minute recoveries. 14.5kph on the first set which was a bit too comfortable, so 15kph on the second. To be fair, after the day I'd had at work, I wasn't in the mood for anything too stressful.
I can't remember ever feeling this exhausted and run down and needing a holiday as badly as the one coming up. I stopped at Sainsburys on the way home to do a big shop, and when I finally slumped in my chair at 9pm to watch Ghost Whisperer I had no energy to get up and finish cooking the pasta bake I had started. In the end, my lodger came home at 11pm to find me asleep in my chair with a bottle of beer in my hand.
That, I think, says it all.
Wednesday 24th September
Feeling a bit better today, so did double classes, body pump and spinning. Enjoyed them both. It occured to me that this will be the last time I do pump with Ali, hopefully I'll be a bit stronger after my break.
Thursday 25th September
Running club again, 7 miles. Didn't feel as good as I did on Monday, my lower legs especially felt quite tight. I tried my best to keep up with Terry and Gerry but they lost me in the last half mile. Fair enough; I've agreed to run the Swindon half with Terry so maybe I can do the same to him in the last few miles :)
Friday 26th September
Hurrah! My last day at work! Didn't manage to leave the office until 7pm because I wanted to get as much done as possible before I leave, being the conscientious chap I am.
Got to the gym feeling absolutely battered and exhausted, but managed to drag myself on the treadmill and knock out 11.2k in an hour. Good effort under the circumstances. I just wanted to burn some calories and relieve some stress.
Had a nice relaxing evening with some wine and an excellent edition of Friday Night With Jonathan Ross. I knew I deserved it. In the last year, on top of a fairly punishing training routine I have held down a responsible job and forced a large pay rise, successfully rented out the rooms in my house, and written the first draft of a novel (well, save the last few chapters perhaps). I think I've done alright and can consider this holiday well-earned and much deserved.
Saturday 27 September 2008
Wednesday 24 September 2008
Still going (just)
Thursday 18th September
Six days later, I struggle to remember what I did this day. Normally I jot down in my diary at work whatever I did the previous evening. It's been so busy recently I haven't had time to do even that. Honestly.
But I do remember now, 11.2k on the treadmill, in 3 sections (I think) to allow for toilet / shirt change breaks. Just needed a stress reliever tonight.
Friday 19th September
Complete rest. Night out with the running club tonight (yay!), really, really nice meal at La Carbonara in Swindon. I had the antipasti for starter, Steak, and ice cream for dessert. Not cheap, but really good food, fast and efficient service and very friendly staff. Highly recommended.
Needless to say I had a fair bit to drink but didn't make a fool of myself (for once) and actually made it to body pump the next morning..
Saturday 20th September
Body pump. No cardio. Feeling a bit delicate and struggled a bit, felt I should have dropped my weights. Ali picked up on my technique, saying I was moving my body on the biceps track. I think a lot of my training is suffering due to the stress at work at the moment.
No cardio because I went to the post office to pick up a parcel which I hoped was a free book from a group on facebook. It wasn't, it was free light bulbs from British Gas. Great.
Sunday 21st September
Bit of a change today, went to the 10am spinning class then did a short (6-7 miles - is that really short?) outside. Enjoyed both, legs feeling a bit tired now though.
Six days later, I struggle to remember what I did this day. Normally I jot down in my diary at work whatever I did the previous evening. It's been so busy recently I haven't had time to do even that. Honestly.
But I do remember now, 11.2k on the treadmill, in 3 sections (I think) to allow for toilet / shirt change breaks. Just needed a stress reliever tonight.
Friday 19th September
Complete rest. Night out with the running club tonight (yay!), really, really nice meal at La Carbonara in Swindon. I had the antipasti for starter, Steak, and ice cream for dessert. Not cheap, but really good food, fast and efficient service and very friendly staff. Highly recommended.
Needless to say I had a fair bit to drink but didn't make a fool of myself (for once) and actually made it to body pump the next morning..
Saturday 20th September
Body pump. No cardio. Feeling a bit delicate and struggled a bit, felt I should have dropped my weights. Ali picked up on my technique, saying I was moving my body on the biceps track. I think a lot of my training is suffering due to the stress at work at the moment.
No cardio because I went to the post office to pick up a parcel which I hoped was a free book from a group on facebook. It wasn't, it was free light bulbs from British Gas. Great.
Sunday 21st September
Bit of a change today, went to the 10am spinning class then did a short (6-7 miles - is that really short?) outside. Enjoyed both, legs feeling a bit tired now though.
Saturday 20 September 2008
Just soldiering on...
Monday 15th September
Really stiff and sore today, so much so that getting up and down the stairs at work was a problem. I gave in and took the lift a couple of times..
Went to the gym not harbouring any great ambitions of doing anything special, maybe just a coffee and a steam? Ended up doing 5k on the treadmill, very slow (top speed 10.8kph) but it seemed to loosen the legs up a bit.
Tuesday 16th September
Again, wasn't sure what to do today. Ended up doing hill reps at the ridge, two sets of 10 reps with a 5 minute jog between sets. Definitely felt I was going through the motions a bit, not really able to put my heart and soul into it, physically or mentally.
Highlight of my day was probably having a five minute chin-wag with my friend and colleague Tamara Howard (we did the three peaks challenge together two years ago) at lunch, impressing her with my time on Sunday, and talking about our favourite events. She recommended the Slaughterford race in January which might make a good training run for London.
Wednesday 17th September
Running club tonight, a switch from Thursday. Would normally have gone to pump but the thought occured to me that when I get back from holiday we're going to be running in the dark and cold together, so make best use of the sunlight. Not sure everyone in the group is cold-weather runners.
Anyway, 8 miles at a good pace (about 8.30ish per mile). Impressed at my recovery from the weekend and my breathing seems to have got better lately. Maybe I've dropped a few pounds, it must be stress-related because my alchohol consumption has been far too high for a supposed dedicated athlete.
Did hit 66,000 words of the novel mind you.
Really stiff and sore today, so much so that getting up and down the stairs at work was a problem. I gave in and took the lift a couple of times..
Went to the gym not harbouring any great ambitions of doing anything special, maybe just a coffee and a steam? Ended up doing 5k on the treadmill, very slow (top speed 10.8kph) but it seemed to loosen the legs up a bit.
Tuesday 16th September
Again, wasn't sure what to do today. Ended up doing hill reps at the ridge, two sets of 10 reps with a 5 minute jog between sets. Definitely felt I was going through the motions a bit, not really able to put my heart and soul into it, physically or mentally.
Highlight of my day was probably having a five minute chin-wag with my friend and colleague Tamara Howard (we did the three peaks challenge together two years ago) at lunch, impressing her with my time on Sunday, and talking about our favourite events. She recommended the Slaughterford race in January which might make a good training run for London.
Wednesday 17th September
Running club tonight, a switch from Thursday. Would normally have gone to pump but the thought occured to me that when I get back from holiday we're going to be running in the dark and cold together, so make best use of the sunlight. Not sure everyone in the group is cold-weather runners.
Anyway, 8 miles at a good pace (about 8.30ish per mile). Impressed at my recovery from the weekend and my breathing seems to have got better lately. Maybe I've dropped a few pounds, it must be stress-related because my alchohol consumption has been far too high for a supposed dedicated athlete.
Did hit 66,000 words of the novel mind you.
Monday 15 September 2008
Something to smile about..
Wednesday 10th September
After the tears had dried up did double classes tonight, body pump and RPM. Not so much pressure on me to run now, at least I can relax and enjoy my training.
Thursday 11th September
Didn't plan to go out with the running club tonight but as it was just me and Terry I didn't mind - I knew we'd run at a sensible pace and have a good chat, which we did. I stressed that I have yet another half marathon on Sunday and didn't want to mess my legs up and he respected that.
6.11 miles according to his Garmin, 53 mins, average pace 8:43 per mile. It occurred to me later that a year or two ago that would have been flat out 10k pace, not conversation pace.
Friday 12th September
Complete rest.
Saturday 13th September
Ditto. Unless you count gardening as exercise, which a lot of people do. It was back to the old school as well, going to the cinema the day before a race. The film today was Rocknrolla which was good, but I struggled to follow it in places. I have had a lot on my mind, to be fair.
Sunday 14th September
Competed in the inaugural Chippenham half marathon today. This was meant to be my last hard run before Berlin (sigh).
Still, I knew that it was a flat course so there was potential for a PB if I went into it fresh (hence two days' rest). At the same time, I wanted to enjoy the run as well.
I started off at a good pace (7:40-ish per mile) but never expected to keep it up. Amazingly I was still going strong by mile 5 and the miles seemed to be flying by! Today could be my day, I thought, and for a while I was harbouring the ambition of a 1:40 finish. It was at about mile 10 that the tiredness hit me, and I started to slow down. My breathing was fine; it was my legs that had had enough.
Quite a few times in those last few miles I really wanted to stop and walk, but I kept telling myself to push as hard as I could, I had done all the hard work and that PB was there for the taking. It helped that I wore my London marathon vest with my name on, so people were shouting encouragement.
1:40 wasn't to be, but if you'd offered me my stopwatch time of 1:42:59 or the official time of 1:43:20 (I'm not normally more than a few seconds out?!) I would have happily taken it. I knew I had given it my best shot and could be proud of it. Sadly my father couldn't be there to watch (that would have been the icing on the cake) but at least my sister Fiona, her husband Rich (who finished in 2:07) and their daughter Holly were there at the end so I had someone to share it with.
Back to Swindon for a stretch and a shower at the gym before heading home for, you guessed it, quite a few celebratory drinks. As soon as I sat down in my chair, poured my first beer and tuned in to the cricket, I told myself "Enjoy this afternoon, mate, you deserve it."
I'd like to say a special thank you to everyone who has supported me in a difficult week, especially Anthony who highlighted today's PB as being a special achievement under the circumstances. All of you rock.
After the tears had dried up did double classes tonight, body pump and RPM. Not so much pressure on me to run now, at least I can relax and enjoy my training.
Thursday 11th September
Didn't plan to go out with the running club tonight but as it was just me and Terry I didn't mind - I knew we'd run at a sensible pace and have a good chat, which we did. I stressed that I have yet another half marathon on Sunday and didn't want to mess my legs up and he respected that.
6.11 miles according to his Garmin, 53 mins, average pace 8:43 per mile. It occurred to me later that a year or two ago that would have been flat out 10k pace, not conversation pace.
Friday 12th September
Complete rest.
Saturday 13th September
Ditto. Unless you count gardening as exercise, which a lot of people do. It was back to the old school as well, going to the cinema the day before a race. The film today was Rocknrolla which was good, but I struggled to follow it in places. I have had a lot on my mind, to be fair.
Sunday 14th September
Competed in the inaugural Chippenham half marathon today. This was meant to be my last hard run before Berlin (sigh).
Still, I knew that it was a flat course so there was potential for a PB if I went into it fresh (hence two days' rest). At the same time, I wanted to enjoy the run as well.
I started off at a good pace (7:40-ish per mile) but never expected to keep it up. Amazingly I was still going strong by mile 5 and the miles seemed to be flying by! Today could be my day, I thought, and for a while I was harbouring the ambition of a 1:40 finish. It was at about mile 10 that the tiredness hit me, and I started to slow down. My breathing was fine; it was my legs that had had enough.
Quite a few times in those last few miles I really wanted to stop and walk, but I kept telling myself to push as hard as I could, I had done all the hard work and that PB was there for the taking. It helped that I wore my London marathon vest with my name on, so people were shouting encouragement.
1:40 wasn't to be, but if you'd offered me my stopwatch time of 1:42:59 or the official time of 1:43:20 (I'm not normally more than a few seconds out?!) I would have happily taken it. I knew I had given it my best shot and could be proud of it. Sadly my father couldn't be there to watch (that would have been the icing on the cake) but at least my sister Fiona, her husband Rich (who finished in 2:07) and their daughter Holly were there at the end so I had someone to share it with.
Back to Swindon for a stretch and a shower at the gym before heading home for, you guessed it, quite a few celebratory drinks. As soon as I sat down in my chair, poured my first beer and tuned in to the cricket, I told myself "Enjoy this afternoon, mate, you deserve it."
I'd like to say a special thank you to everyone who has supported me in a difficult week, especially Anthony who highlighted today's PB as being a special achievement under the circumstances. All of you rock.
Thursday 11 September 2008
End of the dream..
Wednesday 10th September
I haven't been too unhappy with my build-up, training-wise, for the Berlin marathon. I haven't been on the scales for a while but the weight seems to be staying under control, which is good considering the trips to Germany etc.
What has been a worry, however, has been raising a substantial amount of money for Samaritans and the personal expense of attending the event. I was hoping that my company would assist with the latter, but given that I have only raised £605 so far, this can hardly be justified. Nor can I really afford to fork out the cost of a return flight, accomodation etc myself.
There have been other mitigating circumstances too; I've had a torrid time at work lately and don't feel that I've been properly focused in my training most evenings. The stress has taken its toll physically, with my red wine consumption being notably higher than it should be in the build up to a marathon. I'm sorry but there has to be some way of "venting" as I like to call it.
Another major concern has been that none of my friends will be coming to Berlin with me for the weekend, and quite frankly, if there's no one to share it with, what's the point?
I therefore made the decision today to call the Samaritans and tell them I wouldn't be taking part in the Berlin Marathon 2008. It just didn't sit well with me at all.
They took it well, and I have offered to run for them in the London marathon in 2009 should I get a place through the ballot. If not, I will probably pick another marathon before the end of this year (probably Luton in December) and run that to honour the sponsorship I have received.
I thought, having made the call, this would be a weight off my mind. It is now, but not at the time. As soon as it hit home that the dream was officially over, the chin started to wobble and the tears started to flow.
It's a bastard when that happens. Especially for a grown man in an office full of people. Bang goes the hard man image (if, indeed, it ever existed). Fortunately Louise (Mumfy) and Kim (Kimmi) were on hand to comfort me, which I am very grateful for. It took a good twenty minutes before I could carry on with the job at hand.
It was a horrible decision to make, but I genuinely feel it is the right one. Everyone I have spoken to has been very understanding and supportive. It just seems terribly ironic, that with the injury problems I have had in the last year, I now have to pull out of an event for completely different reasons.
In any case, Luton does seem like a good option (accessible, good value and will keep me focused when I get back from holiday). Other than that, just keep up the good work and look forward to seeing what happens next.
I haven't been too unhappy with my build-up, training-wise, for the Berlin marathon. I haven't been on the scales for a while but the weight seems to be staying under control, which is good considering the trips to Germany etc.
What has been a worry, however, has been raising a substantial amount of money for Samaritans and the personal expense of attending the event. I was hoping that my company would assist with the latter, but given that I have only raised £605 so far, this can hardly be justified. Nor can I really afford to fork out the cost of a return flight, accomodation etc myself.
There have been other mitigating circumstances too; I've had a torrid time at work lately and don't feel that I've been properly focused in my training most evenings. The stress has taken its toll physically, with my red wine consumption being notably higher than it should be in the build up to a marathon. I'm sorry but there has to be some way of "venting" as I like to call it.
Another major concern has been that none of my friends will be coming to Berlin with me for the weekend, and quite frankly, if there's no one to share it with, what's the point?
I therefore made the decision today to call the Samaritans and tell them I wouldn't be taking part in the Berlin Marathon 2008. It just didn't sit well with me at all.
They took it well, and I have offered to run for them in the London marathon in 2009 should I get a place through the ballot. If not, I will probably pick another marathon before the end of this year (probably Luton in December) and run that to honour the sponsorship I have received.
I thought, having made the call, this would be a weight off my mind. It is now, but not at the time. As soon as it hit home that the dream was officially over, the chin started to wobble and the tears started to flow.
It's a bastard when that happens. Especially for a grown man in an office full of people. Bang goes the hard man image (if, indeed, it ever existed). Fortunately Louise (Mumfy) and Kim (Kimmi) were on hand to comfort me, which I am very grateful for. It took a good twenty minutes before I could carry on with the job at hand.
It was a horrible decision to make, but I genuinely feel it is the right one. Everyone I have spoken to has been very understanding and supportive. It just seems terribly ironic, that with the injury problems I have had in the last year, I now have to pull out of an event for completely different reasons.
In any case, Luton does seem like a good option (accessible, good value and will keep me focused when I get back from holiday). Other than that, just keep up the good work and look forward to seeing what happens next.
Last long run
Sunday 7th September
Last really long run today before the big day, with the Chippenham half marathon next Sunday and then a two week taper (that was the thinking anyway).
Decided to mix it up a bit, so did 7 miles (11.2k) on the treadmill, then set off on my old half marathon training run (12-13 approx). Things were going fine until the point when, out on the Lethbridge section of the route, I found the bridge across the motorway was closed..so I had to turn back which meant shortening the route.
As it turned out, I was really struggling in the last few miles and was walking parts of the route. The problem was my legs were just stiffening up - I like to think this is because they have done a lot of miles lately and just need a rest.
Still, nearly three hours on my feet so hopefully good enough at this stage.
Monday 8th September
5 miles (8k) on the treadmill, easy. Not feeling as bad as I might have expected after yesterday, but not up to going out with the running club or anything strenuous like speed work.
Tuesday 9th September
Wasn't really sure what to do today, but it was dry (for once) so ended up doing a hills and sprints session at the ridge. In the first rep my legs felt sore so decided to make it a short session (2 sets of 3 hills + 3 sprints). After that though I still felt like I had some energy left, so I did 2 more sets of 2+2, so 10 hills and 10 sprints. Knocked it out in comfortably less than an hour so happy with that.
Last really long run today before the big day, with the Chippenham half marathon next Sunday and then a two week taper (that was the thinking anyway).
Decided to mix it up a bit, so did 7 miles (11.2k) on the treadmill, then set off on my old half marathon training run (12-13 approx). Things were going fine until the point when, out on the Lethbridge section of the route, I found the bridge across the motorway was closed..so I had to turn back which meant shortening the route.
As it turned out, I was really struggling in the last few miles and was walking parts of the route. The problem was my legs were just stiffening up - I like to think this is because they have done a lot of miles lately and just need a rest.
Still, nearly three hours on my feet so hopefully good enough at this stage.
Monday 8th September
5 miles (8k) on the treadmill, easy. Not feeling as bad as I might have expected after yesterday, but not up to going out with the running club or anything strenuous like speed work.
Tuesday 9th September
Wasn't really sure what to do today, but it was dry (for once) so ended up doing a hills and sprints session at the ridge. In the first rep my legs felt sore so decided to make it a short session (2 sets of 3 hills + 3 sprints). After that though I still felt like I had some energy left, so I did 2 more sets of 2+2, so 10 hills and 10 sprints. Knocked it out in comfortably less than an hour so happy with that.
Saturday 6 September 2008
Too stressed to train properly..
Friday 29th August
5 miles (8k) on the treadmill, nice and steady. Should have probably given my legs a rest but wanted to do something to wind down after the week at work.
Saturday 30th August
Body pump in the morning. Rachel was covering for Ali today. Took it nice and easy.
Long run in the evening, did the Swindon half route but started from my house which probably made the run about 15 miles. Despite training earlier in the day, still managed to do it in 2hrs 20 mins, so the pace must have been reasonable. Good weather for it as well (for a change) and was able to run without a top on most of the way. Can't help thinking that might have been for the last time this year, certainly when I get back from my holiday after the marathon it'll be back to long-sleeved tops.
Sunday 31st August
At Lords for the one day international so complete rest. Sadly the weather was nothing like yesterday and the match was a stop-start affair, which was frustrating to say the very least. In fact, I left before the game was concluded because at that point there didn't appear to be any prospect of further play.
I learnt a couple of things today though, namely that I am now officially a two pint piss-queen who can't take his alcohol (certainly not like I used to) and I am very, very tired - evinced by the fact that I nodded off as soon as I sat down on a park bench in Leicester Square. Clearly the stress of holding down a responsible job, running the house, writing a novel and training for a marathon has caught up with me and I badly need a break from all of it.
Monday 1st September
Complete rest. SAP went live at work today and I had very little training, so the stress of that, combined with being tired from yesterday, meant I had no energy to train.
Tuesday 2nd September
2 miles on the treadmill, easy. This was because I had to work late (didn't leave until 6.30pm) and as a reward my boss invited me to dinner with some of the guys over from Germany, which was very nice. We went to the Dolce Vita in the town centre which is always good, but service was a bit slow tonight. Took full advantage of the invitation and had antipasti for starter, pizza for main course and ice cream for dessert. Be honest, wouldn't you?
Wednesday 3rd September
Took part in the inaugural "Back in a Flash 5k" at Coate Water. The only thing I can say is that apart from the social side of it (Andy, Steph and Mike Sas all took part as well and we had a drink together afterwards) it was an unmitigated disaster.
I had probably the most stressful day at work ever as everyone was calling me with queries and complaints, none of which I was able to resolve as I still hadn't had any decent training on SAP. By the time I left all I wanted to do was go home and cry. But I didn't want to let the others down so went to the race instead.
I knew I wouldn't be able to focus properly after such an awful day and I was right. Plus at the 2k marker I was in dire need of a "pit stop" and of course there was no such facility. This didn't settle and at 4k I was really suffering with a stitch. I had no idea a mere 5k could be so painful. My time was disappointing, over 25 minutes - you'd have to go back quite a while to find a 10k where the first half had taken me that long.
But then, after the day I'd had, what could I reasonably expect?
Thursday 4th September
Ran from home before breakfast, about 4-5 miles, through the town centre and up the railway path. Not at all easy, horrible weather, plus I couldn't help thinking about what lay ahead at work. Had to run in the morning though, because I had been invited to dinner again with work in the evening to say Goodbye to our German guests who go home tomorrow. It was at the Ganges in Wootton Bassett - thoroughly recommended.
Friday 5th September
Work has got better now but is still very busy and stressful and there are teething problems with the new system.
Set out to do an interval session at the lake, but was struggling as both legs got bitten by something nasty on Wednesday and have swollen up. Managed two good laps but that was all I could manage as one of my calves was starting to hurt quite a bit, probably to do with the insect bite.
After the week I've had, that was still not a bad effort.
Saturday 6th September
Body pump in the morning. Wasn't sure if I would be able to make it as the man from Virgin Media was coming to install a new box for me, but fortunately he was done and dusted before ten, so I was free to go.
Struggled a bit today, but to be fair I used good heavy weights, plus Ali is a great motivator. Wanted to go for a run afterwards but my calves are still swollen, so did some core work instead (which was overdue to be fair).
Plan for tomorrow is to do a decent long run, probably my last 20-miler before Berlin. The Chippenham half is next weekend, and after that it'll be time to start tapering down. I've learnt I need to be fresh if I'm to perform when it matters most.
5 miles (8k) on the treadmill, nice and steady. Should have probably given my legs a rest but wanted to do something to wind down after the week at work.
Saturday 30th August
Body pump in the morning. Rachel was covering for Ali today. Took it nice and easy.
Long run in the evening, did the Swindon half route but started from my house which probably made the run about 15 miles. Despite training earlier in the day, still managed to do it in 2hrs 20 mins, so the pace must have been reasonable. Good weather for it as well (for a change) and was able to run without a top on most of the way. Can't help thinking that might have been for the last time this year, certainly when I get back from my holiday after the marathon it'll be back to long-sleeved tops.
Sunday 31st August
At Lords for the one day international so complete rest. Sadly the weather was nothing like yesterday and the match was a stop-start affair, which was frustrating to say the very least. In fact, I left before the game was concluded because at that point there didn't appear to be any prospect of further play.
I learnt a couple of things today though, namely that I am now officially a two pint piss-queen who can't take his alcohol (certainly not like I used to) and I am very, very tired - evinced by the fact that I nodded off as soon as I sat down on a park bench in Leicester Square. Clearly the stress of holding down a responsible job, running the house, writing a novel and training for a marathon has caught up with me and I badly need a break from all of it.
Monday 1st September
Complete rest. SAP went live at work today and I had very little training, so the stress of that, combined with being tired from yesterday, meant I had no energy to train.
Tuesday 2nd September
2 miles on the treadmill, easy. This was because I had to work late (didn't leave until 6.30pm) and as a reward my boss invited me to dinner with some of the guys over from Germany, which was very nice. We went to the Dolce Vita in the town centre which is always good, but service was a bit slow tonight. Took full advantage of the invitation and had antipasti for starter, pizza for main course and ice cream for dessert. Be honest, wouldn't you?
Wednesday 3rd September
Took part in the inaugural "Back in a Flash 5k" at Coate Water. The only thing I can say is that apart from the social side of it (Andy, Steph and Mike Sas all took part as well and we had a drink together afterwards) it was an unmitigated disaster.
I had probably the most stressful day at work ever as everyone was calling me with queries and complaints, none of which I was able to resolve as I still hadn't had any decent training on SAP. By the time I left all I wanted to do was go home and cry. But I didn't want to let the others down so went to the race instead.
I knew I wouldn't be able to focus properly after such an awful day and I was right. Plus at the 2k marker I was in dire need of a "pit stop" and of course there was no such facility. This didn't settle and at 4k I was really suffering with a stitch. I had no idea a mere 5k could be so painful. My time was disappointing, over 25 minutes - you'd have to go back quite a while to find a 10k where the first half had taken me that long.
But then, after the day I'd had, what could I reasonably expect?
Thursday 4th September
Ran from home before breakfast, about 4-5 miles, through the town centre and up the railway path. Not at all easy, horrible weather, plus I couldn't help thinking about what lay ahead at work. Had to run in the morning though, because I had been invited to dinner again with work in the evening to say Goodbye to our German guests who go home tomorrow. It was at the Ganges in Wootton Bassett - thoroughly recommended.
Friday 5th September
Work has got better now but is still very busy and stressful and there are teething problems with the new system.
Set out to do an interval session at the lake, but was struggling as both legs got bitten by something nasty on Wednesday and have swollen up. Managed two good laps but that was all I could manage as one of my calves was starting to hurt quite a bit, probably to do with the insect bite.
After the week I've had, that was still not a bad effort.
Saturday 6th September
Body pump in the morning. Wasn't sure if I would be able to make it as the man from Virgin Media was coming to install a new box for me, but fortunately he was done and dusted before ten, so I was free to go.
Struggled a bit today, but to be fair I used good heavy weights, plus Ali is a great motivator. Wanted to go for a run afterwards but my calves are still swollen, so did some core work instead (which was overdue to be fair).
Plan for tomorrow is to do a decent long run, probably my last 20-miler before Berlin. The Chippenham half is next weekend, and after that it'll be time to start tapering down. I've learnt I need to be fresh if I'm to perform when it matters most.
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