Just a quick note to say that I have decided to draw a line under this blog having completed the Flora London marathon. The reason is simply that whilst I fully intend to continue training and racing, I need to give other activities priority. The book I have written won't get itself published and I need to devote my energies to that particular project.
I shall also be following the Ashes series of 2009 with a great deal of interest, and this also gives me an opportunity to hone my writing skills in this area. To this end (and to relieve some frustration at times no doubt) I have set up a cricketing blog at http://jonscricketblog.blogspot.com/
I may still post reports of certain races here, but for now as they say, that's all folks.
Friday 15 May 2009
Tuesday 5 May 2009
Jon runs London 2009
Saturday 25th April
The big day (or at least, the weekend) is finally upon me! Met Daniel at the station in the morning to catch the train to London, and we met Anthony and some of his friends from South Wales on the train. When we arrived in London we made our way over to the expo at Docklands and swiftly completed the registration process - the organisation at FLM is faultless.
Anthony and I then headed over to the pasta party for our meal and then spent an hour or two looking round the stands. I resisted any temptation to spend lots of money, but did grab a few pairs of running socks at the sweatshop stand.
Afterwards, I made my way to Kennington to pick up the key for the guest room at my Uncle Eddie's retirement home there. True to form, he offered me alcohol as soon as he saw me but I managed to resist. I had come too far to mess up my chances over a few rum and cokes.
In the evening, I met up with Anthony, Daniel, Martin, Claire and other members of the Swindon Striders for dinner near their hotel at Vauxhall. It was a really nice meal and incredibly cheap - £5.50 for a huge plate of lasagne and chips!
There was a slight scare for me in that I seemed to have developed blisters on both heels; my new shoes weren't as comfortable as I at first thought. Fortunately Claire gave me some blister plasters to out on in the morning so all I could do was get to bed and hope for the best in the morning.
Sunday 26th April - THE 2009 FLORA LONDON MARATHON
Good news. My feet were less sore than the previous evening and with the blister plasters on I was able to walk normally again. Packed my bag, had my pre-race breakfast of rice pudding and made my way to the tube station. Somewhat serendipitously I met Anthony et al there, and teamed up with Martin and Claire, who was in the same pen as me at the blue start. If I had wasted energy the previous day by spending too much time on my feet I wasted more energy this morning sprinting between trains and getting stressed - a result of platform alterations and delays at London Bridge. Fortunately we still got to the start with a few minutes to spare. No time for a stretch but the first few miles were going to be my warm-up anyway.
Before long we were off and I was noticeably closer to the start this year - it only took 5 minutes or so to cross the line, unlike 10 two years ago. Whilst the pace was slightly faster, the streets were equally crowded and it was hard to get any sort of speed up. The first mile took 9 and a half minutes, and as my plan was to run 9 minute miles all the way round I was already behind schedule.
Not to worry, or so it appeared; I managed a few faster miles and by 5 miles was ahead of schedule. The mood of the runners was very positive and good-humoured; cries of 'Oggy Oggy Oggy' at the start and boos and hisses for the runners from the red start when the race converged at mile three!
On a more sombre note I will always remember passing a young man with an artificial leg in the first few miles wearing a 'Help for Heroes' t-shirt. I mused that he had possibly lost a leg fighting for his country in Iraq and Afghanistan, so I vowed at that point I wasn't going to whinge during the race, no matter how much it hurts.
I was still going strong at mile 10 and by now was starting to count down the miles. 16 to go, how many times have I done that in training?
Like I say, it was very crowded and there were plenty of near misses, and already I was getting sick and tired of people's elbows bashing into me as I tried to pass them.
The first major collision took place on Tower Bridge. Some TV or radio presenter, in his wisdom, decided to stop a lady right in my path. I couldn't stop and went straight into her. I'm guessing it hurt her more but it knocked the wind out of me. That notwithstanding, I felt reasonably strong at halfway, which I passed in about 1:56 so sub four hours was still a possibility at that stage.
I think it would have been at about mile 16 that things started to go wrong. I suddenly felt tired, my legs were heavy, and I was increasingly annoyed at having to avoid collisions. By now people were stopping in front of me, and it was as much as I could do not to crash into them. I didn't realise it at the time, but it was also now getting pretty warm.
I very nearly had a nasty accident in docklands when a bottle of lucozade rolled under my foot (whose idea was it to have bottles this year instead of pouches?!) and I could have ended up flat on my back. Fortunately I was still alert enough to realise what I had stepped on and roll my foot over it.
By miles 20-21 I was really starting to suffer and as much as I tried to tell myself it was only another 10k, it still seemed like a hell of a long way. My stopwatch had been stopped in another collision but I knew I was slowing down and hopes of finishing in under four hours were disappearing fast. I had to have a few walk breaks, usually at the drinks stations so I could regain my composure (I was feeling faint and dizzy) and take some fluid on board, which I badly needed. Truth be told, I can't recall ever wanting a pint of beer so badly in my life!
The signs saying Lucozade station in 500m were cruel by mile 23, as 500m seemed a very long way by that stage. I remember the crowd cheering me on and all I wanted to shout in return was 'Where's the f***ing lucozade station?!' I'm glad I can remember the humorous aspect of this painful passage.
By now I was just trying to hang in there and whilst I was moving slowly and really wanted to just stop I tried to remember the words of one of my true sporting heroes, the legendary Shane Warne: 'Never give up. Never, ever, give up.'
I tried to focus on the sights of London and the cheers of the crowd as I edged towards the finish. It was nearly over; soon I was passing the Houses of Parliament and beginning the final passage along Birdcage walk. By the time I got to the 600m to go sign I was in all kinds of pain; among other things my spine was hurting and so a sprint finish was out of the question. I did manage to raise my arms aloft as I crossed the line. I didn't know exactly what my time was, it was about 4hrs 6 minutes so I hadn't managed four hours but it was a lot faster than two years ago. A good 25 minutes, roughly speaking. Despite still being in agony I still managed the broadest smile possible as I had my finisher's photo taken.
Still wheezing I made a phone call to my Dad to let him know I had finished. When I told him how much I had suffered in the last six miles but kept going, he told me that was 'true grit'.
Yes, you could say that I guess.
After the race
Met up with Anthony et al in the meet and greet area, but when they made their way home my day wasn't over as I was very lucky to have an old mate, Roger, come to London to spend a few hours having a celebration drink with me. It was great to see him and a fantastic atmosphere in London. People were randomly shaking my hand, high-fiving me and saying well done when they found out I had done the race. In fact, it was easy to pick out anyone who had run as they were the ones hobbling...
We had a nice thai meal in Covent Garden (a cheap restaurant opposite The Salisbury, one of my favourite watering holes) and a few beers and generally caught up. Later I headed back to Eddie's but wasn't able to have a drink with him - I was well and truly whacked and a well-earned good night's sleep beckoned.
I treated myself to an overdue day out in London the next day before catching the last train home. In the morning I spent some time with Eddie and checked my result on his computer. My exact time was 4:05:52 and I came 11,808th overall, so well within the top third I guess. Again I was unlucky not to meet any celebs as Gordon Ramsay had finished just fifty seconds ahead of me and Ronan Keating 10 minutes later! Not sure if Matt Dawson was running though...
The weather was a bit rubbish which was a shame. I had anticipated relaxing in St James' Park but it was too wet for that so I bought my theatre ticket for the evening, had some lunch, spent a long time browsing in Waterstone's, bought a paper and had perhaps a few too many rum and cokes and pints of Stella in some of my favourite pubs. The play was Three Days of Rain starring James McAvoy (who I would love to play the lead character if my novel Ashes Summer ever gets made into a film) and I wish I could tell you all about it but my memories start getting hazy after dinner in Chandos...but to be fair, even Ali O'Hara told me to have a few beers after the race so if he thinks I deserved it then I guess I did.
The big day (or at least, the weekend) is finally upon me! Met Daniel at the station in the morning to catch the train to London, and we met Anthony and some of his friends from South Wales on the train. When we arrived in London we made our way over to the expo at Docklands and swiftly completed the registration process - the organisation at FLM is faultless.
Anthony and I then headed over to the pasta party for our meal and then spent an hour or two looking round the stands. I resisted any temptation to spend lots of money, but did grab a few pairs of running socks at the sweatshop stand.
Afterwards, I made my way to Kennington to pick up the key for the guest room at my Uncle Eddie's retirement home there. True to form, he offered me alcohol as soon as he saw me but I managed to resist. I had come too far to mess up my chances over a few rum and cokes.
In the evening, I met up with Anthony, Daniel, Martin, Claire and other members of the Swindon Striders for dinner near their hotel at Vauxhall. It was a really nice meal and incredibly cheap - £5.50 for a huge plate of lasagne and chips!
There was a slight scare for me in that I seemed to have developed blisters on both heels; my new shoes weren't as comfortable as I at first thought. Fortunately Claire gave me some blister plasters to out on in the morning so all I could do was get to bed and hope for the best in the morning.
Sunday 26th April - THE 2009 FLORA LONDON MARATHON
Good news. My feet were less sore than the previous evening and with the blister plasters on I was able to walk normally again. Packed my bag, had my pre-race breakfast of rice pudding and made my way to the tube station. Somewhat serendipitously I met Anthony et al there, and teamed up with Martin and Claire, who was in the same pen as me at the blue start. If I had wasted energy the previous day by spending too much time on my feet I wasted more energy this morning sprinting between trains and getting stressed - a result of platform alterations and delays at London Bridge. Fortunately we still got to the start with a few minutes to spare. No time for a stretch but the first few miles were going to be my warm-up anyway.
Before long we were off and I was noticeably closer to the start this year - it only took 5 minutes or so to cross the line, unlike 10 two years ago. Whilst the pace was slightly faster, the streets were equally crowded and it was hard to get any sort of speed up. The first mile took 9 and a half minutes, and as my plan was to run 9 minute miles all the way round I was already behind schedule.
Not to worry, or so it appeared; I managed a few faster miles and by 5 miles was ahead of schedule. The mood of the runners was very positive and good-humoured; cries of 'Oggy Oggy Oggy' at the start and boos and hisses for the runners from the red start when the race converged at mile three!
On a more sombre note I will always remember passing a young man with an artificial leg in the first few miles wearing a 'Help for Heroes' t-shirt. I mused that he had possibly lost a leg fighting for his country in Iraq and Afghanistan, so I vowed at that point I wasn't going to whinge during the race, no matter how much it hurts.
I was still going strong at mile 10 and by now was starting to count down the miles. 16 to go, how many times have I done that in training?
Like I say, it was very crowded and there were plenty of near misses, and already I was getting sick and tired of people's elbows bashing into me as I tried to pass them.
The first major collision took place on Tower Bridge. Some TV or radio presenter, in his wisdom, decided to stop a lady right in my path. I couldn't stop and went straight into her. I'm guessing it hurt her more but it knocked the wind out of me. That notwithstanding, I felt reasonably strong at halfway, which I passed in about 1:56 so sub four hours was still a possibility at that stage.
I think it would have been at about mile 16 that things started to go wrong. I suddenly felt tired, my legs were heavy, and I was increasingly annoyed at having to avoid collisions. By now people were stopping in front of me, and it was as much as I could do not to crash into them. I didn't realise it at the time, but it was also now getting pretty warm.
I very nearly had a nasty accident in docklands when a bottle of lucozade rolled under my foot (whose idea was it to have bottles this year instead of pouches?!) and I could have ended up flat on my back. Fortunately I was still alert enough to realise what I had stepped on and roll my foot over it.
By miles 20-21 I was really starting to suffer and as much as I tried to tell myself it was only another 10k, it still seemed like a hell of a long way. My stopwatch had been stopped in another collision but I knew I was slowing down and hopes of finishing in under four hours were disappearing fast. I had to have a few walk breaks, usually at the drinks stations so I could regain my composure (I was feeling faint and dizzy) and take some fluid on board, which I badly needed. Truth be told, I can't recall ever wanting a pint of beer so badly in my life!
The signs saying Lucozade station in 500m were cruel by mile 23, as 500m seemed a very long way by that stage. I remember the crowd cheering me on and all I wanted to shout in return was 'Where's the f***ing lucozade station?!' I'm glad I can remember the humorous aspect of this painful passage.
By now I was just trying to hang in there and whilst I was moving slowly and really wanted to just stop I tried to remember the words of one of my true sporting heroes, the legendary Shane Warne: 'Never give up. Never, ever, give up.'
I tried to focus on the sights of London and the cheers of the crowd as I edged towards the finish. It was nearly over; soon I was passing the Houses of Parliament and beginning the final passage along Birdcage walk. By the time I got to the 600m to go sign I was in all kinds of pain; among other things my spine was hurting and so a sprint finish was out of the question. I did manage to raise my arms aloft as I crossed the line. I didn't know exactly what my time was, it was about 4hrs 6 minutes so I hadn't managed four hours but it was a lot faster than two years ago. A good 25 minutes, roughly speaking. Despite still being in agony I still managed the broadest smile possible as I had my finisher's photo taken.
Still wheezing I made a phone call to my Dad to let him know I had finished. When I told him how much I had suffered in the last six miles but kept going, he told me that was 'true grit'.
Yes, you could say that I guess.
After the race
Met up with Anthony et al in the meet and greet area, but when they made their way home my day wasn't over as I was very lucky to have an old mate, Roger, come to London to spend a few hours having a celebration drink with me. It was great to see him and a fantastic atmosphere in London. People were randomly shaking my hand, high-fiving me and saying well done when they found out I had done the race. In fact, it was easy to pick out anyone who had run as they were the ones hobbling...
We had a nice thai meal in Covent Garden (a cheap restaurant opposite The Salisbury, one of my favourite watering holes) and a few beers and generally caught up. Later I headed back to Eddie's but wasn't able to have a drink with him - I was well and truly whacked and a well-earned good night's sleep beckoned.
I treated myself to an overdue day out in London the next day before catching the last train home. In the morning I spent some time with Eddie and checked my result on his computer. My exact time was 4:05:52 and I came 11,808th overall, so well within the top third I guess. Again I was unlucky not to meet any celebs as Gordon Ramsay had finished just fifty seconds ahead of me and Ronan Keating 10 minutes later! Not sure if Matt Dawson was running though...
The weather was a bit rubbish which was a shame. I had anticipated relaxing in St James' Park but it was too wet for that so I bought my theatre ticket for the evening, had some lunch, spent a long time browsing in Waterstone's, bought a paper and had perhaps a few too many rum and cokes and pints of Stella in some of my favourite pubs. The play was Three Days of Rain starring James McAvoy (who I would love to play the lead character if my novel Ashes Summer ever gets made into a film) and I wish I could tell you all about it but my memories start getting hazy after dinner in Chandos...but to be fair, even Ali O'Hara told me to have a few beers after the race so if he thinks I deserved it then I guess I did.
Friday 24 April 2009
Highworth 5 mile race and final taper
Sunday 19th March
Competed today in the Highworth 5 mile road race. This is usually the weekend before, or after, the London marathon. This year, as was the case two years ago, it was the weekend before which is convenient for me as I can use it as my last hard run before a week of next to nothing.
I decided before the race to use as just that - a hard run - as I was planning to do another five miles after the race to bring me up to 10 miles as my last long run. So when I set off I didn't start the timer on my watch, I just concentrated on running hard but enjoying the race.
I didn't look at my watch at all during the race but I imagine the first three miles were faster than the last two. Certainly the last mile would have been the slowest - the hill at the four mile marker would have made sure of that.
In any case I was surprised and delighted with a time just under 37 minutes (36:59 official) as this was more than a minute and a half faster than my previous best at the distance. As I've been concentrating on distance rather than speed I can only put this down to improved fitness and the weight loss.
And yes I did do 5 miles on the treadmill afterwards - in a much more sedate time of 43 minutes. I'm feeling good and confident at this point.
Monday 20th April
Stupidly went out with the running club and soon regretted it. I made it clear that I had done a race the day before and had to taper for the marathon but they still went off at a pace that was too fast for me today. So I let them go about half way, and just ended up doing the Blagrove route on my own, which is about 5 miles.
Tuesday 21st April
Just a very easy jog tonight, about 3 miles. Went from work and jogged up the path which runs parallel with the dual carriageway. Should really take more advantage of this as the path leads to the bottom of the railway path where I start a lot of my runs from. There is a shower at work so really there is no need to head to the gym just to go for a run.
Time to rest and carbo-load now, and started both in earnest with a trip to the cinema. The film was the excellent Let The Right One In, a love story between a young boy in Sweden and a female vampire. It might sound silly, but it really was a beautiful film and I think I liked it because it was an impossible love story between two people who feel alone and ostracised for very different reasons but find some common ground. Don't listen to me ranting on about it, see if for yourself.
Wednesday 22nd April
Complete rest. Can't say I missed body pump. It can be tiring at times, a constant treadmill of work-gym-dinner-writing. Instead went home and did a quality editing session.
Thursday 23rd April
Full body massage with Ali. Felt some aches and pains during the run on Sunday so knew I needed this. He found a great deal of tension in my back, which he got rid of. Another quality session on the book and finished the second round of editing! Still some work to do - need to add in a few scenes and give it at least another read through but am very close to sending it out to agents and publishers now. Really wanted to reach this particular landmark as I feel in a funny way it will give me confidence in the race on Sunday, knowing I have got this far with the book as well as training.
Friday 24th April
Complete rest. Made the last minute preparations for the big day. And a few more donations came in which brings my total up to £1200 with £50 still to come from Dad.
Under the circumstances, it's been a fantastic effort whatever happens on Sunday, even if I say so myself.
Competed today in the Highworth 5 mile road race. This is usually the weekend before, or after, the London marathon. This year, as was the case two years ago, it was the weekend before which is convenient for me as I can use it as my last hard run before a week of next to nothing.
I decided before the race to use as just that - a hard run - as I was planning to do another five miles after the race to bring me up to 10 miles as my last long run. So when I set off I didn't start the timer on my watch, I just concentrated on running hard but enjoying the race.
I didn't look at my watch at all during the race but I imagine the first three miles were faster than the last two. Certainly the last mile would have been the slowest - the hill at the four mile marker would have made sure of that.
In any case I was surprised and delighted with a time just under 37 minutes (36:59 official) as this was more than a minute and a half faster than my previous best at the distance. As I've been concentrating on distance rather than speed I can only put this down to improved fitness and the weight loss.
And yes I did do 5 miles on the treadmill afterwards - in a much more sedate time of 43 minutes. I'm feeling good and confident at this point.
Monday 20th April
Stupidly went out with the running club and soon regretted it. I made it clear that I had done a race the day before and had to taper for the marathon but they still went off at a pace that was too fast for me today. So I let them go about half way, and just ended up doing the Blagrove route on my own, which is about 5 miles.
Tuesday 21st April
Just a very easy jog tonight, about 3 miles. Went from work and jogged up the path which runs parallel with the dual carriageway. Should really take more advantage of this as the path leads to the bottom of the railway path where I start a lot of my runs from. There is a shower at work so really there is no need to head to the gym just to go for a run.
Time to rest and carbo-load now, and started both in earnest with a trip to the cinema. The film was the excellent Let The Right One In, a love story between a young boy in Sweden and a female vampire. It might sound silly, but it really was a beautiful film and I think I liked it because it was an impossible love story between two people who feel alone and ostracised for very different reasons but find some common ground. Don't listen to me ranting on about it, see if for yourself.
Wednesday 22nd April
Complete rest. Can't say I missed body pump. It can be tiring at times, a constant treadmill of work-gym-dinner-writing. Instead went home and did a quality editing session.
Thursday 23rd April
Full body massage with Ali. Felt some aches and pains during the run on Sunday so knew I needed this. He found a great deal of tension in my back, which he got rid of. Another quality session on the book and finished the second round of editing! Still some work to do - need to add in a few scenes and give it at least another read through but am very close to sending it out to agents and publishers now. Really wanted to reach this particular landmark as I feel in a funny way it will give me confidence in the race on Sunday, knowing I have got this far with the book as well as training.
Friday 24th April
Complete rest. Made the last minute preparations for the big day. And a few more donations came in which brings my total up to £1200 with £50 still to come from Dad.
Under the circumstances, it's been a fantastic effort whatever happens on Sunday, even if I say so myself.
Tuesday 14 April 2009
Starting the taper
Tuesday 14th April
Speed session tonight but decided to mix it up a bit. 1.6k warm up, then 10 * 2 minutes @ 14kph but cut the recovery time back from 60 seconds to 30. It would have helped if I hadn't had to switch treadmills after the first 3 reps because the belt was slipping, but I felt I coped well. It was a lot harder with the shorter recoveries, but that pace is obviously more comfortable for me now.
Wednesday 15th April
Just body pump tonight. Went a tad lighter on some of the tracks. Wasn't tempted to do RPM afterwards. Well, ok maybe a little. But instead I had a 'For Goodness Shakes' milkshake (now is not the time to be skimping on calories) and got myself home and had a quality editing session.
I read later on runners' world it is not a good idea to do any weights in the two weeks before a marathon as it won't help you in the race, will sap your strength, and may even cause an injury. Oh well I won't do pump again before the big day.
Thursday 16th April
7 (11.2k) miles on the treadmill, nice and steady. Resisted the temptation to crank up the pace at the end. Think I may have upset Terry by refusing to join him for a run outside, but it was raining and the last thing I should do is take any silly risks, so why risk catching a cold?
Friday 17th April
Not raining this evening so managed to get outside. Did a five mile jog, very steady. My legs felt very sore, which just goes to show how much they need a week of next to nothing before the big day.
Saturday 18th April
Complete rest. Competing in the Highworth five mile race tomorrow but am thinking it may be as well to jog round as opposed to going for broke and risking an injury.
Speed session tonight but decided to mix it up a bit. 1.6k warm up, then 10 * 2 minutes @ 14kph but cut the recovery time back from 60 seconds to 30. It would have helped if I hadn't had to switch treadmills after the first 3 reps because the belt was slipping, but I felt I coped well. It was a lot harder with the shorter recoveries, but that pace is obviously more comfortable for me now.
Wednesday 15th April
Just body pump tonight. Went a tad lighter on some of the tracks. Wasn't tempted to do RPM afterwards. Well, ok maybe a little. But instead I had a 'For Goodness Shakes' milkshake (now is not the time to be skimping on calories) and got myself home and had a quality editing session.
I read later on runners' world it is not a good idea to do any weights in the two weeks before a marathon as it won't help you in the race, will sap your strength, and may even cause an injury. Oh well I won't do pump again before the big day.
Thursday 16th April
7 (11.2k) miles on the treadmill, nice and steady. Resisted the temptation to crank up the pace at the end. Think I may have upset Terry by refusing to join him for a run outside, but it was raining and the last thing I should do is take any silly risks, so why risk catching a cold?
Friday 17th April
Not raining this evening so managed to get outside. Did a five mile jog, very steady. My legs felt very sore, which just goes to show how much they need a week of next to nothing before the big day.
Saturday 18th April
Complete rest. Competing in the Highworth five mile race tomorrow but am thinking it may be as well to jog round as opposed to going for broke and risking an injury.
Easter training
Thursday 9th April
Running club tonight. I had suggested a long-ish run of about 10-11 miles as it would be a nice way to wind down before going home for the Easter weekend.
As it turned out, we only covered 6.2 miles in about 57 minutes. There was the option of carrying on at the 5 mile point with Gerry, but by then I was tired and just wanted to go home and enjoy being off for a few days.
Friday 10th April
Went to Ali's lunchtime body pump class then did a speed session on the treadmill afterwards. 1k warm up, then 8 * 3 minutes @ 14kph, 1k cool down.
Went quite heavy on some of the tracks in pump, Ali advised me after the class to always have a good selection of weights handy so I can adjust during a track if needs be.
Saturday 11th April
Body pump again, Rachel covering for Ali today. Ran to the gym from home and back again but didn't do any more cardio than that because I wanted my legs to be fairly fresh for my final long run tomorrow. And I have to admit, I found it hard doing pump two days in a row.
Sunday 12th April
Last long run today before the big day in two weeks. Set off to do my usual 20-miler, the Swindon half route but starting from the gym.
I felt surprisingly strong for most of the run, so much so that as I started the trek along Queens Drive into town I decided I could probably run a bit further, so when I ended up heading through Cheney Manor and along Akers Way, past the lake and along Cartwright Drive to the gym. That must be a good 24 miles and I managed it in less than four hours, despite tired legs and dehydration from enjoying being on holiday.
I'm optimistic now that the hard work will pay off on the big day. Whilst I haven't got a 10k or half marathon PB in the build up, spending long periods on my feet and all the strengthening work should pay off in the last few miles. All I need to do now is taper down, load up on carbs and avoid any nasty bugs and illnesses doing the rounds.
Monday 13th April
Ran to the gym and did RPM in the morning. Thought this would be a good way to get some of the lactic acid out of my legs. Did some core exercises as well as I was more than a little reluctant to go home and do housework for the rest of the day.
It wasn't that bad in the end, it was a lovely day weather-wise so I managed to cut the grass and do some tidying up in the back garden. Summer is coming!
Running club tonight. I had suggested a long-ish run of about 10-11 miles as it would be a nice way to wind down before going home for the Easter weekend.
As it turned out, we only covered 6.2 miles in about 57 minutes. There was the option of carrying on at the 5 mile point with Gerry, but by then I was tired and just wanted to go home and enjoy being off for a few days.
Friday 10th April
Went to Ali's lunchtime body pump class then did a speed session on the treadmill afterwards. 1k warm up, then 8 * 3 minutes @ 14kph, 1k cool down.
Went quite heavy on some of the tracks in pump, Ali advised me after the class to always have a good selection of weights handy so I can adjust during a track if needs be.
Saturday 11th April
Body pump again, Rachel covering for Ali today. Ran to the gym from home and back again but didn't do any more cardio than that because I wanted my legs to be fairly fresh for my final long run tomorrow. And I have to admit, I found it hard doing pump two days in a row.
Sunday 12th April
Last long run today before the big day in two weeks. Set off to do my usual 20-miler, the Swindon half route but starting from the gym.
I felt surprisingly strong for most of the run, so much so that as I started the trek along Queens Drive into town I decided I could probably run a bit further, so when I ended up heading through Cheney Manor and along Akers Way, past the lake and along Cartwright Drive to the gym. That must be a good 24 miles and I managed it in less than four hours, despite tired legs and dehydration from enjoying being on holiday.
I'm optimistic now that the hard work will pay off on the big day. Whilst I haven't got a 10k or half marathon PB in the build up, spending long periods on my feet and all the strengthening work should pay off in the last few miles. All I need to do now is taper down, load up on carbs and avoid any nasty bugs and illnesses doing the rounds.
Monday 13th April
Ran to the gym and did RPM in the morning. Thought this would be a good way to get some of the lactic acid out of my legs. Did some core exercises as well as I was more than a little reluctant to go home and do housework for the rest of the day.
It wasn't that bad in the end, it was a lovely day weather-wise so I managed to cut the grass and do some tidying up in the back garden. Summer is coming!
Tuesday 7 April 2009
White Horse Half Marathon
Thursday 2nd April
Complete rest. I actually had a day's leave, as I had arranged a trip with the Sports & Social Club to see the musical Oliver. It was my intention originally to spend the day in London, but I ended up not bothering, for various reasons. Mainly, I can't afford it - the credit crunch has put an end to any unnecessary expenditure - but also I know I'd probably end up spending most of the day in the pub which is not ideal three weeks before a marathon.
As it turned out I had a most pleasant evening with my friends, and being the organiser meant I could choose who I sat with, which was Louise from my department, her boyfriend Ian, Tamara and her nine-year old son, Cameron, who I ended up entertaining during the interval.
Friday 3rd April
Complete rest. Came home from work and had a really good evening, watching England actually win a one-day international and winning a one-day series in the West Indies for the first time. Seeing my new facebook friend Andrew Flintoff take a hat-trick was just the icing on the cake really.
Saturday 4th April
Body pump and core work. Another day's rest might have bee sensible but I was bored of housework and missed out the leg tracks anyway. Plus it gave me an opportunity to learn the new routine.
Sunday 5th April
Competed in the White Horse half marathon, for the third year running. I've always liked the event, but never posted a PB, even though it is a PB course. Two years ago I was recovering from a PB effort at Bath the week before and last year I had tired myself out the week before trying to shed a few pounds.
I knew I would have to have a good time to beat my PB from Chippenham but was fairly confident I could do it. Indeed, I started strongly (too quickly as usual) but managed to maintain a sub 8-minute mile pace. The good news is, I felt comfortable doing it as well. Much more so than at Chippenham.
Where it all went wrong I don't know. I'm sure I passed the 12-mile marker in 1:33 so I was confident then of a 1:42 finish but somehow managed only 1:43:21, four seconds slower than my PB. I can only assume the heavy mileage caught up with me in that last mile.
That notwithstanding, I did feel strong most of the way round and had a pleasant day out. I love the event because it is such good value at £8 and the mug this year was a nicer design than the last two. I also bought a race t-shirt with the names of the runners which was great value as well for £5.
I stopped at the gym for a stretch, steam and shower and had a nice surprise when I bumped into an old friend, James Joel who I haven't seen for a couple of years. We exchanged numbers and will try to arrange a weekend in Bournemouth in the summer (where he lives) so that will be something to look forward to hopefully.
Monday 6th April
Nice steady run this evening, a bit further than usual at nine miles. I am definitely recovering better these days.
Tuesday 7th April
Lovely evening tonight so went outside for a speed session, did an 'old-school' sprints and hill session, 2 sets of 5 sprints and 5 hills. Even though my legs were tired I could tell I was quicker than I used to be. I weighed myself at the weekend and according to the dodgy scales am bang on 15 stone, so nearly 20 pounds lighter than when Ali and I had our famous 'chat'. I think 14 stone would be ideal but boy can I feel the difference.
Wednesday 8th April
Body pump and RPM as usual. Good classes as usual. Really can't wait for the Easter weekend now.
Complete rest. I actually had a day's leave, as I had arranged a trip with the Sports & Social Club to see the musical Oliver. It was my intention originally to spend the day in London, but I ended up not bothering, for various reasons. Mainly, I can't afford it - the credit crunch has put an end to any unnecessary expenditure - but also I know I'd probably end up spending most of the day in the pub which is not ideal three weeks before a marathon.
As it turned out I had a most pleasant evening with my friends, and being the organiser meant I could choose who I sat with, which was Louise from my department, her boyfriend Ian, Tamara and her nine-year old son, Cameron, who I ended up entertaining during the interval.
Friday 3rd April
Complete rest. Came home from work and had a really good evening, watching England actually win a one-day international and winning a one-day series in the West Indies for the first time. Seeing my new facebook friend Andrew Flintoff take a hat-trick was just the icing on the cake really.
Saturday 4th April
Body pump and core work. Another day's rest might have bee sensible but I was bored of housework and missed out the leg tracks anyway. Plus it gave me an opportunity to learn the new routine.
Sunday 5th April
Competed in the White Horse half marathon, for the third year running. I've always liked the event, but never posted a PB, even though it is a PB course. Two years ago I was recovering from a PB effort at Bath the week before and last year I had tired myself out the week before trying to shed a few pounds.
I knew I would have to have a good time to beat my PB from Chippenham but was fairly confident I could do it. Indeed, I started strongly (too quickly as usual) but managed to maintain a sub 8-minute mile pace. The good news is, I felt comfortable doing it as well. Much more so than at Chippenham.
Where it all went wrong I don't know. I'm sure I passed the 12-mile marker in 1:33 so I was confident then of a 1:42 finish but somehow managed only 1:43:21, four seconds slower than my PB. I can only assume the heavy mileage caught up with me in that last mile.
That notwithstanding, I did feel strong most of the way round and had a pleasant day out. I love the event because it is such good value at £8 and the mug this year was a nicer design than the last two. I also bought a race t-shirt with the names of the runners which was great value as well for £5.
I stopped at the gym for a stretch, steam and shower and had a nice surprise when I bumped into an old friend, James Joel who I haven't seen for a couple of years. We exchanged numbers and will try to arrange a weekend in Bournemouth in the summer (where he lives) so that will be something to look forward to hopefully.
Monday 6th April
Nice steady run this evening, a bit further than usual at nine miles. I am definitely recovering better these days.
Tuesday 7th April
Lovely evening tonight so went outside for a speed session, did an 'old-school' sprints and hill session, 2 sets of 5 sprints and 5 hills. Even though my legs were tired I could tell I was quicker than I used to be. I weighed myself at the weekend and according to the dodgy scales am bang on 15 stone, so nearly 20 pounds lighter than when Ali and I had our famous 'chat'. I think 14 stone would be ideal but boy can I feel the difference.
Wednesday 8th April
Body pump and RPM as usual. Good classes as usual. Really can't wait for the Easter weekend now.
Wednesday 1 April 2009
New body pump release
Wednesday 1st April
New body pump tonight, and I like it. Squats - ok track, music a bit cheesy. Chest - good, like that there are no press-ups at the end. Back - similar to a lot of the old ones. Triceps - quite hard using the bar a lot again. Biceps - short and sweet. Nice. Lunges - good, like the mix of lunges and bottom half squats. Shoulders - a bit too much going on here perhaps, frequent changes between press-ups, the barbell, dumbbells and press-ups again. Abs - like it, some opportunities to make it harder for yourself.
Went for a run outside after the class, 5 miles nice and steady, about 45 minutes on my feet. It just made such a nice change to be able to run outside at that time and for it to still be light. British Summer Time rules.
Plan now is to rest until the White Horse half on Sunday (but may do the upper body part of pump on Saturday) as that will be the only flat half I'm doing before London (and probably until Chippenham in September) and my best chance of a PB. Wil then train hard up to and including the Easter weekend and then start to taper down towards the big day. Not long now.
New body pump tonight, and I like it. Squats - ok track, music a bit cheesy. Chest - good, like that there are no press-ups at the end. Back - similar to a lot of the old ones. Triceps - quite hard using the bar a lot again. Biceps - short and sweet. Nice. Lunges - good, like the mix of lunges and bottom half squats. Shoulders - a bit too much going on here perhaps, frequent changes between press-ups, the barbell, dumbbells and press-ups again. Abs - like it, some opportunities to make it harder for yourself.
Went for a run outside after the class, 5 miles nice and steady, about 45 minutes on my feet. It just made such a nice change to be able to run outside at that time and for it to still be light. British Summer Time rules.
Plan now is to rest until the White Horse half on Sunday (but may do the upper body part of pump on Saturday) as that will be the only flat half I'm doing before London (and probably until Chippenham in September) and my best chance of a PB. Wil then train hard up to and including the Easter weekend and then start to taper down towards the big day. Not long now.
Long knackering run
Friday 27th March
Complete rest. Had to take a half day leave and go to the Dentists' in Melksham for a check-up. Visited Dad while I was over there as well, and left with the usual food parcel. Came back to Swindon to watch the cricket and really, really wished I'd gone for a run instead.
Saturday 28th March
Wasn't sure what to do before or after body pump today but in the end I had a novel idea: a quick speed session on the treadmill. 1k warm up, then 8 * 3 minutes @ 14kph each followed by 1k cool down. It felt a lot easier than usual, running at that pace, which can only be a good sign.
Did about 30 minutes of core work after the class so a quality session for a Saturday morning as it turned out.
Sunday 29th March
Long run today. Intention was to run an hour on the treadmill, then do the Swindon half route from the gym. Managed the first part but not the second. Ran up the railway path and down Marlborough Road but then wimped out of the original plan and instead ran back along Queens Drive, through town, towards Cheney Manor and along Akers Way before heading round the lake and back to the gym. So I still covered a good twenty miles plus.
The problem was, I just ran out of steam completely in the run outside. Maybe the heavy mileage, coupled with work, the book, and the stress of trying to find new lodgers is all starting to get to me. Maybe time to take a breather after the Downs challenge on 16th May and concentrate on shorter distances.
Monday 30th March
It was my intention to do an easy recovery run tonight but it transpired my old friend Nicole Cutting was covering RPM, so I did that instead. Apart from the obvious fact that it was nice to see her again, it probably wasn't a bad move as 45 minutes of easy pedalling probably got a lot of lactic acid out of my legs. Plus I managed to get my weekly food shop done and still be home by 8pm.
Tuesday 31st March
Another speed session tonight, wanted to make it a quick one as I was showing yet another potential lodger my gaff.
1k warm up, then 10 * 2 minutes this time, I did the first two at 14.5kph then the next eight at 15kph. It was hard at first at that pace, but did seem to get easier. Maybe I just need to work on lengthening my stride. Aerobically it certainly didn't hurt as much as it used to.
I checked my weight on Saturday and according to the (admittedly slightly dodgy) scales in the back room I am 15st 2 pounds. My target (set by Ali O'Hara) is to get under 15 stone - 14 stone would be great, to go any lighter would mean having to lose muscle which I certainly don't want to do. So if I'm closer to a healthy weight that's probably why these sessions are easier.
Complete rest. Had to take a half day leave and go to the Dentists' in Melksham for a check-up. Visited Dad while I was over there as well, and left with the usual food parcel. Came back to Swindon to watch the cricket and really, really wished I'd gone for a run instead.
Saturday 28th March
Wasn't sure what to do before or after body pump today but in the end I had a novel idea: a quick speed session on the treadmill. 1k warm up, then 8 * 3 minutes @ 14kph each followed by 1k cool down. It felt a lot easier than usual, running at that pace, which can only be a good sign.
Did about 30 minutes of core work after the class so a quality session for a Saturday morning as it turned out.
Sunday 29th March
Long run today. Intention was to run an hour on the treadmill, then do the Swindon half route from the gym. Managed the first part but not the second. Ran up the railway path and down Marlborough Road but then wimped out of the original plan and instead ran back along Queens Drive, through town, towards Cheney Manor and along Akers Way before heading round the lake and back to the gym. So I still covered a good twenty miles plus.
The problem was, I just ran out of steam completely in the run outside. Maybe the heavy mileage, coupled with work, the book, and the stress of trying to find new lodgers is all starting to get to me. Maybe time to take a breather after the Downs challenge on 16th May and concentrate on shorter distances.
Monday 30th March
It was my intention to do an easy recovery run tonight but it transpired my old friend Nicole Cutting was covering RPM, so I did that instead. Apart from the obvious fact that it was nice to see her again, it probably wasn't a bad move as 45 minutes of easy pedalling probably got a lot of lactic acid out of my legs. Plus I managed to get my weekly food shop done and still be home by 8pm.
Tuesday 31st March
Another speed session tonight, wanted to make it a quick one as I was showing yet another potential lodger my gaff.
1k warm up, then 10 * 2 minutes this time, I did the first two at 14.5kph then the next eight at 15kph. It was hard at first at that pace, but did seem to get easier. Maybe I just need to work on lengthening my stride. Aerobically it certainly didn't hurt as much as it used to.
I checked my weight on Saturday and according to the (admittedly slightly dodgy) scales in the back room I am 15st 2 pounds. My target (set by Ali O'Hara) is to get under 15 stone - 14 stone would be great, to go any lighter would mean having to lose muscle which I certainly don't want to do. So if I'm closer to a healthy weight that's probably why these sessions are easier.
Wednesday 25 March 2009
Hogweed Hilly Half Marathon
Saturday 21st March
Body pump as usual, I continued with my policy of doing my core exercises in lieu of squats and lunges. Did some more core exercises after the class.
Sunday 22nd March
Competed today in the Hogweed Hilly Half Marathon, at Horton, Gloucestershire. This was the fifth running of the event and my third time there. I chose it as a training run for London in 2007, and was so impressed I vowed to come back every year. It is what it says on the tin - a very tough, hilly half marathon but is also remarkably well organised and boasts some of the most glorious scenery I have seen in a race.
I started well enough, knocking out the first mile in about 8 minutes, but then reminded myself to relax and enjoy the run as much as possible. It was perfect weather for running, a beautiful spring morning.
The hills were hard as always, and I was going well until I got to the 8-mile marker. The hill in the ninth mile put paid to any hopes I had of a 1:50-ish finish. What's more, after that point my legs started to feel very tired (as I expected they would) and so it was just a case of trying to get round in under two hours.
I did it comfortably in the end, aided perhaps by some of the friendly young marshals handing out jelly babies to us! I was more than happy with a 1:56 finish, but wish I could improve my downhill running - the last section is a steep downhill stretch and there was nothing I could do to stop my fellow runners sprinting past me.
A nice touch was I got chatting to the treasurer of the Samaritans in Bristol (I was wearing my vest in preparation) after the race, talking at length about the charity and races overseas.
I had contemplated another run in the day but decided after the race that my legs could really do with an easier Sunday than they've had lately. So I made my way to the gym for a stretch and a shower. As I left I felt slightly sad, knowing that I wouldn't be taking part in such a lovely event for another year. Yes, I really do like it that much.
Monday 23rd March
Tonight there was a two hour "Spin-a-thon" at the gym to raise money for the British Heart Foundation. To tell the truth, it was quite a disappointment.
For a start, the entry fee was to raise a minimum of £50 in sponsorship which was always going to be a tall order in the current climate. I told someone a couple of weeks ago that I wouldn't be able to raise any sponsorship as I am already committed to raising money for the London marathon. I said I was quite happy to donate £5 of my own money to attend the class.
Even so, I was still surprised by how quiet the class was. The room was less than half full, and of the people there, most seemed to be staff members. The class itself was enjoyable enough, but I was careful not to go crazy with the resistance as my legs were still tired from yesterday so I never really got a sweat on.
Oh well, it's calories burned I suppose.
Tuesday 24th March
Steady run tonight, about 1 hour 10 mins. Up the railway path, through Old Town, down Drove Road and through town back to the gym. Just needed some thinking time tonight.
Wednesday 25th March
Body pump tonight, did 2k on the treadmill beforehand as a warm-up. Used my heaviest weight yet on the squats track, 42.5kg (or four reds and a yellow on each end). Might not sound a lot, but when you consider I'm doing squats for about 5 minutes, it's not bad at all. I usually use 40kg and it's amazing how much heavier that 2.5kg made it feel.
No RPM or other cardio as I needed to do some shopping and hate getting home too late.
Thursday 26th March
Interval session at the lake. Managed to knock out 5 laps, but they probably weren't as fast as they should have been due to my legs feeling sore from yesterday. That was probably to be expected to be fair. Good session nonetheless, need to do more speed and hill work to get good times in races this summer.
Body pump as usual, I continued with my policy of doing my core exercises in lieu of squats and lunges. Did some more core exercises after the class.
Sunday 22nd March
Competed today in the Hogweed Hilly Half Marathon, at Horton, Gloucestershire. This was the fifth running of the event and my third time there. I chose it as a training run for London in 2007, and was so impressed I vowed to come back every year. It is what it says on the tin - a very tough, hilly half marathon but is also remarkably well organised and boasts some of the most glorious scenery I have seen in a race.
I started well enough, knocking out the first mile in about 8 minutes, but then reminded myself to relax and enjoy the run as much as possible. It was perfect weather for running, a beautiful spring morning.
The hills were hard as always, and I was going well until I got to the 8-mile marker. The hill in the ninth mile put paid to any hopes I had of a 1:50-ish finish. What's more, after that point my legs started to feel very tired (as I expected they would) and so it was just a case of trying to get round in under two hours.
I did it comfortably in the end, aided perhaps by some of the friendly young marshals handing out jelly babies to us! I was more than happy with a 1:56 finish, but wish I could improve my downhill running - the last section is a steep downhill stretch and there was nothing I could do to stop my fellow runners sprinting past me.
A nice touch was I got chatting to the treasurer of the Samaritans in Bristol (I was wearing my vest in preparation) after the race, talking at length about the charity and races overseas.
I had contemplated another run in the day but decided after the race that my legs could really do with an easier Sunday than they've had lately. So I made my way to the gym for a stretch and a shower. As I left I felt slightly sad, knowing that I wouldn't be taking part in such a lovely event for another year. Yes, I really do like it that much.
Monday 23rd March
Tonight there was a two hour "Spin-a-thon" at the gym to raise money for the British Heart Foundation. To tell the truth, it was quite a disappointment.
For a start, the entry fee was to raise a minimum of £50 in sponsorship which was always going to be a tall order in the current climate. I told someone a couple of weeks ago that I wouldn't be able to raise any sponsorship as I am already committed to raising money for the London marathon. I said I was quite happy to donate £5 of my own money to attend the class.
Even so, I was still surprised by how quiet the class was. The room was less than half full, and of the people there, most seemed to be staff members. The class itself was enjoyable enough, but I was careful not to go crazy with the resistance as my legs were still tired from yesterday so I never really got a sweat on.
Oh well, it's calories burned I suppose.
Tuesday 24th March
Steady run tonight, about 1 hour 10 mins. Up the railway path, through Old Town, down Drove Road and through town back to the gym. Just needed some thinking time tonight.
Wednesday 25th March
Body pump tonight, did 2k on the treadmill beforehand as a warm-up. Used my heaviest weight yet on the squats track, 42.5kg (or four reds and a yellow on each end). Might not sound a lot, but when you consider I'm doing squats for about 5 minutes, it's not bad at all. I usually use 40kg and it's amazing how much heavier that 2.5kg made it feel.
No RPM or other cardio as I needed to do some shopping and hate getting home too late.
Thursday 26th March
Interval session at the lake. Managed to knock out 5 laps, but they probably weren't as fast as they should have been due to my legs feeling sore from yesterday. That was probably to be expected to be fair. Good session nonetheless, need to do more speed and hill work to get good times in races this summer.
Thursday 19 March 2009
First run in the sunshine!
Saturday 14th March
Body pump this morning. Missed out squats and lunges, but instead of nipping downstairs for an orange juice I used the breaks to do some core exercises. Did some more core work after the class as well which was good. Also had a long chat with Rachel (Barber) who was covering for Ali and who is also running the London marathon next month, for the first time. The only advice I was keen to impress upon her was not to worry too much about her time and simply celebrate the fact that she is taking part in the best race on the planet.
Sunday 15th March
Long run today and beautiful weather for it. Did the half route, starting from the gym, and soon realised that it was too warm to be wearing two layers of clothing.
This was actually a really good run. I wasn't sure if I'd cope with the distance after the 20 mile race last weekend, but my legs held up well I thought. The big difference was the mood of the people I met on the way; everyone was so much friendlier, other runners and cyclists said hello, drivers ackowledged me and the world seemed a much happier place. What a difference the weather makes.
That took me 3 hours 10 minutes and I knocked out a very slow mile on the treadmill when I got back to the gym. I wondered later if I hadn't missed a trick here as my legs felt strong enough to go a bit further.
Had a steam after the run and wondered if that is helping my training, ie are the sessions in the steam room keeping my muscles looser and reducing the build up of lactic acid? It's the only thing I've been doing different of late so it could be.
Monday 16th March
Recovery run. Up the railway path (was just about able to see where I was going, so the light is improving), down Drove Road and back through town to the gym. One hour ten minutes approx. Not bad for an easy run.
Tuesday 17th March
Speed work. Out to the lake, then three laps hard. Approximately one hour on my feet. Would have done more laps but needed to go to Sainsburys and wanted to go to the cinema tonight. Felt I did well on the laps considering I was still recovering from Sunday.
Cheap Tuesday's film was He's Just Not That Into You, which I really enjoyed, and not just because it featured a semi-naked Scarlett Johansson. There was a lot in there about relationships which I could relate to, and it was good research on the subject for my writing, if you see what I mean.
Wednesday 18th March
Body pump with Ali followed by RPM with James. Excellent as always. Noticed the latter was busy, wondered how many people noticed me making a tit of myself in pump when a weight went flying off the end of my bar in the back track?
Thursday 19th March
Run with Kev and Gerry. We covered 11 miles at an average of just under 9 minutes per mile. It was faster than that, but a slow mile up a hill dragged that down. Still, good effort for a Thursday, especially considering how tired my legs are now. Definitely rest tomorrow, pump and core work Saturday ahead of the Hogweed Hilly Half on Sunday.
Body pump this morning. Missed out squats and lunges, but instead of nipping downstairs for an orange juice I used the breaks to do some core exercises. Did some more core work after the class as well which was good. Also had a long chat with Rachel (Barber) who was covering for Ali and who is also running the London marathon next month, for the first time. The only advice I was keen to impress upon her was not to worry too much about her time and simply celebrate the fact that she is taking part in the best race on the planet.
Sunday 15th March
Long run today and beautiful weather for it. Did the half route, starting from the gym, and soon realised that it was too warm to be wearing two layers of clothing.
This was actually a really good run. I wasn't sure if I'd cope with the distance after the 20 mile race last weekend, but my legs held up well I thought. The big difference was the mood of the people I met on the way; everyone was so much friendlier, other runners and cyclists said hello, drivers ackowledged me and the world seemed a much happier place. What a difference the weather makes.
That took me 3 hours 10 minutes and I knocked out a very slow mile on the treadmill when I got back to the gym. I wondered later if I hadn't missed a trick here as my legs felt strong enough to go a bit further.
Had a steam after the run and wondered if that is helping my training, ie are the sessions in the steam room keeping my muscles looser and reducing the build up of lactic acid? It's the only thing I've been doing different of late so it could be.
Monday 16th March
Recovery run. Up the railway path (was just about able to see where I was going, so the light is improving), down Drove Road and back through town to the gym. One hour ten minutes approx. Not bad for an easy run.
Tuesday 17th March
Speed work. Out to the lake, then three laps hard. Approximately one hour on my feet. Would have done more laps but needed to go to Sainsburys and wanted to go to the cinema tonight. Felt I did well on the laps considering I was still recovering from Sunday.
Cheap Tuesday's film was He's Just Not That Into You, which I really enjoyed, and not just because it featured a semi-naked Scarlett Johansson. There was a lot in there about relationships which I could relate to, and it was good research on the subject for my writing, if you see what I mean.
Wednesday 18th March
Body pump with Ali followed by RPM with James. Excellent as always. Noticed the latter was busy, wondered how many people noticed me making a tit of myself in pump when a weight went flying off the end of my bar in the back track?
Thursday 19th March
Run with Kev and Gerry. We covered 11 miles at an average of just under 9 minutes per mile. It was faster than that, but a slow mile up a hill dragged that down. Still, good effort for a Thursday, especially considering how tired my legs are now. Definitely rest tomorrow, pump and core work Saturday ahead of the Hogweed Hilly Half on Sunday.
Thursday 12 March 2009
Gloucester 20 mile race
Thursday 5th March
Complete rest.
Friday 6th March
Full body massage with Ali. Interestingly it didn't hurt anywhere near as much as usual, apart from my upper back being a bit tense. Keep doing whatever you're doing, he told me, as it seems to be working. I would say my body's just getting tougher.
Saturday 7th March
Complete rest. Unless you count housework as exercise - instead of going to the gym on Saturday morning I used the time to give the house a bit of a spring clean.
Sunday 8th March
Competed today in the Gloucester 20-mile road race (which starts and finishes in Framton-on-Severn). I did this in 2007 as a warm-up for the London marathon and was using it today for the same reasons. On that occasion it turned out to be an enjoyable run and a confidence booster. Today was much the same.
It took me less than an hour to get to the race which was less than I remember it being. Plus the parking was better organised - in a field where the start line was also, plus we could drop our baggage off and pick it up at the race HQ. The negatives were a poor pre-race briefing with most of us unable to hear what was being said and people being warned for running more than two abreast - if two people are already running two abreast, how else do you get past them?
I started the race well, probably too well. I was doing sub 8-minute miles for the first four, slowed slightly in the fifth, and then the weather came into play. It rained hard, hailed even, and there was a strong wind for large parts of the race.
That notwithstanding, I was still feeling good at 10 miles and passed the 13-mile marker in under 1:50 (not a bad half marathon time for me). There was an incentive to speed up just before that point, as someone just behind me obviously had an awful running style and his trainers were making an awful, grating noise (you know the kind). It was honestly like chinese water torture and in the end I decided to sprint for a while just to get away from it.
It wasn't until after about mile 16 that I really started to suffer, but fortunately I made some friends who kept me going. I'm not sure what was wrong, it felt like a bad stitch but it could have been my body starting to dig into it's fat stores, but without me slowing down to ease the process. I chatted to a bloke who was also training for the London marathon and there was also a bit of competitiveness between myself and a girl who had been neck and neck with me most of the way round. I know it's sexist and typical me, but she was very attractive and I decided early on I wasn't going to let her out of my sight! So I decided to use her as kind of a pace maker.
I had expected to finish in around 3 hours (9-minute miles) so bearing in mind the weather and some discomfort in the last miles I was pretty delighted to finish in 2:48 (2:47:52 if you go by my chip time). A nice touch was chatting to the young lady in question (Siana, I found out) on the walk back to the race HQ to collect my bag and t-shirt. She told me she is training for the Edinburgh marathon and will be doing a lot of the local races in the coming months, so let's hope our paths cross again one day soon.
Monday 9th March
Quite sore today and definitely not up to running with the group, but surprised myself by managing 8.8k (5.5 miles) on the treadmill, albeit at a very steady pace. It was only meant to be 5 miles by the way...
Tuesday 10th March
Not ready for a speed session but managed 10k, a little quicker than yesterday. Gutted to watch England come close to winning the last test and drawing the series v West Indies but to be fair the latter deserved the series victory.
One of my toes is quite swollen and painful and I'm not sure I'll be able to do much running the rest of the week.
Wednesday 11th March
Just RPM tonight. Missed body pump tonight as I was showing someone (potential lodger) round the house. What a pain in the arse this business is at times. I didn't mind picking her up from her hotel (which was on my way anyway) as she didn't know how to get to my house using the bus routes, but I was astounded when she asked me if I could give her a lift into the town centre so she could view another place!!! So I gave her walking directions and made my way to the gym for RPM, which was good as it always is with James.
Thursday 12th March
RPM again. Toe is a little better today, and I managed to cut some of the dead toenail away, but I don't want to aggravate it as I'm hoping I'll have a race number for the Bath half marathon on Sunday. I know I won't get a great time as my body won't have fully recovered from Sunday, but I would like to enjoy it.
Complete rest.
Friday 6th March
Full body massage with Ali. Interestingly it didn't hurt anywhere near as much as usual, apart from my upper back being a bit tense. Keep doing whatever you're doing, he told me, as it seems to be working. I would say my body's just getting tougher.
Saturday 7th March
Complete rest. Unless you count housework as exercise - instead of going to the gym on Saturday morning I used the time to give the house a bit of a spring clean.
Sunday 8th March
Competed today in the Gloucester 20-mile road race (which starts and finishes in Framton-on-Severn). I did this in 2007 as a warm-up for the London marathon and was using it today for the same reasons. On that occasion it turned out to be an enjoyable run and a confidence booster. Today was much the same.
It took me less than an hour to get to the race which was less than I remember it being. Plus the parking was better organised - in a field where the start line was also, plus we could drop our baggage off and pick it up at the race HQ. The negatives were a poor pre-race briefing with most of us unable to hear what was being said and people being warned for running more than two abreast - if two people are already running two abreast, how else do you get past them?
I started the race well, probably too well. I was doing sub 8-minute miles for the first four, slowed slightly in the fifth, and then the weather came into play. It rained hard, hailed even, and there was a strong wind for large parts of the race.
That notwithstanding, I was still feeling good at 10 miles and passed the 13-mile marker in under 1:50 (not a bad half marathon time for me). There was an incentive to speed up just before that point, as someone just behind me obviously had an awful running style and his trainers were making an awful, grating noise (you know the kind). It was honestly like chinese water torture and in the end I decided to sprint for a while just to get away from it.
It wasn't until after about mile 16 that I really started to suffer, but fortunately I made some friends who kept me going. I'm not sure what was wrong, it felt like a bad stitch but it could have been my body starting to dig into it's fat stores, but without me slowing down to ease the process. I chatted to a bloke who was also training for the London marathon and there was also a bit of competitiveness between myself and a girl who had been neck and neck with me most of the way round. I know it's sexist and typical me, but she was very attractive and I decided early on I wasn't going to let her out of my sight! So I decided to use her as kind of a pace maker.
I had expected to finish in around 3 hours (9-minute miles) so bearing in mind the weather and some discomfort in the last miles I was pretty delighted to finish in 2:48 (2:47:52 if you go by my chip time). A nice touch was chatting to the young lady in question (Siana, I found out) on the walk back to the race HQ to collect my bag and t-shirt. She told me she is training for the Edinburgh marathon and will be doing a lot of the local races in the coming months, so let's hope our paths cross again one day soon.
Monday 9th March
Quite sore today and definitely not up to running with the group, but surprised myself by managing 8.8k (5.5 miles) on the treadmill, albeit at a very steady pace. It was only meant to be 5 miles by the way...
Tuesday 10th March
Not ready for a speed session but managed 10k, a little quicker than yesterday. Gutted to watch England come close to winning the last test and drawing the series v West Indies but to be fair the latter deserved the series victory.
One of my toes is quite swollen and painful and I'm not sure I'll be able to do much running the rest of the week.
Wednesday 11th March
Just RPM tonight. Missed body pump tonight as I was showing someone (potential lodger) round the house. What a pain in the arse this business is at times. I didn't mind picking her up from her hotel (which was on my way anyway) as she didn't know how to get to my house using the bus routes, but I was astounded when she asked me if I could give her a lift into the town centre so she could view another place!!! So I gave her walking directions and made my way to the gym for RPM, which was good as it always is with James.
Thursday 12th March
RPM again. Toe is a little better today, and I managed to cut some of the dead toenail away, but I don't want to aggravate it as I'm hoping I'll have a race number for the Bath half marathon on Sunday. I know I won't get a great time as my body won't have fully recovered from Sunday, but I would like to enjoy it.
Thursday 5 March 2009
Easy week
Monday 2nd March
Nice easy week this week, both to recover from the long run yesterday and to get myself fresh, physically and mentally, for the Gloucester 20 mile race next Sunday.
Surprised myself greatly by managing to knock out 10k on the treadmill tonight, even though it was pretty slow - I didn't get above 11.2kph and that was only in the last kilometre as well to be fair. Followed this up with some abs work for about 15-20 minutes. Good session for a recovery run.
Tuesday 3rd March
Speed session tonight, albeit not as intense as usual. 1.6k warm up, then 10 * 2 minutes at 14kph, followed by 1.6k cool-down. I know I usually run for longer and faster but I've had a couple of twinges in my calves since Sunday and didn't want to risk any damage.
Got to the gym late as was in work until 6pm so no time to go to the cinema tonight. Oh well, there's always next week, and maybe Saturday afternoon.
Wednesday 4th March
Body pump followed by RPM. Enjoyed both classes as usual, careful not to overdo it on the legs. Plan now is complete rest for three days with a full body massage with Ali on Friday. I have always performed best in races when I've had two or three days off and I'm hoping to finish the 20-mile race in under three hours, which is about 9-minute miling. I'll have a much better chance with fresh legs.
Nice easy week this week, both to recover from the long run yesterday and to get myself fresh, physically and mentally, for the Gloucester 20 mile race next Sunday.
Surprised myself greatly by managing to knock out 10k on the treadmill tonight, even though it was pretty slow - I didn't get above 11.2kph and that was only in the last kilometre as well to be fair. Followed this up with some abs work for about 15-20 minutes. Good session for a recovery run.
Tuesday 3rd March
Speed session tonight, albeit not as intense as usual. 1.6k warm up, then 10 * 2 minutes at 14kph, followed by 1.6k cool-down. I know I usually run for longer and faster but I've had a couple of twinges in my calves since Sunday and didn't want to risk any damage.
Got to the gym late as was in work until 6pm so no time to go to the cinema tonight. Oh well, there's always next week, and maybe Saturday afternoon.
Wednesday 4th March
Body pump followed by RPM. Enjoyed both classes as usual, careful not to overdo it on the legs. Plan now is complete rest for three days with a full body massage with Ali on Friday. I have always performed best in races when I've had two or three days off and I'm hoping to finish the 20-mile race in under three hours, which is about 9-minute miling. I'll have a much better chance with fresh legs.
Tuesday 3 March 2009
Ultra training
Saturday 28th February
RPM and body pump in the morning. The first class was a mistake - I intended to do body attack, purely because I fancied doing something different, but I was put off by someone before going in how told me it has quite a high impact on the knees. So as I was at the gym I decided to do RPM instead. I didn't go mad with the resistance or pedalling, but should really have given my legs a rest before my long run tomorrow.
Sunday 1st March
Time to really crank up the mileage if I want to do a 33-mile "Ultra" marathon in May (I have sent my entry form off for the Marlborough Downs challenge) so the plan was to do an hour on the treadmill followed by 20 miles outside.
It didn't quite pan out as planned, I did slightly more than an hour on the treadmill - 12k to be precise, but this was only because I hit the emergency stop button by accident at 7.8k! So rounded it up to 12k - 7.5 miles.
Headed outside and wasn't sure which route to take, so decided to play it by ear a bit. In the end I did the Blagrove route then headed up the railway path, along the canal, across the motorway, then cut back on myself and did the Elcombe route. When I got through Wroughton I turned up Pipers Way and then headed down Marlborough Road and then along Queens Drive and back through town to the gym.
I've no idea how far this was, but I was out on my feet for exactly 2hrs 50 mins. Admittedly most of it was a bit of a plod and there were some walk breaks (including when I saw an old friend, Wally, who I hadn't seen for a few years) but I followed it up with a mile on the treadmill (more of a mental exercise than anything) so all told I did four hours of running. It would have been comfortably over 20 miles and the most important thing was I get used to being on my feet for this length of time.
RPM and body pump in the morning. The first class was a mistake - I intended to do body attack, purely because I fancied doing something different, but I was put off by someone before going in how told me it has quite a high impact on the knees. So as I was at the gym I decided to do RPM instead. I didn't go mad with the resistance or pedalling, but should really have given my legs a rest before my long run tomorrow.
Sunday 1st March
Time to really crank up the mileage if I want to do a 33-mile "Ultra" marathon in May (I have sent my entry form off for the Marlborough Downs challenge) so the plan was to do an hour on the treadmill followed by 20 miles outside.
It didn't quite pan out as planned, I did slightly more than an hour on the treadmill - 12k to be precise, but this was only because I hit the emergency stop button by accident at 7.8k! So rounded it up to 12k - 7.5 miles.
Headed outside and wasn't sure which route to take, so decided to play it by ear a bit. In the end I did the Blagrove route then headed up the railway path, along the canal, across the motorway, then cut back on myself and did the Elcombe route. When I got through Wroughton I turned up Pipers Way and then headed down Marlborough Road and then along Queens Drive and back through town to the gym.
I've no idea how far this was, but I was out on my feet for exactly 2hrs 50 mins. Admittedly most of it was a bit of a plod and there were some walk breaks (including when I saw an old friend, Wally, who I hadn't seen for a few years) but I followed it up with a mile on the treadmill (more of a mental exercise than anything) so all told I did four hours of running. It would have been comfortably over 20 miles and the most important thing was I get used to being on my feet for this length of time.
Friday 27 February 2009
The Terminator - I'll be back...
Saturday 21st February
Body pump in the morning. Not that I expect it to have an impact on my performance tomorrow, but I missed out squats and lunges to ensure my legs are fresh for the race.
Did a mile on the treadmill after the class, purely because I received two new pairs of trainers this week (Nike Air Pegasus and Air Skylon) and wanted to break in the Pegasus. I could really tell the difference between the new and old pair in terms of support and cushioning, so it was not before time.
Sunday 22nd February
My intention was to be competing in the Bourton 10k today. I've run it every year for the last three years, and have got a PB on each occasion. This year, unfortunately, I didn't get in - I sent my form off just after entries open but it must have filled up in record time.
This left me with the choice of running the Tough Ten at Weston (a lovely run, and it would have been my third time) or running the Terminator for the first time. It was a tough call, but in the end I decided on the latter as I don't get many opportunities to try new races and have really enjoyed these off-road races this year.
I certainly wasn't disappointed. I was immediately impressed by the marshals guiding us into the car parks as soon as I reached Pewsey. I made the short walk to the race HQ, dropped my baggage off, bought my pre-race cakes and it was business as usual.
The race pretty much met my expectations. The one surprise was that while it wasn't as muddy as say, Sodbury, the muddy bits were very deep and I nearly lost my trainers in the first mile! Message to self - secure them with duct tape next year.
The other slight surprise (and it shouldn't have been) was just how busy the race was. In a lot of sections we were moving in single file and I couldn't get any speed up (not that I minded - I was happy to get a good training run and burn calories more than anything).
I recognised a lot of the course from the Rough n Tumble and the hills were just as tough. They were well worth it though - some of the views from the top really took my breath away and proved a salutary reminder just how lucky I am to live in a part of the world that boasts such wonderful scenery.
Happy to finish in a time of 2:15 and glad of the t-shirt and mars bar at the end! Home for a celebration fry-up (which didn't touch the sides) and a few well-earned drinks. On that subject, I've decided to give up alcohol for lent which will give my system a thorough de-tox, help me lose a few pounds and save quite a few as well.
Monday 23rd February
Running club tonight. I was tired from the run yesterday, but decided to risk going out with the group as Terry and Kev did the tough ten yesterday and would be in the same boat.
The only problem was, they obviously weren't as tired as me, having done a slightly easier run than me and being slightly stronger runners anyway. We were joined by Becky who clearly wasn't tired at all!
I struggled to keep up, but kept pushing myself, and we did the Cheney Route (about 6 miles). They assured me it was only an average of 9 minutes per mile but it felt a lot faster. It just proves what being tired does to you, and how important rest and recovery days are.
Tuesday 24th February
The plan was to do a speed session tonight but this changed when I met Andy at the gym who was going out to do six miles. So I decided it would be good to catch up, plus I would be able to break in my new Pegasus properly. So we did the Cheney route but in reverse (I know, still boring).
Lent started for me tonight. Normally it starts tomorrow (Ash wednesday) but I arranged to meet Pete in Bath thursday so starting a day earlier makes up for it :) Not that I drink in the week much anway. Cheap Tuesday at the cinema so took myself off to see Vicky Cristina Barcelona which I thoroughly enjoyed. Ms Johansson is always easy on the eye, but there were some other good performances as well from Penelope Cruz and Rebecca Hall who I know from Starter for Ten.
Wednesday 25th February
Body pump and RPM. Both good, but Ali did some old tracks in pump which I struggled with a bit - push ups at the end of the chest track are a killer, especially when you've been ambitious with your weight...Was a bit concerned when my lower back seized up during the abs track but I stretched it out before RPM and it was fine after that.
Thursday 26th February
Complete rest as met Pete in Bath. It was a good night, but I was alarmed just how quiet the pub and the restaurant were for a Thursday night. The recession really is hitting hard.
Friday 27th February
Just five miles (8k) on the treadmill, nice and steady. Felt really tired tonight and as I have a twenty mile race a week Sunday I'm looking forward to an easy week next week.
Body pump in the morning. Not that I expect it to have an impact on my performance tomorrow, but I missed out squats and lunges to ensure my legs are fresh for the race.
Did a mile on the treadmill after the class, purely because I received two new pairs of trainers this week (Nike Air Pegasus and Air Skylon) and wanted to break in the Pegasus. I could really tell the difference between the new and old pair in terms of support and cushioning, so it was not before time.
Sunday 22nd February
My intention was to be competing in the Bourton 10k today. I've run it every year for the last three years, and have got a PB on each occasion. This year, unfortunately, I didn't get in - I sent my form off just after entries open but it must have filled up in record time.
This left me with the choice of running the Tough Ten at Weston (a lovely run, and it would have been my third time) or running the Terminator for the first time. It was a tough call, but in the end I decided on the latter as I don't get many opportunities to try new races and have really enjoyed these off-road races this year.
I certainly wasn't disappointed. I was immediately impressed by the marshals guiding us into the car parks as soon as I reached Pewsey. I made the short walk to the race HQ, dropped my baggage off, bought my pre-race cakes and it was business as usual.
The race pretty much met my expectations. The one surprise was that while it wasn't as muddy as say, Sodbury, the muddy bits were very deep and I nearly lost my trainers in the first mile! Message to self - secure them with duct tape next year.
The other slight surprise (and it shouldn't have been) was just how busy the race was. In a lot of sections we were moving in single file and I couldn't get any speed up (not that I minded - I was happy to get a good training run and burn calories more than anything).
I recognised a lot of the course from the Rough n Tumble and the hills were just as tough. They were well worth it though - some of the views from the top really took my breath away and proved a salutary reminder just how lucky I am to live in a part of the world that boasts such wonderful scenery.
Happy to finish in a time of 2:15 and glad of the t-shirt and mars bar at the end! Home for a celebration fry-up (which didn't touch the sides) and a few well-earned drinks. On that subject, I've decided to give up alcohol for lent which will give my system a thorough de-tox, help me lose a few pounds and save quite a few as well.
Monday 23rd February
Running club tonight. I was tired from the run yesterday, but decided to risk going out with the group as Terry and Kev did the tough ten yesterday and would be in the same boat.
The only problem was, they obviously weren't as tired as me, having done a slightly easier run than me and being slightly stronger runners anyway. We were joined by Becky who clearly wasn't tired at all!
I struggled to keep up, but kept pushing myself, and we did the Cheney Route (about 6 miles). They assured me it was only an average of 9 minutes per mile but it felt a lot faster. It just proves what being tired does to you, and how important rest and recovery days are.
Tuesday 24th February
The plan was to do a speed session tonight but this changed when I met Andy at the gym who was going out to do six miles. So I decided it would be good to catch up, plus I would be able to break in my new Pegasus properly. So we did the Cheney route but in reverse (I know, still boring).
Lent started for me tonight. Normally it starts tomorrow (Ash wednesday) but I arranged to meet Pete in Bath thursday so starting a day earlier makes up for it :) Not that I drink in the week much anway. Cheap Tuesday at the cinema so took myself off to see Vicky Cristina Barcelona which I thoroughly enjoyed. Ms Johansson is always easy on the eye, but there were some other good performances as well from Penelope Cruz and Rebecca Hall who I know from Starter for Ten.
Wednesday 25th February
Body pump and RPM. Both good, but Ali did some old tracks in pump which I struggled with a bit - push ups at the end of the chest track are a killer, especially when you've been ambitious with your weight...Was a bit concerned when my lower back seized up during the abs track but I stretched it out before RPM and it was fine after that.
Thursday 26th February
Complete rest as met Pete in Bath. It was a good night, but I was alarmed just how quiet the pub and the restaurant were for a Thursday night. The recession really is hitting hard.
Friday 27th February
Just five miles (8k) on the treadmill, nice and steady. Felt really tired tonight and as I have a twenty mile race a week Sunday I'm looking forward to an easy week next week.
Monday 16 February 2009
First long, long run
Friday 13th February
Quite sore after last night's run but wanted to run anyway. There's something I like about the gym on a Friday night, it's never completely dead but isn't too busy either.
10k on the treadmill followed by about twenty minutes of core work, mostly on the cable machine. Really want to build a good strong core which will hold me in good stead over the longer distances.
Saturday 14th February
Body pump in the morning, followed by 4 miles (6.4k) on the treadmill and some core work. Wasn't sure if the run was a good idea as I want to do some serious mileage tomorrow, but it didn't seem to hurt. My legs actually felt a lot better than they did yesterday.
Sunday 15th February
And so it begins. I actually set my alarm so that I would get up earlier than usual and get my long run over with so I could enjoy the rest of the day. Actually managed to start it before 9am, which has to be a first.
11.2k (7 miles) on the treadmill followed by a good two hours plus outside (up the railway path, down Marlborough Road, along Queens Drive, through town then towards Cheney and along Akers Way, round the lake and up Cartwright Drive back to the gym. It would be nice to know exactly but I'm guessing that must be about 12-13 miles. So about 20 miles in total. Was very pleased with how I felt, the run outside was quite slow but I hardly had to stop and walk and generally felt okay.
It was nice to get out early, although this was more than 3 hours of running it didn't seem to take as long, I guess this is because it was over earlier and I had so much more of the day left. Was quite tired when I got home and needed a nap before the cricket started but it was well worth sacrificing my lie-in.
Monday 16th February
Considering how much I had done yesterday my legs didn't feel too bad at all. That notwithstanding, I wasn't doing anything more than a gentle recovery run indoors. Meant to do 5 miles (8k) but it turned out to be 8.5k because Keeps Getting Better by Christina Aguilera came on the music channel just as I was starting to cool down and I really like the song (and the video obviously). This seems to happen a lot recently?
Anyway, now that the weather is getting (slightly) warmer and the days are getting longer I really need to do some more runs outside. As I write it is clear I have been doing too much running on the treadmill which was fine when there was snow on the ground but now it has gone I really need to get out more (story of my life really).
Tuesday 17th February
6-7 miles steady, just did the Cheney route on my own. Legs feeling better now.
Wednesday 18th February
Body pump. No cardio. Just wanted to get home at a reasonable hour tonight.
Thursday 19th February
Did an interval session outside tonight, so jogged out to the lake and did 5 laps hard. The session seemed a lot easier than I remember it being, I don't know if that is down to the work I've been doing on the treadmill or if I've lost weight or what. I actually did it with my MP3 player which I wouldn't normally do. In the end I decided if I have music doing my speed sessions indoors, why not outside as well?
Friday 20th February
Complete rest. A different kind of maintenance however, as I had an eyebrow wax and tidy (don't laught) at the body clinic. Had my appointment with a girl called Carly, and it was my first treatment there for a few years. All I'll say is it is nice to be doing business with them again.
Quite sore after last night's run but wanted to run anyway. There's something I like about the gym on a Friday night, it's never completely dead but isn't too busy either.
10k on the treadmill followed by about twenty minutes of core work, mostly on the cable machine. Really want to build a good strong core which will hold me in good stead over the longer distances.
Saturday 14th February
Body pump in the morning, followed by 4 miles (6.4k) on the treadmill and some core work. Wasn't sure if the run was a good idea as I want to do some serious mileage tomorrow, but it didn't seem to hurt. My legs actually felt a lot better than they did yesterday.
Sunday 15th February
And so it begins. I actually set my alarm so that I would get up earlier than usual and get my long run over with so I could enjoy the rest of the day. Actually managed to start it before 9am, which has to be a first.
11.2k (7 miles) on the treadmill followed by a good two hours plus outside (up the railway path, down Marlborough Road, along Queens Drive, through town then towards Cheney and along Akers Way, round the lake and up Cartwright Drive back to the gym. It would be nice to know exactly but I'm guessing that must be about 12-13 miles. So about 20 miles in total. Was very pleased with how I felt, the run outside was quite slow but I hardly had to stop and walk and generally felt okay.
It was nice to get out early, although this was more than 3 hours of running it didn't seem to take as long, I guess this is because it was over earlier and I had so much more of the day left. Was quite tired when I got home and needed a nap before the cricket started but it was well worth sacrificing my lie-in.
Monday 16th February
Considering how much I had done yesterday my legs didn't feel too bad at all. That notwithstanding, I wasn't doing anything more than a gentle recovery run indoors. Meant to do 5 miles (8k) but it turned out to be 8.5k because Keeps Getting Better by Christina Aguilera came on the music channel just as I was starting to cool down and I really like the song (and the video obviously). This seems to happen a lot recently?
Anyway, now that the weather is getting (slightly) warmer and the days are getting longer I really need to do some more runs outside. As I write it is clear I have been doing too much running on the treadmill which was fine when there was snow on the ground but now it has gone I really need to get out more (story of my life really).
Tuesday 17th February
6-7 miles steady, just did the Cheney route on my own. Legs feeling better now.
Wednesday 18th February
Body pump. No cardio. Just wanted to get home at a reasonable hour tonight.
Thursday 19th February
Did an interval session outside tonight, so jogged out to the lake and did 5 laps hard. The session seemed a lot easier than I remember it being, I don't know if that is down to the work I've been doing on the treadmill or if I've lost weight or what. I actually did it with my MP3 player which I wouldn't normally do. In the end I decided if I have music doing my speed sessions indoors, why not outside as well?
Friday 20th February
Complete rest. A different kind of maintenance however, as I had an eyebrow wax and tidy (don't laught) at the body clinic. Had my appointment with a girl called Carly, and it was my first treatment there for a few years. All I'll say is it is nice to be doing business with them again.
Thursday 12 February 2009
Enforced rest
Thursday 5th February
The day the snow came. Unable to move my car as there was a good six inches of snow on the ground. Only got to work because Louise (Mumfy) came and picked me up at the top of Kingshill. Would have had to walk otherwise...anyway no way of getting to the gym in the evening.
Friday 6th February
As above, except it was worse than yesterday and we were sent home from work at 1pm. Went home, watched the cricket and chilled out.
Saturday 7th February
Still unable to move the car as too much ice and snow on the ground so had to walk/jog to the gym to get to body pump. Good class, but obviously missing one or two regulars. Decided to just walk up the old railway path to get home and very pretty it was too. Even saw a couple of blokes come down it on skis!
Running club night out in the evening, quite a good turn out even though a few people were unable to attend due to the credit crunch, the weather, or a combination of the two. We had an Indian meal in Mela on Victoria Road which was very nice indeed, and Ali found it highly amusing to hide my beer while I was in the bathroom. In fact, the whole gang decided to hide my entire place setting at one point...ever get the feeling someone is trying to tell you something?!
Joking aside it was a great evening and we ended up having a few drinks in Longs bar. Sadly my days of dancing the night away have long since passed and I ended up cadging a lift home in a taxi, getting a bottle of wine out of the fridge and waking up in my armchair five hours later to find the same bottle unopened. Ouch.
Sunday 8th February
Was due to meet Kev at the gym at 12 for a lengthy session on the treadmill. Unfortunately I underestimated just how difficult the snow and ice left on the ground was going to make moving my car.
I gave up after half an hour of de-frosting, melting, shovelling and revving and jogged / walked in. By this time Kev had already done the best part of an hour without me. Still, undeterred, I set about my work and managed 10k exactly in 55 minutes before (inadvertedly) hitting the emergency stop button. Changed, re-hydrated and got back on the horse, finally managing another 10.8k in an hour. So achived my goal of spending 2 hours on the treadmill.
It was a challenging session, not least mentally, but also physically as I was suffering from the effects of a night out. Big tick in the box and a self-pat on the back for getting though it. And I managed to jog some of the way home to boot...
I was really hoping to be able to relax in front of the cricket this afternoon but alas, England contrived to get bowled out for a paltry 51 runs while I was sampling the Asian delights of Swindon. Understandable if the West Indies boasted the attack of yore, namely Ambrose and Walsh, but this time it was a largely unsung attack that wreaked havoc. Surely changes have to be made, but how? The selectors have only sent one reserve batsman, Owais Shah, to the caribbean, which surely sends out the message that hardly anyone in the top five or six needs to fight for his place. Or maybe they will respond by dropping England's most consistent bowler for donkey's years, Matthew Hoggard...except they can't because he isn't there and none of the current attack seem to have looked the word 'consistency' up in their dictionaries...
Okay. I just needed to get that off my chest.
Monday 9th February
Finally managed to get to work in my own car tonight. No heroics in the training department, just 5 miles (8k) on the treadmill, nice and steady.
Tuesday 10th February
Speed session. 2k warm up, then 8 * 3 minutes @ 14 kph. 2k cool down. Good session, except I had to swap treadmills as the belt was slipping on the first one I tried.
Cheap Tuesday at the cinema as always, this time I went to see Role Models, which I expected to be a bit of a cross between American Pie and Road Trip, but it was actually a lot more subtle than either of those two. Sure it was funny, but it was a sweet and enjoyable journey of disovery for several of its protagonists, and I really enjoyed it.
Note to other cinephiles, if you're ever unsure whether to go and see a film, go to imdb.com and check the average vote. The Wrestler got a whopping 8.6/10, this got a similar score of 7.8/10. Films that are that popular with Joe Public are seldom pants.
Wednesday 11th February
1.6k on the treadmill plus body pump. No further cardio, instead I had a steam, went to Sainsburys, came home and did some editing. Part of me always wants to train a bit harder but another part of me needs to remember that training and running is only part of my life. I like the way my novel is going - it's becoming much tighter and better, more credible - and I have no doubt that if I keep going it could be something particularly special.
Thursday 12th February
Finally managed to get out tonight, and went for a run with Terry and Simon. Basically 9 miles at about 9 minute mile pace, an old route of mine but backwards: though the town then up Queens Drive, along Marlborough Road, through Old Town, down Kingshill and back to the gym. Nice to get out again. Rather glad I am doing Terminator than the Bourton 10k a week Sunday as I haven't done enough sessions outside for the latter. Still, I'm sure I'll enjoy Terminator.
The day the snow came. Unable to move my car as there was a good six inches of snow on the ground. Only got to work because Louise (Mumfy) came and picked me up at the top of Kingshill. Would have had to walk otherwise...anyway no way of getting to the gym in the evening.
Friday 6th February
As above, except it was worse than yesterday and we were sent home from work at 1pm. Went home, watched the cricket and chilled out.
Saturday 7th February
Still unable to move the car as too much ice and snow on the ground so had to walk/jog to the gym to get to body pump. Good class, but obviously missing one or two regulars. Decided to just walk up the old railway path to get home and very pretty it was too. Even saw a couple of blokes come down it on skis!
Running club night out in the evening, quite a good turn out even though a few people were unable to attend due to the credit crunch, the weather, or a combination of the two. We had an Indian meal in Mela on Victoria Road which was very nice indeed, and Ali found it highly amusing to hide my beer while I was in the bathroom. In fact, the whole gang decided to hide my entire place setting at one point...ever get the feeling someone is trying to tell you something?!
Joking aside it was a great evening and we ended up having a few drinks in Longs bar. Sadly my days of dancing the night away have long since passed and I ended up cadging a lift home in a taxi, getting a bottle of wine out of the fridge and waking up in my armchair five hours later to find the same bottle unopened. Ouch.
Sunday 8th February
Was due to meet Kev at the gym at 12 for a lengthy session on the treadmill. Unfortunately I underestimated just how difficult the snow and ice left on the ground was going to make moving my car.
I gave up after half an hour of de-frosting, melting, shovelling and revving and jogged / walked in. By this time Kev had already done the best part of an hour without me. Still, undeterred, I set about my work and managed 10k exactly in 55 minutes before (inadvertedly) hitting the emergency stop button. Changed, re-hydrated and got back on the horse, finally managing another 10.8k in an hour. So achived my goal of spending 2 hours on the treadmill.
It was a challenging session, not least mentally, but also physically as I was suffering from the effects of a night out. Big tick in the box and a self-pat on the back for getting though it. And I managed to jog some of the way home to boot...
I was really hoping to be able to relax in front of the cricket this afternoon but alas, England contrived to get bowled out for a paltry 51 runs while I was sampling the Asian delights of Swindon. Understandable if the West Indies boasted the attack of yore, namely Ambrose and Walsh, but this time it was a largely unsung attack that wreaked havoc. Surely changes have to be made, but how? The selectors have only sent one reserve batsman, Owais Shah, to the caribbean, which surely sends out the message that hardly anyone in the top five or six needs to fight for his place. Or maybe they will respond by dropping England's most consistent bowler for donkey's years, Matthew Hoggard...except they can't because he isn't there and none of the current attack seem to have looked the word 'consistency' up in their dictionaries...
Okay. I just needed to get that off my chest.
Monday 9th February
Finally managed to get to work in my own car tonight. No heroics in the training department, just 5 miles (8k) on the treadmill, nice and steady.
Tuesday 10th February
Speed session. 2k warm up, then 8 * 3 minutes @ 14 kph. 2k cool down. Good session, except I had to swap treadmills as the belt was slipping on the first one I tried.
Cheap Tuesday at the cinema as always, this time I went to see Role Models, which I expected to be a bit of a cross between American Pie and Road Trip, but it was actually a lot more subtle than either of those two. Sure it was funny, but it was a sweet and enjoyable journey of disovery for several of its protagonists, and I really enjoyed it.
Note to other cinephiles, if you're ever unsure whether to go and see a film, go to imdb.com and check the average vote. The Wrestler got a whopping 8.6/10, this got a similar score of 7.8/10. Films that are that popular with Joe Public are seldom pants.
Wednesday 11th February
1.6k on the treadmill plus body pump. No further cardio, instead I had a steam, went to Sainsburys, came home and did some editing. Part of me always wants to train a bit harder but another part of me needs to remember that training and running is only part of my life. I like the way my novel is going - it's becoming much tighter and better, more credible - and I have no doubt that if I keep going it could be something particularly special.
Thursday 12th February
Finally managed to get out tonight, and went for a run with Terry and Simon. Basically 9 miles at about 9 minute mile pace, an old route of mine but backwards: though the town then up Queens Drive, along Marlborough Road, through Old Town, down Kingshill and back to the gym. Nice to get out again. Rather glad I am doing Terminator than the Bourton 10k a week Sunday as I haven't done enough sessions outside for the latter. Still, I'm sure I'll enjoy Terminator.
Wednesday 4 February 2009
Brrr...it's cold out there...there must be some long runs in the atmosphere...
Sunday 1st February
Long run today. Decided to do the Swindon half route from my house. What a silly mistake that was.
For a start, it was freezing cold out there. I remember at one point in the run I touched my nose and the tip felt frozen. Also I was a tad hungover from the previous evening, but more than anything my legs were just too tired from the previous day's training. I really didn't need to be on my feet for so long - but with London less than three months away, part of me told me I did.
Struggled most of the way round but in particular in the last couple of miles, most of which I walked. The rest of me was fine (frozen, but fine) but my legs were just having none of it. There were a few twinges which told me I could injure myself if I pushed it.
Still, good training mentally and physically. I remember when I was training for London two years ago I did the half route from the gym and got lost which meant I was out on my feet for about five hours. It certainly toughened me up!
Monday 2nd February
Just two miles on the treadmill as my legs were screaming at me for some respite. Spent a good 45 minutes going through the core exercises Ali has given me so I don't forget them. Concentrated on the cable exercises and the floor exercises I was less sure on. This is a tough routine.
Tuesday 3rd February
Speed session. 1.6k warm up then 10 x 2 mins @14kph. 1.6k cool down. Legs a lot better tonight but not 100 per cent so decided not to push it as far as the speed is concerned. Did notice I am getting better at coming to a jog more easily at the end of the efforts, which tells me I am getting used to them.
Wednesday 4th February
Body pump and RPM. Legs quite stiff again so if I'm honest the only reason I went into RPM was because a pretty girl in there was smiling at me. She knows who she is.
Also did 2k on the treadmill to warm up for class, if I'm honest this is due to the cricket being on again as much as anything.
Long run today. Decided to do the Swindon half route from my house. What a silly mistake that was.
For a start, it was freezing cold out there. I remember at one point in the run I touched my nose and the tip felt frozen. Also I was a tad hungover from the previous evening, but more than anything my legs were just too tired from the previous day's training. I really didn't need to be on my feet for so long - but with London less than three months away, part of me told me I did.
Struggled most of the way round but in particular in the last couple of miles, most of which I walked. The rest of me was fine (frozen, but fine) but my legs were just having none of it. There were a few twinges which told me I could injure myself if I pushed it.
Still, good training mentally and physically. I remember when I was training for London two years ago I did the half route from the gym and got lost which meant I was out on my feet for about five hours. It certainly toughened me up!
Monday 2nd February
Just two miles on the treadmill as my legs were screaming at me for some respite. Spent a good 45 minutes going through the core exercises Ali has given me so I don't forget them. Concentrated on the cable exercises and the floor exercises I was less sure on. This is a tough routine.
Tuesday 3rd February
Speed session. 1.6k warm up then 10 x 2 mins @14kph. 1.6k cool down. Legs a lot better tonight but not 100 per cent so decided not to push it as far as the speed is concerned. Did notice I am getting better at coming to a jog more easily at the end of the efforts, which tells me I am getting used to them.
Wednesday 4th February
Body pump and RPM. Legs quite stiff again so if I'm honest the only reason I went into RPM was because a pretty girl in there was smiling at me. She knows who she is.
Also did 2k on the treadmill to warm up for class, if I'm honest this is due to the cricket being on again as much as anything.
Saturday 31 January 2009
Core work and its ups and downs
Monday 26th January
This has turned out to be a week of ups and downs and it started with a massive down. MAN held a staff update meeting this morning and whereas there are normally two sessions, there was only one today and attendance was mandatory for all staff. This only happens when there is important news, and no one expected it to be good.
The news was, in short, that while we had our best year ever in 2008 our business has been hit hard by the credit crisis in the last few months and the cost-cutting measures put in place have not been enough to withstand it. Not surprisingly, there will be no pay increase this year and more importantly, 44 posts in the UK will be made redundant in the next few weeks and months.
When you consider this is less than 5 per cent of the total number of staff, it could have been considerably worse. Fortunately no one in my department has been affected, but I know a few of the people who have been. Being in the parts business, I can expect to be fairly sanguine about the future - if companies aren't replacing their vehicles, logic suggests they will need to buy more parts for their older ones and so the parts business should be one of the few areas of the business to prosper in the recession.
Anyway, back to training. A positive was that Ali texted me today to ask if I wanted a PT session at 6.10 tonight. Excellent news - it was long overdue, and after yesterday I really didn't feel like running.
As always, it was a very, very tough session. Quick warm-up on the rower, then an hour of core exercises. We seemed to fit an awful lot into the hour, and the list looks a lot more challenging on paper than the previous routines. There are some interesting exercises in there, such as push-ups combined with a dumbbell row. Hmm.
All good stuff though and I need to make sure I do these exercises regularly to build a nice strong core which will hold me in good stead come April 26th. And if I can lose a few excess pounds, maybe I'll have a six-pack for the summer, who knows?
Another massive positive for me today was to find out that I am now officially one of the most prolific raters on the Runners' World website. Hopefully this will augur well for my chances of getting some articles printed by the magazine now that my name is known to people there.
Tuesday 27th January
Speed session, 1.6k warm up followed by 10 * 2 minutes. Did the first two at 14kph, then increased this to 14.5kph on the next seven, cranking it up to 15kph on the last one. 1.6k cool down and I was dripping with sweat by the time I came off the treadmill.
Was very tired when I got home but had noticed on imdb.com that The Wrestler got an average vote of 8.6/10 and was rated the 49th best film in the top 250. With that kind of rating, I really couldn't pass up the chance to see what all the fuss was about and took myself off to the cinema.
Boy, am I glad I did. There are some films that are so good that you want to tell all your friends about it, but for some reason you can't quite put your finger on exactly why it was so good. For me, this film falls into that category. Maybe it was the excellent performances from Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood. I remember the latter especially for her performance in the very emotional Thirteen.
I guess what made this film stand out for me, apart from the acting, was that it was essentially a heart-rending tale of someone who just can't let go of the past and his passion, a man with a lot of love who somehow just doesn't know how or who to give it to. I'm pretty sure this will be an addition to my DVD collection later this year and it was £3.95 very well spent.
Wednesday 28th January
Half a mile on the treadmill to warm up, then body pump. Was expecting to go out with Pete in Bath tomorrow night so wanted a good session, and did another 4.5 miles on the treadmill afterwards.
Another up of the week was taking not one, but two calls from prospective lodgers while leaving the gym. Both sounded promising, in particular one chap who just wants somewhere to hang his hat to save having to commute from Wokingham.
Pete phoned me while I was in Sainsburys to ask if we can postpone our night out until next Friday so I will be training tomorrow. No drama, and to be honest I'd rather go out on a non-school night anyway as I hate having a hangover at work. Despite all the stress at work I am cutting back on the booze and my tolerance level is quite low at the moment.
Thursday 29th January
Finished work a bit later tonight and had kind of promised to go out with the running club tonight if I wasn't going to Bath. As it turned out, it was just myself and Terry, which I was more than happy with. I hadn't seen much of him since before Christmas as he has been busy with work, so it was a good chance for us to just catch up. I always enjoy running with him as we run at a reasonable conversation pace and have a good chat.
Tonight was no exception and we covered 8 miles (Asda walmart route) at roughly 9-minute miles. After a good session last night, this was about perfect.
Friday 30th January
Complete rest. It was my intention to go to the gym and practise my core routine but I had to go home after work and show the house to a prospective lodger. Not heard back from her, but she spent a good 45 minutes viewing the place and liked the small room so I can take heart from that.
Another big, big positive today was that Anthony phoned me for a chat and asked if I wanted to run the Bath half marathon on 15th March as he knows someone who has a race number but can't run. I said that I would love to do it, but hadn't entered as I refuse on principal to pay £32 for a half marathon. But I would be more than happy to pay £15 or £20 to run. No problem it turned out and the chap in question (one of the old managers of the gym and someone I know!) is happy with that.
I'm really excited to be running the Bath half as I obviously love the city (growing up in Melksham it was kind of my second home), I can reasonably expect to get a PB and I fully intend to continue the post-race ritual of a Schwarz burger and beer! Plus I found out that there is a twenty20 international between England and the West Indies that evening so it should be a top day!
Saturday 31st January
My original intention this morning was to go and do body pump and then run afterwards. But as I was having breakfast (eggs and bacon but I grilled the bacon and had it as a kind of omelette - yummy!) I got a text from Mumfy saying she was doing both classes (RPM and pump). So I thought what the hell, got a shift on, and made it to the gym with time for a coffee before RPM. Enjoyed both classes, got a good sweat on in RPM and after pump Ali spent some time with me perfecting my technique on the shoulders track. It is a huge compliment to me that he does this as he knows I want to get the most out of the class and we are extremely lucky to have him.
Went for a run afterwards, just a gentle plod up the railway path, down Vic Hill and through town back to the gym. About an hour on my feet, but I felt surprisingly strong at the end of it. My thinking was, as I'm out tonight (Mr Sas' birthday) I'll struggle to do a meaningful long run tomorrow (but I'm sure I'll try) so a three hour training session should shift a few calories and get me closer to the shape I want to be in come April 26th (and March 15th come to mention it). Time will tell.
This has turned out to be a week of ups and downs and it started with a massive down. MAN held a staff update meeting this morning and whereas there are normally two sessions, there was only one today and attendance was mandatory for all staff. This only happens when there is important news, and no one expected it to be good.
The news was, in short, that while we had our best year ever in 2008 our business has been hit hard by the credit crisis in the last few months and the cost-cutting measures put in place have not been enough to withstand it. Not surprisingly, there will be no pay increase this year and more importantly, 44 posts in the UK will be made redundant in the next few weeks and months.
When you consider this is less than 5 per cent of the total number of staff, it could have been considerably worse. Fortunately no one in my department has been affected, but I know a few of the people who have been. Being in the parts business, I can expect to be fairly sanguine about the future - if companies aren't replacing their vehicles, logic suggests they will need to buy more parts for their older ones and so the parts business should be one of the few areas of the business to prosper in the recession.
Anyway, back to training. A positive was that Ali texted me today to ask if I wanted a PT session at 6.10 tonight. Excellent news - it was long overdue, and after yesterday I really didn't feel like running.
As always, it was a very, very tough session. Quick warm-up on the rower, then an hour of core exercises. We seemed to fit an awful lot into the hour, and the list looks a lot more challenging on paper than the previous routines. There are some interesting exercises in there, such as push-ups combined with a dumbbell row. Hmm.
All good stuff though and I need to make sure I do these exercises regularly to build a nice strong core which will hold me in good stead come April 26th. And if I can lose a few excess pounds, maybe I'll have a six-pack for the summer, who knows?
Another massive positive for me today was to find out that I am now officially one of the most prolific raters on the Runners' World website. Hopefully this will augur well for my chances of getting some articles printed by the magazine now that my name is known to people there.
Tuesday 27th January
Speed session, 1.6k warm up followed by 10 * 2 minutes. Did the first two at 14kph, then increased this to 14.5kph on the next seven, cranking it up to 15kph on the last one. 1.6k cool down and I was dripping with sweat by the time I came off the treadmill.
Was very tired when I got home but had noticed on imdb.com that The Wrestler got an average vote of 8.6/10 and was rated the 49th best film in the top 250. With that kind of rating, I really couldn't pass up the chance to see what all the fuss was about and took myself off to the cinema.
Boy, am I glad I did. There are some films that are so good that you want to tell all your friends about it, but for some reason you can't quite put your finger on exactly why it was so good. For me, this film falls into that category. Maybe it was the excellent performances from Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood. I remember the latter especially for her performance in the very emotional Thirteen.
I guess what made this film stand out for me, apart from the acting, was that it was essentially a heart-rending tale of someone who just can't let go of the past and his passion, a man with a lot of love who somehow just doesn't know how or who to give it to. I'm pretty sure this will be an addition to my DVD collection later this year and it was £3.95 very well spent.
Wednesday 28th January
Half a mile on the treadmill to warm up, then body pump. Was expecting to go out with Pete in Bath tomorrow night so wanted a good session, and did another 4.5 miles on the treadmill afterwards.
Another up of the week was taking not one, but two calls from prospective lodgers while leaving the gym. Both sounded promising, in particular one chap who just wants somewhere to hang his hat to save having to commute from Wokingham.
Pete phoned me while I was in Sainsburys to ask if we can postpone our night out until next Friday so I will be training tomorrow. No drama, and to be honest I'd rather go out on a non-school night anyway as I hate having a hangover at work. Despite all the stress at work I am cutting back on the booze and my tolerance level is quite low at the moment.
Thursday 29th January
Finished work a bit later tonight and had kind of promised to go out with the running club tonight if I wasn't going to Bath. As it turned out, it was just myself and Terry, which I was more than happy with. I hadn't seen much of him since before Christmas as he has been busy with work, so it was a good chance for us to just catch up. I always enjoy running with him as we run at a reasonable conversation pace and have a good chat.
Tonight was no exception and we covered 8 miles (Asda walmart route) at roughly 9-minute miles. After a good session last night, this was about perfect.
Friday 30th January
Complete rest. It was my intention to go to the gym and practise my core routine but I had to go home after work and show the house to a prospective lodger. Not heard back from her, but she spent a good 45 minutes viewing the place and liked the small room so I can take heart from that.
Another big, big positive today was that Anthony phoned me for a chat and asked if I wanted to run the Bath half marathon on 15th March as he knows someone who has a race number but can't run. I said that I would love to do it, but hadn't entered as I refuse on principal to pay £32 for a half marathon. But I would be more than happy to pay £15 or £20 to run. No problem it turned out and the chap in question (one of the old managers of the gym and someone I know!) is happy with that.
I'm really excited to be running the Bath half as I obviously love the city (growing up in Melksham it was kind of my second home), I can reasonably expect to get a PB and I fully intend to continue the post-race ritual of a Schwarz burger and beer! Plus I found out that there is a twenty20 international between England and the West Indies that evening so it should be a top day!
Saturday 31st January
My original intention this morning was to go and do body pump and then run afterwards. But as I was having breakfast (eggs and bacon but I grilled the bacon and had it as a kind of omelette - yummy!) I got a text from Mumfy saying she was doing both classes (RPM and pump). So I thought what the hell, got a shift on, and made it to the gym with time for a coffee before RPM. Enjoyed both classes, got a good sweat on in RPM and after pump Ali spent some time with me perfecting my technique on the shoulders track. It is a huge compliment to me that he does this as he knows I want to get the most out of the class and we are extremely lucky to have him.
Went for a run afterwards, just a gentle plod up the railway path, down Vic Hill and through town back to the gym. About an hour on my feet, but I felt surprisingly strong at the end of it. My thinking was, as I'm out tonight (Mr Sas' birthday) I'll struggle to do a meaningful long run tomorrow (but I'm sure I'll try) so a three hour training session should shift a few calories and get me closer to the shape I want to be in come April 26th (and March 15th come to mention it). Time will tell.
Wednesday 28 January 2009
Slaughterford
Thursday 22nd January
2k on the treadmill followed by approximately 6 miles outside (or 55 minutes on my feet). My whole body felt tired so not up for a fast run tonight.
Friday 23rd January
Complete rest. Did a big shop at Sainsburys after work and was absolutely shattered after that. Was looking forward to Jonathan Ross' comeback but was so tired after a week at work I fell asleep at the beginning of the show.
Saturday 24th January
Body pump in the morning but missed out squats and lunges to keep my legs fresh. Nice to see Louise from work in the gym for the first time, having just joined Fitness First.
Went through my core exercises after the class. Didn't find them all that strenuous so must get Ali to give me a new routine.
Sunday 25th January
Competed (if that's the right word) in the Sluaghterford 9 mile race. I was looking forward to this for a number of reasons. For a start, I had heard good things about it. Scott Garrett in my department raves about it, having done it a couple of times, and Tamara Howard described it as "a good training run." Indeed, that was all I was hoping to get out of it. This was a tough, off-road race and not a PB course by any means.
I was also looking forward to it because the start is very close to the house I grew up in in Corsham (we lived there until I was about seven when we moved to Melksham) so I was looking forward to seeing the area. But I think more than anything I was looking forward to it because it was one of the few races I have never done before. With so many of them, the novelty really is starting to wear off. But this would be a complete change of scenery.
I was lucky enough not to have to travel to the race alone. Scott decided to pull out of the event and talked Steph into taking his race number for a fiver. Then Steph was very nearly talked out of it by Tamara, who told her "not to do it if you haven't trained for it." Thanks mate, rob me of some company for the day why don't you.
Luckily Scott managed to talk her round, but I'm not sure his comment "it's easier than Sodbury" was entirely honest.
We had a bit of a scare the morning of the race when we found that the motorway was closed and we would have to follow a diversion, which saw us stuck behind a slow lorry most of the way there. We arrived later than planned, but still in good time for the mass jog to the start.
I started running with Steph but soon realised this was very much an off-road race and I would do best to make up time wherever I could as I would inevitably be slower through the very muddy and downhill stretches. We did, however run, or rather, walk the first major hill together -and wished we'd had a camera to take a photo at the top to show everyone how steep it was.
I was generally quite quick on the uphill sections and even found myself getting faster on some of the downhill parts. The nine miles seemed to pass quickly and before I knew it I was at the monster hill at the end I had been warned about - only to discover it wasn't, the one after that was the real killer.
I couldn't do any more than trudge up that one and then managed a slow jog up the last hill (where we started) to the finish line. Considering this was a very tough course (I found it harder than the Rough n' Tumble this year, probably due to it being one of the muddier years as I later discovered) I was pretty pleased with a time of 1:35:55. Had I known just how hard it was I'd have thought 1:40 - 1:45 more realistic.
Very impressed with the t-shirt and cereal bar considering the race was so cheap (£7) but was a touch disappointed with the reaction of one of the ladies handing them out. When I asked if she thought I should go for an XL she said "You can only tone." Not what I wanted to hear after 9 miles of mud sweat and tears.
Back to Swindon as we were too muddy to visit my sister as originally planned. Had a stretch, shower and steam at the gym and then home to enjoy a few beers and a good afternoon's TV - there were Girls Aloud and Rihanna concerts on the music channels. Perfect for an afternoon of well-earned relaxation.
2k on the treadmill followed by approximately 6 miles outside (or 55 minutes on my feet). My whole body felt tired so not up for a fast run tonight.
Friday 23rd January
Complete rest. Did a big shop at Sainsburys after work and was absolutely shattered after that. Was looking forward to Jonathan Ross' comeback but was so tired after a week at work I fell asleep at the beginning of the show.
Saturday 24th January
Body pump in the morning but missed out squats and lunges to keep my legs fresh. Nice to see Louise from work in the gym for the first time, having just joined Fitness First.
Went through my core exercises after the class. Didn't find them all that strenuous so must get Ali to give me a new routine.
Sunday 25th January
Competed (if that's the right word) in the Sluaghterford 9 mile race. I was looking forward to this for a number of reasons. For a start, I had heard good things about it. Scott Garrett in my department raves about it, having done it a couple of times, and Tamara Howard described it as "a good training run." Indeed, that was all I was hoping to get out of it. This was a tough, off-road race and not a PB course by any means.
I was also looking forward to it because the start is very close to the house I grew up in in Corsham (we lived there until I was about seven when we moved to Melksham) so I was looking forward to seeing the area. But I think more than anything I was looking forward to it because it was one of the few races I have never done before. With so many of them, the novelty really is starting to wear off. But this would be a complete change of scenery.
I was lucky enough not to have to travel to the race alone. Scott decided to pull out of the event and talked Steph into taking his race number for a fiver. Then Steph was very nearly talked out of it by Tamara, who told her "not to do it if you haven't trained for it." Thanks mate, rob me of some company for the day why don't you.
Luckily Scott managed to talk her round, but I'm not sure his comment "it's easier than Sodbury" was entirely honest.
We had a bit of a scare the morning of the race when we found that the motorway was closed and we would have to follow a diversion, which saw us stuck behind a slow lorry most of the way there. We arrived later than planned, but still in good time for the mass jog to the start.
I started running with Steph but soon realised this was very much an off-road race and I would do best to make up time wherever I could as I would inevitably be slower through the very muddy and downhill stretches. We did, however run, or rather, walk the first major hill together -and wished we'd had a camera to take a photo at the top to show everyone how steep it was.
I was generally quite quick on the uphill sections and even found myself getting faster on some of the downhill parts. The nine miles seemed to pass quickly and before I knew it I was at the monster hill at the end I had been warned about - only to discover it wasn't, the one after that was the real killer.
I couldn't do any more than trudge up that one and then managed a slow jog up the last hill (where we started) to the finish line. Considering this was a very tough course (I found it harder than the Rough n' Tumble this year, probably due to it being one of the muddier years as I later discovered) I was pretty pleased with a time of 1:35:55. Had I known just how hard it was I'd have thought 1:40 - 1:45 more realistic.
Very impressed with the t-shirt and cereal bar considering the race was so cheap (£7) but was a touch disappointed with the reaction of one of the ladies handing them out. When I asked if she thought I should go for an XL she said "You can only tone." Not what I wanted to hear after 9 miles of mud sweat and tears.
Back to Swindon as we were too muddy to visit my sister as originally planned. Had a stretch, shower and steam at the gym and then home to enjoy a few beers and a good afternoon's TV - there were Girls Aloud and Rihanna concerts on the music channels. Perfect for an afternoon of well-earned relaxation.
Wednesday 21 January 2009
Highworth Half Marathon
Sunday 18th January
You won't find the Highworth Half Marathon advertised on Runners' World, because it isn't open to the general public - which in some ways is a bit of a shame.
The event is only open to club runners and is usually invitation only. As I like to say to people, I invited myself. This was my second time at the event, running in the Swindon Harriers' team. Strangely, they're always glad to have me - Ashley Fox seems to struggle to get the requisite twelve runners and tells me he's more interested in having people who are reliable than good times.
Highworth is obviously very close to Swindon and it didn't start until 11am so plenty of time for a lie-in. Always a bonus.
And so to the race. It's a very tough, undulating course which I would rate as harder than Swindon or Downton, or probably even the Bourton Hilly Half - but not as extreme as the Hogweed Hilly Half (one of my favourite training runs). It's a very scenic course however, and serves as a nice reminder that there is some lovely countryside and pretty villages on my doorstep. Which is one of the reasons I think it's a shame it isn't open to the public because so many runners miss out.
Also, being a club event and there being generally a fast field, it can be a lonely race for someone like me as I was some way behind the fast boys and girls and some way in front of the much slower runners. So for long periods I was out there on my own with barely a soul in sight.
I didn't find it as hard going as last year, but I did find my legs were very sore and heavy during the race. I don't know if that was from a tough week's training, the massage, or maybe I should have gone for a walk the day before to get the blood moving. In any case, I was pleased by how much faster I was on the hills, and never gave up and walked, not even on the monster hill in the last mile.
I wasn't overly concerned with my time but as I approached the finish line I realised I was going to finish in just over 1 hour 50 minutes - 1:50:17 was the time given to me as I crossed the line. I would have been ecstatic to get under 1:50 on that course, but it was still a respectable time given the conditions (cold and windy) and a good five minutes faster than last year. Nice.
I waited a few minutes to see my mate Kieran finish, then got off home, but not before getting a couple of bottles of wine from the Co-Op (well, I felt obliged to spend some money in there as I'd used their car park).
Stopped at the gym for a stretch and a shower before heading home for a new tradition - a post-race fry-up! This is another ploy to keep myself motivated and while anything fried is not great, there are plenty of nutrients in the meat, eggs and vegetables. Plus it lines my stomach for the celebration beers...
Monday 19th January
8k on the treadmill, nice and steady. Legs were a bit stiff at first but warmed up when I got going. Upped the pace quite nicely, anything under 11kph is really too slow for me now for any period of time. Must be getting used to running faster.
Tuesday 20th January
Speedwork on the treadmill. 2k warm-up, then 10 * 2 minutes with 1 minute recoveries. Did the first two reps at 14kph, but that felt too easy so upped the pace to 14.5 for the next seven and did the last one at 15kph. Glad to find I was able to up the speed again as the last time I did this I struggled at 14.5kph. 2k cool down so 10k in total. Perfect.
Very tired by the time I got home but went to the cinema nonetheless. I've cancelled my unlimited card now as I need to be more disciplined with my training and writing so the plan is to go to the cinema on Tuesdays (when it's cheap) and have that as my "night off". Saw a teen comedy called Sex Drive which wasn't quite in the same league as the American Pie trilogy, but very similar to Road Trip, and certainly very enjoyable. I'm glad I went to see it.
Wednesday 21st January
Just body pump tonight, no RPM or other cardio. Decided to give my legs a rest and in any case, the class on it's own is hard enough when done properly. And as Steph said to me on the way home, with my training being as intense as it is, there's no shame in having a rest day every now and then. Especially with another race (Slaughterford 9) coming up on Sunday...
You won't find the Highworth Half Marathon advertised on Runners' World, because it isn't open to the general public - which in some ways is a bit of a shame.
The event is only open to club runners and is usually invitation only. As I like to say to people, I invited myself. This was my second time at the event, running in the Swindon Harriers' team. Strangely, they're always glad to have me - Ashley Fox seems to struggle to get the requisite twelve runners and tells me he's more interested in having people who are reliable than good times.
Highworth is obviously very close to Swindon and it didn't start until 11am so plenty of time for a lie-in. Always a bonus.
And so to the race. It's a very tough, undulating course which I would rate as harder than Swindon or Downton, or probably even the Bourton Hilly Half - but not as extreme as the Hogweed Hilly Half (one of my favourite training runs). It's a very scenic course however, and serves as a nice reminder that there is some lovely countryside and pretty villages on my doorstep. Which is one of the reasons I think it's a shame it isn't open to the public because so many runners miss out.
Also, being a club event and there being generally a fast field, it can be a lonely race for someone like me as I was some way behind the fast boys and girls and some way in front of the much slower runners. So for long periods I was out there on my own with barely a soul in sight.
I didn't find it as hard going as last year, but I did find my legs were very sore and heavy during the race. I don't know if that was from a tough week's training, the massage, or maybe I should have gone for a walk the day before to get the blood moving. In any case, I was pleased by how much faster I was on the hills, and never gave up and walked, not even on the monster hill in the last mile.
I wasn't overly concerned with my time but as I approached the finish line I realised I was going to finish in just over 1 hour 50 minutes - 1:50:17 was the time given to me as I crossed the line. I would have been ecstatic to get under 1:50 on that course, but it was still a respectable time given the conditions (cold and windy) and a good five minutes faster than last year. Nice.
I waited a few minutes to see my mate Kieran finish, then got off home, but not before getting a couple of bottles of wine from the Co-Op (well, I felt obliged to spend some money in there as I'd used their car park).
Stopped at the gym for a stretch and a shower before heading home for a new tradition - a post-race fry-up! This is another ploy to keep myself motivated and while anything fried is not great, there are plenty of nutrients in the meat, eggs and vegetables. Plus it lines my stomach for the celebration beers...
Monday 19th January
8k on the treadmill, nice and steady. Legs were a bit stiff at first but warmed up when I got going. Upped the pace quite nicely, anything under 11kph is really too slow for me now for any period of time. Must be getting used to running faster.
Tuesday 20th January
Speedwork on the treadmill. 2k warm-up, then 10 * 2 minutes with 1 minute recoveries. Did the first two reps at 14kph, but that felt too easy so upped the pace to 14.5 for the next seven and did the last one at 15kph. Glad to find I was able to up the speed again as the last time I did this I struggled at 14.5kph. 2k cool down so 10k in total. Perfect.
Very tired by the time I got home but went to the cinema nonetheless. I've cancelled my unlimited card now as I need to be more disciplined with my training and writing so the plan is to go to the cinema on Tuesdays (when it's cheap) and have that as my "night off". Saw a teen comedy called Sex Drive which wasn't quite in the same league as the American Pie trilogy, but very similar to Road Trip, and certainly very enjoyable. I'm glad I went to see it.
Wednesday 21st January
Just body pump tonight, no RPM or other cardio. Decided to give my legs a rest and in any case, the class on it's own is hard enough when done properly. And as Steph said to me on the way home, with my training being as intense as it is, there's no shame in having a rest day every now and then. Especially with another race (Slaughterford 9) coming up on Sunday...
Thursday 15 January 2009
Not an easy week
Tuesday 13th January
2 miles (3.2k) on the treadmill, then 6-7 outside (Cheney route) with Steph and Becky. Guess it was closer to 7 as we were out for a good hour.
I really should get a garming to give myself a better idea. Oh well, 8-9 miles in total tonight. And I know I'm training for a marathon because I'm bloody starving the whole time!!
Wednesday 14th January
Body pump and RPM. Body pump was very good as always, no problems with the sound system tonight. Managed to increase my weights slightly on the squats and chest track.
RPM also very good, but for some reason couldn't put my heart and soul into it. Maybe because I was toying with the idea of going to the cinema with Steph and Andy to see Role Models. Decided not to in the end, and had a very constructive evening trying to sort out my finances. It's a start.
Thursday 15th January
Speed session tonight; 2k warm up, then 8 * 3 minutes @ 14kph, followed by 2k warm down, so 10.4k in total. Good session - managed to do the reps without any more than the statutory minute break. Found it really knackering though - might well be carrying a few pounds from Christmas...
Anyway, two days' rest now as I have the Highworth half marathon on Sunday (an invitation race for club runners - I invite myself). Not that tomorrow is really a rest day as I have a full body massage with Ali.
I can remember the times when I used to have a really easy week before a half marathon - don't think this was one of those.
2 miles (3.2k) on the treadmill, then 6-7 outside (Cheney route) with Steph and Becky. Guess it was closer to 7 as we were out for a good hour.
I really should get a garming to give myself a better idea. Oh well, 8-9 miles in total tonight. And I know I'm training for a marathon because I'm bloody starving the whole time!!
Wednesday 14th January
Body pump and RPM. Body pump was very good as always, no problems with the sound system tonight. Managed to increase my weights slightly on the squats and chest track.
RPM also very good, but for some reason couldn't put my heart and soul into it. Maybe because I was toying with the idea of going to the cinema with Steph and Andy to see Role Models. Decided not to in the end, and had a very constructive evening trying to sort out my finances. It's a start.
Thursday 15th January
Speed session tonight; 2k warm up, then 8 * 3 minutes @ 14kph, followed by 2k warm down, so 10.4k in total. Good session - managed to do the reps without any more than the statutory minute break. Found it really knackering though - might well be carrying a few pounds from Christmas...
Anyway, two days' rest now as I have the Highworth half marathon on Sunday (an invitation race for club runners - I invite myself). Not that tomorrow is really a rest day as I have a full body massage with Ali.
I can remember the times when I used to have a really easy week before a half marathon - don't think this was one of those.
Sunday 11 January 2009
Rough n' Tumble 10
Thursday 8th January
Speed session tonight, with shorter intervals. 2k warm up, then 10 x 2 mins @14kph. Yes I know they used to be at 14.5kph but I'm struggling to get back into these sessions. The speed work constituted 5.8k so did a 2.2k cool down to make it 10k in total.
Met Andy later for a birthday beer - he turned thirty on Tuesday bless him.
Very good news today, had some very positive feedback from my sister reference my novel. Quite a bit to work on still, but it reads well by all accounts, and I have succeeded in doing what I set out to do - a lad-lit romance with a cricketing backdrop, and I have created well-drawn and likeable characters.
The inital feedback was always going to be make or break - the big question was always, can I write a novel that people will enjoy reading? The answer seems to be a resounding "Yes".
Friday 9th January
Complete rest. Wanted to give my legs a chance to recover before Sunday.
Saturday 10th January
Body pump in the morning. Bit of a disaster in as much as Ali was having real problems with the CD player and had to abandon certain tracks, such as the warm-up. I didn't mind as I wanted a light work-out and missed the lunges out in any case.
When I was catching up on some reading he asked me if I didn't have a home to go to. I replied that I did, but Saturday mornings at the gym have been about not only going to pump but also seeing friends and catching up on some reading. With the events in the English cricket set-up over the last week, I have had a fair bit of reading and analysis to catch up on.
My gut feeling on the latter is that it should all be for the best. I wanted Andrew Strauss to captain the England team a couple of years ago on the ill-fated tour to Australia, and it seems poetic justice that he finally gets the chance to prove his mettle. Moores simply didn't pass muster and as hard as it may be to fill the shoes left by Duncan Fletcher, the team need someone better if they are to move forward.
Sunday 11th January
Woke up to find that while it was still cold outside, it was by no means as frosty as it has been in the week and a lot of the frost was already clearing up. So I decided to go for it and make my way to Milton Lilbourne.
The Rough n' Tumble has become a de rigueur training run for me being immediately after Christmas and kicked off my training for London in 2007. I wanted it to do the same this year, but at the same time knew I probably wouldn't be able to run it flat out due to the icy conditions. The weather on the day itself was fine - cold but not enough for me to wear a hat, and if anything, the sun was quite bright.
Started off along the road at a steady jog, preparing myself for the huge hill in the first mile. Most of us were reduced to a walk which is nothing to be ashamed of. In the next few miles, I noticed that one path was completely frozen over, and a stretch that was muddy last year was relatively dry this time round.
The parts where I really lost time were the downhill stretches at about 4 and 6 miles. It was just so slippy I couldn't get any sort of grip, and so took it very steady, walking large parts and even sliding down on my backside.
What I did notice was that a lot of the uphill parts weren't as bad as I remember them. The hill at mile 6 still required use of all four limbs to get up, but I seemed to get up there a lot quicker than I managed in the past.
I managed to fall over twice, the second time being through the woods in the last mile. This could have been nasty as I lost my footing and fell over sideways. Luckily I landed on soft ground and was only slightly grazed. I was helped to my feet by two of my fellow competitors and it was palpable how relaxed and friendly everyone was at this event.
I distinctly remember being absolutely knackered at the end of this run last year and the year before but this time I just felt like I had done a fairly run of the mill training run, even though my time, whilst not great, was an improvement. I don't know if that is down to there being less mud on the course, but it could also be down to my being lighter and having better core stability.
In any case it was a good way to kick off my build up to London in (and I say this with a fair amount of trepidation) three and a half month's time.
Unable to have quite as many post-race beers as I would have liked due to showing prospective lodgers round the house. I've done a deal with myself to cut out alcohol wherever possible, but a few drinks after a race is perfectly fine - PB or not they will all be hard runs and I need some treats to keep me motivated. I can't be on a diet all the time.
Monday 12th January
8k (5 miles) on the treadmill at a very steady pace, followed by a nice stretch. Legs not feeling all that tight, but bad enough not to do a hard run or interval session. Plan for the rest of the week is 6-7 with Becky and Steph tomorrow, classes Weds, speed session Thursday, massage Friday, rest Saturday and then the Highworth half marathon Sunday. I think I'm on the right track.
Speed session tonight, with shorter intervals. 2k warm up, then 10 x 2 mins @14kph. Yes I know they used to be at 14.5kph but I'm struggling to get back into these sessions. The speed work constituted 5.8k so did a 2.2k cool down to make it 10k in total.
Met Andy later for a birthday beer - he turned thirty on Tuesday bless him.
Very good news today, had some very positive feedback from my sister reference my novel. Quite a bit to work on still, but it reads well by all accounts, and I have succeeded in doing what I set out to do - a lad-lit romance with a cricketing backdrop, and I have created well-drawn and likeable characters.
The inital feedback was always going to be make or break - the big question was always, can I write a novel that people will enjoy reading? The answer seems to be a resounding "Yes".
Friday 9th January
Complete rest. Wanted to give my legs a chance to recover before Sunday.
Saturday 10th January
Body pump in the morning. Bit of a disaster in as much as Ali was having real problems with the CD player and had to abandon certain tracks, such as the warm-up. I didn't mind as I wanted a light work-out and missed the lunges out in any case.
When I was catching up on some reading he asked me if I didn't have a home to go to. I replied that I did, but Saturday mornings at the gym have been about not only going to pump but also seeing friends and catching up on some reading. With the events in the English cricket set-up over the last week, I have had a fair bit of reading and analysis to catch up on.
My gut feeling on the latter is that it should all be for the best. I wanted Andrew Strauss to captain the England team a couple of years ago on the ill-fated tour to Australia, and it seems poetic justice that he finally gets the chance to prove his mettle. Moores simply didn't pass muster and as hard as it may be to fill the shoes left by Duncan Fletcher, the team need someone better if they are to move forward.
Sunday 11th January
Woke up to find that while it was still cold outside, it was by no means as frosty as it has been in the week and a lot of the frost was already clearing up. So I decided to go for it and make my way to Milton Lilbourne.
The Rough n' Tumble has become a de rigueur training run for me being immediately after Christmas and kicked off my training for London in 2007. I wanted it to do the same this year, but at the same time knew I probably wouldn't be able to run it flat out due to the icy conditions. The weather on the day itself was fine - cold but not enough for me to wear a hat, and if anything, the sun was quite bright.
Started off along the road at a steady jog, preparing myself for the huge hill in the first mile. Most of us were reduced to a walk which is nothing to be ashamed of. In the next few miles, I noticed that one path was completely frozen over, and a stretch that was muddy last year was relatively dry this time round.
The parts where I really lost time were the downhill stretches at about 4 and 6 miles. It was just so slippy I couldn't get any sort of grip, and so took it very steady, walking large parts and even sliding down on my backside.
What I did notice was that a lot of the uphill parts weren't as bad as I remember them. The hill at mile 6 still required use of all four limbs to get up, but I seemed to get up there a lot quicker than I managed in the past.
I managed to fall over twice, the second time being through the woods in the last mile. This could have been nasty as I lost my footing and fell over sideways. Luckily I landed on soft ground and was only slightly grazed. I was helped to my feet by two of my fellow competitors and it was palpable how relaxed and friendly everyone was at this event.
I distinctly remember being absolutely knackered at the end of this run last year and the year before but this time I just felt like I had done a fairly run of the mill training run, even though my time, whilst not great, was an improvement. I don't know if that is down to there being less mud on the course, but it could also be down to my being lighter and having better core stability.
In any case it was a good way to kick off my build up to London in (and I say this with a fair amount of trepidation) three and a half month's time.
Unable to have quite as many post-race beers as I would have liked due to showing prospective lodgers round the house. I've done a deal with myself to cut out alcohol wherever possible, but a few drinks after a race is perfectly fine - PB or not they will all be hard runs and I need some treats to keep me motivated. I can't be on a diet all the time.
Monday 12th January
8k (5 miles) on the treadmill at a very steady pace, followed by a nice stretch. Legs not feeling all that tight, but bad enough not to do a hard run or interval session. Plan for the rest of the week is 6-7 with Becky and Steph tomorrow, classes Weds, speed session Thursday, massage Friday, rest Saturday and then the Highworth half marathon Sunday. I think I'm on the right track.
Wednesday 7 January 2009
Speed session and new body pump release
Tuesday 6th January
Decided, almost inevitably, that it was too cold and icy to go to the track. But a speed session was definitely called for, having not done one since before Christmas.
2k to warm up, then 8 * 3 minutes @ 14kph. 1.6k to cool down, so about 10k in total.
I have to admit, it was a real struggle, especially on the first few reps. As it turned out, I needed to take a quick toilet break after four reps and after that it felt a little easier, but I was hoping to up the speed on 3 minute intervals to 14.5kph. I couldn't have done that tonight.
One thing about these sessions is they make me sweat like crazy, and I wonder if Ali O'Hara, who was giving a PT session when I came off the treadmill, wondered how I can sweat so much and still be overweight. It's not something I'm proud of. Watch this space.
Wednesday 7th January
New body pump release tonight, Ali said on Saturday that it's "a good one" and as this will be the one I will be using in the build up to London I was intrigued as to how I would find it. Overall, I have to say, I was very impressed.
Squats - Good, tough track. Will do well to increase my weights much on this one. Odd music.
Chest - Good, not overly challenging. Went easy tonight but should be able to use a good heavy weight on this one, maybe the same as Ali.
Back - Not bad - quite a few breathers in it though. Maybe I can increase my weights.
Triceps - Interesting! Quite a few new moves in this, but I felt it afterwards so they must be effective.
Biceps - Tough. I tend to go easy on biceps anyway as I trapped a nerve once by jerking backwards doing it.
Lunges - odd, with squats at the end, balancing a barbell across the chest? Maybe it will grow on me.
Shoulders - not bad, no push-ups which means there are only tricep push-ups in the release. Need to think about upping my weight.
Abs - A good one. Not as hard as the abs track Ali was teaching recently plus the music is one of my favourite songs of 2008, Chris Brown's Forever. In any case, I need to do a lot more core work in the next few months.
Did RPM with James afterward which was good as always. Probably a good combination, doing these two on a Wednesday as I burn a heck of a lot of calories but still give my legs a rest from running. I wouldn't be able to do any more than a steady run, 5 miles maximum, after pump anyway so RPM seems a good idea - as long as I'm not feeling too tired.
Bit of bad news when I got home, even though I posted the form well before Christmas I didn't get a place in the Bourton 10k - it must have sold out in days as opposed to weeks. So I will struggle to run a fast 10k in the build up to London as hoped. The only other option is the Devizes 10k but that is the same day as the Gloucester 20 mile race, which isn't one I can afford to miss.
Oh well. I'll have to make a 10k PB a goal for the summer. In any case, I can run the Tough Ten at Weston on 22nd Feb, another of my favourites, with Kev, Terry and Gerry for company instead. I'm looking forward to it already.
Decided, almost inevitably, that it was too cold and icy to go to the track. But a speed session was definitely called for, having not done one since before Christmas.
2k to warm up, then 8 * 3 minutes @ 14kph. 1.6k to cool down, so about 10k in total.
I have to admit, it was a real struggle, especially on the first few reps. As it turned out, I needed to take a quick toilet break after four reps and after that it felt a little easier, but I was hoping to up the speed on 3 minute intervals to 14.5kph. I couldn't have done that tonight.
One thing about these sessions is they make me sweat like crazy, and I wonder if Ali O'Hara, who was giving a PT session when I came off the treadmill, wondered how I can sweat so much and still be overweight. It's not something I'm proud of. Watch this space.
Wednesday 7th January
New body pump release tonight, Ali said on Saturday that it's "a good one" and as this will be the one I will be using in the build up to London I was intrigued as to how I would find it. Overall, I have to say, I was very impressed.
Squats - Good, tough track. Will do well to increase my weights much on this one. Odd music.
Chest - Good, not overly challenging. Went easy tonight but should be able to use a good heavy weight on this one, maybe the same as Ali.
Back - Not bad - quite a few breathers in it though. Maybe I can increase my weights.
Triceps - Interesting! Quite a few new moves in this, but I felt it afterwards so they must be effective.
Biceps - Tough. I tend to go easy on biceps anyway as I trapped a nerve once by jerking backwards doing it.
Lunges - odd, with squats at the end, balancing a barbell across the chest? Maybe it will grow on me.
Shoulders - not bad, no push-ups which means there are only tricep push-ups in the release. Need to think about upping my weight.
Abs - A good one. Not as hard as the abs track Ali was teaching recently plus the music is one of my favourite songs of 2008, Chris Brown's Forever. In any case, I need to do a lot more core work in the next few months.
Did RPM with James afterward which was good as always. Probably a good combination, doing these two on a Wednesday as I burn a heck of a lot of calories but still give my legs a rest from running. I wouldn't be able to do any more than a steady run, 5 miles maximum, after pump anyway so RPM seems a good idea - as long as I'm not feeling too tired.
Bit of bad news when I got home, even though I posted the form well before Christmas I didn't get a place in the Bourton 10k - it must have sold out in days as opposed to weeks. So I will struggle to run a fast 10k in the build up to London as hoped. The only other option is the Devizes 10k but that is the same day as the Gloucester 20 mile race, which isn't one I can afford to miss.
Oh well. I'll have to make a 10k PB a goal for the summer. In any case, I can run the Tough Ten at Weston on 22nd Feb, another of my favourites, with Kev, Terry and Gerry for company instead. I'm looking forward to it already.
Monday 5 January 2009
And so it begins...
Sunday 4th January
Did my first long run of the new year, which was basically the Swindon half marathon route but starting from my house. I don't own a garmin, but it must be roughly 15 miles.
It was very cold today, but sunny and quite crisp - no snow or ice fortunately. I actually quite enjoyed the run and it wasn't as much of a struggle as I thought it might be. It took about 2 hours 20 minutes which seemed about right. I did need defrosting when I got back home though...
Monday 5th January
Back at work today, later than expected due to a flat battery. A bit tired after yesterday and it is horrendously icy out there, so no point even trying to run outdoors. Just did 8k (5 miles) on the treadmill, nice and steady.
Was thinking about heading to the track tomorrow, but if it is still as bad I won't bother as running on that surface in just ordinary trainers could prove very dicey indeed.
Did my first long run of the new year, which was basically the Swindon half marathon route but starting from my house. I don't own a garmin, but it must be roughly 15 miles.
It was very cold today, but sunny and quite crisp - no snow or ice fortunately. I actually quite enjoyed the run and it wasn't as much of a struggle as I thought it might be. It took about 2 hours 20 minutes which seemed about right. I did need defrosting when I got back home though...
Monday 5th January
Back at work today, later than expected due to a flat battery. A bit tired after yesterday and it is horrendously icy out there, so no point even trying to run outdoors. Just did 8k (5 miles) on the treadmill, nice and steady.
Was thinking about heading to the track tomorrow, but if it is still as bad I won't bother as running on that surface in just ordinary trainers could prove very dicey indeed.
Saturday 3 January 2009
2009!
Thursday 1st January
Normally I like to train on New Year's Day, but not this time. Opted instead to spend the day exactly how I intend not to carry on, namely just relaxing. As far as I'm concerned, the really hard work can start next week when I go back to work. Happy New Year.
Friday 2nd January
Body pump at Ali's normal time, 12.15. As most people there weren't going back to work he did the full hour, which suited me. All my training over the past week has been a damage limitation exercise to burn off some of the excess calories consumed. As somebody said, better to jut put on a few pounds than half a stone.
Saturday 3rd January
Body pump again today, ran in and back but made a conscious decision not to do any more cardio or classes as I want to do a decent run tomorrow and get back into it. Nice to see the class busy again and people like Kathryn returning.
Normally I like to train on New Year's Day, but not this time. Opted instead to spend the day exactly how I intend not to carry on, namely just relaxing. As far as I'm concerned, the really hard work can start next week when I go back to work. Happy New Year.
Friday 2nd January
Body pump at Ali's normal time, 12.15. As most people there weren't going back to work he did the full hour, which suited me. All my training over the past week has been a damage limitation exercise to burn off some of the excess calories consumed. As somebody said, better to jut put on a few pounds than half a stone.
Saturday 3rd January
Body pump again today, ran in and back but made a conscious decision not to do any more cardio or classes as I want to do a decent run tomorrow and get back into it. Nice to see the class busy again and people like Kathryn returning.
Christmas Training
Christmas Eve
Got let out of the office at about 1pm. Not much else to do apart from a bit of food shopping so headed to the gym and went for a run outside. It wasn't much fun, given that I had spent much of the morning eating and drinking, so the food was still swilling around in my stomach. Decided to do the Lethbridge route to see what has happened to the bridge that goes across the motorway and found out that said bridge n'existe plus. Yes, they knocked the whole thing down.
This is a bit of a blow to my training plans for 2009 as it means I won't be able to do this route and will need to revise my versions of the Wroughton and Elcombe routes (assuming they haven't knocked the other bridge down as well).
Four miles on the treadmill followed fifty minutes outside and time to go home and put my feet up.
Christmas Day
It honestly was my intention to go out for a run before heading over to Melksham for a family Christmas but I was generally lazy and disorganised and slept in instead. Still, there are worse times to have a day off.
Enjoyed the day enormously, all the family met for lunch (so with my great nephew Taylor at the table there were four generations) and spent the afternoon with my sister before spending the evening with Dad. Had to stop myself laughing when he urged me not to mix beer with wine, God knows what he'd think if he saw my post-race "routine".
Boxing Day
Did manage to go out for a run today, albeit a very brief one. Just did a three mile route from Dad's house, about three miles - one I used to do many moons ago, when I just did a bit of running to keep fit for Karate. Funny, I remember it feeling incredibly hard then. Just goes to show.
Sadly Dad was ill today so had to call off the get-together at his house and I just headed back to Swindon and got on with the eating and drinking.
Saturday 27th December
Ran to the gym and did both classes, RPM and body pump. Bit disappointed with the former, it was an instructor I hadn't met before and he had some quite unusual ideas, such as using no resistance on the sprints. Didn't feel like I got anything out of it.
Definitely plan to run to the gym this week, will save a lot of petrol and burn off a few extra calories in the process.
Sunday 28th December
Ran to work and back so I could print off some articles. About 6-7 miles I guess. Hardly a normal Sunday long run, but hey, I'm on holiday.
Monday 29th December
Strange time for a class, but body pump was on at one today. Ran in and did it. Ran back.
Tuesday 30th December
RPM at 6pm today with James. Ran in as usual. Quality class, one hour long and made me sweat buckets. I don't know what it is about James, but he just motivates me to work a lot harder than any of the other RPM instructors (but Shaun from Eldene is also good).
But bloody hell was it cold running home.
Wednesday 31st December
Morning classes, body pump with Ali followed by RPM with James. Had to hurry back as was meeting my nephew, Paul, for a "liquid lunch" in Swindon - only the second time I'd met him believe it or not.
Didn't do anything exciting in the evening, just went to my neighbour Anthony's house for wine and food. Only just managed to stay up to midnight as I was tired by then.
Got let out of the office at about 1pm. Not much else to do apart from a bit of food shopping so headed to the gym and went for a run outside. It wasn't much fun, given that I had spent much of the morning eating and drinking, so the food was still swilling around in my stomach. Decided to do the Lethbridge route to see what has happened to the bridge that goes across the motorway and found out that said bridge n'existe plus. Yes, they knocked the whole thing down.
This is a bit of a blow to my training plans for 2009 as it means I won't be able to do this route and will need to revise my versions of the Wroughton and Elcombe routes (assuming they haven't knocked the other bridge down as well).
Four miles on the treadmill followed fifty minutes outside and time to go home and put my feet up.
Christmas Day
It honestly was my intention to go out for a run before heading over to Melksham for a family Christmas but I was generally lazy and disorganised and slept in instead. Still, there are worse times to have a day off.
Enjoyed the day enormously, all the family met for lunch (so with my great nephew Taylor at the table there were four generations) and spent the afternoon with my sister before spending the evening with Dad. Had to stop myself laughing when he urged me not to mix beer with wine, God knows what he'd think if he saw my post-race "routine".
Boxing Day
Did manage to go out for a run today, albeit a very brief one. Just did a three mile route from Dad's house, about three miles - one I used to do many moons ago, when I just did a bit of running to keep fit for Karate. Funny, I remember it feeling incredibly hard then. Just goes to show.
Sadly Dad was ill today so had to call off the get-together at his house and I just headed back to Swindon and got on with the eating and drinking.
Saturday 27th December
Ran to the gym and did both classes, RPM and body pump. Bit disappointed with the former, it was an instructor I hadn't met before and he had some quite unusual ideas, such as using no resistance on the sprints. Didn't feel like I got anything out of it.
Definitely plan to run to the gym this week, will save a lot of petrol and burn off a few extra calories in the process.
Sunday 28th December
Ran to work and back so I could print off some articles. About 6-7 miles I guess. Hardly a normal Sunday long run, but hey, I'm on holiday.
Monday 29th December
Strange time for a class, but body pump was on at one today. Ran in and did it. Ran back.
Tuesday 30th December
RPM at 6pm today with James. Ran in as usual. Quality class, one hour long and made me sweat buckets. I don't know what it is about James, but he just motivates me to work a lot harder than any of the other RPM instructors (but Shaun from Eldene is also good).
But bloody hell was it cold running home.
Wednesday 31st December
Morning classes, body pump with Ali followed by RPM with James. Had to hurry back as was meeting my nephew, Paul, for a "liquid lunch" in Swindon - only the second time I'd met him believe it or not.
Didn't do anything exciting in the evening, just went to my neighbour Anthony's house for wine and food. Only just managed to stay up to midnight as I was tired by then.
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