I didn't blog last week not for any real reason other than I didn't actually do much training and on Sunday I forgot to post. In all honesty I haven't done anything note worthy this week either, other than starting a new job and realising that for the first time in 10 years my job is more important than training or what ever my next race/challenge is going to be. So here is a rather low key summary of the last week.
Mon - started new job, really didn't feel like I had run yesterday which is either a good thing or a bad thing. Not real sure which and TBH not really that bothered
Tue - worked
Weds - worked
Thur - worked
Fri - worked
Sat - gym treadmill run 25mins -5min WU 1min effort 1min rec effort getting progressively faster. Followed by 500m swim
Sun - OMFG!!!!! Do not stroll into an advanced spin class thinking just coz you ride your bike a bit that you will ace the class. After just the first track and some "warm up sprints" I was a jelly like heap on the floor, I did finish the class but with my tail firmly between my legs. Can't wait for the next one.
In short I'm really looking forward to a new challenge only this time that challenge is work related and not about a race or a sport. I started this blog as a diary to note my training and journey to Outlaw in July. As work takes over and training gets put on the back burner I'm thinking this blog will become rather thread bare, so I shall see over the coming week if it is worth carrying on
Mark
Sunday 29 January 2012
Sunday 15 January 2012
Week Two
Monday - still no work and it was lovely out, so I decided to don the cycling gear and take the road bike out for a Pootle. No sooner had I turned out of our road than the rain started, not heavy pouring rain but that constant drizzly wet sort of rain, and it didn't stop till I got home, at one point I was so wet I stopped at a burger van in Earlswood and had a coffee and the kind lady dried my gloves on her tea urn ;-)
After get soaked and returning home the bike computer said I had been out foe 119mins and covered 30.miles roughly an average speed of 15mph, if today had been race day that would have been awful but it's not and I know fitness will come and with fitness comes speed so for now it's more of the same - progression and consistency
Tuesday - Woo Hoo - it happened I actually enjoyed that run 58mins 6.1miles of easy paced fun running,
Wednesday - today was a rest day. It was also the day I went for an interview for a job that didn't really exist,
Thursday - very quick 20min run round Rowheath after dropping girls off at school.
Friday - 60mins on the CX bike along the canal, 30mins very easy ride out then sprint efforts between the bridges on the way back. Best part was watching Gus trying to keep up and then once I had lost contact with him he would just easy up and trot along till he caught me at the next bridge. Great fun and legs were properly trashed after a feeling I rather like.
Saturday - 120min head torch run with the TNSG boys. I just love this running, pitch back off road the dogs chasing shadows and me trying desperately to keep up and not get lost, then just a you think is cant get better the Sun comes up and you are treated to a frosty landscape that would easily don and Narnia film set. A lot of the time we all get caught up in miles per min pace distance and the like, but these runs are not about that for me, these are what I enjoy most about training, ( meeting men I met on the Internet in dark car parks and playing in the woods).
Sunday - 95min run over the licky hills with Sue, another great run in the frost and sunshine. Today was the final test to see if I was up for the 50k next week and though I know it is gonna hurt I shall still go and run a bit and just see what happens, Sue asked me today why I was running a 50k so soon after injury and when I am supposed to be "being sensible" and training for outlaw, the only real answer I could give was "Because I can" and I'm not ashamed of that, I like the fact that I'm fit enough to even think about running that sort of distance I have worked and trained hard at it over the last 9years, I don't "Race" any more but I do go out and run with friends and have fun. And no one is gonna tell me that wrong.
After get soaked and returning home the bike computer said I had been out foe 119mins and covered 30.miles roughly an average speed of 15mph, if today had been race day that would have been awful but it's not and I know fitness will come and with fitness comes speed so for now it's more of the same - progression and consistency
Tuesday - Woo Hoo - it happened I actually enjoyed that run 58mins 6.1miles of easy paced fun running,
Wednesday - today was a rest day. It was also the day I went for an interview for a job that didn't really exist,
Thursday - very quick 20min run round Rowheath after dropping girls off at school.
Friday - 60mins on the CX bike along the canal, 30mins very easy ride out then sprint efforts between the bridges on the way back. Best part was watching Gus trying to keep up and then once I had lost contact with him he would just easy up and trot along till he caught me at the next bridge. Great fun and legs were properly trashed after a feeling I rather like.
Saturday - 120min head torch run with the TNSG boys. I just love this running, pitch back off road the dogs chasing shadows and me trying desperately to keep up and not get lost, then just a you think is cant get better the Sun comes up and you are treated to a frosty landscape that would easily don and Narnia film set. A lot of the time we all get caught up in miles per min pace distance and the like, but these runs are not about that for me, these are what I enjoy most about training, ( meeting men I met on the Internet in dark car parks and playing in the woods).
Sunday - 95min run over the licky hills with Sue, another great run in the frost and sunshine. Today was the final test to see if I was up for the 50k next week and though I know it is gonna hurt I shall still go and run a bit and just see what happens, Sue asked me today why I was running a 50k so soon after injury and when I am supposed to be "being sensible" and training for outlaw, the only real answer I could give was "Because I can" and I'm not ashamed of that, I like the fact that I'm fit enough to even think about running that sort of distance I have worked and trained hard at it over the last 9years, I don't "Race" any more but I do go out and run with friends and have fun. And no one is gonna tell me that wrong.
Monday 9 January 2012
Week one on the road too Outlaw
Monday - 1st run outside since early December, every year for the past 8years the first run of the year has always been an out and back along the Worcester canal starting at Tardibigge locks, this year was no exception, only thing is this year I have not run for a while as a result the run was slow and hard work, but from small acorns and all that and I had to start somewhere. Didn't get to swim till 8pm, nearly didn't go but really glad I did. I thought the session was going to be easy but boy how wrong I was. I may have been swimming on and off for the last month but nothing structured so this first session was a kick in the teeth and proof at just how far my fitness has fallen,
Session - 200WU - 10x100 off 2:30 - 200CD
I was completing the 100's in about 1:55 but by the 4th rep I was glad of 35sec rest just to get my breath back, I'm out on the bike tomorrow and the weather looks awful oh well!!!!
Tuesday - today was a bike day, today was also the wettest, windiest day I have seen in a long long time. After sitting around all morning waiting for the rain to top I finally got out mid afternoon, it was still windy and still raining, I planned to do a quick 60minutes on the CX this turned out to be 40minutes of fighting against head on and side winds as I tried to stay on the bike. And 20minutes of fixing a puncture in said wind and rain. You gotta love the English weather.
Wednesday - today saw me swim and run, firstly the swim - this went very well 200WU - 50-100-150-200-250 - 5x50 off 75secs - 200CD it's still hard to get going and I get tired very quickly but it will come I know it will, then there was the run - my posh watch has reacted with with my skin and as a result I can't wear a watch so running is interesting to say the least, without my Garmin I have no idea about pace distance or time all I know is I was out the door for about 50mins and I ran up a few hills VERY SLOWLY!!!! as a side note I,m having a few stomach issues and can't stop coughing (I must keep an eye on this)
Thursday - woke this morning with a "dodgy tummy" and as a result was held captive in the downstairs toilet for nigh on 12hrs. This meant no training as I'm not sure I could have even got to the bottom of the road without the Gingerbread man making an appearance. It not that I mind "going alfresco" I DON'T ( just ask Matt and Jules) it was more the fear of traumatising Mrs Jones and her 3 cats at #67 if I had got caught short and she'd flung open the curtains to gaze upon me stooping and Gus dutifully watching.
Friday - Eldest is back to her early morning swimming so at 5:45 I had dropped her at at the pool and was standing in a car park with Gus awaiting the arrival of Matt and Oscar, we ran for 55 minutes round Sutton Park. It was fantastic it was the 1st run since starting back where I finished thinking I could do more. On a slightly less positive note I don't seem to be able to shake off this chesty cough and blocked nose, so I didn't swim today and opted for Lemsip Max and "the big bang theory" roll on tomorrow
Saturday - after much heart rendering and thought I decided to do nothing today, my nose was blocked, I was having coughing fits that made my head almost explode yet wouldn't clear the gunk from my chest and above all else, I'm a lazy fecker and spent most of the day messing about and play with my youngest, I did read a few Blogs from last week all of which reflect on the past year. So I thought I would take a look back at 2012, and I can conclude that both the highlight and lowlight of the year came in May, they are
1- I completed 10 marathons in 10days
2 - I was confronted by a big angry growler in an ice bath.
I'll let you decided which is the high and low....?
Sunday - 90minute off road run with Sue and the Dogs over Licky hills. In a nut shell "Back to doing what I love the best" this is what running is to me, took youngest swimming in the afternoon and while she played with her friends I managed to sneak in a hard and fast 500m, I know it's not a lot but it all helps,
Totals - not sure of mileage and metres as I'm not really counting them. I know my training was 5mins short of 6hours, I'm happy with that as a base week. With a 10% increase I'm need to do about 400mins next week, I also need to juggle a few things round due to a job interview on Wednesday.
Session - 200WU - 10x100 off 2:30 - 200CD
I was completing the 100's in about 1:55 but by the 4th rep I was glad of 35sec rest just to get my breath back, I'm out on the bike tomorrow and the weather looks awful oh well!!!!
Tuesday - today was a bike day, today was also the wettest, windiest day I have seen in a long long time. After sitting around all morning waiting for the rain to top I finally got out mid afternoon, it was still windy and still raining, I planned to do a quick 60minutes on the CX this turned out to be 40minutes of fighting against head on and side winds as I tried to stay on the bike. And 20minutes of fixing a puncture in said wind and rain. You gotta love the English weather.
Wednesday - today saw me swim and run, firstly the swim - this went very well 200WU - 50-100-150-200-250 - 5x50 off 75secs - 200CD it's still hard to get going and I get tired very quickly but it will come I know it will, then there was the run - my posh watch has reacted with with my skin and as a result I can't wear a watch so running is interesting to say the least, without my Garmin I have no idea about pace distance or time all I know is I was out the door for about 50mins and I ran up a few hills VERY SLOWLY!!!! as a side note I,m having a few stomach issues and can't stop coughing (I must keep an eye on this)
Thursday - woke this morning with a "dodgy tummy" and as a result was held captive in the downstairs toilet for nigh on 12hrs. This meant no training as I'm not sure I could have even got to the bottom of the road without the Gingerbread man making an appearance. It not that I mind "going alfresco" I DON'T ( just ask Matt and Jules) it was more the fear of traumatising Mrs Jones and her 3 cats at #67 if I had got caught short and she'd flung open the curtains to gaze upon me stooping and Gus dutifully watching.
Friday - Eldest is back to her early morning swimming so at 5:45 I had dropped her at at the pool and was standing in a car park with Gus awaiting the arrival of Matt and Oscar, we ran for 55 minutes round Sutton Park. It was fantastic it was the 1st run since starting back where I finished thinking I could do more. On a slightly less positive note I don't seem to be able to shake off this chesty cough and blocked nose, so I didn't swim today and opted for Lemsip Max and "the big bang theory" roll on tomorrow
Saturday - after much heart rendering and thought I decided to do nothing today, my nose was blocked, I was having coughing fits that made my head almost explode yet wouldn't clear the gunk from my chest and above all else, I'm a lazy fecker and spent most of the day messing about and play with my youngest, I did read a few Blogs from last week all of which reflect on the past year. So I thought I would take a look back at 2012, and I can conclude that both the highlight and lowlight of the year came in May, they are
1- I completed 10 marathons in 10days
2 - I was confronted by a big angry growler in an ice bath.
I'll let you decided which is the high and low....?
Sunday - 90minute off road run with Sue and the Dogs over Licky hills. In a nut shell "Back to doing what I love the best" this is what running is to me, took youngest swimming in the afternoon and while she played with her friends I managed to sneak in a hard and fast 500m, I know it's not a lot but it all helps,
Totals - not sure of mileage and metres as I'm not really counting them. I know my training was 5mins short of 6hours, I'm happy with that as a base week. With a 10% increase I'm need to do about 400mins next week, I also need to juggle a few things round due to a job interview on Wednesday.
Monday 2 January 2012
Last Week of The Year
Thursday-Rain rain go away and quite frankly don't come back till its warmed up a bit. I have decided to rest today because TBH I'm knackered, We are off out later with Ema & Jase for a meal and a few beers (first time I have been out this Christmas) to harbourne, I haven't been up there for years. I hope it's not as mental as it used to be...?
Friday-final i got the christmas spirit And drank it clean down, yesterday and today became a right off due to having way to much vodka and eating the entire content of Jimmy Spice's in Solihull.
Tonight I'm meeting up with my very first best friend from the age of 5 right through to 14 we were joined at the hip, I haven't seen him for about 25 yrs so tonight we are gonna catch up on old times
Saturday-
NYE early - met up with Matt and Sid over at tammworth, did about 83 minutes and about 19 miles, it was good to be biking in a group again and good to meet yet another excited ironman wannabe. Sid is gonna blow Outlaw apart you can see it in his eyes he has that look that I had and Matt had when I 1st met him.
Matt is not well but he still flew, I was reminded just how good he is on the bike. Even untrained and ill he still makes biking look easy and I just know he could slip up a gear at anytime and leave me in his wake. If I'm to give him any sort of race at Outlaw in July then I'm gonna have to spend a LOT of time on my bike.
Friday-final i got the christmas spirit And drank it clean down, yesterday and today became a right off due to having way to much vodka and eating the entire content of Jimmy Spice's in Solihull.
Tonight I'm meeting up with my very first best friend from the age of 5 right through to 14 we were joined at the hip, I haven't seen him for about 25 yrs so tonight we are gonna catch up on old times
Saturday-
NYE early - met up with Matt and Sid over at tammworth, did about 83 minutes and about 19 miles, it was good to be biking in a group again and good to meet yet another excited ironman wannabe. Sid is gonna blow Outlaw apart you can see it in his eyes he has that look that I had and Matt had when I 1st met him.
Matt is not well but he still flew, I was reminded just how good he is on the bike. Even untrained and ill he still makes biking look easy and I just know he could slip up a gear at anytime and leave me in his wake. If I'm to give him any sort of race at Outlaw in July then I'm gonna have to spend a LOT of time on my bike.
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