Training - Day 50

Re day 49 - it WASN'T the bean bag!!! Another night of only a few hours sleep and I'm seriously doubting today's 40 minute jog. That was confirmed in the first 60 seconds of the jog when it all hurt again. This will definitely teach me to not do a long run when injured. So, I did some weights and came home for the stretch part of the work-out (too many strangers). It's the first time I've deviated from the plan but figure as long as I am fit for the Wednesday and Satrueday runs - no lasting harm will be done. Besides, Joss DID manage to run for 45 minutes which I think counts for something, right? Tonight I will be mostly downing a cocktail of painkillers and praying it will all go away otherwise it's going to cost me a fortune in booze.....

Training - Day 49

Today was a rest day - was it restful - no!!! At 4 in the morning, as the effects of some well-deserved wine wore off, there wasn't a place in the bed that I could find that wasn't agony. Luckily, Joss didn't seem to notice my constant moving for the rest of the night...well, she might have mentioned it once....
Standing up is fine but sitting or lying down - not the best. In the evening I had a couple more medicinal wines and managed to find a comfortable position on a bean bag. I just hope it's the bean bag and not the wine that is working...

Training - Day 48

Blooming heck it was cold this morning!!! Had my woolly hat on and had no intention of taking it off!! As mentioned before, Joss had scoped out a brand new course and got the measurement of it down to the last few yards which is pretty impressive. That was the good bit. Have you ever seen that picture of the stairs on the top of a building where they have purposely got the perspective wrong? It looks normal at the beginning but if you use your finger to trace the path of the steps, it goes round and round and the beginning joins the end in an everlasting circle. Well, Joss had managed to replicate this but instead of the trick being that it never ended, the trick was that no matter where we went, it was uphill !!! Now I don't mind the old up hill section, but 17 miles of it !!! My only consolation was that Joss lost the feeling in the lower half of her body with about 5 miles to go. Seriously - this was by far the toughest run. There was, however, that fantastic feeling of euphoria as it finished and that lasted a full 3 minutes or so. It was at that point that the endorphins faded away so the full horror of the pain of the run could get through. If I were to offer to swap my hips with Karrsey I swear he would have the worse of the deal!!. Still, stretching and a bath has managed to ease the pain and I can now sit here rather smug that I managed it. Just think, on the day, I'd only have another 9.2 miles to run.....

Training - Day 47

Rest day today and boy do I need it - feeling as nervous as I have ever felt about tomorrow's run - will my back hold up....

Training - Day 46

I was meant to go for a 30 minute jog to get over yesterday's sprints but I think now's the time to think of the run on saturday and whether my back will make it if I run today. So I decided on a 30 minute cycle and some stretching. There were lots of "strangers" on the stretching mats and I'm sure they didn't mind as I went over, picked up a mat and walked to the corner of the gym to do my stretching alone. Rude? Well, maybe. Joss has been really good to me today by driving around Poole trying to map out a new route so that we don't become bored during Saturday's 17 mile run. My only slight concern is that I've fallen foul of her "short-cuts" before - so I may be running the marathon ahead of schedule ;-)

Training - Day 45

I've looked at my last couple of posts - what a bleeding moaner! This was meant to be a great adventure, stretching myself to the limits and enjoying it. Right - back on track! Today it was 16 x 400m at 12 kmph with 2 minute breaks between each run. I had a murder / investigation book playing on my ipod and tried to concentrate and focus on what I was doing. You can tell the age of the other gym goers though as they found it rather harder to concentrate. Was it a celebrity training amongst us - no. Was it a new piece of gym equipment being unveiled - no. It was a man having good luck, opening boxes. Yes, someone did well on deal or no deal. A crowd of 6 women were gathered around the telly and at the end they were hugging each other as if they actually knew him. "He played a good game" one was heard to say, yes he did randomly ask people to open random boxes very well! Training was tough but I made it and may reward myself with a day off tomorrow....who knows?

Training - Day 44

Today the plan was to get up at 6:15, be in the gym for 7:00 and do some weights. What actually happened is that I woke at 6:45 and could only get out of bed backwards, with a fair amount of wimpering. It took 3 goes to get in the car successfully and a similar number to get out at work. But, slowly but surely, with the aid of painkilling tablets, gels and pads my back started to ease. By the afternoon I decided to go to the gym with Joss and was pleased to be able to get changed in the changing room without having to ask for help. Joss ran for 40 minutes while I sat on various weights' machines. I say sat - I did push the weights up and down and to the side but it wouldn't be honest to say it was a full workout. Had plenty of time for stretching though so hopefully building myself up for the sprints tomorrow. A wise man would probably give them a miss - but where's the fun in that.....

Training - Day 43

Not a good start to week 7. I spent yesterday evening lying on the floor but have woken up with still a bad back. I have been walking around looking like I've had an "accident" but, dosed up with painkillers I went for a jog down holes bay. The run itself wasn't too painful as long as I could run in a straight line - any deviation or side step sent shooting pains down my leg. Ran for about 40 minutes then spent the next hour or so getting my socks off. By the time I'd showered I'd started to seize up so after a further hour and a half I gave up on socks..and shoes...and trousers... Much chillyer afternoon than I had planned but home now and hopefully another evening lying motionless on the floor will work wonders.

Training - Day 42

Today was a rest day and we had booked a family badminton session up at the gym. I'm not saying that I am overly competitive (ahem!) but I now have a sore back and am taking anti-inflammatories to get me back on track for tomorrow's 40 minute jog. I feel frustrated - but I've only got myself to blame.....

Training - Day 41

It's arrived, the big run of the week, 15 miles!! I've spent no time researching alternative routes so I'm going with the usual route, twice. That's Creekmoor, past Upton House, down Blandford Road through Hamworthy, over the bridge, past Asda, along Holes bay, past McDonalds (smells so nice...), past the water works (smells not so nice...) past Cabot lane, up to Beechbank Road and back to Creekmoor - twice. Neither Joss nor I were looking forward to it and Joss had been ill in the week so was more wary than usual. I think it's important to try things in these training runs to see if they will help in the real thing, so I decided that as well as carrying water at my hip, I would carry an extra bottle of water in my hand, to get used to the weight. I now have a right forearm that Popeye would be proud of and a shoulder so sore that I can't reach up to scratch my ear. A limited success I think it's fair to say, but proved that I could do it. It was a hard, hard slog in the cold and the rain, boosted momentarily by Neil beeping loudly on his horn as he drove past. Luckily the windows were up so I couldn't hear him laughing - I was especially grateful because at that point I still had 8 miles to go - I'm just glad he didn't see me at the end. There was still time for some hilarity at the end as Joss and I attempted to 'stretch out' our aching limbs - we looked like badly made robots trying to gracefully get to the floor but without any moveable joints, so in fact we just tumbled like felled trees and lay there for 10 minutes or so justifying who was in more pain Kieren then came into the room with a look that said 'so this is the healthy option?'- you just had to laugh!!

Training - Day 40

Today was different from previous Friday's in that I could choose between 30 minutes x-Training or rest. I could say that as the car was in for an MOT I decided that I didn't have time to train - but that would be me in a great big lie. I had the time , just not the inclination. Legs are still aching and with the big run of the week coming tomorrow, I decided discretion was the better part of valour

Training - Day 39

When Kieren was ill yesterday evening, we thought it was a 1 off. Then Joss was ill this morning so it's an epedemic. Full of sympathy and empathy, I have managed to avoid them for most of the evening - I can't let it stop my training, can I? ;-) Today was a 30 minute jog and I'm starting to get concerned about whether I'm developing shin-splints - they really hurt throughout the workout. I did lots of stretching afterwards and soaked for ages in the bath but still don't know if I'll be ready for Saturday's run. It's a rest day tomorrow and they do say time is a great healer - I just wish I had a bit more of it...Still, if it was easy, what would be the point?

Training - Day 38

I've created a new game for the gym - you have heard of blind man's bluff, well this one is called "Brave Man's Bladder". Let me fill you in: Today the schedule had me down to do 14 x 400m sprints - no easy task by any means. Hence you need to make the task more 'interesting' so the preparation comes much earlier in the day. What you do is agree to do some tremendously boring task at work, which has to last the whole afternoon. In order to break the monotony, you take little breaks to the coffee area and fill up on tea and water. You then go to the gym and go onto the treadmill for an exercise that lasts 60 minutes. For the first 10, your calf muscles are screaming and your thighs hurt. The next 10 minutes are much the same but there starts to be a nagging feeling that something isn't going well and that you've forgotten something. At 30 minutes you have a Eurika moment - you haven't had a pre-match wee. Minutes 30-40 go by with much less emphasis on the legs and much more on the bladder. The last 20 minutes you seriously consider whether anyone would notice if you filled up the water bottle as you run but decide the mess you would make probably wouldn't go down well. Finally as the 60 minutes tick over, you leave the treadmill, double your speed to the toilets, leaving towels and bottles behind and leaving onlookers thinking there's been a fire drill. 60 minutes of pain - 10 minutes of bliss aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh

Training - Day 37

I had to make up some time in work today so didn't get to the gym until 5:30 ish for a 30 minute cycle. It was worse that I could have imagined - it was FULL of people!!! I'm not used to it and I don't like it!! The scene was like that from an American College film set where evryone goes to their allotted clan - you had all the sporty blokes in one corner, showing where the exercises work by constantly taking their shirts off. In the opposite corner are the you girls who have turned up in full make up without a bead of sweat between them. Then there are the old ladies walking backwards on the treadmills not quite sure what they're doing or how any of this electrickery works. And finally, the grumpy old blokes with ill-fitting gym clothes and a bad attitude to all around them. I found them, slotted in and felt at home......

Training - Day 36

It's almost as if I'm programmed to not learn. Another late schoolnight has meant a particularly unpleasant Monday - not that many Mondays are all that welcome. Feeling tired all day, I was pleased to leave work early (no surprise there) to firstly take Eloise home (as she is on crutches) and then to a 40 minute jog at the gym. Again Joss decided to show me up for running the same length of time as me. All through it I wasn't sure which I disliked the most: was it the aching knees, the nagging right leg or just the boredom of running on the spot for 40 minutes. I would run outside but the Saturday runs are pounding the joints so much I think the soft treadmills are the way forward. If I can get a good night's sleep I reckon I can find my enthusiasm again - I haven't checked down the back of the settee yet

Not Training - Day 35

Rest Day today so it's a lie in and relax day. A bit of shopping, visit the parents and then back home for a MEDICINAL glass of red wine - I've read there's concentrated vitamin C in it - Hoorraayy !

Training - Day 34

A sober night preceded this morning and I remembered everything that went wrong from last week. Make sure that all delicate parts were completely protected, and instead of tea, a nice pint of water (with some paracetamol) accompanied my porridge and banana. I decided to wear my Max Wall trousers and after much, much arguement Joss convinced me I didn't need to wear shorts over them. I was worried about modesty but the cold and the wind took care of that for me. I do think, however, that it was a little unnecessary for Joss to ride ahead of me wearing a placard with an arrow pointing to me and a sign saying "Nothing to see here". A hurt that cuts a little deeper when you realise that she wrote it BEFORE she knew what the weather was going to be like. Still away from that - 8 miles ran , powerade tried and successful, and it felt pretty good, apart from the afore mentioned wind which I think is safe to say, Joss especially did not like ;-)

Training - Day 33

Today was the first time I've ever played smelly-man chess. Surely you have heard of it - the rules are so simple. What you do, is go onto an end treadmill for a warm up in a completely empty gym. Then you wait 2-3 minutes to allow the smelly man (yes, same one from last week) to get on the treadmill next to you. Part of the fun is that ALL of the other treadmills are free, but he has still picked the one next to you - check. I castled by cutting the warm up short and moving to an upright bike. He then counters by leaving the treadmill and sitting on the bike RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU - check again. Master-stroke time - I then slapped the handlebars of the bike I was on and very audibly complained that it wasn't working properly and I deserved better from the membership fee. I then get off that bike and got on to another at the other end of the gym - he wasn't expecting that - check mate. Managed to cycle through 30 nervous minutes without further incident

Training - Day 32

I say training, but it is in fact the 2nd best day of the week - rest day. The Gods were smiling on me this morning as the alarm was forgotten, resulting in a full 45 minute lie in - bliss. Today has been a mostly hobbling day. Legs have ached - but no more than that. The fear that it could get worse was greater than the pain felt. Cycling tomorrow....

Training - Day 31

6 months ago I used to start running at 12 kmph and build upwards for 30 minutes. Since then I have been running longer and slower and so today's task of 6 x 400m at 12 kmph was absolute hell. I quickly ran out of breath and my legs killed - especially my calfs. My stride got so heavy that several times people right across the gym turned to make sure that the rampaging elephant that they heard didn't mow them down. Oh the shame of it!! The worry for me is that next wednesday I have to run 14 lots of 400m at this pace - how the blooming hell am I going to do that!!!!

Training - Day 30

Today was a x-train day so, even though I had a bad experience last week, I went for weights. Fully organised and prepared, I was in the gym by 7 a.m. and was glad to see it largely empty. One woman was on a bike, reading a book. As far as I'm concerned, if you're able to exercise AND read, your not exercising properly so I walked past her with a distainful look. 45 minutes later after exercising arms, back, chest and stomach I was glad to hit the mats. Someone was already on one of the mats so I cut off any chance of "friendliness" by dragging my mat to the other side of the room. Yes I know it's grumpy - but I hate small talk with people I don't know and the sooner people realise I'm not interested the better !! ;-)

Training - Day 29

Today was a 40 minute jog and I was definitely not looking forward to it. Went to the gym for the run as it's easier to monitor my speed. Getting changed every muscle in my legs / feet and even arms (?) ached. Audio book on full blast, I set off and you know what, this training lark might actually be working. What started as stabbing pains in feet and legs after 5 minutes started to ease and by 10 had completely gone. The last 30 was a comfortable jog - there must be method in the madness. The only annoying part was when stretching afterwards the managers decided to do a photo shoot right next to me (not at me obviously - they want to show the gym in a good light). Flashing blooming cameras all the time. There was no way that I was moving though so they had to adopt a football lineup stance to fit everyone into the space that was left next to me - that cheered me up no end Nothing funnier than seeing a dignatory squatting uncomfortably for their own ego ;-)

Training - Day 28

Spent last night celebrating the run with chips and wine. That was the mantra Joss and I chanted as we faced each hill or headwind. The true secret of my success. As a result, feeling a little sluggish today and grateful for the rest day that is a Sunday

Training Run - Day 27

So, today was the first outing for my new running pants and utiltiy holster style belt to carry my drink and energy gels. If I keep going at this rate I'll look like robocop by the time the race starts. The belt was a huge success and has given me confidence that I'll be able to carry all the stuff I'll need on race day. The pants were rather less successful - but you really don't want to know why. Maybe their first outing should have been on a lesser run that the 13 miles of today!!! I started off quicker than last week with the thought that I'd probably slow down to a reasonable pace which would stop me speeding up at the finish. The wind didn't help but the moans from Joss as she rode into its teeth served to buck me up. Again the last 2 miles were very painful and I wish that I didn't live on a hill becase all roads leading home are uphill and that is the last thing you need. Nothing quite matches that feeling of elation / relief when the 13 mile counter finally ticks over. The time was good but I was completely spent at the end. Stretching afterwards produced a level of tears / wimpering that really doesn't befit any one other than a six year old girl. A bath seemed to ease the pain it's just a shame that the batchroom is upstairs because it took me 20 minutes to negotiate the 15 steps downstairs. At this moment I simply can't envisage me running that far, turning around and running back. These next 13 weeks of training must be miracle workers

Training - Day 26

It takes all different sorts of things to wake different people in the morning. We've all got our preferences. Some people like the smell of coffee, some the sound of rain against the window. For me, it is the eye popping smell of an old man exercising next to me. That unmistakeable heady combination of tobacco, cumin and a trace of wee is just the sort of cocktail I need when I'm gasping for air whilst doing some weights. Difficult as it was through the tears in my eyes, I wished him a good workout as I hurried away to be sick. The only consolation was that he didn't follow me to the mats because my stretching takes ages and had he joined me at the start of it, it may well have finished me off. May have to rethink what I do on these Cross - Training days.....

Training - Day 25

REST DAY! REST DAY! REST DAY! How I look forward to Thursdays. I even managed to eat a running book-recommended bagel for lumch - life doesn't get much better than this!

Training - Day 24

It's surprising what 8 hours of uninterrupted alcohol - free sleep can do for you - I woke up feeling almost human - I did say almost.... Today was my first day of the year back at work so it came as an even greater pleasure to leave early to go to the gym. Today was interval speed runs - 12 x 400m with a 2 minute gap between each run. Much harder than yesterday - I must have looked a right fool though because at the end of each run I had to write the time down the time because by the time I'd downed some water I'd forget what time I had to start again. A mixture of adrenalin and old age I guess. The age theory was confirmed as I pulled a calf muscle whilst doing the stretching exercises designed to stop me pulling muscles. I don't think it's too bad though and tomorrow is a rest day so should be ok

Training - Day 23

So last night was the last night of my holiday. The kids were going to school today though so it meant a 6:30 rise. The only sensible way forward would be an early night....but the cricket's on, surely watching an over or so wouldn't harm? So, at 2 am I figure now's the time to get to bed and after an hour of getting to sleep and 3.5 hours solid sleep I awoke thoroughly exhausted. Just the right condition for the 30 minute cycle. I waded through treacle for the full 30 minutes and after Joss woke me up on the stretching mats I was glad I had done it. Hopefully tomorrow's sprints will involve more sweating and less snoring....

Training - Day 22

It's official - I've hurt my foot. To be fair it wasn't bad through today's 40 min jog but this evening the top of my left foot is aching. I do admit that sitting through AFCB nervously winning today as both feet froze over may have had something to do with it but it's worth it for a win. At the gym 2 women started to cycle in front of me and for the 20 minutes they were there, not a bead of sweat was shed between them and I was thankful my audio book drowned out their constant chatting. If you want to get fit, go to the gym, if you want to catch up, bu$$er off to the coffee shop.

Training - Day 21

Yes, I know it's my fault. I have re-read the running book and I can't find the page that says ifyou miss any training through illness you can make it up by running 11 miles like a madman. So, the pain in my foot and my hip probably could have been avoided. Still it's a rest day today so won't know the full extent of my stupidity until tomorrow - I can't wait !!!

Training - Day 20

Every Saturday is a big training day - and today is the biggest so far. I've followed all the recommended techniques - stayed up late - check, drank loads of wine the night before - check. The alarm went off at 8 and I was eating my porridge by 8:30. At least that part went to plan. Run time was 10:15 and we needed all of that time to get me, Joss and Betty the bike ready. Weather was perfect for running but today's 11 miles would be the longest I'd ever run. Betty has a basket on the front and it was full of water and carb gels to get us through. The hardest part for Joss was balancing whilst holding out a drink or gel for me - we had a couple of handovers dodgier than the the UK relay team but no casualties. We went from home, to Upton, through Hamworthy, back to home then around Creekmoor to finish. With 3 miles to go my over-confidence spilled over and I thought I could have a little bit of a sprint finish. That lasted a creditable mile and a half before my legs asked "Excuse me, but what do you think you are doing?". So that last 1.5 miles was blooming agony, not helped by a steep inclined finish. But I am alive and only slightly walking like the 100 year old that my legs feel - tomorrow's a rest day - thank goodness!