Benefits of running partners Pt.2 and other boring guff

A good weekend, albeit tough today, highlighting another benefit of a running partner but also what could be viewed as a drawback. A slightly dicky tummy threatened to derail yesterdays planned 11 mile run but luckily my running partner had a couple of spare Imodium which spared any potential blushes or detours into bushes. Now don’t get me wrong I don’t mind squatting down in a bush but it wouldn’t have been pretty yesterday. So thanks Stu. Turned out the run was in beautiful autumn sunshine again despite a horrific hail storm minutes before departure. Plan for this morning was 20 miles on Veera in about an hour and a half with an hour run as the meat in the sandwich. Best laid plans do not work out though. Despite bonus points for the Imodium yesterday my running partner also suggested a route for me to try sometime so I thought I’d try it out today. So off me and Veera set on a windy Llanelli day and I was well aware it would be a testing route but not quite as testing as it was, eminently doable but is probably about 5 miles of uphill from mile 3 to 11. http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/105041743?country=gb&lang=en&measure=imperial By the time I hit the major downhill back into Llanelli, and bearing in mind will be doing an extra run tomorrow as have been persuaded to join local club at long last, I decided to scrap the run and carry on with Veera round the cycle path and home. Was tough into a strong headwind blowing in from the east and then at mile 23 a puncture. A quick phonecall home to let them know I was running late I manned up and declined the offer to be picked up and got to work on changing the inner tube. Was going swimmingly until frozen fingers made getting the tyre back on a struggle, luckily a kind man with hid chocolate lab stopped to give me a hand. People are nice. Home in 2 hours 18 mins excluding pitstop time and with 26.2 miles on the clock. Can’t say I enjoyed it really but was a tidy workout and took me and Veera to 2022 miles for the year. Have given her a good clean now so hopefully she will behave herself for a while. So with all that, a day sending money to Santa yesterday and a lovely roast cooked by my beautiful wife this afternoon am another weekend closer to IAPL, Born to Run 2013, Christmas and my 40th birthday celebrations. Tidy!

Don't stop me now!

I am really getting my shit together here Look at this organising stuff photo for IAPL: Nice 7.49 mile run this morning, sods law meant I dressed up for the hail, wind and rain that has been lashing down for the last 24 hours and ended up running in bright Autumn sunshine. Can't complain though even though my running partner's endomondo logged basically the same run at 30 seconds a mile faster how did that work, granted he met me after he had done half a mile and I carried on a mile after him but... No benefits there then but watch this space, there will be a part two promise.

Benefits of a running partner Pt.1

Is bloody horrible out there today, really don't want to go out, hail and wind and stuff (there is actually no stuff I am just saying it to help paint the picture, artistic license applies). I am not saying I wouldn't man up and get out for the planned 7 miles by myself but the fact I have organised to meet one of my random running partners reallly does help, this is not the first time this has happened, it did just last Saturday actually. So there it is 'The benefit of running partners Pt. 1' also to be known as 'Stating the bleeding obvious Pt.1' but am just trying to get used to blogging regularly again so anything goes... Bet you can't wait for Pt.2 :-)

Now ladies and gentlemen. what you have been waiting for....

Top tune, I do feel good and strong! (today) Really this time I am going to get back to blogging regularly. I feel that today being the start of another month has bought my 'I am Premier League'(IAPL) challenge even closer. Well it is actually bloody obvious it has bought it closer but my Spidey senses are sharpening and it just seems a little more real than it did yesterday.If you know me you more than likely know about the challenge but just in case you don't you can click here I need to start getting things down though so one day I can look back and say oh yeah that was fun or shit that was a bad day. My main problem though is as I go through the day I have loads of ideas about things to blog and then I sit down and they have all gone. My short term memory is bloody rubbish, I blame my lifestyle between the ages of 15 and 35 but that is a whole other story and certainly not one to be aired before the watershed ;-) So this is the start of my journey documenting my training for IAPL via my 40th Birthday, Christmas Shenanigans in Rogerson Towers, trips to Londinium, a few races to be run at easy pace (I will not listen to the little voices in my head), organising and staging my ultra and the whole work and family thing. Am currently building up from a rather gay broken toe which led to 4 weeks not running and lots of miles on Veera. Have been back running about 6 weeks I think, am now up to two 10 milers on a weekend and plan on adding a mile on per week on a Sunday through to January and stick at 12 on a Saturday. Apart from that will be one 10 miler a week, a few 6-8 milers and loads more miles on Veera, nothing can prepare me proplerly for what I am taking on I guess so am just looking to get plenty of miles on tired legs without breaking myself and really pushing the Veera miles. Today was a Veera day, a nice 25 mile loop apart from what I thought was a bit of fun at 5 miles when I went through a flood on the Marsh Road which was about a foot deep and soaked my feet which then turned to blocks of ice by about mile 12 and were very very uncomfortable by the end, wont be doing that again. So basically this is it, don't expect blogs about the state of the world (dpn't get me started) or my views on anything deep and meaningful, just lots of today I ran or Veera'd x amount of miles, it was great/average/shit because I was/wasn't tired/hungover/full of manflu. x

Train Smart

Sometimes life gets in the way despite your best intentions. Yesterday was a prime example. Was supposed to be an 11 mile day but with Laura not finishing work and arriving home until half seven I knew running in the morning was out of the question and that I couldn’t do it home from work because I would not be home in time to have tea with the family before Laura had to go back to work. There are sacrifices I am willing to make but has to be something completely unavoidable to miss family tea time.

So with Liz yelling’s personal advice to train smart (did I mention that before ;-) ) still at the forefront of my mind I ended up doing the following:

Plan – 11 miles starting @ PMP+20% (9mm) with last 5 @ PMP+10% (8.15mm)

Done – 6 mile cycle to work
6 mile cycle home
5.5 mile run straight off bike @ 7.50mm

Run was faster than I expected but had exactly 45 minutes to get out and back and was feeling extremely comfortable at that pace and wanted to feel as if I had done a workout you know? Could be a fair bit more plan adapting to come still but am feeling happy with progress at the moment.

In other news the inspectors have been and gone and decided we are a good college across all key areas, best we could hope for in my opinion only being just over a year into a merger with another college that is still causing a lot of division.

Also I may be taking Liz’s advice to train smart(did I mention that before ;-) ) a bit far but after skim reading the economist in work for the last 5 years I bit the bullet this week and subscribed for the princely sum of £1 for the first 13 episodes. What next? Watching the news? Don’t get me wrong I do keep up with current affairs as much as a business studies teacher should but have always been much of Sherlock’s mindset that bothering myself with things that I can’t affect are a waste of my energy. The Economist is a good read though so I thought why not. That is what Liz meant by train smart right? (did I mention that before ;-) )

Adios Amigos

Relax/Baggy Trousers

What were Frankie Goes To Hollywood all about then? For some reason something possessed me to get hold of their greatest hits earlier and can’t work out whether it was worth my time or should I have just got Welcome to the Pleasuredome, they weren’t great after that were they? And there are only 4 songs on there that really stand up although they are fantastically over the top. Then again maybe with a few more listens it will all work for me although saying that’ Ferry Across The Mersey’? I don’t think so! On the other hand also got Complete Madness, for about the 83rd time in my life, and that is a sure fire winner every time! What with getting the Ministry of Sounds Alternative 80s Anthems album last weekend is almost as if Old Grey Whistle Test has landed in my docking system

As for running has been a good first two days on the plan, 19 miles done, plus 12 on the bike and a core session, and all at bang on target pace of 8.30 for general runs and PMP+20% at the start of long runs and PMP+10% for last 5 miles. Feeling good but have had a titful of the wind now. Tomorrow may see running and cycling at recovery pace but Friday is going to be the tester when my only option I can see is going to be to run my 11 miler home from work leaving at quarter to five because of Laura’s shifts. Supposed to be 5 mile recovery Saturday and 15 miler with 7 @ PMP on Sunday, anyone recommend another way to fit the sessions in so I only do a short one Friday? No didn’t think so…

Anyways, until next time!

Shooting Stars never stop even when they reach the top…..

You can't knock a Double Decker

Summary of W/C 16/1/12

Mileage – 41.48 miles
Bike – 74.39 miles
Core sessions – 3
Weight loss – 2lbs

Exercise interrupting dogs – 0 (In fact there were some very considerate dog owners)
Another good week last week, not as many running miles as I may have liked but was important to recce the ultra route on the bike on Saturday hence the high miles there and lack of a long run. Really pleased I forced myself to do core session 3 before bed last night too, could this, my 40th year, finally be the year of the 6 pack, probably not but is another goal…..

Am on the Double Deckers and digestives tonight, before anyone shouts at me let me make it quite clear that his is like a final supper before the Llanelli plan starts tomorrow. I’m feeling highly motivated and got a personal message from me athlete of the year, Liz Yelling, on facebook last week, wishing me well and telling me to train smart.

So train smart I will…..

Mate in work thinks Star Bars rule?