Filed under: 5k, gym, half marathon training, Reading Half Marathon, running | Tags: 5k challenge, half marathon training, Reading Half Marathon, run, running
After a two-week period of very little exercise – I managed only a couple of gym sessions featuring the 5k challenge (I’m down to 26:47, which isn’t brilliant but is ok after being unwell) – it’s approaching decision-time on the Reading half marathon. I so desperately want to break two hours but with various bugs, cold weather and a holiday coming up, this might not be my year! Do I run it and accept it won’t be a PB and just try to enjoy it, or do I defer my place to next year and hope I’m better prepared?
Sean (Mr Audiofuel) and Angela reckoned I should give it a go anyway. Good to meet them both in the flesh for the first time on Tuesday evening, though the less said about the 8k run up and down the canal near Sean’s, the better, quite honestly. After one of those days at work that featured “lunch” at 4.30pm, I wasn’t in the best frame of mind for it! But Sean’s post-run pimped up pizza and a glass or two of wine more than made up for it. Thanks guys.
I followed up with a couple more gym sessions this week – one light one with my Mum on Friday encouraging how to use some new machines to help her recover after a knee op, and one heavier session featuring a good sweaty spin and some leg weights yesterday.
This morning, Phil and I tackled a longer run – 7.8 miles incorporating a little bit of off-road near where we live. Apart from puffing up the horrible hill which kicked in at about the six-mile point and a little twinge in my left knee which is becoming a regular thing, I felt reasonably good. Time was 1:15:31 which, if I could sustain it for 13 miles, would bring me in at around 2:04 or 2:05.
I’d feel happier with more than three more weeks to train, but I feel slightly more positive about it than I did a couple of weeks ago. Sooooo, I’m in…as long as I don’t fall over/get run over/keel over before then.
Filed under: 5k, food, gym, running | Tags: beef Stroganoff, Cafe Pushkin, Moscow, running, Russia, treadmill
I spent the first part of this week in Russia with work – Moscow this time for a summit with clients and their Russian agency. It’s a long way to go for a day-long meeting, and you seem to spend another two days getting there and back, but I’m awfully lucky to be able to say I’ve been.
On the second night, our colleagues had arranged a pub crawl with a difference, taking in the Metro, a seedy little bar full of men where the vodka arrived in tumblers, Red Square/Kremlin walls/Lenin’s mausoleum and a traditional cafe with local snackage to accompany more vodka. We ended up in a smart restaurant – the Cafe Pushkin – where I had beef Stroganoff. Proper Russian, me.
I confess I offloaded some of the vodka on my colleagues as I really struggle to drink neat spirits, and took it reasonably easy on the wine. I even bailed early so I could get some much-needed kip while some of the others ended up in a bar snorting sambuca. I felt very smug the next morning, and went to the hotel gym for a blast on the treadmill before pick-up.
(For the record – 5k challenge in 27:15, compared to 27:05 the previous Saturday in the UK).
Unfortunately, I have not been rewarded with good karma. Instead, I’ve been struck down with a horrible tummy bug. I made it into work yesterday, lasted an hour and gave up to come home to bed for the rest of the day. Today, I’ve worked, but haven’t left the house. Phil’s cooking curry and drinking beer, and I couldn’t be less interested in consuming either, let alone in getting up off the sofa.
I deduce from this two things:
1) next time, I might as well stay out.
2) this half-marathon training really isn’t going too well.
Filed under: 5k, gym, Janathon, running, walking | Tags: 5k, commuting, Janathon, King's Cross, running, walking in London
I seem to have some catching up to do on the blog. It’s been a busy week, with trips to Staines, Warrington and Huddersfield. I know, the glamour…
However, in between times, I reckon I have mastered the art of efficient walking down busy streets in London and through a packed King’s Cross at rush hour. One must walk quickly and purposefully with eyes – and this bit is important – fixed on some unspecified point in the middle distance. One must not, under any circumstances, make eye contact with another commuter coming in the other direction. This is a sign of weakness and almost always results in having to change the course of one’s own trajectory, therefore reducing efficiency.
In other Janathon news, my vital statistics for the working week:
Monday – gym for around 50 minutes, incorporating 5k in 28:08 mins
Tuesday – three miles walking
Wednesday – four miles walking
Thursday – four miles walking + gym for 1 hour
Friday – four miles walking
At the end of last year, I made some sort of sweeping statement about getting my 10k time down below 50 minutes. I haven’t made much progress in this respect.
Instead, I’ve been using my sporadic visits to the gym when I’m not spinning to monitor my 5k times (historically a lazy 30 mins). My last attempt was on Friday, and I did the 5k in 25:41. I was sweating profusely by the end of it, and I’m pretty sure a few people actively avoided coming anywhere near me.
My times are going in the right direction, but would probably get there a bit quicker if I went more often…
- 28 May – 28:02
- 5 May – 27:24
- 8 May – 27:01
- 29 May – 26:01
- 17 July – 25:41
After a spinning class and two sessions at the gym last week, (5k challenge completed in 27:24 and 27:01 on Tuesday and Friday respectively), P and I went off for a nice sunny run on Saturday morning. We headed off down the river to Dinton Pastures, did a loop around the first lake and then came back again.
And jolly lovely it was too – sunny and warm, lush and green. A complete transformation from winter-time. The only fly in the ointment was…well…all the flies. They hang around the river and lakes, until you approach then they make a beeline for your eyes, nose and mouth and finally come to a messy end – either suffocated somewhere in your digestive tract or drowned in the sweat running down your face. Sunnies and Sars mask next time, methinks.
Run completed in 49 minutes on the nose. That’s quicker than it has been in the past; previously it’s taken nearly 46 minutes to do to Dinton Pastures and back, and this was nearly a mile further – so I think that’s good. Felt comfortable too, which made it all the more satisfying.
Filed under: 5k, running, spinning | Tags: 5k challenge, Amberley, breathing, gym, Harting, running, Shoreham-on-Sea, south downs way, spinning, Steyning
I’ve been a bit quiet on the old blog recently – a combination of a busy period at work and more interesting things to do at weekends.
Haven’t made it to British Military Fitness recently because of work commitments, but have been back to the gym and done a couple of runs (early-morning 5k challenges – 28:02 last week, and 27:24 this week), some weights, stretches – and also a couple of spinning classes in the past two weeks.
Last weekend, we caught up with some friends down south and walked part of the South Downs Way (around 20 miles from Harting to Amberley on day one, and 12/13 miles from Amberley to the A283 (somewhere between Steyning and Shoreham-on-Sea on day two). We’ll go back do the rest down to Eastbourne/Beachy Head another time. Good to make the most of the weekend sunshine, and witness the 3 Forts Challenge runners on Sunday. I wouldn’t have wanted to run 27 miles around the South Downs (more up than down in many places) – so well done them.
I definitely feel fitter than I did last year – though this isn’t based on any scientific analysis. I’ve lost about half a stone since Christmas, which I’m pleased about; the walking/cycling expeditions haven’t been as hard on me physically as I thought they would be; and running hills is definitely easier than it was.
However, I continue to be frustrated at my lack of ability to run any faster. Despite some sprint training at British Military Fitness classes, and at least some effort to increase my speed through 5k and 10k challenges on the treadmill – I really do struggle to accelerate much beyond my standard ten-minute mile pace over any sort of distance.
I have noticed that I seem to puff a lot harder than people around me, and wonder if sorting out my breathing would actually unlock the speed demon inside me that is trying to get out. Any hints and tips gratefully received…
Filed under: 5k, British Military Fitness, food, gym, Pulse8, spinning, X-bike | Tags: anna friel, british rmilitary fitness, gym, jonathan ross, running, sauna, spa, spinning
As I said to a few people at work today, I’m really trying to like the snow, but I can’t get away from the fact that it’s just so flipping cold. I can cope with this when I’m wrapped up all warm on a ski slope, clutching a mug of hot chocolate and tanning my panda-eyed face in the mountain sun – but it’s just annoying when you’re trying to get on with your normal day-to-day life, it’s chucking down half-snow-half-rain, it’s not quite bad enough to shut the office or cancel meetings, so you carry on, your feet are soaked, people are still driving up your backside even though they’re skidding all over the shop and the underground is closed. Why is that? I mean, it is – by definition – beneath the snow line.
This week has been a bit crap exercise-wise. Monday brought chaos to the roads and I needed to see the doctor first thing for another whopping dose of antibiotics. Tuesday wasn’t much better. I managed a spinning class on Wednesday, was in London all day Thursday and got up this morning – intending to go to the gym – but then I looked out of the window, decided I didn’t fancy de-snowing the car at 6am…and I went back to bed for an hour and a half.
I decided enough was enough this evening, and headed to the gym on the way home from work instead. I’ve never done this before. I have a fabulous pre-9am membership at Pulse8 which costs just £22 per month. I go before work for a spinning class, or circuits or a run – and it works well for me. My visit in the evening was most confusing – the place looked more or less the same, but all the people were different. And there were considerably more of them.
Anyway, did the 5k challenge = 26:55.
Then some upper body weights – Red Bucket tells me he’s doing some work on his arms before our ski trip. My arms are weak.
Then about 20 minutes on one of the X-bikes – did a random routine in time to whatever appeared on my iPod. That worked quite well.
Finally, I loafed in the sauna and spa pool for a while.
I have to say, it was rather nice to not have to rush around and get to work afterwards. I’m home now, feeling all tingly after my workout and full after my omelette and several handfuls of chocolate chips (had to raid the baking cupboard for those as I’m all out of Lindt balls).
I’ve got one eye on Jonathan Ross and Anna Friel drinking some foul-smelling green juice. Presumably she lives on that in order to stay so skinny. And I’m trying to decide whether to brave British Military Fitness in the morning, or be a wuss and go to the gym…
