Week 8/17

Day 50/119

2014: 

This is the reality of getting old - 2 days after drinking on Saturday I still feel rubbish

At no point throughout the 40 minute jog, the sit-ups, the stretching and even the shower was the possibility of me being sick completely gone

I'm such an idiot - how can I hope to keep this training lark up with such poor decision making

To be fair the constant threat of erupting did completely take my mind off any aches and pains and it was a comfortable run

Hoping to be feeling better tomorrow and get back on track

Start Weight - 84.4 kg
Last week Weight - 79.1 kg
Current Weight - 78.8 kg
Weekly Loss - 0.3 kg (totally undeserved)
Overall Loss - 5.6 kg

2011:
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 Saturday 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.....

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Day 51/119

2014:

Woke up still feeling rubbish - surely this must be more than just a reaction to the weekend ?

Today was going to be a 30 minute x-trainer and I was so out of sorts I didn't even nick the far x-trainer from the annoying old man

I just plumped for a middle machine behind 2 women on the treadmills trying to out skinny each other

Truly I struggled to see how they had the strength to stand let alone walk / run

My music managed to perk me up quite a bit and by the end of an uneventful 30 minutes I'd worked up a good sweat and felt pretty damn good

At the end of the stretches I noticed something about myself - when I bend down to pick up stuff (bottle / towel etc) I do it in such a was so as to pick up as many things I can with a single bend, just so I don't have to do it again

Pathetic isn't it ? Imagine what I'd be like WITHOUT the pilates.......

2011:

I managed to stay in bed all night last night so was feeling a little more rested. Saw the doctor this morning and have got some stronger painkillers and something to help me sleep. I've also been put forward for some treatment with a sports physiotherapist - first appointment next Monday so hopefully can get to the bottom of what's going on. I decided to take the day off exercise and instead went to watch Bournemouth win against Swindon. It certainly made me laugh to hear 7000 Bournemouth fans chant "Cheerio, Cheerio, Cheerio" to the 2 Swindon fans being escorted out of the stadium after only 9 minutes - hope it was worth the trip guys

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Day 52 / 119

2014:

It was another early start but I felt by far the best I've felt all week so was pretty confident for today's gruelling 16 x 400m "sprints"

I need to remind myself sometimes just how lucky I am

Yes compared to 3 years ago I feel like I've actually aged 20 years with my various ailments but NONE of the issues are down to my over-training like last time

I'm not going to go as far as saying it was easy but as the music filled my ears I clocked off 400m after 400m until, just over an hour later it was all over

Looking at the schedule, it was the last of the sprints as next week I start running midweek without breaks at faster than marathon pace

I think I'll stick to the gym on the wednesdays to protect my knees rather than go outside and although it doesn't offer me the isolation I enjoy on road runs, if it means I line up in October injury free it will all be worth it

2011:

The pills worked a treat last night so feeling much more confident about today. Tried a quick run on the way to the loo at work and my back held firm although my legs hurt. Note to self - make sure no-one is around next time before trying that!! So today was 16 x 400m sprints - the second hardest session of the week. I couldn't believe it - I thought that all this exercising was meant to make me fitter and it would all get easier. Instead I felt shattered after run 3. By the time I'd got to run 6 my legs were hurting and by run 10 I was feeling sick. Fortunately for me one of the poser gym instructors had started running next to me and the male ego kicked in - there was no way I was going to collapse and have to be rescued by him!! Made it to 16 and felt fantastically happy and relieved to have made it. Then went to the stretching mats and the only one that was free had someone on the rowing machine next to it. Inspiration hit me at this point. There's a room in the gym where they do classes but there was no class at the moment. I took the fact that the doors being unlocked meant "Come in here if you want", so I did. It was brilliant!! No rubbish music to get on my wick and being miles away from everyone else. It was like a grumpy's paradise and one that I shall be visiting again and often!!

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Day 53 / 119

2014:

An episode of "Long Lost Families" meant it was an early night last night so I woke up feeling good enough to get back on the Pilates horse before my 30 minute jog

I had the pleasure of Joss' company on the treadmill next to me and as she ran for longer, and at a faster pace, I can't help but feeling I'm cheating my way to the marathon starting line

Again absolutely no training pains - just my back and right leg hurting from just being old

I had the bonus of my favourite, isolated stretching mat being free for afterwards and the icing on the cake was that the light right above it which normally has the strength of the sun had completely blown - bliss

I have to admit, though, I had an absolute howler getting changed

I've taken to wearing flip-flops/sandals in the shower as I was fed up of hearing idiots bringing up phlegm whilst showering and there is an after shower routine I've got into of drying the insides so I'm not bringing loads of water to the benches

As I finished drying the first, I dropped it to the floor and it bounced and flew into the next cubicle

I was horrified - had I just committed the worst "come on" in gym history?

Thankfully, the cubicle had just been vacated but I moved quicker to retrieve it than I've moved at any point during these training weeks.....

2011:

I was meant to do some jogging today but the only time I had for exercise was first thing in the morning and jogging and early starts just don't go together. So, I went on the bike and did a 30 minute hill climb. Whilst there, I recognised a guy that used to go to my previous gym. He's in his 50's and trains old school. Slicked back hair, white vest top tucked into army style tight jogging trousers. He walks around with a swagger and at the old gym he used to be part of a gang of similar minded / kitted guys. When they got together they always tried to outdo each other with tales of extreme training until it got to the point where they would just grunt at each other and say things like "Run ....Ice ....Fire...Mountains..Grrrrr!!!"  I did consider engaging him in my tales of exercising but feared I'd end up using too many conjunctions for him and I'd hate to see the look of disappointment on his face as I described my niggly back. Instead I went into "what I call" (something for Miranda fans) my room and did some stretching. Not quite back to fitness yet - but getting there

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Day 54 / 119

2014:

It was x-trainer day today and I decided to go for weights again - it was another poor choice but I really can't think of anything that isn't too tiring for the legs except swimming - maybe I'm going to have to get over my "old people swimming" phobia

I was just rubbish - I went through the motions but no real sweat was earned or deserved

Chest, back and shoulders exercises done and off to sit-ups and stretching

Did I mention sharing a bottle of red last night? I'm sure that had nothing to do with my lethargy, probably

Oh well, the day is done now - just need to make sure I'm back on track tomorrow

2011:

Rest day - hooorrraaayyy!! I have a knotted feeling in my left calf and my right thigh hurts so just as well. Tried to jog over to Mammy's Baps at lunchtime (not as exciting as it sounds) and that was a mistake. Still - managed to get through the day so far without any painkillers so a definite step forward. Joss ran for a whole hour at the gym today - it's still not too late to enter.....

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Day 55 / 119

An early start, for a change, brought great cheer to my heart

I looked out the window and IT WAS DRIZZLING AND COOL

I honestly couldn't have asked for better running weather and hoped that the elements would be this kind when I came to do the runs longer than today's 10 miles

I enjoyed the energy bar last week so had that again with a banana as my pre-match snack

At 6:05 precisely (me? OCD ? never) I was on the road pounding my slow way around Poole

Mum came good hanging water out for me at 3 miles and the 2 energy gels I took did the job perfectly

Without doubt the best and easiest run so far

I even enjoyed the one guy that robotically run past me one way then do the same back past me

I don't think I've ever seen someone look less like a runner but as he flew past me I just had to think - fair play to you - you look rubbish,  but you're still better than me

It felt so good walking around Poole later in the morning without the need of a zimmer frame but I'm keeping my enthusiasm in check - next week is 19 miles so will be a very different prospect

2011:

Woke early this morning happy to see that the wind had died down....no hold on...it's blowing a gale - Brilliant!!! We set off at around 9:15 for today's 10 miles and within the first few yards my left calf and right thigh was already hurting  - this was never going to be pleasant even though it is 7 miles less than last week and 9 miles less than next!! It started with the wind in our faces, having to get up the hill by Upton House on the way up to Upton. As we approached it I could hear Joss chanting "Hurry up dear, Hurry up dear" Cheeky s*d I thought. It was only when she'd fully caught me up that I realised she was actually saying "Curry and beer, Curry and beer" - that was to be our mantra for the whole way round. To be fair the Gods were with us and the wind  not too bad - except for the first half of the holes bay part of the run. Oh my goodness. I was running like the clappers but seemed to be going nowhere. I fared better than Joss though as at one point I swear she was going backwards. As we rounded the corner though the wind started to help and after we'd gone past that we passed a woman on a bike coming the other way. Joss loudly cackled in a pantomime witch way thinking of what this poor woman had to face. We made it to the end and although Joss happily remarked that it wasn't too bad, that was undoubtedly the hardest most painful run I have done. How have I lost the 7 miles I did last week? and how am I going to find another 9 for next week? As the mantra goes, it's beer and curry tonight, I'll worry about next week's run later

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Day 56 / 119

2014:

A rest day is a very precious thing and for once it's a day without a hangover - this weekend really couldn't get any better :-)

2011:

End of week 8 and today's a rest day. My legs are hurting and so is my head - although that's nothing to do with exercise and more to do with yesterday's curry and beer. Today is mostly about lounging.....

Week 7/17

Day 43/119

2014; 
Another week - more tiredness

After the morning's usual debacle (pilates) I left for the gym feeling I'd left something behind

As I sat in the car.... WATER - I'd forgotten my water - thank goodness I remembered

I walked in just as Joss was finishing up and as I emptied my pockets of phones etc to get on with my 40 minute jog - where was the blooming pager ??

I know I put it in my pocket so Joss came to the rescue and searched the car - nothing

Then she dashed home and after much searching found it wedged between the cushions on the settee

While this was going on I was jogging and I have to say that panic must be a real pain-killer as I felt nothing bad those 20 minutes

Maybe for the marathon someone should whisper, just as I start, that the brewery making Doombar had gone bust and while I fretted about that I could have a pain free run :-)

To be fair the latter 20 minutes was also pain free and if it wasn't for the fact that my legs hurt for the remainder of the day, I'd be hard pushed to reconcile that I'd exercised at all

Start Weight - 84.4 kg
Last week Weight - 81.6 kg
Current Weight - 79.1 kg
Weekly Loss - 2.5 kg
Overall Loss - 5.3 kg

2011:
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 chillier afternoon than I had planned but home now and hopefully another evening lying motionless on the floor will work wonders

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Day 44/119

2014:
I know I have banged on already about being tired but today really did top it all

After a shocking night's sleep due to the heat I felt like death warmed up

It was just as well I was working from home as my visage would have been enough to curdle the milk

It was x-trainer day today and I was determined to get the end trainer just to foil the old man that keeps getting in Joss' way

I even had to throw away all my principles and become the ultimate gym ***** (I know, I probably had that title anyway) and go next to another guy despite there being free machines down the line

This gesture was all the more gut wrenching and disappointing as he turned up only a minute after I'd  finished

He didn't even have to blooming wait

A rubbish end to quite frankly a poor workout - no energy - little effort - I'm going to have to do MUCH better than this tomorrow

2011:
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.....

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Day 45/119

2014:

Today it was sprints and I was up to 16

Luckily, despite another heat wave of a night I slept well enough to get up for Pilates so that I could loosen my back

Again Joss was finishing as I started - I swear she does it on purpose !!

As I started running I felt a stone or something in my left shoe so I took it off but found nothing

Off came the sock and still nothing

I then had a dawn of realisation - despite my back being loosened a bit there was no way I could stand up and put them back on with any grace and all the machines behind me were loaded

Blast - 2 minutes later and NOONE was left in any doubt just how old I was.....

The run started again and instantly I felt the stone again - I wasn't going through that again so I just had to run with it

As I was running it was clear that the manufacturer of my particular treadmill was a sadist

What kind of maniac has the 2nd decimal place in the distance readout 2mm above all of the other digits????

It was an OCD nightmare

I made it though all the runs almost pain free and I attribute that purely to this distraction 

No matter how hard I tried I just couldn't stop staring at it

A blessing in disguise? Not as far as I'm concerned - I'll be fretting over that all night ...

2011:

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?

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Day 46/119

2014:

In a radical move to beat the nighttime heatwave I slept downstairs as it was so much cooler

Unfortunately the advantage gain of the temperature was lost on comfort and so I awoke with my back in bits

Pilates jsut seemed to make it worse but I was determined to go to the gym as it was just an easy 30 minute jog

On a rare note of pleasure it was good to feel that my legs didn't hurt at any time and I didn't even have a shiny thing to distract me so it really counts this time

I had hoped it was going to be a rest day as the training seems to have been a bit full on but now I've done it I couldn't be happier - bring it on!!

2011:

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 ;-)

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Day 47/119

2014:

Today was a 30 minute cross trainer day but being a bit nervous about the run tomorrow I decided to opt for weights

Again I didn't really fit in with the real men lifting cars over their heads and the way I lifted / pushed / pulled I don't think there is a gym in the land Iwould have fitted into, unless you counbt the local jungle gym

Despite there being hardly a bead of sweat on me I knew this was goibng to hurt later on as I had a 5 minute loss of co-ordination in my arms - discovered when I went to take a drink and put the water bottle in my eye

Just as well there aren't mirrors everywhere so that the whole gym could see - D'oh!!!

Still, relatively unscathed I survived and have even gone to the shops to buy a pre run energy bar for tomorrow - I think in this heat I'm going to need it

2011:

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....

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Day 48/119

2014:

As we are getting to the nitty gritty now, I bought myself a pre run chocolate / fudge energy bar and had it in a cool bag by my bed as the alarm went off at 5am

I may not be the best runner, but preparation is something I don't lack - score one for OCD

I was on the road at 6:05 and it's fair to say that it was warm

I had 17 miles ahead of me and the only way I could avoid the heat was to get up even earlier and there was no way I could do that

Luckily, for the first 7.5 mile circuit I was mostly in shadow as the sun was low enough to be behind houses / trees etc and so I got round in a reecord slow time which was exactly what I was trying to do as I'd still been running too quickly previously

For the second lap, however, the sun was high in the sky and the temperature seemed to rise with every step

I kept taking the energy gels and plenty of liquid but it was really energy sapping

Sub-consciously I must have just wanted to get it all ovr and done with as I soon went from running 10:40 minute iles to 10:20 as an average for the whole run which really brought on some pain in the right hip

I started day-dreaming of ice cream and cold beer and somehow managed to lose a couple of miles with those lovely thoughts

Then my music volume dipped which meant I'd got a text

What if it was important ? I'd better look, Ithought

What it actually was was my calendar reminding me to run 17 miles today but as I looked at my watch I thought "actually, I've just got 1 mile left" 

A huge smile spread across my face and stayed there for the remaining run which much have looked bizarre to all on-lookers as the rest of me looked so ragged

I got to the end though, and it  took a full 30 minutes in a cold bath to rid me of the Swan Vesta look but it didn't matter - I'd done it!!

There are worse runs to come - but at least I'm on track for now

I did go to Poole again afterwards and I was fine as long as I wasn't going upstairs or downstairs, or forwards....or sideways...

I didn't actually try backwards - maybe I'll use that genius idea next time .....

2011:

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.....

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Day 49/119

2014:

Rest day today and after the belly-full of beer last night I'm not sure I even did this well. When will I ever learn.....

2011:

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...

Week 6/17

Day 36/119

2014: 
Due to work "issues" I decided to have a couple of drinks last night to try to guarantee a good night's sleep which backfired spectacularly as I lay there wide awake at 4:30 am

Not only was I knackered, I was a bit hung over too

Yes the perfect combination for a 40 minute jog

I still went to the gym and luckily there was a moment that made it all worth while

In fact it even started well as as I was in no immediate pain and as I joined a packed treadmill row the 2 on each side of me left

I must make sure I wear that aftershave again

But that wasn't it - my highlight came in the mirror from my hard working wife on the cross trainer.

Slogging away, the only person on the whole row as a little old man stepped on the machine next to her

She even did the full neck crane to the left to fully show that there were plenty of other machines he could use but he was having none of it

I was practically howling with laughter and was only brought to my senses by a woman in front of me on the stepper who, seeing ME in the mirror, thought I was laughing at her and gave me the "stare"

I didn't even care - totally worth it and added to an almost pain free run, just about my favourite gym visit so far

Start Weight - 84.4 kg
Last week Weight - 81.9 kg
Current Weight - 81.6 kg
Weekly Loss - 0.3 kg (absolutely hopeless)
Overall Loss - 2.8 kg

2011:
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

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Day 37/119

2014:
It was cross trainer day today and a task that had to be completed after work - never a great idea - any get up and go has already gone

I chose to ignore the perky "hope you enjoy your workout" rubbish and marched to the first cross trainer that was free from neighbours

Tomorrow it's sprint time so again I was a bit unsure how much to push it but decided to try a lot harder than my biking exploits

As it's a non impact exercise I  didn't go through the usual catalogue of pain which left me to people watch for the full 30 minutes

From the rhino in the corner toiling so slowly on the moving stair machine to the 20 something girl in front of me on a treadmill running at a pace that would give Mo Farah a run for his money

A full 30 minutes of pain free exercising over 6km - I wonder if I could convince the organisers that cross training was the way forward

2011:
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 everyone 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......

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Day 38/119

Another 4am rise meant that it was another shattering day

I just couldn't get back to sleep so I pottered around until the gym opened at 6am

It was the first time I'd been there at opening time and it was quite a sight

As I drove into the car park 20 car doors opened simultaneously and in a scene reminiscent of Dawn of the Dead, weary bodies disembarked and shuffled their way to the door.

It was good to know that I wasn't the only one suffering

I'd had the stroke of genius overnight of crashing out of bed and into the chest of drawers so as I started I couldn't quite be sure whether the pains in my knee and hip was from that or just general falling apartedness....

In fact I'd liken my running to a giant game of Jenga where one false move or step could bring everything else crashing around ears

Today was 14, count them, 14 12kmph 400m runs - last week it was 6 - what's that all about?

I had to run / walk next to a really unfit looking guy running faster and longer and let's face it, better than me but just for a change, slow as it was, my run was relatively pain free

Maybe this plan is starting to come together at last - I'll not lie, it's about blood time....

2011:
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

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Day 39/119

2014:
Today was a pilates / 30 minute jog day

The first went poorly as usual whereas the second was so much better than expected

No pains, no aches just a slooooow 30 minute jog without incident

YESSSSS

Probably the first time that it has gone so well and I couldn't be happier about it

If only I was allowed to celebrate with a well deserved drink - still too much weight to lose for that though

2011:
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?

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Day 40/119

2014:
So, I've made it a third of the way

I know I have been exercising well but it still seems like so much to achieve in a short space of time, and there are still so many opportunities for me to muck this up

Work decided to add to the "challenge" today by calling me at 3:50 am and lasting until 6 it meant there was no time to sleep before trudging to the gym

Today it was "do something other than running" day and with the start I'd had today it was always going to be cycling

I struggled through the whole 30 minutes although I wasn't in pain, just exhausted

Dispensing with the usual sit-up regime and went straight to what I like to call snetching - part stretching, mostly snoozing

An early night for me tonight - tomorrow is going to be a killer

2011:
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

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Day 41/119

2014:

As I slept through all of the thunderstorms and there were no pager calls in the night I woke up at 5am feeling as good as I was going to feel

Today's 15 miles was going to be achieved by running my normal circuit twice so I'd primed mum to hang 2 bottles of water on her back fence (at 3 and 10.5 miles respectively) and with another water bottle left on my doorstep and my "special" water waistcoat I figured hydration wasn't going to be a problem

I needn't have worried, though, as it absolutely poured down for the first half mile and stayed cloudy for the rest of the run so conditions couldn't have been any better

In fact, the first 7.5 miles was easily the most comfortable run I've had so far so I started to think that this training was paying dividends

I even had time to laugh at the hoards of shoppers streaming into the Next sale that started at 5am as I ran past

I mean, what kind of idiot gets up that time of day to go shopping - thought the guy that got up at the same time to run 15 miles to end up where he'd started

Good point, well made

It wasn't until the 2nd circuit that the hips and right thigh started to protest but even then nowhere near what has happened in the past

I was though, starting to suffer a bit running down the beautiful Holes Bay at 12 miles but my music selection stepped up to the plate by moving to Aloe Blacc's "I'm the man"

Now I'd be the first to admit that clearly I'm not "the man" but just for those 4 minutes, as I ran alone I felt that for that brief moment in time, maybe in fact I was :-)

Delusional or not, it really perked me up and I was able to stride "fairly" comfortably to the finish line

I still don't know where I'm going to find the extra distance and speed for a 4 hour marathon though so I can only assume the remaining weeks requires a trip to Hogwarts because witchcraft is clearly needed

After stretching and another breathless cold bath I felt ok although it was short-lived as a short shopping expedition clearly showed that some WD40 is required for most of my lower joints

What's wrong with sitting anyway - a good sit is severely underrated I reckon.....

2011:
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!!

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Day 42/119

2014:
Blessed rest days

I did go for a very slow walk this afternoon which gave my legs the opportunity to "discuss" with me their displeasure at recent activities but I found that if I slowed down even more it did seem to help

With all this slow running and walking I do feel like I've aged 10 years in the last 6 weeks and let's face it - considering my starting point that's not something I can afford ,,,

2013:
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.....

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Week 5/17

Day 29/119

2014: 
The early night last night paid dividends as I got up feeling much better than yesterday

Today was a 40 minute jog and for the first time I can remember it started ok before starting to hurt but after 10 minutes or so the achilles started to ease

I've realised that sub-consciously I've started to migrate to the treadmills that are right in front of an open view of the mirror

Not, obviously, to see myself striding majestically like a well honed athlete - no-one would believe that

It's to stare at my feet

I listen to music and watch my feet pump and by doing that I'm not staring at anyone else as I workout and somehow it's strangely calming

At least, that is what I thought

30 minutes in and I realised that I was staring at my feet through the gap of 2 cross trainers, both of which were occupied

Worse still, to see my feet, to follow my eye line it must have looked like I was checking out their backsides

I just hoped neither bloke minded.....

Start Weight - 84.4 kg
Last week Weight - 81.2 kg
Current Weight - 81.9 kg
Weekly Gain - 0.7 kg (shit)
Overall Loss - 2.5 kg

2011:
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 ;-)

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Day 30/119

2014:
I woke up today completely exhausted - this is absolutely  the closest I've come to just rolling over when the alarm went off

Even though my pilates has been shocking I firmly believed it was improving my back but clearly it just happened to coincide with me not doing anything potentially dangerous

The heroic thing I did last night was wash the car (has it been 4 years already)

Just that - a bit of bucket and sponge washing and I'm in bits - getting old is horrible - fact

Regardless I went to the gym and did a 30 minute hill climb on the cross trainer

I didn't go mad and by the end of it my back had eased considerably and as it's non-impact my legs also survived unscathed

However I did, at lunchtime, try the tricky manoeuvre of "going for a walk" and my knees just couldn't decide which was going to hurt more

It was a slight consolation that they never hurt at the same time but to be fair I'm really clutching at straws here

Tomorrow is 6 x 400m sprints - what could go wrong............

2011:
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 !! ;-)

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Day 31/119

2014:
I woke up feeling my usual creaky self and made sure I had time for the pilates as today it was all about the sprints

The speed was moved up to 12 km/h but the repetitions were reduced to 6 so I was fairly confident of getting through it despite my tiredness

Next to me was a guy that ran like the clappers but was clearly unsure of himself as he held onto the treadmill rail as if his life depended on it

I could almost hear him thinking "what a lazy sod only running 2 minutes at a time" but rather like greeting the world with a huge spot on the end of your nose, I'm getting used to that kind of pitying look

As expected the runs hurt a bit, but there just wasn't enough running needed to push me too far

The rest of the day still had my right hip/thigh moaning quite loudly - I don't think it's something I'm going to be able to run off................

2011:
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!!!!

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Day 32/119

2014:
Rest day today and having to consume a vast amount of wine to perk up the dullest of world cup semi finals last night - it couldn't have been timed any better

2011:
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....

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Day 33/119

2014:
Today, after a HUGE night's sleep, I had the choice of swimming or cycling

Last week's wrinkly synchronised swimming was still burnt into my memory so I opted for the far easier challenge of a 30 minute bike ride

I do wonder whether it SHOULD be easy or not but it certainly is - the way I do it

I'm just concerned that although I need to exercise I also need to conserve energy for tomorrow's run

To make in slightly more painful (apart from the knees) I watched BBC news on my phone and it was SO boring 30 minutes seemed like an hour

What made it worse was that I could see Joss in the mirror on the treadmill looking every ounce the person training for a marathon whilst I looked like I was rik-shawing Miss Daisy

Aren't my Saturday runs embarrassing enough ....?

2011:
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

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Day 34/119

2014:
Again the 5 o'clock alarm was no friend of mine

Added to this I woke up with really bad stomach cramps which made me worry that there might be a possibility of doing a Paula on today's 8 mile run

This week is all about setting me up for next week's huge increase and despite the stomach I was pretty confident that I'd make it

That will teach me

It must be psychological

Last week my body started hurting well into the run as it knew there was a long way to go

This week, it knew that there was less distance to run so started the moaning MUCH earlier with the achilles, knees and right thigh all fighting my ever cramping stomach for my attention

I also had the indignity of being passed  by a dozen blokes all carrying massive ruck-sacks

I NEED to make that "I can run faster" sticker for my back

I made it to the end feeling bloody rubbish (I know it was hotter, but still) and just made it to the little boys room in time

Never has the phrase "I'd give it a few minutes" been more apt and I was thankful that this was one of the shorter runs because I don't think I'd have made much further

A cold bath has pretty much rounded off a poor start to the day and I can look forward to a few beers tonight

I love rest day Sundays :-)

2011:
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 ;-)

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Day 35/119

2014:
There should be not much to say here - it's a rest day after all

If only that were the case

I decided to go on 2 fairly short, leisurely walks and my right knee / thigh could not have hurt more

Is it the training or just general decrepitness ?

I'm not sure which answer inspires more fear but it did mean an afternoon / evening with my legs up, punctuated by regular wimpering and bouts of feeling sorry for myself

I'll probably fell better tomorrow....

2011:
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 !

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