Day 92 / 119
2014:
Today was a 40 minute jog and in the spirit of trying to cram as much training in as possible - I was up at 5:30 for pre-match pilates
To be fair with the expectation of being on pager this week sleep was always going to be "troublesome" so I could have got up even earlier than that
Pilates was poor as usual but at least when I got to the gym there were plenty of free treadmills so I picked one under the air conditioning
Within minutes there was the faint aroma of BO and once I'd checked around me I came to the only rational conclusion - it was me :-(
Luckily, I thought, at least I was alone
As if just to teach me a lesson, I was almost instantly surrounded by 1 young girl on my right and 1 young bloke to my left
Brilliant
I don't know if you've tried running without moving your arms to prevent any excess odour but it's blooming difficult - and of course, fully deserved
I metaphorically hang my head in shame - but at least it did take my mind off my aching right thigh - swings and roundabouts eh?
Start Weight - 84.4 kg
Last week Weight - 81.3 kg
Current Weight - 80.0 kg
Weekly Loss - 1.3 kg
Overall Loss - 4.4 kg
2011:
Last night I packed my bag ready to go for a swim in the morning but after waking up at 3 in the morning I turned off the alarm in favour of more sleep. So I left work early (not a hardship) and met Joss for a 40 minute jog. At 5 minutes my leg just below my knee started to hurt again and by 20 I'd had enough. I left Joss to successfully complete the run as I sloped off to the bikes. I have got a doctor's appointment tomorrow and she had better have some quick solutions because at this rate I've got no chance of starting the race fit. I'm determined that I'm going to complete the run but it would be nice to make it home under my own steam and not from the back of an ambulance !!
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Day 93 / 119
2014:
Not only did I get up early to do a pilates session but I did the PM session last night - get me !!!!
The only thing is, is since I've done it I actually feel worse in my back than I did before - it hardly seems fair
Today's exercise of choice was a 30 minute x-trainer
My body was very much in a niggly mood with both legs whining a bit and more worryingly my knees seemed to be hurting more than usual
At lunchtime I go for a walk in Poole Park and throughout the whole time both knees hurt
I've a few spare pairs of running trainers and I'm thinking of wearing them for the next 4 weeks just to offer a little more support as I approach the "big day"
Not the trendiest footware I could choose - but I've been dodging the fashion police for so long now, I figure one more offence won't do me any harm.....
2011:
I meant to go to the gym early this morning but my alarm on my phone didn't go off. Apparently it was running out of juice so was sounding off all night and Joss found that "a tad annoying". I guess I'm lucky it's in one piece. Went to the doc's and saw someone new (again) but she had run several marathons herself so she must know what she's doing. After the briefest of examinations (I don't blame her) her advice was not to run for the next couple of weeks but if I had to - they had to be short runs. I'm ok to cycle / swim etc to keep up the aerobic fitness but nothing jarring on my legs. She also recommended a sports massage but warned that this itself was not a pain free solution - in fact, when I told Karrsey he said he had one and suggested he'd rather give birth than do that again so I'm really looking forward to it. Went to the gym this evening and cycled 31 km in an hour then did a load of stretching. It's the first time I can remember for ages feeling really good about a workout - yes it hurt, but this time in a good, I've been working hard, way. (not I think my legs are going to drop off way). Time to be more positive - of course I'm going to make it !!!!
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Day 94 / 119
2014:
So, carrying on the theme that I've not been trying hard enough I decided to do today's 8 mile outside rather than the comfort of the gym
The task was to run at 8:45 pace which is a full 1 min 45 secs quicker than I have been running outside so to say I was nervous would be a HUGE understatement
Getting up at 5am on a workday bites too but in order to get INTO work at a "reasonable" time there was no other choice
So I set off at quite a trot but when I looked at my watch I was going at over 9min miles so I had to go even faster
Quite frankly I felt like I was sprinting and all I kept thinking was that there was NO way I could do this for 26.2 miles
I know I was running at faster than marathon pace, but not by that much!!
Then, at about 4 miles something curious happened
The doubts didn't go away but the running did become noticeably easier
So much so that I actually sped up and finished the run having averaged 8 min 30 pace - I was so chuffed
I desperately looked around hoping to see all the other joggers who had sneered at my slow pace previously so I could show that I COULD actually run but sod's law, none could be found - typical!!!
The only minor issue I had was my left calf feeling like it might get knotted again but it never quite came to that
I can only hope for such luck on the day
2011:
Doc's yesterday - physio today. I told her it's my last one though as I've only got 4 more owed to me for the year and clumsy as I am I'm bound to do something to need more help so will keep them in hand. I've been given some more stretches and one of them I've got to lay on the floor with my bum as close to the wall as I can with my legs straight up the wall. I have to say that it felt weird, looked weird and you get a massive head rush when you get up - so all good as far as I'm concerned. Swam this evening - 700m . Now I know that the pool is for everyone, but if you're not actually swimming, surely common decency says that you move to the side doesn't it? Well, if you're in your sixties, male, with receding hair and a pony-tail - those rules just don't apply. I would have given anything to have had a pair of scissors and set his hair, and his dignity, free. And as for his rotund, unswimming wife bobbing about wrapped in 4 woggles getting in everyone's bl$%dy way while calling "George..." at the top of her voice all the time - a harpooning would have been too kind
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Day 95 / 119
2014:
Another early start, another rubbish pilates session - surely there has got to be a point when I start getting good at this ?
I'm taking an online course in it so the way I'm going I'll be able to teach it but not demonstrate !!
Don't get me wrong, I don't intend to teach anyone except myself - just my luck - if I pass I'll have all the skills just not the ability
Today was a 30 minute jog at the usual pitiful pace and despite being crowded on the treadmill it went without a hitch
My knees hurt a little during the day but my decision to start wearing old running shoes for extra support seems to be paying dividends
I still don't quite see how I'm going to be prepared for the big one but it does look like I'm going to be lining up injury free (ish) which is already one better than last time
2011:
It's a self-imposed rest day today. I'm still putting ice on my left leg and sitting against a wall with my legs in the air so a pretty normal Thursday really
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Day 96 / 119
2014:
Another blessed day - a Friday rest day
I didn't even do pilates - a lazy, lazy day, and I loved every single minute of it !!!
2011:
I did it. I actually got up early and went to the gym. Actually, I went swimming, THEN went to the gym - get me!!! In the pool there was only a 4 other swimmers. 2 that swam relentless front-crawl lengths (and both in budgie-smugglers - coincidence?) and 2 swimming breast stroke like meerkats - heads never dipping beneath the water. That's my staple stroke too - but I'm determined to get better so had my goggles with me. After a few of my normal lengths, I slipped the goggles on and swam a WHOLE length front crawl. How does the breathing go though? I've no idea. 1 length and I'm puffing like I've climbed 10 flights of stairs. It was because of this inability to control my breathing that I could only try every 10 lengths or so - I needed the other lengths to get my breath back. I did 5 full front crawl lengths and was very proud. 5 out of 50 - making a grand total of 1km!! At that point we were told that again there was no hot water in the showers. Great!!! Still, that didn't stop me - off to the gym and did a weights session. Even the drinking water packed in - so I made sure the bloke behind the desk knew that this was less than satisfactory - it's becoming a regular thing, me complaining to them. More ice and stretching tonight - planning a 2 hour bike ride tomorrow
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Day 97 / 119
2014:
This is almost embarrassing to write, today was a slow, slow, 3 mile run
Yes you read that right, 3 poxy miles
I just don't really see how this fits in - am I meant to be recovering from something?
If so, what? Because quite frankly I've clearly NOT put in enough effort because I feel totally fine
Fact of the matter is that I don't even HAVE a 3 mile course so I improvised with a 2 mile loop and added on a run to the shops to get some milk
I hadn't quite factored in the fact that despite such a short distance I was still going to sweat, and therefore smell in the tight confines of the corner shop - but their service was poor so I hope they are still searching for that lingering smell near the dairy isle....
2011:
As I wasn't running today I took advantage by having an enormous lie in, until 7:30. Usual breakfast and get up preparations done, we went to the gym for a 2 hour bike ride. Joss "needs" to be on the left of me and so I ended up on the far bike. As I settled in, sorting out seat height, location of drinks etc etc I realised that I must be on the popular bike. How else could you explain the 'tunes' sweet, jelly bean and 2 lots of chewing gum that were stuck in various places all over the handle bars. How do people live like that - don't they know how to behave in public??? Still, that took my mind off the pedalling for a while working out which bit was safe enough to touch. The first half hour was good until the pain started. Was it my dodgy right thigh - no. Was it my shin splints - no. Was it my hamstring - no - It was my backside. Whoever invented solid plastic saddles for bikes needs to have a large blunt object inserted into the point of pain mentioned while small animals are let loose on him to gather nuts for the winter. By the end of the first hour, (and 31km) it was pretty much all I could think about. But luckily Joss was on hand to completely take my mind off the pain with 4 simple words "I need the loo". Now prior to that, I'd not even considered going. But now it was mentioned, I realised that I had drunk over 2 litres of water and maybe, just maybe, I could do with going too. Just a passing query at first, but that soon ballooned, as did my bladder, in the next 30 minutes. The last 30 (making 2 hours and 63km) were spent mostly in prayer - I had no idea what the effect of excessive water on the electric bike would be but I guessed it wouldn't be good. The 2 hour alarm finally came and I went to run to the loo, only to find my legs had been replaced by someone else's, and I veered off to the left, into a startled man working on his calfs. Still it's nice to make a new friend isn't it? The book advises a huge pasta meal after long training so I followed the advice to the letter and had a curry and wine - again, they call it 'reading between the lines' ;-)
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Day 98 / 119
2014:
A rest day and after such a rubbish run yesterday, nothing to recover from, so nothing to say
2011:
I can't believe it - just 3 weeks to go and I'm not allowed to run!!! Starting to get really nervous now - I've almost forgotten HOW to run. Still I've got to stick to my enforced running exile if I've any chance of getting to the start line with a chance of finishing. Today is a Sunday rest and that is very much what I did!!!
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