Well..struggling to get through my 4-side to-do list at work - have only ticked a few things off.
Yesterday good workout on treadmill although the ankle twinged a bit. Focused on running posture and pain went away. 6.35 k on 59:03 - (yes hit the stop button too soon...)
I've decided to run my long run this week outside on Saturday morning to see how my ankles fare.
Tonight Spanish, again, tired...it's the monthly unused womanly function that is probably getting in the way, plus the sinking feeling on not being motivated to do anything on "that" list.
Need to get watch with a lap counter of more than 10, I usually use my phone but I ended up having a very long lap at the end because it only did 10 laps and I didn't want to delete any splits.
hmmm what else...yawn...very weary...need to think of something to perk me up...like not going to Spanish! DON'T SAY THAT...argh.....
x
Thursday, March 10, 2005
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
Saturday, March 05, 2005
Ahhh lie in tomorrow...25.11km
SIX WEEKS TO GO
Let me write in purple - purple is the colour of victory! Started at the gym at around 6.20pm, staggered out of the Power Zone at 10.35pm. First 3 hours fantastic, last hour going great guns until 15 mins before the end (5km) and left ankle packed up and had to walk - still making progress, this is 8km further than before. Will consider going to visit physio to scaffold it up...
Today Smash Hits was on. Was ok until Rick Astley came on...ew....thought where's that Usher and Will Smith (although did see his new vid twice - but it's got a very strong beat so I get drawn into slapping thighs...)
Ok so picture this. At around 2.5 hour point, in comes some bloke to use a treadmill - there are TWELVE treadmills in there and 2 are being used. He could have chosen the EIGHT that weren't near me but what does he do...he plonks himself right next to me and farts around for 21 minutes running at 16 then hanging on for dear life on the bars at 12.6, then 6.0...up and down up and down.....F***K I thought, you're ruining my concentration! AAAAARGH. Was so happy he left - you know how noisy the treadmill is when you put it to the max speed....
Well, the legs could have gone further, but the ankle is not so good. Will need to massage, ice, flex and dose up with ibuprofen...only 4 more long runs to go....
Here are the running geek details
1st 60 mins - 6.23k 2 mins at 5.3, 2 mins at 7.5
loo break
2nd 60 mins - 6.32k ditto
3rd 60 mins - 6.31k ditto
loo break
4th 60 mins - 6.15k - and that was with 15 mins walking at 6.0
Anyway, going to nurse my appendages now in the bath...have a great weekend!
Let me write in purple - purple is the colour of victory! Started at the gym at around 6.20pm, staggered out of the Power Zone at 10.35pm. First 3 hours fantastic, last hour going great guns until 15 mins before the end (5km) and left ankle packed up and had to walk - still making progress, this is 8km further than before. Will consider going to visit physio to scaffold it up...
Today Smash Hits was on. Was ok until Rick Astley came on...ew....thought where's that Usher and Will Smith (although did see his new vid twice - but it's got a very strong beat so I get drawn into slapping thighs...)
Ok so picture this. At around 2.5 hour point, in comes some bloke to use a treadmill - there are TWELVE treadmills in there and 2 are being used. He could have chosen the EIGHT that weren't near me but what does he do...he plonks himself right next to me and farts around for 21 minutes running at 16 then hanging on for dear life on the bars at 12.6, then 6.0...up and down up and down.....F***K I thought, you're ruining my concentration! AAAAARGH. Was so happy he left - you know how noisy the treadmill is when you put it to the max speed....
Well, the legs could have gone further, but the ankle is not so good. Will need to massage, ice, flex and dose up with ibuprofen...only 4 more long runs to go....
Here are the running geek details
1st 60 mins - 6.23k 2 mins at 5.3, 2 mins at 7.5
loo break
2nd 60 mins - 6.32k ditto
3rd 60 mins - 6.31k ditto
loo break
4th 60 mins - 6.15k - and that was with 15 mins walking at 6.0
Anyway, going to nurse my appendages now in the bath...have a great weekend!
Friday, March 04, 2005
Yasso 800s...ermmm Yakko?
This is a pre-long run post to tell you about my Wednesday run and psyche myself up for this evening. How can the London Marathon be in April when the weather is so rubbish for training outside. Oh well it'll be me slobbing in front of MTV Hits this evening so that I can head down to Brighton for the weekend.
Anyway Wednesday evening. I tried something called Yasso 800s - basically if I think I'm going to do 6 hours 30 mins, I do several sessions of 800m at 6 min 30 secs. In between each 800m at that speed I'm supposed to recover for 6 min 30 secs. Ok so I tried this and found that the running pace on the treadmill is 7.8 which is hardly higher than what I'm running in the long run...hmm may be I'm running to fast? The recovery 6.5 mins was interminable - I ended up leaving 5.5 mins between the last two 800m. I did 3 rounds, may be I'll do 5 next week. Anyway, still elated from being able to run any more than a minute at a time.
Tonight it's Urban Lyrics for 4 hours - or 15 miles/24 km. If that makes you want to lie down in a dark room already...well when you're doing that please remember me in the darkened room with Will Smith and Usher. Feel good at the mo, although the dreaded LURGY is approaching which will be a test for everyone around me (and has already been).
Oh Tuesday got into see Clive Anderson at Teddington Studios - only just, I was turned away originally, but the two ushers called me back as I was about to walk out of the door! Result.
Ok...cake for a birthday behind me...so better oblige...
Anyway Wednesday evening. I tried something called Yasso 800s - basically if I think I'm going to do 6 hours 30 mins, I do several sessions of 800m at 6 min 30 secs. In between each 800m at that speed I'm supposed to recover for 6 min 30 secs. Ok so I tried this and found that the running pace on the treadmill is 7.8 which is hardly higher than what I'm running in the long run...hmm may be I'm running to fast? The recovery 6.5 mins was interminable - I ended up leaving 5.5 mins between the last two 800m. I did 3 rounds, may be I'll do 5 next week. Anyway, still elated from being able to run any more than a minute at a time.
Tonight it's Urban Lyrics for 4 hours - or 15 miles/24 km. If that makes you want to lie down in a dark room already...well when you're doing that please remember me in the darkened room with Will Smith and Usher. Feel good at the mo, although the dreaded LURGY is approaching which will be a test for everyone around me (and has already been).
Oh Tuesday got into see Clive Anderson at Teddington Studios - only just, I was turned away originally, but the two ushers called me back as I was about to walk out of the door! Result.
Ok...cake for a birthday behind me...so better oblige...
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
Step change!
Yes...it was grim this morning. Letters, neighbours, work...then in the afternoon...PMS...
BUT, a ray of light in the power zone at Topnotch, today I ran 60mins and for some miraculous reason i ran 10 minutes without having to walk in the middle of it! It was as though it was meant to be, the legs just kept going without any effort...very strange...
Anyway I was only going to do 30 mins but ended up finishing strong at 60 mins.
So after 25 min mark, I didn't run any more 1 min session, more like 7, 5, and 7 minute runs with 2 or 3 mins gap in between...
Only at the end did I probably overdid it (left ankle front played up) ahh but I was rather elated.
Anyway...tomorrow it's a hot date with Clive at Teddington Studios....
BUT, a ray of light in the power zone at Topnotch, today I ran 60mins and for some miraculous reason i ran 10 minutes without having to walk in the middle of it! It was as though it was meant to be, the legs just kept going without any effort...very strange...
Anyway I was only going to do 30 mins but ended up finishing strong at 60 mins.
So after 25 min mark, I didn't run any more 1 min session, more like 7, 5, and 7 minute runs with 2 or 3 mins gap in between...
Only at the end did I probably overdid it (left ankle front played up) ahh but I was rather elated.
Anyway...tomorrow it's a hot date with Clive at Teddington Studios....
Monday, February 28, 2005
Mondays should NOT be the beginning of the week...
EIGHT WEEKS TO GO
Neighbours! GAHHH. Had to dispute the location of the new fence my neighbour put up on Saturday, and ended up having a barney outside in the dark last night. This morning more or less patched it up with his wife, but I will be checking my legal situation. I'm reasonably happy with what I've agreed because I don't feel strongly enough to ruin their flower beds just because their fence has been in my garden for the last 23 years.
Anyway, Sunday was an active day, went out on the river and it was rather gusty at some points and also the water was really choppy but it was a bit like being out in the sea so that was kinda fun. However, my brachioradialii (hahaha, my forearm musles) are sore because I had to paddle like mad to keep up with the rest of the gang.
After that went for a run by the Thames and ran just past Hammersmith bridge etc - lots of people running and walking there - rather quaint. Did 29.30 out and 28 back - I said if I got back to the start point in less time I would treat myself and stop at that point. Ankle was playing up after 45 mins, but not too drastic.
Met up with Sari and Dani at a Tapas bar in Ealing, and managed to do some quick retail therapy in 2 shops in Ealinge before (particularly at Tchibo).
Scoffed loads of tapas, then walking up to Ealing station the smell of waffles tempted me to a waffle with cream which I had to hold all the way to the car because I didn't want to pay any more that I needed to for parking, so after paying, romantically ate my waffle just past the barrier in the carpark....
Then got back to drop a bomb on the neighbours but hopefully I have tidied up the aftermath this morning. My neighbours mind their own business but I think that the husband thinks that he rules the roost because they've been there for over 20 years - but then again, I don't think the previous owners of the downstairs flat ever cared much. Things like - oh you've got a leak in your bathroom? In 20 years no one has ever told me that....hmmm. Anyway, they can have the extra 6 inches for their flower bed as long as they fix the squiffy fence - his wife did admit that he didn't have a "very straight eye" as she put it. STRAIGHT? more bend than bendy buses...plus also they stood and damaged 2 foot of the lawn in my garden and their flower beds are perfect. ARRRRGGGGGH.
Well when i get back home, grumpy penguin is in order...will post that later.
Next run - this evening at the gym - that is if my shins recover - i think it is partly because I ran on concrete and partly because of the way you have to hold your legs in a shorter kayak...anyway the fitter I get the longer the list of medical conditions I have - but the good news is, that I can now fit into that Nike 10k long tee which in November made me look like a fluroescent sumo. So perhaps there is karma after all...except that the scientist in me just says - well what you do you think... if you exercise for 3.5 hours and eat goo and soup it's no wonder you've going to trim up. The goo I am referring to is the energy gel I am experimenting with for race day - well it's better that the Power (bar) vanilla gel anyday, that just made everyone really ill (in the Great North Run) and loads half used packets were scattered all over the road so that when you ran over it, you stuck to the floor.
Anyway, you know the score about raining and pouring - 24 failed to record, I argued with my neighbour, work is boring...yada yada yada...perhaps I should just meditate to take my minds off things completely....
Where was I? Ah yes...off to speak to the lawyer...
Abyssinia.
Neighbours! GAHHH. Had to dispute the location of the new fence my neighbour put up on Saturday, and ended up having a barney outside in the dark last night. This morning more or less patched it up with his wife, but I will be checking my legal situation. I'm reasonably happy with what I've agreed because I don't feel strongly enough to ruin their flower beds just because their fence has been in my garden for the last 23 years.
Anyway, Sunday was an active day, went out on the river and it was rather gusty at some points and also the water was really choppy but it was a bit like being out in the sea so that was kinda fun. However, my brachioradialii (hahaha, my forearm musles) are sore because I had to paddle like mad to keep up with the rest of the gang.
After that went for a run by the Thames and ran just past Hammersmith bridge etc - lots of people running and walking there - rather quaint. Did 29.30 out and 28 back - I said if I got back to the start point in less time I would treat myself and stop at that point. Ankle was playing up after 45 mins, but not too drastic.
Met up with Sari and Dani at a Tapas bar in Ealing, and managed to do some quick retail therapy in 2 shops in Ealinge before (particularly at Tchibo).
Scoffed loads of tapas, then walking up to Ealing station the smell of waffles tempted me to a waffle with cream which I had to hold all the way to the car because I didn't want to pay any more that I needed to for parking, so after paying, romantically ate my waffle just past the barrier in the carpark....
Then got back to drop a bomb on the neighbours but hopefully I have tidied up the aftermath this morning. My neighbours mind their own business but I think that the husband thinks that he rules the roost because they've been there for over 20 years - but then again, I don't think the previous owners of the downstairs flat ever cared much. Things like - oh you've got a leak in your bathroom? In 20 years no one has ever told me that....hmmm. Anyway, they can have the extra 6 inches for their flower bed as long as they fix the squiffy fence - his wife did admit that he didn't have a "very straight eye" as she put it. STRAIGHT? more bend than bendy buses...plus also they stood and damaged 2 foot of the lawn in my garden and their flower beds are perfect. ARRRRGGGGGH.
Well when i get back home, grumpy penguin is in order...will post that later.
Next run - this evening at the gym - that is if my shins recover - i think it is partly because I ran on concrete and partly because of the way you have to hold your legs in a shorter kayak...anyway the fitter I get the longer the list of medical conditions I have - but the good news is, that I can now fit into that Nike 10k long tee which in November made me look like a fluroescent sumo. So perhaps there is karma after all...except that the scientist in me just says - well what you do you think... if you exercise for 3.5 hours and eat goo and soup it's no wonder you've going to trim up. The goo I am referring to is the energy gel I am experimenting with for race day - well it's better that the Power (bar) vanilla gel anyday, that just made everyone really ill (in the Great North Run) and loads half used packets were scattered all over the road so that when you ran over it, you stuck to the floor.
Anyway, you know the score about raining and pouring - 24 failed to record, I argued with my neighbour, work is boring...yada yada yada...perhaps I should just meditate to take my minds off things completely....
Where was I? Ah yes...off to speak to the lawyer...
Abyssinia.
Sunday, February 27, 2005
Phew...made it - nearly 13 miles...
I decided to do my long run in the gym last night. Plonked myself in front of MTV hits and got going.
Of COURSE, I wanted to go to the loo after 30 mins so had to pause, when I got back the machine had reset itself, just as well I had the forethought to record what I had done. Anyway that was good practice for the race day when I take a break.
Anyway, plodded on again - fell into 1 min 30 secs walking 1 min running 5.3 kmh/7.5 kmh. However, discovered that machines only run for 60 mins...GAAAAAHHHH...so had to record my distance and time, and start AGAIN.
However...after 4.4k more my ankle that had been playing up, finally gave up the ghost so I decided to walk the rest of the hour...
So my dilemma was...should I stop or should I finish the 3.5 hours...I reasoned with myself and if the MTV Hits wasn't blaring and it wasn't a darkened room, I guess my shiatsu colleagues would have thought I had a disturbed spirit. Others would have just thought I had overexercised and gone nuts...
Anyway, I was looking that the clock, 8.30pm...hmmm bugger! Ok, I wrestled with myself - walk, stop, walk, stop...I decided that I agreed with my inner self that I should just walk the hour to complete the time....
Those last 30 mins went SOOOOO slowly and the last 20 mins pulled out all the tricks to get me to the end of 60 mins.....that included listening to Dizzie Rascal's words plus looking closely at the women who were gyrating in Will Smith's video. I'm telling you if I do all this training for the next 10 weeks I'm gonna be able to enter Mastermind with my specialist subject "MTV Hits - urban lyrics" - because that is what seems to be on when I run. Oh, yesterday it was Britney versus JLo. Again lots of gyration and dark makeup around the eyes.
The end finally came...YIPPEEE...I staggered off the treadmill only to find I could bearly walk because I wore the wrong socks - i.e. not double layered....I limped to a mat and sat down and nursed my grazed soles....arrrgh...
The air-con was quite cold so I was able to place my hands on my sore feet to cool them off. AAAAHHHH... anyway 10 mins later, I gingerly crept downstairs to the shower and stood under it thinking....not bad...BUT WHAT AM I GOING TO DO ABOUT THIS ANKLE? Last week I faltered at 7 miles this week at 9 miles...even with Chi Running...
Chris has suggested I skip or use the rebounder to strengthen my ankles - I was looking at that trampoline and I think I will use it....however, I need to ensure that I don't end up with boobs hanging down to my knees - they won't ever give me black eyes but they aren't pimples either...(very inconvenient).
Massage, ibuprofen, legs up the wall, all applied - today I feel great, with very little aching. My shiatsu class was fantastic. Lots of jocularity combined with quite a lot of difficult pressure points to learn. Got a prone position massage which was coool and poor old Geoff only got one leg treated because we had to finish off.
Ok here's the boring running geek stuff.
3k in 30 mins
6.2k in 60 mins
At next 4.4k had to walk after that
5.97 at 60 mins
5.46 in 65 mins
total 20.63k (12.9 miles) in 3 hours 35 mins.
Tomorrow, kayaking I think...and then a "short" 1 hour run...
p.s. my inner self is posted below...
Of COURSE, I wanted to go to the loo after 30 mins so had to pause, when I got back the machine had reset itself, just as well I had the forethought to record what I had done. Anyway that was good practice for the race day when I take a break.
Anyway, plodded on again - fell into 1 min 30 secs walking 1 min running 5.3 kmh/7.5 kmh. However, discovered that machines only run for 60 mins...GAAAAAHHHH...so had to record my distance and time, and start AGAIN.
However...after 4.4k more my ankle that had been playing up, finally gave up the ghost so I decided to walk the rest of the hour...
So my dilemma was...should I stop or should I finish the 3.5 hours...I reasoned with myself and if the MTV Hits wasn't blaring and it wasn't a darkened room, I guess my shiatsu colleagues would have thought I had a disturbed spirit. Others would have just thought I had overexercised and gone nuts...
Anyway, I was looking that the clock, 8.30pm...hmmm bugger! Ok, I wrestled with myself - walk, stop, walk, stop...I decided that I agreed with my inner self that I should just walk the hour to complete the time....
Those last 30 mins went SOOOOO slowly and the last 20 mins pulled out all the tricks to get me to the end of 60 mins.....that included listening to Dizzie Rascal's words plus looking closely at the women who were gyrating in Will Smith's video. I'm telling you if I do all this training for the next 10 weeks I'm gonna be able to enter Mastermind with my specialist subject "MTV Hits - urban lyrics" - because that is what seems to be on when I run. Oh, yesterday it was Britney versus JLo. Again lots of gyration and dark makeup around the eyes.
The end finally came...YIPPEEE...I staggered off the treadmill only to find I could bearly walk because I wore the wrong socks - i.e. not double layered....I limped to a mat and sat down and nursed my grazed soles....arrrgh...
The air-con was quite cold so I was able to place my hands on my sore feet to cool them off. AAAAHHHH... anyway 10 mins later, I gingerly crept downstairs to the shower and stood under it thinking....not bad...BUT WHAT AM I GOING TO DO ABOUT THIS ANKLE? Last week I faltered at 7 miles this week at 9 miles...even with Chi Running...
Chris has suggested I skip or use the rebounder to strengthen my ankles - I was looking at that trampoline and I think I will use it....however, I need to ensure that I don't end up with boobs hanging down to my knees - they won't ever give me black eyes but they aren't pimples either...(very inconvenient).
Massage, ibuprofen, legs up the wall, all applied - today I feel great, with very little aching. My shiatsu class was fantastic. Lots of jocularity combined with quite a lot of difficult pressure points to learn. Got a prone position massage which was coool and poor old Geoff only got one leg treated because we had to finish off.
Ok here's the boring running geek stuff.
3k in 30 mins
6.2k in 60 mins
At next 4.4k had to walk after that
5.97 at 60 mins
5.46 in 65 mins
total 20.63k (12.9 miles) in 3 hours 35 mins.
Tomorrow, kayaking I think...and then a "short" 1 hour run...
p.s. my inner self is posted below...
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