Saturday Rest Day...at last...

After 6 consecutive days of training, my legs were telling me it was time for at least one day of rest.  Friday's 7 miler around Victoria Park in Hackney wasnt my finest energy-laden effort and my energy levels had been sinking all week, so it was time to let the hair down for 24hrs at least.

Friday evening was fun.  Chandra and Yatin met me in Whitechapel and we had three pints in the Griff Inn, the Barts & The London Student Union bar (full of medical students far too young for any of us) and we were joined by my work colleagues Reuben and Elke before we headed off for a mini Uni-reunion at Liverpool Street with our old Uni body Pete Kostic.

Me, Pete, Chandra and Yatin...

My brother Steve came to meet us too, we had a couple of pints then headed our own separate ways pretty early on.  Chandra was working the early shift on Saturday, Yatin was meeting wifey VP in the West End with the rest of his family, so Steve and I decided to head back to Welling to grab a curry.

Bengal Spice.  Not the greatest Indian Restaurant in the world but they do an ok curry.  Poppadoms, a mixed starter and followed up with Garlic Chilli Chicken and Mushroom Rice.  Not molten hot but hot enough for me.  Probably Jalfrezi-ish strength.

Went back to mine, fell asleep and that was that.

Saturday was fairly busy.  Steve and I headed to my parents on the bus to pick up the car.  I had to go to B&Q to pick up some new light switches to replace the naff looking two in my living room but the main task of the day was to get the new light fitting up in place.  When I say it was new, I actually purchased it over 3 years ago but I'd never got a round to getting it sorted but today was the day.

Back home via B&Q, we had the old light down in a jiffy but got a massive fit of the giggles whilst up the step ladders trying to fix the other light fitting up.  You know the type, you're struggling to keep the giggles under control, they get far too giggly to control, you begin shaking...when 3ft up a step ladder, this is quite dangerous!!!

Eventually got the light up and it looks pretty good.  Shame about the rose in the middle of the ceiling but it can damn well stay there as I'm not paying out for a newly plastered ceiling.

New light fitting up...thanks for the help bruv!

Changing the light switch over was as easy as pie but then we learnt a very valuable lesson.  Did you know that light switches came in different sizes?

Doh!  Hmm, MK switches are a standard 86mm, unlike the 93mm dimmer I took off the wall...

No, me neither.  I just thought they were all a standard size.  How wrong I was.  Problem solved by purchasing some protective plates which fit under the switch to stop marks on wallpaper and paint.  Will post some pics up later once they turn up and I get them fitted.

Back home at the old dears for lunch.  Stayed to watch the Rugby.  Cracking game England v New Zealand.  The Kiwi's haka winds me up more than it should.  Well done the England fans for signing over the top of it to drown it out.  The All Blacks were far too strong for England though on the pitch.  The result was a shame but England can take lots of positives from that performance.

I ended up staying a little longer to eat Chinese takeaway with the folks...then X Factor...and eventually ended up going home about 11pm.  It was a nice day with them.

I was supposed to be going out on a date on Saturday evening but I decided against it in the end.  I knew she was right for me.  Why drag on the inevitable?  Absolutely pointless.

Anyway, got home and decided to sit and watch this epic film:

Prisoners.  What a superb film.  Best I've watched in some years.

  

Keller Dover (amazing performance by Hugh Jackman) is facing every parent's worst nightmare. His six-year-old daughter Anna and her young friend Joy are missing, and as minutes turn to hours, panic sets in. The only lead is a dilapidated RV that had earlier been parked on their street. Heading the investigation, Detective Loki arrests its driver, Alex Jones, but a lack of evidence forces his release. As the police pursue multiple leads and pressure mounts, the frantic Dover decides he has no choice but to take matters into his own hands. But just how far will this desperate father go to protect his family?

Off to bed just before 2am.  Well worth the late night though.

Ke

Friday Training (Lunchtime 7 mile run)

So much for the plan of getting up at 5:30am to get 10k in before work.  No chance.  The baby of the devil that lives downstairs was awake most of the night and must have kept every inhabitant of our bloke awake for the duration.  I really didnt want to get out of bed at 7am but I'm bloody glad I did.

Packed my kit, showered and was out the door.  No time for breakfast but bumped into my new Gym buddy Kelly on the corner of the Shoulder of Mutton Green and we walked and talked all the way to the station.

I said my farewells and got on the 07:39 to Cannon Street.  Got in at my usual time, via the nearby Cafe for two of the finest bacon rolls known to man.  Ooops.  Thats not going to do the body fat readings any good.

So a lunchtime run it was...

 


To be honest, the legs really didnt feel up to it but I plodded around at my half-marathon pace so nothing to sniff at but nothing to be overly excited at the same time if you know what I mean. 

Its all good, extra mileage and with the calories burnt, I've earned myself 3 free pints to drink guilt-free tonight :)

Looking forward to catching up with Chandra, hopefully Yatin too, and the long-awaited catch up with PK.

Thursday Training (Gym - Muscle Build TRX Session 13)

Gentle session in the Gym tonight.  Having run or trained Sunday through to Thursday, the energy levels were feeling pretty low but hey, still need to train.

Legs felt pretty good given their mileage this week on the warm up...

 

Warm Up

1km treadmill (4:45; 7:42 min/mile; Av HR 139bpm)

TRX
Crucifix (3sets x 10reps)
Shoulder Press (3sets x 10reps)
One Armed Press Ups (5sets x 10reps)
Bicep Curl (3sets x 10reps)
Tricep Curl (3sets x 10reps)

Abs

10 sets (10 SB Sit Ups + 10 SB Sit Twists)
No weights on the legs tonight, taking it easy. 

Cool Down

1km treadmill (5:38; 9:05 min/mile; Av HR 133bpm)

Was a good session.  Finally caught up with Chandra after a few weeks.  Had a nice long chat with him then it was off to catch the bus home.  The temperature has severely dropped now and I cant get away with wearing shorts on the bus home for much longer.

Next plan is to run again either first thing tomorrow morning before work or if I dont get enough sleep, take my kit to work and run at lunchtime, ahead of meeting up with Chandra for a few post-work quiet beers tonight.  Roll on the weekend.  Oh, it goes without saying, am missing Izzy massively now.  I havent heard from her since Sunday.  She hasnt even sent me an iMessage!  Pesky 7 year olds ;)

300 Training Hours not out...

I was having a look at Garmin Connect a little earlier and discovered I have just passed 300 training hours for the year this week.

Check it out...

300 hours not out...

Google says is Week 46 of 2013, so 302hrs / 46 weeks = a little over 6.5hrs training per week.  Bearing in mind when you take into account rest days, days unable to train because of having Izzy, injury days etc, I havent done too badly.

The next target for me is to pass 1,000 running miles.  I'm not that far away...

878.37 miles run...just another 121.63 miles to go

...878.37 miles run in a combination of road running, trail running (including cross countries) and the treadmill.  Only another 121.63 miles to go to the magic 1,000 mile target.

As into Week 46, so 121.63 miles / 6 weeks = 20 miles a week.  Really shouldnt be a problem, barring injuries...and snow (but then again, I could always use the treadmill so no excuses really).

Have been tentatively looking at marathon training schedules too.  Really need to get my arse in gear and start getting my head around what the the beginning of 2014 is going to look like in terms of being prepared for Paris and beginning to up my mileage from half marathon distance.

Wednesday Training (Plumstead Runners session)

The legs have felt sore today.  For the first time, I actually considered missing the run with the Plums tonight but I'm glad I did go out.

We done the reverse route of the club 10k handicap tonight.  Out past Danson Park, left at the Blendon roundabout to Bexley Village, past Hall Place to Watling Street then back through Bexleyheath to the club.

I have to say, I'm feeling pretty drained tonight. Not surprising really after a proper full on week, training-wise. I've now done 4 days in a row. I intend to hit the Gym tomorrow night, making sure to do the absolute minimum cardio and concentrer ate on the TRX and the abs before running again Friday lunchtime. Important as it appears a social meetup with the lads is happening in the City on Friday evening.

Was a good run tonight, mind you. We had a few new ladies join us. Had a lovely long chat with Sharon, who ran really well. Sadly it appears she lost her car keys at some point around the run and had to get her husband to come and rescue her. (Yes, husband unfortunately...do we ever have single ladies join the club????? ;) Anyhow, Sharon ran brilliantly and if she signs up, she'd be a welcome addition to the club. She was comfortably holding 8:00 min/mile pace down the Broadway towards the club and she didnt even look like she was struggling.

Then it was back to Bexleyheath Sports for the monthly meeting.

Now I really dont know what it is about the meeting but it does descend into chaos. Fair play to Graham for keeping some kind of order but it gets to the point where a number of individuals really do need their heads banging together. Normally wouldnt be a problem, I'm a fairly laid back kind of person but when it means I've come to the club straight from work and I havent eaten beforehand, when the meetings drag on, I'm not eating until gone 10pm at night and does me absolutely no favours at all.

Anyhow, was a productive meeting tonight, all being positive. My dear MJ proposed a beginners course starting in the New Year with the intention of running it 2/3 times a year aimed at new potential runners and its exactly what the club needs in my opinion. I'd be more than willing to sit the Leadership in Running course too if it would offer additional help.

Oh and special mention for MJ the "agony aunt" lol.  Wont go into details on here but some very useful advice from the nicest Saffa lass I've ever met :)

Being a single dad

There's one thing that really grates me about being a single dad.  Not seeing Izzy on a daily basis.

I cant even begin to explain the feeling of not seeing your child(ren), only someone in the same position would truly knows what it feels like.

First of all, I have to say I'm extremely fortunate that I've got a good relationship with my ex-wife Clare, who said from the outset that she still wanted me to be a big part of Izzy's life (depsite her not wanting to be part of mine lol...don't blame her to be honest but thats another story altogether!).  It goes without saying I'm one of the lucky dads.  There are a lot less fortunate men out there who don't get to see their kids through the actions of their vindictive ex-partners.  However, for the sake of balance, it has to be said there are a lot of dads out there that dont seem to give a sh*t about their kids (see Jeremy Kyle on a daily basis for examples!)

've got quite a few girl friends that have split from their partners or husbands and they only have to give up their kids for the odd weekend or odd over-nighter.  The thought of giving their kids up for two weeks at a time is horrific to them.

Thats the reality I face.  Clare and I have come to an arrangement where for the time being, I get to have Izzy one night a week (on average) over a four-week rotation.  I've outlined it on the "Izzy Schedule" page so I wont repeat it here but once in every four weeks, I'm faced with the daunting prospect of not seeing Izzy for almost 2 weeks.

On this occasion, I gave Izzy back to Clare on Sunday 10th November but I now wont see madam until the afternoon of Saturday 23rd November, 13 days.

Ever tried being away from your kids for 13 days?  I dont recommend it.  The 13 days will always feel like the longest 13 days of your life.

When I first split up with Clare, Izzy was only 2 and a bit.  She's coming up 8 now and she's used to the situation now.  I guess we all are.  The emotions are no longer raw.  They're locked away deep in the memory banks, hopefully never to be revisited.

For the first couple of years, I used to fight back the tears on every drive back down the A2 to Bexley after dropping Izzy home.  Now its all done on auto-pilot.  The worst thing for me is when Izzy insists on running next to the car on the pavement and races me to the tree.  Her face is lit with glee as she's trying to race me then her face suddenly drops when I wave from the car window when she realises I'm going.  That breaks my heart every time.  She stands and waves for a couple of seconds but the look I see in the rear view mirror on her face, the sadness, will live with me until the day I die.

It drives me on.  I may have let Izzy's Mum down in various ways (oh yes, its not all down to me, lets get that straight, a relationship is a two-way thing and it was never going to work unfortunately) but I'll be damned if anything is ever going to come between Izzy and I.

Fatherhood comes before everything for me.

Anyhow, only 10 days now until I see madam again.  Thank god for Face Time.  Think Daddy needs it more than madam does.

[Oh for the love of god, I cant wait for my neighbours to move.  The dividing floor in my flat must be so thin as whenever their 11 month-old baby son cries, it feels like I'm sleeping in the same bloody room.  Some sleep really would be nice sometime!]

Tuesday Training (Gym - Muscle Build TRX Session 12)

Off to the Gym tonight for my 12th TRX Session.  Plan was to run there to give the legs a stretch before the session but ahead of the Plums run tomorrow night, I was conscious that would make it 4 consecutive days of running so I took it relatively easy tonight.

Warm Up

1km treadmill (4:58; 8:00 min/mile; Av HR 151bpm) [in the new Glycerin 11s :)]

TRX

Crucifix (3sets x 10reps)
Shoulder Press (3sets x 10reps)
One Armed Press Ups (5sets x 10reps)
Bicep Curl (3sets x 10reps)
Tricep Curl (3sets x 10reps)

Abs

10 sets (10 SB Sit Ups + 10 SB Sit Twists)

No weights on the legs tonight, taking it easy. 

Final Treadmill
 
4km treadmill (21:03; 8:26 min/mile; Av HR 157bpm)

I have to say the legs feel pretty fatigued tonight.  The 4th km on the treadmill was hard work.  Bearing in mind the mileage I'm used to these days, thats a tell tale sign that the legs have probably had enough for this week.

Its good to know that the Plums are planning a short run tomorrow night as its the monthly meeting afterwards, so pretty good timing.  Plan it to get back in the Gym on Thursday night and then hit it again once this weekend and running or riding (weather dependent) on the other. 

The good news is that I ran for the first time in the Brooks Glycerin 11s tonight.  Wow.  May just be the fact that they are new and I've ran about 500 miles in the current 10s but wow, what a feeling.  Spring.  Cushioning.  Absolutely bloody heaven.  So comfortable :)