Friday Training (10k run)

After Christmas Day's run, I had 2 great days with Izzy but as of lunchtime today, Izzy was delivered back to her Mum Clare and I'm now billy no mates again until New Years Day when Izzy comes back.

A quick stop via Tesco's on the way back to stock up on food and by 3pm I was home alone again.

Only one thing for it.  A nice 10k run.
 

I havent said this for a while but NEW PB. 

NEW PB NEW PB NEW PB. As per Strava, the time for 10k was 51:42.

Un-bloody-believable.  I knew I was running well, I knew I felt good but 51:42?  Really?  That'll do nicely.  There's not much else to say other than bloody hell really :)

Wednesday Training (The Christmas Day run)

After Sunday's disaster run, I put my feet up on Monday and Tuesday.  I had my arm forced as I had Isabelle staying with me but it done me the world of good.  I felt quite drained on Monday, so much so I felt disorientated early in the morning and just didnt feel myself.  I wondered if I was coming down with a bug.

Anyhow, Christmas Day.  First Christmas ever that I didnt see Isabelle first thing on Christmas morning.  Clare brought her up to me around 4.30pm so we did spend some time together.

The plan was to run Christmas morning and that was what I done.  Just a relatively easy 7 miler from my parents and back again.

A huge improvement on Sunday's effort, a huge boost to my confidence as Sunday's disaster really did rock my confidence.

Great run.  Lovely day.  Not much more to say other than that :)

Sunday Training (10 mile run)

Down to circumstances, I delayed the booze ban by 24hrs as an old friend got in touch last night as she needed a shoulder to cry on and of course, I couldnt turn down a lady in distress.  5 pints later...hmm, not perfect preparation for a 10 mile run on Sunday morning that I had planned.

So I delayed it until around 3pm this afternoon.

It was a mistake full stop.  I was awful.

The thing with distance running, or running of any kind, half the battle is in the head.  Well it is for me.  I just wasnt up for it at all.  I didnt feel comfortable from the start.  My bottle belt felt too tight, my breathing didnt feel natural and was all over the shop, it was just one nagging thing after another.  Then the doubts start and you wonder what the hell is going on.

The first mile was slow.  9:07.  Not disasterous but I know I can run that first mile quicker than that. Second mile much more like it at 8:37 but its slightly downhill so still a little bit slower than I normally am but then when the third mile registered as 9:01, the fourth 9:30 and the fifth 9:41, I knew I was struggling.  I was slowing down big time.  As I hit half way, my average pace was around 9:20 min/mile and that is seriously slow for me.  I tried hard to up the pace but I found I had nothing left in the tank.  It was then all about survival to get home.

My pace was dropping and dropping.  The last two miles was over 10 min/mile pace which I havent run in the last 18 months.  The shame.

I made it home.  The legs felt ok with no cramps but they had absolutely nothing left in them.  It was scary.  From halfway, it was a mental battle and I was losing it.  Thought were wandering everywhere, things that were annoying me, my non-existant love life, Izzy, a nice front garden I saw, who the next Spurs manager is going to be...almost everything other than concentrating on the run.

Looking back at the training schedule, my only rest day in the last week was on Wednesday...and that was the Santa run.  I still ran that night.  It was about 8 miles in the end.  So I've had a hard week.  I've also drank like a gold fish.  Not good.  As I write now at 9:30 on Sunday evening, I feel like I'm coming down with a cold so a combination of all three things and the run was going to be awful today.

The only thing I can do now is write this run off as a one-off, take a few days rest now I've got Izzy (that was the plan anyhow) and see if I do actually come down with anything.  After the Santa run, it really wouldnt be a surprise if I did come down with something so we'll have to wait and see.

Onwards and upwards.

Saturday Training (Gym - Muscle Build Session 23)

With the Christmas Party safely negotiated, it was time to get back in the Gym.

 

Weirdly, what with the all day drinking session, the hangover kicked in around 11:30pm last night.  A quick pint of Diet Coke and going to bed shortly after killed it in its tracks :)

 

Warm Up 
 

1km treadmill > here

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 one-footed sit ups + 10 SB Sit Twists)

No leg weights (as planning my long run for early tomorrow morning)

Cool Down

None!  Was a little distracted tbh.  Thats a story for another time ;)

Friday Training (Pre-office xmas Party run...but shorter than planned :( )

Well, sometimes you just have to admit defeat.

This run defeated me.

The 5k fitness challenge the night before must have took a whole lot more out of me than I realised.  Ok, it didnt help that I met up with Rich W for a couple of quick pints within 30 minutes of being home from the Gym.  Maybe it was a combination of the two.

I got up as planned.  No problem.  As I was getting my kit on, I felt dry.  Drier than a desert.  I grabbed a quick pint of water and filled up my water bottle but it was never going to be enough.  I must have dehydrated doing the fitness challenge and then drinking 2 pints not long after was enough to have an effect.

The first mile was horrific.  I didnt feel great, the pavements were frosty and slippery and I just couldnt get my legs going.  The second mile is mainly down hill but I was still struggling.  

Here's the Garmin, just take a look at the pace...

Average pace of 9:20 min/mile? Really? Yeah, bad eh? I only ran 10 miles at 8:45min/mile pace a few weeks back. Proof that overdoing it and drinking is not a good match.

The plan was to originally extend the run to around 7.5-8 miles but by 5k, I'd had more than enough.  I doubled back through Danson Park and took the quickest route back.  After running up Danson Lane back past Bexley Grammar, I was destroyed.  I had absolutely nothing left.

I had to stop.  I tried to drag it out as long as I could but I felt sick.  So I stopped.  The shame.  The shame of stopping at 5 miles.  It felt like a half marathon.

I composed myself, done some stretching and then ran the last mile back at 9:30min/mile pace but I was frazzled by then.

I'm glad to report the Xmas party was a fabulous success at QMUL yesterday.  As of 9pm last night, I drank my last pint until the evening of 6th April, after I've ran the 26.2 miles of the Paris Marathon.  If you're going to do it, you need to do it properly :)

Thursday Training (5k Fitness Challenge & Gym Muscle Build Session 22)

Back to the Gym Thursday evening.  Bumped into Chandra as soon as I came through the front door and he said I should go and have a look at this month's challenge...run 5k on the treadmill as fast as you can...

So, a little warm up of 0.5km...a bit of a stretch then give it the full beans...

Warm Up 
 

0.5km Treadmil

Fitness Challenge 5k > see here

How is it I can run 5k outside comfortably at a decent pace without blowing up but as soon as I get on a treadmill and try and do it, I get destroyed?!?!

I'll settle for 25:01.  Garmin said 25 dead but will go with what the treadmill said.  Not bad.

When looking back at my Garmin records, it was my fastest ever 5k on the treadmill...

But how does that compare to the other competitors?  Here's the fitness challenge board...

So my 25:01 sits somewhere in the middle.  How the hell someone managed to run 18:35 is astounding.  That would win the local 5k Park Run at Danson Park!!!

Anyway, back on to the rest of the Gym session 

 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 one-footed sit ups + 10 SB Sit Twists)

No leg weights.

Cool Down

0.5km treadmill (was planning on longer but couldnt be arsed in the end lol)

 

It was a good session and I really was destroyed by the end of it.

Wednesday Training (Pah Training?!?! Plumstead Runners 2013 Santa Run!)

Holy mother of God.  Wednesday nights is Plumstead Runners night and this wednesday in particular was a highlight of the year.  The annual Santa Run around Bexleyheath and Bexley Village...

Now the Plumstead Runners is a running club right?

Ha, this is where the Plums come into their own...they are most definitely a running club with a drinking problem!  They seriously know how to let their hair down.

I love them to bits, what a great bunch of people.

Last night, I dont think I've ever seen so many people in the changing rooms.  The regular guys I've seen week in week out were there and a load of others who make an appearance just at the Santa run for various reasons, the main one that alcohol is involved.

A can on Stella to start.  A mince pie.   50 odd Santas running towards Bexleyheath along the Broadway, every single car beeping, tooting in support.  Those walking past were literally rubbing their eyes in disbelief.

Pint of Stella in the Rose.  Guess we were in there about 20 mins in the end.  Then a few hundred yards up the road into the Broadway shopping centre, with a photocall outside on the steps opposite Central Library.

Into the centre, round the centre bit with Costa Coffee and out at the other end, into Sainsbury's.  Every seen 50 Santa's doing the conga through Sainsbury's before?  Ha, last night was the night.  Brilliant.  The shoppers must have thought their were tripping out of their boxes.

Down Gravel Hill into Bexley Village to the Black Horse.  Another pint.  Inbetween their and the next pub, we had an impromptu carol concert in the middle of one of the neigbouring dead end roads and the residents were coming out stuffing loose change (and notes) into the charity buckets.

By this point, the rain as hammering down.  Absolutely torrential.  Not one of us were bothered.  Across the wobbly footbridge over the A2 and 50 Santa's jumping up and down on it to make it bounce probably wasnt a sensible thing to do lol.

More Stella at the Robin Hood and Little John and for the first time in my life, I can actually say I've had a pint in the Polly Clean Stairs (aka The Royal Oak).

Back to the club house for more Stella and Pizza.  Dont think I've laughed as much as I did for a long time when we were doing the conga through Sainsbury's.  That was absolutely brilliant.

Merry Christmas Plums, love you guys lots :)

The Plums with a surprised little girl out with her Mum doing some shopping

Santas shop at Sainsburys, Santas shop at Sainsburys la la la la...

Santas before the rain came...