The past two nights I've been waking up mid-dream (night-mare). I'm dreaming that I'm in an ironman event and have completed the swim but then get lost during the run or bike leg, at which point I wake up in a sweat, rather anxious and confused.
Not sure what the dream means. Probably my subconscious telling me that I've eaten toooooo much chocolate and not done enough exercise this holiday.
I've been procrastinating and sulking all day and finally dragged my arse out of the house for a run. It was that or watch High School Musical with the kids.
It was rather cold and foggy, but I'm pleased as I managed a fair pace for about one hour. I'm not sulking anymore ...... exercise is a great tonic.
Wahooo its nearly Christmas, no work for week. Yippeeee ..... OK long run on Saturday, Cycle Sunday, Swim Monday, Cycle & Christmas Lunch Tuesday, Cycle Wednesday ..... aaachooooooo, snivel, sniff ..... blast where is my hankie!!!
Oh bugger that I feel terrible. I've caught a stonker of a cold and right now feel like going to bed ............ Ok maybe a run tomorrow will sort me out ... kill or cure.
The roads were very quiet this afternoon. I was out for a gentle 1 hour run before it got dark. It was flippin cold.
We are looking to buy a new car. We test drove a BMW 5 series touring yesterday, it was beautiful to drive, I'm in love. Alas, it failed the wife test. Would my bike fit easily into the back of the car in 1 minute with two kids in the rear seats. (Silly test I know, but I have an inpatient wife).
Despite trying to persuade my wife that I would take both wheels off, the saddle out, remove the handlebars, the forks within 30 seconds, it was with a heavy heart I confessed it failed. Other cars we have looked at the passed this test with flying colours, just pop out the front wheel and in it slides, even with kids sitting in the back seat.
Today it rained cats, dogs, chickens, polar bear and penguins. I did battle with the elements as I cycled from Oxford to Marlborough. It was a tough cycle what with the cold wind and the rain.
It took slightly longer than planned , plus I was late setting out which meant when I came into Marlborough, the light had just about gone. (Slightly stupid really as I did not have any lights on my bike).
My daughter is 6 years old and already she has broken her poor old fathers heart. Today over breakfast she told me... . ..... ... I can't say this .... . . . that <trembling voice> she is in fact a MANCHESTER UNITED fan and would not like a Chelsea football kit for Christmas, she would like a Man U kit.
My son and I are still in shock, but I guess we will have to come to terms with her decision. (Psst son lets put her up for sale on ebay).
The weekends slipped by and I stayed cocooned in my house. Despite the guilt and the lack of exercise, which started to effect my sanity, I really struggled to make the first step or push of the pedal.
Today, I finally plucked up the courage to venture back out into the dark cold evening, back into the breach, as I hit the road on a regular training run.
Its was a relief to be back, I just hope this is the start of normality again.
I've just submitted an application for the 2008 White Horse Challenge. This is a 150km cycle race around the Berkshire countryside in April.
I always do this at the end of the year, I get gun-ho and sign up to marathons, triathlons and cycle races for the next year. I forget about the hours of training that lies ahead, the cold dark mornings in January and February, the panic in March as the early races approach .... and then in April I normally fall apart and get cross with myself for entering these events.
I know that if I don't do this now, while the joy of crossing the finishing line in 2007 is still fresh in my mind, I will never enter any events.
06th Apr 2008: Grove half marathon (confirmed)
13th Apr 2008: London marathon (waiting for lottery place - 9th year of applying)
18th May 2008: Copenhagen, Denmark marathon
25th May 2008: Edinburgh marathon (not sure about this one if I do Copenhagen)
15th Jun 2008: 70.3 Half Ironman, UK (confirmed)
23th Aug 2008: Reykjavik, Iceland marathon
07th Sep 2008: Ironman UK
................unless I win the lottery, in which case I will be sitting on a beach.
The first 15 miles were great, I felt fantastic, hitting around 8:30 minute mile pace .......... but then I died. The earlier climbs and a killer over the top of a flippin huge mountain at 23 miles wiped me out. I was resigned to a slow overall time and was now aiming just to finish. The weather was terrible, wind and rain, but ever onwards.
At about 24 miles a women 100 meters in front of me suddenly stopped and started shouting, grasping her leg. Cramp!!! I stopped to help her, much to the relief of fellow competitors, but I was not racing for a time just to finish. She had cramp in both legs. She moved to the ground and I lifted both legs up in the air pushing them against my chest, as I rubbed her calves. I walked with her for a couple of minutes and left her walking slowly but determined to finish.
I crossed the finish line and was not too disappointed with my time, considering the weather and hills. Its certainly sparked me on to do another marathon soon, but this time, a marathon without any mountains.
I ran in the "Hanney 5 - Stewart Horwood Memorial Trophy" race yesterday. The winner finished in a time of 25mins 32 seconds. This was toooooo fast for me, I tried to stick at my marathon pace and was quite please with 39mins 31 seconds, a bit too fast.
Gulp only 12 days to go.
I'm running the Hanney 5 mile tomorrow, its a good course, I train on the roads every week.
All too often nowadays I find that work stuff fills my head and the only way to clear the junk out, to reset myself, is through a tough workout. A full on, gritted teeth, gasping for air workout, that's what happened today at the gym. It started with knocking up the tread mill to a 14% incline, continued with the rowing machine, which I crawled off gasping for air and then pulled and pushed the weights till I could do it no more. I'm sure it was incredibly stupid ...... but just sometimes ....... I need to do it.
Now, I'm back to proper controlled training.
I've been out for the count with a cold and flu for the past couple of weeks. I'm recovered now and back in training for marathon in 19 days time (OMG) !!!!
Hit the gym this evening. Started on the treadmill with heart rate really low for the first 5 minutes but them knocked up the speed and heart rate bounced up to 175 bpm ..... nearly collapsed at the end of the work out. Probably should not be doing this, but had a lot of aggression to work through !!!!!! 30 minutes on the weights and then crashed into the steam room ...... Ahhhhh
It was Sunday 7am and a great morning for a run, a cool crisp morning with blue skies and not a cloud in sight ...... perfect.
However, I got to about mile 4 and died, no oomph. I looked at my stop watch and was shocked by the slow time. I struggled for another couple of steps and then stopped. It was a beautiful clear quiet morning but I couldn't run another step, I can't explain really, but today I had no oomph.
I have 40 days left until my marathon.
Its my birthday today ......... woke up this morning a year older,wiser, grumpier and slower, oh no I'm soooo old.......
Crikey 6 dead rats, 4 dead rabbits, 2 dead pigeons and a partridge in a pear tree, well OK not the last one, but that was the carnage I saw out on the roads yesterday, very smelly.
I've bumped up my distance for longer runs and now go running with a water bottle, its awkward but at least I'm not dying of thirst and ending up like a crispy rat on the side of the road. Yeuk, I'm off to think about something else.
Phew knackered from a 10 mile run this evening, started out way tooooo fast, I nearly died at mile 7. I've downloaded a marathon planner schedule training thingy. Oh dear I'm rather behind. I've got to do another 13 miles before Saturday and then next week I have to run 50 miles in the week?
