T minus 4 days and counting....

At long last the day of reckoning beckoneth, and Mack the knife, my illustrious surgeon has his steel out and is honing his skills and reading the 'how to fix cartilage' manual.

Seems an age ago when I damaged it, see blogs from further down, yes it was late January!! I guess 4 months is not so bad a wait under the National Health Service.

I should be off for about ten days dear readers (if there are any of you left after such a gap in postings) so will update you once out of the hospital and sat with my leg up watching series repeats of time team and crap in the attic....

Onwards and upwards !! Then comes the long road to recovery, walks first (come on Archie) then back to the gym for some limbering up and weight loss before heading back to the streets to do the next knee in. 4 months of inactivity has increased the muffin top somewhat, ably assisted by a week in Spain and some jolly good dinners...and beer....and brandy...and pudding .... would you like seconds / cheese sir ... oh yes please would be rude not to....

Strut Bro Steve has also had his ankle issues to deal with, how is it now old boy, any chance of updating our adoring public lol

That's it for now, will post next week so you can get the full graphic update

Jimbob

One and a half weeks to go.

Well it's all been a bit quiet on the blog for a while as Steve and Jim have been on their holibobs!  We (and our respective better halves) have been in sunny Spain in the small coastal town of El Campello, and very lovely it was too!  I managed to get out for a few runs whilst away (a couple of three milers and a five miler), going out first thing in the morning and running along the sea-front and around the harbour and Pirate's Tower.  It made a very pleasant change from the streets of Surrey (as pretty as they are!), but it was hot even at 9:30 am, so I wouldn't have liked to run much later in the day.  I also fell foul of the 'Kerrylergy' and so wasn't feeling up to doing too much more than what I did achieve. 
I had my first run back on Blighty soil last night, a gentle three miler, and now I need to crack on with the last few runs before the GWR.  9 days and counting! (S).

Down to earth.

Well that was a mixed bag.  This morning was the inaugural Croydon Half Marathon and the weather was pretty much perfect, bright and dry but not too hot.  However I've not had the best couple of night's sleep leading up to the race and as I toed the start line with my mate Mark from work, I had to admit that I was already feeling tired!  The excitement and anticipation I'd felt at the start in Fleet simply wasn't there today and the thought of the 13.1 miles ahead of me just conjured up a feeling of dread.  Not surprisingly the first four miles were torture!  I was sluggish and disjointed, lungs heaving and sweat pouring off me as I lumbered up the hills.  The hills weren't that bad actually,  but it was just one of those days.  After five miles I made a decision to stop worrying about the time, I had said all along that this was only going to be a training run and once I reconciled that decision in my mind things started to improve almost immediately.  Well, when I say improve I actually mean improve mentally, miles 8, 9 and 11 were actually my worst in terms of time but I actually felt better!  I finished the race in 2:04:22, nine minutes slower than Fleet, but still quicker than all my performances in 2010.  So all in all I have to be pleased with the result, a good training run ahead of the Great West, not too far to travel and a nice medal to boot! (S).

5 weeks to go.

Well I must admit I've been a bit lazy since we've last been together.  Last week finished on the massive total of 9.4 miles, but then it was a post-race week!  I popped out for a quick 3 miler on Thursday and a slightly brisker 6.4 miles on Saturday, which actually went OK. It felt good to be running again and get the old legs moving.  Sunday was due to be a 10 mile LSD but household chores got in the way and I'm afraid the run went out the window.  This weekend sees my second race of the year so this week is another taper week!  This means that I'm not going to be busting a gut in training, and even though I am falling a little behind my "1000 miles in 2011" target I'm not going to worry too much about it.  I've planned an 8 mile steady run tonight, slightly changing and extending my regular 6 mile route, so we'll see how it goes! (S).

6 weeks to go.

Well thank you very much to my brother-in-running for his kind words and to the rest of you who sent congrats!  I am pleased to report that since Sunday I have done exactly zero miles in zero minutes at a pace of 0:00mpm.  It's been feet up time and recovery from the exertions of Fleet.  I know I said about doing a little run last night but to be honest my thighs are still rather sore (walking down stairs smarts a little!) and my left calf is twinging again, so I'm going to leave it another day.  It's only 11 days until the Croydon Half now but I've decided that I'm going to treat it as more of a training run and not worry too much about times etc.  With only six weeks to go until the Great West Run my focus now has to turn to Devon, and as such my training will be geared with that specific race in mind, besides which, whatever happens at Croydon will be a PB for that race anyway!  Laters gaters... (S).

Oh yes he deserves it !!

Oh yes he does!! What a superb time from Strut Brother Steve - under 2 hours and below target, what a result. Red wine obviously does the trick but I don't remember reading that in Running World. You have set the standard now matey, keep it up and don't overdo the training! The sangria is beckoning!

All together now, a big hand for the big fella !! Hip Hip ...........

Go!!!

Well the red wine last night did the trick and once I'd dragged my bloated belly into bed I was pretty much out for the count.  Apart from a brief interlude at about 4am when Kerry was woken by Heston bouncing on her head, which then meant I was woken up too, I slept pretty soundly through to 7:30 when my alarm went off.  I did have one weird dream about getting home from the race without my medal but I put that down to the cheese on the lasagne last night.  Anyway, my darling wife got up with me and made me a delicious breakfast of porridge and fresh coffee before I jumped into the car and headed off to Fleet.  An uneventful hour later I was parked up and strolling towards the Race HQ ready for my first challenge of the year.  I had run Fleet just once before, five years ago, and managed a time of 1:58:30, so my target for this year was based on that.  However being realistic I had calculated my WAVA adjusted time so my goal was 2:03:26.  For those of you who don't know, WAVA is the World Association of Veteran Athletes and running magazines and websites often refer to a "WAVA Rating".  This is a scoring system that takes your age into account, by comparing your race time to that of the world record holder in your age group. It can also be used to compare performances between athletes (or your own performances) of different ages.
Today was bright and crisp, great running weather and I felt really excited as I joined the other 2500 runners preparing for the off.  The course is slightly undulating and after a bit of a pre-amble around the town centre streets we headed out into the glorious Hampshire countryside.  I knew I had to keep below 9:25 a mile to achieve my target time, and after the inevitable slow first mile when the massed ranks begin to spread out and make running at your own pace a bit easier, I was achieving that pace comfortably.  In fact I was clicking along nearer to 9 minute miles so I set my sights on a couple of club runners who seemed to be running well within themselves (they were chatting to each other and not doing impressions of asthmatic ants!) and decided to try and keep up with them for the next few miles.  I had only done a couple of training runs over 8 miles so I knew that would be the telling point, and to be honest miles 9 and 10 were a real slog and I started slowing down and lost my pacers.  However when I reached the 10 mile point I realised that not only was I in with a real chance of beating my goal time but also, if I really put my head down, I may even break the 2 hour mark.  That realisation gave me a bit of a lift and I dug deep and kicked for home.  Mile 11 flew past and by now I was in the groove and passing other runners all the time.  Mile 12 went similarly quickly, even if I was feeling pretty knackered by now, panting like a greyhound and sweating like a carthorse.  As I reached the one mile to go point I realised that not only was "sub two" well within my grasp but my actual 2006 time was there for the taking as well.  Summoning up my last reserves of energy I pushed up the last hill, turning at the top and sprinting (well, relatively speaking) the final 400m, crossing the line in 1:55:25.  That's my second fastest time overall and best WAVA adjusted time ever.  Well chuffed!  I drove home with a big grin on my face and spent the rest of today gorging myself on cake, red wine and a lovely roast pork dinner.  Well I did burn off nearly 2000 calories this morning!
Tomorrow will be a rest day and then I'll go for a gentle recovery run on Tuesday, after all, it's only two weeks to the inaugural Croydon Half Marathon! (S).

Get set...

Not really a blog today as there are no runs to report, but I couldn't resist the temptation, tomorrow is the first race of the year and I'm pretty damned excited about it!  I've just had a massive carbo-loading lasagne dinner, followed by chocolate and biscuits and all washed down with a couple of glasses of red to help me sleep.  It's an early start tomorrow so I'll be heading off to bed soon and will update again after the race.  (S).

On your marks...

So the last couple of taper runs are now done and both went off without too much drama.  Tuesday saw a 3 miler completed in a gentle 28:15 which coincidentally is the pace (9:25mpm) required for my target time for Fleet (more on that later).  Wednesday was a 5 miler that I started deliberately slowly and then picked up the pace for the last two miles.  That saw me round in a comfortable 47:38.  So just a couple of days to go now, so feet up and carbs galore! (S).

Daleks on acid

Well as I lay there I was thinking of you dear readers...how would I blog this strange and peculiar experience? Yes the 30 minute session inside the MRI scanner is complete and what I can only describe as being spoken to by a dalek on acid! A multitude of rhythmic dalek noises of various pitches and strangely mesmeric. I found my ind wandering in the hinterland of madness as it chugged its way around my knee. It was 8am so still slightly groggy from the night's sleep as I had to get up early to get there. A very strange and surreal experience I must say.

So the 'now let's see what is going on in there' phase could be on it's way to be over and the decision of the surgeon, fondly referred to as 'Mack the Knife' awaits. Doesn't fill one with glory does it!! The important thing is that whatever the outcome I will know what the prognosis is and be back on the road to recovery and literally 'back on the road again' running (great Reo Speedwagon song for those who know it).

Steve is doing us both proud with is training, hat's off to you old boy, pardon the pun. Tomorrow sees a day of travelling up to London for meetings; now a crutch on the underground is going to be entertaining I can tell you!

To share a saying totally unconnected to the knee issues I came across this week, and Darren you will like this one. It refers to cultural change in business but you could adapt it for use in any scenario - "You can't talk yourself out of what you behave yourself into". Yes I can hear the cogs turning out there, grinding away, what on earth is he on about. Reflect on it dear readers .... what do your actions say about you and what things do you 'say' that create your reality?  Do you try and talk a good story and 'do' something completely different? Sounds like an invitation to an essay doesn't it?

So yes I may well have completely lost it at last! I will leave it to you to judge ..... woop woop diddly woopdoop....

7 weeks to go.

Blimey, where is the time going?  Well only 7 weeks until the Great West but only one week until my first race of the year, the Fleet Half Marathon on Sunday.  So this week is a taper week, starting with a rest day yesterday and a gentle four miler tonight.  More later... (S).

Not really a blog, if you'll pardon the pun.

I woke up this morning (der der de der, no it's not a blues song) and my left leg felt a bit tight but not too bad.  After a couple of hours pootling around I decided to go for a run and see how it went, and I can report that it went pretty well actually, thank you for asking!  I did 5.5 miles of cross country with little or no adverse reaction so am now set up nicely for next week's tapering before the Fleet Half next Sunday.  So that's Week 10 banked with four runs for a total of  22.74 miles.

Twingey Twingeson.

So my second recovery run was four miles on Wednesday and I'm glad to report that all went well again.  I didn't push it too hard and it was nice to feel that there was plenty left in the tank.  It's going to take a couple of weeks before you start to lose fitness but it was still good to push on for the last mile and be breathing normally within 30 seconds or so after finishing.
I had Thursday as a rest day and then planned my week's long run for Friday as I had the day off work.  After spending the morning glued to the TV watching the awful scenes unfold in Japan, and several hours in the afternoon of DIYing (yes, really!  I'm rebuilding the steps up to our front door, surprising I know!), I finally headed off about 5pm.  I was going to do the whole run cross country, but it was too late and subsequently too dark for that, so after 5 miles across the Downs I came back to the light and finished off the 10.25 miles on the road.  It wasn't fast but I felt good, so with the Fleet Half only a week away I must admit I was a little relieved. However this morning I jumped out of bed a bit too quickly and tweaked my hamstring!  (Ah, I see, another cryptic picture!) DOH!!!  I had to get Mrs. R to rub a load of Deep Heat into the offending part (ooh err!) and now take it easy and see how it is tomorrow!  Laters... (S)

8 weeks to go.

They say that a week is a long time in politics, well let me tell you that when you love your running (almost to the point of obsession according to Mrs. R), then five days out with an injury seems like a bloody lifetime!  But, as the comment posted on my last blog says, patience is indeed a virtue and so as much as I really wanted to get out there at the weekend and test my leg, I resisted the temptation and continued my period of RICE (that's Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation for those of you who weren't aware!).  That meant that last week's total was a rather weeny 8 miles over just two runs, not really the sort of mileage I wanted to be posting two weeks before my first race of the year and enough to put me behind my 1000 miles in 2011 "Fetch" target (Click here for the Fetcheveryone website) .
So on to this week then.  I decided that the payoff for my layoff (ooh I love a bit of alliteration!) was that I would go for a gentle three miler last night, walking the first few minutes to warm my calf up and then to keep it slow. "Please be alright, please be alright!" was the mantra I kept repeating to myself as I progressed along my route and happily I can report that I made it round without major incident!  After my shower I turned the temperature right down as far as it would go and played the ice cold water over my calves, a bit of a shock to the system but apparently good for recovery!  This morning, apart from a few little twinges, my legs feel fine, so I'm going to rest again tonight and do four miles tomorrow.  Until then, Happy Pancake Day! (S)

Sorry Judith!

No real blog, just 'Sorry Judith' ! Sorry but this little chap just cracks me up.....sorry....sorry...

What do you mean I'm not 20 anymore?

So Wednesday came and off I headed on a nice circular route to pick up my car, which I'd left at the pub the previous night, and clock up another seven miles.  I was very mindful of my "leg issues", so started very slowly in an effort to warm up gently.  I even pulled out my long training trousers from the cupboard to give my muscles a bit more protection!  All was going pretty well until about a mile in and that all too familiar dull ache started in my left leg again.  I immediately stopped and gently stretched my legs before continuing on my way.  The stretching seemed to have done the trick and all felt fine for the next five minutes or so, and then the aching started again.  Another stop, another gentle stretch and another five minutes of being alright, before the pain started coming back.  Damn!!!  I was a bit stuck as I had to get my car, which was about the same distance away as my house, so I persevered and carried on with a mixture of running and walking, each time my leg appearing to get better for a few minutes before cramping up again.  This went on for nearly five miles and then the strangest thing happened, the pain seemed to go and I started running freely.  When I got home and checked the Garmin data it showed that whilst I had got increasingly slower as the run went on, "peaking" with mile 5 taking nearly twelve minutes, my last mile (number six) was at 8:37 pace!  Crazy!  I drove home and immediately got my compression leggings on (very sexy!) and put my feet up for the rest of the evening. 
This morning I woke up and swung my legs out of bed with no small amount of trepidation, but actually things weren't too bad.  I have definitely pulled my calf (ahh they cry, so that's what the picture is all about!) so off I toddled to Boots at lunchtime and bought a compression bandage, which of course is nearly as sexy as my Skins leggings!
I'm going to take a few days off now and then see how things are at the weekend, after all it is only just over two weeks until the Fleet Half and I certainly don't want to miss that!  I'm now getting a little taste of Jim's frustration, you want to get out there and run but your body needs you to rest up.  As I'm not a twenty year old anymore (no seriously, I know it's difficult to believe!) it's going to take me longer to heal and recover, but if I'm sensible I may be able to do something this weekend or some time early next week.  Fingers crossed! (S)

Now there be still and no jiggling about!

Ah now then now then now.....we have a date! Tuesday 15th March at 8am and all will be revealed MRI wise!

Physio next Tues may be a waste of time....yes Mr Dalton its still clunking, clonking, grinding, twitching, painful...you know the story.

We will know the result of the Barcelona game by then....

Where have you been.....?

Aha here I am! Tada!! Jim reporting in dear readers with hearty apologies for my absence from the Strut Brother blog. Well hasn't Steve done well, manly backslaps all round, a great running month and what a shame re the 100 mile target. You did the sensible thing and listened to your locking leg...guess who didn't...yup yours truly....
Enough wallowing in self pity I hear you cry! Indeed I agree with you. Sp how is the leg (thankyou for asking lady at the back). I saw the consultant at Frenchay hospital last Wednesday, who's view backed up the physio's that I have damaged the cartilage which will necessitate an op, probably some time late April / early May. Before that an MRI beckons to inform the surgeon what is going on in there. Feels like it is full of marshmallows, clunks, clicks and grinds (squirm) and is still constantly aching.

This was all made worse by Sunday's debacle at Wembley. Let's hope we can do better tonight against the Orient. Sort it Mr Wenger or I will make your leg twitch!

Steve, Theo's out mate its your turn to take to the field!!

9 weeks to go.

So last week finished OK.  I went out on Friday and did the Tadworth Court short course run of 3.63 miles, taking it really steady after Thursday's nightmare and went round in a comfortable 36:12, or 9:57 mpm.  It was much better and my legs felt back to normal.  So far so good.  I then had my weekend off to rest and recover so Week 8 finished on the magic four runs but at a reduced mileage of 21.84.  Today Kerry and I came back from our lovely relaxing weekend in the Cotswolds.  It was going to be the chance to complete the second of my two targets, namely 100 miles in February.  Obviously I hadn't done my weekly LSD so with a goal of 8.75 miles to hit the century I headed out planning to do between 9 and 10, depending on how it went.  Well not very well was the answer.  I was only about a mile and a half in to the run and my lower left leg started really hurting.  It felt like I needed to stretch it out more so I stopped and did some stretches and then carried on.  It did feel a lot better, at first that is, but soon it all just locked solid and was aching badly.  I stretched it out some more and once again it felt better so I pushed on again, hoping that as I warmed up more it would ease itself.  It was pretty cold tonight and it just didn't seem to want to play ball, I got to two and a quarter miles and it locked up again.  That was it, I decided to call it a day and disconsolately walked the mile home.  I'd missed my 100 mile target right at the last gasp and had to be content with finishing February on 93.5 miles, however that was still the most I've ever run in a month so I have to take the  positive from that.  Ironically by the time I got back my leg felt much better but I didn't want to take any risks.  I'm out with my mate Andy tomorrow so let's see how things go on Wednesday. (S)

Hold your horses!

Wooooah there fella!  I think I got a bit carried away in my last post.  Those of you who know me will know that I have a tendency to get a bit obsessed with things and throw myself into them with an all consuming passion.  It's probably an Aries thing.  Anyway, in my headlong charge to achieve the two goals I was talking about in my previous blog entry I forgot the golden rule of running... Thou shalt not over-train!  Tuesday night was a high point in my build-up so far.  I went out and did the new improved 7 miler as a tempo/fartlek run and went round in 1:02:22 which equates to 8:55 mins per mile.  Now I've run under the 9mpm pace before, but it was the first time since 2007 that I'd managed it for a distance as long as that.  So I was well pleased!  Wednesday, not unsurprisingly, I felt a bit sore in the legs and had a rest day.  Last night was due to be another 7 miler but as soon as I started out I knew that it wasn't going to be another speed session.  I felt lethargic and my legs were really heavy.  My calves had been replaced by two blocks of concrete and despite stopping several times to stretch them out they didn't really ever loosen up.  I struggled round to about three miles but it just wasn't happening, I was feeling knackered and wasn't running smoothly at all, so decided to cut my losses and head back home.  I ended up only doing just over four miles and with the stretching and a couple of walking breaks I finished with a 10:46 mins per mile pace, somewhat slower than Tuesday's effort!  It wasn't that I was in any physical pain, more like that I had somebody else's hips and legs on and they didn't fit properly!
When things are going well it is all too easy to push yourself ever harder, to go further and faster, but it is so important that you give your body time to recover from the exertions and rebuild stronger for the next time.  I think last night was just my body asking for me to slow down a bit, I've been running so much more in the last few months and whilst I've been following the 10% max increase rule since the start of 2011, I have to remind myself that I'm not a twenty year old any more!  (For those of you who don't know, the perceived wisdom is that you should not increase your training week on week or month on month by any more than 10%, to give your body a chance to repair, recover and be ready for the increased stresses of the next level of training).  With this in mind tonight's planned seven miler is now going to probably be no more than four miles and then I have Saturday and Sunday as complete rest (in the Cotswolds with my lovely wife!).  That way I will still keep up the four runs a week and depending on what I do on Monday, I still might just get to my 100 miles for the month mark!  Have a great weekend one and all. (S)

10 weeks to go.

Well then, 10 weeks to go and I make absolutely no apology for my choice of image!
So on with the running.  I was feeling a bit sore in the legs after Sunday's 10 miler but knew that I had to get out last night as there are a few targets I'm going for this week.  Firstly I still want to keep up the four runs a week regime, but as I'm taking Mrs. Beast away for a romantic weekend in the Cotswolds I won't be able to run on Saturday or Sunday, meaning I'll have to fit them all in before then.  (Oh the irony of pissing her off by being out running every night, just so that I can take her away on a romantic weekend afterwards!).  Secondly I am in touching distance of 100 miles for February, the biggest mileage I've ever clocked in a month by far, God I just can't resist a stat- related goal!  So to mix it up a bit I decided to do an alternative seven miler (click if you're interested).  I started deliberately slowly as my ankles were creaking a bit, but got up to a comfortable speed after a couple of miles and finished in 1:06:07.  I'm feeling a bit knackered today and I'm fully aware of the importance of rest days/weeks, so I'm going to just push on through to the end of those two targets and then make next week a bit of a recovery week.  So another seven miler ahead of me tonight, better have a kip on the train on the way home!
P.S. Good luck to Jim at the Consultant tomorrow! (S)

Run to the beat.

A couple of different runs this weekend, and a bit of an experiment.  Since I've been back into my running (which will be a year to the day on Tuesday) I've pretty much been listening exclusively to podcasts as my run entertainment.  So on Friday I decided to see if "running to the beat" would have a positive effect on my performance. I had run the 7 miler for the first time on Monday accompanied by Frank Skinner, so this time I took Messrs Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett, Young, Young, Johnson, Williams and Rudd instead, otherwise known as Metallica and AC/DC.  I was hoping the up-tempo nature of the tracks would help me to a couple of minutes quicker than Monday, so I was well pleased with my 1:05:58 which was over five minutes quicker.  So it's conclusive, a bit of metal injection is a good way to improve your running times!
Today was back to the weekend LSD (maaaan).  I hit double figures, with a very slow (11:00mpm) ten miler which was a mixture of road and trail, incorporating some of the 7 miler followed by a Spire (check out the route here).  The first couple of miles were a bit hard going (probably down to last night's evening of excess for Vix's birthday!) and I had to stop several times to stretch out my calves and thighs, but by the end I was moving freely and felt good.  So there we are, Week 7 done, four runs completed again and 27.63 miles logged.  Rock and Roll baby! (S)

Hey Mr Consultant I kneed to know the knowledge on my knee....



And cough......



Apologies dear readers for my lack of update on the crunching knee. I am now relatively pain free, apart from night times, and am back to work at intervals sat at the desk. Current understanding is the meniscus is damaged, restricting the movement of the knee. Always feel like it is just about to go again, so am being very careful.

The lesson for me, I guess, is not to overdo it with exercise, Kerry and I in the same boat! Have to say I am bored to tears with being house bound and am missing my work travel, but am getting some great support from mates via e-mail and calls, which are excellent thankyou.

For sure the Mighty Gunners' victory this week was a real highlight, and a great night even if my wife did remove herself upstairs to bed because the football was on!  My daughter and boyfriend, both Gooners, and I sat in the living room shouting and cheering and waving scarves at the TV. Wayhay what a night. Have to say my texting live with Steve Strutbrother, who was at the match, was great and made up for not being there to a degree...cheers Stevie!

And I am sure you will all agree with me, he is now running for two, and doing a stalwart job in training for the GWR half. Keep it going mucky legs, and keep on blogging your efforts, brings me out in a sweat just reading the hill work!

So next week brings physio part 2 on Tuesday and the consultant appointment on Wednesday to see if any surgery is required, so will come back to you with a further update next week.

Have great weekends, Steve I will virtually join you on a run, you are tasked with finding a portable run cam for the blog!!

Is it beer o'clock yet?

It's all about the Little Russian!

And last night it certainly was!  As a footie lover and someone that follows a particular team it is nights like last night that are the reason you go through all the disappointment, heartache, mediocrity and frustration of being a fan.  For those of you who don't follow the beautiful game, my glorious Gunners stunned Barcelona, arguably the best team in the world at the moment, and beat them in an amazing night at the Emirates.  It was the first leg of the Round of 16 in the Champions League and Arsenal claimed a famous victory, coming from behind to beat the Catalans 2-1 with goals from Robin van Persie and Andrey Arshavin.  RVP equalised David Villa's first half opener with just 12 minutes left on the clock and then the Little Russian scored five minutes later to put the seal on one of the truly great evenings at the Arsenal.  I know it's only "half-time" and it's going to be exceptionally tough in the second leg at the Camp Nou, but they can never take last night away from us.  It was simply awesome and I was so proud of my team. Well done boys and fingers crossed for the return.
Anyway, this is a running blog and there are better descriptions of the match elsewhere (Click here for a link to the excellent Arseblog) so back to the matter in hand.  Thanks to the woeful state of the London Underground it took me an hour to do a journey that normally takes 15 minutes tonight, and consequently I missed my train home.  By the time I finally got back it was way too late to do my proposed 7 miler so I decided to compromise and do the Tadworth Court Short course 3.63 miler (Click to route) as a tempo run instead.  I started off feeling a bit tight in the chest for some reason and had to stop for a quick blast on the old puffer after about a mile, but that could have been just because it was a bit cold on the lungs out there tonight.  After that everything seemed a bit easier and I powered round (well, in my definition of "power"!) in 33:25, or a season's best pace of 8:38!  I was really pleased with that and was really glad I'd forced myself out the door and hadn't just given up on the evening's session as I'd been tempted to do.  I'm going to have to do my 7 miler tomorrow now I'm but looking forward to it and feel encouraged by tonight's pace.
I entered another race today too, the "Down Tow Up Flow Half Marathon" in July.  I did the "Up Flow" route last year with mixed results (loved the race, very disappointed with my 2:15 time), so hoping to do better this year when they run the "Down Flow" direction.  For more details see the race website (Link to race details).  Catch you later! (S)

11 weeks to go.

So the start of another week and for once I didn't run on Monday.  Well what sort of husband would I be if I abandoned my lovely wife on Valentines Day to go running?!  So a rest day it was, with a lovely (healthy) meal and a bottle of wine, a bit of a snuggle on the sofa and some tele.  Ahhhhh.
Normal service was resumed tonight though and it was my first go at my new 7 miler (Clicky thingy). It took me 1:11:27 to do the 7.15 undulating miles, so that was fine, as I took it fairly steady because I was feeling a bit knackered after a long day at work and my legs were still a little sore from the weekend's cross country.  I'm going to have another recovery night tomorrow (I won't mention why so that I don't jinx anything!) and then will have another go at the route on Thursday.  Only a short blog tonight so adios amigos! (S)

Time to get yer legs out!

Like the clocks going forward in Spring or the Glorius Twelfth in August there are things that happen at certain times of the year without fail.  For me it is getting my legs out come mid February.  All through the winter I tend to wear my leggings but this weekend (barring unexpected snowfall) they've gone back into the running stuff draw until the autumn and it's bare legs from now on!  Mind you it was actually pretty chilly on my runs this weekend and was alternating between sideways freezing rain and hail today, but I suppose that meant that at least I wasn't bogged down by soggy bottoms. As it were.  Both runs this weekend were cross country and muddy, as the photo to the left will testify, but I've always rather enjoyed running in the mud and rain.  Indeed sploshing through the puddles (it's pointless trying to pick your way around them on the Downs routes that I run) is almost as pleasurable as the hot shower when you get home.  Thursday's fartlek session obviously did some good as on a reasonably challenging route I held my best cross country pace so far this year, completing the 6.1 miles in 1:00:36 (9:56 mpm).  That was Saturday morning and this afternoon, after a calorie and alcohol laden dinner party last night, I went out again and did another cross country 8 miler in 1:21:05 (10:08 mpm).  Neither route is really comparable to road running as the conditions are often very slippery, ankle deep in mud and pretty steep in places, compounded this afternoon by the inclement precipitation. Fun though!  So Week 6 is now chalked off and I've managed to keep the four runs a week going, this time clocking 25.35 miles and taking me over the 100 miles for the year so far.  Nice. (S)

Pizza and wine makes you feel fine.

So Wednesday’s run didn’t quite go to plan.  I got a call from Richard who was up in London on business from his home in sleepy Devon.  Obviously I couldn’t abandon the chap to a lonely night in a faceless hotel in Euston, with only a curled up cheese sandwich from room service to look forward to, so being a good friend I sacrificed my training session and went out with Rich and imbibed several pints of strong ale, some crostini, a massive pizza, a bottle of red wine and finished off with a cheeky limoncello.  Ah, the things we do for our mates.

Last night I obviously had to make amends.  I had to pop the ticket money from our clergytastic thespian endeavours in to the church treasurer, so I decided to run to her house and kill two birds with one stone. I know it had only been Monday since I’d last been out running but for some reason it felt much longer and it was good to head off out the door again. The run up there was conducted at a very steady if rather leisurely pace, and after a brief chat on the doorstep my breathing and heart rate were almost back to normal.

As Thursday night is hill session night I had intended to carry on to where I do my reps, but time was against me so that idea was ditched in favour of the pea and pancetta pasta that the lovely Kerry was preparing for me at home.  However I started feeling a bit guilty, and with the spectre of “junk miles” looming over my shoulder I decided to up the quality of the session and turn it into a fartlek run.  Using alternate lampposts as my markers I speed-played all the way home and what was in danger of becoming all a bit mediocre turned into a really uplifting run. I’ve only done one fartlek session this year so it felt really good to push my body to near its limits.  I arrived home panting and sweaty and basked in the glow for the rest of the evening.  I’m not sure that the efforts countered the massive calorie intake of Wednesday night but the final stats of 44:22 for 4.85 miles made me happy! 

As a footnote I have recently signed up to the Fetcheveryone website (Clicky clicky) and joined the “1000 miles in 2011” group.  As I only completed just over 500 miles in the last twelve months it is a bit of a step up, but so far I’m pretty much on track and it’s good to have a goal!  My other group is the “Sub 2 hour half marathon” one, although I’ve actually gone under two hours on seven previous occasions I haven’t done it since 2007, so it’s also given me a bit of performance related focus to my running.  My first attempt is going to be at the Fleet Half Marathon on March 20^th so we’ll see how that goes!  It’s a rest night tonight but I feel a bit of cross country in the offing for Saturday.  TTFN. (S)

A Cute Injury?

Well is it? Cute? I don't think so! Yes tomorrow is D-Day, the appointment at the acute injury clinic at the local hospital. Will let you all know how it goes. Missing the donning of the hi-vis and looking forward to the race in May.
Steve is going geat guns with the training even with a few sore thighs, keep it going and don't over do it!
I'm looking forward to tomorrow as at least I will know what the prognosis is. I think I have torn the cartliage, let's see what the experts say!

12 weeks to go.

Well the clock is ticking (excuse the pun) as we head into the second week of February (God where is the time going?!).  Last week (Week 5) finished on a total of 4 runs over 23 miles so the mileage is creeping up, this week I'm going for 25 miles, which with a bit of tweaking I should be able to cover in four runs again.  A proper length long run at the weekend (with no chaffing!) should see that done.  Tonight is going to be the same 6.4 mile route I did a couple of times last week, at the pace target of 9:45 mins per mile, so we'll see how I get on.
So here I am, back after my run.  I was taking no chances tonight and had padded plasters on my "wounds", long boxers, running shorts and then tracksters on top.  Four layers to protect my delicate little thighs.  Bless.  It did the job though and I headed off using the Virtual Partner on my Garmin to keep around the 9:45 pace.  It all went pretty smoothly and I got to 4.5 miles just 10 seconds down so decided to push on and up the pace for the last two miles home.  I'm beginning to get a feel for the sort of pace I'm running at and was pretty confident of making up the time, and by the end I had actually gained a minute and finished in 1:01:25, which translates as 9:36 pace. Whilst I was a little surprised to find myself down at 4.5 miles I was happy with the finish tonight, seeing as the race is going to be twice as long as this training run it was good to be feeling strong at the six mile mark.  I'm going to have a rest day tomorrow and then I think I might have a bit of a go at some fartleking on Wednesday.  (S)

More Vaseline Vicar?

Well first things first and last night I trod the boards for the first time in many, many years in a murder mystery whodunit play called "Who Killed the Vicar?".  It was a fund raiser for the church roof (no, seriously!) and I played the part of the Reverend Tobias Byrne, the curate of St. Ignatius the Unflappable, in the parish of Steeply Willows.  We had an audience of about 150, raised about £3,000 and had a very fun night.  And no, I wasn't the murderer, but I was the murderer's accomplice!  Thanks to everyone who came and supported a worthy cause.  Anyway, we had a bit of an after show drinkie back at Chez Richardson, and I must admit I wasn't feeling 100% this morning.  I'd left my car at the hall last night and had planned on doing an amended version of the Sheep Walk 8.1 miler, taking in a Spire and ending up back at Walton to pick it up.  However things didn't go quite to plan, it was all a bit laboured today, although the uphill bits didn't feel as hard as usual so maybe the hill sessions are beginning to pay off.  That in itself wouldn't really have been too much of a problem, I would have been quite happy to plod along at a slower than the normal pace, no the trouble was that bane of a runner's life, chaffing!  I had applied my Bodyglide as normal (ooh errr Vicar!) but wasn't wearing my normal running undergarments, and consequently my inner thighs started to chaff.  Now, any of you that have experienced this particular phenomenon will know just how bloody painful it can be!  I was only about 3 miles into the run and already things were heating up below.  Every stride was beginning to sting just a little bit more, I was half an hour from my car and obviously didn't have a handy travel pack of Vaseline about my person!  On the big city marathons you always see the good old St. John's Ambulance people with their rubber gloves and big globs of Vaseline at the road side, and they have brought relief to thousands, but unfortunately there weren't any lurking around all greased up on Epsom Downs today.  There was nothing for it but to get back to the car asap and try to minimise any damage.  This meant cutting out the Spire bit of the run and settling for 6.1 miles, but I didn't care by that point.  Red raw and grateful I finally got back to the Beastmobile and drove home, my legs apart the whole way.  A footnote to this story will be a couple of pieces of advice, firstly make sure you are adequately lubed up or have sufficiently long enough pants or running shorts to avoid inner thigh friction on your run and secondly, once you are safely home be very careful, hot water and shower gel can sting like buggery! Toodlepip and may your God go with you. (S)

Hills in the morning.

Mornings and hills... Two of my least favourite things.  And in a moment of synchronicity they came together to usher in the weekend.  Due to a visit from my mother-in-law last night I ended up staying in and postponing what was originally Thursday's hill session until this morning.  I woke up mentally ready to do the session but in retrospect I'm not so sure I was ready physically.  It was all a bit too early after a night of steak, chips and red wine. And a box of Maltesers.  God I love Maltesers, there's something about that malty goodness.  Anyway I'm in a Murder Mystery play tonight and was heading off for the dress rehearsal at 10am, so I had to do the run early or it might not have happened.  The warm up run was OK, I took it pretty easy, stopping for a few stretches, the hills themselves weren't too bad and the warm down, complete with some more stretching was painless enough.  It was just that I felt generally knackered and slow.  The whole 4.1 miles took 44:45 which is fairly irrelevant as today wasn't about the time.  As I blogged with the last hill session I'm going to start focusing on improving the hill reps themselves which today took 15:19, so we'll see how that changes over the weeks.
It's good to see Jimbo back in the blogosphere, fingers crossed for a favourable outcome fella!  Finally today I have a shout-out to my old mates Andy and Wozza from South Wales, they've also signed up for the Great West Run, so I hope to include some updates on their progress along the way too.  Have a great weekend one and all! (S)

Well that's torn it or tales from Knee Ville...

What is the true definition of friendship? Well look to the left...this is the only way I will complete the Great West Run, on current form! Limber up Stevie I'm coming aboard!

Yes dear blog readers, you will have read my compadres news of my knee injury. I have waited until today to blog, as it was doctors day. Was not worth the wait!

On Sunday I was 5 miles into my 7.5 miler, good pace, sun out, breathing good. Slight ache in right knee so had support bandage on. 3/4 way up killer hill, Willsbridge, an invisible man jumped me and stuck a blunt knife in mt right kneecap. I staggered back, lost my breath and grabbed a thorn bush in desperation not to fall over (stop giggling). It was so dramatic a car stopped to see if I was OK! A fellow runner no doubt. More likely a young couple thinking fat old bald bloke having a heart attack! After stumbling / jogging home (it hurt as bad whatever I did) I got home and after a few hours of agony, during which I cooked Sunday lunch, my son took me to A&E.

I am now on co-codamol and diclofenac pain killers and anti inflamitories. When it's pain free its fine and I think 'what am I doing here?'. But for a few sessions each day, like now, it cramps up, goes into spasm and takes my breath away it is such sharp searing stabbing pain and burning inside the knee. It goes into my toes, and up my leg. I get pins and needles in my toes and am bound like a kipper cos of the pills!!

Needless to say, from one who travels a lot with work, and is busy busy busy, the last 5 days have been hell. I have nearly completed a full family tree history on www.ancestry.co.uk a great site by the way, Did a bit of work, watched interminable tosh on TV (how many relocation and antiques programs can they make!) and have learned how to bake a Victoria sponge, do a fashion makeover for 65 year olds, learnt the vagaries of the most recent face creams and how to spot a fake perfume in the market. My god, we wonder why the British are so brain dead, just watch the complete tosh on our TV screens. DUR!!

Rant over. What shall I do now....

Well next steps are waiting for physio appointment for them to assess what is wrong with the knee ( we think you have hurt it Mr Dalton, yes I know, oh OK, you will need to wait another year fro another appointment etc etc). Doctor recommend an MRI scan then we can see what needs to be done. Have started painting the Forth road Bridge and reckon it will be done before I see the scanner.. ho hum.

Well the knee fairies have departed and the gremlins arrived and poured molten mercury over my knee cap, gotta go and wince for s bit... don't worry I'll be back.....

Passing on the baton.

Well there's nothing definite yet but it looks like Jim may have to have a operation on his knee.  That pretty much would certainly rule him out of the GWR, although there would be an outside chance of recovering in time it's doubtful that he would have the fitness or the miles in the tank to take on the distance.  There is a lot of talk about "respecting the distance", and whilst a half marathon obviously isn't as tough as a full marathon it shouldn't be underestimated.  Running over 13 miles is something that a couple of lumps the age and condition of me and Jim have to build up to (slowly!), or we could come a real cropper!  Anyway, more from Emergency Ward 10 when our brave (not so) little soldier has been to the knee doctor.
And so it falls to me to take up the baton on behalf of the Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee partnership and keep the training going.  I decided that a bit of effort was required tonight so headed out on the same 6.4 mile route I did on Monday.  The idea was to up the pace and after yesterday's rest day the legs felt OK, so I pushed on when running on the level or downhill and tried to keep it steady on the hills.  The end result was nearly three minutes quicker and under the hour mark in 59:38 (9:18 mpm).  I have to say that five weeks into my training I'm pretty happy to be running at that pace over that distance.  It's far too soon to be thinking about times for the actual race, but if I have aspirations to go under the two hour mark (9:10 mpm) for the first time in four years, then things are progressing in the right direction.  Fingers crossed I can keep it up! (S)

13 weeks to go.

Well thirteen is certainly unlucky for some. I'm feeling a bit down about Jim's injury but undoubtedly nowhere near as down as Jim himself.  Gutted would be nearer the mark but he has pledged to blog his road to recovery.  It is a sad fact of life with runners that injuries happen, I read somewhere that in any year 60% of us will get an injury of some kind, it's just really unlucky for Jim that his is such a bad one.  However I have no doubt that he will be back stronger than ever and his blogged rehabilitation will hopefully be of use to other runners reading this and having to go through something similar.  Although a trip to the consultant (probably this week) will tell us more we are preliminarily pencilling in the Cardiff Half in October as Jim's "comeback" race.  Anyway, on a brighter note I went out on my new 6.4miler (Linky linky) in my new Asics Kinsei 3 shoes.  God I love them!  They felt really great from the off and no new shoe roughness at all.  Brilliant!  The run itself went pretty well too, it was pigging cold but after a very gentle warm up I went for a steady pace but deliberately throttled back when it came to the uphills, no point in going mad today.  I finished in 1:02:22 or 9:45 mins per mile so really happy with that.  I felt strong in the leg and lung and really enjoyed the run tonight.  It's a rest day tomorrow and then I'm going to do the same route again on Wednesday, hopefully a bit quicker.  TTFN. (S)

Slow, slow, quick, quick, slow.

Well that's not strictly true.  It was more like slow, slow, slower, slower still, speed up a bit towards the end.  But that's OK because it's kind of what I was intending anyway.  It was yesterday (Saturday) afternoon and I hit the Downs for an eight mile cross country run.  It was pretty nippy when I set out so gloves and hat were the order of the day (it's going to be weird reading that in a few months when it baking hot), but I soon warmed up and experienced the odd sensation of sweat running into my ears via my iPod earphones.  Strange.  I took it fairly easy, I'd set the training partner on my Garmin to 10:15 pace but as the footpod has been calibrated to my road shoes it was only ever going to be an approximate guide.  I was reading an article in Runners World the other day about training at race pace for the last few miles of a long run to simulate race conditions so I kicked on for the last two miles and was around the same pace as the first two miles, so fairly happy with that.  In the end the run took me 1:22:56, Map My Run said it was 8.02 miles but the Garmin said it was 8.18, so I've plumped for the middle ground and called it 8.1.  Strangely that brings me slap bang in on 10:14mpm, which was the target anyway!  Sorry for all the figures there, runners in general and me in particular are fairly anal when it comes to stats.  And it is true that I have an "I Love Spreadsheets" mug. So there we go, Week 4 completed, 4 runs again and 21.6 miles done.  I'm very excited because my new Asics Kensei 3 shoes arrived yesterday so they'll get their first outing on tomorrow's run!  God I really do need to get out more don't I!  A bientot mes petits lévriers.
NEWSFLASH!!!
Grave news has just reached Blog HQ that my dear training and race partner Jim has suffered a serious injury that more than likely will rule him out of The Great West Run.  He will blog the details himself in all their gory glory, but I wish him the speediest possible recovery. (S)

Good evening Curate, that's a lovely egg you have there.

So tonight was the same hill session that I've done a couple of times over the last fortnight.  And it was a bit of a curate's egg of a session, that is to say good in parts but not so good in others.  The good bits ironically were the hills, they are definately getting easier, to the point that I'm now planning on how I can get more out of the reps.  Initially it's just been about getting up the hill ten times without collapsing, now I'm considering paying more attention to the actual time it takes to complete that bit of the session.  The bad bit was my calves afterwards.  They cramped up so spectacularly on the mile home that I actually had to stop and spend a couple of minutes stretching them out before finishing the run. The only thing I can say is that it was pretty cold out there tonight so that probably didn't help, but either way not good.  However, overall not a bad run, 3.73 miles in 40:12 so better than last week's hills.  Onwards and upwards my little pamplemousses! (S)

We love sweaty, sweaty muldoon, dear old sweaty, sweaty muldoon..

Well shiver me timbers and grapple me grape nuts, I decided to take an additional rest day yesterday after doing something strange to my knee when out with the dogs on Sunday afternoon. Well, there is something to be said for a great Arsenal victory last night and changing ones tunes on one's ipod.

The mighty Magnum have replaced my last lot of tunes and what an effect! I mapped a 5.25 mile run last week, fairly flat, with a few undulations, and on 15th did it in 1.04.59 .....well tonight thanks to the great Bob Catley I did it in exactly an hour!! I have to say I was inspired by Steve's lamppost spurts (I am sure you can get arrested for that) and tried lengthening my stride as well as speeding up going down hill. Nasty when you push it when it makes you feel a bit queasy but it soon passes.

Loving being back on the legs and getting fit again, there's a kinda buzz about it. Don't think I will ever get to iron man status Darren! You never know. I'd love to be able to tell all of the overweight and unfit middle aged men how easy it is to eat healthily and exercise to get fit. And boy does it make you feel good. Stress and depression fizzle away, burn it off. Grrrr. Far too much testosterone kicking around now. Calm down tiger....

I can also report another THREE pounds lost this last week, giving a grand total of 8 pounds so far, so I have hit the first half stone lost woohoo!! Yes I have been here before, and following the slimming world diet agian, but not going to the meetings. No intention of going back to being big again, some of my 'new' old clothes are starting to fit again phew, and I feel less wobbly. Good news all round.

OK well over to 'Quick Legs Magraw' Stevie-boy for his next speedy update I guess - toodle pip old sport!

She wore, she wore...

She wore a yellow ribbon,

She wore a yellow ribbon in the merry month of May,

And when,

I asked,

Oh why she wore that ribbon,

She said its for the Arsenal and we're going to Wembley,

Wembley,

Wembley,

We're the famous Arsenal and we're going Wembley!

OK so I know this is a running blog and not a footie one but as I said from the off it would be the musings of a couple of 40 somethings, who both just happen to be Gooners.  So it would be remiss of me not to make a passing reference to the boys reaching their first Wembley final for 13 years after finally seeing off the Tractor Boys 3-0 at the Emirates last night.  Hurrah for that and fingers crossed for February 27th! 

Well back to the running and I went out on my Tadworth Court long route tonight (clickeroo for the route) 4.77miles which I did as a tempo run.  I didn't feel as good as Monday, a bit tighter in the chest, a bit heavier in the leg but pushed on and it wasn't too bad at all, finishing in 45:40.  Unlike my charging tiger of a mate Jim, I'd forgotten my earphones and left them at work, so no inspirational music for me, just the sound of my own asthmatic wheezing, vigorous snotting and incomprehensible jeers from a small group of adolescent hoodlums hanging out at the bus stop.  I know there's very little to do in Tadworth if you're a teenager so a few insults hurled at an overweight, balding middle-aged man shuffling along in a dayglo yellow jacket and lycra would be too good an opportunity to miss!  Bless their cottons.  Tomorrow I'm back on the dreaded hill session, so let's hope it's like the first week and not like last week's effort.  Laters gaters. (S)

14 weeks to go.

You know, there are days, like the other Thursday, when it just doesn't happen, you feel sluggish, tired, under the weather or simply not up for it.  And then there are days when it all just clicks and you fly.  Today was one of those days.  I did my old 5 miler (clickity click here), I wasn't pushing particularly hard (48:38) but it just felt really good.  I love those runs when you feel the benefit of previous workouts and I really had that feeling tonight.  My breathing felt the easiest it had to date, my legs felt strong and I had the sense of actually holding back at the more demanding parts of the route.  It's a rest day tomorrow but then the training schedule has an around 4 mile (route to be decided) tempo run.  Looking forward to it! (S)

Easy like Sunday morning...

Just as the man said, today was an easy one.  After the footie (including a cracking hatrick from RVP) and a lovely meal with Mrs R. last night, I decided that today should be a nice gentle longer run.  As I'm slowly building up the mileage I went for the Sheep Walk/Langley Vale cross country route (click here for route details).  Just a tad over 6 miles in 1:02:47 (10:27mpm), took it nice and steady and held back on the tougher sections, after all it was supposed to be an easy one today, and have to say I enjoyed it!  So Week 3 done, four runs again and 17.76 miles.  Nice. (S)

One hill, two hill, three hill, four!

Well I cannot get the server to accept my pictures for the blog - Steve is there a secret? After a week of being away with work in Glasgow, dinner in Janie Oliver's Italian on Wednesday evening, followed by last night's dinner of 5 pints of Young's Special Ale, meatballs and liver and bacon I knew as I awoke this sunny morn it was time to don the running gear. The weight loss is still going ok, am sub 17 stone and have hit the half stone lost marker, onwards and upwards.
Talking of upwards, I decided it was time to take in some hills, of various difficulty, and mapped a route in my head to do today. 4 hills, with various levels of difficulty. Hill one starts gradually and then is steep and short and went fine. A nice down hill stretch ensues, the great Willsbridge Hill, which I will return to when I run up it next (a killer). Hill two, Cherry Gardens, a long steep hill of half a mile, but went fine. Hill three and gradual climb, goes on and on and on, but again was ok, 5 miles in now, and I decided to add another hill, Greenbank, a hill schizophrenic hill of various stages and steepness, getting worse as you get to the top. Phew that was it, I was done, and a nice downhill mile and a bit back home.
This was my longest run in ages, 7.2 miles in 1 hour 28 mins, 12 minute miles again, happy with that at this stage. Half would be done in 2.5 hours, which was my initial estimate, but one I have more miles under the belt that will drop.
The sun was shining, the breeze was cool, and my mind cleansed itself of the week and entered that wonderful blissful state, when your breathing it regular and controlled, you are hot and in the zone, yeh this is the life!Bit achy now but that's the joy of knowing you have had a good long run.
Yes, this is the life.

Now that's a bit more like it.

After yesterday's disappointment I was keen to get back on the horse and put things right.  Today was the run I should have done on Wednesday, when I was stuffing my fat face with, albeit very nice, fish and chips instead.  It was Monday's route but with a bit more pace injected into it.  I wouldn't exactly say that I was fartleking, but I was consciously trying to pick up speed for little bursts between lampposts.  From the outset it was obvious that it was going to be a lot better tonight, my legs felt fresher, my chest wasn't tight and the annoying pain in my side was conspicuous by its absence.  It did make a brief appearance at about the mile mark but a few deep breaths on the opposite foot strike (as you do to alleviate a stitch) seemed to do the trick and it soon passed.  In true runner style I could moan about the aches I get in my ankles and lower leg, but I won't.  I finished strongly and completed the 4.06 miles (not sure what happened to the other 0.02 miles there were on Monday) in 38:41, or 9:30 mins per mile.  I'm much happier with that and after a healthy dinner of roast chicken breast and salad I allowed myself a Friday treat of half a Crunchie.  What a rock and roll devil I am!  Mind you, I'm off to the footie tomorrow afternoon and then I'm taking Mrs. R out for dinner in the evening (when I fully intend to get some vino tinto down my neck) so it won't hurt me to go easy tonight.  Oh and I did have "Boy's Lunch" today so I can't really complain.  Going to give the legs a bit of a rest tomorrow before hitting a bit of cross country on Sunday, so TTFN and I'll catch you the other side of the weekend. (S)

Got to take the rough with the smooth.

Well its not always going to be great is it.  And tonight was one of those nights.  I decided to go out and do the same hill session I did last Thursday,  I was feeling confident and after last night's little hiccup, raring to go.  But it was hard work; my legs felt heavy, I developed a pain in my side that really slowed me down and the cold night air was tightening my lungs .  Ironically the side pain dissipated about ten minutes before the end of the run, just as my legs finally loosened up, and so the last mile was actually fun!  The rest wasn't to be honest and the 3.6 miles took me a laboured 40:48.  It was a relief to get the run over with but by the time I had got out of the shower and warmed back up I was already looking forward to tomorrow's session.  I think I'm getting addicted. (S)

Oh go on then, just one little Spring Roll.

Yesterday was a rest day.  So I went out with my old pal Andy (the bloke who is singularly most responsible for me being into running) and ate my body weight in Chinese food.  But it's OK because I've worked out that I only need to run 27 miles today to work it all off.  Check back later to see how I get on!
Oh dear, I'm a very bad person.  I got home tonight, full of good intentions but let myself be talked out of going running (well I have got a slightly sore calf).  Bad enough but then I was persuaded to go up the chippy and get a fish supper.  Bad Stevie, naughty Stevie.  My training plan has me running tomorrow anyway, but now I'm going to have to go on Friday as well to do the session I missed tonight.
I signed up for the Seaford Half Marathon on June 5th today so no excuses, got to buckle down now. (S)

15 weeks to go.

Well here we are, Week 3 or 15 weeks to go and the week kicked off on a little bit of a downer.  After all the work of last week I have to admit I was a little disappointed that I hadn't lost any weight at all when I checked this morning.  Serves me right for a momentary lapse of a Crunchie and a whole bar of Dairy Milk last night.  Oh well, you live and learn!  Started off with a gentle 4 miler tonight (click here for run map thingy) and went round in 40:14 so around the 10 mins per mile mark.  My legs felt OK after yesterday's hills, a bit of ankle ache but nothing too bad.  Put the iPod on tonight and caught up with the excellent Marathon Training Academy podcasts, (click here for the MTA website) , something I've been listening to for quite a while now and will talk a bit about another time, but would heartily recommend! (S)