still sore

2 miles (treadmill)

Body Attack

Body Pump

This will teach me to race down all of the downhills on the West Highland Way as my quads were still sore on Tuesday, hence only the two mile run.  I did it on the treadmill as it was bucketing down and I did not want to get soaked before being in the gym for 2 hours!  Quite enjoyed it for a change since my knees are still also sore and I could watch bits of the Olympics at the same time!

It’s rubbish working while they are on though as I would have loved to have seen the 200m final live (among others0 but had to settle for listening to it repeated on the radio and then watching it on the internet when I got home.

Doing the Irvine 10km tonight, think I will be rubbish but it will hopefully kick start me with some motivation and give me an idea of where I am with training - know where near where I was at the end of June, I know that much!

Stairlift required……to go down

600m swim

I was planning on going to the club tonight but I can still hardly walk, especially not downstairs so decided on a swim instead since Pacepusher was doing that.  I quite enjoyed it as not been for a while but I am so rubbish at it now.  I wasn’t as a kid but I have no endurance for it now at all.  I had better find some though as I plan to do the Edinburgh triathlon on New Year’s Day as my first fundraising event for the year to raise money for my school in Malawi.

Burning quads

Body Pump

This was all I managed today as my quads have been screaming at me since I woke up after tearing down all of the downhills yesterday.

Also, quite tired as stayed up to watch the marathon and saw Michael Phelps get his eighth gold at 4am, and I did not exactly sleep in!  I had a few tears at the end of the marathon! 

I have updated my school blog with another few days worth of stories, this is taking forever!

WHW running to help me along

Drymen to Rowardennan

15.28 miles, 3.17.41 hours, ave pace 12.56m/m

10.29, 11.31, 9.25, 10.10, 12.17, 18.27, 15.17, 13.07, 11.22, 13.43, 14.20, 12.42, 14.13

I don’t have all of the splits as pacepusher told me to lap stops and that messed it up!

I wanted to run on the WHW today to do my long run as it meant the pressure would be off but I would still be building up time on my feet - which I certainly did!

Pacepusher ended up supporting me, see his blog for why, which was good as then from Balmaha to Rowardennan I did not have to carry my drinks, and I got updates on the Olympics as I went along.  I really liked all of this section despite it being hilly and enjoyed my run.  Hopefully this will give me some more confidence for my next long run.  It was quite slow towards the end but hopefully I can build this up in preparation for the fling!

And I finished just 2 mins before the 100m mens final and was able to listen to that, absolutely amazing.  Wish he had kept pushing to the end though, would love to know what he could run it in.  Staying up tonight to watch the marathon and then unfortuntely at 4am Phelps goes for his 8th gold so think we will be staying up for that too.  Don’t know when I stayed up that late before - not that I have managed it yet, after all of that fresh air I might be lucky to make the marathon!

Excuses, Excuses

Thursday 14th August

Body Pump

Body Attack

Didn’t run as I did not want to get soaked before being in gym for two hours and literally had no time on Friday as was on a staff night out that started at 5.30pm in Finnieston and I work in Blantyre!  One of my worst nightmares occurred on the way as I got stuck on the underground for 20/25 mins. 

I felt sick at one point as the irrational side of my brain imagined a train smashing into the back of us or having to walk forever through a tunnel to get to the station - turns out we were only about 10 metres from the station, I wish they had told us that!

Getting worried!

Tuesday 12th August

9.3 miles, 1.33 hours, ave pace 10.06 m/m

10.02, 10.08, 10.18, 10.01, 10.25, 10.03, 9.37, 10.06, 10.07, 3.06

Body Jam

Body Attack

Body Pump

Went out to try and do 16 mile and only managed that.  And it’s probably the slowest I have run in years!  I don’t even know what was wrong, but nothing, absolutely nothing was going right!

I can only hope that when I go back to work on Thursday, not that I am ready for that after so little holiday, I will get back into my usual routine.  Don’t even want to say anything else about it - but Debs I am still trying to count my blessings!

Did attack and pump at night, and did jam for the first time before those.  I am glad I was not in the dance studio and having to watch myself in the mirror as I felt very stupid trying to do the moves!

First speed session in a long time

6.28 miles, 1.04.24

10 x 30 secs - 7.20, 7.11, 7.04, 7.11, 7.37, 6.54, 6.35, 6.52, 6.30, 7.02,

10 x 1 min - 7.33, 7.57, 7.36, 7.07, 7.24, 7.32, 8.02, 7.55, 7.24, 8.03,

10 x 30 secs - 7.51, 7.22, 7.11, 8.10, 7.48, 7.26, 7.41, 7.44, 7.22, 8.54,

Well I did it, that is about the best you can say about this session.  I was feeling very sick before I started as I had made the mistake of having a very large latte earlier in the afternoon on an empty stomach and the combinatation of too much coffee and too much milk was not good!  I then tried to drink lots of water to make up for it and that gave me my throat problem.

It was nice to be back and chat to people but that was about it.  I was last or nearly last every time and I have not been like that in a while.  It was quite a shock and I feel like all the progress I had made before I left has been totally wiped out.  I was also aware though that I want to do a long run tomorrow and so I did not want to push it too hard either.

So instead of speed I have gone for length and have just posted off my entry for the HIGHLAND FLING RACE 2009!   I intend to do the Devil of the Highlands as well as I want to do some significant fundraising for the school I was in in Malawi.  You can organise special projects through LINK and depending on cost I would like to have a teacher’s house built.  It is very difficult to get teachers to work in rural areas but if there are teacher’s houses this helps.  I had asked the children, in the abstract, what would improve their school expecting the answer to be something materialistic as it would be here and what they said was more teachers which showed to me how keen they are to learn and that sold it to me.  I have obviously not said anything to the school yet though.

I have updated my other blog again, be warned it is a long one!  Click on the link on the right hand side.

Lousy

2 miles

Body Pump

Body Attack

Supposed to be a long run this morning, actually it was supposed to be yesterday morning but I was lazy, but I woke up with crippling cramps this morning and could not even move out of bed to reach the painkillers so that scuppered me as I had to be up early to do it because of my classes.  This will teach me to take special pills to avoid anything while I was away - I am really suffering for it now!

So when it eased off I thought I would still get a reasonable run in but it was as I was made of lead.  I could barely get moving at all and felt heavy and sluggish.  I have also felt like I have had a football in my stomach for the last 3 days which does not help!

Could not be bothered with the classes but actually really enjoyed them once I got started so that at least made up for it a bit and I worked really hard in attack.  Need to get out and do that long run tomorrow now though!

I have updated more of my trip on my other blog with lots of photos too.  Really want to get it finished before I go back to school (keep forgetting I am not actually going back to school though!)

Holidays and running don’t mix for me

Body Pump

Body Attack

I should have been running but the weather has been so vile (especially compared to where I was running recently) and I have had so many people to catch up with that I have struggled to fit it in.  This is where holidays and running don’t mix for me as I am much better when I am just in my usual routine.  During hoidays I put off running all day until it is too late.  This week has been especially bad as with being away and having little time now before going back to work I am trying to see everyone in a short space of time - I have never drank so much coffee!

Did enjoy pump and attack tonight though, although finding pump hard still and that is with lighter weights!

I have written up the first few days of my trip into my other blog.  Be warned -it is long and that is only covering the first 5 days!  It will put WHW race reports to shame but I fear I may still be writing it up next summer!

Sore legs

Body Attack

Did not run yesterday as my legs were really sore from Sunday - I knew I had overdone it!  I should have run today really, I don’t have an excuse but at least I did Body Attack which I enjoyed this time.  It felt good to be at an aerobics class again like that!