Trouble with kids

Just back from my run. I had planned for 40 minutes but only managed the 30. Way too muggy out there.
Funny thing happened though. Spotted some kids fucking about with one of those life rings by the side of the river. In my best "passive aggressive" tone I asked him to return it to the box thing, which he did. Then one of them chirped up with "Hey! You're Isaac's dad!" Turns out. Kids know me. I'm not sure that's a good thing. Especially after i'd threatened to push him in the river if I ever caught him mucking about with the life saving ring thing again.... oh well!

I rarely do it with the wife.

Earlier today I actually ran with my wife. We rarely run together because we usually end up in a petty squabble about pace or course.
I managed 3 miles before the wheels fell off. I'd I had not been with Abby, it would have been a lot less.
30 minutes today. Will try 40 minutes tomorrow. A bottle of sauvignon blanc may say different.

20 minutes until dinner #Day3

Headed out or a 20 minute out and back run to fill the minutes while Abby was cooking. Very warm out again but kept it steady for 2 miles. Still finding it tough.

Another day

Ran again this morning. Just a mile and a half to work. Felt pretty hard again. I'll be running home this afternoon at the end of my shift. I know my legs will be feeling it. But my working week is nearly done.
I hope I'm able to run 5k tomorrow before work. We'll see.

Where I was, where I am.

I recently tracked down my PB for 10k. Well not just the 10k but probably my best race performance ever.
The race was the Great East Run 10k at Bungay in 2010. I ran 47.30. What I remember specifically is that during this race, I was holding back. Waiting to attack in the last kilometre. But I was undone by a massive hill around a blind corner. I wasn't expecting it and my fuel tanks were blown.
Since then, I joined Ipswich Jaffa running club, took up cycling too, changed jobs 3 times and set up my catering business.... oh and gained 20lb!
In other words, life took over. I don't like it.
Last night I stepped on the scales and out of curiosity, I checked my visceral fat and all the other bollocks which the scales tell you. I even checked what my BMI is with one of those charts online (yes I know BMI is massively flawed, but as a reference marker it suits purpose )
The results, unsurprisingly, we're not good. I need to do something about this. I want to be fast I want to be fit. I need to lose my boobies. I don't wanna be one of those fat dads. I'm better than this.

So I got up this morning and ran. It hurt a lot. But I need to stick with it and stop eating badly. I'm not very good at practicing what I preach. But I know what I should be doing. I need to work on will power as much as I need to get fit etc. My battle is truly 80% mental. 

I'm leaving you

Dear marathon,

I’m leaving you. Sorry, but we can’t go on like this. I can’t offer you the commitment that you need. Your insatiable appetite for early morning action has made me sore. I feel that breaking up with you is the only way I can get back on track with my life. I have so much going on outside of running. I need to get back to my family, my kids and my wife.... yes I’m married. I know this is also news to you, but I have been happily married for almost 15 years. I have strayed to a couple of marathons in my past, but we have an open relationship like that. My wife is often caught thumbing through magazines, eyeing up her next race. I handle this only by knowing she comes back to me eventually.

Look. It’s not you, it’s me. I need more space. I feel the distance is too far between us. I will come to Brighton to support our Jaffa babies. I may even wander around the 10k. Don’t panic! There’s nothing going on with me and the 10k. We’re just friends.
I hope we can still be friends. I know what we had was special. But even you have to admit that recently I’ve been a little distracted. I thought buying new Saucony running shoes would spice things up....They didn’t. They just reminded me of what comfort felt like.
I will still run. I’ll always run. Just not twenty six point two miles. That’s just silly.
Always your friend,

Brian

Giving up "_______"

So for the new year I have given up Sugar and bread. Also trying to cut down on my caffeine.
So far in 5 days I have lost around 4lb. This is good but I know that the first bit of weight to go will be the easiest. It was just mince pie and general Christmas weight.
The first week of training for Brighton Marathon has been shit. I spent a lit of the week feeling very tired with no energy to train.
I had hoped to make the Jaffa track session tonight (Monday) but the wife didn't finish work until late so I had to sack that off. So then I set up the turbo trainer with the intention of spinning out 10 miles. But after a couple of phone calls had interrupted my flow I gave in after 5 miles.
Tomorrow is a new day. I hope I can really kick start my training with some good exercise. Fingers crossed.

Brighton Marathon 2016

Here goes. 205lb! And totally out of shape. Right now I'm really not sure how I'm going to make the start line of Brighton. But I will!
2016 please be good to me! I'm now off for a little trot.

Should I give up or should I just keep chasing pavements?

Well it looks like I've managed to finally upset my calf. Weeks of tentatively running have come to fruition by way of over exuberant form. Basically overdoing it.

Felt a little tightness in my calf the other day after running with Abby. I was wearing my new shoes, box fresh. The one hour run was too much in new shoes. I usually break them in with general walking with an added 1 or 2 mile run. But I was feeling good. So I thought "why not?". 3 miles in and I knew something was not right. I managed to get home, but that's when the tightness started. I did leave it a good 5 days and the tightness had subsided enough to make me believe it was ok. I thought I'd try a little run (1.5 miles ) to work. Barely a mile in and the stiffness had surpassed the previous feelings. I walked the rest of the way to work and proceeded to sulk.

I am now in for 2 weeks of not running. But I have promised myself that an intensive course of turbo training is in order.

I will be at the start line in Brighton. I will not be defeated. People have completed marathons with a lot less than I have. Their are people in the world who walk that distance for food and water. Surely I can manage it for a glass of prosecco and a doughnut.

We are the privileged few. Run for fun. Miles and smiles. Remember those who can't do what I/we do.

A Run Of Two Halves

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/721183753



18.63 miles. The first half  was terrible. Had to nip home to the toilet after 5 miles. But this gave me the chance to get rid of my coat and gloves.

Once up on to valley road. I felt hungry again. I then realised that I was burning fuel which I didn't have. A long mothers day shift at the pub meant I didn't really eat well in the 24 hours prior. My better runs come after big food days. 

I had an energy gel at the 10 mile mark and this was a real life saver. I was able to carry on and I was starting to enjoy it. I had deliberately included a few Hills into today's run because Brighton Marathon is not going to be flat. I think I dealt quite will with the inclines and at no point did I fell the strain on my calf or knee. Happy it's done now though. Bath and wine to follow.
Today's play list was:

Pharrell Williams album: Girl
Charley Bradley album: Victim Of Love
Rudimental Album: Home

Not two bad

TWICE! How does it happen twice? 1 hour 51 minutes and 17 seconds for the second time. I'm really not sure how I managed it, but at the Cambridge Half marathon I managed to match my previous "Personal Best"
I can't really complain too much. The previous PB was set after a solid winter training block and a race at Great Bentley. Whereas Cambridge was of the back of 4 weeks running after a layoff with a calf injury.
I really enjoyed the race yesterday. Although very crowded in the first few miles, the scenery was second to no other city race. Cambridge always delivers beauty.
The next race for me will be Brighton Marathon in April. I'm really looking forward to it. I now have the confidence that I will complete it. I was never worried about my time in Brighton, but it would be nice to get close to my 4 hour 11 min PB.
Always have a great laugh with the Ipswich Jaffa team. Lots of support and camaraderie. Perfect weather for running too.

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/714296862

Hashtag Sad Face

Not going well at the moment. Last week at Park Run Ipswich I was forced into an evasive maneuver to avoid hitting a dog, which ran across my path. I felt a twinge in my calf and slowed up. I missed a lot of training last year through torn calf muscles and this felt familiar, though not as severe. I rested it for a few days and it felt a lot better. To the extent where I had completely forgotten about. Possibly because I was distracted by having ManFlu.
Once recovered I decided to head to JAFFA track session. 3 x 12 Minute intervals. I hate these sort of intervals. They may be functional, but I find them boring. Especially on a track. I lack focus at the best of times and I could not get motivated to enjoy this session. What with the icy track too....
Then I felt the calf getting straining. Time to sack this off. Called it a day in the third interval and went home to drink some wine.
Three days on and the calf is back to being non problematic. But I'll not run until the weekend just to make sure.

Long? Run?

On today's run. I was overtaken by the frozen balls which had fallen of a brass monkey.
Could not get warm on the hour out, or back. I picked the pace up towards the end for two reasons.
1. To warm up.
2. To see if I could go any faster.

I enjoyed it again though. Really looking forward to warmer weather, so I can bust out the proper shorts.

It's really working for me doing my long runs early in the week. Due to the nature of my job, I can't be the weekend warrior that I'd love to be😀

3 week of consistent training started with a real bang. 12 miles banked. 4x1.5 mile commuter runs planned for tomorrow. Then I'll probably leave it until park run on Saturday.

Good times.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/678284456

Just another half a mile?

This week i've managed to run 29.5 miles. I think this is the highest ever weekly total of miles for me. The knees are sore, but holding out. A few times this week I have considered quitting running altogether due to the constant discomfort post run. This is something I am not ruling out completely for 2016. For now I'm just focusing on getting to Brighton Marathon. 

Slowly building the miles up. Planning on 12-14 miler next week. After that, I'll start bringing in speed work and intervals. 

Need to dust my bike off too. Ride anyone?

http://connect.garmin.com/modern/profile/BJP1974

A New kind of balance.

Nipped out for another run today. I think thats 6 runs in the last 7 days. Really starting to enjoy my running again now. Although I still need to work on the diet part of my new regime.
Anyway, I'd ordered some New Balance trail running shoes to give me better grip through the winter months. I ran in them today, along with the new Asics dual shorts and a NB Technical t-shirt.
The run went well and for the first time in a while, I did not get the sharp knee pain that I usually get in the first 15 minutes of my runs.
Obviously I don't want to just assume it's the new footwear. It could be the consistency of my running which has helped. It could be that I am relaxing more. Running more naturally and not thinking about stride length, cadence or efficiency. That can come later. For now i'm just running with a smile on my face and music in my ears. So far, it's going well.

http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/666786553

The Morning After.

Not gonna lie. Today i'm feeling tired still. Just woken up and its not a physical exhaustion. It's more of a CBA (can't be arsed) tiredness. I am not due in to work until 4pm today. I have tonnes of housework which needs doing though. The front of our house looks like the worst kind of council Tip after missing the bin collection day last week :-(

I am great at making excuses aint I?

 Fuck it!

It's time to get on the Turbo Trainer!

Not quite to plan.

So my first week of marathon training, Christmas week, did not go quite to plan. I ate so much that i managed to gain around 8lb. Pushing me into the "Super-Heavyweight" category 200 lb+. 

Knowing the knee trouble which plighted me 2014  running. I thought it sensible to start of with some short one and half mile commute runs. They all felt good.

http://connect.garmin.com/modern/profile/BJP1974

Today I took it up a notch and tackled a 5 mile loop around Sproughton ans Bramford. This felt real good. slight burning in the knees at points, but not enough to stress me out. The memory of how much I enjoyed running in the past was enough to keep me motivated. 

Tomorrow I think I'll ride or even just get on the Turbo-Trainer with a bit of the Downward Spiral from The Sufferfest. Take a bit of pressure off my knees, burn a bit of fat and get the cardio workout I need.

Today score 8/10

GO time

I have entered the Brighton Marathon 2015. I last ran this race in 2011. My time was 4 hours 11 minutes and 47 seconds i think.
This particular blog is where I shall track and log my training.
I have not run since the Adnams 10k in Southwold, back in November. Now, its almost Christmas and I thought it was time to dig out some training plans. I think i'm going with the Hansons plan. It's an 18 week plan which I've already missed the first two weeks of. So today I need to get to it. Last night at a running club social event, I joked that "I'll be fine" and "No need to worry about me". I am now starting to realise that if I want to return to running for fun, training for this marathon could be my route back in. I have always run for fun, not results, bling and PB's. This is what I miss most. Disappearing for a run for a few hours. Running with no agenda.

Excuses:

• I've just turned 40
• My knees are sore
• I am a chef (Long hours on my feet)
• Married with 3 kids
• Really poor diet
• Too laid back

Listing my excuses I usually use. I can change some of these. But I can change how I deal with all of these. 

• Jo Pavey
• Get physio and stretch
• Rule 5
• Rule 5
• Eat better
• Commit

Let's see how this works out shall we?