Bloody chilly, but...

Up and at 'em again. Wasn't really feeling the love this morning, but dragged myself out (recurring theme?) and hit the streets. Slowly. Shorter run today, just under two and a half miles, and nto quick either. Still, got out and did something, so can't grumble. Enjoyed the hot shower when I got back!

All the cars were frosted up, the sky was clear and the stars crisply visible. Well, when the light from early Christmas lights wasn't obscuring them. Still, felt a bit festive, if you can apply that term to slogging up and down hills for twenty odd minutes.

I say "slogging up and down hills", but have a look at the profile below - looks virtually all downhill! I can guarantee it wasn't! Interestingly I seem to have started off at 643ft above sea level, and finished (in the same spot) at 614ft above sea level. Did I miss something? An earthquake? Severe, and sudden, subsidence? Or did I magically levitate up after I turned off the GPS?

Who knows. Anyway, run done!



Music: Black Label Society

Second one back

Dragged myself out of bed this morning. It was so comfy. So, so comfy. However, there's a thirteen mile run looming in sixteen and a half weeks, so drag myself out of my pit I did. Damn you Mark Turner!

Ran the opposite way around the South Whitwick loop this morning. Having to keep to the road at the bottom, by the bypass, rather than the preferred route along the bridleway. Unfortunately the bridleway is unlit, and I don't fancy the uneven terrain in the pitch black: too easy to roll an ankle!

Run was okay, a bit of a slog. Felt harder than the one on Monday, but completed it without walking again, which was nice. Was tempted at one point, but the "From out of nowhere" came on the mp3 player and, well, I couldn't stop when that was blasting out.

All in all, job done.



Music: FNM

Back at it, in the dark. For a reason though...

Somehow I've let a friend from work talk me into signing up for the Loughborough half-marathon in March. I'll be running for charity, and would quite like to do it without dying, so I dusted off the running shoes and hit the pavement this morning.

This morning, with it's hard frost and darkness. Mmm. Lovely. Given a weekend of overindulgence on both food and drink, dragging myself out of bed early and slogging round the orange lit streets of frosty Whitwick for twenty five minutes was something of a shock to the system.

Still, reasonably happy with my fitness level, given the three and a half month break since I last went running! Swinging my kettlebell around is clearly maintaining a reasonable level!

So, not quick, but not too shabby, and I can tick it off. Half marathon preparation begun. Now to keep at it!



Music: The Gaslight Anthem

Mental

Damn the endorphines. Which part of running makes your brain suggest to you that, having slogged your way around the countryside, running up another hill rather than turning for home would be a good idea?

Insanity aside, great run this morning. Right Achilles is a bit sore, but I can run on it. A good rest (a whole week while we're away, for example) will do it the power of good and then when I'm back it should be fine. Mentally tough one this morning, but pleasing result.

Four miles, plenty of hills, and a reasonable pace. Not quick, but reasonable, and kept it going. Enjoyed it too, and fitness coming. Choosing to run up and over Red Hill, and finding it relatively easy, is better than it was three weeks ago when the hill had grown!

Off on holiday on Friday!



Music: QOTSA

New shoes and sunshine

Well, it's a glorious morning. Dragged myself out of bed, and pulled on my new shoes (reluctant to call them "trainers", they're "hybrid trail / road running shoes", don'tcha know... ;-) ), and headed out (the cats having come in as I opened the door). First thing I found was a decaptated mouse on the path; clearly a gift from one (or both) of the cats. Thanks, girls.

Then out, onto the road and down into Thringstone. Pretty much turned out to be downhill for the first half of the run, and then uphill back. Bad planning, that! Still, beautiful morning for running through the woods - sun glinting through the canopy and all that. Down to the priory, around that - watched loads of white fluffy tails scatters as the rabbit population took evasive action - and back up through the woods and home. Glorious.



Turned out to be 3.8 miles too! Blimey. Didn't feel too bad, but I was pretty sweaty when I got home. When i got home and had to clean up the cat sick. Again, thanks girls!

Shower was good, explained to George why planes are faster than boats, and headed to work!



Music: Rammstein

Nice flat one

Nice one this morning. To be honest, I did waver between six and five past, when I couldn't decide whether to go or not - but I thought "hell, we have enough rainy mornings, and this one's lovely..." and got my arse out. Glad I did.

No real route plan, no real aim, just jogging nicely in the morning sun and breeze. Down to the lake, a couple of times around it, and then back across the Leisure Centre field and car park, and then up the Church Lane hill by The Black Horse. Note to self, come *down* that way!

All good though, and feeling pretty good with it all. Planning on having tomorrow morning off, and then lifting some weight at the weekend.

Oh, got a new phone, so was pleased that the sports-tracker app worked nicely and seamlessly integrated all my settings and previous workouts. Nice work, well done to the team there.



Music: Frank Turner

Hot, hilly and hard

But remarkably quick, compared to how it felt. I was back in the hutch only seventeen minutes after setting off. Turns out that was a good thing, as the heavens opened moments later!

Ran down The Dumps, up Loughborough Road, down Cademan Road, and then up Church Lane. Doesn't sound too much, but those ups are long and steep, and the downs are long and steep. All good fun, but I think I'll look at someting flatter, but longer next time.



Music: Alice Cooper

Been nearly a week

But good one this morning. Had an epic weekend, and not quite sure I've shaken off all the after effects yet, but it was a good morning run, in beautiful sunshine. Cut back up across the fields parallel with the park, and that was a nice change, apart from the stinging nettles! Ah well.



Music: Hardcore Superstar

Double Zumba and then run home

Day off work today, as it's the lads' school sports day. So had some free time, and went to Sarah's Zumba classes this morning. Zumba Toning followed by Zumba. It's not often I get to do her classes, but it's great fun. Very, very sweaty too.

So sweaty, in fact, that I didn't want to get the car seats covered in it, and decided to run home. Not a long way, but uphill virtually every step of the way (see profile below!).

Another good one

Had to drag myself out this morning. I woke up earlier, about half five, and there were dig drops of rain exploding on the skylight. Aha, thought I, you just keep doing that... but it didn't and when I woke up again half an hour later I could hear the birds tweeting* and the sound of rain was conspicuous by its absence. So I struggled out of bed, and a few short moments later I was pounding my way around Whitwick again.

Forgot my stopwatch, so for the first time this year I didn't worry about what I was running and when, and just let it roll. Round my road route of South Whitwick for the first time this year. Not quick, but not too tough either, and a pleasing trundle. All good fun, and felt a lot better for it!

*do birds still twitter and tweet? Or is that now so deeply ingrained as a "web thing" that it just conjures up images of birds on smartphones posting 140 character updates on the state of their nests.



Music: Deep Purple

Enjoyed it today!

Okay, so I can honestly say I enjoyed running this morning. Wasn't a struggle getting up, I slept really well, and it wasn't raining (unlike yesterday morning!). Rubbed eyes, kitted up and off I went. Didn't look at my watch until about eight minutes in, so decided not to bother with the walking sections and just man up and run for a goodly amount of time. So I did. Not the longest, but two and a half miles isn't bad at this stage, I reckon. It's only going to get easier as I get fitter, and start upping miles and pace (maybe).

Went anti-clockwise around Whitwick, and then remembered why I normally do it clockwise. The first mile is a slog uphill. The rest is pretty much flat and down, but that first bit...

A quick note on yesterday: alarm went off, I lay in bed and listened for rain (there having been heavy rain in the night). No rain. Up, kit on, out the door. Got as far as the side of our house before the heavens opened and it proper lashed it down hard. I sheltered for a few under the Oak tree, then gave it up as a bad job and retired back into the house for half an hours of stretching and kata. Had it rained ten minuted earlier I could have stayed in bed. Ten minutes later I'd already have been running and wouldn't have been able to do anything about it. Bah, just bad timing!

Anyway - enjoyed today!



Music: random (including Rob Zombie, Skid Row, and Serj Tankian!)

CYC02: wasn't really in the mood!

Well, toughie getting out of bed this morning. Didn't really fancy it, and when I got out on the bike not a lot changed, to be honest. Went for a meander through Swannington, and then down a nice big hill (topped 32mph this time) back towards Whitwick. Of course, that means going up a nice big hill into Whitwick. So be it. Short ride, in terms of time and distance, but pleased I got out and did something.

Another glorious morning

Up before my alarm went off, and out and running. Top morning, really. Flat(ish) route, meandering around Whitwick. Through the park, down to Hermitage Park, around the lake, back up the old railway line, then up by the church, North Street and home. Five minutes running, followed by thirty seconds of walking. That's this week, then I'll be happy enough to go the full distance running without worrying about my knee not being ready for it. Then just start building distance and speed!





Music: The Gaslight Anthem

Beautiful morning. Running though?

What a gorgeous, sunny morning. Up early, enjoying the Summer morning. Not enjoying the running - well, while doing it anyway. Went up and over Red Hill, which seems to have grown since I last ran it. Either that or I'm more out of shape, but it can't be that. Can it?

So it was tiring from the moment I set foot outdoors, but mental fortitude is a wonderful thing, and I pressed on, again on the three on, one off method, building it up. Thought I might skip on a little prior to going out this morning - glad I didn't! Small steps, and so on.





Music: Audioslave

CYC:01 - out on my bike

Yup, a change this morning. Dusted off the old bicycle, and went for an early morning roll around North Coalville and Whitwick. Roll, I say! Hah, my chosen route (based on a previous conversation with Sarah in which she said it was a "flat" route) was uphill for pretty much the first three quarters, or four miles or so. Man, I felt that! The small sections of flat road were bliss!

Of course, what goes up must come down, and according to my phone / gps I topped out at 31.3 mph coming down Leicester road, which was quite exhilarating. So good fun!

I'm going to try to keep getting out on the bike - maybe not as often as running, but it's a nice change.

Here we go again...

Well, this is the time of year I normally stop running and relax! This year, however, I've only just got off my backside and started.

Glorious sunshine, lovely morning. Mindful of my knee pain from last year, so 3 mins running interspersed with a minute recovery walking, repeated for 24 mins.

Good to be back running? The jury's out.




Music: Hardcore Superstar