gym

Not mentioned much about the gym lately, but still going twice a week for the torture chamber. Doing mainly hill work and speed sessions with some strength work on the machines and abs of course. It's getting difficult to fit everything into an hour so I'm going to start going a bit earlier and starting off the session on the treadmill on my own then we can get on with more cross training and core work.
Got word last week that I'd got a place in the Great North Run and I managed to get booked into a hotel. Bonus! Cheap as well and we can take Chaz. There's no food there but I'm sure there'll be somewhere to eat not too far away.
Training's going to plan and I've got the Blackpool HM on Sunday this week so I'll have a good idea of the time for FLM which is now only 60 days away.

19 Feb 2009

8.14 miles today 1hr 24 mins ave 5.8mph
Set off out of Manor Road at about 9am and onto sheephill. Past the smelly greyhound kennels feeling rather nautious at the stench. powered up the hill to the mini roundabout, trying out my new technique of sprinting up and using my elbows to help with the momentum. Continued along Lancaster Lane at a decent pace to the Hayrick and turned left. Down the hill to the Tracey's garage and then up again to the golf club. Crossed the lights in good time and continued to pack saddle bridge where a 4 x 4 nearly ran me over in his haste to beat the lights. Cheeky bugger! He wasn't even attempting to stay on the left side of the road.
Onward and upward past the Railway and on to the Bay horse. Turned left up Euxton Lane down and up again! past the old ROF munitions factory where mum used to work and is now a college and business park (hope they got all the bombs out). Uphill again to Chorley hospital and left up the A6 towards home. managed to avoid the short cut by a whisker although I was tempted. On up the hill past the Shell garage and down Sheep hill lane back home.
Post run strawberry and banana smoothie and scrambled egg on toast.
Good news on the scales. I'm down to 10st 11 now. and now a rest.

11 Feb 09

Had a rest day on Monday and thankful for it after the run on Sunday. Yesterday I did some interval training with Johnny Mac. We did 6x300m reps with about 400m jog/walk recovery inbetween. Haven't checked the Garmin yet to see the times, but wasn't sure how to set it anyway.

Today I was in the gym with my trainer. After a slow warm up for 5 mins, he put me on 5 increasing hill reps of 2 mins each with 2mins jog recovery all done at 5 mph followed by 10 mins at level 7 cardio for which I managed the hilly bit but had to ask him to bring the speed down towards the end as my legs were giving way. HR was 125 at the end. Less than it should've been so maybe I was just being soft and giving in too easily. Got home and once again made a pig of myself by overeating whilst the dinner was cooking. I ate 6 cheesy oat biscuits, then a bag of cheese and onion crisps with bread and butter, then an oat cake. It's just not the way to lose weight is it? I then had my evening meal of fish cakes, jacket potato and beans. Tut Tut!! Out for a run tomorrow.

Chorley, withnell fold, white coppice loop

If you want to see where I went here it is http://www.mapmyrun.co.uk/view_my_run_96768
Set off as usual from the club and off up Southport Road and headed off to the canal. Here we turned left and ran along the canal towpath to Withnell Fold where we came off and up to blackburn road. Crossed over and went down towards Brinscall.
At the old baths we turned right and followed the road to the river Goite. The ground was very muddy but the mud had iced over so it was hard to run on. Add to that the tree roots and you've got a recipe for broken ankles. Over a couple of fields and out at White Coppice cricket club. turned right down past the club and up and past the ford. Crossed the field with the beware of the bull sign on it and into farmland past the reservoire. Came out eventually on Eaves Lane after crossing several fields and winding lanes. Back to base via bengal Street and Park Road.
A very cold morning with snow still around on the tops. A welcome cup of coffee and a banana when I got back to the car.
13.36 miles 2 hrs 31 mins. I certainly hope I do better at Blackpool on the 22nd!!

4 Feb 2009

Gym session today. My trainer had me on the new treadmill. It's quite a lot harder than the older ones. He said it's because they haven't been broken in yet. Anyway, 5k at level 1 for 1 mile, 6mph, level 2, 6.6mph for about 5 mins, but I had to ask him to put it down to level 1 because I couldn't keep it up. He put it down to 5mph for a short time to get my breath back, but then put it back up to level 2 for a hill in the last couple of minutes. He then wanted me to go up to 3.5 miles at level 1 but I was just too tired. I feel a bit annoyed with myself, but I just didn't have it in me. Maybe I didn't eat enough today. I had 2 scrambled eggs for beef broth (yuk) an orange and some grapes. I was trying to keep my weight down for the weigh in at the gym, but it didn't work anyway so I'm not going to do that again. Still 11 st. 8 ozs. 9 more ozs will do it!!

3 Feb 2009

Met up with Johnny and Jane at Astley Village and went up out of the village turned left down towards Swashy hall and then out onto Euxton lane and Southport Road up into town then left towards CDH. Left there and back to the Village. it was quite cold at the start and icy in places after the fall of snow the day before. Pity about all those people down south. The gritters never go out down there. When we lived in Farnborough it was exactly the same with cars skidding all over the place and that was after plenty of warning about the incoming snow. 5.33 miles 57 mins. I'm starting to feel really tired at the moment. Not sure why but I keep going.
83 days left of training. Not long in the scheme of things and it will all be worth it.

1 Feb 2009

A very cold, windy morning in Chorley with snow forecast. After my tea and 3 very small flapjacks and an hour to let them settle, I set off for Chorley harriers Sunday meet up.
Johnny had rung me the previous night to say he couldn't go because he'd been roped into going on a relay race over in Rossendale. So it was up to me to set the route. He gave me an idea of where to go and I set about sorting out the route. I quite enjoyed route mapping. I already had a map of the area because of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme that I'm involved in, but thought I'd double check the distance with www.mapmyrun.co.uk .
So, I met up with the others at the cricket club, Nicki, a fast runner, Shelly a bit faster than me and Pam, also faster than me but recovering from injury. I was a bit worried about Pam, but she said she'd go slowly (just my speed). It turned out to be a very hilly run and it didn't do Pam's knee any good. Wind towards us all the way up Long Lane to the pub at the end of the Lane. Turned left towards Anglezarke reservoire and followed the road to the Yew Tree pub and another long hill. Turned left down Charnock Back Lane and then right towards Kay's Farm at the side of the reservoire. The lane turns into a bridle path, Heapey Fold Lane which runs uphill to the back of Healey Nab forest. This took us down to higher house Lane where we turned left then right down to White Coppice Ford. We then turned left on to Coppice Lane and across the field at the pub that's not a pub and onto Chapel Lane. Uphill and down again onto Blackburn Road, crossed over and past the Red Cat turned right and ran alongside the canal to the Top Lock where we got on to the canal towpath. Great!!A nice flat run back. Unfortunately this was not to be as part of the towpath was closed off, so we had to turn left and up yet another hill to Dark Lane. That's where Pam's knee gave way. Poor girl had to hobble down to the pub and wait outside whilst we ran back to get the car to pick her up. Nicki was the fastest runner so she ran on ahead and went back for her.
12.86 miles, 2hrs 31 mins. Very hilly