Outdoor Fitness

I am signed up with Outdoor Fitness for 6 weeks of sessions and seeing what it will do for me. I did my first session on Monday evening, and aside from being a slightly confused 'newbie' I think I did okay. The fact that I had to take things easy because of my ongoing hip / back (sacroiliac joint) problems meant that I didn't reach falling down tired. Although that said the sweat was literally pouring off me a couple of times.

Lime Avenue (Pontcanna Field, Cardiff) - photo by Peter Cox
(borrowed from a BBC local page http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/southeast/sites/streetsofcardiff/pages/yourphotos_pontcanna.shtml)

On Tuesday I did it all over again, a different instructor, a mostly different group of people (though I can't say I gave over much time to memorising faces when I spent so of it staring at either the ground or the sky doing press-up, squat thrusts, sit-ups, burpees, etc.), and the weather was lovely again. The workout is deceptive, it builds through out and the changing locations with changing routines don't allow you a great deal of time to think "oh, this is another exercise hitting my quads" and so forth. We did a fair bit in pairs which meant a poor guy had to piggy back me along at a 3 stone disadvantage, I like to think he appreciated the challenge (!).

The final session of the week (thanks to a busy family weekend) was last night. In the glorious sunny weather the session turned out to be mostly baseball / rounders with an exercise twist - every time your team lost out i.e. lost a run or lost a batter the whole team did a 5 burpee or some such exercise penalty. I haven't played in I don't know how long so it was awesome fun, even with the 'penalties'. It is not that I am saying this because I scored two runs, oh no, it was a genuinely fun, energetic giggle. The guy I'd met earlier in the week confessed he'd been coming a year and never had this kind of session. So true to their word the outdoor experience is absolutely mixed, varied and puts a lot of fun into exercise.

On reflection my week of running around a huge open park with about twenty people and a mad keen instructor was actually much, much more fun than I had perhaps anticipated, certainly the time flew by. The hour long session felt like much less because primarily of the variety and pace of everything. As part of my fitness 'mix' this certainly seems to be an interesting addition, I'm so interested to find out how I'll feel at the end of the sessions block I am involved with.

Wittering on Wednesday

Daylight

With the conversion of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland across to BST (British Summer Time) this weekend just gone the whole day suddenly alters. The apparent arrival of longer lighter evenings open up the day to many options, in my life that is getting out and about (cycling, running, rowing more in the weekday evenings). I can almost feel any hint of what might be called collective seasonal affective disorder burning off everyone in the last few days.

Blogger's own snapshot - City centre park coming into full blossom

The fact it has coincided with very lovely sunny weather might well have accentuated the benefit of the clock shift this year. That it also coincides with my training for a marathon this year might be heightening the feeling for me as it now means that evening runs will often be in daylight (and on routes that have felt unsafe all Winter as they are unlit paths / trials).

Training / fitness

I have been renewing my 'friendship' with the calorie tracking myfitnesspal app (see www.myfitnesspal.com), thanks to having read a post by 'Morning Runner', specifically "WIAW (after a 20 miler)". I was using this app last year (I have the tag on my blog showing my progress still), but had gotten out of the habit. Reading a post by one of the many extremely clued in running bloggers that I have been browsing in spare moments which mentioned the app got me thinking, and moreover remembering how well it worked for me before the Cardiff Half last autumn. So I am back 'on the wagon' so to speak, and hopefully over the next few weeks I'll begin to see real benefits. One benefit, as pointed out in the post I read, is that it helps you keep track of 'refueling' after heavy exercise days, as it is all to easy to wake up the day after a busy day feeling awful just because the exercise left you with net negative calorie count for the previous day.

Motivation right here, I've got to get into green ;-) - an image pulled from my myfitnesspal tools page

Having had a look around my myfitnesspal online pages, with charts of last years effort and so forth, I came across the BMI calculator (result shown above). I was mildly miffed (!) that my BMI came in just over the green / yellow boundary, it would be so fantastic to get myself firmly planted somewhere in the upper quartile of the healthy range... oh, and so much easier to run a marathon if I can shift a few pounds, and not have to haul the extra around 26.2 miles!

Blogging and stuff

While I am wittering on about blogs I've read lately I often have a look at blogger 'Blogs of note' page on the way into or out of my blog. One that has caught my eye and my attention of late is '366 Random Acts Of Kindness', it is thoroughly simply and yet complete genius. A guy has decided to take the leap year and spend a large part of it paying forward kind acts (see his post 'Tomorrow it begins...' for his full motivation). Some of the acts at first look seem so, so simple and then you realise "hey, I could do that" - and there in lies the essence of the genius. I will be checking back regularly to see how he gets on.

PS. I am enjoying the new Blogger user interface it is certainly cleaner and crisper looking than I was used to. It seems that I can navigate my way around it to - which is always a good thing ;-)

How last week turned out - A week in review

It was a topsy turvy week last week, between physio sessions and considering my marathon training. In the end I resolved to keep training as best and as varied as I can for the next four weeks and then assess where I am. This is in the end all about getting 'on the move' and getting (maintaining) fitness, so I have relaxed a little at the realisation that this isn't the only marathon - it is a goal I set myself and I can give myself permission to move it if my body isn't capable, on that day, of completing it. By the way it is very much about completion in spite of my original flirtation with time/pace charts (I have revised these thoughts as well).

In the week just gone I got back to aerobics sessions and instantly realised this was a major missing ingredient in my 2012 fitness efforts. I switched to longer mileage on the road, then for time and other reasons dropped the simple aerobic workouts with all their active stretching, strength and lateral movement elements. A lesson learned last week that I hope will lodge itself firmly in my memory - "variety is the spice and the essence of training".

X-trainer a go-go - fuel, water, towel, ipod and an exciting beige wall to stare at.

Variety of a sort I suppose, also came in the form of my re-acquaintance with the elliptical cross-trainer in the rowing club gym. On advice from the physio the trainer was to be used to help keep workouts going while my hip / back gets sorted out. Two hours on the cross trainer went by pretty well much helped by the fact it's programmed to reset every twenty minutes (a throwback to it's former life in another gym I suspect). The frequent interruptions kept my relatively mind busy. 

I don't normally train outside with any music, but in the gym with it's associated background noise I found the ipod equally useful for my sanity. From my calculations of the distance after each twenty minute reset I covered at least a half-marathon distance on it which was pleasing to say the least. More sessions to come and more tactics to cancel out the tedium might be needed along the way... I am thinking a film loaded on the ipod might be useful, or a good audio book at the very least :-)

Regular Friday stroll - with a good friend

No exercise other than stretching today... well except for the regular stroll with the hound this morning. We get out most mornings for at least a trip round the block, although most of the time a stroll round along the river. I measured our strolls once or twice, but I forget how far we roam in a normal week and thats kinda how I like it. Our red hound does help keep me "on the move" in his own special way.

Our faithful greyhound looking all noble by the river

Oh dear that wasn't good

I got myself out on the road last night for the first time since my half marathon DNF, and it hurt like fury. My calf was so tight that I had to walk three times around a 3.8 mile circuit. Happily my hip was only sore after the run as I sat down to look at my GPS watch data. Lots of stretching had to be done in the lounge later in the evening to keep things comfortable. The pace when I was moving wasn't too bad, but it didn't feel at all free and flowing.

Image: zirconicusso / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

From here the plan still is to do more of these short runs and to get myself back onto a cross trainer to do some long low impact sessions. The rest of the plan is to do some light aerobics sessions, and to stretch, stretch, stretch!

Last night I looked at a googlemaps / mapmyrun 3D flying overview of the Milton Keynes marathon course, which was useful to assess the overall terrain and how many turns or level changes to expect along the way. I thought it would be a very useful motivation, and I think if I view it a few more times it could be a good tool.

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

...there I feel a little better... images in a post. I have not been particularly creative of late and frankly haven't had the greatest amount of time to sit down at the keyboard with these things. There are a bunch of photos from my recent 10k run that I have to get around to uploading. I'll have to get a little more strategic about my blogging again :-)

Physio session and another anatomy lesson

Yesterday saw another trip to the physiotherapist - I say another trip but I am lucky that I don't go 'that' often, it just feels that way when injury strikes. The pain from the half marathon attempt had not subsided and at times I have been finding it very hard to get out of the car - the power / strength in my hip muscles would seem to vanish as I tried to stand up out of the seat.

After a period of my relaying recent exercise / running history we got to the moment where the physio says something like "Okay, I think I know where the trouble may lie. Let's do some tests and find out". Therein I undertook the various required assessment movements and then received my anatomy lesson around the hip / spine area and meet my sacroiliac joint - not one I had ever heard of or indeed really wanted to meet. Finally a series of manipulations freed up what apparently was an immobilised (very stiff) right side and left me freer to move and flex through my hips.

Here on in I have a set of new strengthening exercises / stretches to do to for the whole area (right and left sides), to better respond to lateral pressures of running and eventually be better prepared to run long and tired without developing issues. I have 40 days to go until my first marathon and I have sworn to follow advice (do more cross-training, do the strengthening, and be extremely careful with mileage - more frequent shortened runs, rather than runs punctuated by huge long runs).

The physio is a genius, he lays things out with the most fantastic common sense and in an extremely user-friendly way. At this point I can only hope that I can be as much of a genius and stick to his advice.... especially if want any hope of standing on the start line with realistic hopes of finishing my first marathon.

Triumph and disaster - highs and lows of a running week

Last week I had a week of opposites running wise, I start this roller coaster at the St.Davids day 10k run where I set a huge personal best. My GPS watch told me I went under 50mins for the first time, which even with the course change I think would stand (chip times were gun-to-finish thanks to the last minute course correction, so no official chip timed PB).

Fabulous then? So fabulous I then ran my now regular 9miler the following night at a fair 'ole' pace as well, so fabulous I then said "Sure I'll go running" to my training buddy the next evening... in total 24miles+ in three days (at intensity). Ah, now I knew the Bath Half was the following weekend (of course) so I resolved to rest for the rest of the week going into it... ahem, here comes the down slope to this story.

In work the rest of the week I was doing something 'new' which meant standing for near enough the entire working day 3 days running (Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday). So I wasn't much resting there, it is a complete change to my usually varied sitting / standing (mostly sitting) work routine. On the top I caught a viral infection that took up residence in my ear making me dizzy from the Wednesday onwards. Hmmm, you can perhaps get a sense of how well my half marathon weekend went... it was my first ever DNF... my first ever running FAIL!... I got to half way and pulled out.

There are though after a few days reflection some positives: (1) I now know I have the mental strength to make the right decisions for my health during an event / race [it would have been all to easy to have struggled on and broken myself completely], (2) the preparation logistically before the race went well, we were organised and in good time, (3) it seems that I am not too badly hurt, though yet more stretches have been added to my repetioire, (4) I know what signs to look out for that would stop me setting foot on any start line should they arise just before race day.

Numbers update...

Some numbers borrowed slightly from the Milton Keynes marathon page, I have... dayshours to go until my first marathon (26.2 miles, gulp!).

In other numbers, 4 days until the St. David's Day 10k, 11 days until the Bath Half-marathon (13.1 miles). I ran 9 miles on Monday, and 5 miles yesterday, at an average of 9 minutes per mile.

In other related news, I have to report that suddenly it seems spring has 'sprung'. I managed an evening run that started in daylight, the temperatures are higher (I have not worn my LiveStrong running jacket this week), and moreover all the running events are looming large! I can not decide at the moment whether to hit the 10k and / or half-marathon for PRs, or to use them as marathon training runs with marathon pacing for at least half of each event. This all stems from the feeling that I could very well set a new personal benchmark in either of them if I committed to it on the back of recent marathon training. The longer view of course is that I should not break myself during the program of marathon preparation, but the temptation is huge at the moment... number of times I will 'flip / flop' on how to run these events... incalculable! (help!).

400th post - which the blogger finds incredible!

 


[Possibly the most exciting 400th celebration picture 'in the world'
- I plumbed the depths of my creativity here!]



I am amazed that this is my 400th blog post, it is incredible that I am still going. The whole thing has been quite a journey, with periods of heavy posting and of low posting, with changes of emphasis (even blog title), with many varied visitors, with often evolving 'style', and much much more. It is funny as I have said before that this is my longest running journal / diary by some massive distance. Also as I have mentioned before I do this in most part for me, and it that sense it has often proved a valuable motivational aid (a good friend).

What was I actually going to blog about before I noticed that this was number 400? Well, I was going to coo about having completed a tough but reassuring 9 mile run last night (it had been a few days since I was able to run last). Instead I'll save all that for another time - if I remember ;-)

Mild, overcast, with a gentle breeze.

Marathon training got tough

Marathon training gets mentally tougher as the runs get longer
[Another bloggers own cartoon effort using the 'fine art' PowerPoint drawing tool ;-) ]

I had been happily increasing miles and reckoning on finding the whole process difficult but none to complicated. It is now abundantly clear to me that I massively over simplified the process of getting to 26.2 miles. There are complications around nutrition, stretching, time, recovery... near enough anything you care to name. At the moment I have the feeling I have biten off more than I can chew, the next couple of weeks will be critical to see if I can really build some belief in my ability to get round with ruining myself in the process.

Lessons learned the hard way

With age and experience come many things but unfortunately not the ability to avoid silly mistakes as I discovered after a long run this weekend. I set out early on Saturday to get a really long run under my belt and made a series of fundamental gaffes. By getting up early to fit the 3hour run into the day I didn't leave enough time to digest breakfast, and though I headed off armed with liquid refueling gels in my running belt I didn't take any water. As you might well imagine (or know if you are a runner) I was building a perfect storm, only I didn't realise at the time.

The run itself went very well for 10miles and then on top of the impending nutritional issues I felt my right calf 'squelch' - somewhere in my calf / Achilles a tear had happened. I ran on more slowly and found it eased, I am still feeling the ache a day or two later but its seems not too bad. After the run I popped some ibuprofen to treat the inflammation (another potential error). The run totalled 18.6miles and represents the biggest single distance I have ever run to date, and the after glow felt pretty good... until I went to bed and found my stomach felt incredibly unsettled... that is when I discovered runners runs! The lack of digestion of breakfast, the lack of thought about what I eat the day before, the lack of water during the run, the lack of consideration about how many gels I took (five in all), the lack of knowledge about the potential contribution of aspirin and ibuprofen to runners belly, all added up to a lesson learned the very hard way every hour all through the night!

In every other way I felt fine post run and was so please to have completed it and managed 37 miles for the week. I am now looking into and seeking much more nutrition advice as I don't want to run long again without having done everything I can to avoid runners runs. It was so disruptive that it ruined my weekend, and led to the worst meeting I can remember in work today. I am finding out that training for a marathon is the hard part and that perhaps the run itself will be straight forward by comparison. 

Training update

I have been training relatively well (though not blogging about it, sorry), managing to get the miles up and seeing some improvement in split times over regular loops. Recently I've been getting around a varied 9 mile loop with some regularity (once to twice a week) and doing some other shorter stuff in between. Aside from one big fartlek run I seem to have been shy of pace work proper, though I like to think I have balanced this with the persistent 9 mile runs.

Training hasn't been the plainest sailing... life has shown it's talent for stepping in when you have a brilliantly constructed plan. My son was very ill last week which meant a night in hospital, and I am deep in working out where my career will go next (constructing applications to extend current work, and applications for other related positions). I can only be happy that with everything going on I am feeling more and more able to get around a marathon course. As it happens if I can't do the race for any reason we'll still be taking a nice weekend away in Milton Keynes otherwise - I have already booked non-refundable hotel accommodation!

This weekend I hope to go long (at least 15miles) with a new running buddy, and later today I am off for a 6 'miler' with my long term training buddy (or my "other wife" as my wife wryly refers to him). Keep adding up miles is my plan... and along the way I might get to set a PR at the half-marathon distance as my 'warm-up event' the Bath Half is only a month away now :-) 

My first marathon - USP / POD ?

I am trying to raise some money for two charities as part of my attempt at completing my first ever marathon, and it has begun to strike me that I don't have a modern USP (unique selling point) or POD (point of difference). That I lack that X-factor-style (reality show-style) heart rending back story. It used to be very much the case that anyone running a marathon (any marathon not even a major city marathon) would inspire awe and instant sponsorship if doing it for a cause.

So I asked myself a series of 'devils adovcate'-type questions and pondered answers:-

What's your motivation? - Well, at its simplest - the satisfaction of a long held personal goal and the gratification of raising some money for charity.

How is your challenge sell'able? - in many ways it isn't, I am not running 10 in 10 weeks, running from one end of the country to the other, or even running an 'uncommon' distance. I am running one marathon (possibly my only one) to test my strength of resolve and encourage colleagues, friends and family to consider my chosen charities.

So the charities are close to your personal experience? - actually, no, they are extremely worthy charities that I have experience of through my workplace/s. I haven't directly suffered from either Huntington's or cancer. A member of my immediate family died of cancer but that isn't all that uncommon to anyone within a relatively wide family. I once worked as a care worker helping a guy with Huntington's disease and I have met families through an open-day in the workplace, but those are the limits of my personal experience.

So what is different about your challenge? - Well, no I don't consider that there is anything 'different'. I have lost a lot of weight over a period of nearly ten years that was initiated by running and aerobics in the beginning (losing over 25 kg, or 4 stone in weight). I have experiences with the diseases the charities seek to alleviate as part of being a scientist researching aspects of both diseases as part of two separate contracts. So I am just a guy attempting to run 42.195 kilometres (26 miles and 385 yards), a marathon for charity.

Surely you have a challenge within your challenge? - No, I am not running in a costume, running while juggling, running backwards, or any other extra challenge. The challenge for me is to complete the long training program around work and my family life, and to complete the event with a big smile without breaking myself.

Hmm, so you are just running a marathon? - Yes, after a few years of failing to win a place in the London Marathon ballot, and knowing that meeting a charity place minimum fundraising target would take an effort that would affect my work, I chose to find another marathon and challenge myself to complete the distance.

Milton Keynes? - Yeah, it is their first effort at holding a marathon in Milton Keynes and that seemed to resonate with the fact that it will also be my first effort at a marathon. I have been there a couple of times and think it will be a brilliant place for a marathon.

Good luck with your challenge - Thanks, I am running for...

The Huntington's Disease Association       http://www.justgiving.com/Andrew-Hollins-2012

&

Cancer Research UK       http://www.runningsponsorme.org/andrewhollins

This line of thinking was inspired by a couple replies I had from public relations people in my workplace after I sent around a mass email asking for sponsorship. I got to thinking about how likely I was to get sponsorship and whether in all actuality my run was in any way 'truly' noteworthy. I hope that there are enough people out there who aren't as cynical as the little voice in my head saying "dude, you're just running a marathon!".

Only time will tell, and on reflection I don't have a target for fundraising in the first place so I shouldn't feel so very bothered about how notable or otherwise the whole effort is (in fact I am probably missing another USP there). I am only perhaps sad that such an undertaking by anyone is currently perceived as 'minor' compared to the much reported efforts of 'celebs' walking across the Antarctic, cycling across Europe, or even running a marathon... every day for weeks.

14 weeks to go

My training plan tells me that I have 14 weeks to go until the MK marathon... GULP! This means I am 4 weeks into the plan, and happy I can run a good half marathon but not entirely convinced about a full. I finished last week with the second highest mileage I think I have ever run for a single week, which gives me some sense of the scale of this thing (I ran a total of 29 miles over 7 days, whereas I want to run 26.2 in half a day!). To say that I am developing the jitters is perhaps an understatement... I have them and it is bordering on the fears!

I am deeply enjoying the training so far and last week was a real achievement... it is growing on me that I will have to set and set and set many such achievements over the next 14 weeks!

Picking up the miles

I have had a real stinker of a cold which laid me up for a few days right at the start of my sixteen week marathon. Even though it hasn't completely gone I have at least this week managed to pick up some miles. Doing 11.5 miles at the start of the week and 8.2 yesterday, with only what I consider (hope are) general stiffness and aches to show for them. When I am looking at training and training plans it is really all about the numbers. The numbers look good for the week, but the numbers ahead are more than a little daunting right now - especially the number "26.2".

It will be tough to turn up to my first marathon likely never haven't done it in training. I am one of those people who feels greatly comforted by complete and thorough dress rehearsals. Perhaps this is being heighten also by the notion that I won't have run on the course before either. Hmmm, I am hoping with following the training plan comes a little more race confidence.

Well now New Year discovery - I need to be another Andy

I have on occasion noted how my weight relates to sports people (not my fitness though it has to be said), at one time I was as heavy as Worlds strongest man contestants and heavyweight boxers, then rugby players and rowers, and lately I wasn't sure where I fell on this comparison spectrum. Moreover I was unsure what type of sport person weighed what BMI sheets tell me is my ideal weight... it turns out the answer is tennis, and indeed another Andy.

Image of Andy Muarry borrowed from an article in the guardian online http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/sep/01/usopentennis.andymurray. Original image

"Andy Murray following his five-set victory over Jurgen Melzer". Photograph: Al Bello/Getty Images.

Yes, the sports person who I reckon comes in at roughly my 'ideal' BMI is the world class tennis Brit, Andy Murray. According to event stats that I bumped into online he's roughly my height and roughly 2 stone lighter, i.e. around my ideal BMI. This might not seem to mean a great deal to anyone else, but in terms of my motivation it is actually useful. I had labored under the impression that being that weight I would be considered 'skeletal' but my view has been adjusted by the revelation. I didn't really have a proper New Years resolution but now it seems to be to trim down to Andy Murray proportions - sadly matching weight won't mean matching talent but hey I reckon I will be running PRs if I do manage to shed anything like the 2 stone.

Okay, it really is only a feeble a motivational 'trick', I know that really being somewhere near that weight will make running my first marathon a great deal easier on me cardiovascularly and muscloskeletally (heart and joints, etc. ;-) ).

1yr caffeine clean - a blogger pats himself on the back a bit

One whole year caffeine free, time does fly. How did I find it? Well truth be told there has been the odd hour of a long day now and then when I have been sorely tempted to 'use' some coffee medicinally, but I easily set the temptation aside. I have found too many benefits to really consider going back on my stance - see my original post on the issue 'Caffeine-free' from back in July 2011.

Perhaps the funniest part of being caffeine 'dry' is the reaction of others, it can be really odd. The drinking of tea, coffee, cola, etc. seems to be hard wired into society, so much so that at many meetings I had noted there is nothing caffeine free available to drink (I once had to take a coffee cup into the bathroom to fill up with water as I was caught out by thirst). People don't seem to know what to do with themselves when you say "That's okay I don't drink caffeine thanks", often they get very animated and oddly apologetic while rapidly telling you how they consume their coffee / tea. It is a little like everyone is mildly addicted (and some heavily) and while beneath the surface very aware of it they only get challenged by it when someone says "No thanks, I don't". It's funny how many friends and colleagues are willing participants in the caffeine roller coaster - awake, charged, tired, anxious, alert, hyper, sleepless, twitchy - and so on. I for one will continue on my merry way without it thanks.

Oh, I enjoyed that - a good running day

Tonight I headed out to run an hour and indeed managed just that on an improvised route. I managed 1hr and 48sec for 6.7miles and enjoyed it immensely. It was an interesting route through the city centre passing Cardiff Castle, the weather was half decent, I aced my rhythm, managed to cruise the pace, and hit a potent negative split to boot... runs like this are a large part of the reason why I run.

Slings and arrows of finding new balance

Bloggers own - Drawn in a my own special way using Microsoft Powerpoint

There are many things that crop up when you begin anew with training and eating plans, quite aside from the straightforward logistics of how, when and how much. Indeed I have found that one of the major consequences can indeed be mood. In the efforts of eating sensibly and training more it is all to easy to forget to keep an eye on the consequences of the changes in balance going on within your physiology and biochemistry, of your whole body very much including the brain. I suppose in most cases involving sensible exercise plans mood changes mostly brought on simply by tiredness of extra training and reduced calorie load. Happily in my experience these effects do not last very long, undoubtedly because bodies (and brains) are very adept at finding and maintaining new balance once a new regime has become the 'norm'.

The last few days I have been very on the move and aware of tiredness, but I am so happy to be going in the right direction again. I am still looking around and trying to absorb as many ideas and as much information as I can about marathon training to make sure I tackle the next 15weeks as sensibly as possible and injury free as possible. Know a good source of knowledge? Let me know if you have a moment, ta.

Real training has begun again

Over the last couple of days I have taken time to get back into the frame of mind that paid off very handsomely this year when I was preparing for the Cardiff half-marathon. I have started tracking my calories again using the myfitnesspal app, I have spent time musing a running plan courtesy of Marathon Coach by Running Method app, I have returned to leaping about my lounge with the 30-day Shred Jillian Michael's DVD (Mrs. Taffi is both tickled and baffled by this), and moreover I have even been out on a run.

It is a shock to the system to have jumped back into all the things I was doing a few months ago, and it is true to say my body is complaining quite a bit. Happily I remember that the first few days were a challenge when I got going back in the summer before it began to feel more comfortable. My goal this time is larger not only in distance (to run a marathon) but also in terms of weight loss, I feel I need to reach somewhere comfortably below 13st (182lb or 82.5kg) to make the run that bit easier on me). It has become clear that one of my bigger challenges in the next few months (however I do over 26.2 miles) is to find another challenge for immediately afterwards. The last couple of months without an immediate goal deadline have seen a blip in weight and fitness, which while not terrible were very noticeable [see my Weight page - which I have just updated]. All I need to be careful of is picking the right size of challenge next time, I will certainly not run any further than 26.2 miles for example.

The excitement of reaching my goal later in the spring is certainly driving me at the moment, and pushing me back into the regime that worked for the half-marathon without too much resistance. I suppose it might be the newness of the challenge, or the thought of a marathon completion, whatever it is I am hoping to ride its wave for a good few weeks into the longer mileage runs ;-)

PS. happy New Year! I hope 2012 is full of good things for everyone.