Juneathon Day 11

Really poor effort today. I'd planned to run this evening, the weather report saying that the rain would have mostly cleared by then but a miserable day at work followed by returning home to find the lounge occupied by football-watching people and the fact it was still cold, wet and windy just drained me out. I got as far as planning what I would wear to run in but I couldn't make it happen, particularly in the knowledge that I will be running in weather like this the next two nights anyway with running club. That's the marvellous thing about the club, I'll go even when the weather is rotten because I like to see people and I feel really bad if I don't go. I wouldn't say I have made any firm friends there yet, no one who'd gee me up to go, but I enjoy being part of it.

So in lieu of a run I did some core work instead. That consisted of 200 exercises, 40 each of regular crunches, reverse crunches, bicycles, lateral crunches and russian twists. I feel pretty rubbish but seeking solace in the knowledge I've not had any alcohol for over a week and that I've been eating well lately. Well done to everyone who has actually gone out and run this evening. Actually one of the things that really puts me off running is having to wash my hair every single time because I get so hot. Dry shampoo just won't cut it so if I run in the evening I end up having two showers a day and that just seems such a pfaff. Lame huh?

Juenaton Day 10

... where I attend but do not take part in a triathlon.

Yesterday I blogged on the hop about being in need of an early night. You see although I'm a morning person in the sense that I'm quite productive in the morning and can't seem to sleep or lie in for very long, I do struggle with being awake much before 7 and today I had to be at a triathlon at 6:50am that was half an hours drive away. Today was the day of the Crowthorne triathlon and I was marshalling part of the run route. It's an event I've been keeping an eye on for several years with the aim of marshalling then taking part in it. One down...! Next year happens to be their 10th anniversary so that'd be a great one to get involved in.

The route went through a lot of woodland, some of it quite overgrown and boggy with one nasty hill you practically had to scramble up! That put me off the idea of taking part a bit but I reckon I still will. I was sat on a junction with the main dog-walking path so although I was on my own and the runners came through in dribs and drabs, I still had quite a few people to chat to. As it was I really should have brought some music or a book. I checked off all the runners against a list as they came through and cheered them on by name when I could. One guy went round FOUR times!

I was there until 1pm, wearing four layers but still very cold, and got a goody bag and a t-shirt for my trouble.

Exercise-wise today I walked a mile and a half to my Marshal Point, then half a mile back. I followed this up with an hour's digging on the allotment and had intended to go for a run but really felt too achey by the time I got home so I did a "fat burner" class from my work out dvd instead which left me pretty knackered. I may not be jogging every day but I'm definitely going to be exercising everyday.

Juneathon Day 9

Today was parkrun day which made things nice and easy. There was a fundraising event going on which meant far more children than normal and far more congestion on the tow path than normal. I didn't get to run as fast as I wanted to at the start but I was pleased with my pace otherwise and ran in 30:30.

Would write a longer post but doing it on the phone and overdue for an early night. Will explain what that's in aid of tomorrow.

Night all!

Juneathon Day 8

I thought I'd get my exercise out of the way early today... HA! I don't think I've been sleeping very well lately. On at least one occasion I know I've dreamed about running, which wasn't exactly restful. Anyway, lacked any energy this morning so as I was working from home I used my lunch break to do another round of the fitness DVD I did yesterday. Same routine although this time I was using much heavier weights; 2.5 kilos each side. As a result I struggled with that section but it's something to build on next time. I did seriously consider going out for a run but even though it was dry it's so windy I feared I'd not make it round. I'll save myself for parkrun tomorrow.

in other news I got my race pack for the Bracknell Forest Five in the post this morning. Looking forward to that whatever the weather.

Juneathon Day 7

Wow, where's that week gone? Well done to everyone for muddling through the bank holiday weekend. I'm enjoying all the blogs I'm reading.

A friend of mine found a groupon today for entry to the UK Warrior Dash in a fortnight's time. I'm hoping it's all legit because it UK one isn't listed on their site. Anyway three of us girlies have entered so far and we're trying to rope in a couple of lads too. It's a little more manageable than Tough Guy which I almost did once and I'm looking forward to donning some sort of silly outfit.

As for today, well given I need to train a bit for this new race in terms of strength more than running and it's not stopped raining all day, I did some fitness DVD at home, namely Davina - warm up, summer shoulders (twice because the first time my weights were too light so 2x1.25 & 2x2.5), bikini bum, abs. This month is full of races now. No excuse not to improve my times!

Juenathon Day 6

I'm pretty glad I didn't go to speed training on Tuesday. I spent most of the day feeling as though I had a head full of cotton wool and pretty low on energy levels. Not good when you know you've got a 6 mile run later in the day that you're not sure you're prepared enough for. I found myself eating liquorice at 9:30 in the morning in an attempt to perk my self up.

 

I was meant to be running with a friend from work, Anita. We ran together at the Frimley 10k back in May and ever since she's been suffering from shin pain. She reckons it's shin splints but given she stopped running and it seems to be most of the time I reckon she should get scanned for stress fractures. She went from not running to doing 4/4.5 miles four or five times a week at least in preparation for her wedding. I had shin splints once and they were nowhere near as bad as she is describing. So unfortunately she didn't run with me tonight.

 

This is the first of 3 runs at Yateley, held every summer on the first Wednesday of June, July and August. I did the August one two years ago and won a spot prize (probably for looking so knackered) and I'm really looking forward to doing all three this year. Anita signed up for runs 1 and 3 so I really hope she's better for the third one. I'm starting to really enjoy running with other people.

 

There were big black clouds in the sky all day but the weather held and we even got some sun in the evening. I met up with some of the Farnham Runners and decided I'd try and pace one of them who was aiming for a sub hour which would have been brilliant for me but I lost her around 3k when I started to feel really sick and had to stop for a moment. The rest of the course consisted of running to a km marker, having a short walk break then running to the next one. As I rounded the corner back into the school I heard someone yell out "Go on Vikki, you can do it!" and Ian, the FR who has been coaching the beginners and always shouts encouragement at parkrun, was there. Bless him, that moment meant so much to me. I knew I was the last FR to cross the line and I feel pretty bad about that, I know I can do so much better. I've got times to beat and the opportunity to train better.

 

I finished in 1:06:43, got my medal and a mini milkyway and popped over to Anita's for a cuppa.

Juneathon Day 5

Made it to parkrun this morning to a super big turn out and with the OH and his mate in tow. There were plenty of Farnham Runners there which I always love because I get cheered on from the sidelines and push for a sprint finish. There was a lovely jubilee atmosphere and tea and cake afterwards which we stuck around a bit for.

The course was dry and although I felt a bit tired I somehow got a PB for the year with 29:47. I'm very pleased with that. The OH ran in something like 23:40 and his mate was a little way behind.

I don't think I'll be doing speed work tonight, not least because it is raining and actually it's probably not wise given I'm running the Yateley 10k tomorrow. I had hoped I'd have felt a bit more springy but alas, not. Besides... OH's mate has brought Game Of Thrones over so it's another marathon session!