Health and Fitness Routine Update

[Rascal]

Ran a sort of 10k race today.  The Salmon ran a good race and there were a few people cheering him on at the end.  The Legend was slack and all his Tuesday night chip nights rather than getting his lazy arse up the running club paid dividends as he was about two meters behind his closest rival at the finish line. 

At the end of the race someone told me the time and I couldn't believe how long it took me to complete as I thought that I had run a belter.  Then one of the lads said that it wasn't a measured course and it was actually longer than 10k and everyones time was about two minutes extra.

[Tecsyn]

Yesterday, I had a 6-hour hike in the Carneddau mountains with some skiing pals, the upper slopes were thick with snowfall, the sky was clear-blue. A perfect day, at the end of which, I felt I had really done some excercise!

[Rascal]

That sounds like a perfect day out Tecs.

I came 14th in the race yesterday, my best result yet.  Tonight, The Salmon said that his legs were like lead and I was so knackered inbetween circuits I managed a nod.  The strap on is getting a good hammering tonight.

[Wils]

Ffernol.

[Rascal]

Even though I have tired legs still I ran a blinder tonight at the running club.  It was short hill efforts, six reps, and I was two seconds off a PB. 

[Mab y Mynydd]

Strapondabbydozy!

[REEnie]

....snort....

I'm just back from pilates and have just had my dinner. I can't eat before because it churns in my stomach and I'm afraid I may do a  ...botty parp...

[Mab y Mynydd]

That's about all the exercise I get these days.  Apart from using my right arm for pint lifting.  Oh, and putting digits to keyboard on here.

[REEnie]

try a good clench, it does wonders for your silhouette.

[nanon]

 

[Rascal]

Wednesday was Shuffle day but it was a strange one this week.  The Lgend couldn't make it and The Salmon coulnd't make it until later.  I waited for The Salmon to get back and went for a steady run with him, we did the Shuffle route.  Five miles.  During the day I went to Martins house to pay my respects, it was his wifes funeral and they had the wake in the evening and this is why The Legend couldn't make it.  I would have gone too but I had a friend over from Africa in the evning (staying in the UK for a while, not just that evening (pre-empting ffernols quips)).

Thursday, at circuits I trained like a man possesed.  I was shattered afterwards and when I got home, I ate enough to feed two people and it hardly felt like it touched the sides.  The Salmon went for a run instead of circuits, he is trying to get some milage in before the half marathon next Suday.

Friday, The Salmon and I went for a seven mile steady run.

On Saturday the swim went like this
150m swim
200m catch up

400m on 7:30
2 x 200m on 3min
4 x 100m on 2min
8 x 50m on 1:05
16 x 25m on 35sec

2 x 100 all out with 1:30 rest between
400m pull (first 200 slow then speeding up gradually over the next 200)
8 x 25m choice of stroke
200m swim

(3,350m)

[Rascal]

A super-duper run around the base of the Wrekin with The Legend and The Salmon.  Dropped down to the Scout hut and then the long drag back up, over by the half way house and down the Beech trees.  On the West Midlands side it was like a lovely sunny early summers day but back on the Cheshire side it resembled a cold and bleak winters day.  Strange how the micro climate changes so drastically on each side of the hill.  The paths were relativley dry and lacked the mud-bath of recent weeks.

[Mab y Mynydd]

Aye, the old Cheshire plain factor at work.  I'll bet it's nice running country around The Wrekin.

[Rascal]

Yeah, the Wrekin is ace for running, walking, mountain biking and the paragliders seem to have a lot of fun there too.  The wildlife is great and we often see the deer there.  As well as all that, it is a fantastic training ground for strength work.

Tonight was circuit training and beforehand I decided not to go all out but to save some energy so that I will not be tired for the half marathon on Sunday.  But, when I got there, on the same station as myself was a blke called Rob.  Rob is one of the ones there that really trains hard and I wasn't going to let him get the better of me.  So in the end I was blydi shattered.  Good though and after running tomorrow I will taper off for the rest of the week.

[TreFFS]

  So in the end I was blydi shattered.  Good though and after running tomorrow I will taper off for the rest of the week.

Does that mean you give the strapon a bit of a rest?

[Rascal]

Na, I got the strapon now, giving it a good blasting tonight.

I started to get a dry throat yesterday, you know the type where no matter how much you drink, you just can't quench your thirst.  Well today it has developed into a headcold so I have been on the parecetamol and ibuprofen to see if it will shift before the race.

This evening I took Rascal Bach to her gymnastics class.  She loves it and is gaining confidence on the beams and parallel bars.  She took the warm up for the class too, it was dead cute.  Her core strength is impressive, especially considering her age.  The Salmon was there with his two girls and whilst one does the gymnastics, the other plays with another girl there.  I rolled up newspapers and was chasing them about and after abut two minutes, I was well out of breath.  That was that then, no running at the club tonight.  A couple of years ago I would have still trained but with experience has come wisdom and I have learnt to take a rest when it is needed.

[Rascal]

Took Rascal Bach to her swimming lesson today.  It has changed from Thursdays to Wednesdays.  She has moved up to the next level and her swimming is comming on well, especially the backstroke.  The only problem is that we always visit the library after swimming and change our books, but the library is closed on a Wednesday, so Thursday evening has now become Library Day for us.

This head cold is still here but the temperatures have stopped fluctuating now, so I decided not to go on the Shuffle.  Five miles tonight when ill will not enhance my fitness at all for the weekend so I have decided not to train until swimming on Saturday.

[Rascal]

Well after a few days off training due to a stinker of a head cold, the race day is upon us.  This morning was a bit of a turmoil because although there was no doubt that the run would be finnished, but in what sort of time was debatable.  

Rascal Bach and the Present Mrs. Rascal went off early to run the Sports Relief Mile.  It was at the sports centre where the running club meet.  Four times around the track.  Rascal Bach did it in twelve minutes.  She ran the first two laps and then got a bit disheartened at it all but then soon picked up when she realised that she was getting a medal when she finished.  When she got home, she had a massive smile on her face and she was dead made up with the medal.  She is such a good girl and we are really proud of her completing her second race.  There is another fun run comming up soon and she has said that she wants to do that one too.  It is totally her decision and if she says that she doesn't want to do them, then no problem, we won't force her to.  But having said that, I am glad that she is an active little girl.

Before the start of the race, there were a few runners there that The Salmon and myself knew so we had a quick chat and a laugh.  Then it was time to get to the start.  When I was there I saw a lady from circuit training and she is a good runner and often wins her age category in races, so I stayed with her.  I thought that if I could make it around with her, I would be doing well.

We ran together fo the first couple of miles at a nice steady pace, we were overtaking quite a lot of people and then at some point she didn't pass the person so I waited a bit but she wasn't comming so I decided that as I was going well, that I should nip off.  All along the race there were loads of people from Telford Harriers and Telford Athletic Club cheering me on.  It gives a boost when you have peope you know, cheering for you.

As I was having little difficulty with my breathing, unlike yesterday, I decided that this race was going really well and kept on picking people off, one by one.  At six miles the down hill section comes to an end and the course goes through Coalbrookdale and then through      

[Mab y Mynydd]

Yes!............  Yes!..................  Come on!............  What happened next?

[nanon]

We're waiting....

[REEnie]

....gasp....

[Rascal]

all right you lot, I took Rascal Bach swimming.

Ironbridge.  There were a few people there that I know and they all called out for me too.  The Ironbridge was chock-a-block with people, so when I got to the brow of the bridge, I raised my arms but didn't shout 'Adriaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan' in a Rocky voice like I promised Emmz.  Sorry Emmz, but they would have had me sectioned as a nutcase.  I couldn't see the photographer Brian and thought that that was a bit of a waste of a pose.  But then Brian was there at the other end of the bridge, so up went the arms again and I shouted 'Cheers Brian'.  He carried on taking pictures but shouted back that he took a good one.  Can't wait to see them in the next day or two.

After crossing the bridge it is quite flat for a while and at this point, someone passed me.  As I was going well still, I decided to let him go and not stick with him.  There was still some distance to go and blowng up at that point was silly, so just carry on with your own pace.  At about eight miles the energy levels were starting to deplete.  I had an energy gel with me and planned on taking it at about mile ten, but thought that it was best to take it a couple of miles earlier than planned rather than struggle for two more miles.  Plus, as I have done this race a few times before, I knew that there was a water station comming up at nine miles.  I started taking bits of the gel, they are difficult to take in one go because you are running and they are so sickly sweat and have a strangely thick consistencey about them.  It took a short while but once it kicked in, it gives massive boost.

Just past the tunnel, before the start of the climb back out of the gorge up to Telford Town Centre a couple more people passed me, but as I knew the hill was about to start, so I let them go ahead.  It wasn't long before I started to dig in and start passing loads and loads of people going up the hill.  There was a bloke with yellow t-shirt on and as I passed him, he decided to speed up.  As I felt like I had a load of energy so ran neck and neck with him.  A bit later I said thanks to him as his speed pulled me along up the hill.  He replied, cheers, I was going to say the same to you.  He shot off at the end and I decided to let him go.  There was a woman just in front of me at this point and when we finished, it was Cathy, a lady that has come running with us on the Shuffle.

My final time was 1:36:35.  This is a comparable time with a previous PB, but that was on very flat course and not after a week of having a head cold and getting out of breath from walking up the stairs.  All in all a good run, but I know I can do better.

The Salmon did 2:02 an was happy with that after so much recent injury.

Then I took Rascal Bach swimming and got hambugged by you lot for not completing a post but the family swim session is only on for an hour.
 

[Rascal]

An update on the race yesterday.  I came 116th out of 699 runners in a time of 1:36:35 and looking back at the records, I can't find a faster time so I think it was a PB.

[nanon]

Great result Rascs.