Day 93 - Stirders Effort Session.

Well it was running club again tonight and efforts on Humber Drive they are .37 of a mile long and my 9th effort was my quickest at 2:15 min before that the 3rd was the slowest at 2:23 min and all the others were completed between 2:18 and 2:20 min. All in all I'm really happy with the effort and my timing of the efforts. Once again nice and consistent. Left knee hurting a little bit on the inside sure it will be nothing but will monitor it just to make sure.

Day 92 - Day off

Happy days, despite missing yesterday I have still trained hard this week and really enjoyed it.

Day 91 - Sunday Blooming Sunday

Well I was going to go out first thing, then that drifted to morning, then that drifted to afternoon, then drifted to an evening turbo but finally ended as doing nothing but having a lovely time with the family and eating a lovely roast. Ah well.

Day 90 - New Route Run

Well I went on a new run this morning. It was so nice to out in the sun and wearing shorts. The new route was lovely but mainly up hill for a long time, so I think next time I will try and go the other way around to see what it is like.

Lovely run, lovely day.

Day 89 - Friday Night Alright

What a busy Friday night I've just had. It started at 4 when I went for my massage on my legs to make sure they are still tick-a-dee-boo. Straight after that I headed to the gym. I know you are not meant to exercise after a massage but the 'Don' said we must run for an hour so that's what I did. My legs were all over the place and I was really thinking it is not a good idea but carried on. After 45 min had to do a zone 4 effort for 5 minutes. Found this easier than I thought and was ticking along nicely. Looking back at my watch when I got home and found my average speed was 7 mph but my max speed was an impressive 1,533.7 mph - eat your heart out Billy Whizz! a glitch me things!

One other amazing thing happened tonight. I started my swim training and managed a nice and steady 1000m. I can hear the gasps from here - what only just starting now? you mad? etc. Maybe but to be honest with you the thought of getting wet in those dark early mornings used to turn my stomach and especially if I had been up in the night to the girls. I needed that extra hour in bed. But now the warmer weather is peaking around the corner it is time to start and dedicate myself to the pool.

Day 88 - Turbo Tastic Thursday

Bike on the training today and straight back on the turbo. It was a really good session and felt really strong. It was great to turn the old legs and blow the old cobwebs out of the joints. Need to start taking cod liver oil and other bits to ensure the old legs don't start giving up as the training cranks up. But tonight was really good and really enjoyable. Just need to suss out how to get the Garmin to work with out the GPS working so I get true speed, and distance data to add to my geeky spreadsheet.

Massage time again tomorrow then a swim.

Day 87 - Day Off Mid-week - Lush

My legs were tired after Tuesday's Striders session and following the weekend and Monday brick session so a day off was well in order. The only problem was I had to travel up to Birmingham for a conference. So it was an early start and a longish drive. Good day there and then a long drive home. Home by 8.30 and asleep by 9pm.

Oh yeah forgot to add a photo yesterday of bad toe nail management - OUCH!!!

Day 86 - Striders Industrial Estate Efforts

I know what the 'Don' had planned for me today but I went to running club and completed 5 long efforts of 0.65 miles with an average speed of 6:48 minute per mile. Pleased with that in fact very pleased with that. The short efforts were 0.42 miles and completed with an average speed of 6:46 minute per mile. Again I am very happy with that.

This session is really boring but it is an effort session that I would not do if I was on my own. What is more pleasing is that I only had a 13 second variance between all my long efforts and only 2 seconds variance with the short efforts. Really really pleased with this. Not only with my own self discipline but with picking off loads of runners on the last couple of efforts who had shot off too quickly and then blew up.

Day off tomorrow and can not wait. Sleep tight all.

Day 85 - Brick by Brick and lots of Stats

Today was meant to be rest day but I trained. The only reason I trained was because on Wednesday I'm in Birmingham for day at a conference so I decided that is the perfect day for a rest. So Wednesday's brick was completed tonight. Despite the heavy weekend of training I didn't really feel that bad and the run section felt really good.

I also decided to have a look at my training so far on a spread sheet and look at all the details of it. I know a bit geeky but I enjoyed doing it. But it did show some interesting facts and proof that the training is working. I trained for 5 hours less in Feb than Jan but managed to complete 13 more miles with an average heart beat 9 beats per minute slower and a max heart beat 12 beats less and my average running speed had increased. Told you it was geeky but an interesting bit of reading I think you'll agree. Well happy with that.

Day 84 - Mud Mud Glorious Mud!

Well yesterday was such a fantastic lovely day with almost spring like conditions but today was out and out horror with wind and copious amounts of rain. The ground was sodden anyway but with last nights and this morning rain on top it was very very wet.

We all felt a bit groggy first thing and did the usual shiver when we started the run in the rain but we were soon into the running and all saying how we enjoy these wet runs. Riffhams field was practically under water and the water soon found my toes. That first feeling of wet is so horrible but they were soon to get very wet and as always warmer. The paths in Blakes Wood were practically rivers but it was so enjoyable to know that most people were inside and we were out splashing around.

I did make one school boy error by stopping my watch for Alice to tie her shoes lace and forgot to restart it. Consequently every time I looked at it we had completed only 29 min but in truth we had been running close to 47min - oops! and we were the furthest point from home - double oops! Weaved our way home along the tracks in the woods before battling with Riffhams field again. Up the hill and home only 5 min extra but four very wet and even muddier people arrived at home to look forward to a hot brew and a hot shower before lunch.

What a lovely weekend with great friends and lots of talk of Austria 2010. Can not wait. Better start swimming now!

Day 83 - Training Weekend Saturday Ride

What a fantastic day today was. The sun actually made an appearance and by the afternoon it was positively warm at one point I even thought I had even over dressed. This weekend was a lovely weekend as Sophie came over with Dora and later Alice arrived with Paul. After a quick lunch by Alice and Paul we were all changed and off out on our bikes. It was a lovely ride around the lanes of Danbury and later the reservoir of Haningfield. The roads were quiet but smooth and and like I said the sun was shining and it was beautiful to be out and about.

We stayed out for close to 2.5 hours and covered a lovely 34 miles. We were so lucky with the weather and we all commented how lovely it was to be out riding in the sun rather being stuck inside on the turbo. Alice and Sophie were whizzing along and all those hours spent on the turbo have obviously paid off as they were pedaling smooth and efficiently.

Got home and showered before tucking in to a lovely curry and some lovely company till late into the evening.

Happy days and went to sleep with a lovely smile on my face with many happy memories from the day.

Day 82 - Firday night off

Had no choice but had to have a night off as life got in the way and that is that, nothing else really to say.

Day 81 - Thursday Cycle to school

Ah life got in the way of training and so didn't manage to get anything done apart from ride to school and ride home from school. The ride down there was not too bad but the ride home was horrendous it was blowing loads and the rain was coming down in the style of North Wales horizontal. Oh yeah and both were battering me in my face.

By the time I got home I was covered head to toe in grit and crap off the road. Had to take everything off in the shower and had enough sand to build a sandcastle in there! But it was enjoyable and brought a smile to my face.

Day 80 - Wednesday Brick Session

I don't know why but i really enjoy these sessions now. I don't know if it was because it was a small session only 45 min and 15 min but really enjoyed it. Not a lot else to really say about it to be honest.

Day 79 - Striders

Went back to running club tonight for the first time since September. And I went straight back to a fartlek session - gulp. Over 7 miles in 1hour 3 minutes. So for me it was a fast session. we must have done at least 20 'fartleks' in that time some very short max of 50m and the longest lasting .84 of a mile. We spent most of the time up and down the Avenues in Chelmsford. It is very boring but good as there are gradual climbs that last for quite a long stretch.

I didn't go flat out but kept my head and I would say was steady for all my efforts and by the end and especially on the long effort was picking off the people which caused more of a bounce in my step.

Got a good feeling about training this week think its going to be a classic.

Day 78 - Day off

Well the program says day off so taking it. I trained the last one so this one is deserved or so I keep telling myself.

Day 77 - Cambridge and turbo

Came back from Olney and stopped at Cambridge. We had a lovely couple of hours there, especially seeing Freya's face going on a double decker and sitting in the front was a delight to see. When we got back I climbed into my training kit and jumped on my bike and began to turbo.

The 2.5 hour session was daunting and i just didn't get into it so after 1hr 20 I climbed off. What was the point I wasn't really doing anything and my heart just wasn't into it.

There we go still got lots of weeks left so not that big a deal.

Day 76 - Saturday and off

We went off to see friends so there was no chance of training. I was planning to get up and go for a long run really early but when the alarm went there was no hope of me getting out of my pit. Don Fink would have been cussing me but hey ho life is such. Even had two beers in the evening and it wasn't the end of the week! how very naughty!

Day 75 - A nice long run

Nothing really to report apart from it was a lovely long run with lots of ups and a few downs but on the whole a very lovely long run that I felt good with at the end.

Day 74 - mmmmmmm no training

It was Thursday the dreaded spin session and Susan and I had a chance to be together without the girls so we took it and had a lovely day. In the afternoon started building a place to put all our recycling and in the evening had a lovely time with some good friends so no training for me today.