I'm only blogging because Janathon says I have to

Today was my first day back at work after almost three weeks off.  A very disrupted night due to poor Maia coughing and wheezing at 11pm and again at 5.45am (she fell back asleep after each episode finished; I lay awake worrying about her and alert to any changes in her breathing) left me shattered by the time I had to get up to go to the gym.  Damn you, Janathon and my overdeveloped sense of responsibility.

There was thick fog for most of the drive into town.  Between that and the seemingly endless queue of traffic over the Kessock Bridge, a journey that usually takes half an hour took twice as long.  It was a relief to finally arrive at the gym.  My goal for today was to use the elliptical trainer in place of a run.  I realised a couple of years ago that my legs can't handle consecutive runs anymore; I only did three runs/week for last year's marathon training and I don't think that was enough to build the strength and stamina that I needed.  So, for this year's attempt, I decided to keep to my three runs/week but to add in a session on the elliptical as well, in the hopes that this would fill in the gap somewhat.

There were only three people in the gym when I got there, which brightened my mood.  I did 11 minutes on the bike and 30 minutes on the elliptical, which would have been the length of time that I would have run today if I were even five years younger.  And, of course, I did my stretches.

And then I went to work.  And then I came home and worked some more.  When the highlight of the day was 40 minutes at the gym watching 'Wanted Down Under,' you know that it was a bleh kind of day.

Bring on tomorrow.

Fun at the gym

Day 7 of the Janathon found me back at the gym where, according to my training schedule, it was Upper Body Day.  It was also Heaving with New Gym Members Day, which made it Annoyed at Having to Wait for the Machines Day as well.

The free weights were scattered all over the place and I couldn't find the ones that I needed.  All of the treadmills were taken by people who looked to be out for just a stroll and a gossip; some of them had even paused the treadmill so that they could have an in-depth natter with their neighbour without the inconvenience of being out of breath.  And I had to wait to do my stretching as there was a queue for the mats, most of which were being used by people who were just...lying there, having a rest. 

Part of today's routine was the dreaded hand bike.  (Hah, no queue for this.  Can't imagine why not.)  This sits off by itself and faces the weight machine area.  Now, I know that proper gym etiquette says that you shouldn't stare at other people when they're working out, but I couldn't help but be fascinated by the very substantial man on the lat pull-down machine who was wearing a very much too-small sweatshirt.  Every time his arms went over his head, the bottom of his sweatshirt inched ever higher until it reached his chest, leaving his belly fully exposed in all of its perfectly round glory.  There were 3 sets of this.  He didn't seem to care, so I decided to not mind on his behalf either.  Besides, admiring his obliviousness and single-mindedness helped to distract me from how much I was hating the hand bike.

January at the gym.  There's always something to see.  Or complain about.

Gym stats:  10.5 min/5km stationary bike; 10 minutes/3km hand bike; 10 reps/3 sets each of bicep curls, tricep dips, upright row machine, and lat pull down machine (making sure that my top stayed over my belly).  10 minutes x-trainer cool down.  And stretching.

NoMoreCake-athon update:  It's been six days without cake.  I've gained one pound.  It's going to be a long month.

9 miles, consistently slow

Day 6 of the Janathon started at 5.45am, when Maia heaved her 11-pound body onto my chest and pushed her nose against mine in an attempt to see if I was awake and possibly inclined to feed her.  I wasn't awake and I wasn't about to get out of bed before the central heating had even come on.  However, her optimism had awoken Willow and Pandora who also wondered if I might be getting up and it took a bit of ignoring of piteous cries and the biting of toes before everyone settled down again - Willow on my chest, Maia on my stomach, and Pandora across my ankles.  It was all very cozy although not very restful.  (Shut them out of the bedroom?  Don't be silly.)

I would have preferred to have done today's 9-mile run on a bit more sleep, but such is life with cats.  (They aren't spoiled, they are loved.)  After the ritual Feeding of the Cats at 8:00, I had my own ritual breakfast of hot water with lemon, porridge with demerara sugar and raisins, and tea.  By the time I finished eating, taped up my achilles and calf, decided what to wear, and got the Camelbak sorted, the morning was almost over - I have no idea where the time went; surely not on reading the Mail Online? - but at least I was on my way. 

My goal for today's run was to be consistent with my pacing.  No more heading out quickly, exhausting my legs half-way, slowing down, trying to speed up, and getting injured.  Nope, I've learned my lesson.  My goal pace, according to my training programme, was an 11:39min/mile and, with a couple of exceptions, I managed this pretty well.  I couldn't keep myself from picking up speed going downhill, and I walked a couple of times when my calf got tight (and when I had my SiS gel; if I try to take gels when I'm moving, I end up dribbling them down the front of myself.).  Oh, and I had a lot of brief stops because of traffic.  Otherwise, I stayed mostly within 10 seconds either way of the target.

It wasn't a hugely exciting run, but I felt that I maintained good form for most of it and I felt okay at the end of it.  And, frankly, any long run that I finish without an injury is worth celebrating! 

Janathon Day 5 (with the help of cats)

I suspected that this would be the most challenging day of the Janathon, and I was right.  Saturdays are normally days to curl up on the sofa, drink tea, read, and maybe watch a film on telly; they are not days to exercise.  I was hopeful, though, that with a bit of creative thinking I could have my cake and eat it too.  (Metaphorically, people, metaphorically!  The NoMoreCake-athon is still in effect, I haven't had any cake in DAYS, and am wasting away before my very eyes.  But I digress...)

Here's what I did on Day 5:

1.  Squats:  Because the cats aren't using the cat-flap yet (the kittens are too young to be given unlimited access to the great outdoors), they need to be let in and out by one of their servants.  Being cats, they find this hilarious and delight in yowling at the door, being let out, then yowling to be let back in.  (Ignore them?  Don't be silly.)  Between 9.00-9.30am, I was up and down from the sofa over 20 times, which was an excellent opportunity to practice my squat technique. 

Heading home after yesterday's walk

2.  Going for a walk:  All of the previous cats at the Rural Retreat have been walking cats, and we are in the process of teaching Maia, Pandora, and Willow to walk with us up the lanes and through the woods as well.  We took them on an hour-long walk yesterday (after my 5 mile run, I hasten to add), but today's walk was only about half that long.  Still, as I wasn't sitting on the sofa, it counts.
 
3.  Stretches and core exercises:  Since my legs had been warmed up from the walk, I figured I might as well take advantage and do my stretches (20 minutes) and use the foam roller (5 minutes).  And since I was already on the floor, I figured I might as well do my core exercises too (10 minutes).  Extra resistance was added by Willow, who likes to sit on my chest when I'm lying on my back.  Very helpful.

Gentle exercise and still time to sit about doing nothing.  Not a bad day at all.

The sound of silence

After the painful and disheartening slog that was Wednesday's 3 mile run, I was feeling more than a bit apprehensive about today's planned 5 miles.  Especially since my training programme said that it was meant to be a tempo run for 3 of those miles, and I wasn't convinced that legs that were so recalcitrant on Wednesday would be willing to be cooperative today.  A sensible approach would have been to leave out the tempo as a way of making sure that things were back on track and, after taping my left achilles tendon and adding an extra strip along the outside of my calf for good luck, that's what I set out to do.

The wind tunnel at Newhall Point (road on right)

A mile in, and everything felt good at the easy pace.  I probably should have continued on at that speed but, competitive fool that I am (even though it's just with myself, as I'm too slow to be competitive with anyone else), decided to up my speed just to see what would happen.  My target speed for the tempo run was a 10min/mile for 3 miles and, for half a mile, I did this!  Then I rounded the corner at Newhall Point and almost was stopped in my tracks by a 17mph headwind.  I gave it a valiant effort but my speed dropped progressively over the next 3 miles, which included a half-mile uphill trundle, because of the force of the wind.  Once I was back on the flat and with the wind coming at me from the side instead of head on, my legs perked up and I finished the last 1.5 miles feeling strong. 

I finished the 5 miles in 55:12, which I thought wasn't bad given the wind and the usual stoppages for 4x4s and boy racers who felt unable to share the road with me.  I had no pain or even niggling in my ankles, calves, or other places.  I managed to run fast enough for the 3 tempo miles to challenge myself cardio-wise.  And, even though I was wearing my 12mm Guide 4s, I was running so lightly that I couldn't hear my footfalls.  No clomping, no heel drag, no scuffling.  I even unplugged myself from the iPod so that I could enjoy how quiet I was.

As Adam would say, the real test will be how I feel tomorrow and the next day.  Tonight, though, I feel very proud of myself!

Farewell, my lovely cake

Part of my inspiration for signing up for the Janathon was a friend who is doing a Dryathlon (giving up drinking for January and raising money for Cancer Research UK at the same time).  In turn, I seem to have inspired Bassman to do a Snapathon (taking a worthwhile - his word, not mine - photograph every day in January).  Other friends are having a go at exercising every day, even though they won't be blogging about it.  It's all very exciting and motivational.

However, I seem to have gotten carried away with the joy of -athoning and, in an uncharacteristic burst of optimism, have now committed myself to doing the NoMoreCake-athon that I was joking about a few posts ago.  I've even expanded the original concept to include not just cake but chocolates and cookies.  And cupcakes (that's how seriously I'm taking this).

It seemed like a good idea at the time but, really, WHAT WAS I THINKING???  (Note to self:  You were thinking that it might be nice to stop popping buttons off your trousers.  And that losing those cake-related extra pounds might benefit your running.  And that maybe you would feel healthier and more energetic.)  I hate being deprived - even when it's me doing the depriving - and I miss the idea of cake already. 

I've decided, though, not to give up sugar altogether; that's much too drastic an action and, besides, there's still half a tub of chocolate Philly to finish.  Can't have that going to waste.  And I need my TangFastics and Sport Jelly Beans for my long runs.  And there's fake sugar in the hot chocolate mix so that doesn't count.  And and and...

Yes, there's nothing like ignoring the rules (even when they're self-imposed) to make me feel better!

Janathon Day 3:  Gym session consisting of 10 minutes warm-up on the bike followed by leg presses, leg extensions, hamstring curls, side lunges, 2000m/10.5 minutes on the rower, and 10 minutes cool-down on the cross-trainer.  And 15 minutes in the sauna afterwards as a treat since I CAN'T HAVE CAKE.

Sugary things not purchased during post-workout trip to Tesco:  A six-pack of Cadbury's Creme Eggs, gingerbread men, Tesco Finest Triple Chocolate Cookies, profiteroles, and chocolate cheesecake.  Sheesh, I probably burned off more calories wrestling with temptation than I did at the gym.

When in doubt, blame the shoes

Day 2 of the Janathon saw me doing the first run of my marathon training programme.  It was to be an easy-paced 3 mile run; the sun was shining, the wind had dropped, and I was looking forward to the official start of the marathon journey.  What could possibly go wrong?

Hello and welcome back to majorly tight ankles and achilles tendons.  How I've missed them.  This was one of those runs where it felt like all of my body parts were moving at cross-purposes and at their own individual paces, and nothing that I did made a difference.  It didn't help that my Garmin was off in its own world, one in which I was apparently running sub-9 minute miles.  I wasn't, not by a long shot, but I kept trying to slow myself down just in case, leading to an even more awkward gait and a ratcheting up of the pain level in my achilles tendons.  I finally gave up at the last mile and did a run/walk the rest of the way home.

I'm not injured, but I've obviously stressed out my lower legs.  Contributing factors?  Monday's 8-mile run felt good and my legs felt fine on Tuesday, but I wonder if the 10-minute cool down run on the treadmill at the gym that day was still a run too far.  Especially as I was wearing my Inov8 Road-X 238 shoes.  This was their second outing and I have to say that I don't like them.  They've turned out to be a half-size too big, for a start, so my foot feels a bit slidey in them.  And, even though they have a 9mm heel-toe drop, they feel a lot flatter than the 8mm Triumphs.  They certainly have less cushioning, and I ended up with an aching pain in my heel that made me stop the cool down after 8 minutes. 

 I wore the Triumphs for the run today, but maybe I should have gone with the Guide 4s.  Still, who knew?  I felt fine until I started to run. 

Is there anything to be learned from this?  Well, I think there will be no more treadmill cool downs at the gym on the day after a long run (or maybe ever); the cross-trainer will serve the same purpose.  More importantly, after this week I'll be back to having two non-running days after the long run.  My aging legs don't cope well anymore with too many runs (of whatever length) too close together.  Sigh.

And I'm ditching the Inov8s.  It's possible that I am unfairly blaming them for today's difficulties but, once I take against a pair of shoes, that's it.  I give no second chances when it comes to footwear.