Bang Bang Bang ...

Yep, that's the sound of me banging my head against a brick wall following tonight's run.  So much for beating my personal best time for the 5k - I swear to God I must've mistimed my first run.  In mitigation I did have an interview at 8.30am this morning for a Project Manager position with Wiltshire Police and I've been awake since 4am after my darling dog decided he couldn't hold on for the toilet any longer.  Trouble with waking up fully at that time of the morning is the impossibility of going back to sleep again - today obviously made even more impossible by early onset of nerves.  Anyway, tonight's results:

Distance =  5k

Time = 28:21

Average Heart Rate =  163 bpm

The one positive to take from today's run was that I actually did manage to run the whole 5k so I guess that's a step in the right direction. 

You Take The High Road

Sunday was the day of the long run.  Thought I would mix it up a bit this week and do some off-roading to begin with (seeing as my first 10k race is all off-road maybe it is something I should be practising?!)  So, my run consisted of an off-road section to start with, then back onto normal roads and a few hills thrown in for good measure.  I know.  Really enjoyable run apart from the first mile.  What is with my brain?  I know I can comfortably run 5 miles now so why does my brain tell me that I need to come back to a walk within the first 10 minutes or so of the run.  It's so frustrating as I really have to focus on putting one leg in front of the other and I have to keep telling myself how disappointed I would be if I did give in and come back to a walk - it really is not very enjoyable.  After that first mile or so everything seems to click into place and my traitorous brain gives up thankfully.  Bloody running, it seems to be more psychological than physical.  Anyway, the stats for Sunday's run:

Distance = 6.2 miles

Time = 59:44

Average Heart Rate = 154 bpm

Very pleased with the above - this is the first time I have run the full 10k distance and I am pleased that I managed it in under an hour. 

Rest day today and then tomorrow's plan is to run my 5k route and I am determined to set a new personal best time!



Saturday Catch-Up

Can't believe I've not updated my blog since Tuesday, where on earth does the time go?  Oh well, let's rectify that right now:

Wednesday:  Slimming World this week was a one pound loss, bit miffed as was hoping to get to my 2.5 stone target.  Weight loss has really slowed down (my previous half stones were all lost within two weeks, this half stone has taken over four weeks now) but I think that's mostly because I have lost my way a bit over the last month.  I am not quite as committed as I was, eating more especially bread so I just need to get myself back on track .... and on the salads.

Thursday: Club night once again.  Today's intervals were:

400m x 8, 200m x 2

Enjoyed it so much more, I am able to keep up a pretty good sprint over a shorter distance.  For my last 200m I pushed myself as hard as I could, it felt like I was flying along but also like my heart was going to explode - I don't think the poor thing has ever beaten so fast. 

Friday: Had to go to the agency in Swindon today to register as I have an interview next Tuesday through them.  I was told that we would be discussing the interview format (seeing as I not even had so much as a job description or person spec) but got there to find the person I was meeting wasn't there.  Ruddy hell was I miffed, especially as they had no information for me at all.  Apparently, following a conversation with the relevant person, I was told that I would be given all the person spec and an application pack at the interview; how bizarre is that?  Being told what qualities / experience you need for the job at the interview itself?!  We will also be discussing benefits of working there; it's all very odd if you ask me.  Oh well, guess all the other candidates are at the same disadvantage so will be interesting to see what happens.  So Tuesday morning, 8.30am (how early is that?) I will mostly be in an interview for a Project Manager job with Wiltshire Police .... wish me luck people :)

Walking Backwards to Christmas ....

..... or at least that is what it bloody feels like.  I thought the more exercise you did the better you were meant to get at it?  Thought I would redo my 5k run tonight to see if there was any improvement in time now that I've been building up my base fitness in terms of interval training and distance running.  Well buggery hell is there.  Stats for tonight:

Distance = 5k
Time = 28:33
Average Heart Rate = 160bpm

So, quicker than the last time I ran it but not as fast as the first time I did the route.  What on earth is going on?  I have to admit to having come back to a walk a few times but for no more than 10 seconds a time and only because I felt I was actually going faster during the run bits hence why I needed to slow things down. 

I am really, really going to have to practise slowing the run down without having to come back to a walk as I am guessing that it's the walking phases, however short they are, that is knocking the time down.

Buggerit - I'm off to have my chicken kebab

Just Keep On Moving

My training plan for yesterday called for a non-stop run of 45 minutes.  Due to circumstances beyond my control (Other Half spending most of the afternoon in A&E to discover he's broken his toe) I wasn't able to run until after dinner.  This is not my favourite time to run as I have to wait until at least 8.30pm for food to go down and really, by that time, I cannot be arsed.  Still, needs must and all that, especially as I had already had two rest days.  It was with a heavy heart that I set out of the door.

The plan was to set out relatively slowly and keep on going for as long as possible.  I didn't set the timer on my watch as I feel this just adds to the pressure and, as I've mentioned before, I just end up focusing on the time counting down rather than concentrating on rhythm and breathing.   I'd mapped out a route in my head with optional extra add-on bits so that I could extend the run if I felt good.

I felt good!  The pace was slow but steady and I just kept on going - there is something actually quite relaxing about running at that time of night as the roads are really quiet.  I put my iPod on again, it's only the second time I've run with it and I'm quite surprised that I actually quite enjoy running to music; I guess it helps me to zone out.

I added the couple of extra loops that I had planned but eventually ran out of route and therefore this is my stats for the day:

Distance = 5.2 miles

Time = 55:13

Average Heart Rate = 158 bpm

My longest run to date both in terms of distance and time so very pleased.  I'm a bit disappointed that I was just short of the hour but the only reason I stopped is that I ran out of route - I was still going strong so I reckon I could've done another mile easily enough.  It looks as though I average around 10 minute miles on my longer runs which, whilst this is not going to set the world on fire, it's not that terrible for a beginner and it should improve with time.

Step Two, Three, Four ....

So yesterday's plans changed yet again and instead of the cycle ride I thought I would do a power walk instead.  This was mainly so I could take the dog with me; I don't really trust him with the bike as he has an alarming habit of playing chicken with the front wheel.  Anyway, the plan was to do the cycle route from Calne to Chippenham (I really need to find another off-road route around here) and then get the bus back.  All went according to plan, the walk was really nice - mapped it out to be 7 miles which I completed in just under 1 1/2 hours so walking around the 12 minute mile pace.  Pretty happy with that all in all.  When I got back I treated myself to a doughnut and oh boy, was it good.

This morning I drove to Swindon's Great Western Shopping Centre as I have a couple of interviews looming and desperately needed a suit so that I can dress to impress.   It was not a promising start; I set off bright and early to avoid all the crowds and I found the shopping centre easily enough - I got there at 9.15am, shops didn't open until 10am!  Luckily Costa Coffee was open so decided to get something to drink whilst waiting.  Trouble is my heart sinks when going into coffee shops.  I really like coffee, in fact nowadays I much prefer it to tea, however I just like my coffee bog-standard - one spoonful of coffee granules, fill with hot water and top up with semi-skimmed milk.  As soon as I walk into a coffee shop though and take one look at their menu board I come out in a cold sweat.  The choice of coffees is bewildering and I never know what to ask for.  Rather than be bombarded with "would you like a mocha choca, skinny latte, triple-shot with extra added ooomph" I settled for a cup of tea - much easier all round.

First stop on the suit hunting tour was Next - having found two contenders I foolishly asked where the changing rooms were only to be informed that "Next Clearance Outlets do not have changing rooms but I could always return clothes to my nearest High Street Next". WTF?  Slight problem there, Swindon is my nearest town with a Next!  I shoved the suits back on the rails in a huff and wandered off to find the M&S Outlet store.  All I can say is that M&S not only managed to provide one changing room, but actually several of them including an extra-large disabled cubicle.  Way to go M&S. 

Within 10 minutes I managed to buy a black shift dress, matching black jacket, 3 x pairs of tights and a green handbag all for the relatively tidy sum of £65.  Very happy with my purchases and even more happy that I am now two dress sizes smaller than I was at the beginning of my Slimming World journey.  Might I actually start to enjoy clothes shopping a bit more now?  Nah, it's still bloody hell on earth.   

Two, Four, Six, Eight, Who Do We Appreciate etc etc

So second club night last night and again another interval session; last night's intervals were:

800m, 600m, 400m, 200m, 800m, 600m, 400m, 200m

Looking at it on paper I thought it would be easier than the week before however that proved not to be the case although it wasn't all that bad.  My biggest issue is that I do struggle with pacing and often end up going too fast and fading or ending the interval and realising I probably could've pushed myself that bit harder.  I decided for the last 400m interval that I would push myself as hard as I could and I ended up coming over a little queer (oeerrr, missus), feeling very faint and ever so slightly queasy.  Still no pain, no gain right?

Wednesday's Slimming World rewarded me with a two pound loss which really was not all that deserved but I'm happy to take.  Only another two pounds and that'll be 2.5 stones and another certificate (Slimming World reward every half stone loss with a certificate for the wall and a sticker for the front of the book). 

Today I shall be going for a cycle ride as part of my cross-training plans.  Tell you what, my life is all go :)

Little Miss Disappointed

Well last night's run just about topped off what was a pretty awful day.  Other Half is working long hours so I was home-alone with the boys for 12:30 hours and, over the past couple of weeks, Son One has decided to drop his afternoon sleep which is a real bummer - it was nice having a couple of hours to myself each day.  I am definitely not cut out to be a full-time mum, I don't particularly find it rewarding and it certainly does nothing for my self-worth.  I love my boys dearly but I need more and, if I'm honest, they now need more than just me too.  I really feel that Son One would benefit from some time at nursery so he gets a chance to interact with his peers and this will hopefully bring his communication skills along as he is still refusing to talk (although he does now say the odd word) and he'll be three in May.  Trouble is we understand his funny little ways so I guess as far as he's concerned there is no need to change; hopefully being around others who don't understand his gestures may encourage him to communicate better.  I'm hoping to visit our local nursery this week with a view to getting him in there three mornings a week.  This will then free up some 1-2-1 time with Son Two so he will also benefit from my undivided attention.

Anyway, enough personal problems, back to the running.  I thought I would repeat the run I did on Sunday (5k) to see if I could improve on the time but with hindsight (ahhh, where would we be without it) it probably was not the best night to attempt it.  My head was not in a great place, the run was rushed as Other Half did not get home until gone 7pm and so I did struggle for the first half.  I did actually think I was doing roughly the same speed as before but I must admit my heart rate monitor was telling me the rate was not as high but I was choosing to ignore it.  Clearly though the results speak for themselves:

Distance = 5k

Time = 29:08

Average Heart Rate = 163bpm

So a whole minute and 10bpm slower - not good.  I must say to being really disappointed with the result, I didn't feel like it was so much slower although I did have a few problems at the start of the run.  These only consisted of having to go round pedestrians and not being able to cross two roads when I wanted to because of traffic however, it doesn't take much to put me off my stride, especially if I'm not in the right frame of mind to begin with. 

Tonight is Slimming World and in this past week I have had a chicken kebab, a 3-course meal with loads of alcohol and we went out for a meal to mark out anniversary so I'm not holding out much hope on the losing weight front. 

Think I might just write this week off.

Cue The 'Chariots Of Fire' Soundtrack

Well today's training session called for a timed 5k run.  I mapped out the run using the Map My Route software (http://gb.mapometer.com/) and then set off.  It was so bitterly cold so I wore a couple of underlayers which, by the end of the run, I was regretting as I was almost overheating so I won't be making that mistake again.   Anyway, as it was 'only' a 5k I thought I would push myself as hard as I could and have the following results to show for it:

Distance = 5k

Time = 28:09

Average Heart Rate = 173bpm

Very happy that I managed the run in under 30 minutes as that was the target I had set for myself.  My higher than usual heart rate hopefully shows that I was pushing myself harder than I have done before. 

The only real problem I came across is that I find it really hard to slow down my run once I get my groove on!  I tried to run as fast as I could but because of that every now and then I felt like I really needed to slow down for a few seconds but I found it virtually impossible to do so for some reason.  Therefore I ended up walking twice (only for a max of 10 seconds both times) just so that I could then start off my run a bit slower to give me the necessary recovery period.  So, this is something else I am going to have to work on.  I did also attempt a bit of a sprint finish but that wasn't happening either - the mind was willing but the body was definitely lacking.  

However, I am happy with my progress and I feel that I am now ready to attempt a parkrun hopefully next weekend if my other half is not working.  But, there is also a 10k race in my town next Sunday along the cycle track that I sometimes train on and I am so tempted to give it a go although I am a bit worried about being the last one home as there was no way I could've kept up today's pace for another 5k.  Oh decisions, decisions.   

Come Dine With Me? Don't Mind If I Do

Not sure if everyone is familiar with Channel 4's Come Dine With Me?  The basic concept is very simple; four strangers take it in turns to host a dinner party with the guests scoring the host; the winner being the one who gets the highest score and therefore goes home with the £1000 prize.

Well, my friends and I have been doing something very similar to this for a while now, in fact Friday's get-together marked our seven year anniversary - we know it as our 'Super Supper Club'.  The format is slightly different to Come Dine With Me but the principle is the same.  There are six of us in total and we all take turns to host.  The host generally makes the main course, someone makes a starter and another person the pudding.  Those that aren't making any courses are in charge of bringing the alcohol.  In the early days we did used to score the dishes (we even had a 'Super Supper Club' mug that was updated with the date, winner's name and winning dish!) but after about a year we decided this put too much pressure on what was meant to be an enjoyable night.  We get together every couple of months and everyone takes it in turns to make one of the dishes so that over the period of a year you get to make a starter, main and pudding too.  As the dinner party is shared, it removes all the pressure from one person to have to host a three-course dinner and the whole evening is very relaxed.  Needless to say alcohol does play quite a large part in the proceedings but the food is equally important!  In fact the standard of the food is really high as it has been since day one which I think is remarkable. 

We all used to work in the same team in the Council but over the course of seven years the team has disbanded, I have moved away and so the contact between us all has been broken on a day to day basis which is why it's all the better to get together as there is just so much to catch up on.  There has only ever been one change of member, in fact our founder (well, it was her idea) moved away after about a year and was replaced by another colleague.  I moved away for a year (although soon came back) but I was not replaced - I like to think that is because I am irreplaceable!  I do think it astonishing that we have managed to keep this going for seven years and I cannot see it ending any time soon as all the members are still really keen.  I now have to travel two hours to get back to Weymouth and then stay over but I wouldn't miss it for the world.    

As Friday night was our seventh anniversary, we started to reminisce about the early days of SSC and decided we really need to get the old gang together so an invitation was sent to our founder member which she has gracefully accepted.  Hopefully our next meeting will be in April and the whole gang will be together once more. I cannot wait. 

The Greengrocer's' Apostrophe'

Reading the tag line of my blog, it says "The Trials and Tribulations of a Novice Runner (plus some other bits)".  Well, it occurs to me that so far there has been nothing about 'other bits' so today I thought I would share with you one of my absolute pet hates - The Greengrocer's Apostrophe. 

I recently came across this scribbled note in a shop window:

A collection of apostrophes if I ever saw one (what is the collective noun for an apostrophe I wonder?)  Now I suppose some leniency can be given to handwritten notices as there are clearly a lot of people in this country who find the apostrophe and how to use it beyond baffling although I'm really not sure why.  I was born and raised in Italy and didn't come to England until well into my primary school education and therefore it could be argued that English is not my first language.  I have to admit that my grasp of grammar could be better, I'm not always 100% sure on the proper use of the semi-colon and colon for example, but I like to think I have mastered the art of the apostrophe simply by the fact that it doesn't actually have that many rules.  But, whilst some leniency may be given to handwritten signs, the misplaced apostrophes that I find the most remarkable of all are those where the sign has been done by a professional signwriter.  I would've thought that a prerequisite of being a signwriter was a great grasp of the English language and rules of grammar.

Let me tell you a little story to illustrate my point.  Last year we went to Truckfest at the Bath & West Showground.  The showground was full of beautiful trucks with some of them being a great testament to the signwriter's art; there was everything from wolves to wild mustangs and fairies through to dogs.  Now presumably they were all done by professionals as I am sure the ordinary Joe would not be able to pick up a spray gun and create a masterpiece on the side of a metal panel.  And then we came across this one:


  
Sorry the picture is not clearer but unfortunately another truck was in the way so I could only take a side view but just in case it's not obvious this is what it says:

1) A Rolling Stone Gather's No Moss
2) I Bet Mines Bigger Than Yours

Does anyone else find this slightly unbelievable?  Two professionally signwritten statements on the side of a truck and both of them wrong!  Oh how I chuckled to myself.  I have come across many a professional sign that either has a missing apostrophe or, more commonly, an apostrophe where it is not needed.  Most of the time I raise my eyebrow and move swiftly on but I think I may just have to start photographing them for posterity.  Well, it's a hobby of sorts isn't it?

The other thing that really gets my goat is when people don't know the difference between their, there and they're but that's a whole different post. 

In The Club

Nah, not 'that' club, but the Calne Running Club.  I was very brave and took myself off to the club tonight and really pleased that I did.  Not many runners but all seemed very friendly.  Tonight is their effort night, so it consists of interval training which I wasn't expecting.  Anyway, 2 x 800m, 2 x 600m and 4 x 400m later I was surrounded by a glow of satisfaction for a job well done.  The idea is to run the given distances as fast as possible and the recovery periods reduced from 1 minute 30 seconds down to 40 seconds between the 400 metres.  It was certainly hard going and it made me appreciate how comparatively slowly I normally run.  Tonight I averaged 7:30 minutes/miles so considerably faster and boy did I know it .... I was willing the 400m runs to be over.  However, I made it and at no point did I feel like coming back to a walk so all good.  The chairman Tony remarked that I had a very good running style (apparently I carry my arms nice and low) and that for a 5-week beginner I did really well so that was a boost to the old ego (I'm hoping he just wasn't being 'nice').  Next Thursday?  Bring it on.

Cross-Training Wednesday

Well today in a departure of my usual run (jog) I thought I would have a go at cross-training as most of the running sites recommend.  Therefore, lunchtime found me blowing up the tyres on my very little used Scott mountain bike and heading out the door to what would turn out to be a 14-mile ride.  In hindsight it perhaps was not that advisable to attack such a distance on my first cycle in nearly a year but it went better than I expected.  Luckily the route was pretty flat (the same route as I ran Sunday / Tuesday) but this time I managed to do the whole length from Calne to Chippenham.  The route actually ended somewhat unceremoniously in a housing estate but it was a nice ride overall nonetheless.  The weather was absolutely bitter and the ground still frozen in places which made some of the ride 'interesting' to say the least as my tires insisted on trying to follow tracks left by previous cyclists prior to the ground freezing - I did find myself heading in unexpected directions at several points on the ride.

Still, we both came back in one piece and once again a great sense of satisfaction from having done the route.  In all the 14 miles took me 1 hour 34 mins with an average heart rate of 126 bpm.  Clearly I didn't put as much effort into the cycle as I do the running!

Last night's Slimming World rewarded me with a 1.5 pound weight loss so now I'm only 4 pounds away from 2.5 stones.  However, the weight loss has really slowed down in the last few weeks, most significantly since I started undertaking regular exercise.  I'm not sure what that's all about to be honest, I thought exercise was meant to be good for weight loss but there you go.  Anyway, I was in a slightly despondent mood so decided to measure myself in case miracles had happened on that front and I was very happy with the results as below:

Weight: 11st 9.5lbs (6lbs loss)
Bust: 42 inches (1inch loss)
Waist: 34 inches (3 inch loss)
Thighs: 38 inches (2 inch loss)

So since my last measuring session I have lost 'only' 6 pounds but that has translated itself into a 3 inch loss from my waist and 2 inches from my thighs!  I am staggered as I wouldn't have said that 6 pounds was really all that significant (I mean it's less than half a stone) but the exercise would appear to be working wonders in terms of my body shape changing.  If that isn't a motivator to keep on exercising I don't know what is.   

What A Rum Do

Well today's run was a mixed bag alright.  Thought I would do the same run as on Sunday as I was actually a bit disappointed with myself for coming back to a walk when I did as with hindsight I really could have kept going for a few more minutes at least.  So today's plan was to run as far as Sunday (improve my time if possible) and then keep on going.  Within the first five minutes my traitorous brain was telling me to come back to a walk!  I couldn't sodding believe it, it's a long time since I've struggled as hard as I did today.  Thankfully my bloody mindedness won out in the end and I kept on plodding along - but that is exactly what it felt like I was doing, plodding.  Imagine my surprise when I checked my watch at the point I came back to a walk on Sunday for it to tell me I'd covered the distance in 37:46 which is just under two minutes faster.  You could've knocked me down with a feather; admittedly the going was a lot better, still quite wet but the puddles were dodgeable and so my feet kept mostly dry.  Anyway, this spurred me on to greater efforts and so more running I managed, in fact I managed to keep going for 47:21 minutes today and covered approximately 4.6 miles.  All in all what started out as a very unpromising run came good in the end.

Thursday I am joining our local running club - am wondering about the advisability of that now!  However, I guess I need to take the plunge sometime and this week is as good as any.  I am hoping that running with others will encourage me to run that bit faster - well, that's the aim anyway.  

She'll Be Coming Round The Mountain When She Comes

And today's run was an off-roader that was extremely wet and muddy as the snow has all but disappeared here, just bloody horrible slush left.  I was absolutely caked in mud all over and my feet were soaking wet from the word go - but I loved every minute of it.  The run was down a disused railway track that forms part of the Cycle Network and the bit I ran connects Calne to Chippenham - it's 6 miles between the two towns (although I did not run that far!).  It's pretty flat with nice going underfoot for most of the route although today it was somewhat wet.  Anyway, my plan was to run for as long as I could without worrying about time and distance.  I set off at a nice, steady pace and managed to keep going, leaping over puddles with gay abandon.  Coming back to a walk, my heart rate monitor told me I managed to run for 39:26 minutes with an average heart rate of 155 bpm ....... wooohoooo.  Google Earth then informed me that I covered 3.7 miles so it's all gravy today.

Talking of gravy, tonight's dinner was roast chicken, roast potatoes, roast parsnips, yorkshire puddings, stuffing, peas and gravy - it doesn't get better than that!  

Friday Catch Up

Okay, so the plan didn't actually change for last night's run amazingly enough.  I kept to my goal of running the same route as Tuesday (mostly to double-check that Tuesday wasn't a fluke).  Unfortunately I managed to somehow strain the front of my right thigh during the day - I was getting up from the floor and felt my muscle pull but then didn't give it much of a thought as the pain subsided fairly quickly.  Then, about half an hour before I was due to go out I was messing around with Son 1 in the front room and managed to pull the same muscle again but this time it was proper sore.  I was so gutted, I really thought I wouldn't be able to run as it hurt to even walk.  However, I did some stretching and the pain became a bit less so thought I'd give the running a go: God, at what point did I become so addicted?!

My plan was to try and beat Tuesday's time (probably a silly plan to have with an injury) but I am glad to report that I have a new Personal Best time of .............. 35:02.  Oh yes indeedy, a whole 12 seconds faster than my last attempt.  Although happy I was (slightly) faster, I was also a bit upset as I felt that I was running quite a bit faster than on Tuesday.  However, with hindsight I do think I managed to speed up for the last third of the run but I think I must've started quite a bit slower as I was concerned about making my thigh worse.  I cannot wait to get a Garmin for my birthday as this is the sort of data it will be able to provide (and I love stats).

I also wore my heartrate monitor for the first time and that reckons I had an average heart rate of 159 bpm during the running phase which is not right bad - I am assuming that it will go down as I get fitter.

Tonight is the last night of Week 1 of my 100-pushups training.  I cannot believe how hard pushups are to do but I can definitely feel their effect especially on the muscles in my lower abdomen so hopefully they are doing some good.  Thankfully other half is finding them as hard to do as me!