Running at last

Had to go for a run today after work - no, not just to get out of the house because all hell seemed to be breaking loose (3 hyper kids and a stressed out mum), I just felt I had to get back into running, leaving it until tomorrow is so easily slipped into.

Pretty easy day at work helped - even managed to slip away unnoticed for two games of tenpin bowling at lunch.

Intended to do a 1hr run over the woods with the dog.
5mins in and the thunderstorms that had been promised all day finally arrived (about 7pm), it was a tough uncomfortable run, didn't make the hour.

4.7m
46mins
6.2mph
161bpm

Back home, straight in the bath, cheese on toast with baked beans on top for tea.

No running

Now which excuse shall I use? No, lets go for the truth.

Couldn't be bothered monday or tuesday or wednesday.

Thursday I played in a works golf day (Leica Geosystems) up in Northampton. 9 holes texas scramble then 18 holes matchplay, evening meal - drinking till 03.30 in the morning then work on friday.
Played quite well, although lost both matches. (Theres a lot of bandits at do's like that!)

Anyway, I must be too old for all that, because its sunday now and I'm still tired and ache all over.

And to rub it in my running number for the British 10k turned up - so I'll have to go for a jog before next sunday.
As for the 10k. I've only ever run one and I did it in 1hr dead - I really want to better that but it could be difficult as its such a big race.

We'll see.

School sports day

Well she ran her 800m race and even though it was a roasting hot day, stuck to her training plan and enjoyed it.
14 people ran, and at the half way point she was last - and getting enthusiastic cheers from school teachers and pupils alike, you know how everyone cheers the gallant loser.
But she passed all but two on the second lap, finishing 3rd with a big smile on her face.

and a run, of sorts

I did go running.
I went at 6pm, which I thought would be cool enough.
How wrong can I be. It was murder.
The first 3m were fine, hot but fine.
After that my heart rate was way to high, I really was too hot, and my energy and enthusiasm were drying up fast.
I just got slower and slower, walking after 5m for a bit, then stopping on a footbridge for a minute or two to cool down - great breeze.
When I got home I was on my last legs.

6.6m
1hr 7min
161bpm

Such a tough run.
Yet now I've recovered, I feel great for doing it - how weirds that?

Fathers day

Being grumpy on fathers day isn't something I try to be, but it has been known to happen.
Hottest day of the year (so far) today, so I was up early to have a run before the heat kicked in. Stalled my start to let my daughter come with me on her bike - all geared up to go when she tells me she's got a puncture.
Having fixed it, we find her gears are broken and stuck in top, tried to fix that but I couldn't.
Nearly ten now and very hot.
So I spit the dummy out and sulk the way dads do.
Fixed the other childrens bikes (why didn't they tell me when it happened?) then cut the grass.

Having calmed down a bit, I watched Dr Who with all my kids (we taped it last night), then I was given a few pressies.......
which included
a book - Feet in the Clouds by Richard Askwith.... started it already its great,
a CD - Alison Krauss and Union Station Live.... I do love a bit of blue grass,
and some chocolate, but no socks!

800m

More 800m training with my daughter for her sports day.
Same as before, a bit quicker, still a good (if short) run.

Looking forward to a nice hot weekend and fathers day on sunday.
New socks, some chocolate and a bit of sunburn - perfect.

Long sunday run

Sunday is the traditional day to have a long run, isn't it?

But as usual with the best laid plans of mice and me.
My daughters doing an 800m race in the schools sports day in a week or so and wanted some practice.
Her major problem being not knowing how far 800m is (the youth of today, what do they learn at school....mumble, grumble) .

Anyway I know a small park which is nice and flat and just under 800m around the perimeter path.

We ran around together nice and slow,
I ran around fast as she timed,
She ran around fast as I timed,
Then me again,
and then together nice and slow.

Only about 2miles in total, but I really enjoyed it.

We were so full of beans afterwards, that this afternoon I actually did some gardening!
The grass was so long the mower wasn't man enough so I had to borrow a strimmer, and the hedges - well, you can imagine.

Target found?

I think I've found a race for the assault on my under 2hrs.
The Windsor half marathon on Sept 25th.

Its local for me, a pretty big event with a fun run for my daughter aswell.

And get this, there's about 5 people at work who ran it last year and Tim, a QS, ran it in 1hr 18mins and came 17th in the race!

I think I'll stick with my plan of under 2hrs.

British 10k

Just had a good look at the web site for this run on 3rd july.

Good points.
1) Big run - 15000
2) Through traffic free london streets
3) Prestigious - good for the ego down the pub

Bad points.
1) Expensive
2) Probably not good for times - 15000 people over 10k!
3) Starts at 09:35 - may struggle to get there

But, if I get get there (by train) I'm in.

Easy option?

Just got back from a run over the woods, didn't fancy a long run so I went hilly instead.

3.2m
32mins
9.58mpm
159bpm

Really hard going up hill but fantastic coming down. Legging down hill as fast as you can was like being 6 years old again, couldn't stop myself giggling even when I was struggling to avoid falling over.

Summer break

Last night was my last tenpin bowling match in the monday league (tuesday league finished last week). Bowled really well - 611 series, 222 last game.
But that means for nearly 4 months I have no planned 'activities', for want of a better word, on monday or tuesday nights.

Maybe.....
Lots of running to get under my 2hrs?
A scheduled night out drinking?
Gardening?
DIY?
Golf? - haven't been able to play to my handicap for ages.
More blogging/surfing the net?
(do people still say "surfing the net"?, always sounded a bit stupid to me.)
or perhaps just doing nothing - no that'll never happen.