Promises promises

I did promise myself that I'd go running today, but it was very hot and we did loads of typical bank holiday family stuff.
But a promise is a promise, so I pull on the trainers at about 7 and went for a quick hilly run.
1.9m
17mins
146bpm (176max)
only a very short run all on tarmac but it includes 2 pretty good hills.
Work tomorrow - oh happy days.

Played golf yesterday for the first time in about 3 months and it showed.
11 on the first hole - a long par 5, finished with a score of 102 thats 30 over!
and I'm supposed to be a 17hc.
I'm gonna have to work on that.

Back to work

Yep, holiday over.
Work was ok (didn't really do alot), but the drivings getting me down already.
Did pluck up the enthusiasm to put my trainers on on thursday.
3.8m
36min
158bpm (max182)
Enjoyable run but the struggle is going after work - well getting out of the chair.

I was going to go running tonight but I've just pigged out on chicken curry and chips from the chinese take away. Can't go tomorrow cause I'm playing golf so it'll have to be bank holiday monday.

Holiday Walk and Runs

I like walking.
I went for a minimum of 2hrs a day, often with my dog, often with my children.
We walked along the south coasts beaches, cliffs, public footpaths, stretches of the south downs way, sections of the saxon way and often to the end of Dover pier for an ice cream.















I like running, but I usually do this alone (sometimes with the dog).
I only went for 4 runs while away the first two were along the seafront and pier - really flat.
4.4m and 5.5m,
41min and 55min,
148bpm and 139bpm.
both quite comfortable runs with my daughter cycling beside me for one of them,
but to be honest a bit boring.

So for the third run I decided to do a section of a walk we'd done the day before - Dover seafront to the top of the cliffs above the docks.
It was murder, when I got there I was shattered - thighs burning, gasping for air and sweat flowing freely. I had to stop for 10 mins before heading back, which as its downhill was actually enjoyable.
3.1m
31min
156bpm (peak 190)

Didn't run again for 4 days. Recovering yes, but also building myself up to my next run.
Dover seafront up the cliffs and keep going to the South Forland Lighthouse (a great walk we'd done before)
The cliff climb was hell, as you'd expect, the rest of the run was great, tough but beautiful. The White Cliffs are a pleasure to run (or walk) along.
6m
1hr 2min
159bpm (peak 188)

Holiday Swimming

I'm not a good swimmer by any stretch of the imagination.
Don't get me wrong I can swim and I'm not afraid of the water or anything, its just that I'm not very good.

I didn't learn to swim until I joined the army at 16 and was given 8 weeks to pass a military swimming test. My lessons were brutal to say the least, but effective as I passed the test.
Jumping into a pool from the high board - treading water for 2mins and swimming 10 lengths. As far as I remember I cheated on the number of lengths and, with the aid of some very good mates, managed to get away with a few paces in the shallow end and a few clings to the side.
I can't really remember trying to swim again until a few years ago. Always in the sea splashing about or in the pool with the kids (shallow end or slides etc).
When I was training for the London marathon this year I did a few sessions swimming breast stroke until I was knackered, but were talking a couple of lengths hanging onto the side as required.

Why am I writing this?
Oh yeah - I was getting pretty tired and sore on holiday from walking, running etc so I decided to do a few pool trips, my daughter was also keen to learn crawl (freestyle?), so lets do it together.

After 4 sessions my breaststroke is looking OK, my crawl is non-existant.
My daughter is swimming like a fish.

The good news is that I really enjoyed it, it leaves me exhausted and its something all my children are happy to do with me.

Holiday

Here we go, once a year whether I can afford it or not.

Yes its holiday time, two weeks with my wife and children on the Kent coast, trying to do stuff that I want to do but invariably doing stuff they like to.

Thankfully, as children grow up there are occasional periods in their short lives when they like (and aren't affraid to admit) to do stuff with there sad old dad.

So the eldest daughter is into cycling, walking the dog and swimming, all of which she'll happily do with me as long as she's not at home where any of her mates might see her.
The middle child (also female) doesn't like anything much, but is happy to hold hands and talk all day long.
The youngest (the boy) enjoys anything competetive as long as he wins (or at least doesn't lose).

So I recon that walking the dog, with ice creams, seeing who can eat them the fastest but making sure the boy doesn't loose should keep everyone happy.
Except my wife.
I'm affraid only shopping will do that - which is something I don't intend to do on holiday, but I have a credit card that may have to keep her company on those long lonely trips.

I'm really looking forward to it.
I have running gear, walking boots, some good books, and I am not affraid to use them.

Quick post

First time I've had the computer on for over a week.

Summary....
1 run, 3m as fast as I could.
1 mother in law - now gone home ;-)
1200miles driven for work.
Booked 2 weeks holiday starting this friday
Hooooooray

Gotta go