Pros and cons of Dogjogging

Dogjogging - definition, running with your dog. Now then, let me start with
CONS;
1) Frequent sudden stops-inevitably dog needs to answer call of nature and investigate peemails. (Dogs may do this more often than bitches). These can jar your joints. They are also frustrating, and running between disposal bins with your poop handbag quite frankly is gross. (Investing in biodegradable bags and depositing discreetly under a hedge or ditch, not a private on, is a a must) DO NOT hang poop handbag from bushes and trees.
2) Trip hazard - dog may inadvertently run across your path, or pull you in excitement.
PROS;
1) Saves time - You can double up your dog walk with your run.
2) Tired dog - you can go to work leaving pooch sleeping and not charging round the house, being destructive and barking at passers by.
3) Can increase cadence - if pooch is a puller, you may have to run quicker and soon you will form muscle memory and it will become normal to run quicker.
4) Good reason to try cross country - it is easier if you are in an area where pooch does not need to be on the lead. (Beware livestock and wildlife)
So there it is, my guide to Dogjogging. If you have a dog, give it a go. If not, why not borrow a dog and give it a go.
REMEMBER to build the dog up to Dogjogging, don't just go out and run 5 miles with a dog that normally has a short sedate walk. ALSO puppies should be 1 year old before you run with them.

Right back to the challenges.
Today I did a Dogjogging of 4.3 miles and a run of 13.78 miles.
Total 18.08 miles.

Weekly totals.
Swim 200yd
Bike 23 miles
Walk 3.32 miles
Run 50.24miles

2013 so far
Swim 2.74 miles
Bike 58.51 miles
Walk 7.37 miles
Run 101 miles

Total miles covered 169.62 miles
Tired but happy with that.
I have the Brass Monkey half marathon in York next Sunday, so next week will have a lot less running miles.

Filthy fun

Day 12 January challenges. Today I started with a run. Hubby walked the dog, and as he left he reached for his winter hat. So I put a jacket on. Brr! It was freezing Dark and cold but fortunately not slippery. I wore compression socks to give my sore leg a break, wish I'd thought of that sooner, it did the trick. I never looked at my watch, just ran how I felt. I didn't want to push myself as I have done a fair few miles this last 12 days. As I ran down Clotherholme Road the sky turned pink ahead of me and as I turned down Ash Bank the street lights pinged as they turned off. I love being out as the sun comes up. This gave me a boost and I ran 6 miles this morning.
Later this morning, hubby and I headed out on the mountain bikes for a predominantly off road route. I can't believe how cold It was, I wished I'd put on thicker gloves. I kept having to wiggle my fingers, it wasn't until we got off road near Burton Leonard that I warmed up. Gosh it was hard work, peddling up muddy hills and on grass. As we approached Markington we had to go along the edge of a field, it was tough, there were bits of hedge trimmings all over the place, punctures crossed my mind but I told myself that these tyres were designed for this sort of riding, I left the field and headed up the lane. Oh Oh! I had a flat rear tyre. I pulled over to wait for hubby. He arrived a little muddy, he'd had a fall, he said he was ok and helped fix the puncture. We were filthy. We soon continued on our way, the lane was really tough going. Near the end as we approached the village, I spotted some car keys on the ground. I picked them up and we detoured to the village shop where I left them with the shop keeper. I was paranoid that my tyre would go down again, it was not as pumped up as usual as the bike pump is not great. We carried on by road to Whitcliffe lane and the tyre held. This road is getting worse, great for mountain bikes though.
When we got home we were cold and filthy, but we'd had a great time. Now for the worst bit. Cleaning up ourselves and the bikes.
After lunch I walked to see my mum, my legs were shockingly tired from the effort of off road biking.
All in all its been a good days training. Doubt I'll have trouble sleeping tonight.
Run 6.16 miles
Bike 17.41 miles
Walk 2.32 miles
Total 25.89 miles

Day 11 more than a third of the way

Last night I slept the best I've slept in ages. I didn't even know I was not sleeping well till I woke this morning. How wired is that? I would have liked to have gone back to sleep but it was 5 to 6 so the alarm was about to go off, and I needed to run. I had to run before work as swim training is straight after work on a Friday. I went for my run with my yak trax in my pocket, I was expecting a heavy frost. I was wrong, it was wet (again). My sore leg was sore to start with but soon settled and the run was nice and steady, wish I'd had longer to run but I had to get to work so 4 miles would have to do.
The tv has been scaremongering about snow and it seems to have made the roads busier, it's the same when it rains. Took me ages to cross the roads.
Any how I rushed home, got bathed dressed and made my pack up then work had to disrupt my life for a few hours. Fortunately it was a calm quiet day so I finished in good time ready to go home and change for swimming.
Swim training is always tough, 1 hour of a breasting. Tough but always worth it. The pool was busy tonight, 5 per lane we did a tempo session and I was shattered at the end and more than ready for. My tea and cider (Friday Treat)
I've added my running miles this month up for 2013 miles Ripon to Moscow virtual challenge for British Lung Foundation and I've managed 76 miles this month so far, I'm still stuck on the M1 somewhere near chesterfield. I'll update regularly.
Run 4 miles
Swim I .2 miles
Total 5.2 miles

Day 10. Gosh that went quick

Today was club training and my leg was sore from massage, so I never ran this morning, I saved it for tonight.
A cold dry night for a change, normally there's lucky to be 15 of us at training, tonight there were twice that many. New year new resolutions, wonder how many will still be with us in Feb. I hope they all are. It was nice having such a big group, though I don't know what the residents of Whitcliffe Lane thought, as 30 runners ran for five mins up their road and five mins down, making for 10 min efforts at good pace, we did that 3 times with 2 min jogging around rest periods. I enjoy this session., my leg didn't, but tough, it just needs to top complaining and get on with it, we jogged back to club and stretched. We had covered 5.6 miles, so I jogged home.
Run 6.5 miles
Total 6.5 miles

Wednesday is rest day, Yey!

So here it is at last Wednesday, training programme for Outlaw states that Wednesday is rest day. hmm! Small problem, the only day that I can run running club at school is Wednesday. And there is the small matter of Janathon and Jantastic and Poppyfields January Challenge and 2013 miles in 2013.
Only three takers for school club tonight, but that doesn't mean less of a run. We went for a 2.5 mile cross country run, bright sunshine and frosty grass, it was lovely after a day stuck indoors.
Running club eats into my admin time. I would normally stay late but my sports massage was calling, I got as much done as possible and set of down town for my sports massage. I had to speed walk to make it in time, so I'm claiming that too, just a mile, but It counts.
Ouch! Tight calfs and sore shins made for an uncomfortable time, but I already feel the benefit.
Libby is great, I could not achieve what I have achieved without her help, I reckon there'll be a fair few visits this year.
Then it was home, tea and Drama group where I volunteer, hence the late blog. Another busy day, soon to bed . Night all.
Run 2.5 miles
Walk 1 mile
total 3.5 miles

Tuesday is always busy day

Tuesday is Junior running club at 5 pm, it's always a mad rush from work to the cricket club where we're based. Today the kids were on fire, the regroups were to wait for me mainly. We did 3 miles.
Afterwards is adult running club. Now some of you may be feeling this way too, my legs were not my own, head said run, legs said not. I planned to drop down a group tonight to rest them a bit. There were lot of new people and a few who had not been for a while. It was great to see them again. I got a text whilst we were waiting to run from Libby who does my sports massage, she has a slot tomorrow, it will make tomorrow a busy day too, but my legs can really use a massage so I jumped at the chance. Distracted I went on auto pilot an joined my usual group. It was tough but my legs screamed stop and my head ignored them, when we got back to club it was 6.3 miles so I carried on around the block to make it up to 7 miles.
Tired now. Got home and hubby sorted me a tea of jacket spud and chicken fillets. Yum.
Run 10.07 miles
Total 10.07 miles

Challenge day 7

Back to work today, meant early alarm. 5:30. Time for a quick brekkie and out with the dog for a jog. He had loads of peemail to check so it was quite stop start, but it did the job, stiff legs not so stiff and warmed up enough to get some stretching in.
Training plan said 30 min bike, I would normally have done that this morning rather than a jog, but having pledged to run every day this month I figured that running this morning and biking this evening would give me more than 24 hrs between today and tomorrow's running with running club juniors. That counts as a day of in my mind.
So after tea we fitted lights to the mountain bikes and went out for a gentle ride around the country lanes. The skies were starry and bright making it a lovely ride. Just a few cars on the road, had to stop once as I was blinded by headlights.
Run 3miles (slow)
Bike 7 miles
Total. 10 miles

My January Marathon

My January Marathon
A few weeks ago. feeling brave, I said that I aim to complete a marathon a month in 2013, so here is the first.

I wont lie, it was tough, I was not prepared enough and had done no long runs since Wensledale wedge in November. I did plan my route last night though. 3 laps so that I was never too far from home, which was a good job, when I needed a comfort break at the end of lap 1.
Lap 2 went ok but soon I began to realise on lap 3 how unfit I had become. At mile 22 I was struggling. I walked a while whilst I changed over my water bottles and had a Dextrose. I ran slowly the next mile but soon was struggling again and I decided to walk the last 2 miles, I walked a a decent pace but found I was unable to run the last downhill section.
It's a long time since I have felt so exhausted, my mind got me though. I hope next months goes better.
It's been a busy week, I've run every day for Janathon and Sid's Poppyfields January challenge and racked some miles up for Moonjoggers, I've managed quite a few miles swim, bike, run for 2013 miles in 2013 and completed my first monthly marathon.
I wonder where I would have run/walked to if I had an earthly destination.
Here are this weeks figures
Walk 4.09 miles
Swim 1.5 miles
Bike 35.51 miles
Run 50.76 miles
Total 91.76 miles so far in 2013

A challenge for all of you

Day 5 of the challenges. Cycling was on the menu today, 30 miles, but I needed a run too. Whilst hubby was walking the dog I ran up to Wath road end and back 1.72 miles in total but Landrover Hill was a killer, what's new.
Hubby was not keen on 30 miles and fancied the route we did on Thursday, we decided on a route based on the Ripon Tri bike route. Compromise, the way forward.
Off we went on the mountain bikes, hubby in the lead as usual. I really am no longer bike fit. It was hard work trying to keep up. But it gave me time to think of new routes (always easier when I out and about) it also got me thinking of ways to complete my run 2013 challenge. On the way home we went off road for a short while, that was fun.
This afternoon I went to visit mum and decided to map the route to see which route is quicker. I speed walked as extra phys, so that was 2.2 miles.
Run 1.72 mile
Bike 23.51 miles
Walk 2.2 miles
Total 27.43 miles
And so to my challenge to you. I have decided that the moonjoggers run 2013 miles will be the challenge that I use to raise funds for the British Lung Foundation. To help me maintain focus I challenge you to find me a more earthly destination from Ripon North Yorkshire uk to .........
It can be 2013 miles to drive (run) or as the crow flies. I then can look at the countries and towns that I pass through on my virtual journey.

Day four, a mountain to climb

Well I've hit the ground running so to speak. Four days into the challenges and I can feel it already. I ache, I ached when I got out of bed this morning and I was still aching when I went for a swim at tea time, funnily enough I hurt loads now, but I know that is because I cut my training back after Outlaw in July and totally slashed it to not much more than a bit of running after Dublin marathon, so I've put a lot of weight on and have got quite lazy. This is the beauty of these challenges, they give you focus and get you going again. I've already clocked over 20 miles of running this year and been on the bike for the first time in months, apart from a trip to work (1 mile away) and back in early December.
It's like climbing a mountain, as the month goes on the rise to success will become more difficult and strength of mind will override a tired body as I look forward to the down hill journey, (February), but as February arrives I may get an occasional day off, but its not all downhill as the distances and training times increase. I know it will be worth it when I look back on 2013 and relive my achievements.
Today I have;
Run 5.3 miles
Swum 1000 yards
total 5.9 miles