#Janathon day 9 rest day

So today is rest day, now, how to incorporate rest day with Janathon and run streaking. 

A gentle mile, well that was the plan but it's blowing a gale and it was hard work for half of the run and felt like someone had their hand in my back pushing the other half. I then jogged the dog walk.

So that's it, Janathon and runstreak covered by 7 am. That means it will probably be 24 hours beforI run again, therefore it is a rest day.

This afternoon I went for a half hour sports massage on my sciatic buttock and leg. These massages are doing loads of good so far, they complement the stretching and roller ing that I have been doing.

Still waiting for my "urgent" physio appointment. But in the meantime between Libby and I the worst of it is over (I hope)

#Janathon day 8 training day

Tonight was training at running club. Never know what it will be, and I like it like that. I jogged to club to warm up a bit. For the training session we ran about 3/4 mile steady then did some ploy metric stuff on the street corner, then it was a long effort, followed by a longer 10 min effort, then it was speed work. Blooming hard work and towards the end my sciatica was making itself known. So after stretching with the group I jogged home and stretched again. Very pleased with 5.62 miles. 

#Janathon day 7 Workout Wednesday

Early rise for my runstreak day 7 effort. Just a mile, but it was done by 6 am. I did this route on day 2 and today I was 15 seconds quicker, yey!

The thing with training for endurance sports is finding time and trying to get a lwork/training/family/life balence. I have developed a routine which means that most days I am up early and then busy solidly after work, no rest for the wicked. It's not easy but it will all be worth it when Ironman UK and Equinox 24 come round.

So today went something like this:

Get up, run, eat breakfast, walk dog, get cleaned up, make packed lunch. Walk to work, work, got a lift home today, eat tea, go for a swim, go to watt bikes, come home, clean up, log and blog, go to bed. See, no time for mischief at all.

#Janathon day 6 back in the pack

Tuesday is Running club day, so I didn't run this morning as I was running tonight, don't want to overdo my running yet. So dog walk and walk to work was my morning exercise today. 

After walking home from work and getting changed I walked to the rugby club where Ripon Runners meet, minis aged 7-10 who stay on the field and Juniors aged 11- 16 who run around the town and countryside most weeks but occasionally do a field training session all at 17:15 on a Tuesday evening and Adults who meet at 18:30 on Tuesday and Thursday.

Firstly being a coaching assistant for the juniors, tonight I assisted withthe session was on the field, a pyramid session. The kids were soon warmed up and running well, no sign of Christmas excesses hindering them. They're like little rockets and they love it, they're not as keen on technique sessions they just want to run so a pyramid session is good, they run and we as coaches critique and advise. 

After that it was time for the adult session, I decided to run with my usual group. Aware that my pace is gone and that I have not run much lately, I decided that I would just do a couple of regroups then cut off. 

There were lots of runners tonight, quite a few newbies, once they were put in relevant groups to their ability, my group set of, the pace was quick and I soon was at the back of the group, by about 3 mikes and stop 3 I'd had enough, my leg was grumbling, time to call it a day.

I found running with the pack tough, but I'm glad I did it, 4.2 miles run with a mini regroup for head count and 3 proper regroups. I am recovering at last. 

#Janathon day 5 back to work, back to routine

The hardest part of Janathon, I always find, is the blogging. And here I am at 21:30 blogging.

I jogged, I did that at 6:00 this morning before walking the dog, and then the Monday routine kicked in.

Walk to work, work, walk home, ( tonight I entered the Yorkshire Marathon when I got home, I was so surprised and pleased to get in, as it sold out very quickly last year and it had opened at 9:00 am this morning but I couldn't even try to enter till I got home at 16:00),  walk the dog. Go to the pool for a swim, come home get changed and then go for a Watt bike session.

A Watt? I here you ask.

Watt bikes are stationary bikes, you can set them up to match your own bike and the sessions are designed to work on your cycling techniques. 

We are very lucky to have a watt bike studio in Ripon and I like to go twice a week, it's a good workout, far tougher than out on the road but I can feel my road cycling improving.

Tonight we did a warm up then 3 x 10 min efforts with 3 min active recoveryand a cool down.

It was a tough session.

#Janathon day 4 a nice day for a ride

Janathon day 4 started with runstreak day 4, a little bit further today, and a little bit quicker, pleased with that. Still a long way from where I was but steadily getting there and resisting the urge to overdo it. I am so pleased to be running again.

After walking the dog it was cycle time. Time to wrap up like a Mitchelin man, brrr it was chilly, about 2 degrees, but it was lovely and sunny.

Targets were 3 hours cycling at between 130 and 140 Heartrate

I decided to head off on my usual Masham route and depending on the state of the roads decide where from there. The roads were not too bad but there were some icy bits in the shade and around puddles and potholes, but mainly ok so I decided to go up to Leyburn. I like this route, it has fantastic scenery and the hills are not too bad. I am avoiding big hills until my back is totally healed as hill climbing started the whole back situation off in the first place. 

At Leyburn I was a little behind my target of 1 and a half hours for  being around half way, but that was the main climbing out of the way. The route home was much kinder, except the traffic lights between Leyburn and Contsable Burton, I never get through them, it's like someone is operating them ans as I get about 10 feet from them they go red. The same happened today.

The views up here go on for miles.

My average pace slowly increased but not enough, the total ride came in at a pace that would be 9 hours 25 min for 112 miles, but there are 196 day until Ironman Uk to improve. 

The whole journey was 46.7 miles average pace 12.5 mph, average cadence 58, average heartrate 126. And overall time 3 hours 43 min 40 sec. With an elevation gain of 1893 ft. 

Targets not met today but it was a good ride.

#Janathon day 3, like starting over

Sports massage yesterday was pretty painful, but it has helped my leg work a bit more normally today. I decided to run on empty, so went straight out before breakfast. I planned to do the route that I did on Monday, but as soon as I set off I could feel that my leg was more responsive, and so I picked a slightly longer route, it's a bit like starting over again, a mile at a time in the way I started a lamppost at a time. The run was still not quick but I only stopped for a road crossing, apart from that I ran as hard as I could.

Also walked the dog twice today 3 miles in total.

#Janathon 2015 day 2 the start of a streak

After being injured for 7 weeks now, a runstreak is just what I need in my opinion, so having never got over 34 days, here goes, hoping for 35 at least.
This morning's run of 1 mile was very chilly and windy, my legs were a little reluctant following yesterday's efforts.
Today is actually rest/yoga day, but today I had a sports massage instead, Libby worked on my left glute and leg, 45 min later, My leg felt great, it will be stiff tomorrow, but it will be worth it if when it eases again my leg feels more normal.

2015 Janathon Day 1 getting back to running.

http://www.janathon.com

Here we go again, Janathon for the fifth year running. I am hoping to use it to kick start a run streak which I hope will exceed 34 days which is my previous record.

My sciatica has not totally healed but I can't keep not running, it's driving me nuts. So I've decided to resume run training and see how it goes. 

Today was endurance, a 70 min walk getting Heartrate into zone2 followed by a l2 hr 10 min run keeping Heartrate in zone 2 . 

Last night I over indulged but soon I was feeling good again walking and running in the countryside. It was windy and rainy too at times but I was so glad to be out.

I saw a large bird of prey but couldn't get close enough to identify it. Did try a pic though.

After My long run I decided to run a mile, a wole mile not caring about heart rate. It wasn't quick but it felt so good.

Today's stats.

2014 round up

2014 has been a bit of a mixed bag for me. The first half started well with lots of training for Outlaw and IMWales.
Then at the last minute I entered Ripon Triathlon a fortnight before Outlaw, what a day, Whilst working in transition before the event, I pulled a guy aside whilst he put his stickers on his bike and was hit on the head by somebody's Gazebo, fortunately it missed the guy. It had hit me hard and the side of my face was a bit numb (like when You've been to the dentist) I had planned to swim without my wetsuit as the water was warmish, but decided I'd best wear it. I promised to pull out if I felt unwell. As it was I got my fist ever sub 30 min swim and as I was getting out of the lake I stubbed my toe, I tried to ignore the pain as I cycled, and did my fastest bike time too, the run however was awful, it was so difficult to ignore the pain, but I finished in 3 hours 1 min, my fastest ever time.
During the following week I got a pain in my cheek/tooth, I went to the dentist and found tat the gazebo incident had broken my tooth, and I had to have it removed.
So a fortnight to Outlaw and I'd broken my middle toe. That wasn't going to stop me, Outlaw saw another quick swim (for me) and a reasonable bike, (I had struggled in the wind) I set off on the run ignoring my toe and ran the first 11 miles, more than I'd managed before, things were going well, then I was talking to someone and realised he was walking as quick as I was running so I walked a bit to relieve the toe pain, bad move, when I tried to run again the pain was too much so I walked the rest at a reasonable pace finishing a minute quicker than my slowest Outlaw time.
Time to rest, 2 days later we flew to Tunisia for a fortnight, where I got a stomach bug and apart from 1 run and some swimming I did no training.
On return home I picked the training back up. In September the sea at Ironman Wales was really rough, I struggled and was exhausted on the first lap, I made the decision to withdraw from the race. I am still gutted about this.
October I ran a great time at the 35 mile Round Ripon Ultra and my second fastest marathon time a week later at the Yorkshire Marathon.
On 17 Nov my back seized up, not great especially as my next challenge the great Yorkshire Stair Climb, 522 steps. I did it anyway. On the 25 th, I got a shooting pain down my leg, my sciatic nerve trapped leaving me with reduced feeling in my left leg. I still managed the Frostbite 30 34 mile trail race in 9 hours at the beginning of December.
The result of this annoying back/sciatic issue is that I could swim and cycle but not run. Slowly it has been getting better but it is still not 100% healed. 

Last Year's Training.

I have decided to start running again in the New year.