In good company

It's been a while since I've ran with a group. With the recent rainy weather and the acquisition of the Brompton foldable bike, it has been far too easy to dash out quickly to the shops, in between showers.
The times when you need to carry a little more than your backpack could carry , like drycleaning, one has to walk, or run. With a big brolly in hand, and no cap/hood, when the breezy rain hits, there is no choice but to be drenched, with a shopping bag over my head for shelter...a warm shower has never felt so good.

Last Saturday, we finally managed to get our group of marathon veterans to experience our training ground this side of the Thames. A sunny but breezy Saturday late morning we started, a lil later than usual, a bit warmer. Recovering from one of those killer cramps in bed, my left leg was tender to start, and...it wasn't easy to keep up. I don't like being at the back of the pack, left behind. Proof of the lack of basal fitness? Or the German würst and oster fest effect? More 'woodshedding' required it seems.

It was heaps of fun. The ground wasn't as wet as I thought, it was peaceful along the river, and we found a hilly road near the Kennedy memorial (American soil within Runnymede!), and the downhill run and views of the panorama towards Windsor and heathrow was rewarding.




Of course more rewarding was the BBQ fest after a 8 mile + run, and for one of us, proof that one can run from central London to staines in 2 hours and a bit!




Leftovers to kill off after the party, and more stretching to be done...this has hurt more than a half marathon when I started slow!

At least, I'm back in business.

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Zumba!

An Easter Weekend of gluttony, ending a period of intense chocoholism...not! until the stockpile has been exhausted! hmm...there is an article that may comfort..

Snow and rain put me off a long run in the English Garden in Munich, which I would have longed to do...however, we did walk, and walked for most of the weekend, in and around.

Back into business on Tuesday, a day of blue skies at times, with occasional showers. The humidity makes it quite cold....gone are the days in March when the days first became longer, the warmth of the sun kissed our skin, and we could go on, and on...and on. Cycling, Running and enjoying the great outdoors..

I felt obligated to hit the gym and got in in time for a Zumba class - one that I had heard about so much about : it's fast, it helps people wanting to lose weight achieve results...however it has been YEARS since I have stepped into a group class apart from Pilates, Yoga and Spin. I just had to give it a go.

The class started 10 minutes earlier which made me wonder whether it was the right class! The beginning felt like a Body attack class - left and right, dance moves. Our instructor wore only a sports bra and a torn shirt with no sleeves and big big holes for the arms. She also had messy hair and wore plastic armbands - a rather funky look. My fellow 'Zumbans' tonight were of all shapes and sizes, a 6-foot + girl right in front of me, a pregnant woman, tall, short...fit enough to dance away.

With my continual lower calf tenderness and an ex(I hope!) plantar fasciitis sufferer, I have paid the price for doing high impact sports like badminton earlier on in the year. However, this was different. Under peer pressure (?) I was able to do fast lunges, fast star jumps! (fast being a relative concept). I felt a little young again (flashback: friday evenings at the Sydney Dance Theatre doing streetfunk) - but when we got in a circle and were assigned numbers 1 and 2 and had to twirl and pass each other...hmm, my recent Celidh experience at a 60th birthday proved to be a lot better!

Is Zumba then, one exercise for the old, or the young?
If I can get myself to the gym on an evening that it's on, I will give it another go. After all, its a sport not for demonstration - and who cares? cos I know no one from the class...it's a good stretch, a good burn of energy - hopefully leading to a leaner me, much required for the upcoming scheduled runs... :)

Blood, and no tears. 2012 so far...

On the Sunday morning of Wokingham half marathon a month ago, I woke, blew my nose, and a blob of blood landed on my white sleeping shirt ( which happens to be a JPMcc 2008 finisher's T-shirt).
Not a good sign. I've had this headcold for a while but as it didn't go below the neck, I went ahead.
Wokingham was one of my favourite courses so far. 30 mins away from home, a friendly atmosphere, running on country roads that all seem to go downhill. Despite last years edition completed in rain, I loved every minute of it.
This year, I signed Seng and myself up on a sunny and hot afternoon in Perth Australia, in a need for some motivation. 2 months later, we landed on this cold but sunny day. And without a spring marathon in plan, I am not as well trained. A few long runs. It short, but I was out there to enjoy myself despite not being 100%.
Enjoyed not having to think about the luggage/start line procedures having done this the second time, the start, overtaken by my hubby not even before the first mile, analysing the running styles of my neighbours - arms, gait, partnering strategies, the downhill ride, but forgetting what goes down must come up.

It was cold, but my eyes didn't well up in tears, as I was wearing my new 'full-coverage' sunnies, which would steam up the moment I stopped, which I didn't.

I didn't stop, but cannot bolt at the final mile despite encouragement of neighbouring runners. As expected, I finished without a PB on this course or distance, slower than my autumn race :(



What next? Still looking, and at the same time enjoying myself with more cross training offset by good food (!!) nursing my nerve strain on my right and keeping up with my 0645 Monday morning spin classes, as well as spending more time on the road bike as the weather warms up.
Steps in the right direction, I hope!
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Joining the dots

The temperature says 0 degrees Celsius, and I've decided. I'm all prepared for it, if I back out again, it just won't happen.

(I had already missed my Febulous long run target last week - 6.6 instead of 10 miles, due to a busy schedule, and preparing ahead of the big freeze)

So I did. Left everything behind at work except for the running backpack and a few essentials, and I'm off. On a familiar route to Richmond and beyond. Except with the sight of a few ice blocks here and there...

On a more encouraging note - this run will mean I have joined the dots in the last few years in terms of running along the Thames on training runs (rough times):


Isle of Dogs to Tower Hill - 30 mins
Tower Hill to Embankment - 25 mins
Embankment via Hyde Park and Hammersmith to Kew Bridge - 1 hour 5 mins
Kew Bridge to Twickenham - 55 mins (today)
Twickenham to Staines - 4 hours
Staines to Windsor - 2 hours
Windsor to Virginia Water (via the Great Park with some detours) - 4 hours



It's a lot harder running in this temperature and with my injuries still bothering me, I feel heavy. The gritted Kew and Richmond bridges, all the fumes from the traffic standing still in the queue, I didn't feel alone, although the run did feel a lot longer than usual.

I started picking up speed after leaving busy Richmond high street behind, and into St Margarets...however that's also where I got lost! I had to just trust that the road was leading me somewhere, and sure after 4.5 miles, it seems to lead me into familiar territory in the surrounds of Twickenham high street, and I was in the station, with a few minutes to spare before the train home arrived.






I took my hand out of my running gloves, and struggled to count the coins for a drink at Puccino's at the station (where everyone was keeping warm). My hands were freezing up! 15-20 minutes later I was home and showered and served a warm meal. I was so glad to be out of the elements and am looking forward to an early night!
 
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Running @ 60% body weight

It's been a busy week and a very cold start. Visited the gym twice and had a good relaxing swim and then some intervals @ my 10k pace.

Then it's my usual visit to thep Physio - I asked for the chance to try out their Anti-gravity treadmill , and my wish was granted. I was led to the next room and had the machine turned on for me.

It felt like a muted saxophone, where the equipment in question was enclosed in a bag and you can't see what's going on inside.

Before I got in I had to endure a 'fashion statement' - wearing a lycra 'dress' with a zipper outside, this is so that I can be zipped onto the treadmill. That done, shoes on, I stepped inside and allowed to be zipped.

'Its safer than a normal treadmill, you can't even fall off!' - physio Scott says. true enough, you can't even see your feet and everything has been held in place. I adjusted the settings on the touchscreen - mistaking mph for minute miles...10mph was a bit too much for me! It didnt feel anything different initially. I realised i was still on 100% body weight!

when 40% of my weight been taken off (by way of inflating the bag and lifting me off the surface of the treadmill) - on pressing the 60% of body weight dial - I can feel it. A lot lighter, I can lift and run in good form, without the impact of the pounding of the ground.  I also feel bloated.

Not quite like walking on air, or flying, but I can manage it! I continue for a mile - and called it a night.

Its good to be there - and to think , as they say , you  can run 2 secs/mile faster for every pound shed. How to lose weight quick while still having the energy to sustain training?


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Has sport lost its way?

The Saturday Guardian often takes too long to get through, and I'm finally here on a Sunday evening.

http://m.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jan/27/the-conversation-olympics-too-commercial?cat=commentisfree&type=article

Totally agree. It's all commercialised. Overpaid sportspeople who sign onto other deals and obtain trophy lovers. Souvenirs. Touts. Betting agencies. Pledges to raise money for charity?

Yes it did give little kids hope, adults a chance to root for a team and go for a common cause. We are inspired by the determination to win and succeed , not quite so by the politics involved to get to the top.

And what happens after the peak? A graceful retirement, mentoring young ones, or a miserable afterlife wrought with injuries and possibly selling their medals due to lack of state funding?

What do we learn from all this? Does it get you off the couch, or crack open another can, as its a 6-hour grand slam tennis decider (again)...

Or should I add the quote here from Fatima Whitbread:
"if you give 100% to what you are doing, in whatever sphere, you would expect to be paid. It's no different in sport".

My question will be: how much to keep the spirit going and so that the payee doesn't lose their mind?



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2012 update - in the world of running

It's an Olympic year - and my ambitions are like any Olympian...
to win medals, not be injured, eat well, and have a great experience.

But I've only got one race signed up in my horizon - and that's Wokingham Half, in mid Feb. I'm still observing, as injury minimisation/elimination comes first.

Starting a new job with my main base in West London means that I have had to find a physiotherapist that is closer to work to attend to my needs (and that BUPA will now be paying for my visits!). However, it is still a good few miles away with no direct transport! I've tried running to my first appointment in Chiswick but the commute was through dark alleys next to a main road, so I changed to another clinic which involves a run via residential areas. And better still, I can stop via my gym for a couple of quick intervals!

and what about mid-week runs? finding new places or just getting used to new ground and fitting it all into the schedule of a busier working day is a struggle. Taking another train, running along the Thames on a rockier path as well as getting all dressed, and finding out it is raining outside, and still braving it. Is all the lugging around of sports gear worth a half hour of running that could probably be junk mileage?

The long runs on the weekend - I'm proud to say, I've kept up with. 10miles last week and this week, 12 miles - although feeling physically beat. Is it the cold weather? or my weight gain? or my new right injuries? or new shoes?

On that subject - I am slowly weaning off my Asics stability shoes, and moving to a neutral one, however still on orthotics. VFF's have been forever written off my 'maybe-one-day I can look funky too' list - and instead on off days, I have my minimalist Inov8's. I do feel lighter in them but however they are only for short distances - my heels can always feel it...

No pain, No gain. I pay the price today in pilates with horrible balance - hmmm. Would I ever do another 26.2 this year?