Any idea where I can find some fitness in a hurry? Reaping the benefits of not really doing any exercise for a couple of weeks, and at the same time celebrating giving up chocolate for Lent by eating every sort of bad-for-you food that isn't chocolate...
Work is busy, busy, busy at the moment, and so there was a serious debate when I got home this evening. Failing on 2 out of the 3 Febulous weeks to date (and yet to log a run in week 4), the pragmatic achiever in me (yes, there is one) decided that I should try to get the long run (7 miles) done this evening and out of the way. This was negotiated down to doing a shorter run - 5 miles - due to time available and not wanting to over-tax myself too quickly... By the time I actually dragged myself out of the house for the run ("No! No! I don't want to! I have work to do - and a sofa to sit on!") this has been negotiated down to a 3 mile run tonight, 5 tomorrow and 7 on Saturday or Sunday... Oh, and there should be some cycling in there too...
I'm not sure whether that makes me a good negotiator or not... Certainly it does nothing to disprove my inherent laziness!
So, dragged myself round 3 miles. Came back, did stretches. Fiddled about a bit. Am now sort of collapsed on the sofa trying to eat the dinner that I've finally got around to making for myself. And also trying to convince myself that tomorrow night's 5 mile run will be sooooo much easier.
Dear Lord, why do I do this to myself - why?!
(^_^)
Running time/distance: 33 mins / 3 miles (gasp!)
Thursday, 28 February 2013
Thursday, 21 February 2013
Febulous: It's a hard-knock life
Well, when I said "tomorrow" I obviously meant Thursday. Obviously...
Still, patting myself on the back for actually doing a run (it's been over a week, people.... Can't say I've really missed it, but anyway....). And also for taking new trainers out for the ride.
I have to be happy about using the new trainers as I spent a great deal of time fiddling with them. Leave home; run for a bit; stop, re-tire trainers; run for a bit; re-tie laces; run for a bit... You get the message. I'm hoping that this will stop being an issue fairly soon, as it really just delays the end to the run and thus increases the torture.
Plus it leads to situations like starting off again running, forgetting that you've left your pocket unzipped, and then watching as your mobile 'phone exits your pocket at an impressive velocity to land underneath the car that you're attempting to run past. Which in turn leads to crawling on your knees - in the incredibly attractive running tights - stretching your hand under said car to retrieve said escaped mobile as subtly as possible (clue: not very subtle). It's the style and grace that running gives me that really attracts me to it...
And THEN you discover that you've run the 4 mile-ish route and not the 5mile-ish route, which means when you think you're triumphantly concluding your run, you're actually reaching the point where you desperately force yourself to keep running while checking your running app every 10 seconds to see if you've got to 5 miles yet.
All in all, not the fastest, or indeed most dignified of runs, but did the required 5 miles and so mustn't grumble. Any more than usual, at least...
:o)
Running time/distance: 1 hour 0 mins / 5 miles (should try to run the actual 5 mile route next time!)
Still, patting myself on the back for actually doing a run (it's been over a week, people.... Can't say I've really missed it, but anyway....). And also for taking new trainers out for the ride.
I have to be happy about using the new trainers as I spent a great deal of time fiddling with them. Leave home; run for a bit; stop, re-tire trainers; run for a bit; re-tie laces; run for a bit... You get the message. I'm hoping that this will stop being an issue fairly soon, as it really just delays the end to the run and thus increases the torture.
Plus it leads to situations like starting off again running, forgetting that you've left your pocket unzipped, and then watching as your mobile 'phone exits your pocket at an impressive velocity to land underneath the car that you're attempting to run past. Which in turn leads to crawling on your knees - in the incredibly attractive running tights - stretching your hand under said car to retrieve said escaped mobile as subtly as possible (clue: not very subtle). It's the style and grace that running gives me that really attracts me to it...
And THEN you discover that you've run the 4 mile-ish route and not the 5mile-ish route, which means when you think you're triumphantly concluding your run, you're actually reaching the point where you desperately force yourself to keep running while checking your running app every 10 seconds to see if you've got to 5 miles yet.
All in all, not the fastest, or indeed most dignified of runs, but did the required 5 miles and so mustn't grumble. Any more than usual, at least...
:o)
Running time/distance: 1 hour 0 mins / 5 miles (should try to run the actual 5 mile route next time!)
Monday, 18 February 2013
Febulous: What am I forgetting...?
Hmmm.... Was supposed to do something last week... Can't quite remember....
Oh, yes, 3 runs, one of them 5-miles long, for week 2 of Febulous. Ah. Yes. Ooops. Well, you see...
There was travel (tried to run, foiled by lack of light. And failing to take up on offers of a head torch - but, really, a glowing yellow thing comes at you out of the dark with a light flying above it... You're going to actively aim at it with your car, aren't you?! Not safe!!).
There was cleaning and tidying (aaargh! Visitors coming! Why did I give the maid the year off??!! Need house elves - please apply below).
Then there was the home invasion (by members of my family, I hasten to add, before people rush to bring Her Majesty's Finest to my door once more... Would be really nice if we could ensure that that didn't happen, by the way).
And then there was the peace and quiet of Sunday mid-afternoon, when the sofa looked very lonely and the front door was very, very far away...
Anyway, this week, a new me! Or, at least, a return to the old me who takes this challenge stuff seriously and, you know, actually goes running every so often.
Starting tomorrow, of course...
;oD
Running time/distance: 0 mins / 0 miles (knew I forgot something!)
Oh, yes, 3 runs, one of them 5-miles long, for week 2 of Febulous. Ah. Yes. Ooops. Well, you see...
There was travel (tried to run, foiled by lack of light. And failing to take up on offers of a head torch - but, really, a glowing yellow thing comes at you out of the dark with a light flying above it... You're going to actively aim at it with your car, aren't you?! Not safe!!).
There was cleaning and tidying (aaargh! Visitors coming! Why did I give the maid the year off??!! Need house elves - please apply below).
Then there was the home invasion (by members of my family, I hasten to add, before people rush to bring Her Majesty's Finest to my door once more... Would be really nice if we could ensure that that didn't happen, by the way).
And then there was the peace and quiet of Sunday mid-afternoon, when the sofa looked very lonely and the front door was very, very far away...
Anyway, this week, a new me! Or, at least, a return to the old me who takes this challenge stuff seriously and, you know, actually goes running every so often.
Starting tomorrow, of course...
;oD
Running time/distance: 0 mins / 0 miles (knew I forgot something!)
Sunday, 10 February 2013
Febulous: Dr Foster went to Gloucester
There comes a point when running in the rain that you believe that you cannot get much wetter and you might as well keep going.This is (a) not true; (b) a sign that you have descended into delusional behaviour; and (c) never as good an idea as it sounds.
Dragged myself out of bed this morning to do my obligatory 5 miles. It was raining. I still started the run, but mentally revised it downward to 3 miles or so. At the approx 2 mile distance, I decided that I was already pretty wet, it was drizzling, and I should therefore just go for the 5 mile distance. Obviously, this meant that at about the 4 mile distance the rain moved up a gear and we discovered ever increasing levels of sogginess.
Only high point of running today was that while I was slogging through my 5 miles lots of other runners passed me (yes, not the quickest, but distinctly bloody-minded). One woman (slower than me!) smiled at me and asked if I was running as part of I-forget-the-name group. "No," says I. "I'm just running out of madness." She found this amusing, which is rather sad, as let's face it, it was the truth.
As I had a target of 3 runs to hit this week, I dragged myself out mid-afternoon (still raining) and "whizzed" through a little 2-mile run. Am now nearly dry, but would be very grateful for a change of weather in the very near future...
Still, hit 100% of my Febulous targets this week.
*smug*
;o)
Running time/distance: 55 mins / 5.01 miles (in the rain! Quite, quite mad.)
Running time/distance: 23 mins / 2.1 miles (in more rain! Quite enough exercise for one day...)
Dragged myself out of bed this morning to do my obligatory 5 miles. It was raining. I still started the run, but mentally revised it downward to 3 miles or so. At the approx 2 mile distance, I decided that I was already pretty wet, it was drizzling, and I should therefore just go for the 5 mile distance. Obviously, this meant that at about the 4 mile distance the rain moved up a gear and we discovered ever increasing levels of sogginess.
Only high point of running today was that while I was slogging through my 5 miles lots of other runners passed me (yes, not the quickest, but distinctly bloody-minded). One woman (slower than me!) smiled at me and asked if I was running as part of I-forget-the-name group. "No," says I. "I'm just running out of madness." She found this amusing, which is rather sad, as let's face it, it was the truth.
As I had a target of 3 runs to hit this week, I dragged myself out mid-afternoon (still raining) and "whizzed" through a little 2-mile run. Am now nearly dry, but would be very grateful for a change of weather in the very near future...
Still, hit 100% of my Febulous targets this week.
*smug*
;o)
Running time/distance: 55 mins / 5.01 miles (in the rain! Quite, quite mad.)
Running time/distance: 23 mins / 2.1 miles (in more rain! Quite enough exercise for one day...)
Saturday, 9 February 2013
Febulous: Getting there...
So... Getting up early (6am!) and heading out for a 5 mile run... Top plan... Didn't happen.
I was awake at 6am (briefly), but then there was a whole snooze period. and then I had to get up and go to my meeting.
However, I remained determined to at least go for a run today. To that end I insisted to G&T that I wanted to go for a run. G&T decided to join me, got changed, was raring to go... Then I noticed that it was raining... G&T would not allow last-minute cancellations, and so off we headed into the early evening gloom and shmirr.
In the end, even though it was dreach, and involved running round in circles (aaargh!), it was a jolly good run, as such things go. Unusually, there was no jowalking - a fairly consistent jog instead. G&T is obviously an inspiration to me!
Am now munching crisps and dips and quaffing champagne... Celebrating a 3-mile run when I should have completed 3 runs by now and one of them should have been a 5-miler may seem at best premature. But I'm far too Febulous to care!
;oD
Running time/distance: 35 mins / 3.2 miles (in the rain! Now that's dedication...)
I was awake at 6am (briefly), but then there was a whole snooze period. and then I had to get up and go to my meeting.
However, I remained determined to at least go for a run today. To that end I insisted to G&T that I wanted to go for a run. G&T decided to join me, got changed, was raring to go... Then I noticed that it was raining... G&T would not allow last-minute cancellations, and so off we headed into the early evening gloom and shmirr.
In the end, even though it was dreach, and involved running round in circles (aaargh!), it was a jolly good run, as such things go. Unusually, there was no jowalking - a fairly consistent jog instead. G&T is obviously an inspiration to me!
Am now munching crisps and dips and quaffing champagne... Celebrating a 3-mile run when I should have completed 3 runs by now and one of them should have been a 5-miler may seem at best premature. But I'm far too Febulous to care!
;oD
Running time/distance: 35 mins / 3.2 miles (in the rain! Now that's dedication...)
Febulous: *hic*
Tee-hee!
Din't do run this morning - tired!
Busy this evening - off for dinner and drinks with La C. Whole bottle of wine just for me!! Wheee!!
Have route planned for tomorrow morning - 5 miles in big circle - get up at 6am and go out and run! Will be fab! Only time to do run so will be fine - bound to work!
*hic*
Great plan... Jusht great! Unless it rains... That would be bad... Boo to rain!!
Not sure how to fit in 3 runs in 2 days... but am sure will manage it!
All is good!
(^_@)
Running time/distance: 0 mins / 0 miles (tomorrow...!!)
Din't do run this morning - tired!
Busy this evening - off for dinner and drinks with La C. Whole bottle of wine just for me!! Wheee!!
Have route planned for tomorrow morning - 5 miles in big circle - get up at 6am and go out and run! Will be fab! Only time to do run so will be fine - bound to work!
*hic*
Great plan... Jusht great! Unless it rains... That would be bad... Boo to rain!!
Not sure how to fit in 3 runs in 2 days... but am sure will manage it!
All is good!
(^_@)
Running time/distance: 0 mins / 0 miles (tomorrow...!!)
Thursday, 7 February 2013
Febulous: Limitations
It would appear that I have more limitations than I previously knew... I appear to be unable to run in temperatures below 4 degrees C. I become quite overcome by the cold and have to retreat into the warmth, sit before the TV and eat chocolate and, erm, ice cream...
Weird, huh?
This means, obviously, that I am now quite behind with my runs this week (as in, I've not done any); and, additionally, I'm nowhere near completing my specified "long run". Still, tomorrow's another day. I'm told...
Although the signs do not bode well. My, um, reasons for not running so far this week are as follows:
Monday - sleet;
Tuesday - apathy;
Wednesday - exhausted apathy;
Thursday - sleet-like rain.
One must therefore hope for a sudden up-turn in the local weather (that happens often) and a sudden surge in inspiration. Or Febulous will descend into disarray in week 1! Which would be embarrassing at least (although I find myself struggling to care... Perhaps more ice cream would help?).
(O_O)
Running time/distance: 0 mins / 0 miles (tomorrow...)
Weird, huh?
This means, obviously, that I am now quite behind with my runs this week (as in, I've not done any); and, additionally, I'm nowhere near completing my specified "long run". Still, tomorrow's another day. I'm told...
Although the signs do not bode well. My, um, reasons for not running so far this week are as follows:
Monday - sleet;
Tuesday - apathy;
Wednesday - exhausted apathy;
Thursday - sleet-like rain.
One must therefore hope for a sudden up-turn in the local weather (that happens often) and a sudden surge in inspiration. Or Febulous will descend into disarray in week 1! Which would be embarrassing at least (although I find myself struggling to care... Perhaps more ice cream would help?).
(O_O)
Running time/distance: 0 mins / 0 miles (tomorrow...)
Monday, 4 February 2013
Febulous: Start as you mean to continue?
So, January turned out to be not so fantastic. February has already proved to be not so fabulous (and yes, I am aware that it is only the 4th thereof). Frankly, I don't hold out much hope for March being marvellous (it would be a break with tradition at the very least), but we shall see...
I do have to say that the Jantastic people seem to have misunderstood the lack of fun in slogging through months doing a set amount of runs every week... Or perhaps I'm just not on message? That does seem to happen a lot...
Today has been dreach and dreary - cold, rain, wind, and, erm, sunshine: a bit of a mixed bag, really. I remained hopeful all day of going out for my long run today - must complete at least one 5 mile run this week. This was best evidenced by my consumption of a Snickers (doesn't matter, will be going out for a run later) and 2 Kit-Kats (again, doesn't matter, etc). Then I get home and there's sleet - sleet! I draw the line at running when at risk of sleet!
This has nothing to do with the fact that I am slogging my way through the final book in the Wheel of Time series (700 pages down, fewer left to go!). I am enjoying the speed with which Brandon Sanderson is getting to the conclusion (was supposed to happen in one book - ha! - and has only taken 3), but I have to admit a twinge or 2 of sadness. Robert Jordan, as I'm sure we are all aware, would have taken at least another 2 full books to get around to finishing things - he did after all write at least one book which simply had the main characters going round in circles while randomly introducing yet more side characters. But it also has to be said that it might have been better to write a series that finished in 10 books and then write some of the side stories thereafter: at the very least he would then have been able to complete his own work.
But then, the Wheel of Time is no longer a series of books. When a series reaches the point that its books, stacked on top of each other, would reach human head-height, then it's really a lifetime commitment: each time a new book is released, it is necessary to re-read the entire series from the beginning in order to work out who half the people are... Which I cannot be bothered to do just now, and so am just skipping through things, hoping that it will all still make enough sense to be worthwhile.
:o)
Running time/distance: 0 mins / 0 miles (sleet, people, sleet!)
I do have to say that the Jantastic people seem to have misunderstood the lack of fun in slogging through months doing a set amount of runs every week... Or perhaps I'm just not on message? That does seem to happen a lot...
Today has been dreach and dreary - cold, rain, wind, and, erm, sunshine: a bit of a mixed bag, really. I remained hopeful all day of going out for my long run today - must complete at least one 5 mile run this week. This was best evidenced by my consumption of a Snickers (doesn't matter, will be going out for a run later) and 2 Kit-Kats (again, doesn't matter, etc). Then I get home and there's sleet - sleet! I draw the line at running when at risk of sleet!
This has nothing to do with the fact that I am slogging my way through the final book in the Wheel of Time series (700 pages down, fewer left to go!). I am enjoying the speed with which Brandon Sanderson is getting to the conclusion (was supposed to happen in one book - ha! - and has only taken 3), but I have to admit a twinge or 2 of sadness. Robert Jordan, as I'm sure we are all aware, would have taken at least another 2 full books to get around to finishing things - he did after all write at least one book which simply had the main characters going round in circles while randomly introducing yet more side characters. But it also has to be said that it might have been better to write a series that finished in 10 books and then write some of the side stories thereafter: at the very least he would then have been able to complete his own work.
But then, the Wheel of Time is no longer a series of books. When a series reaches the point that its books, stacked on top of each other, would reach human head-height, then it's really a lifetime commitment: each time a new book is released, it is necessary to re-read the entire series from the beginning in order to work out who half the people are... Which I cannot be bothered to do just now, and so am just skipping through things, hoping that it will all still make enough sense to be worthwhile.
:o)
Running time/distance: 0 mins / 0 miles (sleet, people, sleet!)
Friday, 1 February 2013
Jantastic: Final flourish
Well, 1st of Feb it may be, but we're still in the final week of Jantastic... And I'm feeling particularly pleased with myself because I have now completed my weekly target of 3 runs with 2 days to spare!
Yes, OK, so last week was a couple of runs shy of target... But, really, if I do the run tomorrow that I am supposed to do then I will have done 4 runs in weeks 1 and 4... Which would mean that on average I had done 3 runs per week.... Which would mean that my score for January would be a Jantastic 100%. And that's going to be my memory of the Jantastic experience.
The Jantastic purists have a slightly different view - something about you have to do all 3 runs in a given week and you don't get any extra points for doing more runs than target in a week - but what do they know? They merely organise and officiate the event - amateurs really....
Other than that, little to report. I have been running on the old black trainers to date, but as of tomorrow I may switch to the new trainers... Or maybe Sunday... Like to keep my options open!
:o)
Running time/distance: 40 mins / 3.55 miles (*smug*)
Yes, OK, so last week was a couple of runs shy of target... But, really, if I do the run tomorrow that I am supposed to do then I will have done 4 runs in weeks 1 and 4... Which would mean that on average I had done 3 runs per week.... Which would mean that my score for January would be a Jantastic 100%. And that's going to be my memory of the Jantastic experience.
The Jantastic purists have a slightly different view - something about you have to do all 3 runs in a given week and you don't get any extra points for doing more runs than target in a week - but what do they know? They merely organise and officiate the event - amateurs really....
Other than that, little to report. I have been running on the old black trainers to date, but as of tomorrow I may switch to the new trainers... Or maybe Sunday... Like to keep my options open!
:o)
Running time/distance: 40 mins / 3.55 miles (*smug*)
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