Not even

two weeks have passed.. and wow it feels like a lots happened. Lots of food, family, friends and good times.

 

I managed to increase the running mileage to 24.38miles (3hr47 total) for the month, quite a way under the 33miles I managed back in sept, but still a good month for me. With a 5.5k boxing day jaunt and a 8k the day after. I was up in Norfolk with the inlaws at xmas and all was well received, brilliantly relaxing.

 

After that there was a very quick stop at home for a few days to collect cats, make costumes, get incredibly drunk at a pub quiz with our neighbour then drive down to st ives.

 

Once there it was a short walk on the beach, fly a kite and then proceed to get dressed up as thundercats and hit the town. Thankfully we weren't the only ones in fancy dress (it's a bit of a tradition in cornwall) but i'm pretty sure, by the comments of pretty much everyone who saw us - was that we were dammed good! It was an epic night, by anyones imaginations, and we were toast by the end of it. However, it's going down as probably one of the best new years nights out I've had in a long ole time.

 

It's back at work today.. but the peak mountain event this weekend. I can't wait for that either. I'm not sure the past weeks alcoholism has helped training, but a quick detox and gym/run/yoga this week should do the trick.

 

bring it on!

Looking back

It's probably a bit early for these musings but 2011 has been a fairly busy year.

 

I'd started the year still feeling weak, bone-healed, but not mentally healed from a broken back only 15months prior. However, i made a concious choice in Jan to start doing more and to push through the pain. It started off fairly slowly with swimming for three months and although this was good, it wasn't enough. So a fortuitous narrowboat holiday on a mates boat, which 'forced' running kit to be taken and provided flat-(ish) paths meant i had a reasonably gentle and good introduction back to running. This then lead into a new (to me) bike purchase, which seemed to provide an insanely good reason to do my first sprint triathlon. I finished 193 out of 254 males and 32 in category, not bad for a first go and for where i was. It also gave an excuse to give another go, so i booked in for one post an alpine holiday.

 

There was obviously a lot of running, swimming, biking during that time, two of which have dropped off, but i've kept up the running and will get back into the others again. In the mean time I had a fantastic return to the alps with some awesome adventures if insanely hard week of hard, hard graft but i don't think that's going to stop me going back for more! A week after that it was another sprint tri which i performed slightly better in.

 

Moving on, Sept was a good mileage month, 33 miles running to be precise, largest one so far (unless I can perform miracles this month) also good fun in the lakes with a nice bit of walking. After this it turned into Banding time, contests in Folkestone (1st in the 2nd section) and Leicester (7th in 4th section - go figure) plus friends birthdays. Then it was my turn and an awesome weekend in the peaks with a good lot of people and weather to enjoy it. December has so far seen a lakeland trip with a nice walk, xmas concert to spread the cheer quite a few carols and some shenanigans at work.

 

Also in the last few months I've joined the gym, started doing yoga and kept wifey company there. Speaking of whom, her year has also gone from strength to strength, also starting running, loosing a lot of weight and doing her first 5k and looking forward to a 10k at the end of march. Muchos impressed!

 

What does 2012 hold? More of the same I would suspect. First off is the arrival of my Nephew (imminent!) which may be in 2011. Early on in 2012 two mini-mountain marathons, then the 10k, band contest, font and probably a few triathlons.. who knows what else! More blogging certainly to follow - i've certainly a few more things pending in 2011 to write about....

 

Anyway wishing you a Merry Christmas and lots of cake to eat!

Pick and mix

Bit of an odd weekend, but certainly a busy one.

 

Had a night at home friday which was very much needed, as the next morning at an ungodly 4.30 i woke up to drive wifey to heathrow. Frostily but uneventfully i returned home to sleep after dropping her off (berlin, xmas markets, girly weekend). Then a few hours later was up again for wood collection, need more for the stove. After that it was tracking check for the car and over to reading to meet mate and buy new trail shoes..

 

After which it would have seemed a shame to do nothing, so i'd convinced him to plan a route and we went for a run. All 9.3 miles of it, cross country in the chiltern mud. Good job i had the trail shoes really! Was really, really good, just a bit harder than i thought it would be. Chris set off at a cracking pace, since it was a road and flat i followed and managed ok on flat/downhill, but uphill was a struggle! 1hr22 later we finished just as it was getting a little too dark to see. Back to his for a shower and tea, then off out for a curry, few beers and a catch up. Awesome day, run and and excellent pre-event training for the peak dark & white MMM coming up!

 

Sunday dawned to caroling in tescos Amersham. I had the early shift and played away, in fact was feeling so good i stuck round for some more so ended up doing some 4-5 hrs. But quite quickly noticed I was flagging, realised i'd had no food, so scarpered for home and got some nosh. Heard after that we raised £900 at tescos all for the local home hospice care charity.

 

Rest of the afternoon was chores, washing and feeling quite tired. Otherwise cracking weekend.

 

Shame to have work at the end of it, especially considering the joyus meeting i've just had - ho hum life goes on and on and on.

cold running

I was still feeling a little dizzy earlier this week, so didn't do too much early on. However, i was arm twisted for a work run wednesday with 2 colleagues, both of whom bailed on me.. I saw this as a free pass, so booted up and headed out. Trouble was the blue sky wasn't matching a warm temp, and shorts really didn't cut the mustard. I'd come prepared with a long sleeve thermal and the gilet off my cycling wind/waterproof -

 

(Which i'd discovered on the late night run i did at the end of nov. It looked pretty cold out, so in a flash of inspiration had unzipped the arms from this and used it running. It's pretty perfect, having a large mesh upper back and being really lightweight..)

 

But I still suffered, quite a few other runners out considering the time of year. Was a good time for me too, 3.8miles in 29m43s

 

Last night i was home alone as wifey was at a work leaving do. So i headed out for yoga on my tod, some really good stretchy stuff, a smaller class and will probably be smaller still next week!

 

Weekend involves: Wood collection, carols and a long run planned with mates over in reading (plus curry).. sounds good!

Infected,

with something, dunno what. I was off work all of last week with it and was still feeling a bit head fuzzy/dizzy from time to time still yesterday.

 

I got to rehearsal in the end (28th nov), but sensibly stayed home tuesday to do a spot of housework, pre packing and general tidying. Followed by more of that wed as no chance to do much else on thursday (1st dec). Did a quick ish run at work with two colleagues (not too much of a beasting for them). Then dash home after work, load up car, yoga and thence onto Warwick for a free narrowboat overnighter with Stig.

 

I think this was my downfall, it was a late one, and a bit chilly in bed. I then did the driving whilst wifey slept friday and got us to keswick for 2pm and a quick cafe stop/gear faff then onto the cottage. We've stayed there before and it's pretty special, being a carpenters 'show' place lots of bespoke furniture and stairs, floor, kitchen the works all in different types of wood..

 

Sat was a windy affair, but managed a nice walk up Great Borne (616) and Starling Dodd (633) then back along the side of Ennerdale Water. Which was good as the wind was a westerly, so there was a bit of push up the hill, and tree line to protect the walk back!

 

Sunday was less productive, we got up and down middle crag (484) and high tove (515) to the east of watendlath, but only just. It was gusting 60mph and just as we dropped out of the marshes it whited out. Would have been really interesting up there, it was already pretty interesting. Now i'm game enough and was doing ok, but somehow wifey struggled with the cold and wasn't warming up so it was good to call it a day.

 

Trouble was i think this was final nail in the coffin as I mooched to bed for an afternoon nap after and was utterely shattered and coldy from then in. Wifey did drive the home, which was good as i passed out for most of it. Then spent the rest of the week dazed and confused at home. Unfortunately forgot the camera for this, so no photo proof of the windswept madness!

 

Still excellent xmas concert again at the weekend with a few mate to come watch/listen/sing along a few more carols this week and then the big chill for xmas..

Weekend write up

Wifey was feeling distinctly tired and didn't fancy the gym. Since i'd come home and didn't fancy driving back out, as there was a xmas fest in the town centre so traffic was bad, I decided on a run instead. Time was a bit tighter that i'd have ideally wanted so only a relatively quick blast for ~8k/40mins. Better than i'd normally get at work, but still not the 10k+ i'd really wanted.

 

Saturday we both had a lie-in as we were feeling shattered from a busy week. We then pootled over to collect rings (one happy wifey) and on the way back had a small diversion to Welwyn for a spot of xmas shopping and other essentials for us - mostly clothing! Once back at home we felt shattered again so didn't get the gym in the end.

 

However, wifey managed an early morning session sunday before going into london to meet with a friend. Whilst I was collecting a cornet player and driving to Loughborough for the brass contest. We played pretty ok, but were a man down on the basses (not yet clear why). Nerves seemed to be ok as a whole throughout the band and i thought we'd played pretty well, but our position of 7th seemed somewhat low. Anyway it's all good experience for the areas in March. Back home and chill out till picking up wifey from train after a good session in london!

 

This week more of the same, rehearsal, gym, run, yoga.. but come friday we're off to the lakes for a quick get-away hill bashing! Oh and definitely some trail shoes to be bought. They need bedding in and i need the practice!

and streeetch

Yoga last night, once again the only bloke in the room, not that this is necesarrily a bad thing ;-).

 

Different instructor this time who was much quicker in giving instructions and getting you to do the movements. Also some very interesting twist and stretch exercises. There were also some more planky type things, downward dogs, eagles and as I call them 'chameleon' moves (opposite arm/legs) all good for the core.

 

It did feel a bit rushed through the session, but equally good for a change.

 

Run on wednesday was ok, again bit of a breeze for me, but was tasking the guy at work. Took it relatively easy on the way out and then ramped it up for the way back. He asked me to run out front and keep the pace up. Probably looked a bit weird, but if it's helping him why not? Just over 3.4 miles in 31:30.

 

Depending on wifey may/may not go to gym tonight. Would really like to, but if not will go tomorrow morning instead. Then after we're off to collect rings as they've been made up. Wifey is definately excited by that! Sunday i've then got an early start to Loughborough for this brass band contest, if there's time tonight/tomorrow i'll get some practice in but i think we're pretty square on this as a band.

 

In other random news..... I've signed up with a mate to do the peak dark & white mini-mountain marathons. One in Jan and Feb (we both couldn't do the nov one this weekend). Considering i've not really done many events these'll now be 3/4 and i'm thinking about the reading half in april too. I reckon these'll be fun, they're only 3 hrs but i think the time of year could add a certain factor. But will also mean for a spot of something else on the sat whilst we're up there.. yay!

 

expect brass competition write up next week, and some long distance runs to be squeezed in!