BLOGOF. Playing Catchup...

This is the end of the first week post.  I'm having to play catch-up as it's been fairly hectic over the last few days.  As I suggested previously, Friday was a definite training day and then maybe Sat' or Sun'.  As it turned out Sunday was the better day for me and d'missus - cramming in 2 training sessions and a wedding shoot on Saturday would have resulted in serious mental and physical malfunction.  A gibbering 'blob' is not a pretty sight.

Friday Sessions...

We got up a bit late on Friday morning (this is becoming too regular!) and were a bit pushed for time as my wife works in Oxfam from 9:30 on this day.  With this in mind I suggested that we cut out the mini loop that we bolt on to the half way point to make up the 6 miles.  I could add a loop to the end of the run while she went home to get ready to go out.  As it turned out my calculations weren't that good and I only ended up doing 5.5 miles in stead of 6.

The run itself was quite pleasant - sunny and very little wind, so the river Taff on the Bay side of Penarth Road was like a mirror with the odd swan or cormorant disturbing the effect.  My calves and feet seemed to be behaving themselves up to the halfway stretch point but as we headed up Lloyd George Avenue back into town, the inevitable numbness started to creep into my right foot and I plodded past the new John Lewis and through The Hayes with what seemed like 2 blocks of wood at the end of my legs.  It's a strange feeling - not painful, more uncomfortable and I'm always worried that I could go over on my ankle.  Saying that however, even when I go over uneven terrain in this state, my feet seem to know what they're doing.

Any how, a brief traffic stop brought the feet back to life for a while and we charged on into Bute Park behind the castle, running along the canal.  When we got to the ambulance station we parted company and, as usually happens, I found I'd picked the pace up running on my own.  That may sound like a gripe but it's not.  Running at my wife's pace is really helpful when it comes to getting the miles back in my legs.  As ever, she has a measured approach to these things unlike my bull at a gate method.

The 5.5 miles was completed in 50 minutes or so and I warmed down by picking my way through herds of freshers shuffling their way to the end of their first excitedly alcohol sodden week.  At least I think they were freshers - can't quite understand why they all look about 12!

A late afternoon session saw the end to the training day in which I added some additional weight to the squats rep's.  This was in the form of a 9 kilo dumbbell which I held in both hands to avoid any imbalance.  I also tried to concentrate on trying to do each squat as correctly as possible - feet shoulder width apart and stick your bum out so that you're not bending at the ankle and your knees don't move forward - upper leg at 90 degrees to your lower leg at the bottom of the squat, back straight.  If this isn't right please tell me.

Sunday Sessions...

I have to confess that I deviated from the programme this morning by upping the mileage for this run.  Perhaps I should have consulted Bryan, my trainer, before doing so and I shall in future, but a Sunday long run is something I'd like to incorporate into my schedule.  Strange as it may seem, I enjoy it.

The run was to be around 8 miles up the Taff Trail, along a short stretch of the Glamorgan Canal and back through Radyr Woods before rejoining the Taff Trail at Western Avenue and finishing by the Lodge behind Llys Tal y Bont.  This was a run that I'd done many times before in my fitter days but I haven't run this far for ages so it was going to be a bit of a challenge.

It was a beautifully sunny September morning.  There was a slight nip in the air and running along the river, past the various weirs, away from the traffic, fills you with that 'good to be alive' buzz that changes a fitness chore into great way to spend an hour or so.  To top it all, I think the dead feet thing is resolving itself, as it seemed to go of its own accord like it used to and I felt great at the end of the run - like I could have gone on and on even though I'd upped the pace for the last mile or so.  The final distance was a little under 8 miles @ 7.77 and total running time was 1:12:49 - comfortable.

The run really pepped me up for the rest of the day but it was a bit of a chore to drag my wobbly body into a pair of shorts to do the second, sweaty session.  But drag & sweat I did and felt doubly smug when stepped out of the shower a little later, dried myself and shaved before settling down with a nicely chilled glass of prosecco - the spicy aroma of a soon to be consumed mexican stew tantalizing the taste buds.

So there we have the end of week 1.  Done it and enjoyed it.  The week 2 programme has arrived and I've had a meeting with Bryan to run through some of the new exercises.

The heat's been turned up a little bit so check in to see if I'll be cooking with gas or burned out.

Ta ta.