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Personal

Training update – fast run, ten mile run, four mile run and some resistance training

Goodness, it seems like ages since I wrote something. Perhaps it’s because I’ve been distracted with the House of Cards and the joys of the world of Netflix.

Since last writing I’ve done two of the hypertrophy training sessions from the new rules of lifting. Last Thursday I was feeling my way with the weights on the new exercises, today I gave it more of a go. This is the first of the workouts, there are two that I should do in the week, but I missed the second one last week (eek!) The first workout is mostly upper body and consists of:

  • Dumbbell include bench press
  • Cable seated row
  • Dumbbell shoulder press
  • Wide grip lat pulldown
  • Barbell close grip bench press
  • High pull
  • Swiss ball crunch

A couple of these are approximations with the resistance bands and I don’t have a bench, so I gave it a go by lying across the bed with my head by the corner, which gave my arms some movement over the sides of the bed. I’ve got a feeling I might need some more kit!

Anyway, these seemed to go ok. I did a few more swiss ball crunches than suggested – mainly because it didn’t feel like anything was being done. Also finished each workout with trying to do the plank for a short time. Last week I could hold it for 2 minutes 43 and then 1 min 10, this week 3 min 11 and 1 min 15. I was concerned last week that I wasn’t doing it right, but after some considerable research I’m happy that I’m doing it correctly. That said, I’m not sure if I should just be holding it for 30 seconds a couple of times – as per my old gym programme.

Other than the strength training, there have been a couple of runs. Each different, each equally satisfying in different ways.

The first was a treadmill run for three miles last Friday. For the first time since I started a year ago, I came in at under 10 minutes per mile on a 3 mile run. I didn’t quite make 5k in under 30 minutes, but I’m not quibbling. There are about a billion caveats on the time (29:50) – the main one being that I had started out reasonably fast by my own standards and about a mile in felt that I needed my ventolin, so I paused took it and then carried on. I know that I would have done the same time, or maybe better, but it doesn’t feel quite like the single good run that I had hoped. Also, it’s not 5k in under 30 minutes and that’s one of the short term goals. Very nearly, but not quite. That’s for another day.

Screen Shot 2014-02-19 at 19.46.17Then on Sunday I went out for a 10 mile run with Lorna. Two weeks ago it was eight miles in Llandudno, last week it was nine miles in Solihull and this week it was ten miles around the delights of Ormskirk and the surrounds. At least this week the weather seemed perfect for what was a very pleasant run. We kept the pace slow and steady, through the Edge Hill Uni campus, down St Helens Road towards the M58, across to Skelmersdale and then back to Ormskirk via Westhead. The road rises between Ormskirk and Westhead reasonably sharply, relatively speaking. It was on my mind all the way around, but when we got to it, we just kept going at basically the same pace. As we headed downhill back to the house we picked up pace and had our fastest split at about 9 miles. It felt good and we did a reasonably good time – we came in at 10 miles just under two hours.

We were remarking that a year ago we had run 8km in London, before going to see the Example. That time it had been a real struggle (for me – Lorna was bouncing around like a gazelle). This year running twice as far, it felt comfortable, we were chatting and we were able to pick up the pace in the last couple of miles. It’s great to see that kind of improvement.

Screen Shot 2014-02-19 at 19.45.47The third run was yesterday. I went on what could only be described as a “sperm run” (check out the map). Along the A59 towards Aughton, up Holburn Hill, across to Prescot Road and back down again towards home. It was supposed to be a 4 mile run, but I misread my watch and stopped at 3.88 miles. Ho hum. That said, when I ran it three weeks ago I managed 11:48 per mile, this time I ran 11:10 per mile. I could have carried on a bit at that pace – not sure how far – but I’ll get a chance to try soon, I’m sure.

So that brings us back to today’s strength training back at the top of this post.

1926744_10153881307520164_1617206603_nIt’s been a reasonable week. I’ve missed a couple of days, but on the whole it’s felt like progress. Also, I got a new pair of running shoes at the weekend – a present from my parents, which was a wonderfully thoughtful gift which came out of the blue! I didn’t use them for the 10 miler but did for the 4 mile yesterday. They’re really very comfortable.

Plus I bought tickets to see the Flaming Lips and it feels like the holiday in Portugal is hurtling towards us. This is all good.

Well… it’s almost all good. When Lorna was up at the weekend we had three games of cribbage. I lost 2-1. This time it didn’t go with the dealer. I lost the third game. For some reason I thought we had been 2-2 before, but checking my notes and the sidebar here, it was 2-1 from Denbigh – so this leaves us at a frustratingly even 3-3.

Personal

Where’s the cat?

It’s been a long day – the usual: children to school; Facetime and Skype calls before 9; chasing stuff; moving data; running; lunch; snooze; more data; pick up children; battle with kids about tai kwon do; take them to tai kwon do; help make dinner; scoff; bed time; watch end of The Bridge; write this.

Throughout the work today I’ve hadn’t really noticed Bruiser anywhere. Very often she’s asleep through most of the day and so I didn’t think much of it.

When Jude came home shortly after I got back from the tai kwon do, she asked if Bruiser had come in from being outside. Ah… and there I was thinking that she was in the house somewhere, just being quiet.

6862718951_256f591b23_oA bit of background. She’s had the occasional bout of not eating her food recently. Normally resolved by changing the nosh that we give her. I understand from Jude that she hadn’t eaten over the weekend. I cleaned out her bowl and gave her fresh food yesterday when I returned from Wales and again this morning, but haven’t seen her since.

So it seems that the cat is outside somewhere still, having gone out with Jude this morning, apparently. I’m kicking myself very slightly because I was so wrapped up in what I was doing, I didn’t stop to think where was the thing that usually meows at 100Db and tries to break by neck at every opportunity by jumping under my feet.

I’ll take a look for her tomorrow and will remain generally optimistic that the old girl is alright. But it does worry me a bit that all might not be well.

Before I started worrying about the cat, I did some running before lunch. The programme said to do some intervals. In fact it said 5 minutes at a good pace before a rest and another 5 minutes at pace before cooling down. I tried this. I did about 3/4 of a mile slowly then upped the treadmill to 7mph. After a little over a minute I gave up, feeling tired. Slowed to 5mph until the clock turned over to the next minute and then I upped the pace again to 7mph. I did this about five times over a period of 10 minutes, and then slowed down and stopped.

Not the greatest overall pace for a 2 mile run, but pushing 7mph for a good chunk and taking just a minute to recover and start again feels quite good. I don’t know much about this intervals malarky, and so I’m basically making it up as I go along. Reading the instructions and then failing dismally, but at least giving it a go!

On that note, I took the children to Tai Kwon Do this afternoon and had to watch Joel get more and more distressed as those around him confidently got things wrong, while he tried as hard as he could to get things right. I really felt for him. In the end he was really upset. He was trying his hardest but couldn’t get it right. Claire, the tutor, was amazing. She recognised what was going on really quickly, and gave Joel some 1:1 training. He was great at the spinning-around-and-kicking action within a few minutes, but it had really knocked him sideways when he watched the others confidently doing their actions – especially when they were doing it wrong (and Claire, to be fair, called them out on it). I can’t help but relate to that lack of confidence sometimes, and I feel it’s my duty to try and make sure that he doesn’t suffer from it in the same way as I have done. By the end of it he was brilliant, and I was really proud of him, but it was hard work nonetheless.

Right, to end the evening, here’s an ORB video I came across earlier. With some luck we’ll get to go and see them later this year. That’s the plan at least.

The Orb “Little Fluffy Clouds” LIVE in London 2013 from The Orb on Vimeo.