The start of the training plan

Monday night training went well with the warm up, we then paired up and did pyramids 1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, 1, then we got to do circuits. I was with Ken and Sonja this week and tried a bit harder this week. I didn’t struggle with any of the circuits this week, we have been told that from Monday it's going to be harder with more butt exercises than we have being doing. I had a rest on Tuesday. Went back to the club on Wednesday, training which was as normal with the warm ups, I am still doing 7 star jumps even though Lydia was there to keep me in check. We then did 1 set 4 minutes and 1 set 6 minutes with 2 minutes rest in between each set i am still doing 6 half lengths of the sport hall in 1 minute just need that extra push to go a bit further to get to 7 lengths. I went out with David on Thursday for a 4 mile flat run from RPA along to Bromopton and back to RPA we did that at a steady pace which was 10 minute mile while David explained my training plan to me and what i should be doing, he said I should be get out a minimum of 4 days per week which included a long run but i can do at any time and double training if I can fit it all in with my busy week. I got out for my long run this week which was 6 miles I was going to do out and back course which was 3 mile each way but I got sick of the cars speeding along and having to jump out of the way. I turned off and went along the road past Sowerby Grange and down Scholla Lane which i did in one hour at steady pace and kept going all the way round without stopping for a rest. I didn’t struggle like two weeks ago when I couldn’t even manage Scholla Hill. I was tired by the time I got to the top of the hill. I chose to go out on Saturday morning before I started work in the charity shop because I was going to my mum's on Sunday to do some decorating for her and I also stopped for my tea. I am still keeping up the milage on my bike.

The Time Trial

With no training on Monday I was glad of the rest after doing the cross country on the Sunday and rest again on the Tuesday so I should be on top form for the time trial. I got to the club on Wednesday and it was warm up run to the train station at Merv’s pace so I was tired before I had even started. I started off and I ran at comfortable pace all the way down to Lidl supermarket hoping to catch Lydia or Marian but I couldn’t catch either one of them. But on the way back to the train station I had to put a lot of effort in to catch Marian up. Marian did set off 1.30 before me so I had a lot time to make up but I over took her just before the train station. I then nearly got wiped out by Gavin and Cameron turning the corner into train station as they were setting off coming out of the train station and thought Lydia had beaten me but found that she was 1 minute behind me which made me happy I did it in 18.30 I was 1 minute slower than in March of this year I did enjoy doing the time trial the other way for a change. I went out on Friday and did some hill work on sandy bank I ran up the hill 10 time with a recover jog down every time for 20 minutes on the footpath from the lamp post to the top of the hill, my legs were hurting me and knew they had done some hill work. I was just getting some practice for the rest of the cross country. I went out on Sunday just for 3 mile flat run in the rain and the wind, the wind was been behind me for the first part of the run and made it slightly harder on the way home I did it in 30 minutes which I was happy with and glad to get out for a change. My cycling as been just 20 mile for a change.

The Wednesday that killed me again

I went to running on Monday to see what Sonja had planned for us to do. We did how normal warm ups and then into the circuit training with different exercises this week for a change. I am still struggling on few of the exercises. I changed one of the exercises to sit ups, we had a new exercise this week where we had to put a ball between our legs, which looked easy but it was very hard. I was beginning to think that Monday nights were getting easier. Because there has been no jogging on the spot for the last two weeks. It was rest day on Tuesday. then it was back to the club on Wednesday with Rob not taking the session and with Sonja doing the session I thought I was going to be in for easy time, but how wrong was I. We did the warm ups and I did the same as Niki, I did 7 star jumps this week for a change as I had Lydia moaning in my ear, then we did 3 sets of 4 minutes with two minutes in between each set. I did 6 half lengths in each set which was great, same as last week. Need to push myself harder to make it to 7 lengths in each set before Christmas. With the amount of people pushing me I think I will get to 7 lengths, hopefully before we finish in the sports hall. Then it was out on Thursday for run after working in the charity shop but David didn’t make it out so I went with John and Annette from RPA, we only did 3 miles on the flat around Northallerton which was good. I did enjoy the run they did make me work harder by going just a bit faster than me. But it was at a comfortable pace. Then I rested until the cross country on Sunday. I am keeping my milage up on my bike I will try to beat Gary one of these days with all this training that I am putting in.

Cross country at Scarborough

I went to Scarborough for the latest cross country fixture it had a mixture of flat and hills in the course. The hills were small but long, enough to kill you after doing four very boring laps around some fields behind McCain oven chip which by the way the smell wasn’t pleasant at all coming from the factory I did each lap in 13 minutes. So I was on for doing the course in 52 minutes but I started too slow on the last lap and the wind didn’t help in places on the course but it stayed dry for the mens race and wished it would be over sooner rather than later that was how boring the course was but the support from the marshalls was brilliant and getting the extra push by Pam and the club chair Ernie at the end was great and I managed to do the course in 54.04 it was a very tough run on grass my legs were killing me by the end. I would have beaten the club captain Gary today had he been at the cross country (only joking) my new of road shoes were brilliant never got any blisters and they were great to run in.

The killer training

After recovering from having a cold (man flu as people like to call it.) I went to run on Monday night we did the warm up and then we had to get into pairs and do a pyramid of 1, 2, 3, 2, 1 across the gym and then we did 2 sets of circuits I still struggled with two of the exercises again but I am getting better, I was glad that we didn’t have to run on the spot. I was glad of the rest on Tuesday, it was then back to the club on Wednesday where did the warm up where I always struggled burpies and I only did about 3 star jumps on each of the circuits. Then we did 2 set of 5 minutes, for the first and last minute of each set I did 7 lengths, but on the rest of the minutes I only managed 6 and a half lengths apart from one were I only did 6 lengths because I was tired and my legs were hurting me. I was trying to keep up with Lydia because she is running really good at the minute and I can’t let her do more lengths that what I can do and when you have got the club chairman and Steve saying you can another half of the sports hall and pushing me to do more. I went out with David, John and Andy from RPA we were going to do 5-6 miles but when David asked me how many miles I had been doing I said that I haven’t been doing many miles so David decided to only do 4 miles up Bullamoor and down Scholla Hill I ran up all the hills and nearly killed myself around the course they are faster than me. I did the route in 40 minutes. I don’t know which was worse Rob’s session or going out on Thursday with David. It was down to the bungee jump at the pub where I went up in the bungee cage, I was bricking going up but once I was up there was a good view of the town centre from 200 feet I was ok coming down. It was a rest day because I was going to do the Richmond Castle 10k but because Jill was ill I couldn’t get to the race so I went on my walking machine for 20 minutes on Sunday I am still keeping my mileage up on the bike I have done 18 miles this week.

The bug that out run me

Monday night training went well with the warm up and straight into the circuit training we only did two nice long sets of circuits which made a change. I was with David and Chris, David was trying to get me to work at the circuit and try harder, but as always I gave up on some of the exercises that always happen with me. Then it was off to get a cold and sore throat Tuesday then on Wednesday I felt even worse but still went to the club and did the warm up and we had 2 sets of 5 minutes with 1 minutes on and minutes off with 2 minutes in between each set I started of well with doing 6 half lengths for the first set but then slowed down on the second set because I was ill and still managed to do 7 lengths in the last 1 minutes. Lydia is running really good and faster than me on wednesday, but I was ill I was trying my new trial shoes which gave me a blister all in preparation for Ampleforth 7 miles on Sunday I was missing the cross country on Sunday because they were happening at the same time then I ended up missing Ampleforth because I got a bug and was full of cold and still felt ill.

The time trial

The week started off well with Monday night training in the gym. We did the warm up as usual then we had to jog on spot for 50 seconds and then a 10 seconds fast, we then jogged for 40 seconds and 20 seconds fast and then we did 30 seconds jog 30 seconds fast which was hard work on the legs then we got in to the circuit and it was the same as last week but only managed to do 2 sets because the first group were going slow so we had to do more and work a bit harder I still struggled on some of the exercises again with my legs hurting from Monday. It was the first time in ages I took a rest day on Tuesday and it was back to the club on Wednesday for more punishment with more circuits to do in the warm up and then it was path bashing down station road with a time trial I set off at good steady pace all the way down station road over took Pam and Marian before turning into the train station I did the first mile in 9 minutes I came out of station and got overtaken my Alan yet again but I couldn’t keep up with him maybe its something to do with the fact Lydia gave me a lift down to Tesco instead of running down as a warm up. It was on the second half that I caught Lydia up and over took but she was running really good I did the second half in 7.34 minute which was 3 seconds slower than in march I went out on Saturday evening just for 3-4 mile run around the town centre with some tempo run on the way home started at Crosby road until I hit Knotto Bottom I have kept my 20 mile cycling up this week all good training for next week 7 mile race at Ampleforth