Yume No Chikara

Wow! I know it feels like a major event that I did a proper run but in fact it wasn't as fantastic as it sounds! Saturday morning - Junior club. There weren't many about (holidays and all that) so I got to play too! I was helping out with the discus. I was given a 380g (yes gram) discus and spent 30 mins of practice throws and actual throws. It was good fun in that irritating "I can do better" way. We then finished off with 4 rounds of dodge ball - revenge is sweet!! Long Run - I use the club session as a warm up and set off for up to 90 mins of walk/run. The watch was set for 23 sets of 3R:1W and off I went. As I was using the GPS I also set my mind to keep my runs to 12-12.30mm pace and managed this fairly well which was pleasing. About 50 mins into the run I noticed my right side (hips, butt, knee) felt iffy in a twisted sort of way. I ignored this and carried on. As the timer passed 1hr (4.3m) sensible head kicked in and I stopped. This left me with 1.5m to walk h

I've had a great week! I've seen Fraggle twice {she's given me some swimming tips so I am keen to try them out (NO idea's of doing a TRI BTW!) for some cross training!} and Gnome and her boys are now firm friends! It was great to see the boys together having fun and looking so happy. The problem this week has been that I have done very little running! I've been reading until midnight (Kelly Holmes book just now!) and Gnome has then joined me in my bed talking by 7AM! This week I have done 2 runs which have been slow (12-13mm) of 2m each. The first was 1.75m before I walked! (HR went to 199 up the hill on the 2nd lap!) and the second was 2m of running. I just wanted to plod along and see what happened as I was also worried my legs had started to think that running meant walk/run! Good news is these runs were totally on the road and no pains! The leg thing was odd ... there was the cramp thing which I think was dehydration related if I am honest and then there was the

Well since i last spoke my bone scan report has come back clear and the Dr has said she can zap me nose to stop it bleeding! Gnome's bedroom has been finished - great cross training for 2-4hrs each day since Sunday! He also turned 8 today so we visited Cadbury World! Yummy is all I can say! Now for the reason behind the hmmmmmm In Feb I had a stress fracture/reaction diagnosed by the physio and a BUPA sports consultant. 8 wks off running (loads of cycling) and I trotted round FLM in 6hrs46 After 2 weeks off I started a walk run program and things were going great! I had an easy week the week before last as I was shattered from life. Last week wasn't much better. This week I haven't run since sunday due to painting related activities which has proved great cross training! Today I have noticed that the leg that was bad in Feb is iffy. Walking home from the villiage (10mins each way) I got a slight cramp like feeling at the back of my knee on the top outside edge of the calf.

so won't be around much these next 2 weeks. DEXA results tomorrow I hope - will report on those. Gnome's bedroom almost done I'm knackered (so why still up?) Oh and Trailwalker 2006 - it WILL BE DONE!

hello Lisa from Australia!

I was 3 when my mother left - I dont remember much but I do remember things. I remember my dad stood at the front door and my mum holding my hand jsut 4ft away. She wouldn't let me get my teddy. She wouldn't let go of my hand. She said it was daddy's fault I didn't have my teddy. Daddy should have packed it. I remember a new uncle coming round a lot. He always had a pad of paper and a pen. He wore a suit and always asked lots of questions about how we were. We being my older sister and I. I remember being left alone in the house whilst she chatted on the phone. I climbed on the kitchen sides as I was hungry and she wasn't listening to me. I ate a pot of multi-vitamin tablets thinking they were smarties. Daddy found the empty packet and took me to casualty. I remember my mother taking me for a walk - 1/2m down the road. She used the phone box. It was one of the old red ones. It's still there now. She made a call and left me outside for over half an hour. I rememb

Got home early yesterday due to Gnome watch and at first he didn't want to go swimming. So I pottered round the garden and mowed the lawns (sweat dripping off face etc) and only then did he decide that YES he did want a swim! Well off we went as did half of the county! We use the training pool (90cm deep max) as he is still getting the hang of this swimming malarky and normally I get to do some swimming and pool jogging and exercises. Today is really busy and full of kids like Gnome, parents and teenagers who think it is more fun to mess about in this pool that the main pool. The life guards seemed blind to this! Needless to say I got no swimming done so spent an hour wading about and "walking" on my knees. Still no running though :-( still tired :-( thank god tomotrrow is my last day of work for 2 weeks, hopefully I will regain some energy!

As a follow on to something that Beanz said on her blog.... club. I do enjoy club and running with other did make me faster but also I got injured. How much the club and the injury are linked I don't know. At present I am not going to club as I know there is no-one slow there for me. I haven't even been to the last 2 commitee meetings. I'm thinking of resigning from the commitee mid year and not returning to club for a while but maintaining my membership (reduced entries and all that!). Everyone knows everyone and they have all been there for years and not exactly being a socible pixie (I don't do large gatherings) I do wonder what to do. I now have Spans coaching me and I have the tready. I did want the club's most improved award this year but with not going and not racing I won't get that. What do you think? PS anyone else noticed that the colours and size options have gone!

... just said something on the forums that made me think. " realise that you are now an athlete (as opposed to a sedentary person) so start to think accordingly. You'll not only get "there", you'll be glad you did. So I went to Google ... Definitions of athlete on the Web: a person trained to compete in sports

tomatoes and cucumbers the odd strawberry and raspberry too! I'm amazed at the fact I have managed to achive this and Gnome has loved it! We've had carrots and spinach and radishes and lettuces too! Oh and the courgette plants are HUGE!!! I think next year will have a more organised approach and more grown as it's great to see them grow and to PIY - gnome does a daily "veggie patrol" to review how things are going too which I think is good for him. He's also getting more interested in the wildlife having seen Spring Watch on the BBC which is brilliant! Next week is his burpday - he's 8! We're going the the National Train Museum in York and then we will spend some time back home in Berkshire as daddy is working nights so us being away will let him get some sleep (assuming he isn't too hot to sleep due to the recent weather!)

Following on from Sunday's fun run I rested on Monday and then prepared to hit week 7 of the Spans Plan It read: Steady Run 45mins -> 10mins ratio 5 run: 1 walk -> 20mins run -> 10mins ratio 5 run: 1 walk Easy she thinks and drags butt out off bed to the tready. Gnome had decided to get up at 6 which wasn't part of the plan and I was on the tready by 6.30. I did: 1min walk warm up 5mins run (7.5km for runs) 1mins walk 5mins run 1min walk 1min stretch 10mins run 5mins walk sulk sulk strop shower My legs felt like lead, they were heavy and tried my HR was high too, topping 189 by the end of the 10mins run (193 is what I get doing intervals so this is high). Gnome had decided to join me on the exercise bike and was distracting me and I gave up. I was really annoyed at giving up. (Gnome did 11mins on the exercise bike and declared he had done 11miles!) This morning I have woken up with a sore clammy throat, stiff all over (especially my back when I first got up) and a head

Yep I went out today to have fun. I did wear my HRM/GPS but didn't check the time when I left (just hit the stopwatch button) and stuck it on HR only. So off I went, and I ran when I ran and walked when I walked. Previous long runs have been 3:1 and steady runs 5:1. Today I ran for longer and walked for as long as I wanted; up the hills, listening to the birds, watching the rabbits and generally taking in the views! I saw more of life today than normal and it was fun! I had no plan, no time limit, no route mapped just my phone for music and a bottle of water (it may have been 6:30 when I left but it was still hot!) I even had a couple of "efforts" after almost an hour, just because I could! I really enjoyed myself! Last week - 80mins and under 5m, today 80mins, having fun felt soooo much better than last week and dspite probably walking as much I did 5.5m and finished with a smile on my face! (and a bruised arm from the friendly dog who wanted to play!) I've decided

Yep despite the sadness of the last few days it seems that the summer is back (for a few days!) so we will get on with life and we won't let those vile people think that they can ruin our lives. I also want to leave a few hugs about for Cath and Rob. Right so what's been happening - well this week I have been totally shattered; V-Rap, Bear and Wild Will all said I had dropped my calories too low, so I've increased them again! As I said the other day I've been having a slower week - err like I didn't run from Tuesday until today! Today I ran with no walking apart from climbing over a sty and walking down the steep nettle and brambled line drop to the Ivanhoe Way! I ran to the leisure centre (1m) in 12 mins then pottered with the kids then ran home (13mins but up hill!) I was going to make it a longer run but decided it was too hot! Got home and had a drink then walked to the butchers (10 mins each way), home, lunch, library the 1hr in the pool with the Gnome and fina

After the joy and excitement of yesterday, Great Britain was brought back down to earth with a thud. Our great capital was hit by bombs causing hurt, pain, death, chaos and destruction. The emergancy services did us proud and managed the whole incident with calm and composure. The RW forum showed it's true colours by doing roll calls and offering help, assistence and beds to it's members. I'm glad I gave blood last week.

Yes indeed! It's True! The Olympics are coming home!! The Home of the Modern Olympics is here in Great Britain!!

........ well??? Roll on 12:30 ... Paris or London or New York, Madrid or Moscow ...... The 2012 Olympics will be hosted by ..... LONDON!!!!!

Schedule said 50mins 5:1 stready run. Given my speedwork pace has increased I decided to do this at 8km instead of 7.5km. After 4 sets I gave up. My HR was all over the place (Max 190 - speedwork max 193) and I almost fell off the tready twice! Which was odd cos the pace felt OK apart from the fact I was clock watching after 2 mins on each set! So I decided to call it quits for safety reasons! So lets review - The last few days (before Friday's blood zapping) I've been saying "I'm tired". Sunday's run was a mare and today I quit. So I am going to make this a step back week and just do some short runs sticking to walk run but not the plan. Then next week I will start with week 7 properly and hopefully with some energy! Also the hossie was well on time! In fact I was there early and went straight in! Nursey weighed me and it read 4kg less than what the scales said at the beginning of my Get Fit For Life course which is well cool! The scan results will be with th

Well got home from work and the school run and I was tired. I put the "rest or run" vote to the FFF gang and got told "marathon runners go to bed tired and wake up tired" and reminded of my GFA target! So I looked out of the window and watched the rain run down the pain and put on my kit. Plan was to take Gnome to BB then if the rain had stopped to run or if the rain persisted to drive to BB and use the local gym (I still have passes from when I was injured!) and then pick him up and drive home. It rained and rained so off to the gym I went. Tready in use ... damn (why did I go to the gym and not drive home?). So I decided to make the most of being in a gym and cross train. So 15 mins on the stepper and then I used all the weights machines (small gym so this means upper body only and 3 machines! + leg extensions!), with 3 sets on each then some abs work then some free weights then a cool down on the bike. Me finks me upper body may complain tomorrow!! Tomorrow I a

1) Drink too much vino the night before a long run. 2) Don't drink enough water to counteract above vino. 3) Give blood two days before long run. 4) Forget to eat breakfast. 5) Run at mid day when it's hot. Result - exhuasted pixie and probably the worst run of the year! Definatley the worst since FLM. 80mins 2-3 stops for stretching tight calves, 2-3 walked sets as HR up (err that'll be the wine!) and too hot and legs too tired so total of just 5m in 80 mins which is 5mins longer and 1m shorter than last week! So I get home down a bottle of lucozade with a High 5 Recovery bar and take Gnome swimming! 70 mins in the pool (mainly stretching and floating for me but a bit of swimming) and Gnome finally cracks the jumping off the side of the pool from standing (without holding on) and swims a whole width. Very happy Gnome. Very tired pixie - roast Lamb and one bottle of red tonight!

Today I am tired, as in falling asleep on the sofa and doing bugger and all all day tired. Watched most of Live8 and between the two of us we downed two bottles of wine! Thats about it for today!

Rest day today due to being a good pixie and giving blood! I also picked up a leaflet on Platelet donation but suspect that will be too much of a commitment as they look for donations 8-10 times a year. Grandma had a blood transfusion when she had her hip replaced so I know how important blood is. Also mum has a weak heart valve and will need it replacing in the next few years (5 max I think) so I am very aware of the need for blood. Add I am O RH+ and that 83% of peeps can use my blood then yes it should be done. We'll see.