Mostaverage's Blog

1 Year of consistent logging, a brief summary -

Tue, 25 Dec 2012 21:35:18 GMT

1Year of consistent logging, a brief summary -

Merry Christmas !

Today I have logged my 365 day streak on MFP. It marks a year of daily logging, measuring, monitoring and planning. It also marks the 2 year point in my weight loss/ fitness journey. A journey I suspect will never truly end…and I'm ok with that.

Here's a few stats from the past year…

Weight lost - 40lbs

Run - 560km 58,297 cals

Bike - 740km 39,677 cals

Walk - 278km 28,977 cals

Football 28,488 cals

Gym work 54,138 cals

That's a workout time of 381hours & 46 minutes !!

Here's to another successful year for all of us.

:-)

Cheers

Andy

Maerthin Training - Day 3

Thu, 04 Oct 2012 09:14:42 GMT

Week ? Day 3

Distance : 6.39 miles

Time : 68 mins

Avge pace : 10.45 mins/mile

Heart Avge/Hi 127 / 143

Calories : 902

When was the last run I did as training? Can't remember...been really nervous about my knee, I did not want to run on it and risk a more serious injury. Did the Parkrun 5k last Saturday and it was ok, not right, but ok. Played an hour of football on tuesday and it was totally fine so I though, lets just give it a try.

Up and at 'em early 'O' Clock (just after 7), a light frost covering the windscreens and sheltered grass, fresh fresh fresh. Sun was just peeking it's lazy eye over the horizon, casting it's warming rays to those that are up and ready to receive them.

I reverse my hill training route, just for the hell of it, this takes me down the A725 dual carriageway, packed with commuters, moving at a snails pace. Well I say snails pace, moving at an overweight joggers pace would be more accurate. Knee is feeling ok, it's still not right but I haven't had that inflating baloon feeling inside the joint so I keep on keeping on.

At the bottom of the hill I head into Strathclyde park where I am treated to the spectacular sight of the fresh new sun shining through the mist rising off the glass-like water, the only ripples on the water are caused by the swans taking their early morning swim. Quite stunning.

I pause for a moment to take a photo and have a drink, I know I should be running running running but if you can't pause for a moment to appreciate natures beauty then maybe I'm not a real runner.

It's a bit of a slog back to the house, the knee is grumbling intermitently but my level of concern is dropping with every km, a few other muscles are grumbling as I get to the 8th km but I expect that to happen as I havent been up to this distance for a month.

Back home, not limping, showered, shaved, laundry on & briming with hot porridge & caramel latte - it's only just after 9. Sweeeeet !!

If only all run days can be as good as this...

Why treadmills suck

[ img ] http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8031/8053024602_6d6c065a93_z.jpg [ /img ]

Maerthin training W1D2

Fri, 21 Sep 2012 08:26:33 GMT

Week 1 Day 2

Distance : 3.2 miles

Time : 32 mins

Avge pace : 10.21 mins/mile

Heart Avge/Hi 130 / 154

Calories : 450

Summary: Burrrrrrr! First frost of the autumn and I'm out at 7.30 in the morning "warming up" - I love running on a morning like this, once you get moving and your body temp comes up it's really refreshing. Today was slightly different in that I struggled, it's only 5k distance but I was 4 minutes slower over that distance than I would have expected. No matter, getting the body used to doing higher mileage is what this process is about & on day 2 my body is already starting to grumble :-( Feeling a pressure build up in my right knee which is rather worrying. Hopefully it will just be a one-off because I didnt warm up properly or stretch yesterday or it was a byproduct of the cold weather and me still running in shorts.

Note to self: get your running tights back out of the cupboard or wear thermal undercrackers, the alternative is very unflattering :(

Maerthin training W1D1

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 13:18:45 GMT

Going to try keep this blog updated after every run on my journey to the Edinburgh Marathon 2013, I won't be as verbose as usual as I guess it will be pretty repetative - I'll post the stats and a quick summary I feel.

I plan on following Hal Gigdon's intermediate 1 marathon training plan....with a few alterations. I will replace the Tuesday run with the 60 minutes of football (soccer) I play on a Tuesday evening, I typically cover about the right amount of mileage plus it counts toward fartlek training too as there is huge variations in speed work throughout the game.

I might also have to rejig some of the days for the longer run to keep my Saturday parkrun 5k regular...we'll see how it goes. Shall we?

Week 1 Day 1

Distance : 5 miles

Time : 53 mins

Avge pace : 10.32 mins/mile

Heart Avge/Hi 131 / 144

Calories : 740

Summary: Weather was horrid, constant rain, chilly winds and rivers running down the pavements : all in all miserable to start with but fine once you get warmed up :) Still loaded with the cold so breathing was way off and meant I wasn't feeling in tip top shape. Once into my rhythm I was good, coughing and spluttering aside, legs strong and pacing good. A strong start to a long journey.

Bridge to 10k - The Great Scottish Run!

Mon, 03 Sep 2012 10:25:26 GMT

Well it's the day after The Great Scottish Run, a day which for me was a great success. My first organised distance run & my first event of this size - 25,000 runners, or near as damn it, taking part in either the 10k route or the Half Marathon. I was doing the 10k & my son was tackling his first half marathon - a brave choice considering he has never run beyond 10k !

I was up early with pre-event nerves & excitement, got my kit on and had my porridge, a big bowl with lots of sweeet stuff in :)

It took longer to get parked in the city as there was some sort of event on and parking was scarce for a Sunday (next time I'll leave earlier and note that roads will of course be closed - dhuh!) Even with that mild parking panic I was there with 30 minutes til muster time, I was in the green group which means I would be in the 3rd wave to start. I have never seen George Sq in Glasgow so busy, there were thousands of people there, runners, family, security, event staff - a mass of bodies. Loud music was playing and the event hype man was getting the crowd going with the ususal rousing cheerleading. The Olympic rings are still on display in the square so my lad I got some photos taken before we all went our seperate ways. My race was a few minutes away while his would be an hour & a half later. I arranged with Carolyn where I would be on the start line and what side of the road to run on and then headed off to the muster point, which was now very busy, full of excited chatter, some nervous faces and varies limbs being thrown in the air or stretched against various objects.

The time flew by in the slowest possible manner and I wanted to get started, the horn went off and the first wave departed, raising the heartrate and the nervous anticipation of the crowd. The next group started walking forward to the start line and were set off 5 minutes after the first group, such was the size of the group though that the people at the front of the line were off and running before the guys at the back had stopped walking, so the ones at the back had an extra couple of hundred meters to run to get to the start line, to start running ! Green group was up next and I managed to elbow and jostle my way to the front, we got held back for a few minutes while Dougie Vipond (TV Presenter) did a piece to camera for a new tv show and our job was to give a rousing cheer at the end, which we duly obliged with - so there's a chance I'll be on the telly !

The 10 second countdown saw my nerves disapear to be replaced with a sense of joy and eagerness, you only get one forst time and I was feeling great , well prepared and ready. GO !!!!!

The crouds along the start route were cheering, clapping and making a lot of noise which really helped make the event feel special. The start took us along St Vincent street & straight up a hill, which a few of my fellow runners elected to walk up...I didn't, I ran it, and I enjoyed the sensation of running up the middle of a 3 lane, one way street, safe from traffic - you don't get to do that normally. There was a huge range of runners around me, lithe super-fit, some clydesdales, all shapes sizes, colours, religions and each with their own motivations and reasons to be there, quite an amazing feeling.

The route took us through Finnieston, down towards the clyde the up and over the Kingston Bridge, which is a vehicle only section of the Motorway. That was a unique experience so I took a few snapshots with my phone as I jogged along, might never get the chance to take a photo from up there again !

I was very much settled into an easy pace and had stopped being overtaken by loads of runners, I was starting to pass through the crowd and noticed quite a few people walking and taking a breather. I was suprised by how little chat there was, the atmosphere from the spectators along the way was great but there was nothing going on within the runners - not sure I expected a party but I thought there would be a bit of banter and encouragement within the pack. Everyone must just have been getting on with their own run I suppose, there was one point where a runner tripped and fell but was lifted back on to her feet by two runners almost before she hit the ground, no injury sustained thankfully! We had several musical interludes to keep us entertained on the route, several small bands , pipers and drum groups played to the runners and I found the drum groups particularly uplifting, put an extra spring in your step.

As I got to the last 3rd of the route the pack of runners started bunching up a bit and there was less free space to run in so we started to spill out of the coned off sections and took to the pavements, the traffic lanes that weren't closed and wherever there was space to fill - I had been going at a very comfy pace and decided to finish strong, lit the afterburners and moved the pace up. It got my heart rate up and it also felt pretty good overtaking and running past so many other runners, fed my competetive side and got the legs loosened up. Before I knew it I was on the last km and the runners were being routed towards Glasgow Green and the finish line, a quick call to Carolyn to tell her I was nearly done and to find out which side of the path to be on for photos and I attempted to sprint finish. Virtually impossible to do due to the number of people being funnelled into a narrow run wa and the timing boards but I made as good a job of it as space allowed and crossed the line in 56.05 - a PB but also my first timed 10k.!

I collected my finishers medal and my goody bag, banana & water and headed off to find Carolyn in the massive crowd. With my medal in hand I felt quite emotional and I'm still not exactly sure why..I really didn't expect that.

It was 10.40 and my son was due to start in the first wave, in George Sq at 11 prompt, so after I met up with Carolyn & got a super-hug, I nabbed her camera and had to run back to the start line to try to catch the wee man start his half marathon. I got there with minutes to spare and had to go way up the street to find a spot to get a view - just in time to catch the start and for C`s batteries to die on me! buggerbuggerbugger. Just as well I had my phone! Caught him in the pack and then jogged back to meet C again.

So my first timed 10k was a great experience, I didn't struggle at any point, finished strongly, got unexpectedly emotional and then ran another few km to catch the start of the HM. The organisation I found to be first class, everything was easy to get to, to find and nothing was overly regimented or over bearing. The weather was perfect for me and the public & crowd were great & very supportive. When I got to costa's for a coffeee & got on my phone I saw how many messages and comments I received on MFP and was blown away with the level of support and good wishes I had received, it was quite staggering. Humbling. Little old average me, internet famous for 5 minutes, amazing, just amazing.

So now I need some new targets, I need to set myself some fresh benchmarks line up a few new goals.

I'm going to do the Great Scottish Run again next year, I've pre-registered and once the race registration opens up I will be signing up for the Half Marathon....but that's a year away....so I'm going to sign up for the Edinburgh Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in April'13 and start my training towards that. If all goes well and I'm feeling the love for running then I might push towards the Edinburgh Marathon in June next year. Maybe just maybe I can achieve more than I think I can...... I know I have the support of my family and my MFPals behind me..and that counts for so much more than I can say.

PS - My son completed his first half marathon in 2:23:38 , a time which he isn't happy with but I am immensely proud of.

Bridge to 10k - Update - The eve !

Sat, 01 Sep 2012 19:09:42 GMT

Here I sit on the eve of The Great Scottish Run, I will be taking my first few paces of my first organised 10k race at around 9.30 tomorrow morning. Just me and about 15,000 other people !

Currently I am excited, a wee bit of nervous excitement in there too but i am totally confident that I will finish. I have run 10k distances a few times now and on the last one I sprint raced (and lost to) my 19 year old son on the last kilometer and still felt like I had some legs left to go farther.

I don't really care what time I do, I want to run the whole way and I want to enjoy the experience, I want to chat with my fellow runners as i jog along and soak in the whole atmosphere. You only get one first time after all!

I look back on the journey that got me to this point and I am slightly bewildered as to how different a person I am now, physically & mentally. I wish I could go back in time and give myslef a shake, tell me that I should get it into gear and take care of myself while I am younger - then i could be sitting typing this on the eve of a Marathon, or an Iron Man ! Better late than never I suppose!

So tomorrow marks the end of one journey - I am in the best physical shape I have ever been in, in my life. I am not yet where I want to be though...I want to lose another 28-30 pounds (variable depending on feel & look) of body fat and I will need to set some fresh fitness goals. I have achieved 2 of the 4 I set myself for this year - 10k run & try a triathlon. I've still to achieve a centruy bike ride and be able to climb Ben Nevis with relative ease. I will carry those 2 forward to next year.

Tomorrow is the start of a fresh new journey - I wonder where it will take me and what I will feel like & look like at the end of it?

For all my MFPals that have advised me, supported me & shared in my triumphs - I thank you & I look forward to your company on my next journey to target weight and super-fitness :-D

F**k YOU DEMENTIA!

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 10:35:18 GMT

***This is a rant***

Fking mental illness, fck fck fck!

I'm a full time carer for my father in law, who has lived with us for a year. He has parkinson's and some form of dementia.

Today I was supposed to take my 19yr old son to Hampden Park Glasgow for a once-in-a-lifetime-only chance to watch Honduras play football as part of the 2012 Olympics...I would also get to see Spain play later on too.

Father-in-law woke up in a foul mood today, it happens to us all, and instead of waiting for the healthcare woman to acome to shower him he decides he'll do it himself. Typically I'd be there to talk him out of it and remind him that he can't do that anymore without putting himself at massive risk. I had however gone out for a short run, half an hour only, after giving him his breakfast and morning meds. He took that small window of opportunity to strip, shower & dress himself, luckily without falling, that's the impatient personality trait. The dementia part stops the logical thought proces of "I want to shower " "I cant do that myself, I need to wait". It breaks the link between those two thoughts. So I come back in from my run to find him half dressed, still soggy and with a couldn't care less attitude to the whole thing.

My afternoon out is now cancelled, the day is completely ruined and i am left with a confusing mix of emotions, anger, disapointment, sadness and no small amount of shame because I feel this way about a man with a mental illness that isn't in total control of his actions.

Father-in-law is happily sleeping in his chair.

f**k you dementia, just f**k you five way til tuesday

Traversing the Bridge to 10k - W5D3 - Completion !!!

Tue, 22 May 2012 10:17:16 GMT

Tue 22nd May, 7.05am

Duration - 62 mins

Distance - 10 kilometer point 1 3

Avge Pace - 9.57 min mile

Calories - 1044 cals.

A week on holiday doing little training, a couple of C25K runs and unhealthy eating choices. 11 days since my last B210K run, this is going to hurt.

1st Interval - Run 30 minutes. Early start as I have a busy day ahead, my daughters birthday and I have dinner for 10 to make. Streets are empty, roads are quiet the weather is going to be hot but right now its perfect. I go through the warmup routine with a mild feeling of trepidation, I will give this a go - try to run the 2 intervals but I expect that I will have to do more walking than the 1 minute allows. Aaaaand we're off... I settle in to a ryhthm quite quickly which is a nice surprise, the playlist is in co-operative mood today, Richie Blackmore's Rainbow with "Can't happen here" being a great paced old skool rock classic that brings a smile to my lips as the tummy, back & leg muscles all get bounced into their running positions. The route I have chosen this morning is flat & smooth along the main street for a couple of k and then a long slow gradual downward slope for about 3k. This allows me to keep my pace up slightly faster that I would do on a typically flat route. I have to stop at a few road junctions to let the traffic pass - that's not cheating is it? Surely not. I get back into my stride very quickly after these minor interuptions and I feel heavy on my legs, not the legs themselves but my upper body - all the bad food choices making themselves felt I suspect. The audio queues from endomondo make me aware that a sub 30 minute 5k could be on the cards but only if I keep the pace moving along. The playlist obliges with some on-pace tracks and I get the glad tidings in my ears 5k in 30 minutes - Awesome! I have allready started heading back up the road I have just come down when the walk trigger goes, a most welcome sound!

2nd Interval - Run 30 minutes. My genius plan to run downhill for 3k has helped me get a 30 minute 5k which has really boosted my morale. This may sound daft, but I just realise at this point that I have to run that 3k back up the hill in the second half. Oh well, I think, I guess the training now will pay off in the long run, train hard - fight easy! I calculate that my pace will be much slower as I am going up hill and starting to get tired and sore but I still hope to get up to 9k distance, an improvement over my last run and closer to the goal. Heart rate is much higher on the way back than it was on the way out and I am starting to overheat and get headachey - no breakfast you see, should of had my porridge first! The playlist of requirements lets Bob pop in to lend his support, a very welcome return and bang on what I wanted/needed & 7 minutes pass by more pleasantly than it otherwise would have done. I'm over halfway back up the hill and aching, feeling the difference the gradient is making but I'm not entertaining any notions of packing in. I am actually feeling stronger than I had expected to and start to consider the posibility of going long on the run, going for the distance no matter how much extra time is needed. I am desperate for a car queue or cyclist to be at any junction so I can legitimately stop for a second but not a single one obliged, not one, in rush hour! What the hell? Up and over the hill and back on the flat once again, fantastic, I feel a blister starting on my right foot, my knees and ankles are in great shape and the main area of complaint is the leg/pelvis joint feeling really tight - that would be the adductor & abductor weights machines I did last night! Endomondo tells me that I have reached 8k and there's still about 10 minutes left to go - I may be able to do this! I skip a couple of off-pace tracks and sink into +44's "155" and lengthen my stride a little bit, I have to concentrate much more on holding my body correctly, to maintain form. Tiredness is really starting to hit, I've finished my water and the heache is building along with the temperature. I will not be beaten today - I am going to go for the 10k, I am going to do this, no matter what the time is. Once the cooldown instruction goes I'm going to ignore it and keep going til I hit 10k. Tired, sore, blistered, hot, headache and total elation when endomondo says "10k in. 60 minutes" I break out in a huge grin and it has only just set in my face when the begin your cooldown trigger goes - EPIC ! I Did it, I ran 10 k - sure the run was interupted on the way down with traffic and there was the 1 minute walk break but I still count this as completion. 10k covered, 3k in one up hill slope and I did it. I can still surprise myself sometimes.

Completion - Well what now? 10k I think is long enough for me, at least for a long while. I shall work on setting a consistant 10k time and some 5k times too at my local parkrun. I have a 10k in September that I want to do and my aim is to do it within the hour and feel strong the whole way round. I am truly delighted with what I have achieved this morning and in the year up to this point. I am a new man, over 5 stone lighter, unquantifiably fitter, healthier and happier than I ever have been before.

For anyone reading this and thinking "I can never do that" I say - If you have a desire to do so then you can do it, all you need to do is the hardest part - believe in yourself and make a start.

Good luck.

Traversing the Bridge to 10k - W5D2

Fri, 11 May 2012 14:12:24 GMT

Fri 11th May, 10.15am

Duration - 52 mins

Distance 5 miles

Avge Pace - 10.26 min mile

Calories - 860 cals.

Battling a bad head, relative time dilation and nipple chafe...

What a weird run, I had rest(ive) days since the last biggie, except the football, 2 gym visits, 2 swims and last nights couch to 5k week 5 day 3 (the 20 minute no break day) that I paced my Wife through, of course. I felt bright enough when I got up & was going to head out at early o'clock but the weather was , much like me, wet & windy, so I thought I'd wait til after the porridge had settled and give the rain a chance to clear. The rain however was not a fan of the plan and decided it was here for the day. No matter, I (quite) like running in the rain and I have a waterproof cycling jacket and my ever faithful running tights. I wasn't sure of my distances for these intervals and I wanted to try some of the 10k route I have planned for my graduation day, so off to Strathclyde park I headed...in the rain, well I guess it will keep the traffic to a minimum!

1st Interval - Run 25mins. The last run felt relatively easy and I feel fine so this should be the same....so I thought as I drove to the park. The post warmup run signal chimes and I break into my zombie-esque unbalanced shamble, hoping the proper form will come along early. I have swapped my trusty 155 playlist in favour of a fat2fit radio podcast hoping to pick up some handy tips as I travel from fat 2 fit . I do like their podcst but someone chatting in my ears is in no way as settling or diverting as Bob & Brian have been in previous runs and my head hasn't gotten into this run yet. It's very wet and the wind is cold, my body is warm and my legs are fine once up to temperature but my head keeps telling me that I should be indoors with a hot coffee, playing xbox instead. My body has found it's natural rhythm and all the usual muscles and joints are grumbling about the punishment, I'm used to that by this stage and as long as theres no pain I know I'm ok to keep going. Bits will get tight and then relax as the run goes on - what I can't get right is my head. My brain does not want to be out here today and it's pissing me off - a quick change back to the music doesn't solve it but at least I can get my pacing back on track. What I have going on here is the classic Angel & Demon on the shoulders routine, with the brain being the demon & the body taking on the angel role, fortunately the angel holds the key to the willpower cage and is keeping it fed. The section of route I have come along is new to me and will make up part of my 10k route, it's shorter than I thought so I'll have to rework the route, these thoughts mute the demon for a while. I decide to push through this malaise, when the walk comman goes I will ignore it, I decide. I will run the full 50 (+1) minutes so I have a much better idea of how far on or off track I am for graduating next week. Alll I need to do is ignore the walk command and keep going, the path is flat from here to the finish and I'm in reasonable physical shape, demon not withstanding, so I should be good. WALK

I walk.

2nd Interval - Run 25mins - In all honesty I am glad I caved in and did the 60 second walk as I really needed the breather. I'm at the back loop of the loch and this next section is the back straight, completely flat and you can see the car park the whole way along. It's my favourite part of the path as it's more open and exposed and airy. The rain has stopped and the clouds are breaking up a little bit, the wind is still harsh but mostly behind me now so it's less effort. A couple of good paced tracks come on, I can't remember which ones, but I manage to sink into a steady beat and feel like I am settling into a run now. It's at no point comfortable today but this point is the best bit with less soreness, no rain in the face, better sounds and a much more muted demon. The sun is peeking through the clouds here and again & I am starting to overheat a little - the cycling jacket I am wearing is 100% waterproof, in the safe way as, say, a bin-bag is 100% waterproof. It does not allow moisture to pass from one side of the garment to the other, in any circumstances, the material is the border guard to the moisture's passportless traveller. I am probably wetter on the inside than if I had not worn any jacket at all! I strip the jacket off and enjoy the breeze through my wicking running top, I immediately feel better and more comfortable, still tired and sore but better. There is a very unfortunate side effect that occurs to the formerly large gentleman's moob area when heat is suddenly replaced with cold, a certain...<ahem>...non-muscle stiffening occurs and the <cough> bouncing action of said gentleman's moob causes chafing and ultimately a high level of discomfort and mild bloodloss. This hurts like a veritable bizatch! I will have to use sticking plasters, gaffa tape or a sports bra or something because I aint going through this again....ohhhhh the shower afterwards....ohh the memories, the mamories....<sobs> I put the jacket back on but it's like rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic, the damage is done and I just have to keep moving forward. Very tired, very sore, no Bob and a Demon on my shoulder telling me that I can't. I'm back at the car and I must be finished by now but the Ladie's voice hasnt given me permission to stop yet, I check my watch - that's no use as I didn't reset my timer for the 2nd interval. I check the app on my Iphone, 70 seconds left to do so I lap the carpark. 70 seconds stretch to what feels like an hour before that sweet sweet voice whispers soothingly ,but with a tinge of over-self satisfaction, "Begin your cooldown!" .at. .last. The quickest stretch possible and into the car for a heat, a quick check round the car for empty coffee cups that I could use as a makeshift moob protector proves fruitless. I want to go home. I did not like today, but my angel beat my demon.

I need to take proper rest days I think, I want to be the guy that can run every day, hit the gym afterwards and then swim home....or something like that, maybe change the order a bit. I am not that guy though, well not yet. As I sit here typing up this self indulgent rubbish my body is telling me I have gone too far, too quickly. Achilles tendons are tight and burny, ankles and knee joints feel fluidy and my lower back is sternly complaining to management. I am still the same kid that grew up in a sweet shop (literally) only this time it's calorie burning rather than consuming, healthier but still imbalanced. I need to find that balance.

Traversing the Bridge to 10k - W5D1

Sat, 05 May 2012 17:17:17 GMT

Sat 5th May, 10.00am

Duration - 45 mins

Distance 4.56 miles

Avge Pace - 10.06 min mile

Calories - 730 cals (est)

And so the "run-in" to the 10k begins...haha, see what I did there? Week 5 breaks the 3 intervals routine that I have become used to and drops to 2 intervals, separated by a 1 minute walk. Day 1 looks like an easier day - 2 x 22 minutes rather than 3 x 18..that's 10 minutes less running - sweet!

HRM lost sync again so cals are off, using endomondo estimates as better than nothing, on the plus side - Bob was back with impecable timing :) Started endomondo tracking just after warmup and before cooldown, so it's more accurate pacing and distance logged.

1st Interval - Run 22 mins. I gave my porridge and coffee time to settle while looking out at a big blue sky, home to a warm yellow sun quickly melting away the overnight frost. I decide to go sans tights and rock the bare leg look, don't want to be overheating when the temperature rises. Air temperature is still on the cool side as I do my dynamic stretching in the back garden, i'm sure it will warm up quickly as there isn't a cloud in the sky....well apart from that huge bank of grey cloud that's just crept in behind me. Bugger. We're off! I expect to be sore and heavy having only had 1 rest day and having done that everest-esque ascent on Thursday but, surprisingly, I quickly find my rythmn and the legs are feeling pretty good! The playlist is helping by feeding me my on-pace songs and I decide to up my speed. It's going top be a short one today, I reason, so go at it faster than usual & try to cover more ground. The route is mostly flatish, with a few low gradient ups and downs and it all feels pretty comfortable especially on the slight downhill gradients where I can stretch out the legs with an increased stride. Lovely! Although the interval is 4 minutes longer than before I'm still not ready for the walk break but I follow the instructio and take the 60 seconds to have some water. That felt......easy?

2nd Interval - Run 22mins - Ok, I don't like the walk break anymore, I feel stiff and heavy after the walk and I would rather have just kept on with the running. I trust in the program but the walk today felt counter productive. My pace feels a bit slower for the second half but I guess that's normal, I'm going to feel more tired than at the outset. I get a wee ego boost when I hear the 5k mark was passed after 30 mins & 20 seconds and as that included 60 seconds of walking, it means a sub 30 minute 5k - faster than usual. Weeee! I'm back near home again and as my watch HRM has lost sync the timer is showing duff info, I have no real idea how long I have left to run and I don't want to dig out my Iphone to check, as it knocks me off balance. I'm circling the house so I'm nearby when I'm finished and with about 10 minutes left I'm starting to feel tired. Bob chips in on the playlist and I know i'm on easy street - 7 minutes of easy going - perfect. The sunshine that was so promising 40 minutes ago has long since been replaced with a wall of high level grey-white clouds with virtually no breaks between...keeps the temperature down I suppose but i was looking forward to getting some rays while I was out. Would certainly have helped the Jamaican vibe that was going on in my head. Pace is down to my usual closing speed but no real aches or pains, which is good, I will have to go easier next time out, to do the extra time without struggling but that's for another day. This one is ending, strongly, tired but feeling really good. More days like this please !

Week 5 Day 1 - Awwwww yeeeaaaaaahhhh!