Week 4 - That's Lyth

Monday, 22 January

Strength and conditioning session today followed straight away by a tough altitude spin session . Really did feel those squats!

Tuesday, 23 January

I have no van at the minute as it’s in having a new gearbox (yikes, expensive!) so I’m having to find alternative ways of getting home from the train station.  Today I decided to run home.  I wasn’t looking forward to this as I really dislike road running nowadays.  I ran around the back of the shops on the Middlebrook and up the hill into the new estate where Chortex used to be.  I then got onto Chorley New Road and headed towards Horwich centre.  As I was passing the RMI club, a couple of teenage lads started running alongside me saying the usually phrases such as ‘get those knees up love’ and ‘you’re not very fast are you’.  Is it frowned up to swear at kids?  When I arrived a the traffic lights by Aldi, I decided to turn right so I didn’t have to stop and them and then turned in at the side of Co-op, along the back roads, coming out by the V&A.  As I wanted to get the run up to at least three miles, I headed towards Lever Park Avenue and then onto Fernhead. 

My newfound favourite band, Massive Wagons, helped me through the run.  Great running tunes and helped with the tedium.  I never listen to music whilst running off road but it’s definitely necessary on the roads as they’re just too boring otherwise.

Distance – 3 miles

Thursday, 25 January

Yet another run up ‘the rocky road behind the school’ today but without Ruby for a change.  It seems to be becoming quite a staple run, even though I don’t like the terrain.  Just a short one up onto George’s Lane then back down through Wilderswood and home.  I felt really strong on the climb and have definitely noticed a difference when I’m running uphill since starting my strength and conditioning sessions. 

Distance – 3 miles

I took Ruby out for a walk this afternoon, pretty much going the opposite way to which I had run this morning. 

Distance – 3.2 miles

Weekend – Friday, 27 January to Sunday, 29 January

This weekend I have booked myself a couple of nights in a B&B in Kendal (Lyndhurst Guest House) as I’m doing the That’s Lyth LDWA Challenge Event on Sunday.  I went up on the train and on Friday and Saturday I just lazed around really, did a bit of shopping, went to the cinema (first time I have ever been to the cinema on my own) to kill a couple of hours when it was pouring with rain, ate a lot of cake and generally had a lovely weekend. 

Whilst sitting in my room on the Friday night, I made the executive decision that I didn’t want to do the Red Rose 50 this year.  In all honesty, I’m getting a bit bored of the local routes as I do them too many times, what with the Anglezarke Amble and Two Crosses, plus being on them all the time running/walking on my own. 

On Sunday morning my lovely landlady, Yvonne, got up early to make me breakfast at 7am before I went to the start of the event.  After breakfast I headed over to Abbot Hall Social Club to register.  I was chatting to Lawrence P whilst there and he told me about a new event called ‘A Foot in Two Dales’ which was another 50 miler and was taking place in July.  I decided that I was going to enter that instead of the Red Rose 50 as it is a completely new area to me so it would be nice to have a change of scenery.

I did That’s Lyth a couple of years ago with YJ and really enjoyed it but today I would be walking and not running.  Like the Hebden, it was incredibly muddy underfoot and the aim of the day was to stay upright which, again, I just about managed. 

I have discovered that I’m a much better walker than I am a runner.  In fact, I often finish these events BEFORE runners do and today was no exception.  It took me 6 hours 17 minutes to walk the 24 miles which I’m pretty pleased with as I didn’t feel like I was rushing at all. 

I can’t believe this event only costs £5 for LDWA members.  The amount of food you get for that is unbelievable, including hotdogs (which are actually hot) at the second checkpoint and a hot meal at the finish.  Definitely great value for money!

Distance – 24 miles

Stats:

Week’s total running distance:               6 miles

Week’s total walking distance:               27.2 miles (plus daily standard Ruby walks)

Week’s total cycling  distance:               0

Week’s total swimming distance:                       0

Total number of S&C sessions:               1

Week 3 - The Hebden

Monday, 15 January

Strength and conditioning workout today.

Tuesday, 16 January

Another slow plod with Ruby after work today.  We went up the ‘rocky road behind the school’ again then just ran along George’s Lane and down through Wilderswood.  Nothing exciting to report. 

Distance – 3.1 miles

Wednesday, 17 January

Altitude spin session tonight.  Really tough session although a bit of decent rock music saw me through. 

Friday, 19 January

I was on a half day at work today so I went straight to the gym on my way home for my strength and conditioning workout.

Afterwards, I took Ruby for a nice afternoon walk up to Two Lads. 

Distance – 3 miles

Saturday, 20 January – The Hebden

Today I took part in The Hebden, an LDWA challenge event in, you guessed it, Hebden Bridge.  Last year I did the full 21 mile route but this year I had to do the shorter, 15 miles route due to logistical issues.  I got a lift there with Mark S and we discussed the Red Rose 50 we had both done in September last year.  At the time of hobbling to the finish together, we had made a pact that we would definitely not enter this year’s event due to the fact that we were very unhappy at the end of it.  However, we have both already forgotten the pain and both said that we were going to enter again this year.  Perhaps this is a bit like how women say you forget the pain of childbirth?

Due to icy roads and an accident on the M60, we only just arrived in Mytholmroyd in time for the start.  Seconds after I got out of the car, I slipped on some black ice and let out a girly yelp, threw my water bottle into the air and it narrowly missed a car coming along the road.  Not a good start!  

The route itself turned out not to be that slippery though.  Well, not in an icy way, however it was a complete mud bath so it was slippery in that respect and the main goal of the day was to remain upright which I’m glad to say I achieved.  About seven or eight miles in a lady started walking with me as she had been deserted by her partner who was doing the long route and was running.  She was only walking the short route and had no directions so was relying on me to get her around.  We kept coming across other people who were hanging back waiting for me because I was the ‘lady with the directions’ and it got me thinking about how bizarre it is that so many people take part in these events without having a clue where they’re actually going and not taking any directions or maps with them.  One of them even seemed really surprised as to where I had got the directions from, even though it’s standard for all LDWA challenge events to have a directions sheet and that they’re not marshalled. 

The checkpoint where you decided whether to do the long route or the short route is about 14 miles in on the Hebden so if you choose to do the short route you only have about 1.5 miles to go to the finish which is quite nice as, quite often on these events, the decision has to be made only six or seven miles in, by which point you may not know which route you want to take as you’re still feeling really fresh.  Unfortunately, I was still feeling fresh and wanted to continue on the long route but as I was being picked up by Duncan and my brother, who had to get across to south Manchester before 4pm to pick up a new bike for my brother, I had to stay on the short route and head back.  Annoyingly though, I arrived back at around 1pm and didn’t get picked up until around 3pm, meaning I could have done the long route after all!

Distance – 15.2 miles

Sunday, 21 January

I had a very cold walk this morning with Ruby.  We again went up ‘the rocky road behind the school’ then headed up to the Pike.  It was bitterly cold up there and Ruby was not a happy bunny.  I decided that I’d have a bit of a run back down to try to keep her warm but because I had rubbish un-grippy shoes on, we ran down the ‘curly’ route instead of going straight down. 

Distance – 4 miles

Stats:

Week’s total running distance:               3.1 miles

Week’s total walking distance:               22.2 (plus daily standard Ruby walks)

Week’s total cycling  distance:               21km on spin bike  

Week’s total swimming distance:           0

Total number of S&C sessions:              2

Week 2 – New Strength and Conditioning Programme

Monday, 8 January

Another altitude spin session today before attending the Horwich RMI committee meeting. 

Wednesday, 10 January

On the way to this morning’s coached strength and conditioning session, I decided to have a short run stating from Horrobin Lane.  I just ran along The Street, out onto Knowsley Lane then up Parson’s Bullough Road, turning onto the footpath along the side of Yarrow Reservoir, back into Rivington.  To say I felt sluggish is an understatement.  My average pace for the run was 10.18 minute mile but it felt really hard work.  I can’t even say it was that hilly, other than the bit on Parsons Bullough Road.  Hopefully I’m just having an off day!

Distance – 3 miles

As a bit of background to my strength and conditioning training, every six weeks I have a new programme set by way of two coached sessions.  I then do those two sessions each week for six weeks before the programme completely changes again.  This is a) to keep it fresh and interesting and b) so you don’t get stale keep working the same muscles.  Every six weeks my workouts get harder and harder.  They also seem to be getting more energetic. 

Today, Barry took me through my programme.  There are only two staff members at my gym: Dave, the owner, and Barry, Dave’s right hand man.  My first new session consists of:

•         Kettlebell single leg deadlifts, followed by kettle bell swings.
•         Single leg step backs/drive through on the ‘landmine’, followed by bar rotations with swinger weights.
•         Military press (with bands hanging from barbell and dumbbells hanging from the bands to create an imbalance) followed by prone band pulls (in plank position).
•         Bench squats followed by box jumps.
•         Reebok step medley – steps ups/shoulder step ups/cross-overs/alternative leg bounds.

The bit at the end with the Reebok step was really tiring and it is timed so I have to try to be quicker each time. 

Friday, 12 January

Altitude spin class tonight.  I love the Friday class, it really sets me up for the weekend and makes me feel like I deserve that pizza and wine for tea all the more. 

Saturday, 13 January

My second coached strength and conditioning workout. Dave took the session this time and my personalised plan for my second session consists of:

•        Single leg squats on the hoops, followed by hurdle jumps.
•         Trap bar dead lifts, followed by bunny hops along track.
•         Standing sled pull.
•         Standing cable flyes, followed by lateral pull downs.
•         Tyre flip / sprints.
•         Plate abs followed by ‘dead bugs’.

I’m currently dead lifting 60kgs which I’m pretty pleased with.  When I first started these sessions I could only deadlift the trap bar itself without any weights on it (40kg) and even that felt incredibly heavy so I’m quite pleased with my progress. 

Stats:

Week’s total running distance:               3 miles

Week’s total walking distance:               0 (save for daily standard Ruby walks)

Week’s total cycling  distance:               21km on spin bike  

Week’s total swimming distance:           0

Total number of S&C sessions:              2

Week 1 - Revival

After taking a year off, I’ve decided to revive my blog but it’s going to be a bit different to how it was before.  I was finding it difficult to blog every time I went out so I have decided to just do one blog each week, on a Sunday. 

I’ll keep the title of the blog as it is for now although, due to injury, I’m not really doing much running at the minute and haven’t been for the past 20 months!  I do the odd three or four miles now and then but that’s about it.  Ruby comes with me some of the time but she’s even slower than me and constantly stops to sniff EVERYTHING so it takes around forty minutes just to run three miles! 

As it was before, this blog is really just my own personal training diary however I know that some people did enjoy reading it and probably got a good insight into just how crazy I actually am. 

Hopefully, it will show some progression back to some decent running!

Monday, 1 January – Starting the year as I hope to go on!

I was determined to get out today to start the year with a run.  There was no fear of a hangover as I spent last night curled up on the couch with Ruby watching TV (Duncan was out in Hebden Bridge) and was in bed before midnight.  Such a party girl!

I just had a leisurely jog up the hill with Ruby.  We skirted the side of Wilderswood then went up towards Two Lads but turned right at the water tanks, crossing the mast road into Smithills Estate.  We then did a bit of a loop crossing the stream and back out further up the mast road, then ran up to Two Lads ‘the back way’.  We then ran down to the kennels and went back home zigzagging through Wilderswood. 

Distance – 4 miles

Tuesday, 2 January

First strength and conditioning session of the year!

Friday, 5 January

First altitude spin class of the year! 

I’ve been going to altitude spin sessions for around three years now.  To say it’s hard work is an understatement!  No workout I have ever done comes close to the exhaustion I feel in this class.  I really do push myself and end up covered in sweat by the end.  It’s literally dripping off my nose!

I do this class at Sportesse-PT in Chorley.  It’s the only place I know of that has an altitude chamber which is basically a small room with the oxygen sucked out of it.  Even the hardiest of cyclists are knackered by the time they come out.

Saturday, 6 January

Today is my last strength and conditioning workout for this six week programme.  It all changes next week when I have my two booked sessions with Dave.  I wonder how he’ll try to kill me this time?

Sunday, 7 January

I had a lovely slow plod with Ruby this morning.  That’s all I ever seem to do running-wise these days – slow plodding!  I never was quick, but I was much quicker than I am now. 

I hadn’t actually set out to run this morning, just to walk but I was feeling strong so decided to have a bit of a jog.  I wasn’t really dressed for running though as, whilst I had running leggings on, I was wearing my Horwich RMI hoodie and had no bag to offload it into.  I was running that slowly though that I didn’t actually get too hot. 

We ran up what I call, ‘the rocky road behind the school’.  It’s the path which starts behind Rivington and Blackrod School and heads up towards Rivington Terraced Gardens.  It’s horrible underfoot as it’s really rocky but I do quite enjoy going that way up to George’s Lane.  Once on George’s Lane, we ran along towards the kennels where, embarrassingly, I was passed at speed by a fellow Horwich runner.  We then turned off and headed up to Two Lads before heading back home through Wilderswood. 

Distance – 4 miles

Stats:

Week’s total running distance:               8 miles

Week’s total walking distance:               0 (save for daily standard Ruby walks)

Week’s total cycling  distance:               20km on spin bike

Week’s total swimming distance:           0

Total number of S&C sessions:              2