Fed up with ordinaryExtra ordinary is where it's at

I’m not sure I need to explain the title too much, it should be self explanatory!

I didn’t quite manage the 10 miles I was hoping for today but seeing as it was raining and windy and I ran up some steep hills, I wasn’t too upset.

It was a hard run today, physically mentally. I did have to walk up one of the hills because I was exhausted. In the end I managed 8.5 miles in just under 1.5 hours.

After getting home I showered as normal but was in for a world of pain as the tingly-minty-menthol Original Mint Source shower gel set my cracked and slightly bleeding nipples on fire! Too late to do anything about it but scream (I was alone in the house) and curse each one of the 7,635 mint leaves that were causing me pain!

I’m sat here more than an hour later and I’m still sore from the stupid shower gel! I hope it eases soon!

Well it’s been a week since my last run and boy can I feel it.

It’s strange that in the short time I’ve been running I’ve noticed such a change. Previously not doing any exercise all week was the norm and I felt okay about that. Now after a week without running, my legs ache, I really feel like every meal is just piling the pounds on without running them off and I’m frustrated that I’ve not managed to run.

So my body is telling me it needs to run but my mind is saying other things! The kids are off to a party this afternoon and I’ve got a couple of hours free time. I’m going to do at least 8 miles, hopefully 10, but my brain is urging me not to!

It’s a struggle to remember that I can run 8 miles. I’ve done it only a month ago but it’s like my brain is trying to convince me that it was a dream or something. The thought of running 6 miles even making me nervous and yet I’ve done that distance about 6 times now.

So why is my brain being such a pain in the arse about this? Answers on a postcard please…

The last two weeks have been hard from a running point of view.

Two things have happened:

1) My runs are getting longer and so taking more time. My short runs are 6 miles and long ones about 8 miles. That means I’m out for between an hour and an hour and a half.

2) Work has been very busy. Increasing the amount of time at work means less time for running.

The result has been that I’ve not enjoying the same frequency of runs that I have been. Or the amount of time to write on this blog.

Given the fact that the days are getting shorter, I’m going to have to either run in the dark – which means running in well lit areas i.e. roads, or run during the day during work time. Work being busy means much less time to run and there’s nothing I can do about that really. Work has to come first if I want to eat and pay the mortgage (which I do).

Running along roads in the dark doesn’t sound too unappealing to be honest but I haven’t got any nice routes that are obvious. I guess I need to get onto Google Maps and plan out a couple and stop moaning!

So far the weather has been glorious the last couple of weeks, but I know that’s changing. I hope my enthusiasm for running keeps up when it’s cold and wet!

Only time will tell…

For the last few runs, including my 8 mile run, I’ve been wearing my ‘normal’ running shoes. After a 4 mile run yesterday I had a slight pain in my knees and ankles. I’m not sure if it’s my shoes but that’s the only thing that’s changed.

The next week of running I’m going to do in my flatter shoes. The problem is that they aren’t a brilliant fit for running and rub slightly. So less pain in the knees and ankles but more blisters. What a choice!

Anyway, I think I need to get some professional advice. I’ve been recommended a couple of shops in Sheffield that offer gait analysis and such like so I think that’s what I need to do. I just hope they recommend Vibram FiveFingers!

Oh, how I really want a pair of them…

This week I have mostly been weighing 13st 8lbs.

I’m not sure if that’s a blip or the 1lb loss from last week will be a permanent thing. I guess we’ll see next week.

I’ve started to think more about my diet and think in general it’s pretty good. We eat well and perhaps I could reduce portion sizes but I don’t want to!

The two things that I think I need to address are:

• Not eating large, family-sized bags of Kettle Chips on my own, in one go.
• Reduce the amount of sugar in drinks

The first one is easy to be honest. But the second is hard.

I like coffee and tea but have sugar in both. In coffee I have a LARGE teaspoon, and tea a flat teaspoon. If I make coffee at work I’ll probably end up having 6 cups a day (that is usually 4 decaf, so not too much caffeine) but it is a lot of sugar.

I’ve thought about Splendid sweetener or something similar but it just seems so artificial and full of crap, modified chemicals and such like.

The other option is to try again having no sugar in hot drinks. The problem is that they taste rubbish without sugar!

Does anyone have any hints or tips for me? Please help me reduce my sugar intake!

A strange one this, but after my 8 mile run the other day I thought I’d take a couple of days off.

The next day I felt really good but resisted the urge to go out. After all I’d run 14 miles in two runs in two days.

After two days I was ready for a run… only I wasn’t. My legs hurt and my knees felt funny. So I held off. But as the day went on they hurt more. The next day they even more, especially when I walked.

Today I woke up and everything seems fine.

I’m confused as to what was going on but tomorrow I’m going to try a run, probably a shortish one, mainly because I’m busy at work but also to just stretch my legs and get ready for the planned 10 mile run at the weekend.

I’ll let you know how I get on.

Okay, okay so perhaps it’s not a world record but it is a personal record. This afternoons run ended up being 8.4 miles. Two days after a 6 mile run too.

I ran from home, up through Endcliffe Park and Bingham Park etc to Forge Damn, then up Clough Lane and followed the path to Fulwood Lane. Went down Fulwood Lane to the Norfolk Arms pub and came back along Ringinglow Road. As I neared home I really wanted to make 8 miles and so I took a little detour through Nether Edge.

So how was it?

Well, the first 3 miles where really tough. Running by myself was hard compared to running with the lads two days before. I guess I’m still out of the habit as it’s still only my third run after more than a week off.

But the hardest part was climbing Clough Lane and up to Fulwood Lane. The path is quite steep and I was exhausted at the top. I took a quick stop to grab some water (this was my second run carrying my rucksack) and then set off again.

The journey home was beautiful and easy. Perhaps it just felt easy after the climb I’d just done!

I had a couple of stitches to work through but they went.

By the time I got home I was feeling good. Tired but good. Oh, and just a little bit sweaty!

An hour or so afterwards I’m starting to stiffen up a bit and my knees ache slightly. I’ll see how I feel in the morning, but for now I can sit happy at my new world record!

You can see the full route on Map My Run.

I’ve added a forum to the site (see the “Stuff and nonsense” link under the Pages menu).

Feel free to use it to post general chat, or whatever. I hope that it will add a little more interaction than just a using posts and comments.

It’s just the first Wordpress forum I found and so I’ve no idea if it’s any good or not. Let me know what you think.

The weather today is beautiful: clear blue sky, a crispness in the air, no wind and bright sunshine. A perfect autumn day in fact.

It makes me want to go and run, and keep on running. That’s good, surely? Well, yes and no. Since doing my second 10k (6.2 miles roughly) run I’m thinking that that should be my short run distance and perhaps 8 or 10 miles my long run.

According to my targets I should be on under 5 miles for my short runs and 6 miles for my long ones. I’m struggling to keep to my training schedule because I think I can run further than that.

What should I do? All the information I’ve read says stick to a 10% increase per week. Any more and you’ll regret it. But my last 6 miles was easy. Surely I should let my body tell me what it can cope with. The scale of the challenge is dragging me forward too. Seeing that I need to be able to run 26 miles a day for 6 days is daunting.

I think today I’m going to try for an 8 mile run and see how that goes. If I cope well, I’ll seriously consider upping my short run distance to 6 miles in one go. If it’s rock hard and I injury myself, I’ll know I’ve been an idiot and will try to learn the hard way!

I’ll keep you posted…

Hey fellas, enjoyed the run the other day, thought I might die at that last little steep bit at the half way stage. Was pleased with it though. When we doing it again?