Nice running, I’m going to assume you did an extra bit of post race stretching to keep from tightening up later?
Yeah, and some foam rolling.
I was encouraged that my ankle didn’t have a problem with the run (it’s sore if I massage the affected area, as it has been since I sprained it, but it gives me no problem when I walk or run on it). Put it this way, other bodyparts were hurting a lot more.
I have my 10K next Sunday, so that should be fine. Won’t do another long run before then but may do some sprints now I’m happy the ankle will cope. Need to add those back in.
a portable water bottle for running long distanced is a must Cal. Good work pushing through the distance.
No workout today, unsurprisingly, but did go for a walk and sad to see all the Egyptian goose goslings have disappeared now. Damn it. Feel sorry for 'em - that’s the second brood they’ve lost this year.
There’s a pair on Clapham Common with a very healthy brood, though, so I can take some consolation from that, I suppose.
[quote]Cal Jones wrote:
No workout today, unsurprisingly, but did go for a walk and sad to see all the Egyptian goose goslings have disappeared now. Damn it. Feel sorry for 'em - that’s the second brood they’ve lost this year.
There’s a pair on Clapham Common with a very healthy brood, though, so I can take some consolation from that, I suppose. [/quote]
In my little town here in Alabama we have several flocks of Canadian geese who have decided that migrating is for suckers and have adopted Helena as their home. Which has pretty much caused them to be treated like celebrities. Every year you’ll see four lanes of traffic come to a halt as a mother goose walks her little ones from one patch of grass to another.
We have the most spoiled geese ever.
Yeah we have loads of Canada geese here - they’re pretty much considered vermin (like grey squirrels). Both geese and squirrels have made themselves quite at home here, though. South West London and the surrounding counties has also become home to thousands of ring neck parakeets - there’s enough of them here now that the RSPB has them listed on their site as a British bird: Ring Necked Parakeet Facts | Psittacula Krameri - The RSPB
I see them all the time - they’re pretty noisy too. A lot of people wonder how they can live so happily in the UK when it gets quite cold in winter, but apparently they are from the foothills of the Himalayas so they don’t really give a damn.
Workout today was quite a short one - took my kettlebell up to the common again and swung it around. Similar to the last outdoor kettlebell workout I did, though I left out the snatches because my back’s been a bit tempremental this week. Since my training course starts next week, I don’t want to break anything beforehand (or make anything worse!)
Carbing up before pullups is a bad, bad thing. Whatever you need to do to be as light as possible when pullup-ing, that guarantees PRs.
Looking forward to hearing about the training course.
Can you run with a camelbak? That’s a long run. Don’t think I’ve ever gone that far . . .
I had to look up camelbak - interesting! Expensive though - things like the T-shirts look more geared towards ultra runners but one of the smaller ones could work.
Didn’t feel great this morning - nothing specific, just a bit wibbly and out of sorts, but thought I needed to hit the gym. When I got there I thought I was looking at a shitty workout, then I told myself not to be such a fucking pussy and lose the defeatist attitude.
Military Press
(Warm up: 10 x bar)
10 x 30kg (+1)
So the pep talk worked - I finally managed to get an extra rep. Making it to 12 is another story but one step at a time.
Then I went to the chin up bar and told myself I was going to get six reps.
Chins x 3 (-2!)
Yeah, that didn’t work so well. I may be holding water - my stomach was looking bloated yesterday and Flo is due soon. That’s my excuse anyway.
Decline Push-ups (shoulder-width hand spacing) x 13 (+1 riser)
Added a riser so obviously the reps came down. I thought I’d be good for 15 but the arms gave out.
Chins x 3 (-1)
Actually the same number of chins as last time (which was one less than the time before). So it’s not so bad…at least I equalled my first set of the day. Still, weak sauce.
28kg Dumbell Rows x 8 (Right, no change); x 9 (Left, no change)
Nothing much to add here, really.
High incline dumbell bench press: 18kg x 10 (+2)
So I made sure I got the correct bench for this and set it at the right height. I’m +2 on my first attempt at this and +4 over last workout’s pathetic effort.
Pull-ups x 2 (no change)
Overhand grip again. Almost didn’t get the second rep but sheer bloody mindedness won the day.
55kg Pulldowns x 8 (+5kg)
First time on this weight, so not disappointed with that.
Decline sit-ups with 4kg dumbell x 10 (+2kg)
It’s like the first few reps are easy and then boom, dead.
Weighted hyperextensions (18kg) x 10 (no change)
Went for an 11th rep but didn’t quite make it up all the way. Next time.
Also did 20 reverse hypers (no weight). Those are good for the bum (which is a little sore from the kettlebells yesterday).
My experience with the decline situps is the same. I can bang out the first few in the set and then things quickly become impossible.
Good on you for telling yourself not to be a pussy and suck it up. Training is at least equal parts mental and physical.
OK I admit it, I’ve been a lazy bitch the last few days. Generally I don’t workout three days in a row (my body tends to get pissy if I do) so Thursday was a rest day. Saturday I was going to rest anyway as I was running a 10K this morning…but I should have done something on Friday and I didn’t. I just didn’t feel like it. I expect it’s down to PMS. I’m always demotivated and sluggish the week before Flo shows so I didn’t feel like fighting, to be honest.
I did run the 10K this morning. Weather was cooler than it has been, but still quite humid. I felt like I was doing OK but ran a shitty time and feel pissed off. Time came in at 1:00.00.2 - two lousy tenths of a second over. Damn it.
The next one is in September - I will have to do better. I was hoping to run under an hour in all five races this year but I guess that’s not to be. No real explanation for it unless you count PMS and possibly the fact it was warmer (I find it easier to run when it’s colder).
Anyway, my instructor course starts tomorrow. It’s one week on, one off, one on again. Going to be busy in the week off as I’m riding coasters at the weekend, then seeing my parents during the week. Hopefully the course will be fun (I remember the last one I did was). I hope they don’t make us do the beep test like last time. Ugh.
The beep test? Do tell.
It’s a shuttle run. You need to make it to the other side before the beep. The beeps get closer together as you go. It tests VO2 Max. Basically it’s a pukefest.
I’ve done that beep test! It makes me nervous.
That sounds like gassers from football practice. Timed shuttle run in full pads. If you don’t make time you roin it until you do…or you pass out.
hot avatar cal!
did you already take the beep test? what was ur vo2max?
Nah the beep test was back on the course I did in 1990…I don’t remember much other than collapsing in a puddle afterwards, heh.
I started my course today. There was an introduction, then a circuit class (which proved pretty fucking knackering) to give us a guide to heart rates and so forth. Some general classroom stuff about what a gym instructor job entails…and then an instruction on using the machines in the gym. Basic stuff so far.
After the circuit class I didn’t feel I needed another workout. However, we are allowed to use the gym while we’re on the course, and they have Powerplates so I absolutely have to give one a go and see what the fuss is all about.
We didn’t go into the free weights area today but it looked quite well supplied. Will check it out and report back.
Thats cool that this is an actual hands on instructional course…
I just studied out of a book for 6 months to sit for a test with no questions that I actually studied 
Yes, there’s a choice of intense course (one week on, one off, one on) or a longer course which you do at weekends and study yourself in the evenings. I’m doing the intense couse as a) I can, since I’m not working, and b) more fun that way.
There’s some interesting people on there - an ex-ballerina from the Royal Ballet (which is in Covent Garden where my dad used to sing in the opera and my mum made costumes), a professional diver, a midwife, a plasterer and a music teacher, plus several younger guys who are just starting their careers.
Good news about the 10K too…so it was indeed my slowest time of the year but it was downgraded to 59:30.3 which means I’m still on target to do my five 10Ks in under an hour. The remaining two are in September and October and I prefer running when it’s a bit cooler, so hopefully I can beat my PB in one of those races.
I still can’t get over the race T-shirt - the previous two have been white and navy respectively. This one was BRIGHT dayglo orange. Heh! My eyes were burning as I turned up at the race. Madness!