Tuesday 13 May 2014

A Weeks Absence!

Hello blog lovers!

Gone for a week, off the running, no cycling? This can only mean one thing! Holidays! Yup I have been away, and for those of you who are keen sleuths will notice this Tuesday blog is a little earlier than the usual Tuesday blog! Why is that, this blog can't be about Tuesday club runs? Well, let me explain.

Yes I was on my holidays, and yes, it was a far away, hot, most relaxing and luxurious place that I have been to! But because of my impending half marathon this weekend I didn't want to let slip any running days.  I had promised myself that I will do at least two miles run along the see front, or 40 minutes on the dreaded 'dread' mills if the sea front was too far to get to.

The hotel I was staying at had a lovely gym, free to use and open from 7 in the morning until 10 at night!  It was just there for the taking.  And as it happened the beach was just a five minute stroll away! 

So for the first two days I decided to try out this running machine thing.  Get to see why it is so unliked and deserving of its name.  After all you can't give an opinion if you have never seen, heard, tasted, watched or used before.

My first morning there, which was last Tuesday I got up early. It was still dark, we were nestled between the mountains in Gran Canaria, Mogan, a fabulous hotel called Cordial Mogan Playa. The birds were awake, the staff at the hotel were busy preparing for the holidaymakers to make their pilgrimage from their rooms to the pool and sun loungers.  I crossed to the other side of pool and made my way to the gym.

After figuring out the Spanish controls, (it was way to early for me to have noticed the sign of the wall with the control pointed out in English for me) I started on my first 40 minutes of dread mill.  I was thinking that maybe it will be like the cross trainer thing that my sister had, although you are working hard, sweating (and boy did I sweat) because I wasn't actually 'moving' in a forward direction I could just go for it.

Well that first morning I did ok, there was a little '-' button that I could push to slow the pace down a bit, and then use the '+' to make it go faster, I was pleased with my effort, if a little bored!  The next morning was the same thing, and this time there was another person up at silly o'clock on their holidays to sweat it out in the gym.  But he didn't actually talk!  So I got bored again.  The sound of the dread mill drowned out the tunes that were playing on the t.v. witch was situated to my left.  I did try to watch it but my body got so disorientated, I started headed to the left and nearly came 'acropper' on the thing.  So from then on it was eyes front. 

A huge mirror showed myself, thighs all a wobbly, as I 'ran' on the dread mill! Not a pretty sight!  Especially as the time went on, I got pinker and sweatier!  But again I was glad that I actually got out of my bed, on my holidays, after drinking beer and sangria and other cocktails (and huge portions of delicious food!), to actually get my running shoes on was quite an achievement.

That still small voice in my head telling me to 'just do it, its only for an hour if that' was very helpful indeed.  So much so that after a rest day on the Thursday my next run really will be a run.!

After walking about the little town during the few days we had been there I had worked out a route, with help from the Old Boy.  It was a fairly short route of about 2 miles, but it is still so much better that running on the dread mill!  At the end of the hotel complex is a gate that leads to the 'outside' and just a short way along is the sea front.  It is a really lovely little town, filled with restaurants, shops and on some days there was a market!

It is also a fairly flat route! The hotel is at the bottom of the mountains! Perfect for a hill dodger such as myself!  The sun was lighting up the sky but because of the mountains it wasn't beating down on me.  Still warm though as I ran through the town.  I had remembered to bring my Garmin too! I am looking forward to seeing the results appear at the bottom of my blog, even though it will only show the 2 miles.

The route was an out and back, from one side of the harbour, to the little bit in the middle, (which is I think the reason they call it 'Little Venice' as it looks just like the canals in Venice) and then to the other end of the harbour, where the 'Yellow Submarine' is anchored!

Run back to the hotel, and as I thought it was just 2 miles I decided to do another 12 minutes on the dread mill!  This was the last time that I used the machine!  I really didn't like it, not after the run in the great outdoors!  I think the tread mills have the uses, but for me, on holiday, well, it's just no necessary!

The next morning I got up the same time, feeling even more heavier, (five days of twice daily, eat all you want buffet is having a bad effect on me) well that and the delicious cocktails and beer!  But 4 days out of 6 full days at the resort I have done some exercising among the relaxation, eating swimming and drinking!  I am pleased with myself, and I am sure I have surprised a few people at least for my determination to do at least something!

And now, add my Geeky stats!  You will notice that the pace is a tad slow! But that is only because I went in and finished off with a 12 minutes dread mill session and the satellites had lost me!


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