Flippin 'Eck!

A picture from last week
I forget to take one
today!

 Hello blog readers.

Monday again!  Still furloughed! Still lacking in any motivation!  But, motivation, would you believe, is not the be all end all.  I follow this chap on instagram, his name is Ben Mudge.  I started following him while I cared for Kirsty.  He is a C.F. warrior!  He has cystic fibrosis, he is also a personal trainer!  The man is as fit as...!  But he is also  a inspiration for all young kids everywhere who has C.F., he looks like Thor! But of course that is not why I follow him....!!  Well....! Anyway, he had a question and answer session with his followers and someone asked how he stays so motivated!

"I am not.  I am rarely 'motivated' to do what I need to do.  Motivation is the spark that starts you.  It is not the right fuel source you want to rely on for a long journey though."

And he continues..

"Motivation in our health and fitness doesn't play as big a role as people think it does.  

Dedication, self discipline and patience play a far larger role than motivation does when you look at the bigger picture."

I can relate to this.  Because at the moment motivation is really well hidden somewhere inside my brain, but self discipline, at the moment, is what I am relying on to keep on moving, to keep on doing exercises.  Every morning I call Tracy and we workout together for 30 minutes. Trying as hard as we can to get fit bodies and fit minds.  

Today we did Two Week Transformation, Day 2.  We will be doing this for this week, all with the weights, a bit of mat work.  It was tough, but I am sure we are going to get through it and it will become easier by the end of the week! 

What else did I do to get moving? Hmm, well, I did the little doggie walk, My daughter had the big dog and I had the little one, he is just so cute.  A little Dachshund, the sort of dog that could quite possibly be my running partner!

Also, yup, there is an 'also', I went for a run!  Naggy over the green sent me a text this morning 'I've got my running gear, I shall meet you later at hometime!"  It wasn't so much of an information text as it was a 'get your arse ready, we're running' text"  To be fair, we had planned it for last week, but her work just ate up all the time!  But not today, today we are running!

I watched her car pull up and made my way outside.  It was quite chilly considering the sun was shining brightly!  "Three miles, just around the usual route, but ducking down Turpington instead running up to the Crown." she said.  "It's about 3 miles"  I thought about it, "I can do that" I said, probably not very convincingly!  But we that's what we set out to do!

We were running together, warming up, chatting away, but then once through the gate, she picked up the pace!  I didn't try to keep up with her, but I did try to keep the same distance as I used to!  Big mistake!  I would have thought Naggy would have slowed down, you know, like the rest of the planet, but there was no stopping her!  Naggy is one that she will run, not matter what the distance, she will run, all the way.  She adjusts the distance only when she hasn't done any running!  So before, she would have done 5 miles, now she is doing 3 miles!  Where as me, I plan on just breathing at the end of my walk/run/crawl!

The only time Naggy stops running is when she 'runs' with me!  We have these strategic places where she will wait till I get to her and then she runs off again!  I feel ok if I can say a few words when I get to her, but this time all I could do was stare at her! I had planned to do Naggy's shorter route, (usually we go up to Crown Lane Spur) Naggy's shorter route was to run to Turpington Lane, but I decided, after we got to the bus garage, that I will run down Magpie Hall Lane, Naggy will run to Turp!  We both got to the end of Greenway around the same time!  

It was getting darker as we approached the park, the lamps were all on, Naggy was already about 6 or 7 lampposts ahead of me.  It means that she will be waiting for me by the boxing club, for the last nag to get us home!  

It was tough!  Was it good? Well we did it, we did and we survived!  I am sure our hearts and lungs and legs and muscles appreciate all we do for them!  Motivation!  It's just that spark, its that idea, its that I can do that!  We know we can do it!  How many times have we done it it the past!  But it's that discipline that keeps you at it!  What I need, which is what Bend Mudge said as well, is the patience!  I was a lot fitter back in 2013 and 2015 (when I ran the marathon.....did I mention I did the London Marathon?) I need patience and discipline to get back there!  ........and to stop eating crap!

Still Going

 Hello blog readers

Sweatslinger!

It's been a good week or more since my last blog, it doesn't mean that I haven't been busy!  Both me and Tracy have been doing our daily workout with Team Body Project.  All of last week we worked out with Daniel, Lisa and Angie and the Cardio and Resistance routine!  It was great stuff.  We are doing one routine for a week, hoping that we will be able to flow from one exercise to the other.  Knowing what is coming next will, I hope, help to motivate us to work harder.

This week we have been doing the TWT day 1 routine.  Oh my goodness, I have nearly puked on twice doing this routine!  It's hard going.  There are no other TBP, real team members, working out with Daniel and....Alex!  Yup that's right, we are working out with Alex as well this week!  The Sweatslinger!  

I had forgotten how hard this routine is!  Alex does the cardio and Daniel does the resistance.  From the very first exercise it's relentless!  Alex is straight in with 'touch and raise, squat pulse then squat and knee'.  It looks so easy when it's written down like that but to do it, after the warm ups of course, is brutal!  You start to look forward to Daniels resistance exercises.  I am watching the t.v. and watching Tracy on the Portal, trying to take my mind of the burning in my thighs, knowing that we still have another 20 minutes of gruling workout to go!

The Sweatslinger is aptly named, because at the end of it I am dripping in sweat.  Waterfalls of progress, Daniel calls it, it sure feels like I've been standing under a warterfall!  Surely it has to be doing some good.  One more day of doing Sweatslinger then I find another challenging routine!  Got to keep it going!

Also today, (Thursday) I got myself out on my bike!  So that's two lots of Cardio done today! Woo hoo!  I shall write more on my cycling blog!

Workouts and a Walk!

 Hello blog readers.

It was pretty hard getting out my bed this morning, but having Tracy waiting for 'the call' is a great incentive to get moving.  I think that is why I kept going 'live' on Facebook last year, knowing that people were waiting to either watch or join me in getting fit.  

We worked out together yesterday too, I just didn't blog about it, was to engrossed in doing.....um......I am sure I was doing something! I did the same one again, and tomorrow will be the last time for this particular session.  I will try another one, maybe a cardio and resistance on Monday, step it up for both of us!

I really do get a good old sweat on, it's hard work.  I just hope it starts showing results soon.  I am desperately watching what I eat, taking note of everything....well most things.  The occasional biscuit goes under the radar.  Also easing up at the weekend, after all, during this lockdown we need to have some things that are fun and have the 'feel good' factor in there.  Mapmyfitness has all my eating habits, as well as all my workout info.

The pictures today were from yesterday, if you look carefully, the bottom right hand corner, you can see Tracy!  It's more interactive when I video call her, that way I can keep an eye on what shes doing too! 

A walk today as well.  Walking with Little buddy and his brother Benji with my daughter.  It's blimmin treacherous out there, isn't it?  If I got a pound for the amount of times I said 'Whoops" I would have been quids in after that.  We walked for about 3 miles, maybe a little less.  I forgot to start up my Garmin, I hate it when that happens, but my vivoactive 3 does recognise that I am going for a walk, phew, but only after I have started. It also stops by itself if it thinks I have stopped walking!  But at least I have some of my walk logged!  

I felt so sorry for little Buddy being so close to the ground. Benji is a bigger dog and loves to roll about in the snow, but little Budbud, bless him, I was almost tempted to carry him, but I guess that is not the idea of a walking the dogs!

So another short blog about not much!  I am so looking forward to when I can get out for a run.  I seem to waffle on a bit more about that!  Until tomorrow dear readers for another riveting read of the antics of the Old Girls attempt to lose the pounds!

Earlier Start!

 Hello blog readers.

Two sessions in a row! I shouldn't say anything really, I don't want to put the 'mockers' on it!  But there I was this morning, up early......well, earlier than I have been doing during the week.  I said I would call Tracy so that we could work out together.  She said that she has not been doing anything much, maybe the odd walk here and there! 

Although I was doing a few exercises pre-covid isolation, as Tracy was joining me I chose to do the beginners TBP class again, the one with Wade and his wife Angie, and Daniel.  I could make it a little harder for myself with my weights, if I wanted to.  

Both Tracy and I were ready, not sure we were looking forward to it, but I knew, once we had finished we would be pleased with ourselves.  It's that initial starting that gets me, but once you're in the swing of things it soon passes quickly. You should have heard the moans and groans though! From me and Tracy!  I did enjoy it though.  We are going to do the same one for the rest of the week, just to loosen up before I start delving in to all those other ones!  The ones with Alex working out too!

I forgot to take pictures, I just about remembered to switch my Garmin on though, we were about 7 or 8 minutes into the workout! So, looking forward to tomorrow ....!

Fecking Covid!

 Hello blog readers.

The last time I blogged was the 18th January! I was thinking that, that's it, I'm back, mojo or no mojo!  I did a couple of runs after that, plus some walking, little doggie walks etc, but then COVID struck!  Feck knows how! From the local shops, picking up milk and....beer! Walking about?  That's a scary thought, picking it up just by taking your daily constitutionals!  Or maybe from my son, who is a key worker and needs to go into work.  Any hoo, there was the Old Boy and me on the 26th January at the local drive though COVID  Testing, after my son told us that his test came up positive!  As it happened the Old Boy managed to escape the dreaded virus so me and my son were confined to quarters!  Actual solitary confinement!  It wasn't all bad, the Old Boy was keeping us well fed and watered, plus I had all my gadgets, technology, books pencils and games that I could possible want!

Confinement finished on Friday night!  The rain started Saturday afternoon, snow on Sunday! Just my actual luck!  I formulated (ish) a plan, just let this weekend go, recover some more from the covid thing fortunately I had it extremely mildly, only a cough, ever so slight breathlessness, which I think maybe was more stress related.  Then, come today I would start my exercises up again, running, when I can, apparently according to my running pals out there running some places are treacherous!  I don't fancy trying to run or even walk with the ice and stuff.

YouTube and Peloton it is!  Just a gently break into it, a nice twenty minutes of Team Body Project and another twenty minute Peloton session.  Not bad!  I didn't work as hard as I usually do, but it was a great 'head' start to trying to get back to some sort of fitness and hopefully work off the Lockdown weight gain!  It's not been good for my weight all this staying at home!  At least I am hoping that is all it is, because if it comes to the fact that it's all due to hormones I won't have a clue what to do to shift it!

Short and sweet blog, just to help me more than anything, to get back to it!  Come on!!! 

What? Am I Back!?

 Hello blog readers

Can you believe it's been a bloody age since my last blog!  And a bleedin bloody age since a last ran!

I have been extremely lacking in the old exercise dept as well as the running dept!  Lockdown hasn't helped in the slightest.  You would think that it would, wouldn't you.  All this long days doing nothing!  It's been blimmin horrible.  Of course I am not taking anything away from all those that have to go out and work, all the doctors and nurses, delivery men, transport chaps etc.  They have to go out too.  If my school had enough of our breakfast and afterschool club kids to attend I would be there!  But alas furloughed again.  Again, I know there are so many that would love to be in my position, and I am extremely grateful that I have this option.  But there are other little demons that work on they old grey matter in the the old noggin.  Little demons that say "Just don't worry about setting an alarm to get up, what's the point?" and things like "Do it tomorrow, it will give you something to do!"

You think like that it soon turns in to getting up at 11:30 am, or you end up doing nothing because you're saving things to do tomorrow!  Well that's how I have been, add that together with having hurt my back on Christmas day to the extent that I had to start getting up from bed or chair half hour before I needed the loo just so that I could make it to the toilet on time!  Being sedent.......scedent.......sedanttary......being still in a house for 2 weeks solid was not good.  I was looking forward to getting back to work......I was still hoping it was going to happen on January 5th.  But Boris said no, I had to go in for the first day as we had a couple of kids booked in, we just didn't know if they were key worker kids or not!  As it happened they didn't come in!  So there was nothing to do but close down, empty freezers and get rid of opened packets of cereals.

So that is where I was, beginning of January.  I went for walks to help my back get stronger, Naggy has got herself this adorable gorgeous little Dachshound, one that I can keep up with walking and possible running with, when he's older.  I have been going with my daughter as she walks both dogs while Naggy is working, and sometimes I have been with Naggy as well!   

On the 7th January I did my first TBP for the year!  Why oh why did I not continue to do these!  I promised my self I would continue to do it after the first lockdown, when I went back to school in September.  I was flying though those routines, I was helping all the others that watched me on Facebook and came to workouts on the green.  But to see me now! Feck!  I was puffing and panting like I had just done a marathon....and that was just pulling my jog pants on!  They first class I did when I came back, was the one with the weights!  Well, I had bought them, might as well use them!  Oh my goodness, I really couldn't keep up at all!  I had quite a few 'Little breaks' as Daniel Bartlett calls them.  I flew through these last year!  I just goes to show, if you don't use it you lose it!  Of course the running was few and far between as well!  

From 7th January I have tried to do as much as I did during the summer months, but my head is not quite there!  I have done something most days, whether it's a walk, a short walk or a Team Body Project class by myself.  I have got a bit better at them now, not quite up to Augusts standard, but getter better.  

Today I attempted to go for a run!  My first run since....8th December! Tut tut!  It's deffo been quite a while!  I thought I would need all the encouragement going, of course I procrastinated!  I procrastinated for England!  I thought my earphones needed charging, my phone needed charging, my house needed cleaning.  I HAD to have a cup of tea, I really needed to see.......oh I don't know.....anything but get out of the house and run.  I even decided not to do a TBP workout before or after my run, just to make it easier for myself to think that that would be it for the day!  Eventually I got out of the house, I put Peloton on, to talk to me all the way through! It was a beginners interval run.  I knew I wouldn't be able to do all he asked but at least he will tell me that 'I am doing well, keep going!'  

My usual route of down the path and across the park, the A21 and then back home via Southborough lane.  I listened to Andy Speer, especially the bits when he said ''Ok back to a nice easy jog" because that meant I just walked a little slower....!  Of course I did run some, and I knew I was well out of shape and so much slower that I used to be because when Andy said that we were half way through, if it's an out and back then I should turn around, usually I was up by the Crown Lane Spur, the pub there on there corner! Not this time though, I was still on the new path by the new builds that is on the A21, I really need to pull my self together!

I got back thinking that it was a really bad run!  But as us runners always say, 'There is no such thing as a bad run!' A slower run, shorter run, even one that was abandoned after a mile, yes deffo, but never a bad run.  I got out there!  I did it!  My back grumbled again, which I not surprised in the least as my weight is just disgusting!  Getting out there doing it, I've started.  I just need to keep it going now!  

Club Run

 Hello blog readers.

Look at this, another blog, one that it is not too far from the other blog!  Wow..!  I almost didn't make it if truth be known.  It was club night last night, the second one since this second lockdown eased up.  I missed the first one, there was no dragging my ass out, and it was on a Wednesday!  The first time in PWR history, we had a club run on a Wednesday, such as the need for normality to start!  But still, that didn't get my ass back last week.  

This week I had one of the other leaders down to take the lead but she, unfortunately was unwell.  So I bit the bullet, didn't ask any of the other leaders to take it and decided that I will just have to get my shit together and get out there and do it.  So I did!  After work I came back and didn't even take a quick sit on my chair, I just knew if I cosied on down then I wouldn't move. I made myself a quick cuppa (caffeine has got to help, right?)  and sat on the end of the sofa.  It felt totally wrong, that wasn't my place and to make matters worse my son was sitting in my chair, no doubt making his own arse-dent in my cushions! 

Well as you've probably guessed, I did get out, I had to park on another road though and had to run back to the recreation ground where we meet.  I was already puffing out my backside what was I going to be like on the run?  My group was the last one there! Sorry guys, but I knew the route we were taking, it was my favourite route, mainly because it's the flattest one around, but just to make it interesting, we were going to be doing it in the opposite direction.  It's amazing just how different a route can feel if you change just that one thing.  All those little psychological miles stones will not be in the right place!  

After I caught my breath we started out, just five of us, so just one off from a full house for our COVID safe group, we ran towards Tudor way.  A least Kingsway's little bump won't kill me off before we have really started.  Beaumont road is that long road that we usually have at the end of our run, having it at the beginning felt kinda nice!  That road just sometimes gets to me, stretching out before you, with that bend just further up, you think you have reached the end of it and then realise there is still more to run!  Well, Beaumont, this time I got you! Well, that was what was going on in my head!  I really thought I had it sussed, just keep putting one foot in front of the other.  I didn't manage to run all of it!  It was blimmin cold out there, it was just zapping energy right out of me (that's my excuse and I'm sticking with it!) 

I promised myself that I would check out all the lights that we passed, just for seeing how a 'Woo Woo' run would go, but I was so puffed out, glasses were steaming up that I actually couldn't remember to take note, not that I could have seen them anyway!  I flipping hate being cold, give me warm and toastie any day!

Once we were finished with Beaumont, psychologically it felt like we were nearly done! Weird, right? All that was going through my mind was 'Blimey, not far now!"  So really, it is good to do your usualy loop route going in the opposite direction. 

One of the  things I love about our group 1 runners is we are the same, we all struggle to run fast or far. If we see someone struggling the encouragement that goes out to that individual is just amazing!  Guess who the 'individual' was last night, yup, me!  I was totally struggling, but from the group there was 'Just to the lamppost, we got this' and 'Look we are nearly at the end of the road, might as well just finish"  With just those thoughts going through my mind I made it to the next lamppost, in fact, I made it even further going an extra lamppost or two!  I got to the end of the road before taking a cheeky walking break!  Yeah, group 1'er's are a special group indeed!  

It was a great run, blimmin cold, blimmin hard, but a great run.  You never hear a runner saying 'I wish I never done that' What you might hear them say is "Shit run, but so glad I got out".  What does that tell you eh!  It's like one of those oxymoron type of sentence, 'I had a shit run, so glad I got out and done!  When we meeting up next'.  I think runners are all oxymoronic anyway, especially when then put run and fun together!

So my Geeky stats are here