Core Training!

Hello blog lovers.

Well, I know I should be resting, but I promise I did take things very gentle indeed.  I just had to do something, sitting around, on my chair is become all to easy!  I don't want to get to the stage where I find going out to be a chore.

I am really getting down about these aches in my shins.  Not knowing what the problem is and trying to self diagnose is not good.  I will be looking for a physiotherapist to try and help me figure it all out!  So in the meantime, with no diagnosis I am just continuing to do what I can, keeping my cycling as fun still, rather than a work out!  All though those hills are a workout of course.

Core training is obviously just that, getting this core of mine taught, like a washboard, strong!  I can dream!  But I do know that if I have a strong core it will help with my running and my cycling!  I really got to work as hard as I can!  The school holidays are playing havoc on my exercise regime.

Just before the holidays I decided to do some core training at home. Get home from a school run, work out for an hour and then get on with the day.  I think psychologically I must have chosen that day knowing that I couldn't continue it for a few weeks!  Lazy!

So, the running sections of todays session, which was led by the lovely DiscoRich, was taken at a very leisurely pace indeed, not even breaking into a sweat.  I didn't even run as far as the rest of them, I was just there keeping my muscles warm, and making sure they don't forget whose boss!

The disciplines we did I tried my very hardest to execute them properly and to keep up with everyone.  Everyone that is except Veeral.  The man is a machine!   He is fast, he is fit, and he seems to do the disciplines at double time!  I did find the side plank a little difficult, and I blame my thighs!  Although my hips were off the floor, and I tried my hardes to keep just to points of contact with the floor, arm and foot, my thighs are not made of muscle, they are made of fat, and all fat wants to is, have contact with with......something, whether its a chair, a bed or flat out on a field in my local park!

I think there may have been 2 or three centimetres between my thighs and the ground!  It's a gap, you can pass a fishing line under and I can only hope that soon, very soon it will be slightly thicker fishing line that can go under!

After that we did our favourite paarloofs or relays.  Both me and Hannah were surplus to requirements and so we became additions No.1's and No.3s.  At least I can run at my own pace and not leave anyone waiting for me to hand over the baton!  We were doing that for 15 minutes!  I was running along with Hollie, a young lady some where in between the age of 18 - 30 (according to her students) is just getting back to her former fitness level.  She has done brilliantly losing loads of weight and exercising frequently.  She was running faster than me as I was just taking it easy!  But we had a great time!  We didn't hold anyone up too long!

Well, I survived todays Thursday core sesh, my shins don't seem to be complaining anymore than they did before I had begun.  Maybe my self diagnosis is wrong, and they is something else that is causing these aches!  I hope so!  I can already feel the fat cells ganging up on me on the inside!  Couch potato is calling in all the favours to try and win the day!  But I WILL NOT LET IT!

ARRRGGGHHH!!

Hello blog lovers

I am just so disappointed, so annoyed and just a tad worried!  I went out to the rec for the 7 o'clock start, see who would be there for the zero group.  But no one new turned up.  I knew that my regular runner wasn't going to make it, but I turn up just in case.

I was going to go home, then I thought "No, go for a run, just a short one, before usual group "  And it was just as well.  My right shin was really playing up.  Just these spasms of pain coming and going, and hurting on impact.  But on every step, which was most peculiar.  I have no idea what is going on!  Is it shin splints, is it not? Easy solvable with a quick chat to a professional?  I do hope so.

I struggled on the 1 mile little loop around the block.  I walked, jogged, walked my way around the short route, carefully making sure I didn't do anything silly!  It was a struggle, and to be honest I was quite glad of the fact that I was alone!

With just a mile around the block I was wondering how I was going to cope with group 1!  I got back to the rec, and stretched out, I didn't want to get cold muscles and just kept walking and making sure I didn't stiffen up.

It was good to see the girls, Jo, J.J. Wendimoo, Janet and Paula and Hannah!  With Illustrious leader leading tonights run I just felt right at home!  I just hoped that my legs would have the staying power.  I.L. took us through the woods, which I was really pleased about as my earlier route was on the road.  I was hoping the soft floor of the woods would be better on my legs than the pavements were.

I took my place at the back of the pack, sweeper mode,  being up at the front these days seems so far from my goals!  I am just going to have to go back to basics myself!  Little, gentle and definitely see some sort of physio!

As soon as we started up the hill towards Orpington Road I knew that running on the softer ground is not going to make any difference.  But being the stubborn runner that I have become, I kept going towards the top of the woods.  We took a quick break at the Woodmans house and then carried on along the top towards the middle path.  This is where we were going to go back down towards Poo Ally and it's where I decided I would finish my run.  I.L. will be taking the rest of the group for a further mile and a half!

So, two to three miles for me this evening, and a wise decision made, i.e. seek professional advice, and feeling a tad disappointed.  Blimey, how very British is that "A tad disappointed" what I really meant to say is "I am bloody disappointed!"  So disappointed that I could stamp my feet, if I thought it wouldn't do any damage to my already sore bloody shins!

Ring up tomorrow, check out the docs, get myself sort!  I have a race to do, and a 3 year running winning streak on my clubs Grand Prix to defend!

One More For Today!

Hello blog lovers.

It's Thursday evening which means Core Training and Speed Training! I was looking forward to it, I like to push myself on the Thursday evenings, whether its in the rec or on the track.  Jenny was in the hot seat today with her second in command Drill Sergeant Pinky, ZippySherry's little daughter!

There must have been about 18 or so of us there today all eager to do well in todays session, do all the tasks that there is going to be! I had bought my car along today as I had to get petrol on the way back but the car park was chocka block with cars!  I had to park on the road, So I ran up the entrance just in time as I saw the rest of the group start out on the warm up laps!

We had the usual drills after that and then there was this little speed session, jogging for 10 seconds sprinting for ten seconds, then jogging for 15 seconds and sprinting for 15 seconds, all the way up to 45 seconds sprinting!  That was tough!  I was struggling a bit with the short distance between the cones that I struggled with.  I found myself running along a square rather than back and forth, one cone to anther.

Then it was the games section.  British Bulldog, as asked for by Drill Sergeant Pinky!  I did notice, however that she didn't put herself in the bulldog position!  That was down to Jenny.  I remember when I was first in the bulldog position on the first run I didn't actually 'tag' anyone, so I had to do another one by myself!  Where as Jenny 'tagged' someone straight away, meaning she had help for the next run!

Core training is always a great section, and we started off with those dreaded burpees straight away.  I amuses me that we all moan like anything when we are doing it, but we do it with a smile on our face!  It's tough, and I was trying my hardest to do the best burpees I could so that I could get maximum benefit from each one!

We had about five or six disciplines to do which we all did, and then Jenny said "Right do it all again" What!?  So there we were, doing more burpees, squats an everything else! While we were doing this Drill Sergeant Pinky was wandering about the circle of people telling them to "do more, do the full press ups"  "She will be poking us with a stick next" I said to all my fellow exercisers. and with that she went of towards the trees and came back with the biggest stick that I ever see a little girl could pick up!

After all of that we did some relay running for about 20 minutes, with the batons and boy was that tough!  But good fun, I did have a little bit of competitiveness when I was running along against my fellow no.2,  all I could think was thank goodness that my team mates no.1 (there were two number ones in our group as we had extra man), as he could fly round and hand me the baton.  Mind you, by the end of it I did wish that pinkshirt lady (the other no.1) had the baton, then I could have rested longer!

A great session, really enjoyed it!  And I am sure I did as much as I could!

My Own Colour Run!

Hello blog lovers.

It's Thursday and it's probably the last Thursday that I can run at 09:30 until September when the kids go back to school!  I am planning on doing something with the kids, instead of my running, but mainly I will be the one with the whistle!

My colour run, and no, it's not that I left a red sock in my washing machine and turned all my whites pink, it's me getting arty farty and looking at the colours on my run today.  As you can probably guess, I am running solo again.  DiscoRich's group is still going strong, and again there was the invite to run along behind them....way behind them, and this time I wasn't tempted, not when D.R. mentioned a huge hill!

My run took me through my beloved woods. it wasn't a nice bright day, the sky was a non discript white/grey and I was missing the sunshine.  But no matter what the weather, running is running and I just love it! I went in through Poo Ally and turned left.  I thought I might as well get in a long hill as DiscoRich and his crew will be attacking a huge one somewhere!  My hill was Botany Bay Lane, all the way up to the very top!

I know in the winter running through the woods, all there is to see are the bare branches of the trees, a few evergreens trying to look as bright as they can in the almost sepia colour of the woods. But now at least I have the greens to look at.  And there are quite a number of different greens.

I ran along to the bridges that go over the rail lines and I stopped and smiled, now there is some colour!  Some gorgeous flowers just growing there, looking their best, doing their job of attracting bees and insects.  I stopped and  took a photo, this is going to be my very own Colour Run.  I decided that I would take pictures of anything that looked pretty and colourful.

pinks!

Ok, so the sheep in this picture are not colourful, but by the way they were all tucked under the shade of the tree, did then no something, were they expecting rain or even sunshine?

Hiding!

Just then on the opposite side I saw two parakeets on the ground, I tried my hardest to get my phone to start working before they flew off. Just as I was about to take the picture of the pretty green parakeets a black crow flew towards them and scared them off, you can just see the bird in this picture!

There he is, flying!

I continued up the hill to the very top, and thats my hill training done!  I took a picture to show off!  Well, it was going to be a selfie but I didn't want to bend down!  There were quite a few female solo runners about this morning, and we all were smiley, and even had some breathless good mornings!  I was glad that I was actually running whenever I met up with them.
I hadn't really seen any other flowers, I was beginning to think that maybe all the colours had finished.  But as I was running along the road, creeping over the garden wall was some beautiful pink flowers.

More pinks

Ok, it's cheating when they have been planted, but they had to have been grown in the wild first for man to have picked up on it, right?  I crossed over the road and ran into Scadbury, just the edge of it.  I noticed a sign that I hadn't really taken any notice of before, Holwood House.  I decided to just go and have a look.  It was a house!  A very nice large house that is obviously now some very nice flats or apartments, or whatever we call them these days!

I turned back and continued on my way through Scadbury.  All the different colour of greens were all around, I just wished I had a good camera to try and capture all of it.  I did try! Here look

Some greens.

Running down Orpington Road (I always thought it was Chislehurst road) I saw a tree in a garden, with red leaves!  Of course I had to get that as well!

Reds!

Just as I had finished taking the picture I saw Moy!  The only other female solo runner that I happened to see today was a PWR and I was stopped, taking pictures!  Typical!  But we did have a little chat, she is back to running again which is great news!

I crossed over the road and continued on my way through Petts Wood, running down along the rail line.s  I saw another lady, one of the dog walkers, but we had actually met before on a bike run, with the Panagua Ladies!  Small world!

With just the little bit of road work to do after leaving Poo Ally I ran along to Crossways, turned the corner and saw some yellow flowers!  Something I missed on the way into the woods, I obviously was colour blind then!

Yellows

And then getting home and looking outside my patio windows there was more colour!  You gotta love summer, even if the sky is not blue!

On my Patio

Geeky stats.

Petts Wood and Knoll Ward Running by moosh001 at Garmin Connect - Details

It's Time To Kick Ass!

Hello blog lovers.

I am really determined to get fitter than ever!  Well, at this precise moment that is exactly what I am feeling!  But when it came to do something about it this morning I began procrastinating.....again! Why do I always do that?  I know that once it's all done then I will feel good, I can get showered, and continue on with my day!  But no, I find something interesting to read on my news feed, I just have to reply and like and share a particular video.  Say happy birthdays, do washing, pick up that bit of fluff from the floor, wander just one last time in Big Sons bedroom and wonder if he will make it out in the big wide world without me nagging him (Big Son moved out just this weekend).  This empty nest syndrome is not a nice feeling!

A job well done, a tough job but one that I have been busy at for 30 years, a mum, has come to the end.  So new regime, think of me, think fitter, think healthier!  But oh I do miss him and my two girls and grandson!

First things first, trainers on and a warm up lap of the block.  That always works for our Thursday core training sessions,  so off I went.  My body felt stiff and unco-operative, my legs didn't want to bend, my ankles refused to bend and my back gave me yet another little spasm type thing between my shoulders blades!  But I am not going to let that put me off,  at least one hour of activity, which will include warm up, core thingys and a cool down stretch with some r&r thrown in at the end!

My jog around the block took no time at all and I came back raring to go!  I hadn't a clue what I was going to do or in what order I was going to do it.  But I knew that I was going to concentrate on the whole body, conditioning and strengthening everything!  I may even throw in a few pelvic floor exercises, but maybe that is something I should just tell my gynaecologist about!

I did a few ups and down running from my kitchen to my sitting room butt kicking, and skipping, getting my muscles all warmed up and ready for the hell that I am going to put them through.  I was certainly getting warm! And now it was time for the conditioning!

Where is the first place an ex couch potato goes when they don't really want to do anything? It's the food cupboards right, and that's exactly what I did.  I grabbed a couple of tins of beans and started to do my squats with arms out front, a tin of beans in each hand, legs and arms working together.

I had my iPod on and I was working out, in rhythm to some great tunes, I did some more arm exercises with the beans in my hands and the sweat was pouring from me!  For a moment I had thought that the heating had come on!  I was sweating like I was in a sauna.  I was quite proud of the fact that I was too, it shows that I can work hard by myself, in fact I took a picture, here look!

Looking rather hot.....?

I know not very attractive!  But to me it shows me that I was working hard.  Smug mode!  I did some of the burpees that I just hate, and kept it going to then end of a song I was listening too. Then it was some floor exercises.  Planks, press ups, leg raise/lower, and some ab twists.  I felt like a professional, I can tell you.  I am sure I didn't do many of each, but what I did was quality instead.  Holding the positions for longer, performing each exercise slowly to maximise the movement.

My abs were screaming by the time I did that so it was back to some more all over exercises, which in this case was the whole sun salutations things.  Next it was arms.  I pulled up a chair and put it against the wall, I was going to do some triceps dips.  Again with the music blaring in my ears I did as many as I could.  Back to some leg work to finish off.  And this is one that Emma showed us when it was her turn for a Thursday core training session.  It was to put you back against the wall and then slide down to a sitting position, with the invisible chair underneath you!  And hold!  I was listen to a great tune, this is the only one that I can remember singing along to as I tried to ignore the pain in my thighs, Juke Box Hero!

I was belting out the lyrics like a boss, my thighs were screaming at me to either fall in a heap on the floor or to stand!  I ignored the pain, I screamed out as my thighs began to shake and burn.  I didn't want to quit until until I sang that last note!  OMG!  that fecking hurt!

I stood up, thighs burning, sweat dripping into my eyes and I felt pleased.  My cool down stretches consisted of some lovely ham string, calves and quads stretches. Also some stretches on the floor, listening to a great piece of soothing music.  I pushed the button to go back to the beginning of the soothing music and just laid out on my back, relaxing everything, from my toes to my ears and eyes!  I let the music just drift over me as, each in turn I relaxed my toes, and ankles, my calves, knees and thighs.  I tensed each muscle as I thought about it and then let it relax and just melt into my sofa as I thought about the next muscle.

My back, and fingers and hands, I clenched into a fist and let it go. my shoulders round up and down and then relaxed!  The music was taking me into a nice peaceful gentle relaxation. I could feel my whole body just feeling relaxed.

After relaxation

Yup.  I did it! I worked out hard and a totally relaxed afterwards. About an hours worth.  I put my Garmin on with my heart rate monitor,  I wanted to see how hard I had worked and how relaxed I could be after.  I noticed that my heart rate touched on 57 as I was totally relaxed forjust  a second!  Now that's relaxed.

And just cos of sheer vanity, another picture  of me after showering and everything.  Just five minutes after all that exercise......yeah!! I lie of course!  It was a least 10!

Five minutes after!.....Honest.....

Geeky stats.  Untitled by moosh001 at Garmin Connect - Details

Yay! Group 1

Hello blog lovers.

I'm back in group 1! And I loved it!  Can't tell you how much I have missed running with the group.  I turned up at the rec at 7 to see if any group 0's will be there.  My regular group 0's had told me that they were not going this evening, and some had even said they are are going back to group 1, but a couple of other people were talking about coming along.  So I turned up and waited.

When there was a no show I just sat in the car and had quiet time, was a great time to say some prayers and then I scrolled through FaceBook like you do!  Some inspiring stories recently, and one in particular from one of our own PWR lady member, Pherenice Worsey-Buck.  It wasn't a wasted hour, as I enjoyed just doing that.

It was good being among my friends again, and also there were some new people too!  Illustrious Leader was our....well.  illustrious leader, and our route today was through the Cinder Path.  The rain had just started to fall, it was a warm evening and the rain was a welcome relief, although a little more of it would be good!

The rain fell ever so softly down, like a fine mist, it wasn't enough to 'clear the air'.  We we watch as group 2 left the rec and we followed closely behind.  I was behind, sweeper position of course, I didn't think I would be up there in the front ranks.  And besides, some of my best running buddies were at the back, after doing a couple of weeks running in group 0.

My ankle was still a little sore from Friday nights shenanigans, it's amazing that a couple of pints of lager and a childrens play park can bring the 'child from within yourself' out into the open! For those that know me, you may have seen evidence of said 'play time' on my FaceBook page!  So my ankle was complaining a little, but like any other runner world wide, I ignored the little niggle around the bony joint and just ran through it!

Although we at the back were ....at the back.....we didn't do too bad.  It's always a challenge to keep up and I know I need to have that little bit of push to be able to go further again.  Not necessarily faster!  Once at the other end of the Cinder Path we had another little break.  There is the little loop to do.  No one wanted to wait behind today, but also Auriol and I decided we didn't want to run as fast as the main group, so we decided that we would go in the opposite direction and then run back with them when we meet up, which probably wouldn't be as far as they had run.

After that we headed down Crofton, yes, that's right DOWN Crofton Road. Still running at the back but I at last started to get into the run!  It' took all that time but my breathing was more relaxed and even the little niggle around my ankle seemed to ok, it just felt nice and warm!  I was getting a twinge, a spasm type shooting ache in my back.  No idea what it was, it could be that it's been a while since I have done running, and my muscles are just getting used to moving about again.

We ran down until we got to the little bridge, just down from the Off License and had another little break.  The next and the last mile is virtually all that is left to do.  Once we got on to Tudor Way, Illustrious Leader said that we could go at our own pace all the way to the rec.

I didn't think I had any sprint in my legs, but there it was!  Illustrious Leader had taken up the position of sweeper and then I passed a couple of my running buddies and crossed over the road.  I looked towards the sign that points to the rec, fixed my gaze on the road ahead and just ran.  I didn't ran particularly fast, just faster than what I had been doing in the last couple of weeks!  I past a coupe of other group 1's and then saw one my in front of me.

I fixed my gaze on her.  I had convinced myself not to totally go all out, just keep the pace that I was at and try and catch her up.  I was getting nearer and nearer and so was the signpost!  Will I have enough time to catch her up.  I really wanted to go a bit faster but I just disciplined myself to just stay at the pace i was at!  Just a few more feet and.........darn it "I nearly caught up with you" I said to her as we slowed down to walking pace, "If I had known I would have ran faster" she said!  "Which is why I said nothing!" I replied!

I led the warm down stretches once we were all in the rec.  A great run today, and so glad to be back with group 1.  My shins, although a slight discomfort, nothing like it was a few weeks back!  So I am back!

Geeky stats!

Petts Wood and Knoll Ward Running by moosh001 at Garmin Connect - Details

Back To Serious Business!

Hello blog lovers.

After a lovely, lovely run through the woods this morning, just me and my thoughts (albeit somewhat off the scale!) it was back to serious business of getting fitter, determined, toned, focused! Core training is the order of the day....or evening!

ZippySherry was taking the  lead today.  I do love her turn in the hot seat, it's all about  the school ground games!  Who don't like the school ground games!?  Well, at the time when I was at school, I hated it!  All that getting changed into PE gear, running around getting fecking hot and sweaty, then having to get changed again to go do lessons!  (the showers never worked, nor did they have any curtains!) But it seems now that I am........older..........I love it!  Why couldn't I have loved it when I was at school!  Too busy trying to fit in, smoking and going to the chip shop!

I cycled up to the rec for the 7:30pm start.  We had the usual two lap warm up and the drills, which I might add, were hindered by the dog who decided that the best place to lay down and wait for all the silliness to finish was bang in the middle of the 'runway', before we had the fun and games.  Today it was Cups and Saucers, or DiscoRich rich did say something else, but for the life of me I just can think what it was.  But the idea of the game was you had two teams, team one was Cups, team 2 was saucers.  We had little cones all spread out in a space, some were upside down and some where the right way up.

The two teams had to run around and make sure that all the cones were turned in their teams right order.!  I feel sure that the team that I was in, the saucers, by the time of the whistle were more that then others!  After that it was relay running.  Everyone loves a relay.  Three or four teams were quickly sorted and batons handed out!  It's serious business.

We had 10 minutes of running in relays!  I tried to claim that we needed extra runs as a couple of my team tried to hand the baton to members of the opposition!  But it was all done in the spirit of fun!  No one actually counted how many times they had run up to the cricket square (I've been calling it the crease, but that is just where the batting person stands, apparently!

After that it was the core training, and among the squats, lunges and planks there were those dreaded burpees!  Oh do I love a burpee!!!!  Twenty she demanded, twenty!  We had the kids counting out every single lunge, squat, press ups and second of planks. but those burpees, I am sure the young dude was focused on the really fit guy, who was doing planks with just one arm and one leg on the floor. The young dude was counting out 4, while I was still rising up from the 1st burpee!

But it was while we were doing star jumps (only introduced after we couldn't keep up with the burpees count) my.....um........well I had a wardrobe malfunction!  Not quite as bad as Judy Finnegan, (you all remember the front of the dress incident?) in front of millions of people! It was my bra strap!,  It had come adrift!  I was trying to do a star jump, with the young dud-ess blowing her whistle when I had stopped to have a look to see what was going on!   I had to run to the loo to sort it out!  I really didn't want to ask anyone to help me to secure the 'girls' back in their hammock!  The hammock was pretty......well sweaty!  Even I use tongs to place it in the washing machine!

Something I personally seem
to worry about these days!

After I got back from 'wardrobe' they were all ready under way with the next running section of todays session.  I just slotted into a place and just went with the flow!  All in a circle, and what ever was called out then we had to run around and then get back into our place!  For instance, who ever was in blue, run, who ever had pink on, who ever was wearing glasses etc!

After that it was a cool down stretches and end of session!  A great evenings work out! Great company and such fun!  What a great running club that I belong to that we can do things like this!

Obviously no geeky stats, (mainly because I forgot)!