Life With The Runs...

I'm feeling good - had a couple of days off after my 12 miles because I was in Ireland on Tuesday and returned to my running last night with a 5 miler....easy peasy!

So far I've run 120 miles with my Nikeplus thing and probably another 20-30 before I got that. Here's a history of my runs since getting my Nike gadget.

http://nikeplus.nike.com/nikeplus/?l=runners,runs,1693117138

I have another 8 miles to run tonight, followed by 13.1 miles which I'm going to try and fit around Saturday.

Things are a bit slow on the sponsorship front but I'm getting there. If anybody fancies making a donation feel free!!

Oh and by the way, John Guthrie the Podiatrist came down from Scotland with the new inserts for my running shoes. I haven't tried them out yet as I've got to ease gently into them but will give them a shot in the next few days.

12 Miles Completed

Yesterday was my first run over 10 miles since 2001 when I did the Windsor Half Marathon. I'm in much better shape thanks to my training this time around and found the 12 miles reasonably OK. It was tough in stages but was never a real problem - for those of you interested in seeing my run, here it is:

http://nikeplus.nike.com/nikeplus/?l=runners,runs,1693117138,runID,417376363

I have the next two days off running as I'm travelling to Ireland early in the morning and wont be returning until around 11pm on Tuesday night. That rest should set me up nicely for my 8 mile run on Wednesday...., then 5 miles on Thursday, some interval training on Friday and whooopeeee a HALF MARATHON on Sunday!!

It's Mothers Day on Sunday and I'm cooking so it looks like I'm going to have to get up really early to get that in before my cooking!!

So Much For Sunny Spain - Great Weather For Running!

Well we arrived late on Saturday night, reaching the apartment in the early hours of Sunday morning. Desperately hoping for some sunshine, we got up early on Sunday morning to find a cloudy sky and low temperatures...ideal weather for running!!!

So with perfect weather for my 10 mile run along the sea front, I set off late in the afternoon. Despite strong wind and rain, I got right into the swing of things and really enjoyed the first 7-8 miles, the next 2-3 were a bit tougher as the wind was up by then and I was running against it!!

http://nikeplus.nike.com/nikeplus/?l=runners,runs,1693117138,runID,551774012

The above link is to my 10 mile run, and below is the 5 miler I have just finished. Again a good run but this time around the sun decided to make an appearance.

http://nikeplus.nike.com/nikeplus/?l=runners,runs,1693117138,runID,820023637

That's 15 miles I have done in 3 days here in Spain with another 8 miles to go tomorrow before we head home to England.

Spain Here We Come...

Right - I'm off to sunny Spain tomorrow for some relaxation ...errr... and some more training!! We're heading off to Almerimar for a few days.

While I'm there, I have a 10 miler to get through on Sunday and fully intend to run along the promenade in the picture for 5 miles and then run back again!! I'll have the sea on my left and the snow capped mountains of the Sierra Nevada on the right...and then the other way around when I'm running back. I've also got a 5 mile run on Tuesday, followed by 8 miles on Wednesday which is when we head back to the UK.

All round, I'm feeling pretty good and this week managed 5 miles on Monday followed by just short of 8 miles on Wednesday with some interval training lined up for tonight. Shins are holding up, my rest day yesterday seems to have got rid of all the aches and pains and I'm raring to go....Spain, here we come!!!

Start of Week 8

Last week was a killer, I pulled my hamstring playing football on Tuesday for the Gravytrain Limited team. This happened within the first 5-10 mins of the match and luckily for me Simon had turned up and was able to replace me.

The next day saw me visiting John Guthrie the podiatrist from Scotland, he drew some lines on my feet, got me on the running machine whilst filming me and then put both my feet in casts. The whole thing was a bit weird and a nightmare if you have tickelish feet. I'm back to see him on the 27th Feb when my custom inserts should be ready for my running shoes. This is aparently going to sort out my shins once and for all....bloody well should for £300!!!

Anyway, back to the training schedule - with my dodgy hamstring, on Wednesday night I managed a 2 mile run, more to see how my hamstring would hold up. It was OK but I could still feel a degree of pain. Thursday was my rest day and because of my problems I went out to do 10k (6.25 miles) on Friday night. This went well left me thinking that I was back on the mend. Then...on Saturday night I decided to drink far too much leaving me with little chance of finishing the planned 10 miles on my schedule.....I didnt finish it, managing only just 4 miles feeling totally dehydrated and with cramps in my legs. I won't be doing that again!!

Injury Threatens..

I'm off to the podiatrist today to see if he can fix my legs - his name is John Guthrie and he's aparently coming down from Scotland to see me. It's costing me an arm and a leg too and to make matters worse I played footie last night for the Gravytrain Limited side and tugged my hamstring. Right now it hurts a fair bit and I'm going to have to run on the treadmill for this chap - coupled with that I have an 8 mile run to complete tonight. I'm really not sure how it's going to be and slightly worried about the impact it's going to have on my training schedule. Fingers crossed I'll be OK but only time will tell.

Another bit of news is that I've been entered for the Adidas Half Marathon on 9th March at Sliverstone Circuit. African Revival have paid my entry and described it as a warm up!!! It seems that prior to taking part in the London Marathon I will have completed at least six half marathons....I can't quite believe that at the moment. Especially considering how I felt after my very first half marathon which was six years ago.

This Week's 23 Mile Target

Well here I am - the start of week 7 of my training schedule. So far things appear to be doing OK but I'm somewhat aprehensive about the step up in miles this week. On Wednesday I'm jumping up to 8 miles with Friday up to 5 and Sunday I'll be doing my best to run 10....that's 23 miles this week plus an intensive game of Football for the Gravytrain Limited team!!

I'm off to see my Physio this afternoon followed by a visit to this podiatrist chap, John Guthrie - let's hope he can get me sorted. I'm a bit sore today after my 8 mile run last night but not as bad as I thought.

Yesterday's 8 Mile Run:
http://nikeplus.nike.com/nikeplus/?l=runners,runs,1693117138,runID,350427436