Posts

Posted Jun 25, 2013

This lunchtime, I had an overwhelming urge to go for a run. Rather cunningly, I had some running kit I'd left in the office for just this sort of situation, so I changed and headed off for a run down the canal and round Rickmansworth Aquadrome. I always enjoy this route; there are usually plenty of child- and dog-walkers to be seen, also enjoying the space. (The vast numbers of midges weren't quite so welcome, though, sticking as they did to my sweaty head...) I didn't break any records; given how sore my legs were after yesterday's onslaught, this wasn't a surprise. It was hotter than expected, but that's not something I'm going to complain about!

Posted Jun 24, 2013

I hadn't expected today to work out quite like this! The original plan had been just the usual Monday "piano run" while the kids had piano lessons. However, Mrs H had two excellent surprises in store. Firstly, it turned out that she wasn't going to be able to do her circuit class booking for Wild Training, so I did that as well, to be helpful..! Then, she was hoping for a willing subject for her yoga homework, and who was I to turn down such an offer?!

Posted Jun 23, 2013

That was close! Just managed to get a 4-mile run in, finishing just before midnight (I'm typing this post as I do a cool-down walk back home).

Posted Jun 22, 2013

Our new cockapoo puppy is keeping us rather busy at the moment - as do most 7-week-old dogs, I imagine - so I will keep this brief!

Posted Jun 21, 2013

I don't know when we first started referring to our pairs PT sessions as going into the "man cave", but the name has certainly stuck. I received a suitable placard for Fathers Day; at this morning's weekly PT session, we hung it on the door of the gym room, just in case anyone wasn't clear what was going on. (I would attach a photo if my hands weren't a bit full with puppy activity!)

Posted Jun 20, 2013

Circuits was much the same as yesterday, but with a hideous variation at the squat/lunge phase, where I was given two kettle bells. Suffice to say in still hurting!

Posted Jun 19, 2013

After a busy day at work, what's better than to settle down to ... an hour of high-intensity intervals with Wild Training?! It was hot out there in Hervines Park, and I was slightly at sixes and sevens when I arrived, as my 9yo daughter had her brownie meeting in the same park, throwing our usual pattern for the day. So after dropping her off, I legged it over to our special place by the playground.

Posted Jun 18, 2013

Today was the second time I had the chance to play guinea pig for Mrs H's yoga class homework. We had a very pleasant half-hour going through various poses and flows, and I ended up feeling distinctly relaxed. I'm really looking forward to when she becomes a fully qualified yoga teacher!

Posted Jun 17, 2013

Monday: piano day. The older kids head to their piano lesson in Chalfont St Peter; I then use the next hour for a run. Today's was lovely: nice and warm, not raining, beautiful countryside.

Posted Jun 16, 2013

Well, that's one day I would happily blot from the diary of life. Proof, as if it were needed, that you really can try to fit too many things in. I am my own worst enemy...

Posted Jun 15, 2013

So it's Mrs H's yoga training day; she slogged into Town for her full-on day of yoga learning in Crouch End, and the kids and I had some time at home. We have some fantastic local teenagers for babysitting, so today one of them held the fort while I managed a thoroughly enjoyable Wild Training session, then a quick run on the way back.

Posted Jun 14, 2013

This morning's early PT session, following last night's late run, looks with the benefit of hindsight a bit over-enthusiastic! It was fun though; I always enjoy these sessions. Again, Holger and I trained at Deep Mill Equestrian Centre near Great Missenden, presided over by Darrell from Wild Training.

Posted Jun 13, 2013

My strength is returning, definitely, despite a near absence of carbs. Today has been a long day, starting at 6 to get to the airport, and walking back from my run at 23:51. But I feel like I am beginning to recover some of the speed I had before starting my experiment.

Posted Jun 12, 2013

Wednesday evening: circuits! It was a bit soggy, but we had a thoroughly enjoyable hour of high-intensity interval training this evening with Wild Training in Amersham's lovely Hervines Park. The class started off alternating rounds of kettle bells and "rip training". Each round was classic TABATA, entailing 8 x 20-second repetitions of the exercise, with a 10-second gap between, and a minute or two between rounds. We did each station 3 times in total. Then we finished off with a TABATA round of burpees, just in case we still had a heartbeat. So - 7 rounds DONE!

Posted Jun 11, 2013

It was spectating at Blenheim that did it. Watching people jumping into the lake, swimming, cycling, running ... winning. I had wanted to do Blenheim myself, but all the tickets had gone when I applied. Then, with all the music that was going on earlier in the year, I didn't get anything else in the diary. But it all came back on Sunday.

Posted Jun 10, 2013

I have two conflicting views about today. On the one hand, I'm delighted that I managed my longest run since my calves started giving me agro (4.37 miles in 44:31) and they stood up fine. This was done during my "piano slot" (when the kids have lessons and I have an hour), and was lovely! And I had even managed a "fast walk finishing with a run when I realised how close I'd cut it for the train" alternative way of getting to Marylebone on the way back from dropping off my flute for a service in the morning - 1 mile in 12:53.

Posted Jun 9, 2013

After yesterday's late night, another long day. I was up at 6:30 to make breakfast, then after some quick packing we set of to pick up friends then drive on to Blenheim. Our friend Karen and Holger were both competing, starting pretty early. It felt a lot colder than when I did it last year, although I gather the water was a similar temperature.

Posted Jun 8, 2013

Okay, it's late and we have an early start in the morning, so let's hit hard and fast! Saturday, with an action-packed oasis of activity in the desert of calf woes: I salute you!

Posted Jun 7, 2013

I also look forward to Fridays. My friend Holger (aka @TheHolgernator) and I head over to Deep Mill Farm, a nearby and most excellent equestrian centre, for an hour's training session, under the supervision of Darrell from Wild Training Amersham. We do something different each time: given my continuing calf woes, today we majored on strength training.

Posted Jun 7, 2013

I am continuing to love Google Play Music, and find myself using it alongside Spotify on my phone in equal measures. I have now uploaded all my purchased music to the Google servers, so can listen to everything at very high quality wherever I am. How technology has come along in the last decade!

Posted Jun 6, 2013

Written around lunchtime:

Posted Jun 5, 2013

I am getting intimately familiar now with our foam roller. I bought ours from Helen at Ten Point in Amersham (a present for Mrs H, but that's another story!), and am very pleased with it. Helen directed me towards a Barefoot Audio YouTube video showing how to use the roller, which is excellent and thoroughly recommended as a way of doing it without inflicting extreme pain (and shows our roller too, as a perk).  [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3vEK5fahQ4]

Posted Jun 4, 2013

Juneathon: "an annual festival of activity and excuses". I've managed a bit of each today!

Posted Jun 3, 2013

I look forward to Monday evenings. The two older kids have piano lessons; dropping them off gives me an hour that can't realistically be used for anything useful but ... running. Ok, I could perhaps bring a bike, but even the pool round the corner is shut, so a jaunt round Chalfont St Peter, in a way that is entirely family-friendly, has a lot to recommend it!

Posted Jun 2, 2013

Is it just me that finds it hard to fit runs in to busy family weekends? Today we have been up at my parents-in-law's place, having fun at the playground and later at nearby Wimpole Hall, only getting back to ours near 9pm. I did take running stuff, but it just wasn't going to happen there...

Posted Jun 1, 2013

Today's Juneathon activity started pretty early; soon after 6:30am, me and my friend Karen were in a car heading over to near Egham for some open water swimming in Heron Lake. It was a lovely sunny morning, if a bit nippy. When we got there, it was heaving! The lake was big enough that once in, though, that you wouldn't have realised.

Posted Jun 1, 2013

Posted Jun 1, 2013

I don't know about you lot, but for me, things always seem to go best when there is a challenge to work towards. My original plan was to do the Blenheim Triathlon this month, but for various reasons that wasn't possible. Then I saw Cathy's "call to action" tweet about Juneathon, and remembered what fun Janathon had been earlier in the year and how it had kick-started my running for the year. In the end, it wasn't too much effort beyond the usual week's exercise regime, either.

Posted Mar 25, 2013

So quick, such a waste. We set off in the car to go to the kids' piano lesson; Louie was hiding in the dark behind one of the car wheels...

Posted Feb 19, 2013