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Hartlepool Half
Hartlepool Half - Part Four
Hartlepool Half - Part Four
A blog for a half marathon, I'm not reading this shite .
I don't blame you, I wouldn't read it either. I'll probably get bored writing it to be honest and give up after a week.
The week in numbers ...
Miles ran: 42.78
Gym visits: 0
Chocolate eaten: 0
Alcohol drunk: lots
Previous Hartlepool Blogs ...... Have a read
Monday 18th May - 12st45lb
Monday 18th May - 12st45lb
Start of a new week and I've realised one of my major issues with my weight is I can be really sensible all week but I then undo everything on Friday and Saturday and have to restart every Monday.
I also run a lot over the weekend but it's obviously not enough to counteract the bad food and drinks I have. So I need to sort this out. I need to be better prepared on a Friday so I cook tea instead of getting a takeaway. Then on a Saturday I need to eat lunch and not spend the day picking at crisps and chocolate, that's the plan.
Really busy today with work but I have 2 hours first thing where I give some serious thoughts to going to the gym. Ultimately I decide I'm not going, I'm also not rejoining. It's been 3 weeks now of thinking about it and the reason is I know I won't go and it's a total waste of money. I hate the gym and spending £27 a month to go and use some kettlebells and do some core stuff on the mats is stupid. I decide instead to spend one months gym cost and buy a kettlebell for the house. There is of course just as much chance I'll never use this but it's a one off payment instead of a 12 month contract and that's saving money in my book.
No running today as it's rest day, so it's work, foam rolling my foot and calf, stretching my foot and calf and shockwaving my foot.
No chocolate, no crisps, no cakes, no biscuits, no fizzy drinks, no booze.
Tuesday 19th May - 12st34lb
Tuesday 19th May - 12st34lb
Work all morning and then in the afternoon I need to nip to the Post Office to post some vinted stuff and then go to the clubhouse to charge up the speakers and generator for The Cookson on Wednesday.
Then back home for some more work and then put to the club later for a track session. I also took delivery of my kettlebell today, it's very heavy and I got a sweat on just taking the box from the delivery driver. It's a really useful door holder. I had no idea what weight to get so I asked Google and it told me a man should be able to work towards a 20kg kettlebell for most exercises. It suggested a good start point would be a 16kg kettlebell.
Yeah, maybe for a normal man Google but fuck me it's heavy. When I was fat I was a lot stronger, these days not so much. I'm thinking I should have perhaps ordered a 12kg one or maybe asked Google what it suggested for a very weak and pitiful man.
Club in the evening, 4 mile warm up and then join C team which is more like B team with Dayle, Natasha, Cara, Matt and Jess. Oh and Ben. First 800 is roughly on pace but then once we do the fast 200 it all goes silly.
We end up doing the long reps a couple of seconds per 100 too fast and the fast bits even faster. This ain't C team pace. I just don't have it in me but hang on til the end and even at the back of the group I'm doing every rep 1 second per 100 too fast.
Jog home and another 8 miles in the bag. Foot was okay but it's a bit sore now. Stretch my calf out and do some foam rolling and then relax and watch telly and have a coffee.
No wine and no biscuits, back on the diet.
I'm becoming addicted to satsumas.
Wednesday 20th May - 12st5lb
Wednesday 20th May - 12st5lb
Only got one appointment today and then taken the rest of the day off.
Tonight is The Cookson.
This means I am running around most of the day and on WhatsApp with the events team for the majority of it sorting things. I love The Cookson but every year it gets harder and harder with more obstacles thrown in our way, it's very stressful and really all I want to do is play loud music and design funny t shirts.
The race goes off without a hitch. My favourite bit is between 7:10pm and 7:15pm when I'm walking up and down in front of all the runners with The Chemical Brothers blasting out from the speakers and everyone's waiting for me to do the briefing and start the race but I'm having too much fun listening to music.
Maybe I should have been a DJ and not a runner, I have much more fun playing music than I do running.
The Dolly Parton T shirts went down an absolute storm, so much so I have to order another 50 for the marshalls as they all disappeared!
Thursday 21st May - 12st4lb
Thursday 21st May - 12st4lb
Another day working, loads of appointments and then club in the evening.
I'm absolutely wrecked today, couldn't sleep last night. I'm guessing this is partly because I ate loads of cakes when I got home and partly down to adrenaline from the Cookson. Whoever made the very sticky chocolate brownies has a lot to answer for.
My foots feeling a bit better. I've worked out exactly what's wrong with it, it's a bit of peroneal tendonitis due to a very tight peroneus brevis which is pulling down into my foot. Lots of foam rolling is helping and lots of trigger point work is helping.
We're on Foxhunters tonight, I do a 5 mile warm up to get there and decode I'm really not feeling it today. I'm tired and feel a bit drained so opt for D team. The session starts and I do the first rep with D and feels okay.
For the second rep I decide to drop back off D and then on the effort try and reel them all in. The rep starts, I work hard and go past D and catch C.
I decide to cut the recovs to 60 seconds instead of 2 mins and push on past C and start to get closer to B. I'm still not quick enough for B but I'm not a million miles away. So much for taking it easy and not feeling it tonight.
I really need to stop being an absolute pathetic baby and get back into either B or C and stay there.
Run home and my foot is killing. The uneven field and long grass is overworking my ankle and tendons and I think I'm going to have to sack off Foxhunters for a while.
What a shame.
Friday 22nd May - 12st3lb
Friday 22nd May - 12st3lb
I've got loads on today.
Work, then I need to go to the clubhouse to put some stuff away and sort some t shirts out for people. No time for a run but my foot feels crap so probably a good idea for an enforced rest day.
In the evening we decide to get a takeaway, Gail's started her new job and this is the end of week one and she's enjoying it and it seems a good way to celebrate.
So it's A Chinese, which for me means lots of tofu and rice and spicy chips and a bottle of red. For once we're not doing the traditional family Friday with music and booze. Lily and Poppy are both out so it's just me, Gail and Sam tonight. We eat, talk, drink and watch some scary movies, bloody brilliant.
Saturday 23rd May - 12st4lb
Saturday 23rd May - 12st4lb
Up early to do some miles before parkrun, I want to hit about 10 miles today so I need at least 7 early doors and then back for parkrun.
It's damn hot today and I don't cope well in the heat, I'm a sweater, a big old sweaty mess when the sun is shining. I do the 7 miles and I'm melting, the pace has felt okay and my foot feels much better today but I'm not sure I've got much left in me for parkrun.
I managed about 23 mins and run it as a negative splits which I'm pleased about, then we head across to grab a coffee from Dickie and his coffee van and that man can make a damn fine coffee.
Then home, shower, get dressed and Gail is out for the day so I head down to the carnival to listen to some music and have a beer, or two.
Then head home and fall asleep on the settee with Murphy, what a day.
Then Gail comes home and says she wants to go to the pub, we'll who am I to let my wife down. We go to the pub, I have another couple of beers and then we go for a curry.
So much for my plan of sensible weekend eating.
A Chinese takeaway and a curry in a restaurant and 4 pints in the pub. I'm fucking useless, I really am.
But at least i bought a kettlebell.
Haven't used it yet obviously, but I did buy it.
Sunday 24th May - 12st4lb
Sunday 24th May - 12st4lb
Didn't bother weighing myself today.
I'll have put weight on and I'll be annoyed so no point knowing.
I need to get out early for a long run and I need to be home by 9:30 which means a super early start.
Problem is, I don't want to get up early. I can do 15 miles if I get up early or I can get up later and do 10 miles.
I obviously go for 10 miles.
It's a bit quicker than I had planned and feel pretty good today, but yet again it's damn hot and I'm melting. First half is sensible and second half I pick up the pace and knock out the final 4 miles around 7:30 pace and it feels good.
Home and then we need to drop the girls off in Sunderland for a music festival, go shopping and then home. It's absolutely bloody boiling today, a music festival is not where I'd want to be. I want to be in a pub beer garden but we have to drive back to Sunderland tonight so it's no booze.
Home, sit in the sun for a while and then I feel like my face is actually melting off so I go and lie on the settee and watch The Rise Of Gru, it's no Moana but it's a good film. I may or may not have shed a tear at the end when Gru is at the funeral of Knuckles, bit don't worry as Knuckles isn't really dead, it's all a scam so he can hide from the AVL, that's the Anti-Villan League if you don't know.
Then I naturally fall asleep on the settee for an hour or so and then at 10pm we have to head back to Sunderland to try and find the girls.
Home by 11:30 and off to bed.
I've just realised it's 1 week until Hartlepool.
In my head it was 2 and I really don't feel anywhere near ready for it. I feel like I'm slower and less prepared than I was 3 weeks ago when I did Gateshead Newcastle half.
I'll weigh myself tomorrow and I might even pick the kettle bell up.
Probably won't though.
I feel slow. I feel fat. I feel knackered. I especially feel fat.
Oh and I need a haircut.
More Blogging ...
More Blogging ...
I finally got round to sorting all my marathon blogs into one place.
You can read about Kielder, London , Amsterdam, York and Manchester and you can enjoy my tales of my sausage dog nemesis, Bilbo, Ben, Bain pissing himself, parties, gigs, pizzas, red wine and I even occasionally talk about running.
HAVE A READ HERE
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