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Manchester - Week 4

Manchester, the second coming ...
Week 4

The week in numbers ...

Miles ran: 45
Mushrooms eaten : 1None
Chocolate eaten: 1 Boost Duo, 1 Lion Bar Duo,
Sweets eaten : 1 bag of giant Skittles
Wine drank: 2 bottles
American waffles eaten: 2 packs

Weight: Monday 11st11lb
Sunday 11st10lb

Monday 27th January

I'm determined to get back on the healthy eating plan properly this week.

Last week's blog showed just how unhealthy I am and how much chocolate I eat and I need to lose half a stone (at least) to be back to my marathon racing weight. So today I am properly focused and making no excuses. I will eat properly and go to the gym today, I am focused and committed and this is a day for zero excuses.

Today I have had a large pack of Frazzles and a Lion Bar Duo for lunch.

Tomorrow, tomorrow I'm determined to be properly focused and making no excuses.

Tomorrow, I'm determined to get back on the healthy eating plan.

And no I didn't go to the gym.

Tuesday 28th January

It's Bondarenkos at the track tonight, like everyone else I love a bit of bondarenko'ing but with group numbers constantly pushing 100+ it's becoming harder for me and G to run and keep it safe, so a rejig of plans means an earlier run.

Decide to do Thursdays threshold today as I can't face doing a track session on my own. Working all morning and planning to head out at 3 to do the session.

Working back to back all morning and then a break at 3 head upstairs and get changed into my run ING gear and sit on the bed to put my socks on.

At half three I still don't have my socks on and I'm watching videos of dogs who are scared of cats.

At 4 I'm lying on the bed watching the same videos.

At half 4 I'm taking my running gear off and putting my work clothes back on.

I didn't run, zero enthusiasm to run today, my hip and knee hurts still and being on my feet all morning hasn't helped. So I decide to sack it off and have an extra rest day this week and then see how things are tomorrow.

I may make Wednesday's easy miles a threshold session instead or might do easy Weds, club Thurs, threshold Fri.

I'll decide tomorrow.

That was a boring blog entry wasn't it. I didn't even eat any chocolate today, just some yoghurt and toast.

Not yoghurt and toast together, that would be weird.

Or would it? Not normal bread but what about like a fruity bread with raisins in it? You could dip that in yoghurt, that might be quite nice.

Wednesday 29th January

Planned to head out early for 5-6 miles but instead decided to go and have a coffee with Ben, no not that Ben, a different Ben. 'That' Ben has never invited me for a coffee and even if he did he'd probably just knock it out of my hand when I try and drink it.

He's a shit.

Knee and hip still not perfect but feel better. So plan today is another rest day and then back on it tomorrow morning for a run with Linda, club tomorrow night in D team and then thresholds Friday, parkrun Sat and long run Sunday.

Today I also went and got a new tattoo, well actually I got two. Some song lyrics on my left wrist and a photo outline on my left arm of me, my brother's and my dad from a very drunken party for my mum's 50th, I turn 50 this year so it seemed a good thing to do.

Might get a tattoo of Ben next, one of him tripping that old fella up at parkrun and then sticking the boot in when he was down.

Bloody Ben.

Thursday 30th January

Out early doors to run with Linda and do one of her threshold sessions for her mara, my first run all week so unsure how it'll go.

We do 5 x 2km and it feels fine, Linda pushing hard and a good tester for me. Home, lunch, dog walk where Murphy found a roast chicken bag which he carried round for a while and was so proud of himself, he dropped it when he stopped for a wee and then forgot to pick it back up again.

Back to the club tonight and running sensibly in D team, then decide to go in C team because I can't face Bain beating me.

Head out on rolling 7's and pace is a good tester around my usual threshold interval pace, on the way back it all gets silly and I blame Cheryl entirely for this. Finish session and leg feels good.

Good 'ish.

I realise I've done 17 miles today which in hindsight was what i like to call 'twattish' behaviour, no running for 3 days because of niggle and then run 17 miles, genius Simon, well done.

Its Thursday so that's nearly the weekend and i finish the day off with a glass of wine.

Idiot.

Friday 31st January

Plan today is for easy miles, I'm also considering running a Strava segment non stop for half an hour today just to smash the reps as me and Andy Fury keep swapping over Local Legend status on it and it'll be funny.

Decide it's a good day to test the marathon shoes, so I slip on the metallic silver robot feet and out I go for some easy miles. They feel very bouncy and reminds me how trashed my old pair must be.

Plan to go up to Cullercoats and back but notice the railings on Whitley parkrun course are down so decide to see if parkrun route is clear.

Sadly, it is not. Still one section blocked off, so I finish my run and do a few hills and home for work and then I'm taking the afternoon off because I feel like it.

Walk into Whitley, peruse some charity shops for records but find nothing and then have a coffee.

I, for once don't buy a chocolate bar.

Saturday 1st February

Decided this week to move Sunday to Saturday and combine a run to Blyth, Blyth parkrun & run home as my planned session. So the plan is 2 mile warm up, 3 x 5km at marathon pace with 1 mile jog recoveries and a 2 mile cool down.

Friday night is the usual lying on the settee watching telly and drinking a bottle of red and this week I went for giant skittles instead of chocolate.

Giant Skittles that is, like normal Skittles but bigger, giant you could say.

Wake up at 7:50 and need to be out the door by 8:00, out I go and first 2 miles feels hard and heavy and this is the warm up. Not looking good for the marathon pace segment.

Beep, beep, beep....

Here we go, I'm on that shitty path leading up to the Deleval Arms past the caravan park. Pace is a little slow, then I pick it up and hit the pace, 5km done and drop into recovery mile, loop round the bandstand and timing wise I'm bang on for the parkrun as rep 2. Parkrun starts and as always start too fast, slow it down and settle on the pace and 5km rep 2 is done.

Stand and have a chat with Michelle and Tony and then jump in with Natasha, Jim and 'other' Michelle for an easy mile. Then Jim goes all rogue and takes me off the main road back and onto the dunes, now as a creature of habit I don't appreciate a change to my usual route and this throws me off and I complain to Natasha and Michelle who both agree Jim is utterly insane.

Beep, beep, beep...

Start the final rep, first mile feels good and then the second mile is up through Seaton Sluice and Hartley to the Deleval Arms, it's grim and I feel wrecked.

Pace falls back, get to the top, faff around with my music and then Wild Flowers by Warmduscher comes on and I'm on the final mile downhill past the caravan park. It's a great running song with some of the finest sweary lyrics ever put to paper. The least we say about what Warmduscher advise you to do with your uncle the better.

Back on target and all three 5km reps are bang on where I wanted them, hard going but done

Sunday 2nd February

I've now already done Sundays long session so today I'm not entirely sure what to do.

Maybe easy miles, maybe 10 miles, maybe a faster 10k ?

Head out the door and go towards Tynemouth, easy pace and tick the miles off. See E team out and loads of runners including a huge group of blokes who completely fill the pavement and force me into the road and then pedestrians, bloody pedestrians.

What the hell is it with pedestrians?

Why do they walk 3 and 4 breast and refuse to go single file when they see someone coming towards them ?

Arseholes.

Extendable dog leads are a fucking deathtrap, stop using them.

Couple walking hand in hand, just fucking let go for 5 seconds, your partner will not leave you in that split second.

Stopping to have a chat with another group of pedestrians? How about you move to the fucking side of the pavement and not fill the entire thing, where do you expect people to go?

Bunch of bastards.

Oh you have 7 dogs do you? That's great, why not walk them all at once and better still you go in the centre of the pavement and make sure the dogs go both sides of you to leave no room for anyone else.

Twats.

Walking by yourself on a narrow pavement? I would say the best thing to do is walk right in the middle of it so that way it leaves no space for anyone else.

You massive bunch of shits, all of you.

I am starting a campaign to get pedestrians to use the cycle lane and cyclists and runners can share the pavement.

Anyway, I did a steady 9 miles and it was great, apart from the pedestrians, have I mentioned them yet ?

They were not great, they are a bunch of shits.

Week 4 done and even with a slow start the mileage was fine, now moving onto the second block where it all starts getting a little serious.