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Manchester - Week 6

Manchester, the second coming ...
Week 6

The week in numbers ...

Miles ran: 53
Mushrooms eaten : none
Chocolate eaten: Creme Egg bar (large) & Dairymilk Duo
Wine drank: 3 bottles
American waffles eaten: 1 pack
Sweets eaten: 1 pack Haribo

Weight: Monday 11st7lb
Sunday 11st7lb

Monday 10th February

I went to the gym.

It's only taken me 6 weeks but today I got my gym gear on and I bloody well did it.

I obviously didn't do the core work I was supposed to do because that would be a step too far, I walked in and spotted Graham on a bike so went and sat next to him and had a chat.

Then Graham, being the dedicated athlete that he is went and did core work whilst I fannied around on the bike and cross trainer and then went home and drank some Guinness zero.

Still, I went to the gym.

Tuesday 11th February

Track tonight, 400 reps with reducing recoveries and I love this one.

Out at 6 for a warm up and got a bit distracted doing my usual 4 miles and ended up doing 5. I blame this entirely on The Chemical Brothers and The Prodigy who made me keep running.

Get to the club and have a chat with Wendy, we discuss the session and I assure her I will be doing the planned 24 seconds per 100.

B team splits in two and I join the first half, ah shite, here we go. The ladies take the lead and Natasha, Emma and Bex absolutely destroy the fellas by knocking out 22 per 100 and faster. I hang on and it's killing me but I'm the words of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers "I won't back down". Now I'm not sure it's in the lyrics to the song but when the recoveries got down to 15 seconds I absolutely did back down.

Session done. Cool down to hit 10 miles and I'm back in the house feeling wrecked. Haven't eaten today and feel a bit sick so grab the pie I cooked for my lunch which I forgot to eat and eat that just before my shower.

I do for a second consider eating my pie in the shower but even for me that's a little weird. So instead I eat it whilst standing naked in the bathroom just before going in the shower.

I have standards, I'm not a fucking animal.

Wednesday 12th February

Wake up and my hips a bit niggly, working from 8am and planning to get out for a run around lunchtime.

So lots of foam rolling and stick the compression boots on to squeeze the life out of my legs, this all seems to work well and ready for a few easy miles.

Head out to Cullercoats, loop round and head back and bump into Pete and Bilbo, now we all know my feelings on Bilbo but he was a pure delight today, gave him a stroke and he didn't try and kill me, Pete assured me he was still a twat which is good to hear.

Then back into Whitley and running past the old people's home on the seafront and a coach pulls up to let out about 30 pensioners all with Zimmer frames. I run past a couple but then get trapped in a Zimmer frame circle, a bit like in Westerns when they circle the wagons but it's me trapped against a bus by 20 pensioners as they all apologise to me and I keep nodding my head smiling. Bus driver laughs at me and says 'hope you weren't in a hurry mate'. After about 3 or 4 hours they are all past and I continue my run back home.

Get home, have a shower, don't eat any pies in the shower and then have a healthy lunch followed by a Dairy Milk Duo.

I didn't really have a healthy lunch, I just wanted you all to not be disappointed in me.

The Dairymilk was my lunch.

Thursday 13th February

It's threshold intervals today, four times two miles with first mile at threshold pace and then straight into one mile at marathon pace, a long session but quite a nice one.

I like to get these out the way early but some idiot has booked me a morning appointment so I can't get out now until lunchtime. Up at 8 and breakfast is a cup of coffee and a custard donut.

Don't get time for lunch and after a few appointments I head out and it looks like the sun is shining so I leave the cap at home and stick the sunglasses on. Start my warm up and head towards Cullercoats and the weather changes and it starts sleeting and the wind picks up, I'm cold, I'm not dressed for this.

Warm up done and start rep 1, struggle to hit the pace and have to dig deep to get there, loop round after first mile and second mile pace is 30 secs a mile slower so this feels easier bit still annoyingly hard. Rep 1 done and recovery time.

Rep 2, here we go. First mile and again the pace feels hard but I hold it and then turn to head back and drop to 7:30 pace but I'm really struggling now, I feel knackered, it's pissing down, it's really windy, I'm cold, I'm hungry and I'm tired. Finish rep 2 and pace is way off. I feel like I'm slapping my feet down and running badly so do the sensible choice and sack it off and jog two miles home.

Have a shower, eat some food that's not entirely sugar based and fall asleep on the settee with Murphy for an hour and a half.

Wake up and decide I'll do the club tonight, drop down a group and get some extra miles and then at about 6pm I realise what an utterly idiotic idea that is as I'm tired and that would just be doing junk miles for the sake of them so skip the club and once they all head off into the bays I go to Split Chimp and have a large glass of Merlot.

That's proper coaching.

Friday 14th February

Busy day at work and no chance for a run until the afternoon.

Manage to get out at 4 and do the usual 4 miles and some hill strides and then back home. It's valentine's day so being the old romantic couple that we are, me and Gail knock back a couple of bottles of red and watch a film.

When I say 'we' I obviously mean 'me' when it relates to the wine and I'm envisaging a nasty red wine hangover tomorrow.

Saturday 15th February

The greatest day ever, it's the return of Whitley Bay parkrun, no more entering into the enemy territory of Blyth or worse still Windy Nook.

Up and out for a few easy miles to Cullercoats and back and then a planned threshold at parkrun, bump into Jim and do a few miles with him.

My hangover is starting to kick in now and I'm feeling a bit rough.

Four mile warm up and ready for parkrun, aiming for 7 minutes miles and nice and steady today with a solid and controlled run.

Mile 1 in 6:35

Mile 2 in 6:38

Mile 3 in 6:47

As you know by now, I am a massive twat with absolutely no self control or discipline. One day I might learn but it's highly unlikely.

Sunday 16th February

Today is a 16 miler at fast aerobic pace, last Sunday was supposed to be 18 at slow aerobic but I did that fast so today I'm thinking maybe of doing the 16 at slow aerobic.

Straight in at 8 min miles and I've ballsed up the clothes today, I put on my jacket as weather said it was going to rain but it's pretty warm, I'm sweating like a big sweaty thing covered in sweat.

Up to Seaton Deleval and then back through Whitley and upto Tynemouth. The plan today is one of my dull routes of up and down the coast, I like the monotony of this, deep down I'm just a really dull and boring middle aged man. Not really that deep down if I'm honest.

Anyway, up to Tynemouth, loop the clock and back to Whitley, then loop the Dome and back to Tynemouth. Pace is all good and sitting at 8 mins, one final loop in Tynemouth and back to Whitley for the last 3 miles. Pace picks up a bit as always and now I'm craving coke, I need the sugary goodness and I want some chocolate.

Get to co-op, just over 16 miles done and pace is just under 8 min miles. Get my bottle of coke and down it whilst walking home. Get home and have a shower, eat a pizza and fall asleep on the settee.

Then the unthinkable, I realise I forgot to buy chocolate this morning and we haven't been shopping so we have nothing sweet in the house. I get over this depressing fact by pouring a glass of wine and falling asleep in the bath for an hour.

A solid week of training and just over 50 miles done for the second week in a row. Next week it's a 20 miler on Sunday.