#Janathon Day 31 - thank you Cathy

Squeezed in a run before heading off to Birmingham to see our middle son and his girlfriend.

It rained and it was cold rain too! Fleet got very wet and muddy and we only ran 3.4 miles.  But this is my last run of Janathon so a big thank you to Cathy/Jogblog once again for organising Janathon which is now 5 years old :-)

In Birmingham we are staying in the Hilton and we went and watched 'Kingsman' which was good fun. Ended off with dinner at Strada.  So good to spend time with our son and his girlfriend :-)

So my final Janathon running total is 134.79 miles and I'm still in one piece!

#Janathon Day 30 - a run then off to Billy Elliot

A short post today.

Went for a 7.16 mile run and then straight off to see Billy Elliot, well after showering etc. Enjoyed the show very much and got home about midnight  after stopping off for a kebab :-) So another busy day.

Janathon running total is 131.39 miles.

#Janathon Day 29 - pear shaped, blowing up, off kilter sort of day but okay at the end

Pear shaped but okay at the end, is how my day went.

So one of the boards of electronics, a prototype, stopped working - probably a silicon chip has blown up.  Ordinarily this wouldn't be a problem but we had a demonstration today, and it was all going well, really frustrating, stressful, time consuming, and it was all going so well (I know I said that but I've repeated it for effect) ... grrrrrr!

This knocked my day off kilter completely.  I was not sure how I was going to fit any exercise in.

I did. My wife and I had a very quick dinner, then straight off to the gym for a half hour work out, then straight home, showered, then off to rehersal.  I squeezed it all in, this deserves a smiley face :-)

So I did a mile at about tempo pace. Stopped, as eating too soon to running had had its effect (you can guess I'm sure). Then a session of sprints. Not many miles but good miles as far as training is concerned.

Also eldest son was here last night :-) and seeing middle son and his girlfriend this weekend :-) and leaving youngest son alone :-s and going to see Billy Elliot tonight :-)

New Janathon running total is 124.23 miles.

#Janathon Day 28 - abs and Guinness as a tonic

Having realised that I was missing out my core in my present exercise regime, I decided that I should attack my abs. And atack them I did! And they were sore still from last time! And it was really hard!

But now it is morning, after a hard abs session (for me anyway), after a trip to the pub (well pubs, but only two) and after about a mile/ish of walking, it's morning.  How do my abs complain?  Well they don't seem to be at all? Which is strange, or is the pain to be delayed? Maybe it's the Guinness that helps? I think I can now recommend Guinness as a tonic for any abs session.

Janathon running total hasn't budged.

#Janathon Day 27 - a dry, dark run and stumbling lines

Life can be so busy sometimes, sigh!

I had intended to go for a run during the day but ... I didn't.  So I did an evening run with Fleet.  As we were running on pavements Fleet came home mud free for a change. Not so long a run, just over 5 miles.  I was feeling a bit low and the run definitely perked me up, well a bit anyway.

Had a short rehearsal this evening.  I do know my lines but I stumbled a few times, my performance was a bit lack lustre too. Oh well.

Janathon running total is now 122.16 miles.

#Janathon Day 26 - a confused Fleet and some core exercises (at last)

Fleet had a run last night with my eldest son and his girlfriend who are doing 'Tough Guy' at Wolverhampton this Sunday.  He was a little confused as instead of me throwing something in the streams for him to fetch, they went straight through them and he followed.  Anyway, he had lots of fun.

I decided to not to too long a run and went to the gym with my wife and youngest son.  I did a 1 mile treadmill warm up and then had another good stretching session.  Proceeded to do a couple of upper body exercises in the weights section and ended off with some core exercises - not my favourite and so exercises I've not done for a while!

 My Janathon running total is now 117.09 miles.

#Janathon Day 25 - flying, tax return and gym

So I got to fly today :-)

Sunday morning and the weather was fine (at last)! Headed off to Membury Airfield. Firstly I was installed in a C42 ...

All ready for takeoff

... we then taxied to the start of the runway ...

Here we go ...

... and then off we flew off!

... and we're off!

I thoroughly enjoyed it and yes I would love to learn to fly. I had a go at the controls and (typically) asked loads of questions. The throttle is between your legs, I didn't know that, and the joystick is very sensitive.  Brilliant fun and a fantastic view.  No, I didn't take any photos in the air, I just wanted to enjoy and soak up the moment. Thanks to my brother and sister for this very special treat.

Right, getting back down to earth. Later I did some work on my tax return which is not far off from been completed.  I also did some preparation for a STEM careers event I'm going to at Langley Grammar School.

Later my youngest son and I headed off to the gym, my wife decided not to join us as she was still a bit achy from her first Body Attack class the day before (I'm proud of her, I think she was the oldest there by quite a few years).  I did a 1.2 mile warm up on the treadmill before a really good stretching session (the one I didn't have but should have had yesterday after my long run).  I then went down to the weights section and did a fair amount of my upper body workout.

Janathon running total is now 116.08 miles.

#Janathon Day 24 - a long run and Fleet's longest run

A long run with Fleet.  This is Fleet's longest run and he seems fine other than a bit tired.

Our run was 13.3 miles, it was sunny and we had quite a cold head wind on the way home.

Tomorrow, weather permitting, I'm doing my flying lesson.

My Janathon running total is now 114.88 miles.

#Janathon Day 23 - gym session and I creep over 100 miles

Gym session today.

A planned long run the next day meant that I kept my treadmill to a 1 mile warm up.  Did a bit of stretching afterwards and then headed off to the weights section.  Almost completed my upper body workout.

Janathon running total is now 100.88 miles, I've got to 100 miles at last!  In my first Janathon I did that in the first week, granted that I was broken after that!

#Janathon Day 22 - almost 100, cold, learning lines and business abroad

Busy, busy, busy ...

and oops, I haven't posted this blog post ...

Rehearsal last night and I have some more lines to learn.  Rehearsal was fun but it would have helped if I knew my lines already.

Went for a 7.1 mile run with Fleet in the dark not long before the rehearsal. It was getting quite cold so I'm wondering if I should have worn more than my long sleeved running top and shorts?

Before that I was busy, busy, busy.  We are starting to receive enquiries about our video compression core from all over the world and we haven't properly advertised it yet! This is very exciting but does bring concerns as to how we do business with companies from different countries outside the EU/USA?

So my Janathon running total is now 99.88 miles!  Not quite a 100!!  I will go to the gym tonight as I've a long run planned for tomorrow.

#Janathon Day 21 - gradients, STEM, engineering is for girls and a short, quality gym session

My intention was a good session at the gym but just before we went out I had call for help from a neighbour's daughter with gradients.  So I helped her with her maths and quite enjoyed it really, I think I would have enjoyed being a teacher.

She was very quick to catch on and I'm sure she will do well in maths in the future, I do hope she sticks with STEM subjects. I'm quite passionate about women doing STEM subjects and really hope to see more women in engineering in the future, it's one of the reasons I've taken up the role of STEM ambassador. My year 12 engineering presentation has quite a few clips of women in engineering roles, engineering is a brilliant career choice for women.

But back to my gym session ... yes it was shorter. I thought it was a quality session where I ran 2.18 miles on the treadmill made up of a tempo session of over a mile and then some sprints at speeds between 12 mph and 12.3 mph. I finished off with a good stretching session.

My Janathon running total is now 92.78 miles.

#Janathon Day 20 - no running, some walking and I almost remembered my lines

I really felt pretty wiped out yesterday and worked solid for most of the day. I almost went for a run but I'm too tired, my legs ache too much etc excuses etc etc. But I did go for a walk totaling about 1.5 miles.

This morning I'm feeling good and although I didn't get that much sleep, I'm looking forward to wither a run or trip to the gym. I think the break from running has done me some good but I'm not sure if it's physiology or psychology? Maybe I'll find out when I try to run today.

Last night we went through the whole of Act 1 of the 'Merry Wives of Windsor' and I almost remembered all my lines, by that I mean that I stumbled in one or two places but I was still off-book.  As I had had such a busy day and still had much more work to do, I did briefly wonder if I should go to the rehearsal and instead get some more work done but, fortunately,

The production is a local one and you can read more about it and previous productions (only every two years) at The People's Shakespeare. The director is a professional actor and playwright, Richard James, who I'm sure you might well recognise.  He seems to have endless patience and puts a huge amount of time into this production and completely voluntarily. For my part I've really seen how difficult (and tiring even) it is to act but also how much fun it can be.  So a big thank you to Richard.

So no increase in my Janathon running mileage but feeling refreshed and happy that I almost remembered all my lines :-)

#Janathon Day 19 - running with achy legs, I blame the kettlebell

Either my long run on Saturday but more likely the kettlebell step ups from Sunday had left me with aching legs. However, it was a beautiful sunny day and so I decided to go for a run with Fleet.  7.14 miles later (and a quick swim for Fleet) and my legs still felt tired but not so achy.

Janathon running total is now 90.06 miles.

#Janathon Day 18 - a new thriller with a mummy, a pharaoh and a scientist ... and a gym session with a kettlebell

After my long run yesterday I thought a gym session would be good.

I did about a 10 minute warm up on the treadmill and ran 1.17 miles. Then I spent a good amount of time stretching as I hadn't had time to after my long run yesterday.  I always find it quite relaxing and the only frustrating thing is that I can't find a hard foam roller at the gym to massage my IT band, I think it's gone missing.

Next I headed to the weights section and did a session picking up where I left off in my routine on Friday.  Then I decided to do an exercise I keep putting off ...

My gym instructor included an exercise where I lift a kettlebell with one arm fully extended above my head.  I then keep that arm extended and do 12 step ups on a knee height platform At present I use an 8kg weight.  I then repeat this exercise with my other arm and do three sets.

I find this really tiring particularly when I use my left arm.  Anyway, I've been putting off this exercise since I've returned to the gym but decided I'd give it a go today. I'm pleased to say that it went quite well. I still get tired and my left arm does start to drop near the end of each set, but not as bad as it was the last time I did the exercise.

So the image below is not me after my workout, it's far more exciting than that.  This is the front cover of a new thriller by Robert Sharp. The story spans ancient Egypt and the present day with historical and science fiction washing together - a brilliant scientist, his ruthless companions, Pharaoh Mentuhotep IV and a mummy!

The Good Shabti

What's more you can lay your hands on a limited edition, numbered and signed copy of Robert's book, and at the same time support a new author.

Here's a link to the publisher The Good Shabti, You can also go to the Unwrapping Party.

I can't make the party as I have a rehearsal Richard, don't I Richard?  I am so committed to my craft, I'm not sure I'm very good at it though, good thing it's not my day job!

Oh yes, my Janathon running total is now 82.92 miles.

#Janathon Day 17 - long run and 'dog-tired' dog

Took Fleet out with me for a long run followed by a swim for him. Our run was 10.66 miles long and Fleet was very tired afterwards, I'm tired but I don't think I'm quite as tired as he is. I think in dog years he is older than me, but only just.

Last night he lay down in our lounge and if we called his name he did a half tail wag and kind of looked at us (without lifting his head too much) with eyes that said 'Must I really get up?' He is truly 'dog-tired'.

Janathon running total is now 81.75 miles.

#Janathon Day 16 - flat gym session, hope it gets better

Yet another busy and eventful day!

By the evening I was feeling pretty flat ... and it's a Friday! I didn't feel like it but I pushed myself out to the gym in the evening with my wife.  And did I feel better afterwards? Well, no not really A little later I perked up but I think I'm just a bit tired.

As you would expect form the above, my gym session was fairly low key. Also my plan was to do a long run the next day.  I did just over a mile on the treadmill as a warm up, decided to do a bit of stretching (that often makes feel better) and then headed off to do some weights.  Have found I've had to increase almost all the weights I'm using which I guess shows progress.  But as I said I headed home feeling pretty flat. I hope my long run goes okay.

In other news we have our rugby touring Australian student staying with us from Saturday for a few days. I've managed to get my inhaler use down to one puff morning and night which is very good news :-)

Janathon running total has crawled up to 71.09 miles.

#Janathon Day 15 - pack, run, deliver, meetings, STEM!

I was so tired yesterday evening!

Yesterday I packed a whole load of equipment up. Went for a 3 mile run with Fleet. Dropped off the equipment. Drove to a meeting. Drove to another meeting. Had a another meeting. Then went to a STEM ambassador event ... and then drove home!

This is what happens when you squeeze all your meetings into one day.

Janathon running total is 69.97 miles.

#Janathon Day 14 - sprints, cadence and I've got to go

Very short post for yesterday.

Last night I went to the gym.  50 minutes of tempo, recovery and about 7 or 8 sprints, the fastest at 12.2 mph - how do these elite runners run so fast ... and faster! First half worked at running at cadence of 180 spm for about 15 minutes. Total mileage was about 5 miles but I forgot to turn my Garmin on until half way through.

Janathon running total now 66.51 miles.

#Janathon Day 13 - muddy 7 miles, a coarse rehearsal and an apology for any offence in advance

Waited for a break in the rain and then took Fleet out for a 7 mile run.  It was cold though and I think I should have dressed up a little warmer. Fleet got really muddy and so went for a swim.

Rehearsal tonight, which was fun. I walked to the rehearsal venue which was about a mile away, and back again. My watch says that I've done 17,763 steps today.

'Merry Wives of Windsor' is a little bit coarse in places so I hope nobody will be offended, in particular my Mum or my in-laws :-s Can I just say that I'm sorry for any offence now :-) On the other hand I'm not bothered about embarrassing my sons ;-)

My Janathon running total is now 61.51 miles.

#Janathon Day 12 - it's all about the figures

It was wet, then it was dark and then I decided to go to the gym instead. 

So we went on a family trip to the gym where I concentrated on a higher intensity workout. Just over three miles at a tempo pace and just under a mile of sprints. My average heart rate over the whole session was 81% HRmax with a peak of 177bpm.  

Tempo session was at a cadence of between 177spm and 180spm.  Sprints went up to just over 200spm with a maximum of 220spm. I really want to be shifting my average cadence higher.

Once I've figured out how to dynamically use vertical oscillation and ground contact time I might try using these in this type of session but last night was about heat rate more than anything.

I ran a total distance last night of 4.13 miles.  Janathon running total is now 54.51 miles.

Rehearsal tonight so I shall have to fit a run in around lunch.

#Janathon Day 11 - gym, run, sprint, lift and then my lines for tomorrow's rehearsal

After spending some time sorting through clothes, I was glad to escape to the gym.

Gym session was a warm up of about 10 minutes on the treadmill and then a series of sprints ending with a total mileage of 2.4 miles.  I always use the safety clip when I do sprints at the gym, I don't think I've seen anybody else using the clip - not that I really watch anybody else on the treadmill! I'm normally in my own world.

I did almost all of my upper body workout and have increased some of the weights. All my exercises are 3 sets of 12.

That's it really.

Oh yes, my Shakespeare lines for tomorrow are:

"O base Hungarian wight, wilt thou the spigot wield?"

"'Convey', the wise it call. 'Steal'? Foh! A fico for the phrase!"

"Why then, let kibes ensue."

"Young ravens must have food."

"I ken the wight, he is of substance good."

"Two yards, and more."

"He hath studied her will, and translated her will - out of honesty into English." 
(note: the first 'will' could be 'well' which I think makes it easier to understand?)

"As many devils entertain; and 'To her boy,' say I."

"Then did the sun on dunghill shine."

"Shall I Sir Pandarus of Troy become, 
And by my side wear steel? Then Lucifer take all!"

"Let vultures gripe thy guts! For gourd and fullam holds,
And high and low beguiles the rich and poor.
Tester I'll have in pouch when thou shalt lack,
Base Phrygian Turk!"

"Wilt thou revenge?"

"With wit or steel?"

"And I to Ford shall eke unfold
How Falstaff, varlet vile,
His dove will prove, his gold will hold,
And his soft couch defile."

"Thou are the Mars of malcontents. I second thee - troop on."

It helps me to write them out.

My Janathon running total now stands at 50.38 miles.

#Janathon Day 10 - long run getting longer, Shakespeare lines, 6 hours of driving and no flying

This will have to be a short blog entry.

Slowly extending my long and ran 9.22 miles midday yesterday with Fleet.  I listened to my Shakespeare lines the whole time - impressed Richard? However, I still can't remember them :-(

Came home and helped eldest son pack the car to go back to university. Traveled to Swansea and back (3 hours each way) and got to bed at 1am!

Flying experience cancelled today as it's a bit gusty.

Janathon running total is now 47.98 miles.

#Janathon Day 9 - Warning: more stats and high level running geekiness

I didn't have much time for exercise today just a quick trip to the gym for just under an hour.  My treadmill session is often starts off as a warm up session but ends up being a speed or interval session.

Tonight I just increased my pace and cadence slightly over about 12 minutes or so.  I started recording my session a little way in. My mileage was 1.39 miles making my Janathon running total is 38.76 miles.

Start of high level running geek section >>
My watch says my VO2 max has increased to 48. It is also giving me race predictions of 3:27:31 for a marathon and 1:39:48 for a half marathon!!  It's either way out or I'm doing something very wrong as my PB for a half marathon is 1:47:49 and for marathon is 4:10:57.  I didn't think I fuelled that well for the marathon but the half felt like I was running reasonably. 

What surprises me is that my VO2 max estimation is increasing, when I first started using the watch I was at a VO2 max of 42 and now it's 48.  However, I am recovering after flu and a chest infection so I wouldn't be surprised if this will improve as my fitness was pretty good before I fell sick. I even lowered my maximum heart rate to 180bpm as I have recorded higher than this but I thought if I lowered it the estimates might appear more accurate.  I don't think resting heart rate is used, I'm at about 47bpm and drop down to about 42bpm after training (i.e. before a marathon). So the estimate is either very wrong or I'm doing something wrong or ... I don't know.  Any thoughts?
Still fun and quite motivating though.
<< End of of high level running geek section

In other news my eldest son goes back to university tomorrow :-(

#Janathon Day 8 - photos of my run (and dog) and it's working so I'm very happy

I actually went for a run during the day today, a beautiful winter's day.

So near the end of my run I took a few photos ...

Fleet went for a swim - it helps to get all the mud off him!

And then he had a good shake, he understands the word 'shake' too.

I love this run and how the landscape varies through the seasons.

The left side of this walkway floods from the Thames. Half way down this path is 1 mile from my home.

Fleet encouraging me to get a move on, he's had a swim but look at all that grass on him!

Same shot without the grass but still an impatient dog.

So I guess I don't have to write as much as I've added photos?

I do have to say that my design is now working, I can not express how happy and relieved I am :-)

Went to rehearsals tonight, this acting lark is really hard going and I don't have many lines!

So I ran 7.08 miles today and, as I said, this was in the daytime - a far more enjoyable experience.  This makes my Janathon running total 37.37 miles.

#Janathon Day 7 - found but hidden strangely, my tyres, a flying lesson, Buteyko and an 'eish' reference

I found it.

I found it in a really odd place?

I found my Garmin heart rate monitor in between the pocket lining and outer shell of my youngest son's jacket - it's a mystery how it got there?

Good day at work today as we made some progress debugging one of the designs we're working on - happiness and relief.

This turning out to be a costly few weeks on cars, all of the tyres on both of our cars have been replaced and the rear disc pads on my car will be replaced on Friday - eish!

Gym night tonight. I did a warm up on the treadmill 1.39 miles in 11:33 minutes. Then I did my upper body weights session. The whole session took about and hour.

Rehearsal tomorrow night so I need to fit a run in during lunch tomorrow, I'm not very good at stopping in time for lunch and have ended up running in the dark.  I hope I remember my lines for the rehearsal!! I'll be 'combat challenging' a 'latten bilbo'.

Also hoping for good weather on Sunday as I've booked flying lesson that my brother and sister gave me for my birthday, it's been canceled three times so far, twice for bad weather and once because I had a chest infection (I actually had an asthma attack).

Talking of asthma I've ordered a book on Buteyko breathing:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Close-Your-Mouth-Buteyko-Breathing/dp/0954599616/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420677254&sr=8-1&keywords=close+your+mouth
Does anybody have any experience of this technique?  Does anybody know how to pronounce 'Buteyko'?

Hopefully it helps my asthma.  I was considering taking singing lessons to see if that helps my breathing and for fun of course.

Enough rambling, my Janathon running total is now 30.29 miles.

('eish' is a South Africanism - I leave it to the reader to work out what it means)

#Janathon Day 6 - a repeat, impossible Shakespeare lines, have you taken it? and a psst!

I can't find my heart rate monitor for my Garmin, I had it for last night's run and now it's gone.  I've looked everywhere and blamed everybody and still can't find it. Do you know where it is? And yes I've looked in first place I looked multiple times. Grrrr.

My run was pretty much the same as last night, Fleet was a flashing Christmas decoration, he went for a swim and I ran 7.14 miles. I walked 18,661 steps today too.

We had our first rehearsal tonight for 'The Merry Wives of Windsor', I'm playing the part of Pistol.  I find learning lines so difficult, I don't even have that many! For this scene my lines are:

'How now, Mephostophilus!'

'He hears with ears.'

'Ha, thou mountain-foreigner! Sir John and Master mine, 
I combat challenge of this latten bilbo. 
Word of denial in thy labras here! 
Word of denial: froth and scum, thou liest!'

... and that's it for now.  The words don't exactly roll of the tongue.  It's all good fun but I find it really hard, I'm too much of an engineer I think.

My Janathon running total is now 28.9 miles.
I still can't find my heart rate monitor and am still grrrring.

Psst, I'm also doing Jantastic but don't tell Cathy.

I've joined John's team, a fellow Janathoner, his team is Jantastic team is fit4365.

#Janathon Day 5 - people watching my progress live is a little unnerving

First day work complete, well not quite. Now the tricky job of fitting in exercise around my work.

Went out with Fleet in the late afternoon so carried my headtorch and turned Fleet into a flashing LED Christmas decoration, poor dog, but at least he's visible. I ran 7.09 miles using the Garmin LiveTrack.  This is actually quite unnerving as my whole family plus girlfriends can watch my progress, heart rate, speed, cadence, etc. etc. 

Anyway my Janathon running mileage increases to 21.76 miles. Fleet also had a swim in the dark :-)

Sadly I'm still doing some work too...

And tomorrow evening I have a rehearsal and I need to learn my lines!
And I need to fit another run in!
Oh well.

#Janathon Day 4 - roast dinner and wine followed by gym :-s + geek heaven

My middle son went back up to Birmingham today where he's working in a chocolate factory for his year in industry at uni, it's hard saying goodbye. Next weekend my eldest son goes back to uni too, sigh :-(

So my exercise today started off with another 3 to 4 miles of walking with Fleet and his nephew. Exercise was interrupted with a roast dinner and wine :-)  Then my wife and I dropped off my son at the station and off to the gym.  

I wasn't sure how much running to do so I figured I'd warm up for about 10 minutes on the treadmill. I ended up doing a warm up of about 12 minutes and then three sprints with a recovery in between each sprint. Only ran 2.28 miles but felt the training benefit was good. My watch tells me I hit a maximum cadence record of 197 spm, that will be since Christmas when I got it.  Another boring statistic is that my estimated VO2 max is now 45, I've no idea how accurate this is? 

I'm staggered by all the statistics my watch pumps out - vertical oscillation, ground contact time, stride length. It tells me to move when I'm at my desk, how long I should wait before running for effective recovery.  It counts my steps and sets challenges! It even buzzes and displays messages from my iPhone. I think it's in control of my life ... is this geek heaven :-)

Otherwise I still have a dry tickly cough but feel okay otherwise, hope it clears up soon and ...

... back to work tomorrow!

Janathon total 14.67 miles 

#Janathon Day 3 - related dogs, 8 miles with moon photo and clenching

Today started with about a 4 mile walk where we took our dog, Fleet and his nephew, Bertie (our neighbour's dog) outside in the intermittent rain and mud (the mud was not intermittent).

Uncle Fleet and his nephew Bertie

In the late afternoon I ran 8 miles, my legs were very tired and heavy, and in the second half of my run all that Christmas food was interfering with my already fairly slow pace! Lots of stopping, concentrating and clenching going on but fortunately no mishaps.  It certainly didn't fit with my super cool, dynamic, speedy, running playlist - sigh!  

I stopped, concentrated ... and took a photo of the moon behind a tree.

Janathon mileage is now 12.39 miles.
I am running out of un-aching limbs or incidental muscles to exercise so I'm a little worried about where I will limb rotate to tomorrow.  I suspect every part of me will be aching by early next week :-(

#Janathon Day 2 - creeeeping Janathon mileage and planned limb rotation

My Janathon exercise was a gym session tonight, weights section was a bit of a mess possibly the group of teenage boys earlier but who knows?

So a quickish 1 mile warm up on the treadmill and then an upper body workout, the first after my chest infection so, like the running, I've gone back quite a bit. On the way out I bumped into my eldest son and he told me that he's signed up for the Fleet Half Marathon :-) , his first half marathon :-) and his girlfriend signed up last night too :-) 

 

My Janathon mileage is creeping up, quite different to my first Janathon (see my blog history for the tale) - I'm not sure how many miles I will run by the end of the month? This time, my main aim is to still be in one piece by the end of Janathon. I am hoping to run four times a week other than short warm up sessions.  

Total Janathon mileage 4.38 miles

Anticipating aching upper body tomorrow so I will need to rotate limb exercises accordingly.

 

#Janathon Day 1 - Super geekiness, aching legs and grumbling

On my first blog post for a little while and the first day of Janathon my super geeky Garmin watch told me that my recovery was 'fair' this morning, rubbish, I hadn't recovered at all! It was telling me that I should wait 72 hours after my seven mile run yesterday, that's not going to happen. Of course it hadn't factored in ingested alcohol last night and minimal sleep, it was a hard 3.38 miles during which time I grumbled about Janathon and Cathy (sorry Cathy). 

Anyway Janathon has started, I won't be running tomorrow as I think I need to go to gym as my legs ache.  I figured that I need to rotate the aching around my body during Janathon.

I can bore you with statistics from my watch but it tells me that my VO2 max has gone up from yesterday, how is that possible.  I was really in quite a bad shape this morning, I crawled, ached and puffed those 3.38 miles, I am confused?

Fleet (my dog) also did 3.38 miles, he didn't grumble and appeared not to be aching or puffing much.

In other news I have entered the Fleet Half Marathon today and I'm running the Great Welsh Marathon in April - I am way behind in my training so roll on Janathon, sigh!

Janathon total: 3.38miles