Blimey - what a day. I'm shattered! But not really because of MDS training. More because of modern life and all it's little stresses and strains! But those are stories from another blog. Maybe I'll start something like whydoIgetstitchedwithalltheaudits.blogspot.com.
On the training front; up at 6am and out of the door just before 7am for a 7 mile run. I felt fantastic first leaving but developed a bad stomach after a mile or so that didn't fade. In fact I felt poorly all the way around. But my HR stayed low while my pace was OK (just over 10 mpm) and almost no leg pain. Although I have developed my first blister! I'm almost pleased :)
And in other developments I am now the proud owner of a Kirsty Gallagher Manual Treadmill! Thank you eBay!! It's quite swish and folds up nice and small (thank goodness - because my flat is tiny!). I intend to take it to events and the like and run on it while collecting money from curious passers by. It's a feminine little thing so it might need a bit of customising before I can be seen in public on it. ;)
On the subject of collections I put in my application for a street collection licence for Wrexham Town Centre on Saturday 26th November. If you are in town on that day come and say "hi" (and put a pound in the tub!)
Also this evening I sent off the first emails to businesses. I started with all the accountants in Wrexham. Who would have thought there would be so many of them!! Hopefully one or two generous souls will come to the blog and then maybe on to the donations site. If there are any accountants reading who got my email then - welcome!!
Peace, out!
JUST THE FACTS!!
Weight: 81.1 Kg
Today
Distance 7.05 miles
Time 1:12:18
Kcal 771
Press-ups 0
Swimming 0 m
Sauna 0 mins
Total
Distance 145.74 miles
Time 25:46:12
Kcal 15493
Press-ups 320
Swimming 8000 m
Sauna 2:10 mins
CHARITY HURTS!!
I have a blister! It's on my middle toe on my left foot. It's not too painful but I will need to be careful not to make it deeper. Mostly I have suffered with a bad stomach that hasn't settled all day. Oddly enough a bad stomach and a raging hunger. I've probably eaten twice as many calories as on a normal day. I even ate tomorrow's lunch just before writing this. Eating at 1am is not healthy. But on the bright side it means I should have some energy at 5am when I get up for my run.
FUNDRAISING
My sponsorship is still at £331 on http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/pitymyfeet. Thank you so much to everyone who has sponsored!!
Feel free to contact me with any fundraising ideas you have. You can email me at:
miffjacobs@hotmail.com
DONATE
Please remember that I'm inflicting all this pain and misery on myself for a cause greater than just having a good story to tell over a beer. I hope to raise over £9,500 for MENCAP; an amazing charity who help those born with learning difficulties to live a normal life and to enjoy the same opportunities and choices that the rest of us take for granted.
Be an awesome human being today and click on the link below and help make someone's life better.
Thank you. You really ARE awesome.
www.virginmoneygiving.com/pitymyfeet
Pity My Feet is a training and fitness blog that chronicles the misadventures of an aging demotivated wanna-be athlete with a penchant for making bad exercise related life choices. Currently in training for Iron Man Wales 2014. Don't ask why.
Wednesday, 16 November 2011
Monday, 14 November 2011
Monday 14th November 2011
A second day off running today. My legs needed it. Much less pain today, just a little soreness below my left knee but nothing I'm going to stress over.
This is an "active" recovery day. Which essentially means that my legs recover while the rest of me stays active. So with that in mind I headed to the gym this evening and swam 60 lengths of the pool before getting out and sitting in the sauna for 20 minutes. It was the longest run I've done in there and being a little dehydrated after the 60 lengths and also being hungry through not having eaten before going I felt a little woozy to be honest. I had a couple of dizzy spells when I got out and unwisely decided to cool down in the swimming pool by doing another ten lengths.
I got through them OK but it was like everything was going in slow motion and a few times my concentration sort of drifted so that I was just floating for a couple of seconds before I snapped out of it and continued my strokes. It was a slightly surreal experience and a bit disconcerting at times. But I'm learning about hyrdration and nutrition all the time and I think I learned a valuable lesson about taking drinks into the pool with me in future so I can stay hydrated in the water and the sauna. It got so bad that I resorted to drinking the shower water. (I know... that's rank).
I had some good news on the fundraising front today. My kit arrived from Mencap and I also got a call from Wrexham Council. I've been provisionally booked for a collection slot in Wrexham Town Centre on Saturday 26th November. Look out for me and drop a pound in my pot if you see me!!
Peace, out!
JUST THE FACTS!!
Weight: 81.1 Kg
Today
Distance 0 miles
Time 0
Kcal 0
Elevation 0 ft
Press-ups 0
Swimming 1750 m
Sauna 20 mins
Total
Distance 138.69 miles
Time 24:33:54
Kcal 14722
Elevation 4592 ft
Press-ups 320
Swimming 8000 m
Sauna 2:10 mins
CHARITY HURTS!!
Far less pain today but this evening I am feeling a little light headed from a good effort in the pool and the after effects of dehydration. I'll be sure to drink another couple of glasses of water before bed.
FUNDRAISING
My sponsorship is still at £331 on http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/pitymyfeet. Thank you so much to everyone who has sponsored!!
Feel free to contact me with any fundraising ideas you have. You can email me at:
miffjacobs@hotmail.com
DONATE
Please remember that I'm inflicting all this pain and misery on myself for a cause greater than just having a good story to tell over a beer. I hope to raise over £9,500 for MENCAP; an amazing charity who help those born with learning difficulties to live a normal life and to enjoy the same opportunities and choices that the rest of us take for granted.
Be an awesome human being today and click on the link below and help make someone's life better.
Thank you. You really ARE awesome.
www.virginmoneygiving.com/pitymyfeet
This is an "active" recovery day. Which essentially means that my legs recover while the rest of me stays active. So with that in mind I headed to the gym this evening and swam 60 lengths of the pool before getting out and sitting in the sauna for 20 minutes. It was the longest run I've done in there and being a little dehydrated after the 60 lengths and also being hungry through not having eaten before going I felt a little woozy to be honest. I had a couple of dizzy spells when I got out and unwisely decided to cool down in the swimming pool by doing another ten lengths.
I got through them OK but it was like everything was going in slow motion and a few times my concentration sort of drifted so that I was just floating for a couple of seconds before I snapped out of it and continued my strokes. It was a slightly surreal experience and a bit disconcerting at times. But I'm learning about hyrdration and nutrition all the time and I think I learned a valuable lesson about taking drinks into the pool with me in future so I can stay hydrated in the water and the sauna. It got so bad that I resorted to drinking the shower water. (I know... that's rank).
I had some good news on the fundraising front today. My kit arrived from Mencap and I also got a call from Wrexham Council. I've been provisionally booked for a collection slot in Wrexham Town Centre on Saturday 26th November. Look out for me and drop a pound in my pot if you see me!!
Peace, out!
JUST THE FACTS!!
Weight: 81.1 Kg
Today
Distance 0 miles
Time 0
Kcal 0
Elevation 0 ft
Press-ups 0
Swimming 1750 m
Sauna 20 mins
Total
Distance 138.69 miles
Time 24:33:54
Kcal 14722
Elevation 4592 ft
Press-ups 320
Swimming 8000 m
Sauna 2:10 mins
CHARITY HURTS!!
Far less pain today but this evening I am feeling a little light headed from a good effort in the pool and the after effects of dehydration. I'll be sure to drink another couple of glasses of water before bed.
FUNDRAISING
My sponsorship is still at £331 on http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/pitymyfeet. Thank you so much to everyone who has sponsored!!
Feel free to contact me with any fundraising ideas you have. You can email me at:
miffjacobs@hotmail.com
DONATE
Please remember that I'm inflicting all this pain and misery on myself for a cause greater than just having a good story to tell over a beer. I hope to raise over £9,500 for MENCAP; an amazing charity who help those born with learning difficulties to live a normal life and to enjoy the same opportunities and choices that the rest of us take for granted.
Be an awesome human being today and click on the link below and help make someone's life better.
Thank you. You really ARE awesome.
www.virginmoneygiving.com/pitymyfeet
Sunday, 13 November 2011
Sunday 13th November 2011
Oh my poor battered knee!!! Ouch!!! My knee hurts. HURTS! Ow!!!! :(
So anyway. No one ever crossed a desert by whining like a baby about a sore knee. Time to get back at it! Grrrrr! Macho posturing aside I couldn't run today because my left knee was really painful and I didn't want to do anything stupid. So instead I got on an eliptical trainer in the gym for 40 minutes. In some ways that in itself is pretty stupid because your legs go like the billy-oh and you don't get anywhere. Still, it burnt about 400 calories (so that's a quarter of breakfast then) and got me sweating pretty good. I'm sure it was incredibly helpful to my training.
Oh, and before I got on the eliptical I accidentally got on this thing where instead of going forwards and backwards your legs go out to the side. I got off it pretty sharpish because I was worried about falling off it. But I saw someone else using it later and sussed out what you did. I tell you what. I reckon it could give you buttocks that would crack a walnut! I might give it a go some other time but for today I played it safe.
After 40 minutes on the eliptical I did some core work on the space hopper and some stretches on the rack then down the pool. I didn't really swim today but I did spend a good 15 minutes in the sauna.
Peace, out!
JUST THE FACTS!!
Weight: 81.1 Kg
Today
Distance 0 miles
Time 0
Kcal 0
Elevation 0 ft
Press-ups 0
Swimming 0 m
Sauna 15 mins
Total
Distance 138.69 miles
Time 24:33:54
Kcal 14722
Elevation 4592 ft
Press-ups 320
Swimming 6250 m
Sauna 2:05 mins
CHARITY HURTS!!
Ow - my left knee hurts! I've been limping along for most of the day but have been sensible and not pushed it too far. Tomorrow is a rest day so I won't do much and hopefully by Tuesday it'll be right as rain!
FUNDRAISING
My sponsorship is now up to £331 on http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/pitymyfeet. Thank you so much to everyone who has sponsored!!
I'm getting a manual treadmill on Tuesday (thank you Ebay!). I intend to use it for fundraising somehow. Anyone have any ideas how??
Feel free to contact me with any fundraising ideas you have. You can email me at:
miffjacobs@hotmail.com
DONATE
Please remember that I'm inflicting all this pain and misery on myself for a cause greater than just having a good story to tell over a beer. I hope to raise over £9,500 for MENCAP; an amazing charity who help those born with learning difficulties to live a normal life and to enjoy the same opportunities and choices that the rest of us take for granted.
Be an awesome human being today and click on the link below and help make someone's life better.
Thank you. You really ARE awesome.
www.virginmoneygiving.com/pitymyfeet
So anyway. No one ever crossed a desert by whining like a baby about a sore knee. Time to get back at it! Grrrrr! Macho posturing aside I couldn't run today because my left knee was really painful and I didn't want to do anything stupid. So instead I got on an eliptical trainer in the gym for 40 minutes. In some ways that in itself is pretty stupid because your legs go like the billy-oh and you don't get anywhere. Still, it burnt about 400 calories (so that's a quarter of breakfast then) and got me sweating pretty good. I'm sure it was incredibly helpful to my training.
Oh, and before I got on the eliptical I accidentally got on this thing where instead of going forwards and backwards your legs go out to the side. I got off it pretty sharpish because I was worried about falling off it. But I saw someone else using it later and sussed out what you did. I tell you what. I reckon it could give you buttocks that would crack a walnut! I might give it a go some other time but for today I played it safe.
After 40 minutes on the eliptical I did some core work on the space hopper and some stretches on the rack then down the pool. I didn't really swim today but I did spend a good 15 minutes in the sauna.
Peace, out!
JUST THE FACTS!!
Weight: 81.1 Kg
Today
Distance 0 miles
Time 0
Kcal 0
Elevation 0 ft
Press-ups 0
Swimming 0 m
Sauna 15 mins
Total
Distance 138.69 miles
Time 24:33:54
Kcal 14722
Elevation 4592 ft
Press-ups 320
Swimming 6250 m
Sauna 2:05 mins
CHARITY HURTS!!
Ow - my left knee hurts! I've been limping along for most of the day but have been sensible and not pushed it too far. Tomorrow is a rest day so I won't do much and hopefully by Tuesday it'll be right as rain!
FUNDRAISING
My sponsorship is now up to £331 on http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/pitymyfeet. Thank you so much to everyone who has sponsored!!
I'm getting a manual treadmill on Tuesday (thank you Ebay!). I intend to use it for fundraising somehow. Anyone have any ideas how??
Feel free to contact me with any fundraising ideas you have. You can email me at:
miffjacobs@hotmail.com
DONATE
Please remember that I'm inflicting all this pain and misery on myself for a cause greater than just having a good story to tell over a beer. I hope to raise over £9,500 for MENCAP; an amazing charity who help those born with learning difficulties to live a normal life and to enjoy the same opportunities and choices that the rest of us take for granted.
Be an awesome human being today and click on the link below and help make someone's life better.
Thank you. You really ARE awesome.
www.virginmoneygiving.com/pitymyfeet
Saturday, 12 November 2011
Saturday 12th November 2011 - Long Run 22 miles
Long run day today! Getting up at 5am was a struggle to say the least. I dragged my sorry bum out of bed eventually and was up and at 'em at 6am.
I ran through the dawn along the main road for the first 3 miles. It was surprisingly busy considering the time of day! I got off the main road and headed down some quiet lanes to the canal. It was a beautiful morning! I got to the canal just after dawn and then had a glorious 12 or so miles of soft bouncy canal path to run on until I got to Ellesmere then it was back to the lanes.
I nearly got hit by another car. This one was driven by a young guy (oddly wearing an old man's cap) with his girlfriend in the passenger seat. They were both staring intently into his lap as they bore down on me, oblivious to the fact that the car was veering off the road and directly towards me! I waved my arms like mad and managed to attract their attention in time. The car swerved a bit as the driver corrected his course. I made a hand gesture to indicate how he might better spend his time than delivering death along the back lanes.
I think there must have been a hunt on today as there were many clusters of country folk peering into the fields. I never saw any hounds or horses myself although I did see a fox. It seemed troubled and I suspect it had spotted the same signs I had and knew that it was going to be a tough day.
I tried something new today. I made a video of my run! It's not the most artistic or entertaining thing you'll ever see but if you want a graphic illustration of what 22 miles of running can do to a 41 year old office worker then take a look at the link below.
Video showing physical decline!
Peace, out!
JUST THE FACTS!!
Weight: 81.2 Kg
Today
Distance 22.07 miles
Time 4:09:10
Kcal 2505
Elevation 304 ft
Press-ups 0
Swimming 0 m
Sauna 0 mins
Total
Distance 138.69 miles
Time 24:33:54
Kcal 14722
Elevation 4592 ft
Press-ups 320
Swimming 6250 m
Sauna 1:50 mins
CHARITY HURTS!!
Everything hurts below my waist!!! My shins held up OK given the distance but I am still worried by them. The most obvious physical effect of today is complete exhaustion. After the run I fell back to sleep for two and a half hours and right now it's not even 8:30 in the evening and I could cheerfully go to sleep this instant.
FUNDRAISING
My sponsorship is now up to £331 on http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/pitymyfeet. Thank you so much to everyone who has sponsored!!
Feel free to contact me with any fundraising ideas you have. You can email me at:
miffjacobs@hotmail.com
DONATE
Please remember that I'm inflicting all this pain and misery on myself for a cause greater than just having a good story to tell over a beer. I hope to raise over £9,500 for MENCAP; an amazing charity who help those born with learning difficulties to live a normal life and to enjoy the same opportunities and choices that the rest of us take for granted.
Be an awesome human being today and click on the link below and help make someone's life better.
Thank you. You really ARE awesome.
www.virginmoneygiving.com/pitymyfeet
I ran through the dawn along the main road for the first 3 miles. It was surprisingly busy considering the time of day! I got off the main road and headed down some quiet lanes to the canal. It was a beautiful morning! I got to the canal just after dawn and then had a glorious 12 or so miles of soft bouncy canal path to run on until I got to Ellesmere then it was back to the lanes.
I think there must have been a hunt on today as there were many clusters of country folk peering into the fields. I never saw any hounds or horses myself although I did see a fox. It seemed troubled and I suspect it had spotted the same signs I had and knew that it was going to be a tough day.
I tried something new today. I made a video of my run! It's not the most artistic or entertaining thing you'll ever see but if you want a graphic illustration of what 22 miles of running can do to a 41 year old office worker then take a look at the link below.
Video showing physical decline!
Peace, out!
JUST THE FACTS!!
Weight: 81.2 Kg
Today
Distance 22.07 miles
Time 4:09:10
Kcal 2505
Elevation 304 ft
Press-ups 0
Swimming 0 m
Sauna 0 mins
Total
Distance 138.69 miles
Time 24:33:54
Kcal 14722
Elevation 4592 ft
Press-ups 320
Swimming 6250 m
Sauna 1:50 mins
CHARITY HURTS!!
Everything hurts below my waist!!! My shins held up OK given the distance but I am still worried by them. The most obvious physical effect of today is complete exhaustion. After the run I fell back to sleep for two and a half hours and right now it's not even 8:30 in the evening and I could cheerfully go to sleep this instant.
FUNDRAISING
My sponsorship is now up to £331 on http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/pitymyfeet. Thank you so much to everyone who has sponsored!!
Feel free to contact me with any fundraising ideas you have. You can email me at:
miffjacobs@hotmail.com
DONATE
Please remember that I'm inflicting all this pain and misery on myself for a cause greater than just having a good story to tell over a beer. I hope to raise over £9,500 for MENCAP; an amazing charity who help those born with learning difficulties to live a normal life and to enjoy the same opportunities and choices that the rest of us take for granted.
Be an awesome human being today and click on the link below and help make someone's life better.
Thank you. You really ARE awesome.
www.virginmoneygiving.com/pitymyfeet
Friday, 11 November 2011
Friday 11th November 2011
Armistice Day. I think everyone's thoughts are on greater things today. The fallen. They have my respect and my gratitude. May their souls rest in peace.
It seems inadequate to publish a running blog on this day of days but I will maintain my post-a-day record with a description of today's training.
Having woken up in the night with a sore shin I decided to err on the side of caution this morning and go swimming instead of running. So I hit the gym at 6:30 and put in a decent 60 lengths and some spells in the, newly repaired, sauna too. Swimming is lovely exercise and I'd like to do a lot more of it but the book I'm reading now (Relentless Forward Progress - A guide to ultramarathons) talks endlessly about "specificity of training". Which basically means that to train for a running event, I need to run!! Makes sense I guess.
But the swimming was fun and it took my total swimming distance to over 6 Km which is pretty tidy if you ask me :)
I snuck out for a late lunchtime run. Just a trot around the lanes. It was an enjoyable run up until the point that someone nearly ran me down. I was passing a turning down to a farm and behind me I could hear a vehicle. I turned to see a landrover with a trailer some way back. As I carried on I heard it accellerate quite sharply and I thought it a bit reckless because it's quite a narrow lane but with the turning just in front of me I knew I could cut into there to make room for him to pass.
Anyway, the vehicle and I both reached the turning at the same time. It was now going quite fast. Suddenly, to my shock, it swung sharply left and turned into the lane. I had to come to an immediate halt and if I had lost my balance I'd have gone under it's wheels. As it was the body of the trailer missed my head by just a few inches. Unreal. I ran off with imaginative thoughts of revenge but by the time I'd got back to the flat I was pretty calm about it and limited myself to posting a Specsavers advert on Facebook and leaving it at that.
All told a quiet day today. Ready for a long one early tomorrow morning.
Peace, out!
JUST THE FACTS!!
Weight: 81.2 Kg
TODAY
Distance 3.06 miles
Time 0:28:10
Kcal 342
Elevation 314 ft
Press-ups 0
Swimming 1500 m
Sauna 20 mins
TOTAL
Distance 116.62 miles
Time 20:24:44
Kcal 12217
Elevation 4288ft
Press-ups 320
Swimming 6250 m
Sauna 1:50 mins
CHARITY HURTS!!
Oh no!!! My left shin hurts. I'm hoping it's not the dreaded splints. I'll take it easy today and tomorrow's long run will be pitifully slow. I've got plenty of Deep Heat on it now and if I can eek it out until payday I'll have a swish new pair of trail shoes to protect it. :)
FUNDRAISING
My sponsorship is now up to £331 on http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/pitymyfeet. Thank you so much to everyone who has sponsored!!
I heard today that Mencap have dispatched my fundraising pack so I should have posters and other materials soon. I'm slightly dispirited though after phoning Wrexham and Shropshire councils to apply for street collection licenses. I had hoped to get out in the Christmas crowds and liberate a few pennies for a good cause but the process is a lot more time consuming that I anticipated. Certainly
within Shropshire I cannot even apply for a permit for 2011. I have to go into a ballot with all the charities looking to collect in 2012. The lady I need to speak to in Wrexham will not be back until
Monday but I fear the process will be the same. I may need to re-think this element of my fundraising plan.
Feel free to contact me with any fundraising ideas you have. You can email me at:
miffjacobs@hotmail.com
DONATE
Please remember that I'm inflicting all this pain and misery on myself for a cause greater than just having a good story to tell over a beer. I hope to raise over £9,500 for MENCAP; an amazing charity who help those born with learning difficulties to live a normal life and to enjoy the same opportunities and choices that the rest of us take for granted.
Be an awesome human being today and click on the link below and help make someone's life better.
Thank you. You really ARE awesome.
www.virginmoneygiving.com/pitymyfeet
It seems inadequate to publish a running blog on this day of days but I will maintain my post-a-day record with a description of today's training.
Having woken up in the night with a sore shin I decided to err on the side of caution this morning and go swimming instead of running. So I hit the gym at 6:30 and put in a decent 60 lengths and some spells in the, newly repaired, sauna too. Swimming is lovely exercise and I'd like to do a lot more of it but the book I'm reading now (Relentless Forward Progress - A guide to ultramarathons) talks endlessly about "specificity of training". Which basically means that to train for a running event, I need to run!! Makes sense I guess.
But the swimming was fun and it took my total swimming distance to over 6 Km which is pretty tidy if you ask me :)
I snuck out for a late lunchtime run. Just a trot around the lanes. It was an enjoyable run up until the point that someone nearly ran me down. I was passing a turning down to a farm and behind me I could hear a vehicle. I turned to see a landrover with a trailer some way back. As I carried on I heard it accellerate quite sharply and I thought it a bit reckless because it's quite a narrow lane but with the turning just in front of me I knew I could cut into there to make room for him to pass.
Anyway, the vehicle and I both reached the turning at the same time. It was now going quite fast. Suddenly, to my shock, it swung sharply left and turned into the lane. I had to come to an immediate halt and if I had lost my balance I'd have gone under it's wheels. As it was the body of the trailer missed my head by just a few inches. Unreal. I ran off with imaginative thoughts of revenge but by the time I'd got back to the flat I was pretty calm about it and limited myself to posting a Specsavers advert on Facebook and leaving it at that.
All told a quiet day today. Ready for a long one early tomorrow morning.
Peace, out!
JUST THE FACTS!!
Weight: 81.2 Kg
TODAY
Distance 3.06 miles
Time 0:28:10
Kcal 342
Elevation 314 ft
Press-ups 0
Swimming 1500 m
Sauna 20 mins
TOTAL
Distance 116.62 miles
Time 20:24:44
Kcal 12217
Elevation 4288ft
Press-ups 320
Swimming 6250 m
Sauna 1:50 mins
CHARITY HURTS!!
Oh no!!! My left shin hurts. I'm hoping it's not the dreaded splints. I'll take it easy today and tomorrow's long run will be pitifully slow. I've got plenty of Deep Heat on it now and if I can eek it out until payday I'll have a swish new pair of trail shoes to protect it. :)
FUNDRAISING
My sponsorship is now up to £331 on http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/pitymyfeet. Thank you so much to everyone who has sponsored!!
I heard today that Mencap have dispatched my fundraising pack so I should have posters and other materials soon. I'm slightly dispirited though after phoning Wrexham and Shropshire councils to apply for street collection licenses. I had hoped to get out in the Christmas crowds and liberate a few pennies for a good cause but the process is a lot more time consuming that I anticipated. Certainly
within Shropshire I cannot even apply for a permit for 2011. I have to go into a ballot with all the charities looking to collect in 2012. The lady I need to speak to in Wrexham will not be back until
Monday but I fear the process will be the same. I may need to re-think this element of my fundraising plan.
Feel free to contact me with any fundraising ideas you have. You can email me at:
miffjacobs@hotmail.com
DONATE
Please remember that I'm inflicting all this pain and misery on myself for a cause greater than just having a good story to tell over a beer. I hope to raise over £9,500 for MENCAP; an amazing charity who help those born with learning difficulties to live a normal life and to enjoy the same opportunities and choices that the rest of us take for granted.
Be an awesome human being today and click on the link below and help make someone's life better.
Thank you. You really ARE awesome.
www.virginmoneygiving.com/pitymyfeet
Thursday, 10 November 2011
Thursday 10th November 2011
Back to it today after a rest yesterday. I put in a few press-ups during the day, in batches of 20 so nothing too strenuous; although I did reach 100 on the day which is a first for me. Then just before dusk I set out for a decent 8 miler. I felt a bit slow and sluggish to be honest and ran most of the way with stitch and stomach ache. Fortunately gastric discomfort didn't turn into gastric disfunction so nothing too horrible to report.
It's a lovely evening out there though. As it got dark a beautiful red full moon rose and gradually brightened. The kind of moon that makes guys with eyebrows like mine wonder where the hell I'm going to wake up tomorrow. I ran the same route as Tuesday evening (with a tiny bit added to take it over the 8 mile mark). Tonight though I ran it the other way around so that I would go past the creepy woods in the daylight. I know. What a tart.
I'm bowled over though by how beautiful a night it is. I barely needed my head torch even when it got fully dark as the moon reflected off the wet surface of the lanes and made them sparkle. I cast a clear shadow behind me as I ran to the light. At one point I ran under the lee of a small hill and there were some cows on top of the hill, silhouetted perfectly against the full moon. A really stirring site until a moth flew into my teeth - yik yik yik. Oh and I got buzzed by a bat in the same place as one buzzed me a few nights ago. The romantic in me thinks it's the same bat.
I didn't have my camera so I had to download this picture of a full moon to illustrate how pretty it was tonight. I'd love to know where they found this tiny little dog though. When you look at the moon it isn't really very big. You'd think a dog sitting in front would obscure it. But not this tiny bonzai dog!
I kept my average pace at 10:22 and my HR at 140 is satisfactory. I need to keep in this good slow range to avoid injury.
Peace, out!
JUST THE FACTS!!
Weight: 81.2 Kg
TODAY
Distance 8.05 miles
Time 1:23:30
Kcal 974
Elevation 242 ft
Press-ups 100
Swimming 0 m
Sauna 0 mins
TOTAL
Distance 113.56 miles
Time 19:56:34
Kcal 11875
Elevation 3974 ft
Press-ups 320
Swimming 4750 m
Sauna 1:30 mins
CHARITY HURTS!!
Pain in my upper, outer, left thigh. Quite a localised sharp pain so I think I have torn some muscle there. My stomach was a problem through the run but I think I probably ate too much bread today as
that usually makes me poorly.
FUNDRAISING
My sponsorship is now up to £331 on http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/pitymyfeet. Thank you so much to everyone who has sponsored!!
I paid over my £500 race fees today and I can expect my fundraising materials to arrive early next week. Then I can plan how to accelerate my fundraising to reach the magic £9,500 I need!
Feel free to contact me with any fundraising ideas you have. You can email me at:
miffjacobs@hotmail.com
DONATE
Please remember that I'm inflicting all this pain and misery on myself for a cause greater than just having a good story to tell over a beer. I hope to raise over £9,500 for MENCAP; an amazing charity who help those born with learning difficulties to live a normal life and to enjoy the same opportunities and choices that the rest of us take for granted.
Be an awesome human being today and click on the link below and help make someone's life better.
Thank you. You really ARE awesome.
www.virginmoneygiving.com/pitymyfeet
It's a lovely evening out there though. As it got dark a beautiful red full moon rose and gradually brightened. The kind of moon that makes guys with eyebrows like mine wonder where the hell I'm going to wake up tomorrow. I ran the same route as Tuesday evening (with a tiny bit added to take it over the 8 mile mark). Tonight though I ran it the other way around so that I would go past the creepy woods in the daylight. I know. What a tart.
I'm bowled over though by how beautiful a night it is. I barely needed my head torch even when it got fully dark as the moon reflected off the wet surface of the lanes and made them sparkle. I cast a clear shadow behind me as I ran to the light. At one point I ran under the lee of a small hill and there were some cows on top of the hill, silhouetted perfectly against the full moon. A really stirring site until a moth flew into my teeth - yik yik yik. Oh and I got buzzed by a bat in the same place as one buzzed me a few nights ago. The romantic in me thinks it's the same bat.
I didn't have my camera so I had to download this picture of a full moon to illustrate how pretty it was tonight. I'd love to know where they found this tiny little dog though. When you look at the moon it isn't really very big. You'd think a dog sitting in front would obscure it. But not this tiny bonzai dog!
I kept my average pace at 10:22 and my HR at 140 is satisfactory. I need to keep in this good slow range to avoid injury.
Peace, out!
JUST THE FACTS!!
Weight: 81.2 Kg
TODAY
Distance 8.05 miles
Time 1:23:30
Kcal 974
Elevation 242 ft
Press-ups 100
Swimming 0 m
Sauna 0 mins
TOTAL
Distance 113.56 miles
Time 19:56:34
Kcal 11875
Elevation 3974 ft
Press-ups 320
Swimming 4750 m
Sauna 1:30 mins
CHARITY HURTS!!
Pain in my upper, outer, left thigh. Quite a localised sharp pain so I think I have torn some muscle there. My stomach was a problem through the run but I think I probably ate too much bread today as
that usually makes me poorly.
FUNDRAISING
My sponsorship is now up to £331 on http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/pitymyfeet. Thank you so much to everyone who has sponsored!!
I paid over my £500 race fees today and I can expect my fundraising materials to arrive early next week. Then I can plan how to accelerate my fundraising to reach the magic £9,500 I need!
Feel free to contact me with any fundraising ideas you have. You can email me at:
miffjacobs@hotmail.com
DONATE
Please remember that I'm inflicting all this pain and misery on myself for a cause greater than just having a good story to tell over a beer. I hope to raise over £9,500 for MENCAP; an amazing charity who help those born with learning difficulties to live a normal life and to enjoy the same opportunities and choices that the rest of us take for granted.
Be an awesome human being today and click on the link below and help make someone's life better.
Thank you. You really ARE awesome.
www.virginmoneygiving.com/pitymyfeet
Wednesday 9th November 2011 - Review - Born to Run
Today was a rest day. Not really a scheduled one but I had to get up at 4:30 for a train to London for a work conference and I didn't get back into the flat until 10pm. Naturally I felt a little reluctant to don my trainers and head torch and hit the lanes! I guess I could have done some exercises in the flat but to be honest I was goosed and went to bed without having done a thing towards my training; and not even feeling that bad about it!
Instead though, just to maintain my record of having a posting to cover every day of training I have decided to write a little book review of another book I read recently.
The book is called "Born to Run" by Chris McDougall. On the surface it tells the true story of the author's search for an obscure community in Mexico's drug belt who maintain a lifestyle of constant distance running. He tracks them down via a search for the mysterious Caballo Blanco (The White Horse) who is an American who has been accepted into the community. This tribe, the Tarahumara, eschew contact with the outside world and yet contain some of the world's best ultra-distance runners.
He eventually tracks down the Tarahumara, and Caballo Blanco and tells of Blanco's attempts to stage a 50 mile race between the western world's greatest runners and the Tarahumara. It is a good story and is well told but there is a second story being told in this book; and that is the story of mankind's relationship with running through our evolutionary history.
McDougal presents a thesis that the adaptations that made us evolve into who we are today were all brought about because we adapted to running whereas our rivals were all adapated to walking. This allowed us to have greater success in the hunt and the protein rich diet we enjoyed fuelled the incredible growth of our brains. He makes a powerful case that humans were indeed born to run.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book although my main complaint is that the picture painted of both Caballo Blanco and the Tarahumara at the beginning of the book is almost supernatural, but when you get to the end of the book you sense that this community is not as isolated as first described. Indeed you find that the elusive and mysterious Caballo lives within a short walk from a bus stop; which begs the question of why the author walked for three days through the jungle to find him in the
first place!
Also, one of the characters, Jenn shelton, later criticised the book for painting too romantic a picture of the Tarahumara. A community, she says, who struggle with desperate poverty.
Those criticisms notwithstanding though I really enjoyed the book and would encourage anyone interested in running, in particular long distance running, to read it.
As for me.... well I'm a long way from the Tarahumara! I enjoyed my rest day but am itching to get back on the road. Seven miles planned for later.
Peace, out!
JUST THE FACTS!!
Weight: 81.2 Kg
Today
Distance 0 miles
Time 0
Kcal 0
Elevation 0 ft
Press-ups 0
Swimming 0 m
Sauna 0 mins
Total
Distance 105.51 miles
Time 18:33:04
Kcal 10901
Elevation 3732 ft
Press-ups 220
Swimming 4750 m
Sauna 1:30 mins
CHARITY HURTS!!
I felt really tired yesterday (Wednesday). Not too much pain apart from my calves but a general fatigue and a feeling that I'm on the verge of surrendering to a cold.
FUNDRAISING
I'm up to £311 on my sponsorship page (www.virginmoneygiving.com/pitymyfeet). Thank you to everyone who has sponsored so far. Please head over to my Virgin Money Giving page and help Mencap with their fantastic work. I truly appreciate it.
The ads on the side have been taken down by google as they thought I was running a scam! I've 'appealed' and hopefully I'll get them back but I won't know for a week or two. Thanks to everyone who supported the advertisers while they were here. I'm sure they appreciated it more than Google seems to have done!
DONATE
Please remember that I'm inflicting all this pain and misery on myself for a cause greater than just having a good story to tell over a beer. I hope to raise over £9,500 for MENCAP; an amazing charity who help those born with learning difficulties to live a normal life and to enjoy the same opportunities and choices that the rest of us take for granted.
Be an awesome human being today and click on the link below and help make someone's life better.
Thank you. You really ARE awesome.
www.virginmoneygiving.com/pitymyfeet
Instead though, just to maintain my record of having a posting to cover every day of training I have decided to write a little book review of another book I read recently.
The book is called "Born to Run" by Chris McDougall. On the surface it tells the true story of the author's search for an obscure community in Mexico's drug belt who maintain a lifestyle of constant distance running. He tracks them down via a search for the mysterious Caballo Blanco (The White Horse) who is an American who has been accepted into the community. This tribe, the Tarahumara, eschew contact with the outside world and yet contain some of the world's best ultra-distance runners.
He eventually tracks down the Tarahumara, and Caballo Blanco and tells of Blanco's attempts to stage a 50 mile race between the western world's greatest runners and the Tarahumara. It is a good story and is well told but there is a second story being told in this book; and that is the story of mankind's relationship with running through our evolutionary history.
McDougal presents a thesis that the adaptations that made us evolve into who we are today were all brought about because we adapted to running whereas our rivals were all adapated to walking. This allowed us to have greater success in the hunt and the protein rich diet we enjoyed fuelled the incredible growth of our brains. He makes a powerful case that humans were indeed born to run.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book although my main complaint is that the picture painted of both Caballo Blanco and the Tarahumara at the beginning of the book is almost supernatural, but when you get to the end of the book you sense that this community is not as isolated as first described. Indeed you find that the elusive and mysterious Caballo lives within a short walk from a bus stop; which begs the question of why the author walked for three days through the jungle to find him in the
first place!
Also, one of the characters, Jenn shelton, later criticised the book for painting too romantic a picture of the Tarahumara. A community, she says, who struggle with desperate poverty.
Those criticisms notwithstanding though I really enjoyed the book and would encourage anyone interested in running, in particular long distance running, to read it.
As for me.... well I'm a long way from the Tarahumara! I enjoyed my rest day but am itching to get back on the road. Seven miles planned for later.
Peace, out!
JUST THE FACTS!!
Weight: 81.2 Kg
Today
Distance 0 miles
Time 0
Kcal 0
Elevation 0 ft
Press-ups 0
Swimming 0 m
Sauna 0 mins
Total
Distance 105.51 miles
Time 18:33:04
Kcal 10901
Elevation 3732 ft
Press-ups 220
Swimming 4750 m
Sauna 1:30 mins
CHARITY HURTS!!
I felt really tired yesterday (Wednesday). Not too much pain apart from my calves but a general fatigue and a feeling that I'm on the verge of surrendering to a cold.
FUNDRAISING
I'm up to £311 on my sponsorship page (www.virginmoneygiving.com/pitymyfeet). Thank you to everyone who has sponsored so far. Please head over to my Virgin Money Giving page and help Mencap with their fantastic work. I truly appreciate it.
The ads on the side have been taken down by google as they thought I was running a scam! I've 'appealed' and hopefully I'll get them back but I won't know for a week or two. Thanks to everyone who supported the advertisers while they were here. I'm sure they appreciated it more than Google seems to have done!
DONATE
Please remember that I'm inflicting all this pain and misery on myself for a cause greater than just having a good story to tell over a beer. I hope to raise over £9,500 for MENCAP; an amazing charity who help those born with learning difficulties to live a normal life and to enjoy the same opportunities and choices that the rest of us take for granted.
Be an awesome human being today and click on the link below and help make someone's life better.
Thank you. You really ARE awesome.
www.virginmoneygiving.com/pitymyfeet
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)