Snow excuse.

Since last post: 48km run, 10 miles cycled, 1 hour swim training. 

Weight: 63.5kg (-600g)

Body Fat: 31.1%  (+0.5)
Muscle: 41.6 Kg (-600g)

I've had bit of a rest week this week and haven't quite managed to complete all the activities in my training schedule. Largely beyond my control - a few long work days, a PhD research proposal to write and snow. I'm ok with my efforts generally.

Today I ran a new 10km PB of 52:21. Not so bad, especially considering it snowed the entire time. The race was in Stubbington (Hampshire) and is the highlight of the week. I spotted the horses below (and more) running through the snowy field alongside runners during the race. Lovely.

Other things of note this week.. I ran 2.5km carrying a big bag of old clothes for charity on Wednesday. I thought there was a collection bin around the corner from my place. I was wrong. I thought there was another one another km or so up the road. Wrong again. I had to run down in to the peak hour high street and find an open charity store. Don't say I don't do anything for charity.

I'm away for work again next week and I'm already dreading the treadmill. Ugh. 

Death by treadmill

A massive 61km since last post. 

Weight: 64.1 Kg (-100g) 

Body Fat: 30.6% (-0.3%)
Muscle: 42.2 Kg (+100g) 

This week was the hardest of weeks so far, it marked a pretty big rise in expected km and I was away from work so four of my six runs this week had to be done on a treadmill in a tiny tiny hotel gym. I was staying on the outskirts of Coventry in a retail park. There was a big a-road I could have run down.. but it was dark and looked to be the local trucker hangout. No thanks. I also had a fun 10 hours of fieldwork  for a research project to be done each day. Such fun. 

I don't like treadmills, I have always found them mentally and physically difficult. I don't know if my short legs have anything to do with it but I just can't seem run as fast - then there is the tedious number watching as each km stretches out in to eternity. I'm pretty proud of myself this week - I managed a total of 34km on the things. 8km is my limit though, and as I had two 8km plus runs I did have to cheat a little and split my runs in two (8km in the morn + 3km at night for my 11k and 8km in the morn and 2km at night for the 10km) still counts. I also need to entertain myself so all treadmill runs are interval runs, they hurt but are somehow more tolerable than straight forward running. Plus they make my run graph look pretty: 

So there were no scenic highlights this week, unless you count BBC breakfast on the treadmill tv. This only worked for 8km of the total 34 though. The remaining km were either a blue 'no signal' screen or a muted breakfast show from ITV - no text, just people on a couch and me left guessing what they were talking about.

Smug on a Thursday

22.5 Km since last run.

I managed to shake off the sulphite wheeze last Sunday and ran my fastest pace since training began: 6.5 km at 5'42. Makes no sense really.

I'm starting to feel the extra miles, my little legs are a bit tender and I was tired beyond words last night. My own fault though, after a 10 km hill run I suggested walking from Hamstead Heath through Camden and down the canal to Little Venice: 10 km of walking. Made me think I need a whole load more training before I'll be able to tackle the marathon/half iron man. Getting there though. Today marked a small mental victory; I was tired from yesterday and really didn't want to go for a run, but I did and now I'm feeling all nice and smug.

The highlight of this weeks running so far was probably the view from Brockwell Park yesterday, pretty city: