Juggling Jogging

I have no excuse!!  I haven't been training as much as I should this week!!  I have spent far too much time on "social" endeavours and far too little time on the pavement.

The last couple of weeks went something like this:

After the Six Foot Track Snake Episode, I expected to be half crippled the next day, as I usually am after a long run.  However, praise be to God I was feeling really well, no sore back or hips, just that really heavy feeling in the quads (I blame Nellies Glen) but a "nice" heavy feeling where you know you worked hard.

So the next day I went out and bought my bike and thought I would be a smarty pants and train on that so's not to totally trash my ankles to allow for long weekend runs etc.  So that weeks training was really centred around cycling and swimming, with a few short but hilly runs.  Very short if memory serves me well.  Who am I kidding?  I am not training for a bike ride, or a swim.  I am training for a very hard, very hilly, very climby, very freaking scary race.  It is time to extract the digit.

Anyway, last weekend I did not do ONE run.  Not one. 

Saturday was Curtis' 18th birthday party.  Gawd, teenagers.  They can talk a lot of shite.  And make a big mess.  No running Saturday.  Mind you I had no excuse not to get up early on Saturday morning and run.  I just didn't.  Slack. Some thieving little shite stole my iPod too, which pissed me off no end.  The iPod itself had a bad attitude and to be honest, it and me had been at loggerheads over the menu button, which refused to work after a particularly sweaty session in the sports bra.  I might add this is my fourth iPod to come to a sticky end in the space of ONE YEAR.  I think I hold the record for owning the most iPods ever.  In my iPod owning history, I have blown one up by pouring coffee on it, put two through the wash, and killed two, maybe three with excessive booby sweat.  Anyway, I didn't really like this one, as I said, it had a bad attitude, but I LOVED MY PLAYLIST.  I had perfected it over weeks and months and really believed this was the BEST EVER running playlist, with loads of rocking tunes to keep me amused.  Anyway, I have bought another patriotic GREEN one and am trying to recreate the perfect playlist. 

Sunday we caught the train to the Big City and spent a lazy afternoon listening to Jazz and catching up with friends from Belfast, there was much consumption of fizzy, beer flavoured drinks.  Which led to a total lethargy on Monday and therefore no training Monday either.  Are you starting to see a picture forming here?

So....Tuesday I got up at sparrow fart and ran 10km round the local streets, incorporating one of the big hilly streets at the end.  Ankles and achilles in particular were somewhat stunned and protested loudly.

Wednesday I didn't manage to get my backside out of bed for an early morning run, so waited until after the sun went down for my run, which was just as well because I felt like I was running with a club foot, so sore were the ankles.  Managed 7km and came home very dejected.

Thursday ran around the lake at work in 37 degree heat which again zapped any enthusiasm or self confidence.  We stopped at the pontoon and swam 800m then ran / walked back.  Combination of heat and wet clothes made it feel pretty yucky and to be honest you couldn't even count this as a run.

Friday was the Big Day Out!!!  Plan was to get up early and run before the day got too hot and run then.  By the time I got up the day was already 35 degrees.  No running.  Big Day Out was hot and frankly, rather nasty, due to weather conditions.  Muse were absolutely brilliant though.  Worth sitting for 6 hours in 40 degree heat with no breeze for.  Well worth it.  They played all my favourite songs, the light show was amazing as was their performance.

So this morning I had a good look at myself (not like in the mirror or anything, but figuratively speaking).  I might add that I did actually look in the mirror this morning and feel quite depressed.  I dyed my hair what I expected to be a dark stunning brown.  It turns out to be an Ozzy Osborne black.  After seeing a transexual Ozzy look alike with no knickers on in the Ori at lunchtime a few weeks ago, I was quite depressed to note that I actually looked a bit like him / her.  But that is by the way.

What a freaking disaster the last two weeks have been training wise.  So after I dropped Curty at work, I decided to run the river run.  Today is 43 degrees.  I managed 4km all up, I was finding it hard to breathe and run although on the plus side, my ankles were FINE!!!

So, if this weather continues I need a plan of attack.

Early nights so that I can resume running to work, it is the only way to get a decent workout because it is still cool enough to run early in the morning - AND there is no way I can cut my runs short because I actually have the purpose of getting somewhere.  I love that.

Social events are going to have to wait until after this race.  Well social events that include staying up to 2am drinking beer, swinging from a hammock and smoking cigars.

Food - the plan was to lose a few kilos in the hope that it might make me faster.  Whahahahahahahahah!!!

Been trying to lose the same 5 kilos for about ten years now.  Still, I have got to stop putting crap in my mouth, namely beer and wine.

I guess there is nothing stopping me from doing shorter runs but trying to get out twice a day, might help with the ankle situation.  If it cools down tonight, I will head out for another short one.   We also have a party to go to tonight, so I am going to drive, drink mineral water and stay away from hammocks.