Bah Humbug!! (no it's not Christmas yet...)

I sincerely hope that this is true...
I have had a sinus thing going on since I had a head cold 3 weeks ago and whilst it hasn't killed me it has severely ticked me off!  Please, please let it have made me stronger!
Up until this week I have managed to keep up my fitcamp session on a Monday and my running Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday with pilates on Thursdays - Friday is a rest day :-)  This week however I managed my fitcamp session on the Monday - which I REALLY, REALLY enjoyed :-)  but I haven't run all week :-(
Tuesday I ended up having to work late and was tired and stressed, Wednesday I was up at 5.30am to travel to Inverness for a meeting, getting home at 7pm, Thursday I had to travel to Glasgow in the morning and got soaked walking back to the train at lunchtime then it was mad, mad, mad at work... I came home last night absolutely shattered and feeling totally crap :-(  To make matters worse, I stress about missing my training sessions, and this was probably the toughest week of my program, it's the last week before taper starts.  I have a 12 mile run to do tomorrow at race pace (I hope) and then a 20mile long run on Sunday.  I fully intend getting both of those in the bag, as today I woke feeling much better than yesterday so am hoping that things are on the road to recuperation.  If not I guess I need to make an appointment with the Dr :-(

Last week (almost 2 weeks ago now) I had a good fitcamp session on Monday then went to the Wee County Harriers training session on the Tuesday.  I really enjoyed this session though I found it tough, and thanks to Anne and Jess who kept me company at the back of all the speedy blokes and couple of speedy girls!  Wednesday I did a mammoth session of 11 hill reps on Menstrie Brae then on Thursday we'd a good old 'stretch' at pilates.  If anybody ever tries to tell you pilates is gentle or for wimps - don't believe them!  It's a bloody tough workout!

So, to conclude, it's not been the best week - apart from Monday which was a total blast! Hard work as well!!  Work has been hectic, weather hasn't been great and I've not run... however it's less than 3 weeks now til we get our well deserved trip to Canada and I will get my runs in tomorrow and Sunday then it will be taper time :-)  Next Sunday I am doing the Inverness 10k with 3 guys from work as part of the Corporate Challenge so that should be fun, I'm looking forward to it :-)

On the same day, my son and his friend since school are both running their first marathon in Berlin and at the same time raising money for Help for Heroes, if anybody is feeling generous and has a spare pound or two, you can sponsor the boys here
Thanks!

Shifting clouds

After yesterday's awful run, I had sore legs and a really sore shoulder/back however slept pretty well and wasn't too sore this morning although legs were still bit tight. I gave them a good doing with The Stick and they felt much easier afterwards so I set off to Bootcamp - die hard session with not quite as much trepidation as I'd had yesterday.
It was threatening to snow, indeed there had been some snowfall on the Ochils, and it blew through for most of the drive to Linlithgow and it was bitterly cold. We had a really good workout first of all doing some running and drills with Gordon then 'the hill' twice then down to the main school area again to do the circuits. Paul split us into 2 groups and my group spent the first 15minutes doing shuttle runs, by the end of which my legs were pretty dead but not sore if that makes sense?
Paul had laid out a circuit for us which was mixed and good fun - I have never pulled a tyre before but enjoyed being able to get to a slow run with it rather than just walking, then I discovered there were weights inside it as well! Finished off with a few stretches.
I feel physically much better than I did yesterday and I feel mentally a thousand times better than I did yesterday The big black cloud which has been following me about all week has shifted, hopefully not to return.
Time for coffee and a well earned stem ginger cookie and a couple of chapters of my new book.

Funny old day...

Yesterday morning's 5 miles was really quite pleasant, I left the house just before 8 and before sun up. I like the early mornings in the summer - 0530 time but this was pretty close, not too much traffic or noise. I wasn't sure where I was going or how my leg would feel so headed off and it eased off quickly and I had soon settled in to a reasonable rythm, something I've been struggling with this year so I went round the farm roads and back up the lovely hill near our home. It's mile 11 in our local half marathon and loved (dreaded) by many, but I managed to trot up it quite comfortably which really pleased me.
I got organised and set off to Annan just over 2hours South of here to go to my friend's funeral, the journey although mainly motorway was pleasant as the sun was shining most of the way and the hills were looking green instead of white. It was as you'd expect a very sad affair, it is so unfair when a person who loves life and brightens up everyone elses is taken from us. The priest mentioned how she touched the lives of so many people but that she didn't come into their lives so much as charge in head first :-) I think that summed her up beautifully.
Although it was very sad I met 3 wonderful friends there and it was great to be able to share with them the sorrow of the occasion and share our loss.
So, today I was supposed to run 15-16miles or 25km. I set off about 10am after a slow start to the morning - I woke at 6! I was really stiff in my shoulder/back which I blame on the 2hour drive, sitting hunched in a freezing cold church then a 2 hour drive home, with not much other movement in between to balance it out. Even when I stopped for a coffee I was so cold I was still huddled over... Anyway, excuses huh? I went out to do my run and it was awful! It was much colder out than I was expecting although I was dressed warmly enough and my legs felt like lead, I couldn't get them eased off at all and the elusive rythm which I had tasted so briefly yesterday was once again, just a dream, I had absolutely no energy to call on...
I stuck it out for 17km just over 10miles and gave up. I have spent the rest of today moaning and grumping about feeling tired and having no energy, poor John :-(
I don't feel quite so negative now and am off to have dinner, bootcamp tomorrow so will see how I hold up :-)