Ok so I have been away for a week on a cruise. Some people may think I’m a little young for this but this ship wasn’t targeted for the oldies, so Laura and I made the most of her last week off before starting her new job to cruise the med.

For anyone who hasn’t been on a cruise before there seems to be this common theme of ‘24 hour dining’ or otherwise known as eat till you explode, being healthy does not seem to be an option. Judging by their size for a vast number of people this cruise wasn’t their first as there were some real biggies on that boat (Mike – if only I had your book, I’m sure I could have offloaded a number of copies!). Anyway, not wanting to feel like I had paid for something and not used it I indeed proceeded to eat and, baring one short 5k run on day two, do no form of physical exercise for a week. Sure there was a lot of walking and across the week we must have covered in excess of 25k but that was about it…

After coming back I allowed myself one day off before hitting the gym in style with an afternoon spinning session, wow it was hard, harder than I remember for a long period of time. I also thought I’d hit the sauna after and it appears a combination of the two which left me coming out to get changed fealing sick and very week. I can only remember one other gym session like this and once again I headed for the lucozade. This time it seemed to make no difference and 2hours later, whilst I write this blog I still feel fairly quesy and to be honest this is keeping my mind off it.

What does this mean? Can my fitness really change in the course of a week? If so what will it take to get back to where I was before? Another oddity is I am aware my stomach capacity is growing again meaning the lunch which whilst marathon training would fill me, now leaves me hungry, what can I do to reduce this again?

Think I’m going to have to put myself down for another run to work towards again because at the moment I don’t feel particularly motivated to keep fit and go for runs, naughty Neil! So on that note watch this space for information of my next run.

If anyone out there routinely reads my blog they would know that Sundays tend to be my day to do a street run. I have tried to maintain this habit since the marathon albeit a lot shorter sessions. This weekend however was to be different, booked out weeks ago for a stag do on Saturday in Ipswich then driving down the a12 at silly o’clock Sunday morning to head to Brands Hatch to watch a day of classic motor racing, I knew I wouldn’t get in a run.

I already put in a session on the treadmill on Thursday but with the weekend 10k coming up and also having a far from healthy diet this weekend (revolving around alcohol snacks and an Indian) I didn’t really want to skip another run opportunity but Mondays are also spinning days – oh the dilemma! Given the title of this blog I guess you can probably guess what I did!

At 1230 there is a spin class (annoyingly the only lunchtime spin during the week), leaving the office as late as possible to avoid using more lunch break than was really nesc I got to the class to find the instructor was different. John, who has been likened by others to one of the sissor sisters, had been replaced by Emma (I think that’s her name anyway) so I was already slightly off guard – nevermind, I have done her classes before too and I know for certain she is not a mentalist! The session today felt odd, I don’t know whether my Sunday runs loosen my joints a bit hence helping these classes, but today my legs where achy and not for lack of trying I really struggled to be able to find the strength in them to either break to much of a sweat or raise my heartrate. I normally find it difficult to get my heart rate in spinning over 170bpm but today it was a challenge to even break 160bpm. I don’t know why I found it difficult part d me thinks I should go back to basics and read up about the body, I feel perhaps the time spent messing around in biology as a kid was perhaps foolish! anyone know any good books on health, body, muscles etc?

Spin class out of the way I had to still go for a run so after a late finish at work trying to put final touches on a project I went back to the gym for session no 2, the treadmill run. I was not intending on doing anything others than the treadmill and steam room meaning it was to be a relatively short session. 5k ish was decided and like the other day I set the mode to random, which appears to mean hills and racked the speed upto 12km/h and away I went. I didn’t stay at 12 for long, over the next few kms it was to be my base speed.

The program went upto an incline of 8% and over the next few kms i fluttered between 12km-15km, I attempted 14km/h at an incline of 7.8% – that is tough! I did 5kms in 22mins and 6km at just over 26mins. That’s a fast time – I know for certain i couldn’t maintain that pace for 10kms but maybe I can based on that hit 48mins on a good day…oh well, will find out in a few days time if I really push myself!

I know on the whole this blog has focused on my running. To be honest I suspect even that is a fairly dull read, hence a while ago I decided not to blog every gym session I took. However, on my tube journey home tonight I decided to write a little post about my spinning classes.

I joined FF almost a year ago to the day, I was getting fitter and by this point had completed my first 10km and felt joining a gym an appropriate next step. I was by no means a gym virgin having been a member on and off since 6th form but had in the past thrown money down the drain on 1 visit a month memberships and with London adult prices this is not a good thing to be doing! Anyway, when I started running I didn’t do it to bulk up muscles it was more about increasing my general fitness etc so not long after I started having got bored of the machines I decided to head into a ’spinning class’ and ever since then I have been hooked – going once or twice a week for an intense cardio workout.

What is spinning? Well put simply it’s an instructor led class with music and a bike with a gear that can be adjusted to increase resistance. There is a music playlist and then the instructor guides you through varying ‘terrains’ all by telling you to increase/decrease resistance. To give a simple example if the terrain was mountain climb the instructor would yell you to increase the bikes reaistance thus making it harder to pedal whilst in the meantime there is a song playing which has a beat on it that yuh are supposed to keep your legs in time with. It’s entirely upto you how you change your gears so if you are really struggling and the instructor says to turn you don’t have to but at the end of the day it’s supposed to be a 40min intense workout (and for me this is ALWAYS the case!). Hopefully that all makes a bit of sense?

Why do I do spinning? Well I’m no scientist I’m not going to start preaching about what you should and shouldn’t do whilst running mainly cause whatever I have picked up accross the year has come through mags etc read whilst half asleep on a rush hour morning commute. However, when I took my marathon training schedule to my trainer a few months ago he seemed perfectly fine for me to carry on spinning (whilst informing me to ditch pump as soon as possible). I guess logically cycling should complement running, it’s low impact and has a controlled mechanism whilst working the thighs, quads and glutes and some of the classes have elements which work on the core – all of these elements should feature high on where a runner should train. Regardless of the scientific benefits I really enjoy it – its a 45min session that is not easy, every week there is a puddle of sweat around my bike (apparently the same is the case with my dad) and the sense of a thoroughly worthwhile workout. Other than the nike+ training runs I do nothing else I do in the gym compares to these classes in respect to effort.

Basically if you are a member of a gym that offers spinning classes, go try it out – I suspect if there is a competitive element in you, you will enjoy it. I know I certainly do!

Much like last week, I decided it would be nice to run part of the course and having done the second half it seemed only sensible to attempt the first half.

I don’t know Greenwich at all or to be honest any of that part of the course, fortunately however Laura’s dad volunteered to get his bike out and ride alongside me. At 1030 on a dull and wet Good Friday we were all set to go, stood in Blackheath Common.

Perhaps much like the second half of the route there are long areas of dullish and scenery-less roads, it is also very flat which is nice! The only hill I really encountered was on a street aptly names “Hillreach” a few miles in but following that it descended again and remained flat.

After a few detours off the route, to avoid a busy Cutty Sark area and also a one-way road system that Martin could not go down on his bike we arrived at Surrey Quays, unfortunately having missed the earlier right and thus the extra 2mile loop. After 10 miles I decided it was fine to call it a day, my legs were fine I had energy in me and all was promising. Just another 25 mins and I would be at Tower Bridge and heading over for the second half I did last week…

See below the route I took. This will most likely be the last route I publish before the big day as baring a NikeTown Run which is already featured I wont be doing many more street runs.
» Continue reading “10 Mile – First half(ish) of Marathon route…”

It’s a Monday again – and its time for a spin. These blogs are going to become very dull soon – if not already!!! Did an evening spin so i could spend lunch with Laura – just made it to the class in time, but not many bikes left and the one i chose was broken.

Foolishly I persevered on the broken bike instead of moving – the gear on the bike only rotated one revolution meaning that it was very difficult to ramp up the settings – it was either tough, extremely tough or nothing at all with nothing in between. Meant that i did stick the setting on tough/ext tough all night and hence probably was beneficial but all in all a little annoying.

Was too late to get the heart rate monitor on so no idea whether it was a particularly stressful one or not?

As per the schedule, monday is spinning day. Shuffled the event to lunch time as have evening plans to see Avenue Q. The lunch spin session is taken by John, the guy who took my first spin lesson, so I quite like it for that reason…

Class went pretty well, my legs were a little tender following the 12.5miler the day before but still felt like good exercise and ultimately a healthy way to spend my lunch break.

First spin session of the new year. Didn’t feal it was as hard as usual – think I may need to adjust days and get a different instructor as I struggle to motivate myself as much with this one.

45min session – not much more to say on this one. Useful cardio training but could possibly have pushed harder