Well, day 31 and the end of Janathon 2015. And after the excesses of the darts last night felt like the end of me today. Not quite what I had intended but a good 8-1 win so happy with that. Not the long run today, that will have to wait for tomorrow so I’ll round off with the core gym circuits which have done well for me this year.
I set out my targets for the coming year yesterday and feel optimistic about achieving them. A lot of cycling now in Febathon which should be enjoyable. I also enjoyed reading your blogs of Janathon exploits which have kept me going…and laughing! thanks!
So it’s goodnight from him..
..and it’s good night from me…
Goodnight!
Janathon Day 31:
Gym circuits 30 mins: 15 bench, military, butterfly, front & back lats, abs,leg & tri exts, 30 mins
Janathon total:
81 miles running
1 twitter explosion
Gym circuits 30 mins: 15 bench, military, butterfly, front & back lats, abs,leg & tri exts, 30 mins x 11
160 steps x 2
2 x car washes
Dad northern soul dancing (Now double points at least thanks to @Fairweatherrun )
Extreme cleaning
Possibility…no chance of lunch for Matt.
As the end of Janathon approaches and I wait for Dave to finish gabbing to someone I ask the question:
Where was I at the start? Answer: Hobbling onto a set of straining scales.
Where am I now? Answer: Running better than I have since last summer and nearly half a stone lighter than on New Year’s Day.
After being unable to run much in November and December I’ve covered far more ground this month. So overall I exit feeling pretty positive and ready to take on the challenges of 2015.
So what are the targets?
- Develop the cycling in February
- Neyland 10k (and others) to get my running pace up.
- Neyland Duathlon to try a cycling sportive.
- The Tenby Long Weekend, 72 mile cycle on the Saturday and half marathon on the Sunday.
- Abingdon marathon with offspring?
- Autumn series: Dale/ Cardiff half (sub 1:45) and Sodbury Slog.
And maybe some other half marathons to fill in the time.
Meanwhile Dave is ready to go running……leaving our abode of work behind…
…and up the hill…
…and another with the ‘high leg kick’ action..
..and Dave silhouetted against the brow..
..and at last a nice flat bit.
So, there we are, One more day and if I come home from darts tonight in one piece I might have a chance of a run to round off Janathon in style!
PS. Just noticed that since I started running again i covered 7777 miles, the number of the ‘Chris’. Be scared, be very scared.
Janathon Day 30:
3.7 miles running.
Janathon to date:
81 miles running
1 twitter explosion
Gym circuits 30 mins: 15 bench, military, butterfly, front & back lats, abs,leg & tri exts, 30 mins x 10
160 steps x 2
2 x car washes
Dad northern soul dancing (Now double points at least thanks to @Fairweatherrun )
Extreme cleaning
Possibility…no chance of lunch for Matt.
More meetings today, this time in the Preseli hills at Crymych. A beautiful area but being higher up rather susceptible to the elements. This was nicely illustrated when it started snowing at lunchtme..
..meanwhile home and the rest of Pembrokeshire remained resplendent in greenery..
So it was gym circuits today and hiefully a run with the CVPs tomorrow 🙂
Janathon Day 29:
Gym circuits 30 mins: 15 bench, military,butterfly, front & back lats,abs,leg & tri exts, 30 mins
Janathon to date:
77 miles running
1 twitter explosion
Gym circuits 30 mins: 15 bench, military,butterfly, front & back lats,abs,leg & tri exts, 30 mins x 10
160 steps x 2
2 x car washes
Dad northern soul dancing (Now double points at least thanks to @Fairweatherrun )
Extreme cleaning
Possibility…no chance of lunch for Matt.
Just what it says on the tin. Meetings all day, run last 3 days, miserable outside so it’s gym circuits for me today.
2 things of note:
1,. My Christmas bulge is now receding. At the last count nearly half a stone had disappeared thanks to Janathon. Feeling lighter and easier to defy gravity on the hills.
2. May snow tomorrow in which case my exercise will entail snow angelling like thus…
Night night.
Janathon Day 28:
Gym circuits 30 mins: 15 bench, military,butterfly, front & back lats,abs,leg & tri exts, 30 mins
Janathon to date:
77 miles running
1 twitter explosion
Gym circuits 30 mins: 15 bench, military,butterfly, front & back lats,abs,leg & tri exts, 30 mins x 9
160 steps x 2
2 x car washes
Dad northern soul dancing (Now double points at least thanks to @Fairweatherrun )
Extreme cleaning
Possibility…no chance of lunch for Matt.
Today was so mild that even I followed Dave’s example and put on the old shorts. Last time these old boys will be out for a while looking at the forecast.
Dave had joined me in the changing rooms for today’s run. We were a bit at a loss which one to do until Dave had the bright idea of doing yesterday’s run but in the opposite direction.’What, run backwards?’ Noooooooo. I can’t ever recall doing this so off we went along the river…
..with Dave proudly displaying the maritime heritage of the quay…
..to be met by a steep hill. ‘Hold on, this wasn’t there before!’
..puffed our way up and sprang across the top and down…strange running style..
..to come across another hill…
..and another…
How, how is it possible to keep running upwards but still end where you started?
It was a bit of a relief to hit the flat bypass to finish. It’s amazing how different a run can be when you reverse it, gives a whole new perspective and doubles the number of runs available!
You can catch Dave’s alternative and sometimes tipple inspired version of events at
https://thegreatdave1971.wordpress.com/
Janathon Day 27:
3 miles running
Janathon to date:
77 miles running
1 twitter explosion
Gym circuits 30 mins: 15 bench, military,butterfly, front & back lats,abs,leg & tri exts, 30 mins x 8
160 steps x 2
2 x car washes
Dad northern soul dancing (Now double points at least thanks to @Fairweatherrun )
Extreme cleaning
Possibility of lunch for Matt.
After the first long run in a while yesterday I showed true grit today in going out for a run without any of the CVPs. Legs were a touch stiff and running was more akin to treading on eggshells.
It was a beautiful day and I fear Janathon is going to draw to a freezing, snowy and stormy close so best get some miles in whilst the sun shines.
I decided to run the Clay Lane route, flat start and then the 2 main hills to negotiate. So where is the tenuous link from ‘Clay’ to ‘Unchained Melody’? Ha, yes the scene from the film ‘Ghost’ with Demi and Patrick doing their life modelling course!
The river was fairly full today..
..and then I hit hill 1…
..and then hill 2 part 1….
….and part 2..
..to find the finishing straight back along the river beckoning…
By the way ‘Unchained Melody’ has been number one 4 times with 4 different acts (I think). Can you name them??
Also, an asteroid the size of a cruise ship should be visible above the skies of Wales as it grazes the earth in a once in 200-year event.
The orbiting lump of rock will pass just 745,000 miles – 1.2 million km – from earth. In astronomical terms it is a close shave.
It should be visible in Wales at 20:00 GMT looking south-east between Jupiter and the bright star Sirius.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-30975317
Janathon Day 25:
3 miles running
Janathon to date:
74 miles running
1 twitter explosion
Gym circuits 30 mins: 15 bench, military,butterfly, front & back lats,abs,leg & tri exts, 30 mins x 8
160 steps x 2
2 x car washes
Dad northern soul dancing (Now double points at least thanks to @Fairweatherrun )
Extreme cleaning
Possibility of lunch for Matt.
After 2 months rehabilitation today marked my longest run since the Sodbury Slog on Remembrance Sunday in November. Janathon has provided the motivation and platform to achieve this.
So this morning I set off in perfect conditions. The approaching warm front meant a rise in temperatures with a damp, misty breeze.I chose the Redbirth country lanes route which incorporates 4 decent hills. It’s not so much the ascent but the strain of the descent on the knees. Needless to day all went well. A lovely run, slow but steady and I covered the 9 miles in 90 minutes.
http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/682064494
Thoughts are also with my brother today. He’s competing in 100+ km cycle race near Johannesburg today. Cycling at 5000 feet is a different matter as I discovered over a year ago when we visited. I joined Mike’s group for a 50 miler in the thin altitude air.
..and Mrs B and I even managed a high altitude jog…
Thursday night I managed to image M35 open star cluster in Gemini.
M35 is 2,800 light years away and 100 million years old!
Anyway, a landmark on the comeback trail, so maybe an 11 miler next week. 🙂
Janathon Day 25:
9 miles running
Janathon to date:
71 miles running
1 twitter explosion
Gym circuits 30 mins: 15 bench, military,butterfly, front & back lats,abs,leg & tri exts, 30 mins x 8
160 steps x 2
2 x car washes
Dad northern soul dancing (Now double points at least thanks to @Fairweatherrun )
Extreme cleaning
Possibility of lunch for Matt.
I’m a happy bunny today and this is why….
Well although my head isn’t too clever we did win again at darts last night 8-1- thankfully I wasn’t the ‘1’.
And then todayI was able to watch Blackburn’s sterling efforts to beat Premiership Swansea 3-1 to progress to the 5th round of the FA Cup. Here’s Ruuudi putting the Rovers into the lead…
.
and Conway finishing the job..
Manager Bowyer is a wiid Rover..
So why the joy of six? Well, as you know six sells 🙂 I’ll check the viewing stats..
Gym circuits today though doesn’t seem to be having too much effect on my core as yet, longer run tomorrow!
Janathon Day 24:
Gym circuits 30 mins: 15 bench, military,butterfly, front & back lats,abs,leg & tri exts, 30 mins
Janathon to date:
62 miles running
1 twitter explosion
Gym circuits 30 mins: 15 bench, military,butterfly, front & back lats,abs,leg & tri exts, 30 mins x 8
160 steps x 2
2 x car washes
Dad northern soul dancing (Now double points at least thanks to @Fairweatherrun )
Extreme cleaning
Possibility of lunch for Matt.
After getting back on the bike yesterday I wobbled, nay, fell off today. Had been going for a lunchtime run with the CVPs but as noone was able didn’t. Instead decided to ‘core up’ on the gym circuits which I did rather well, hence the tenuous ‘electric’ link.
It’s darts tonight, away at the Alpha B which we should win but we have been known to slip up so fingers crossed.
Then tomorrow, the Big Match, FA Cup 4th round Blackburn v Swansea-live on TV tomorrow lunchtime. This is a possible banana skin for Swansea, just as for Stoke City at the mighty Rochdale on Monday evening! I’ll be there in front of TV with vintage premiership winning shirt (here modelled by younger son Andrew) and scarf just as for this visit to said team Swansea a few years ago….
C’mon the Rovers!!
Janathon Day 23:
Gym circuits 30 mins: 15 bench, military,butterfly, front & back lats,abs,leg & tri exts, 30 mins
Janathon to date:
62 miles running
1 twitter explosion
Gym circuits 30 mins: 15 bench, military,butterfly, front & back lats,abs,leg & tri exts, 30 mins x 7
160 steps x 2
2 x car washes
Dad northern soul dancing (Now double points at least thanks to @Fairweatherrun )
Extreme cleaning
Possibility of lunch for Matt.
After a few days laid up it was time to get back out on the lunch time run. Rosie was up for it so we set off on the Uzzy loop on a beautiful day. Even the sheep seemed to appreciate the luxury..
The nice thing about this route is with minutes you climb out into beautiful countryside, farms…and a nice challenging hill which Rosie is already climbing…
At the top we were rewarded with view over Haverfordwest, castle an’ all.
So a really enjoyable run, I felt a lot clearer than before so hopefully I can bounce back into the last phase of Janathon with…well bounces.
Janathon Day 22:
3.7 miles
Janathon to date:
62 miles running
1 twitter explosion
Gym circuits 30 mins: 15 bench, military,butterfly, front & back lats,abs,leg & tri exts, 30 mins x 6
160 steps
2 x car washes
Dad northern soul dancing (Now double points at least thanks to @Fairweatherrun )
Extreme cleaning
Possibility of lunch for Matt.
Chris staggers into #Janathon 