Get a Grip !!

Thurs 16 Dec

Been feeling sluggish and tired of late reduced sessions to four instead five whch seemed to do the trick felt lot better tonite with 60min effort (10m) ish round canal & bournville found the going tricky with the sudden arrival of fresh snow & ice but after 10mins mastered it ok.

Made sure I chose a route with plenty grass verges to run on [ hope your taking notes out there you have to pay good money for tips like this from one them fancy coaching sites ] but when had to switch to roads it was trecherous more so when change direction just like one them formula one race drivers on slicks , had to slow right down and pick my spot to accelerate away gain but after running for over 25yrs theres few weather conditions that thase me .

Decided to leave the weights alone for bit as running and pumping Iron dont mix noticed strange tiredness in tops of my thighs lately could be xtra weight Im carrying 11st 10 lbs ?

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner

Welcome return of the frost so was keen to get out there 2hrs + if I were racing man consistancy is the key to success just keep banging it out every week and rest is piece of piss

Not my normal route chose to head out towards Earlswood picking up the canal at Dickens heath back into Brum then off gain at Warstock taking the route thro' Chinbrook & The Dingles most is on grass ,dont see many runners along here in hallgreen perhaps not many runners know bout it but its great run if you want to take in all the parks in the area but I aint posting any Google shite on here dont want any @rse holes turning up on my secret route I value my privacy .

Came back along wake Green Rd thro' moseley & back along river rea cycle path thro' Cannon Hill park few runners about but not many maybe they were all over doing the 'Sneyd 10 ' sadly its the only 10 miler in the Birmingham area left now !!.

Felt good but went thro rough patch after 90mins I blame the extra weight Im carrying that 5/6lbs makes a differance have try to lose it dont expect to get down to under 11stone tho' .

Must admit I do miss the LSD group run where once a week club runners of all abilities would meet up and go out together altho ' it very rarely ended up that way towards the end of 2hr run someone would start pushing it at the front usualy me .
Amongst the subjects discussed would be Training /race tatics  where the more experienced runners would talk and the Tail end charlies just listen picking up tips ,I remember some of the more amusing subjects covered were 'how many buckets of snot the average runner snorts out in a lifetime ' .

I see the plebs out there have discovered  the virtues of the common Asprin as an anti heart attack relief but Ive been using the stuff for yrs as part of  an 'Asprin stack '  thats Asprin /Caffine /Glucose taken before a session esp long run for an energy  boost and it also helps to lose weight and alleviates aching legs  .

Bumped into  Rowheaths  'pop' as he s known by  local runners hes really pissed off as the quacks told him to stop running & put the poor sod on Tablets due to an irregular heart beat 'pop' is 76  & been runnning for over 30 yrs its his life and hes devistated .
Told him Ive had same problem all thro' my carear and its nothing to worry about most Athletes have unusaul heart rythms & to get back out there as long as he dont get any pains in his chest , most GPs dont know how to deal with fit people esp runners they only know how to treat sick persons a 76 yr old who runs 20 miles they havent clue how to deal with .

Like said many times Id  rather drop down dead on the canal towpath doing something I love than abuse my body with Drink & fags like most unfit middle aged basterds !.

The Return of an Old Friend ?

Well its back again Alfs 'Tough at the top ' but this time after last yrs  retirement  its 'Tough on the way back down again '



Im sure some my more regular readers will be dissapointed to learn Im still alive but only just , since my retirement from all competition Ive still been joggng few times a week and maintaining basic fitness inc' Gym work with weights .
Ive built  my runnning back up to include the sunday LSD  and few outings during the week but Ive no intention of racing at the same level I have been since my last cumback @47 five  years ago !! its definatley case of 'Never say never '  but then gain 'you only live twice '  Mr Bond .

I do intend the odd sortie on the local race scene just to get the competitive streak out of my system but dont intend to get serious gain busting my guts 5/6 times week thats a mugs game !.

Main reason why started this garbage up gain was Ive been entertaining myseff on Tupperslot' ' but trouble is one is restricted to only few words and  as anyone whos kept train diary knows things can get bit long winded .

WED 8th Dec 2010

Gym weights Jog , get so bored with pump Iron unlike running theres no end game or competitive  adralin Buzz or long term training  plan not only that Ive gained weight to 11st 11lbs which is bit of a shock ,its mostly muscle but its the heavist I been since cuming back @47 five yrs ago its bound to have some affect on my running carrying the extra weight around .

Cut my gym session short due to the place being too busy its been like this ever since the council introduced free sessions during the day but its become too feck popular you cant get on the equipment sometimes esp if one the young fecks are messing about wth thier moble phone or Ip3 player leaving you stand about lke a prat .Sooner they go back to the pay on the desk system the better the local sty dwellers have no gym etiquette unlike the regulars .

Jogged back home along the canal the towpath is iced up just like most places around the country but Im sure its get more dangerous  havent slipped over yet but had few lucky escapes , reckon its something to do with the fact that we bin runnng on the snow & Ice for over two weeks now which means the initial danger factor has subsided and we have relaxed our running action which means more chance of going @rse over tit !!.

Such sad Bsterd Ive been searching the 'Power 10 ' web site looking for old advisarys or rivals from my younger days who are stll doing a bit now and then in an attempt to get some  inspiration as saying goes 'Its the loneliness of the long distance runner '.