Even the birds weren’t up when I hit the gym today.
Trevor was on full form and had me working my shoulders and back. This is a killer work out made worse by Trevor throwing in some new exercises and sets. It is a brutal way to start the week. However, I never complain as it would only fall on deaf ears and I am secretly happy to be up with the larks and feeling the pain. The rest of the week simply goes well after this.
I could never be a personal trainer. I could not get up at dawn on a regular basis and motivate people. Trevor does not let this bother him and always has a word of enthusiasm, some tips or a pithy put-down. It makes me think that he isn’t quite human…
Sunday, March 4th, 2012, Philip and Trevor will be running across the frozen ice surface of the world’s largest, oldest and deepest lake, Lake Baikal in Siberia. It's generally considered one of the 10 toughest marathons in the world. Philip and Trevor are running in support of Iain Rennie Hospice at Home, a charity offering specialist and supportive care and advice for patients with cancer and other life threatening illnesses in their homes.
Monday, 17 October 2011
Sunday, 16 October 2011
16th October 2011
Another hard week of training,( I must remember to thank Phil for this idea of running Baikal Ice Marathon )
A good week of training with weights, followed by 4.5 miles with a client Friday morning, then 9 miles on Saturday morning and then a 10K race at Blenheim Palace today with another client.
Good to be getting the miles in.
Back to today’s race, Phil was also at Blenheim as I had suggested that he did it as his training run this weekend. He gleefully accepted as it was a shorter run then he was meant to do…….
There was a lot of talk from Phil that he would be a lot quicker than me and my client today, and although he set off a lot quicker than us (we also had to stop and help a lady who had tripped over my clients foot and gone flat on her face) QUESTION:- when in a race, when you overtake people why is it necessary to cut directly in front of that person as soon as possible…. I just don’t get it..
Sorry for the ramble, back to the race, around half way we found that Phil was only 40/50meters in front of us at this stage I don’t think he knew we were there, so we just quietly closed the gap over the next few K, until he could hear me, after a few words of encouragement from me (something along the lines of “move your arse you should be further ahead” Phil speed up.
Although at this stage my client got a second wind and we caught Phil up, with only 250m to go.
At this stage Phil swore at me and said that I was not passing, not very friendly I thought…., So with 50m to go I thought I would ease pass him, I’m sure I heard a few rude words being uttered under his breath… Maybe they were congratulations????
It was a great race, Phil did have a good run, although beaten by me, with my client 1 m behind him (she did amazingly well)
So far with training the weather has been very kind…..
I thinka glass of wine is deserved tonight and then the training starts again Monday morning at 6.00am
Speak Soon
Trevor
A good week of training with weights, followed by 4.5 miles with a client Friday morning, then 9 miles on Saturday morning and then a 10K race at Blenheim Palace today with another client.
Good to be getting the miles in.
Back to today’s race, Phil was also at Blenheim as I had suggested that he did it as his training run this weekend. He gleefully accepted as it was a shorter run then he was meant to do…….
There was a lot of talk from Phil that he would be a lot quicker than me and my client today, and although he set off a lot quicker than us (we also had to stop and help a lady who had tripped over my clients foot and gone flat on her face) QUESTION:- when in a race, when you overtake people why is it necessary to cut directly in front of that person as soon as possible…. I just don’t get it..
Sorry for the ramble, back to the race, around half way we found that Phil was only 40/50meters in front of us at this stage I don’t think he knew we were there, so we just quietly closed the gap over the next few K, until he could hear me, after a few words of encouragement from me (something along the lines of “move your arse you should be further ahead” Phil speed up.
Although at this stage my client got a second wind and we caught Phil up, with only 250m to go.
At this stage Phil swore at me and said that I was not passing, not very friendly I thought…., So with 50m to go I thought I would ease pass him, I’m sure I heard a few rude words being uttered under his breath… Maybe they were congratulations????
It was a great race, Phil did have a good run, although beaten by me, with my client 1 m behind him (she did amazingly well)
So far with training the weather has been very kind…..
I thinka glass of wine is deserved tonight and then the training starts again Monday morning at 6.00am
Speak Soon
Trevor
Duck Curry
Ok, let’s be honest, Blenheim is a super place to run.
I am just back from a 10km race at Blenheim Palace and I have to say that it was thoroughly enjoyable. I am not talking about how well the race was organised, how beautiful the grounds of the estate looked as the mist burnt off, or how great it felt to be out racing friends on a Sunday morning but what Jana said to me just before the start of the race.
I adore running with Jana as she is always so committed and always digs deep on runs even when perhaps she would rather be home. It is for these reasons that I am under oath not to repeat what she said. However, I can broadly hint that it involved a duck curry and her bowels…and made me laugh so much that I was still giggling at the 7km mark.
The race itself (and no, Trevor, you are wrong, it is always a race….) was beautiful. I was quite a long way off my personal best and crossed the line in a perfectly respectably 53 mins 34 seconds, which was about a second behind Trevor, who had run up behind me with 500m to go, and hung there goading me (he probably will claim that this was encouragement but I think we are back to the old argument of semantics – he says undulating, I say: bugger this, its hilly, let’s go for a pint…)
Aside from being such a pretty run it was also nice to take some time to do something fun as the training is becoming, by necessity, increasingly less fun. Driving home I had to smile again as I thought: well, that was only 10km. I have to do some serious miles next weekend…and then remembered that a year ago the furthest I had ever run was to the local pub for last orders.
I am just back from a 10km race at Blenheim Palace and I have to say that it was thoroughly enjoyable. I am not talking about how well the race was organised, how beautiful the grounds of the estate looked as the mist burnt off, or how great it felt to be out racing friends on a Sunday morning but what Jana said to me just before the start of the race.
I adore running with Jana as she is always so committed and always digs deep on runs even when perhaps she would rather be home. It is for these reasons that I am under oath not to repeat what she said. However, I can broadly hint that it involved a duck curry and her bowels…and made me laugh so much that I was still giggling at the 7km mark.
The race itself (and no, Trevor, you are wrong, it is always a race….) was beautiful. I was quite a long way off my personal best and crossed the line in a perfectly respectably 53 mins 34 seconds, which was about a second behind Trevor, who had run up behind me with 500m to go, and hung there goading me (he probably will claim that this was encouragement but I think we are back to the old argument of semantics – he says undulating, I say: bugger this, its hilly, let’s go for a pint…)
Aside from being such a pretty run it was also nice to take some time to do something fun as the training is becoming, by necessity, increasingly less fun. Driving home I had to smile again as I thought: well, that was only 10km. I have to do some serious miles next weekend…and then remembered that a year ago the furthest I had ever run was to the local pub for last orders.
Thursday, 13 October 2011
6 miles...
I was up and running by 530am this morning
There is something somewhat disturbing about running so early as there is limited street-lighting and I am often reliant on my flashing arm bands for guidance. It does, however, force you to slow down and focus on technique as one false step could see you falling off the pavement.
It was a slow, painful run but it did help clear my head. There is something almost elemental about being out, alone, with nothing to do except let your mind unwind and come to its own natural conclusions. The miles do not really fly by but they skip along at a pace which gives the perfect thinking:sweating ratio.
Once home, it was time for some stretches, some coffee and a shower. Then as I stood in my kitchen, drinking strong coffee, a warm glow of smugness that all was well with my training.
There is something somewhat disturbing about running so early as there is limited street-lighting and I am often reliant on my flashing arm bands for guidance. It does, however, force you to slow down and focus on technique as one false step could see you falling off the pavement.
It was a slow, painful run but it did help clear my head. There is something almost elemental about being out, alone, with nothing to do except let your mind unwind and come to its own natural conclusions. The miles do not really fly by but they skip along at a pace which gives the perfect thinking:sweating ratio.
Once home, it was time for some stretches, some coffee and a shower. Then as I stood in my kitchen, drinking strong coffee, a warm glow of smugness that all was well with my training.
Tuesday, 11 October 2011
Legs and Sprints
It was leg day today.
I love training legs. In fact, let’s be honest, now, who cares about biceps or a barrel chest when you have good legs? No woman is ever going to have her head turned by a massive pair of guns or a 52” chest…..
Ok, so maybe I am wrong, but there is something awesome about loading up a bar with weight and banging out sets of squats until the cows come home. It is such a basic exercise but such a powerful one and I am always surprised at the number of people who don’t squat correctly…top tip – they are called sissy squats for a reason…
Trevor also threw in some triceps today as he doesn’t like me coming out the gym dripping in sweat and smiling. My wife always likes this as she says my triceps were the first thing that attracted her to me (and there was me thinking that it was something to do with my winning personality or that on the night we first met I was drunk as a lord and knocking back key-lime martinis…)
Straight after the weights it was onto the treadmill for sprints (note: Trevor has banned me from the treadmill as it's way too easy to get injured running on it, but he gave me special dispensation today as I had a pretty sleepless night last night and would probably have got lost if I had been allowed to run outside…)
I don’t like sprint training. No one does. It’s painful, and dull and pretty demanding. However, it seems to reap spades on race day so I grit my teeth and do it. Today I simply had to listen to some music and turned the IPod up full volume. I threw on some James Brown, some Janice Ian, some Freezepop and finally some Grease, because, after all, grease is the word…
As I left the gym I felt a certain degree of smugness as I don’t have to sprint until next week again…
I love training legs. In fact, let’s be honest, now, who cares about biceps or a barrel chest when you have good legs? No woman is ever going to have her head turned by a massive pair of guns or a 52” chest…..
Ok, so maybe I am wrong, but there is something awesome about loading up a bar with weight and banging out sets of squats until the cows come home. It is such a basic exercise but such a powerful one and I am always surprised at the number of people who don’t squat correctly…top tip – they are called sissy squats for a reason…
Trevor also threw in some triceps today as he doesn’t like me coming out the gym dripping in sweat and smiling. My wife always likes this as she says my triceps were the first thing that attracted her to me (and there was me thinking that it was something to do with my winning personality or that on the night we first met I was drunk as a lord and knocking back key-lime martinis…)
Straight after the weights it was onto the treadmill for sprints (note: Trevor has banned me from the treadmill as it's way too easy to get injured running on it, but he gave me special dispensation today as I had a pretty sleepless night last night and would probably have got lost if I had been allowed to run outside…)
I don’t like sprint training. No one does. It’s painful, and dull and pretty demanding. However, it seems to reap spades on race day so I grit my teeth and do it. Today I simply had to listen to some music and turned the IPod up full volume. I threw on some James Brown, some Janice Ian, some Freezepop and finally some Grease, because, after all, grease is the word…
As I left the gym I felt a certain degree of smugness as I don’t have to sprint until next week again…
Sunday, 9 October 2011
Monday: Shoulders
It is 7am and I am back from the gym.
I am enjoying a few quiet moments, to stretch, to think, and to just be calm before the week begins.
Today we worked shoulders, which is always a nice, tough work-out and by mid afternoon I will be struggling to move or cook dinner. That, to me, is the mark of a good workout.
Today’s work-out was hard and cathartic. It is nice to set up expectations for the week, both physically and mentally and it is also nice to know that the rest of the day is my own and does not need to involve marathon demands. Though, of course, almost every waking hour is spent worrying about diet, training plans, muscle aches and fund raising.
However, I will now put those thoughts aside, drink some coffee and wait for the day to begin.
I am enjoying a few quiet moments, to stretch, to think, and to just be calm before the week begins.
Today we worked shoulders, which is always a nice, tough work-out and by mid afternoon I will be struggling to move or cook dinner. That, to me, is the mark of a good workout.
Today’s work-out was hard and cathartic. It is nice to set up expectations for the week, both physically and mentally and it is also nice to know that the rest of the day is my own and does not need to involve marathon demands. Though, of course, almost every waking hour is spent worrying about diet, training plans, muscle aches and fund raising.
However, I will now put those thoughts aside, drink some coffee and wait for the day to begin.
Saturday, 8 October 2011
Yoga
I am now back to yoga classes.
I have been struggling with a small injury (Ha! I am finally a runner…) for the last few week’s and this is totally self inflicted. I had not been warming down properly, not stretching as much as needed and neglecting yoga. There is a simple rule in my life: neglect yoga…get injured.
But now after much time spent on the treatment table and some sessions with my foam roller I am back at classes and loving it.
Once again the true sound of my yoga practise is me at the back of the room grunting and groaning and swearing whilst the rest of the class bind effortlessly.
Our inspirational teacher has taught me that I need to leave the ego behind and expect nothing from my yoga and this has opened the door to some amazing practices which have not only cleared the mind but strengthened my body and led me happily back to fitness.
My wife, as ever, is tolerant, of my training though she refuses to engage with me until I get home from the early yoga session on Sunday morning. She would never admit it but yoga has made me a better person and for that we must all be happy…
However, last weekend when I returned from class buzzing like I had just ingested a whole bunch of Class As she did point out that I was the least likely yogi in the world (apparently my shoulders are way too broard…). She then went on to point out that at the last race I did she could easily pick me out of the crowd as I least likely looking runner in the pack (apparently my shoulders are way too broard…). I then suggested that perhaps I looked more like a body builder which at least put a smile on her face and uncontrollable giggles which went out for most of the afternoon.
I have been struggling with a small injury (Ha! I am finally a runner…) for the last few week’s and this is totally self inflicted. I had not been warming down properly, not stretching as much as needed and neglecting yoga. There is a simple rule in my life: neglect yoga…get injured.
But now after much time spent on the treatment table and some sessions with my foam roller I am back at classes and loving it.
Once again the true sound of my yoga practise is me at the back of the room grunting and groaning and swearing whilst the rest of the class bind effortlessly.
Our inspirational teacher has taught me that I need to leave the ego behind and expect nothing from my yoga and this has opened the door to some amazing practices which have not only cleared the mind but strengthened my body and led me happily back to fitness.
My wife, as ever, is tolerant, of my training though she refuses to engage with me until I get home from the early yoga session on Sunday morning. She would never admit it but yoga has made me a better person and for that we must all be happy…
However, last weekend when I returned from class buzzing like I had just ingested a whole bunch of Class As she did point out that I was the least likely yogi in the world (apparently my shoulders are way too broard…). She then went on to point out that at the last race I did she could easily pick me out of the crowd as I least likely looking runner in the pack (apparently my shoulders are way too broard…). I then suggested that perhaps I looked more like a body builder which at least put a smile on her face and uncontrollable giggles which went out for most of the afternoon.
8 Miles....
I am noting a sudden lack of compassion on Trevor’s part….
Last week we took off like an amphetamine charged rabbit and this week he complained (somewhat bitterly and at considerable length, I thought) when after a mile I broke into song…
It's twenty five miles from home
Girl, my feet are hurting mighty bad
Now I've been walking three days and two lonely nights
You know that I'm mighty mad…
After that he stepped up the pace and did not catch my next song…
Sometimes I just feel like, quittin I still might
Why do I put up this fight, why do I still write
Sometimes it's hard enough just dealin with real life
Which was a shame as I have been saving 8 Mile for our first 8 mile run.
The miles continue to build, the reality is beginning to sink in and I am spending more and more time in my record collection for the next song….
But I do indeed take my hat off to Trevor. The training is going well, I
am injury free and not hating the training too much.
For such a busy guy he gives his time and advice so freely that I feel the best way to repay this is to make every session count and give it 100%...and, of course, keep singing…
Philip
Last week we took off like an amphetamine charged rabbit and this week he complained (somewhat bitterly and at considerable length, I thought) when after a mile I broke into song…
It's twenty five miles from home
Girl, my feet are hurting mighty bad
Now I've been walking three days and two lonely nights
You know that I'm mighty mad…
After that he stepped up the pace and did not catch my next song…
Sometimes I just feel like, quittin I still might
Why do I put up this fight, why do I still write
Sometimes it's hard enough just dealin with real life
Which was a shame as I have been saving 8 Mile for our first 8 mile run.
The miles continue to build, the reality is beginning to sink in and I am spending more and more time in my record collection for the next song….
But I do indeed take my hat off to Trevor. The training is going well, I
am injury free and not hating the training too much.
For such a busy guy he gives his time and advice so freely that I feel the best way to repay this is to make every session count and give it 100%...and, of course, keep singing…
Philip
8 Miles
Just returned from our 8 mile training run, completed in 1hr 14 mins, ave pace 9.20 per mile, good steady pace. Philip is now getting to know the Bicester area, slowly as I'm sure if I went quicker he would be lost and properly end up running twice the distance (will have to remember that), after last weeks training run of 7 miles where he said I was unsociable
and all he saw were my heels, I tried to run by the side of him, this lasted a couple of miles then we were on country roads so he had to run behind me, although at times he couldn't see my heels cause he was too far back.
A very successful steady start to our training and things are going well and the weather is being kind, hopefully it will last.
It's now time for a soak in the bath, relax and a day of training on Sunday...........
Think I have decorating to do, how did I commit to that......
Bye for now
Trevor
and all he saw were my heels, I tried to run by the side of him, this lasted a couple of miles then we were on country roads so he had to run behind me, although at times he couldn't see my heels cause he was too far back.
A very successful steady start to our training and things are going well and the weather is being kind, hopefully it will last.
It's now time for a soak in the bath, relax and a day of training on Sunday...........
Think I have decorating to do, how did I commit to that......
Bye for now
Trevor
Update
It’s been a while since I posted an entry on the blog, but just a quick catch up, training has started in earnest for Philip & I now, with weekly long runs, a speed session and a steady run, along with gym work and classes our workload has increased in the last month.
The Baikal Ice marathon now seems very real and is only 5 months away.
I have taken care of the training plan over the next few month, and as long as everything goes to plan we will arrive for the marathon in great shape, Philip has started to moan about the training already, claiming that in our last training run he only saw the heels of my shoes, he must have good eye sight because it was 5.45 in the morning…
We have planned a 16 hour row at The Fitness Company to help raise money for Iain Rennie Hospice, this will be on Monday 7th November, come along and give us some support, we will be starting at 06.00 and finishing at 20.00 so plenty of time to pop in, come and have a guess at how far we will row, £2.00 per guess, £50.00 to the winner.
Trevor
The Baikal Ice marathon now seems very real and is only 5 months away.
I have taken care of the training plan over the next few month, and as long as everything goes to plan we will arrive for the marathon in great shape, Philip has started to moan about the training already, claiming that in our last training run he only saw the heels of my shoes, he must have good eye sight because it was 5.45 in the morning…
We have planned a 16 hour row at The Fitness Company to help raise money for Iain Rennie Hospice, this will be on Monday 7th November, come along and give us some support, we will be starting at 06.00 and finishing at 20.00 so plenty of time to pop in, come and have a guess at how far we will row, £2.00 per guess, £50.00 to the winner.
Trevor
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