Juneathon 2012 Day 1

Well my first day was a 50 minute power walk with the pram. I’m glad it’s not as warm as it has been but even so I was hot and sticky by the end.  I kept trying to hold my stomach in as I walked hoping that that would add some extra exercise for my stomach muscles.   Unfortunately if I am busy I don’t think holding my stomach muscles in is going to count as valid Juneathon exercise.   When I got home I made a big beef salad with leftover roast beef and had it with pita bread so I feel June is off to a healthy start.   So far anyway.  Tonight my mother-in-law is going to babysit for the first time and are going to try and have a meal out.  We are only going to a restaurant opposite our flat and may only have one course, but at least it’s a start.   I may even have a glass of wine!

Exercise

Walking 50 mins

Preparing for Juneathon

The last time I wrote this blog, in July last year, I had just entered a half-marathon and was keen to begin my training.   A few days later, I discovered I was pregnant, and a few days after that, the morning or rather all day sickness began.   Needless to say, I never did the half-marathon and had to give up running completely.  Not that I minded at the time.  I’d been trying to get pregnant for a long time and had given up expecting it to happen naturally so it was a very happy surprise.   Now, with a five-week-old daughter and an extra stone of weight to lose, it’s time for me to begin thinking about exercising again.  I won’t be able to run yet but I’m hoping to use the challenge of Juneathon to motivate me to add extra walking into my day and possibly more exercise too, especially towards the end of the month.  I’m not going to be able to take it too seriously.   Some days I know I will be far too busy to blog and I will also struggle to find time to read lots of other blogs too but I will do my best and hopefully come the end of June I will be a little fitter and a little lighter too.

I’ve entered a half-marathon!

After thinking about it all of last year and this year so far, I have finally entered a half-marathon for November.   Now, before you congratulate me,   I would probably never have got around to doing it except one of my friends is doing it and it’s given me just the push I needed to enter.   It’s the Grand Union Canal half-marathon and finishes in Watford which is great as we have some friends there, so can catch up with them at lunch afterwards too.   It’s 15 weeks tomorrow so there’s lots of time for training.  I’ve had a quick look at some plans online and most seem to be 12 weeks long so I can start properly in three weeks.    In the meantime, as my weekend long run is quite a lot longer than my weekday short runs so I plan to try to build up slightly longer distances in the week.   If anyone knows of any good training plans, please let me know,  although I doubt I’ll be able to stick to a plan.

Anyway, this morning I did the Wimbledon parkrun for the second time,  my third ever parkrun, and also my slowest, well, 3 seconds slower than last time so  I shall definitely have to work on my speed.   I can tell myself it was hot and that’s my excuse but hopefully a bit of more focused training will help.    I still haven’t got a PB this year and although that’s not what running is all about, I would love to get at least one before the end of the year.

Exercise Summary

5k Parkrun, 27:41

Jim Braben Memorial 10k

We were so lucky with the race this morning.   It rained most of the day yesterday but today the conditions were perfect – cool, dull, but dry weather.   And within half an hour of getting home afterwards it began to pour with rain again.    When we arrived at the race start we thought it was going to be quite badly organised.  There was a long queue to collect race numbers and then a long queue for the toilets.    Luckily we managed to do everything in time and once it started the marshalling was excellent.   Very friendly and encouraging.    During the first 1.5k I was constantly being overtaken but then it settled down with the same people behind and ahead of me (mainly ahead).    After about 6k I then began to gradually overtake one or two people, which was good and reassured me I hadn’t gone off too fast.   There seemed to be a lot of speedy people, nearly all club runner, and at one point near the end I couldn’t even see the next person in front of me.   Even though I overtook a few people in the second half of the race I think I finished fairly near the end so it’ll be interesting to see when the official results come out.    According to my watch I finished in 55:44 which is about 2 minutes off my PB.   I wasn’t expecting to beat it today so I’m quite happy with it overall.    I’m now taking this afternoon easy and relaxing, making cheesecake and curry because tonight we’ve got some friends coming around to watch the Apprentice.    The cheesecake has just been baked and is still hot but it’s going to be so difficult for me not to begin eating it before they arrive.

Exercise Summary

Race, 10k, 55:44

I’m still here

I know you were thinking I’d disappeared or given up and that you wouldn’t hear anything from me until Janathon 2012, but really, I’m still here and I’m going to try and continue with the blogging, even if it is in a somewhat sporadic manner.   Today is actually a rest day, although I have fitted in a little extra walking, about 1.6 miles extra in fact, and that is probably why I’m finding time to update this.   So, since I last blogged, I’ve done a few runs around the park, although none very fast.   Perhaps I was a little hasty last time in saying I wanted to bring my time down to under 25 minutes.    At the moment I can’t see that happening.   But, hopefully I will do a half-decent time in the Jim Braben Memorial 10K on Wimbledon Common on Sunday.   I’m not expecting to break any records – I haven’t done quite enough preparation for that – but if I do a few minutes under an hour I’ll be happy.   I’ve even got my husband to do it with me, or rather, in front of me.   Well, at least it means I can rely on someone to cheer me over the finish line!

Exercise Summary

6 – 13 July, 2.9 miles x 4 = 11.6 miles

 

A New Mini Challenge

This  morning I got up and ran around the park fairly quickly.   In fact, looking through my times this year, it looks like I’ve only done that route faster about 3 times this year – the last time before today was in March.   Today I did 25:59 so I’m going to try and do it in under 25 minutes by the end of July(or possibly August).

Exercise Summary

Run, 2.9 miles, 25:59

If I were a boxer…

…I’d be a Super lightweight!    With all the hype surrounding the Haye fight, my husband and I decided to get out our bathroom scales and find out what we would be if we were boxers.   Super Lightweight sounds good but it’s not good.  That’s heavier than I’ve ever been before I told him,  what do you think I should I do to lose weight?  You don’t need to lose weight, he said.   But I’m getting fat.   No, you’re not, everyone puts on weight when they’re getting older.   What?   Not only am I fat, I’m also old!     What could he do to dig himself out of this hole?   At least we’re both super he told me, pointing out his Super Middleweight status.  Hmmm

So, this morning, I got up determined not to miss the running club.   It was really hot but I ran all the way there.   As usual, I joined the three mile group but whereas two weeks ago I was struggling at the back, this week I was one of the fastest.   As the route was a  little short of three miles, we finished with three laps of the pond to make the right distance.   Most people just waited for the stretches but I was in hardcore mode and finished the whole route.    I then ran home all the way instead of walking part of it like last time.   Go me!   I thought, next time I might just try the five mile route.

Exercise Summary

Run, 8 miles