Sub 3

CW - Emirates A380s have in flight wifi, actually reasonably priced at $20 for 100mb, which is fine if you don't download anything big...Saying that I'm now typing this on the train to Bath (to meet up with my better half, Al P minor and the in-laws for a spot of Christmas market shopping) as I ran out of time on the flight due to getting on with devising my VLM plan for the New Year  Got to go, just pulling into Bath now...

6M for me today that makes it 8, 5+5, 6, 6 for the week. So 30M total as tomorrow is a non running day. We have two 2pm kick offs this Sunday though so in the morning I'm going to see if I can run further than the 10 of the Hayling 10 2 weeks ago,

SL - sounds like you're ticking over nicely at the moment, that was a grim old cold/infection you had a while back wasn't it

TR - good training (cricket looking good for England)

Dan - how's your OH getting on with Physio?

Not much to report this end, been a stop start few weeks really with more emphasis on stop. Top of left hamstring is very stiff after short runs and doesn't feel great when I'm running so I obviously hurt it more than I first thought. Rested and done a few short runs here and there but thursdays 40 mins seems to have aggravated it. So have had to bin off both NE xc champs and the fell race on sunday which is disappointing but while I can run on the flat (for a bit) both of those are totally unrealistic.

Heading for the pool (not a bad thing really)...........and aiming at MET league xc next weekend back down in London as 1st semester at Uni has finished. Hope everyone has a good weekend training.

CharlieW - yep, VLM.  Was thinking about Frankfurt as a back up, but increasingly minded to throw everything at London. 

No sign of arthritis yet, but the body is definitely creaking and groaning more than it used to.  It takes at least half an hour every morning for the stiffness to go* and I tend to run with a limp for at least the first two miles of every run.  I get up from the sofa or desk at work and hobble around for a few minutes before every starts working again.  I've started stretching and getting regular massages, both of which seem to help, but I know I won't be able to train as hard as I currently am for many more years.

*Insert Frankie Howerd style raised eyebrows

SL - alcoholic fumes ?

RS - hope the hammy comes good. cricket does look good, amazing turn around inspired by Captain cook since the 2nd inns of the first game.

Njord - that dosent sound good, your joints need a good oiling !

I'm with Dids in the Steptoe stylie sink bath at work

2hrs of pain on the garage bagged - 15min w/u, 7x(12min/3min). Managed to av 140 (72%) for the whole 2 hrs.

Been keeping one eye on the cricket, we seem to finally be putting some good cricket together on the subcontinent.

Hope the hamstrings nothing serious RS78, may see you next week at the MET league xc, will be running there myself as Ally Pallys local for me too.

7.5 undulating miles done for me. Middle 4 at tempo pace, coming in at about 6.10-6.15 av so pretty pleased with that.

A.W - nice who do you run for? Hoping to make it, think I've got a chance. A few days swimming then maybe run wednesday and go from there.

A.W - well I'll definitely be seeing you then, that's my club too

Had to abandon my planned long route on hitting an ice sheet after 2 miles. Tried to run on it but it ice skates would have been required. I had to literally  crawl back up the hill as I could not grip at all. My interval run yesterday also had to be massively modified after hitting ice at the 6 mile point!

So my long run was a rather dull on the pavements to Durham and back! Was better once the sun came uo though Recently I have been doing my  long morning at an easy pace with just 0.5 litres of water. I am trying to cut back on carbs and become better at using my ample fat stores for fuel on the run. I do normally allow myself one gel at 15/16  miles though.

I am getting closer to being permanetly sub 12 stone, looking to hit 11 1/2 stone ( am 5' 11")early next year. Which means I will have lost 3 stone since I started running. I started running to lose some weight after a close family member passed on and binged for a while to hit 14 1/2 stone and shocked myself. Some where along the way the weight loss became a secondary effect of enjoying being a runner

In relation to running home from work, it also fits in better with my home life as I can come in from work and sit down and eat a meal with the family. Rather than go out for a run while they eat etc. It is also much harder to skip a run if you have to run home

After a large quantity of Njord's favourite lager last night I inevitably woke up feeling a bit groggy.  Decided to go and have a saunter around the local Parkrun as a 'kill or cure' remedy.  Kept a brisk but modest pace which was just as well given the icy conditions underfoot (1 degree again!).  21.20 nothing to write home about but I did at least emerge bright eyed & feeling cured.  

12m club run around the outskirts of Wetherby in the morning, nice mixture of road/off road.

Hope you get through the niggles RS.  

AW.. I did vote for you so good luck in selection.

Good garage session TR!

Nice timber loss Tim.  I'm around 12 stone at present though I prefer to be nearer 11 1/2.  Might have to wait until after Xmas though!.

Thanks Wardi, much appreciated! Good work on getting out to the parkrun with a heavy head, not sure I could have managed it myself!?

Good figures on the weigh loss there Tim. Ice and snow is a nightmare for disrupting training, thankfully don't get too much down here!

That's interesting what you say about the weight loss Tim.

I'd say the closest I've got to a running epiphany was when I went for a "run" a couple of days after New Year 2005, I think I managed about 12 minutes before I had to call it a day, I remember the feeling of trying to run with massive flanks of fat on my chest / back, I felt like a beached whale & must have looked like one as well, I stopped running & felt f*cked, I felt finished, I'm not sure if epiphany is the right world, I didnt have any major revelatory moment, but always remember that feeling of stopping, line in the sand moment for me.

Getting in to the London Marathon in 2005 probably saved me from the point of no return in all fairness.

ST - those runs along from Putney Bridge were the ones that got me out of my slump, they were good weren't they

A.W - Jerry's put a map of the xc route on the Heathside facebook page, not sure if you've seen it. Wonder if I've met you already down at FInsbury park track if you joined Heathside in the summer? I didn't move up here until mid september.

TB - that's a good old effort there. I'm the same height as you and my weight has gradually come down although not from the weight you were. I tend to hover around 11 1/2 or just above with normal training and go down to 11'3ish for a marathon. I'd say I'll be closer to 12 after this latest niggle though.  

Wardi - still a good feeling to run them whatever the time, sense of starting the day off nicely.

35 min swim at the local pool at 8am. First one for a good while and it was bloody hard, akin to swimming through treacle, lol I'm glad I dragged myself out of bed for it though, started off the day well.

RS - commendable effort in the lido there.

15M bagged which was a flipping shock to my already achy legs (after y'days turbo efforts). Having only had the Hayling 10 and Solent 1/2 as long runs in the last couple of months 15M seemed to be a long way.

TB -- local hero Marigold started off as a self-described "fat boy", and ended up with 2:19 in London this year (and looked positively skeletal in a TV interview)...

Great weekend there TR, that's quite a bike/run double.

I set off without much of a plan today but did 20 reps of the very modest local hill before heading out of town and back; total 20M @ 6:54/M avg, with 15M@7m/M and the last 5M @ 6:35/M -- so a bit of progression there. Maybe marathon talk at the club Xmas party last night inspired me to think of VLM a bit -- and left me needing to run off a touch of hangover --- though if it was proper marathon training, I'd have tagged on a few more miles. This was only training for the first "half"...

TR - swimming is pretty much the ideal workout for the body - core, resistance training & aerobic with real focus needed on breathing so it's great for lung capacity. The thing is the only time I ever do it is when I get a running injury which is pretty rare. Then when I recover I skip the swimming just at the point I'm getting vaguely competent in the water. Need to keep it going this time when I get running again. Solid 15 from you then.

Good long one TR.

RS78 - Haven't had time to look at the map as yet, will have a look later. Not sure if I'd have met you, only really got to the Thursday track session a few times due to work. Seems most of the distance guys go to Tuesday session from what I've heard?Its near enough impossible for me to get to that one.

15 miles done for me this morning with the club, nice run. Felt quite heavy legged after a hard run yesterday!