fairweatherrunner

running blog

Category Archives: fitness


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Jan-don

Another Janathon is over. Rather too quickly as usual making me feel I’m still in catch up mode. I haven’t run or exercised as much as other years but have hopefully re-started some good habits which I can build on and continue rather than going for broke and spending February recovering.

This week I’ve run a bit less due to some mild niggles in my hamstrings and piriformis which feel worse when it’s very cold  so I stuck to alternate days exercising.

Today, the last day of Janathon and being Saturday it was parkrun time. I’ve been using parkrun for the past few months as my way back into running so for the last day of Janathon, I gave back and volunteered and did finish token duty. My exercise was therefore just cycling there, a bit earlier than usual, (and in a snow/sleet shower) and back. Unless walking round and round in circles while looking after all the bags and trying to keep warm waiting for runners to finish counts. I do have a 10K race tomorrow to make up!

Day 30. 1 hour BMF class 2.7 miles run, 5.5 miles cycled.

Day 31. 2.4 miles cycled (part in snow) 1 parkrun volunteered at with a few circles paced, in the freezing cold!

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Shuttle sprints.

At parents evening tonight I “ran” shuttle sprints between my sons school library, the hall and main corridor. This was because my thoughtful younger son had booked us back to back 5 minute slots so we could see all 11 teachers in as short as time as possible but without taking into account differences in location.

Fortunately his school is on a fairly compact location and he’s a good pupil so he and I were spared protracted discussions and made it out the school gates in just over the hour with GCSE predicated grades and A level choices signed off.

Job done, one worn out mother who’d earned her glass of wine.

I did also go to BMF today, and cycled home against strong winds in the rain. No wonder I’m tired tonight!

Janathon day 28.

1 hour BMF class, 3.1 miles run. 5.4 miles cycled.


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Extreme weather?

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Sandwiched between Kensington and Shepherds Bush is the pocket sized microclimate of Holland Park! I walked through it today, taking my chances, after seeing this sign at the entrance, thinking I’d have an adventure.

Blizzard? Ice trekking? Biblical flood to cross? A hurricane to sprint away from? But all was calm and quiet and reassuringly urban. The only adaptation I had to make for the weather conditions was to remove my scarf because it was rather mild.

I was going to run today but didn’t fancy it much. Then walking home from dropping my bike off for its service I noticed how bad the traffic was and hatched a plan. Rather than squeezing in a short run before getting changed and driving to meet people at lunch time I would bin the run, leave early for my meet up and walk there.

Janathon day 26.

5.9 miles walked.
2.4 miles cycled.

1 Bike serviced.
Squeaky brakes (which they told me was quite normal) now cured.


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Leg blast

Today I had good intentions of writing my blog early and catching up with reading Janathon blogs, my emails and the rest of my life generally. But then I cycled off to BMF on the coldest morning yet.

I got there fine, apart from my missing finger tips which joined me 5 minutes later. (Wind proof thermal cycle gloves only ok to -1, apparently).

I did notice at the start if the class that there were an awful lot of greens (advanced). All BMF classes follow much the same format with the variety from the instructor. The make up of the group also makes a big difference. Today there were 12 of us and with half greens it meant one thing. A hard fast class. Eek! Then the mention of ‘leg blast’ class turned my legs to jelly before we even started. My small portion of porridge for breakfast suddenly felt a bit inadequate.

Fortunately I survived the running, gun drills, squat jumps, tuck jumps until our legs screamed. Plus a bit more running to make it to arms and abs and we were into the sprints to finish. A good class where I knew I had worked hard.

I cycled home before I cooled down too much and discovered that it is possible to change gear and brake on a road bike wearing sheepskin mittens and they are far better at maintaining feeling in my fingers than fancy cycle gloves.

After all that hard work and fresh air, a hot shower, food and coffee I sat on the sofa and my ability to do much else left me.

I’ll have to catch up tomorrow.

Janathon day 23.

Cold 5.3 miles cycled
1 hour tough BMF class, 3.2 miles run.


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Old friends

The result of me being friends again with running and my mileage slowly creeping up and running more days per week, is it’s time for me to reacquaint myself with a couple of old friends. My foam rollers.

I realised it was time at BMF today when my knees moaned during jump squats, my calfs felt like rock running backwards and my hamstrings winged during the 100 burpee challenge.

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Well my legs did ask for it. Think I’ll start with with the nicer friend first.

Janathon day 19.

1 hour BMF class with 2.8 miles running. 5.8 miles cycling.


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Imagination

Or lack of it.

Well we are getting towards that middle bit of the month where Janathon is no longer a novelty but the end is not in sight so imagination for new and exciting exercise or blog posts is waning.

Today, in auto-pilot, I cycled off to Hyde Park, as I do most Mondays year-in-year out, for BMF where the imagination and motivation is provided in the form of squats and burpees!

After back to back intense classes last week and then being ill at the end of the week, I sensibly took it steady today so I can be back for more tomorrow and the next day…

Janathon day 12.

1 hour BMF class with 2.5 miles running.
5.3 miles cycled.


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Kill or Cure?

Oh My! What a state I was in when I finally dragged myself out of a very deep sleep this morning. I had to take a nurofen to ease my aching muscles and get myself moving. I was a comedy case getting my socks and shoes on and in drastic need of new glutes and inner thighs. Yesterday’s killer squat class might have cured my hip and knee niggles but had wiped out the rest of my lower body.

Things improved as I got moving. The more I moved the easier it got so I decided I would make BMF again today. After all I had promised friends who I missed on Monday that I’d be there today. (It’s all about the hot chocolate). I guessed that as long as I went in the lower group I would probably survive.

So I slung my leg over my bike (well tried to, on days like today a lady-like step through would have been a good idea) and pedaled gingerly towards Hyde Park. Not too bad at all but I did decide my saddle needs to go up a bit.

At BMF I started slowly, feeling a bit stiff. Bending to touch the ground generated a few pitiful oohs and ahhs. A little more gentle running and I began to feel my legs less and get on with it. Until the first squat And then a lunge. Ouch! It’s probably my fault we did plenty of squats today because the instructor decided I should quit winging at get on with it. Eventually it sopped being uncomfortable and I even began to feel good. Too good. I even found some pace and a few bursts of top speed before the class was out.

And then (after hot chocolate) I went home to get clean and eat. And then the DOMS* take 2 kicked in. Double DOMS. I Shouldn’t have sat down, not even for 1 minute. I took myself for a walk round the block to see if that helped. It didn’t. I tried a hot bath. I tried wine. This evening I am a physical wreck. I’m now trying being horizontal in bed with my net book.

Tomorrow all my activity will be a lot more sedate. Just don’t expect me to bend down, go up and down stairs or sit down without assistance.

Janathon day 7.

1 BMF class, 3 miles running.
5.2 miles cycled.

* DOMS. Delayed onset muscle soreness In case you’ve not come across the term before. Lucky you.


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Squat-tastic!

No snoozing my alarm today. Sons were up and off to school and mock exams so I got on my bike and off to my first BMF class of 2015. (Thank goodness for living near multiple venues for lots of classes.) Time to make up for yesterday’s failure.

Today I was told it was leg day. Great, I wasn’t feeling too awake after a restless nights sleep and my first early morning. Can handle that rather than running, I rashly thought.

We warmed up and then began to squat. And squat. Wide ones, low ones, lunge ones with a few laps of the pond or the basketball pitch to shake off the legs. Heels flat and bums to heels. The emphasis was on technique and slow controlled movements. Some of the wide side squats made me feel I was in drastic need of a bloody good stretch. We moved onto slow deep lunges. I could feel tomorrow’s DOMS coming on with every movement. More squats and shuttle runs (bend down touch the floor) and we were all feeling decidedly soft after Christmas.

As we stretched off at the end and asked cheekily where the pistol squats where (next time). Gail gave the class it’s proper name, Squat-tastic! And I noticed that for a pretty static class we had still notched up 2 miles running.

I cycled home for a large coffee, food, a hot bath to ease my poor legs and glutes plus a precautionary nurofen hoping I can walk tomorrow.

Janathon day 6.

4.5 miles cycling.
1 BMF class, more squats than I could count, 2.1 miles running.


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Juneathon days 24 and 25

Were both about BMF classes.

One was at Ravenscourt Park, one at Hyde Park.

One involved logs (the tree type) and bench (box) jumps and the other involved lots of sets (that’s a lot of many) of squats.

I’ve decided I like box jumps but my legs and glutes have decided they are not so keen on squats in large numbers, as I discovered a day or two afterwards.  But that’s another story.

Juneathon day 24, 1  hour BMF class (3 miles run),

Juneathon day 25, 1 hour BMF class (3 miles run) plus 5 miles cycling.