05/08: Shoot the runner..
3 nights, 3 runs. Tonight I hit the streets alone but still enjoyed it - think I've really got the love for it back. Intended to just do a quick 2 miler or something but ended up with 4 in pretty much bang on 8 minutes per mile pace.. It was hard work so I know I've still got a lot of work to do to get back to my best, but feeling good considering I've only had 3 runs. Tonights route was a variation of an old one (http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2145369) - It was raining too, and I always like running in the rain. Will take tomorrow off I think.. there's such thing as running too much - don't want to be called a runner again.
Nice warm down today.. another new route, a re-hash of something I used to run when I very first started running several years ago (http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2141354 ).
Was a good run, both of us were feeling tight after yesterday.. my hamstrings were quite painful all day so took it very easy today to run it off. Stopped in Dolphin Park for a stretch; it actually feels like we're taking it seriously now instead of just pounding the streets endlessly like we used to do. Hope it continues as it feels good and I'm enjoying it.
Only downer of note is that my feet are feeling a bit raw.. need to get the blister issue sorted pronto.
Was a good run, both of us were feeling tight after yesterday.. my hamstrings were quite painful all day so took it very easy today to run it off. Stopped in Dolphin Park for a stretch; it actually feels like we're taking it seriously now instead of just pounding the streets endlessly like we used to do. Hope it continues as it feels good and I'm enjoying it.
Only downer of note is that my feet are feeling a bit raw.. need to get the blister issue sorted pronto.
03/08: Baby we were born to run..
8 weeks from the Great North Run, and training finally resumes. Made a new route today (http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2137763 ) which encompassed many things.. parks, industrial estates, dual carriageways and a secluded riverside path that Burnsey suggested would be a good rape location. Did it in a little over 40 minutes, I don't know the exacts as I lost my watch.. (there must be a joke in there about not knowing when).
Pleased with the effort today, wasn't too strenuous and coming in around the 9 minute/mile mark was good considering the levels of fitness. Even better than that was I actually enjoyed it, shocking I know.
Pleased with the effort today, wasn't too strenuous and coming in around the 9 minute/mile mark was good considering the levels of fitness. Even better than that was I actually enjoyed it, shocking I know.
...Suppose I'd better start again as well then hadn't I?
I don't run anymore. The Superhero 10k and Great West Run were a week apart but in that time my feelings towards running went from as positive as could be to the lowest they've ever been. The GWR was hard.. ridiculously so. I felt at the peak of my fitness before we went and was supremely confident of getting a PB (< 1:44:10) and even reckoned I had an outside shout at a sub 1:40 but ended up walking a few miles of it and finishing with a 1:52.. big morale destroyer.
Unfortunately, I can't not run anymore as the Great North Run is in only 11 weeks. The recommended training schedule for a half marathon is 12 and I've now not run in 7 which basically means that my fitness is back down to that of a fat bird when she's just had 8 cakes, all of which incredibly tasty.
So let's get on it again.. still aiming to get under 1:40 in the year and with the Great South only being 10 miles the GNR is my last chance in the challenge.. I've said I'll retire at the end of the year and I don't want to have to run the Norwich half again in November just to get that time.
Fancy a run tomorrow Chris?
I don't run anymore. The Superhero 10k and Great West Run were a week apart but in that time my feelings towards running went from as positive as could be to the lowest they've ever been. The GWR was hard.. ridiculously so. I felt at the peak of my fitness before we went and was supremely confident of getting a PB (< 1:44:10) and even reckoned I had an outside shout at a sub 1:40 but ended up walking a few miles of it and finishing with a 1:52.. big morale destroyer.
Unfortunately, I can't not run anymore as the Great North Run is in only 11 weeks. The recommended training schedule for a half marathon is 12 and I've now not run in 7 which basically means that my fitness is back down to that of a fat bird when she's just had 8 cakes, all of which incredibly tasty.
So let's get on it again.. still aiming to get under 1:40 in the year and with the Great South only being 10 miles the GNR is my last chance in the challenge.. I've said I'll retire at the end of the year and I don't want to have to run the Norwich half again in November just to get that time.
Fancy a run tomorrow Chris?
20/07: Great West Run 2008
This was the 2nd half marathon in our series this year, and was down in Exeter. Thats somewhere in the South West a long way from Norwich for the geographically challenged.
Spent a few days down there chilling before the race, and drinking afterwards. Nice place, good course, well organised, but why are there so many hills? No-one warned us of this before hand, so is my only warning for anyone attempting this next year. Did it in just under 2 hours (1hr 57) and Shev was someone around the 1hr 48 mark I believe.
Spent a few days down there chilling before the race, and drinking afterwards. Nice place, good course, well organised, but why are there so many hills? No-one warned us of this before hand, so is my only warning for anyone attempting this next year. Did it in just under 2 hours (1hr 57) and Shev was someone around the 1hr 48 mark I believe.
20/07: Superhero 10k (Brighton)
This was a race we ran in Brighton, and chosen for a few main reasons:
1) We got to dress up like superheoes
2) .....no, thats actually it.
It's an annual event, 10k along the seafront of Brighton Marina, with about 400 competitors. We spent a week or so arguing about costumes (I won't degrade myself to be Stu's sidekick) so needed an outfit where we were all part of the same gang. Due to laziness (and lack of a van), the A Team approach was out, so after a quick lunchtime trip to Primark, the Baywatch theme was chosen! Also joining us on this fun day out, were Matt (my Brother) and Farmer (a mate from London).
Weather was really sunny, so got burnt rather badly, but the run was enjoyable, and we finished in just over an hour. Not an amazing time, but running together and bantering with random people in the crowd slowed us down. Finished off with a few beers in a pub watching the footy and a bar fight that was going on at the same time! Reckon we'll definatley be there next year, and hopefully the A Team costumes will be out!
1) We got to dress up like superheoes
2) .....no, thats actually it.
It's an annual event, 10k along the seafront of Brighton Marina, with about 400 competitors. We spent a week or so arguing about costumes (I won't degrade myself to be Stu's sidekick) so needed an outfit where we were all part of the same gang. Due to laziness (and lack of a van), the A Team approach was out, so after a quick lunchtime trip to Primark, the Baywatch theme was chosen! Also joining us on this fun day out, were Matt (my Brother) and Farmer (a mate from London).
Weather was really sunny, so got burnt rather badly, but the run was enjoyable, and we finished in just over an hour. Not an amazing time, but running together and bantering with random people in the crowd slowed us down. Finished off with a few beers in a pub watching the footy and a bar fight that was going on at the same time! Reckon we'll definatley be there next year, and hopefully the A Team costumes will be out!
We've sinned. Big time really. Did a few runs and didn't update this site, then kind of stopped running for a while. Poor form.....
Well, Shev was on holiday round Europe with some fella for a while and work got a bit mental for me, plus I'm lazy. Apologies all round - we're still doing our Great Runs this year and still want to raise money for our two charities! Now apologies are out of the way, I'll post a couple of entries on previous races over the last two months, and get Shev to write about the future!
Well, Shev was on holiday round Europe with some fella for a while and work got a bit mental for me, plus I'm lazy. Apologies all round - we're still doing our Great Runs this year and still want to raise money for our two charities! Now apologies are out of the way, I'll post a couple of entries on previous races over the last two months, and get Shev to write about the future!
22/04: Rant #1
Running is painful.
21/04: It's been a while.....
Hello, I'm Chris. I run a little and blog even less - apologies for having to put up with the dry, dull and witless commentary from Stu. Moving swiftly on....
My recent running has been along part of a route we used for the Trowse 10k (see pics of us in the blizzard below), which gets out into the countryside a little bit, and also has a rather annoying hill. Distance-wise, it's around 4.5 miles, which I'm doing in about 37 minutes and equates to about 8.2 mins per mile. Ideally I'd like to get under 8 mins per mile, but will involve pushing a lot harder!
As Stu has mentioned below, we're down in Brighton this weekend for a 10k race, dressed a superheroes....the unsurprisingly titled Superhero 10K. We're going dressed as characters from Baywatch, "the real heroes" as my partner in crime puts it. The weekend after we'll be down in Exeter for the GWR, a half marathon full of pain. Watch this space for continual moans and rants about the boring nature of running....peace out.
My recent running has been along part of a route we used for the Trowse 10k (see pics of us in the blizzard below), which gets out into the countryside a little bit, and also has a rather annoying hill. Distance-wise, it's around 4.5 miles, which I'm doing in about 37 minutes and equates to about 8.2 mins per mile. Ideally I'd like to get under 8 mins per mile, but will involve pushing a lot harder!
As Stu has mentioned below, we're down in Brighton this weekend for a 10k race, dressed a superheroes....the unsurprisingly titled Superhero 10K. We're going dressed as characters from Baywatch, "the real heroes" as my partner in crime puts it. The weekend after we'll be down in Exeter for the GWR, a half marathon full of pain. Watch this space for continual moans and rants about the boring nature of running....peace out.
20/04: I'm lazy...
Too lazy to write something original... so here's an update on what's happening at the moment.
First some news - we've added yet another run to our calendar. Now, those that see us on a regular basis will know how much we constantly moan about how rubbish running is and how much we hate doing it. In fact, we moan so much that it's probably making us even more boring than we normally are.. sorry about that. Why then, you are probably asking, if we hate running so much have we added another to our calendar? Simple - it allows us to dress up as Ghostbusters and get pissed up. What better excuse to you need? So for those in or around the Brighton area next Saturday keep an eye out for us (along with an as yet undecided number of tag-alongs) pounding the seafront dressed as Ghostbusters and generally looking cool. www.superherochallenge.org.uk
Now that's the fun stuff done with - onto serious (read: less Ghostbusters, more pain) matters. The Great West Run is now only a fortnight away on the 4th May and it is pretty much guaranteed to be rubbish. So to make it worthwhile, if you've not done so already please please please sponsor us at www.justgiving.com/fourgreatruns or www.justgiving.com/fourgreatruns2 (or both!). Knowing we've got some sponsorship behind us actually gives us a reason to do this.. as mentioned, we don't enjoy it anymore [although I do at least get the enjoyment of beating Burnsey every time - Shev] so anything you give us will be greatly appreciated!
If anyone's in Exeter for the weekend that we're there then give us a shout - as athletes we'll obviously be treating our bodies with love and care, which is why on Sunday afternoon after the run we'll be treating them to as much alcohol and curry as they can take (which is probably about 4 pints.. god bless dehydration) as a reward for all their hard work.
Not got anything else to say so will leave it there.. we'll get better at updating our blog (promise!!) for anyone that does still check it occassionally, and we'll also get better at not moaning about running as after the Great West Run we can allow ourselves a couple of months off before the training begins in earnest for the Great North and South Runs.
Don't forget to sponsor us!
First some news - we've added yet another run to our calendar. Now, those that see us on a regular basis will know how much we constantly moan about how rubbish running is and how much we hate doing it. In fact, we moan so much that it's probably making us even more boring than we normally are.. sorry about that. Why then, you are probably asking, if we hate running so much have we added another to our calendar? Simple - it allows us to dress up as Ghostbusters and get pissed up. What better excuse to you need? So for those in or around the Brighton area next Saturday keep an eye out for us (along with an as yet undecided number of tag-alongs) pounding the seafront dressed as Ghostbusters and generally looking cool. www.superherochallenge.org.uk
Now that's the fun stuff done with - onto serious (read: less Ghostbusters, more pain) matters. The Great West Run is now only a fortnight away on the 4th May and it is pretty much guaranteed to be rubbish. So to make it worthwhile, if you've not done so already please please please sponsor us at www.justgiving.com/fourgreatruns or www.justgiving.com/fourgreatruns2 (or both!). Knowing we've got some sponsorship behind us actually gives us a reason to do this.. as mentioned, we don't enjoy it anymore [although I do at least get the enjoyment of beating Burnsey every time - Shev] so anything you give us will be greatly appreciated!
If anyone's in Exeter for the weekend that we're there then give us a shout - as athletes we'll obviously be treating our bodies with love and care, which is why on Sunday afternoon after the run we'll be treating them to as much alcohol and curry as they can take (which is probably about 4 pints.. god bless dehydration) as a reward for all their hard work.
Not got anything else to say so will leave it there.. we'll get better at updating our blog (promise!!) for anyone that does still check it occassionally, and we'll also get better at not moaning about running as after the Great West Run we can allow ourselves a couple of months off before the training begins in earnest for the Great North and South Runs.
Don't forget to sponsor us!
