Officially a bad-ass

Apparently once you've run 100 miles with your nike+ you get a well-known skater (?) telling you you're a bad-ass. Phew


56'45"   6.1miles   9'17" per mile   596 cals

I think there is a lot to be said for not drowning in wine the night before and carbo-loading for 24 hours to make a run a lot more effective. There was a curry night at home on Friday which kind of means there was a lot of carbos to finish off (lots of poppadoms...) and frankly I wasn't going to turn down some lush home-made chocolate cake either. So the whole low carb thing was resting for the last couple of days. I miss them now...

So, on Mondays, should I cycle to work via the gym, and do an hour's yoga in the late afternoon - and then go running with the westbury harriers? It might just be a huge amount too much frankly. And I don't want to lose the yoga. Perhaps on the nights when yoga is cancelled I go running.

Or not. I don't fancy the idea of running with other people - I feel under too much pressure to go too fast and end up being knackered and useless. I would have to be in the bottom group as it is, and where's the motivation in that? Not selling it well am I?

aftermath

36 hours after the event is well-known to be the killer time for aches and pain. I am living proof of the truth of this observation.
Luckily my yoga class was cancelled yesterday otherwise I think I would have showed myself up to be totally rigid.

So the question is - was all that a result of my not stretching enough after running? Before running? Overdoing the running? I don't know. And it's just the sort of outcome which puts you off going running in the future.
Perhaps I need to buy myself some nice new running trousers to get me back in the mood.

Shallow? Uh huh.

achy breaky legs

Well, not breaky legs, happily.

Went for a run yesterday (after another 2 weeks off) and did the 6 and a bit miles around the downs from home. And man did my legs ache. My right foot feels wrong, like I'm curling my toes in or something and no matter how much I try and relax my foot, it's not right. More new shoes?? I hope not. And my left hip seized up a bit as well - quite painful but I will work on the assumption that it's just a bit rusty, and I ought to do more than an hour of yoga each week.

But at least I went running and apart from the achy bits I didn't mind it at all - it was a nice morning - cold and crisp and I listened to Broadcasting House with my finger on the trigger in case they revealed the result of the Korean Grand Prix. They didn't. But it didn't matter as it was so delayed it hadn't finished by the time I got back home.

So now I know I need to run more than twice a month and I know damn well that the more you do it the more you get out of it. Family are running with the Westbury Harriers now - I could join them but on Mondays I already go to the gym and do yoga. I guess an hour's hard run of an evening would round the day off nicely...

Question

Having read lots about it in the paper recently - should I come to the conclusion that there's nothing to be gained by doing exercise?
Apparantly it does nothing for you if you want to lose weight, which, frankly, is why most people take up running in the first place.
I have evidence, if not proof, that this is right: a friend trained for and completed the London marathon and compained that she didn't become the sleek gazelle-like athlete she'd imagined was her due after all that effort. She certainly isn't - and wasn't - overweight but there was no danger of stick-insectyness either.
So, am I right to settle back safe in the knowledge that I haven't wasted a moment of my life by doing just 30 mins of running in the past 3 weeks - or should I seek out inspirational stories to get me back pounding the streets again?
WHY DOES ANYONE RUN?? PLEASE TELL ME.

First run of the month

And it was in London - and very short.
There was a curry night at a mate's last night which was great - quite late, quite red winey, quite marvellous.
And then this morning I went for a run to the bunny park, seeing parakeets along the way. Quite surreal. And quite hard work cos of the curry night...

But I did manage about 1/2 an hour which is far far far better than nothing - especially as itr was touch and go whether I was going to go at all so I do feel I deserve, if not a pat on the back, then a light graze.