Marathon?

So having sworn off a 2010 marathon following my efforts at Thunder Road last year, tracking my friends at Boston tingled the taste buds again and when I heard that Charlotte Running Club founders and buddies Aaron Linz (2:42 at Boston) and Jay Holder (2:43 at Boston) were planning a sub 2:40 assault later in the year at Richmond, I immediately started thinking about it and it is now definitely on the radar! Having similar paced training buddies for marathon training will be a first for me and is an enticing prospect, though obviously a long, long way off!

Mining,workouts and massages

So, grateful for the day off kindly offered on Monday, it was "Hi Ho Hi Ho, it's off to work we go" again for the legs on Tuesday morning to join up with the PDS morning crew, or Miners as we have become known for our tendency to hit the trails with our headlamps on. And a nice run it was too, great company, legs felt recovered, sun rose as we ran through the Mcalpine trails, temps in the 50s- just enough to have a nip in the air but still be able to wear t shirt and shorts (wish I could bottle this weather to run in all year round!). Only negative of the run was hooking my headphone wire around one of the posts on the trail leading to instant death of said appliance and a need to go and fork out 20 unnecessary bucks to replace!

11.5 miles on Tuesday then and a spring in the step as I waited for direction from Timfor Tuesday's workout. See R2W link for summary of workout. It went well and it was good to feel some sub 5k speed intervals under my legs. Oft training partner Spadajoined me- it's so much better having someone sharing the effort with you- cheers Steve!

Following that, during my lunch hour I decided to scout around for some cheap massage offers to go and get my legs a good working over. Found a $39 introductory offer and they could fit me in after work so off I went. Got a good massage and double bonus I was able to leave the joint having only spent my $39 in spite of the salon's efforts to get me to sign up for life and purchase some exotic looking bath salts. Seriously I need to get massages more regularly in my schedule so I plan too! Todays 7.5 felt great on the back of that!

After all that, last night came the email I had been waiting for- the training plan for the next 6 weeks! You have to be scared though when it comes alongside the message "looking at this plan - i don't envy you! ouch!". Yes it certainly looked very intimidating on first look but Tim and I went back and forth on a few things and the plan has now taken its final shape- fun times!

No run Monday

Met up with Steve yesterday to tackle my 'long run'- seems funny to think that 90 minutes is now considered a long run after all that marathon training! Would have struggled through it was it not for the good company- my legs felt pretty beat up after the race, a bunch of yard work on Saturday afternoon and still feeling the effects of last Tuesday.

So when I woke up this morning I had planned to revisit last Monday's Mcalpine route but once I got downstairs I headed straight for the cabinet and filled my face with breakfast instead of lacing up. The legs felt like they needed a day off and boss was happy to grant them one! I was planning Friday off so I'll just have to reshuffle my week around a bit. Hopefully come tomorrow I'll be right as rain again and chomping at the bit to head out for the Miners' Run.

Speaking of chomping at the bit, I sent coach Tim an email on Saturday requesting my guidance for the next few weeks and am eagerly awaiting the new schedules. Originally I had planned to get through the next couple of weeks carrying on setting my own stuff up and then touch base again after the Twilight race on the 7th but with only 6 more weeks to go in this 'mini cycle' I figured I should get Tim to help out as much as possible in this period.

I have three 5ks in the next 6 weeks and then there is a bit of a gap in the racing schedule during which I plan to 'regenerate' a little before a big push towards the Greek Fest 5k at the end of August. The next three 5ks are all on challenging courses so it may be that I have to wait for a genuine PR attempt until the much faster Greek Fest.....

Satisfactory

Results
Decent effort. Fast crew lined up for this one. Originally this was going to be a goal 5k for me before the curse of the calf struck. I'm still a few weeks behind so I'll take the time and the effort and move on. Big group headed out together. Tough uphill in the opening 200 meters so everyone pretty much together still. Turning on to 7th the race began to take the expected shape with Beigay, Mainwaring, Hovis, Compton, Kinley and Matena starting to create a small gap back to the second group. The first mile was a gradual uphill and noone seemed to want to take it on. So much so that I even hit the front myself for a few hundred meters through the first mile. I wasn't having any delusions of grandeur, it just felt the right move to make and it was a comfortable pace anyway. It was probably a relief to rest of our group of 6 too, as noone wanted to take it on. As often happens in a 5k, the sight of the time at the first mile mark (5:17) started the race in motion. Ben, Jordan, Dan and John started to ease away and Mike dropped a little off the back of me. Turning off 7th and back towards home it looked like Ben was falling a little off the front three. I was a few seconds behind Ben, Mike the same distance behind me. I was pretty much at my threshold now and was going to have to focus hard to maintain pace and get home strongly. Ben was a tantalizing gap ahead but I never felt I could catch him, Mike probably had the same thoughts about me. I hit the second mile in 10:35 and knew the last mile was essentially downhill so as long as I held it together I was on for a solid peformance and time. Apparently it was at this stage that Jordan clicked into gear and pulled decisively ahead of Dan and John. Dan would go on to clinch second ahead of John. Ben, me and Mike followed equidistant behind. Finishing time 16:21, a full 37 seconds faster than last week's win. Time to ramp up the training- 3 more 5ks in the next 6 weeks... Side note- really enjoyed this race- much better course and finish area than the previous route. Plentiful free, convenient parking and restrooms, adequate food and drink after, efficient awards distribution- one of the better races on the calendar

Shout outs (in no particular order)- Caitlin notching yet another victory, Spada very solid run, Greg rounding into shape quickly, Billy, sub 17 imminent, Chad gutsing it out- hope the injury isn't as bad as feared, Mike pressuring me from behind, top 4 showing me how it's done!

Was great to have the family there today! They rarely come to my races so it's always a treat. Went home and filled my face with food and watched a re-run of Utd beating Tottenham 3-1 with 2 from the old master Giggs and a two point lead before Chelsea play Stoke tomorrow. Good all round start to the weekend!

Skyline

Aching legs are dissipating and I'm ready to race. Picked up the new singlet today and am ready to rock it. It is going to be fast and I'm going to hang on for dear life!

Happy St George's Day!

Happy St George's Day!

The legs are still sore unfortunately! Went for a very enjoyable 10 mile jaunt around the city yesterday with the guys which turned into a nice progression effort in the end and I was feeling really strong as we pushed the last couple of miles up Morehead and Lexington. Just about to head out the door for my usual 4 mile pre race effort and still hoping the legs can be back to closer to 100% by tomorrow!

Paying the price!

So I may have pushed it a little harder than I should have yesterday! Woke up this morning and the groin/hamstrings were very sore! Luckily I wasn't running as I was meeting Billy later for a course preview run after work, so I spent the day walking around the office trying to get some blood flow and recovery to the areas!

Straight out of the office at 5 and to the shop to pick up some new kicks. I went with the Mizuno Wave Rider 13 again having just got 450 miles out of the last pair! Then Billy and I went for a 9 mile jaunt around the city including a circuit of Saturday's race. My legs were sore but I was definitely doing more good by jogging than doing nothing. I had a really good stretch after and hopefully I'll feel a bit better in the am and back to normal by Saturday. Having heard the sort of line up that seems to be developing for the race I can't wait to lace up and chase after these guys, it certainly looks like it could be an exciting race, especially with the last section being straight down hill!

FOOD!

Now here's a topic we all like to talk about!

I guess you could say I've become a bit of a girl. A few years back I would eat and drink with gay abandon, pretty confident in my high metabolism and amount of exercise being able to keep the weight off. I never used to weigh myself, ever- why bother? So why now all these years later do I find myself weighing myself every morning?! Well, mainly because I update my weight every day on Running2Win, but joking aside, I am definitely becoming more and more conscious about what I am eating and also what my family are eating.

I have a pretty boring diet. During the week when I am working I seem to eat pretty much the same stuff every day. At the weekend, not so much. With a race or hard workout every Saturday and the obligatory Sunday long run I can still pretty much get away with eating anything over the weekend!

Anyhow, I know I don't eat optimally for an athlete (by any means!)but I thought I'd share with you all a typical day's diet just to see if I can generate any comments and for you to compare your diets against. One thing I do not do is count calories, although I'm fairly confident I can judge roughly how many calories are in a particular meal/snack. As I said, there's not much science that goes into my diet. I eat things I like and try to eat more 'good' than ' bad'. I weigh myself every day and make sure I'm not putting too much weight on and conversely am not losing weight. My weight typically fluctuates between 149 and 153 lbs (I'm 6"2, lean build) and I think I feel and run my best at 150 lbs.

Here's what I eat on a typical week day (I also drink at least 2 litres of water each day, more when I work out in the heat)

Breakfast- big bowl of whole grain cereal with raisins and skimmed milk, cup of hot tea

Morning snacks- peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole wheat, two apples, can of diet soda

Lunch- leftovers from previous night's evening meal (see below for typical example), something from vending machine depending on whether I'm in a sweet mood (chocolate bar) or savoury (bag of 'healthy' chips/crackers)

Afternoon snack- bowl of oatmeal, cup of hot tea

Dinner- big plate of chicken/beef stir fry of some sort, vegetables, rice or pasta, two slices of wholemeal toast, bowl of wholegrain cereal with raisins and skimmed milk, hot cup of tea

After kids in bed- cup of hot tea, maybe some more toast or some Graham crackers, nothing too heavy

At the weekend there's less structure. I pretty much eat when I feel like it and tend to eat more 'bad' stuff, we'll often eat out at least once over the weekend and I'm quite happy to throw down some beers if the mood takes- although if I'm going to have a drink I try and cut down the calories I'm eating while I'm drinking!

Would be interested in any feedback and also other examples of what fellow runners typically eat....

SPEEDwork

I’ve been noting a pattern in my workouts lately that I thought needed addressing. Although I’ve been feeling ‘strong’, as a result of the base I created in the Fall/Winter, I’ve also been feeling slow and unable to run much quicker than 5:20 pace over any length of time. I decided after the race on Saturday that it was time to start working on this, starting with today’s workout at Charlotte Christian track. I met up with Billy and Spada at the usual unearthly hour of 5.15 and we headed to the track to drag each other through 16 300s with a minute jog/walk recovery. Really ‘enjoyed’ this workout. Recruited fibres and muscles long forgotten and definitely want to incorporate more of this shorter and faster stuff over the next few weeks. Focussed on working on turnover and keeping as relaxed as possible. Towards the end the lactic acid was building, I found myself working hard the first 100, trying to increase the foot speed around the curve and then holding on as relaxed as possible down the straight. Very tired and heavy legged afterwards, definitely taking it easy for the rest of the week! Thanks to Steve and Billy for joining me on this one- wouldn’t have fancied it on my own!

54,53,51,52,51,51,51,50,51,51,51,51,51,51,51,49

I definitely need to do more of these type workouts. As it’s now ‘5k season’ I can see myself doing something like this each week for the next few weeks- already lined up next week’s 20*200 with the guys!

Yesterday's run btw was a nice early jaunt through Mcalpine as the sun rose. I retraced the old loop that coach and I used to regularly run. The rest of the week will be nice and easy mileage each day with the race on Saturday.

Had fun yesterday being very unproductive at work and tracking about 15 people at Boston. Major kudos out to my training partners Aaron and Jay for their awesome 2:42/2:43 prs and to Mindi for yet another (number 10!) solid marathon in the bank!

Judging by all the times and considering that apparently the weather is as good as you’re going to get at Boston, it would appear that most people ran slower than they normally would/are capable of. I know the atmosphere up there and everything else that surrounds the event is awe inspiring, but it’s not for me for a few years yet I don’t think- I’ll probably tackle it once I resign myself to the fact that I’m slowing down and go up there more to soak in everything ‘Boston’ rather than shoot for a breakout marathon performance….

Sunday fun

I had to get Sunday's run done before 7 to give Lisa her weekly lie in but didn't fancy doing it solo so popped Spadaa mail and he came through! We met up at 5 and got to work. Really enjoyed the run- got a full blow by blow account of Steve's awesome Charlotte marathon win of 2000 and 90 minutes of good chat made me forget about the residual soreness from yesterday! Good run, could have run longer but want to keep the legs fresh heading into next week.

The route took us from PDS up Randolph to Dotger across to 5th to check out next week's race course and then back. If I have got the route correct the last mile should be a sprint down the hill to the finish. Start uphill but definitely looks a fast course!!

Got home to polish off Five Guys burger leftovers for breakfast. Nice start to the day and it's only 7.30! Youngest still to wake up, Emily playing with her mate (they had a 'sleepover' last night), Lisa asleep, beautiful day outside, life good

Never write them off

So a win in the bag and it was home to catch the second big event of the day- the Manchester derby shown on ESPN2- which appears to be ramping up its football (soccer!) coverage in advance of the World Cup this summer.

A must win game for United and with the game deep into stoppage time and still in deadlock, up popped the ginger genius Paul Scholes to score a vital goal which kept the season alive. Then down to White Hart Lane to see if Chelsea could re-establish their 4 point lead with victory. In the third great result of the day Spurs pulled off the win so with three games left Chelsea lead by just one point with a trip to Liverpool on the horizon. Game on

Run For The Money

Hmmm, not sure what to make of that. Main thing was that I won so Scott got $1,000 for Catawba Lands Conservancy. However my time which remarkably was exactly the same as last year was a little deflating. Having said that I did run the whole race solo and it was only in the third mile that I really pushed it. That third mile was a beast. A sharp rise right at the start of the mile and then a half mile drag up to the finish line at the end. Looking at my splits you can see the effort I had to put in for the third mile

5:12
5:25
5:28
0:53 (for 0.16m- again the course measured long)

All in all a satisfactory return to 'racing' but next week I'll need to run at least 40 seconds faster if I want to place well in the GP race. I think that is within reach

Pre race musings

Excited to race tomorrow. I've had three solid weeks of training since the calf healed so it will be interesting to see how it goes tomorrow. Last year I was also returning from injury and ran 16:58 on this course. It's a tough one alright. The first couple of miles are fairly flat/slightly downhill but twisty and turny, then comes a really steep hill and the last half mile is a long drag uphill- I found my 'race report' from last year....

5 Kilometers
Time 16:58.00
Race Splits 5.14/5.22/5,30/53 (long course)
Pace Per Kilometer 3:23.60
Overall Place 2nd
Age Place 1st
Comments WAKE UP CALL! actually it was a very tough course and next week should be a better indicator of where I'm at but certainly a long way to go!

Let's see what tomorrow brings....

Lots of effort, not very fast!

After putting this workout off yesterday and this morning I thought I had better do it tonight! Headed out to Mcalpine straight after getting home from work. Saw Hovis and JC on my way out to the course but no time to chat

Starting from course, workout was 5*800 with 200 (1 minute) recovery on the course to the 4.8k point then over to the 2.0 mile mark on the path and straight into 3*800 with 0.25m (2:00) recovery back to Old Bell.

2.34
2.37
2.45 (hill)
2.38
2.34
2.42
2.42
2.41

Effort was solid throughout but pace felt pretty hard for what it was! Was hoping to pick the pace up for the last two with the extra recovery but couldn't. Race on Saturday

Back to normal

So two weeks after leaving for England here I am sitting at my desk getting back into the swing of things in Charlotte.

We flew home Saturday. Again the kids did great. This flight was all through the day so no sleep involved this time. Luckily the kids were able to watch movies on the plane and I even got to watch one myself- The Blind Side which was excellent as expected. the only problem with the journey home was changing in Philly where you have to go through Customs and transfer your luggage and go through security again. We were sweating a bit on missing our connection even though we had 90 minutes between flights. Next time I would definitely consider paying the little bit extra to fly direct.

Got back into Charlotte, picked up the dog from the Sitter's and Lisa dropped me off 5 miles from home so that I could shake the legs out. I felt surprisingly good considering the flight and the fact that my body thought it was midnight. Kids slept well which meant Lisa and I did and it was out on the trails I went at 8.30 the next morning, felling a bit whoozy and not completely with it but happy to be meeting up with Jay and Billy. Four or five others joined us too and I managed over 90 minutes which was the longest for a while. It was great to be running with others again and the whole run would have been pleasurable had my stomach not been torn up- more than once I had to disappear into the woods and catch up again!

Then it was on to yard work and I had an hour and half window to cut the grass before Emily and Sophie needed to be taken to a birthday party. Just about managed that, spent the afternoon at the party and popped to the Office to print off my Boarding Pass for my business trip to Jacksonville, NC the following morning and had dinner at Salsarita's which has turned into a bit of a family favourite restaurant.

So still rushing around and no respite Monday as I had to get up early for my flight to Jacksonville. Monday I had earmarked as a day off from running so didn't need to worry about that at least. However, I hadn't reckoned with the chaos that must be Monday mornings at Charlotte Airport. Despite being in the Security line well over an hour before my flight, the lines were ridiculous and by the time I got through it was exactly the time of my flight. So I hightailed it as fast as I could across the airport but of course the flight had left exactly on time and the gates were shut. Luckily I was able to get on the next flight and my colleagues waited for me the other end so I could still catch a ride with them from the airport. I work for a Company called Actus, a construction management firm that specialises in managing the design and construction of military installations. We were visiting Camp Lejeune for a project review representing the Charlotte finance function so it was pretty cool to drive around the camp and see all the construction work we had done to help house Servicemens' families while their loved ones are off somewhere serving us all.

We stayed in a hotel just off the main boulevard that led into the Camp so my running options for the Tuesday run were somewhat limited. I did manage to scope out a 2 mile loop on sidewalks however and ran this 3 and half times to get my planned 7 in. I felt really good on this run and also my Wednesday run when I was back in Charlotte (this time for a long time hopefully!) and was able to meet up with the Dowd early morning crew for an easy 8 miles. It was one of those runs where you feel like you are holding back and the legs feel like coiled springs! Hopefully they will feel like that again tonight as I am heading into Mcalpine for a workout. Not following any Plan from Coach Tim at the moment so am setting up my own workouts still and tonight I've come up with one that will roughly involve 8*800m with 2 minute recoveries. I was originally planning to do this last night to give a bit more breathing space between the workout and the race I am entered in on Saturday (more about that later) but then I remembered that this was meant to be a bit of a 'down' week after last week's heavy work and that doubling up wasn't really compatible with a down week for me.

So I will be heading into my race on Saturday with pretty tired legs more than likely but in the overall scheme of things doing the workout will be more important than keeping the legs fresh for Saturday. I am running a 5k called 'Run for the Money' where the top three overall and age group winners all win cash prizes for the non profit organisation of their choice. I have run this race the past couple of years, winning it back in 2008 and coming second in 2009 when Cody Angell got his revenge on me from the year before. Cody has since emigrated to Australia and what with Boston on Monday and a few other races in the area attracting some of the faster local guys I am expecting that I should be able to help out the non profit I am running for (Catawba Lands Conservancy) without over-extending myself. You never know though! The course is particularly tough, lots of turns and a beast of a third mile so I won't be looking to kill myself or worry about time- next week's Skyline 5k which is the second race in the Grand Prix Series will be a much better gauge of my current fitness levels following my recent short lay off. 2 weeks after that is the third race in the Series (another 5k) and then there is a bit of a respite for a few weeks so it is likely that then will come the time that I 'sit down' with the Coach and plan next steps.

Winding down

Well of course our visit has come to an end too fast too soon but that's the way it goes. It's Friday afternoon and I've got an hour's peace before Alan joins me for my second run of the day. Lisa and the kids have gone to the farm again to pet the animals and feed some lambs before we pack tonight and return to Charlotte tomorrow. Apparently we have missed an absolute heatwave in Charlotte but it sounded miserable at the same time with the ridiculous pollen count. Literally every one of my runner friends there has mentioned either on Facebook or via their blogs that the pollen count has been horrible. Here on the other hand the weather has been absolutely beautiful for this time of year! I can't believe we have been in Europe for over a week and not once has it rained! Perfect!

So after last week's post I headed out with Alan for my second run of the day after the morning 400s. We headed out from his house and hit some country lanes before heading cross country and up some huge climbs to the tops of hills from where the views were stunning. I forget how beautiful this area is. We ran for an hour and 15 at a nice and easy pace across fields, golf courses, down canal paths, it was a great recovery run. Alan has just got into triathlons in the past year and it was great to catch up and share each other's passion for the outdoors and endurance training!

A quick shower and a few beers later, Lisa and I took a well earned break from the kids and headed into town to see what it had to offer. A few nice local brews were consumed and I caught up with a few old friends and also had a couple of pints with my brother and his wife who had also gotten an evening away from their daughters!

Sunday had originally been a planned rest day knowing that the head was going to be a bit achy from Saturday night and also that this week was going to be a solid week of training but having consumed the largest lunch and dessert (thanks Mum!) in history I felt a bit guilty and burnt a few calories off before dinner with an easy 4 miler.

Monday, Lisa and I went to Paris! Our flight was at lunch time so I was able to squeeze in a few miles before sunrise. We got there late afternoon and wandered around a few of the sights and had a nice relaxing dinner of steak frites washed down with a nice Leffe. Tuesday I rose early and jogged around for 90 minutes or so, soaking in the early morning hustle and bustle of a Parisian morning, ran along the Seine for a while and around the perimeter of the nearest park to our hotel- les Jardins De Luxembourg, where Hemingway was supposed have spent most of his time musing ideas for his latest book. I was able to scope out a nice route for the tempo run I had planned for the next morning.

Lisa and I spent the whole day walking around Paris, through the Quartier Latin over the Seine to the Louvre then over Place de la Concorde and up the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe before a quick lunch stop and on to the Eiffel Tower where we stayed for a couple of hours soaking in some rays (weather was gorgeous)and reading in the gardens before heading on the Metro (at last!!) to the Musee D'Orsay and our fill of culture and Impressionist paintings. Then back to the hotel and some rest before dinner and an early night.

Another early start for me the next day for my tempo run in the Jardins. Considering the 12 miler the day before followed by at least ten miles of walking, the run went pretty well. As I was stretching following the run a double confidence booster as some French guy who I had passed several times during my run (my route involved five circuits of the park) joked with me whether he should look out for me on Sunday (the day of the Paris marathon). A) I was able to understand him (back in the day I was a pretty fluent French speaker but that has gone to waste since leaving College!) and B) I was obviously looking good running round the park haha!!

Some souvenir shopping and Notre Dame filled up our morning before we headed to the airport and back to the girls who we had missed dearly but at the same time had made sure we enjoyed every moment of peace we had had in Paris as it is no doubt going to be a long time before we get that sort of opportunity again!

An easy run yesterday back on home soil followed by a decent workout on the roads this morning (see R2W link for data) and that brings us to the present and I'm heading out in a while for another hour 15 with Alan. As usual when away from work and stress I have got a great week of training in and will need to keep the momentum going as I get back to Charlotte life next week. 84 miles since last Thursday!

Thanks for reading, next post will be from home!

400s on the road

Well I got back to sleep fine and got a few more hours in which was nice and needed! Woke up and the weather was surprisingly nice! As I'd eaten quite heartily in the middle of the night I didn't need breakfast straight away either so I headed out for my workout feeling pretty good. It ended up going pretty well (see R2W link) and now I'm recovering at home before my second run later when I'm meeting up with an old football teammate who is now into triathlons and we're going to head out for a few miles- probably the first time I have ever run with someone else in Oswestry! Oswestry is not exactly a hotbed of running- the nearest track is 20 miles away which is funny when I think that I have 2 within 3 miles of my house in Charlotte! When I was running around the town yesterday I was getting some strange looks! The other thing I notice about running here is how small everything seems! The roads are so narrow compared to Charlotte- cars are literally inches apart as they pass!

The joy of travelling

So here I am at 2am wide awake and hungry on my first night in England despite having had not a wink of sleep on the plane over and then staying awake all day when I got here! Luckily the girls did great on the plane and don't seem to have the same problems adjusting so they're snoring away happily. I tend to get away with hardly any sleep on a day to day basis so I'll be okay.

Yesterday I ran into work and compared to the previous few days felt great! My new office is half a mile further away than my old, so it is now a 12.5 mile clip to get there. I'm lucky I'm able to do this- there is sidewalk (pavement) the whole way and I literally just run straight down one road crossing intersection (crossroads) after intersection so if I get lucky with the lights it's okay. The hairiest part is between miles 9 and 10 when I cross a section where a bunch of I-77 exits cross Tyvola Road and it's pretty much a case of remembering the lights sequence, putting my head down and sprinting till I'm safely on the other side! For this run I started off at around the usual 7:20ish pace but was soon ticking off 6:20s most of the way there. That set me off nicely for a morning at work before Lisa picked me up to take us all to the airport and our flight to Manchester via Philly. First time we have not done the flight direct to Gatwick and it was fine. Girls got some good sleep on the plane which was all that mattered- although imagine 6 hours of not being able to move because of a 60lb weight being slumped on your leg and you've got my journey...

Dad picked us up and drove us the hour back home and the rest of the day was spent catching up with Mum and Dad and spending the afternoon with my brother John's family. He and Charlotte have two daughters themselves (Poppy, 4 and Rosie, nearly 2) and it was the first time the 4 girls had played together so that was cute. I went out for a little run before dinner to shake the legs and tiredness out and I felt predictably awful and heavy legged at first but was feeling much better by the end. I scoped out a good location for my 'Hovis 400s' workout tomorrow and a great hill for a hill workout I have planned next week.

Anyway, time for a bowl of cereal, crumpets and hopefully some more shut eye!