PT training without the PT

The home gym. Not v inspiring

 31.07.2014
Day 110

Reason tells me it's time to pop on trainers and at least attempt a recovery run following the exertions of the past weekend. Body refuses to listen to Reason. This morning it made damn sure every muscle and sinew rebelled against heaving me off the bed and into shorts for a quick sharpener round the park.
So, a bit of home training it was, then. A few minutes of planks, some rollering, weights, bridges, yoga. Very hot work. When the weather's like this it makes sense to pick up thy yogmat and walk to the nearest smooth patch of grass and do the moves in the park. Without Erik as MC, however, one wouldn't really work hard. I'd get distracted photographing dogs for tweets.
Put it down as another rest day.

50, the new...what, exactly?

51, and proud of it

30.07.2014
Day109

Shortly after my friend Tamsin turned 50, she went to the local leisure centre to check out an aqua aerobics class. She saw an Over 50s one scheduled, so resolved to join in. It was a little bit gentle, to say the least, over 50s here meaning pensioners. Tamsin said she was the only person in the pool without grey hair and a matronly bosom/tummy combo. She decided she fitted in better at classes where the average age was about 30, because she looked more like the average 30 year old than the average over 50, even though she was most definitely into her sixth decade.
I remembered her experience today, in the pool. I am not a strong swimmer, so meekly stay in the slow lane. Sadly my penchant for early morning workout chimes directly with the average pensioner's early rising habits. Old people tend to swim very slowly and un-vigorously, which means I have to overtake them and risk being grazed by a flailing senior swimmer coming the other way. Old people tend to have very gnarly toenails. They also like to foregather in the shallow end for a laugh and a chat. They're probably laughing at me. The over 50 who doesn't fit anywhere.
I shall have front crawl classes and one day venture into the middle lane.
Still, I did 25 lengths and had a nice chat with a well-spoken lady with a dignified breast stroke.

Matronly, or is it body dismorphia?

The Mens Running Team before the TR24

29.07.2014
Day 108

Tuesday morning session with Erik, involving some shuttle runs, figure 8s, planks, ball slams, shoulder presses and underground.
It was an easy three-round circuit, as the old body was still complaining after Sunday. A 50k run is bound to have lasting repercussions.
Finally, a team photo of the Men's Running magazine team to show and tell; my phone for some reasondid not upload photos from the Thunder Run/
I like the adidas purple T-shirt, but am less than impressed with the matronly bosom. Having taken 16-year-old daughter shopping for her French holiday I have sent far too much time today sitting outside changing rooms and watching other perimenopausal women and their daughters at large round the shops.
It is depressing to see the rounded shoulders, beginnings of dowager upper back, the chest and belly merging into one fleshy, shapeless mass. As the hormones broil and bubble, the trunk seems to expand like one of my sourdough loaves during proving. The bosom shelves and the waist disappears. It's a toxic situation. Running of course can staythe expansion a little, but more work is needed, hence the Erik and Team Shape-U efforts.

Blissful sleep

Relax, eat, give thanks

28.07.2014
Day 107

Eid in the Park, in Mounfsfield Park. A lovely, low good-natured event to visit while recovering from a marathon weekend of cross country running. Feeling overwhelming good nature toward my manor after a long, long, deep sleep. I will not run for a few days. Crosstraining will do.
Achey legs, achey stomach. No appetite for bara brith. Or popcorn. Or cappuccino. TR24 was fuelled by those things and the after effects linger.  I've had enough sun, too.

#allin24#2

The route. Trust me, it's 'technical'

27.07.2014
Day 106

....Lap 4 of TR24 took place at 4.30am. Euan, our team captain, kindly lent me his headtorch, so I could see a little more easily. At this time in the morning, at this time of year, the iron grey night sky goes beautiful, pinkly streaky in the east. It's always uplifting to greet the dawn while running, it makes you want to go all wholesome and early-to-bed, early-to-rise. Certainly I ran this dawn lap faster than the night one. My teammates Euan, Dave, Stuart (all 40min 10k merchants) said they loved night running. Martin did his faster at night. Paul and I preferred natural light.
My last lap was achieved in 56mins, when my legs were like jelly, my stomach was killing me (I've been plagued by heat-related cramps and diarrhoea – great in portaloos, in the dark). It started at 10.30am. Once lap five was over, I could finally take pride in the achievement. Hey! I ran 50k this weekend, on no sleep and poor food choices, with an upset stomach. No wonder I feel like shit.
By the time I'd endured the interminable train ride home, plus the walk from Lewisham station with bags, I was dead on my feet. I took a bath, made an omelette and baked bean dinner for daughter and me, then fell asleep over my dinner plate.
Job done.

#allin24

Jolly Jade from the Women's Team, plus (from left) Stuart and Euan

26.07.2014
Day 105

It was too damn hot to set the world on fire with my 10km cross country times at the adidas 24-Hour Thunder Run. As  participants on the Men's Running and Women's Running magazine teams, Lisa and I had motivational and media duties to perform, as well as athletic. We set up camp on our arrival at about 10am. I found my dual role a little stressful. The lack of shade, and not knowing whether to be chummiest with the women or the men, sapped my energy.
My place on the men's team was a challenge. I so did not want to be the slowest. Fortunately I wasn't. A couple of the blokes were slower than me, but even so, I could not get my lap times below 52mins. I did my first run at 1.30pm, when the heat was searing. At 4.30pm it was a little better. Undubtedly the worst lap of this gnarly, hill, tree rooty course, for me, was in the dead of night, when I could not cope with my poor night vision – blame old age and rubbish head torch. A bit spent by the end of the third, slower lap. By 12.30am I'd run three laps of the course, two at 52mins and one in 59 mins. Slow, I know, but is cross country.
The TR24 goes from strength to strength, a huge running festival just outside Tamworth in rural Staffs. It was brilliant to hear that this year's event sold out on 28 minutes. It is incredibly popular. The crowds around the concession tents and big refreshment/results marquee were noticeably more plentiful than I remember from 2011. After my third lap, I repaired to my tiny tent to eat popcorn, drink cappuccino and worry about heatstroke. It rained.

A good team player

Thunder Run 2011: my report on same

25.07.2014
Day 104

As it's the 2014 adidas Thunder Run 24 Hours challenge tomorrow, my run today was of a tapering, leg-freshening variety. Out at abut 8am, a quick four miler at slow non-specific pace about (8.50-9m/m), enjoying the shortlived sunshine, which by lunch-time had been replaced by intermittent thunderstorms for the rest of the day.
The Thunder Run, which takes place is rural Staffordshire (Catton Park) necessitates camping and running 10k relays with, in my case, a bunch of extremely fast men. I hope this means they'll let me do five laps or so, even though they'll be waiting an extra ten minutes before I run into the changeover area to exchange wristbands and send a sub-40minute 10K man on his way. My best time for this cross country course, I think, in 2011, was 50mins or so. I did four laps last time, not because I could not do five, but because we had plenty of women wanting to do their bit and a few of them were rather slower than me. A couple unfortunately twisted knees and ankles on the night-time runs, in pitch black woodland where you just can't see the tree roots.
I do hope that this Thunder Run is not accompanied by actual thunder, which rumbles away as I type this. Or, of course the heavy showers curretly pounding away on our leaky roof. I am sure my little tent, from Argos, will prove distinctly un waterproof.
I will be making raw brownies to share. I do hope the men whose team I have been dropped into, are friendly.  I do hope my Women's Running blog about this challenge goes up on the website.
A little nervous about this. I've just applied for a subediting job, interestingly enough, that requires the successful applicant to be a 'team player'. Perhaps I should have mentioned the Thunder Run team spirit.
I will write two days' worth of posts on Sunday, on my return, with lots of pictures.