Day 191 - 25 May 2011

Wednesday
60 Minutes Run

A stunning morning to be out there.  My weather app says 11 Dec Cn and only a 3mph NE wind, but it feels a whole lot warmer than that, because the dreadfully chilly winds of late have disappeared.  

I decided to run along the cliff tops and then head down to the beach as the water looked like a mirror and the sun was already rising steadily.

I wanted to run 5k this morning so I headed to my known half way spot before heading down the zig zag path to the beach.  There was still a lot of sand all along the promenade, following last week's windy weather, but apart from that, it looked like a perfect summer's morning.  Not a soul around.

View from the cliff top

As it was quickly getting light, I knew that Ian had finished his run and was coming over with Foggy to meet up with me at my 5k mark to do some push ups and press ups.  Foggy loves being on the beach without his lead.  He can stroll and run wherever he wishes and looks up constantly to check that we're there.  

Exercises complete, it was getting to 50 minutes so we started to head back home.  Just by the hill, there's a water station with a trough for dogs.  It's Foggy's last chance for water before the big climb up the cliff path, so he always stops for a drink.  We started up the hill, whistling to him as we normally do to follow.  Half way up we stopped to check he was behind us.  No dog.  

I started back down the hill at a run, whistling all the way and noticed a couple out with their dog, who knows us quite well.  They stopped along the beach and started looking for Foggy too, as they could tell we were looking for him, despite being some distance away from us.  Ian went up one side of the promenade, whilst I headed back the way we had come.  Foggy was nowhere to be seen.  The couple were frantically looking along the beach.  

Then I saw him - way off in the distance.  Poor old Foggy had become confused when he heard us whistling and had gone back to where he had come from thinking the whistling was coming from there, rather than from up the steep path leading to the cliff top.  Phew.  Dog found.  More exercise completed and another half mile onto our distance for the morning!  A bonus all round then! 

My favourite photo...look how smooth the sea is

Let's hope tomorrow's weather is just as good.  I'm looking forward to it already. 

SEA STATE:  Debs........it's perfect for kayaking today!

Swell 1.5ft @ 4secs
Wind 1mph
Temperature Sea 11°c    Air 11°c

First Light: 4:20am - Sunrise: 5:03am
Sunset: 9:04pm - Last Light 9:47pm

Day 190 - 24 May 2011

Tuesday
60 minutes brisk walk

I have found that it's become really hard to get up at Stupid O'Clock recently...I think its when you break the habit (which I did during the long Easter break),  returning to a routine can become harder.  It certainly has.

I've just enjoyed a long weekend (celebrating our 11th wedding anniversary) and had decided yesterday that I had definitely lost my mojo somewhere.  But after a 4 mile walk and a 4 mile run with my husband Ian, I felt as though I had found it again.  When we got home, I made a promise to myself that I would get back into my routine again, continue eating sensibly (which I haven't been for quite a few weeks now.....) and start training hard for Edinburgh, which isn't far away now.....11th June is looming.

So.  With a podcast of the Chris Moyle's show in my ears, I headed out this morning into a much calmer day compared to the 49mph gusty winds we had yesterday.  At 5am, the sun was almost up and looking gloriously yellow already.  And sunset isn't until 9.46pm.  Fantastic!

 
I chose my normal route, taking in the sea first of all and catching Mr Alsatian heading down the path to the beach before turning into Long Road.  I still find it odd to be out so early, with hardly anyone about and yet the sun is up and shining.  As weird as it sounds, I honestly think I prefer the dark mornings.  That somehow feels better for me.

I sped up to get a good work out whilst tackling Nemesis Hill and as I approached the sea again, I broke into a run along the entire cliff top, which felt strangely good, considering I was out for 8 miles yesterday.  My left knee is a bit troublesome, with pain radiating from the inside (behind the kneecap), which isn't good.  Something to keep my eye on.

Mr Early was out on his bike.  He still has his lights on despite the sun and he still wears all his winter gear.  He looked very happy this morning - but I'm sure that was because he was grateful the wind had died down.

Even though I haven't done this route for quite a few days, I got back home earlier than usual (so it means my pace is good), so instead of walking back indoors, I went back out to find Ian, who had finished his run and was now out cooling down with our dog, Foggy somewhere.  After a few texts, I went out to meet him up on the clifftop and we all walked back home.

Back to work today - it's only been Friday and Monday off, but it feels as though I've had a whole week off. I feel very rested.  all good stuff.

SEA STATE:

Swell 3.5ft @ 4secs
Wind 19mph
Temperature Sea 12°c    Air 11°c

First Light: 4:22am - Sunrise: 5:04am
Sunset: 9:03pm - Last Light 9:46pm

Day 186 - 13 May 2011

Friday

Day 185 - 11 May 2011

Wednesday

Day 188 - 16 May 2011

Monday
60 minutes run on beach

Day 187 - 15 May 2011

Sunday
Half Marathon

Day 189 - 17 May 2011

Tuesday
60 Minutes BMF style Intervals

Although we had gone to bed later than usual, I was ready to get up at 5am.  Perhaps because I knew that this morning there would be a different style of training.

Ian and I took Foggy off the lead and headed for the beach.  It was already daylight, although the sun hadn't quite risen yet.  With 11 Deg C and a 7mph W wind, it was really pleasant outside.

Heading down to the beach

Just as we arrived, my police car turned up!  They stopped for Foggy (who was wandering all over the promenade, quite undisturbed by the police car) and the two policemen inside said "Ahhhh, so YOU'RE the girl in the bright pink top then....." !!!!

Firstly, I was just pleased to have been described as a girl - I'm 53 next month, so I'll take what I can get.  And secondly, it was nice to know that they're looking out for me at that time of the morning.  I nearly whipped my camera out for the blog, but didn't think I would confuse them.  

We started off with a quick run, then stopped for 10 sit ups, before running again and then 20 steps.  Another run at a fast pace and stopping for doing a plank (ouch...that hurt).  Then running further and doing 10 press ups.  This was repeated for 40 minutes, before walking to the end of the promenade at Hengistbury and back home again. 

Amazing "kipper clouds" at sunrise

SEA STATE:  Swell 3ft @ 4secs
Wind 16mph
Temperature Sea 11°c    Air 11°c

First Light: 4:32am - Sunrise: 5:13am
Sunset: 8:54pm - Last Light 9:35pm

Day 184 - 10 May 2011

Tuesday
60 minutes running

My knee felt a bit stronger today, so it was 'run' day.  Incredibly mild weather again - 13 Dec C, but with a barely noticeable 3mph ENE wind  that couldn't even move a flag.  I had on my usual pink fleece, but it was really too warm for it.

The first sight of the sea, as I come out of my front door.  Lovely.

Had I not been tangled up with my headphone wire, I would have removed it and tied it around my waist - but the thought of untangling everything was too much to consider.

I ran my 'usual' route and was delighted to see Mr Early (he's back!!!!!!!), who I'm sure was looking rather tanned and rested.  I even managed to sneak a photo of him:

The now-famous Mr Early (who couldn't work out why I was taking his photograph...)

I am currently trying to work out the mysterious "bare footprints" that I noticed on yesterday's walk and on today's run....yesterday, I simply thought they were from early morning surfers - although to be honest, there's no such thing.  Surfers are not renowned for getting to the sea early.......they like to sleep in.  So how come these foot prints are staying almost fresh?  I saw some this morning.  And took a photo for evidence...

Look!  Wet, bare footprints........

Can anyone tell me whether an innocent wet footprint can remain visible from the previous evening?  Doesn't water simply evaporate after a while?  I shall have to investigate more on this.

As I headed towards the sea again on my way back, I spotted Running Girl.  She was wearing her usual bright pink top (we match!) and she was - as usual - running in the middle of the road (which somehow looks far more scary during daylight than it does in the dark) at a fast pace.

As I neared home, I then came across my police car AND David the 74 year old paperboy who shouted out a quick "HELLO!" as I ran past.  *sigh* All is right with the world.  The only person missing from this morning's run  was Mr Rude Navy - but I don't miss him to be honest.  Lightweight.

The night clouds are clearing

SEA STATE:

Swell 3ft @ 11secs
Wind 14mph
Temperature Sea 11°c    Air 13°c

First Light: 4:44am - Sunrise: 5:23am
Sunset: 8:43pm - Last Light 9:23pm

Day 183 - 09 May 2011

Monday
60 minutes' brisk walk

It was very mild outside, with a temperature of 11 Dec C and an 8mph S wind.  As I hadn't been on any 5am walks last week, I hadn't realised how light it was - and it seemed really odd to be out, knowing it was my 'usual' time of day, but seeing everything in broad daylight.  It kept feeling as though I had overslept, or that this was still the weekend.

There wasn't a soul around.  I chose the top of the cliffs and walked towards Bournemouth, hoping to see Mr Early, who I've missed since the Easter holidays.  He wasn't to be seen.  Perhaps he's a bit like me - preferring the darkness rather than full daylight.

There were still lots of snails around - and the odd worm or two as well, so I still had to keep staring intently at the pavement, in case I trod on one.

See how light it is at 5am?!

The sky was beginning to turn a clear blue and on the way back, I could see that the sun had already risen and was a deep and beautiful orange.  Although I didn't see anyone or any cars, there were plenty of birds - lots of gulls floating in mid-air above the clifftops and also lots of Starlings and Sparrows, who were probably enjoying an early breakfast of snails.

The tide was out this morning

It was soon time to be heading back.  I hadn't worn my knee support and I could feel my left knee just beginning to niggle from yesterday's hilly 8.5 mile run.

I feel so much better for getting up at 5am - I really shouldn't have had those lie ins last week....I feel more awake now than I would have done had I stayed in bed until 6.30!

SEA STATE:

Swell 3.5ft @ 5secs
Wind 17mph
Temperature Sea 11°c    Air 12°c

First Light: 4:48am - Sunrise: 5:27am
Sunset: 8:40pm - Last Light 9:19pm

Day 182 - 08 May 2011

Sunday
8.5 miles @ 5.2mph

Another route with my husband Ian this morning.  We wanted a tough route that included hills as a training session for the Moonwalk on 11 June in Edinburgh.  So we took in the summit of Hengistbury Head as the first leg of the journey.  The weather was 13 Deg C with a SSW wind blowing 15mph with gusts of 22mph.  However, because the pace was very brisk, I scarcely had time to notice.  The skies looked heavy to begin with and there was a real risk of rain, but thankfully, the entire journey was dry.

Walking towards Hengistbury

I kept my eyes on the ground throughout the entire journey as it was literally strewn with snails, slugs and worms, following yesterday's rain.  I was aware of trying to keep my shoulders back and my overall form upright, but there was no way I could take my eyes off the road this morning.

About to go up to the summit

Christchurch Harbour - Tide's out!

We reached the summit quickly and made our way around the circumference of Hengistbury before making our way towards Christchurch and then heading south up my Nemesis Hill (which these days, feels so easy, that I really should re-name it).

We then headed towards the High Street which was empty at such an early hour on a Sunday before turning towards the sea.  By now, I had taken my fleece off, as the pace was so brisk I was sweating.  The sun was poking through the clouds so it was really pleasant by the time we reached the cliff tops.  Instead of keeping to the pavements along the sea route, we took the grass areas (which is now a protected nature reserve) which were undulating and really enjoyable, as the ground varied so much with every 10 yards or so.

The sun shining through the clouds by this point

We reached home in good time and have planned to do this same route next Sunday - but this time twice...

Day 181 - 05 May 2011

Thursday
2 miles walk/running

I hadn't planned on this one - I had planned on 60 minutes' walk, but Ian had some new trainers he wanted to try out quickly, so we ran to the shop (to be *ahem* chocolate) and back again.  My legs were feeling heavy but it was a nice way to round off the evening before running to the voting booth.

Day 180 - 04 May 2011

Wednesday
6.5 miles.  5 miles running and 1.5 miles walking briskly

I fancied a long and fast session this evening, so with Mr Stewart by my side, we headed towards Hengistbury Head - which is about 3/4 mile from where we live.  Usually when walking this route, I'm happy to walk to the summit which is pretty steep.  But as I wanted to focus on running and more importantly, focus on my running form, I chose to run the perimeter of Hengistbury, which has a few hills, but nothing like climbing the to the top.

Looking at the summit, with the sea to the right and (not shown here) the harbour to the left

With the help of Ian telling me how I was running, we agreed that wearing a baseball cap almost forces me to look down, which means that I start to 'hunch' up.  This isn't good for lung capacity (as discussed in an earlier blog), so I took the cap off - which was great anyway, as it was so hot this evening! - and I tried to look ahead by 20-30 yards.  It's hard for me, as I'm so used to staring at the ground directly in front of my feet.  But practice hopefully makes perfect. 

We continued until we came to Mudeford Beach before turning around to come back again. 

These beach huts are some of the most expensive in the country - £80,000 - £90,000!
But you get the harbour in front and the sea behind you.  Perfect.

On the way back, we go through a wooded part of the route, which was lovely, apart from the midges - lots of them!  It could have been summer and it was odd to think it's only the beginning of May. 

This is the view you get as you near Mudeford Spit

I was very pleased when we got back home to have completed 6.5 miles at such a pace after a day's work

Job done.

Day 179 - 03 May 2011

Tuesday
60 minutes medium pace

Another evening walk today, as I've found going back to work after 11 days off has made me really lazy about getting up at 5am!  I've pledged to myself that I'll be back to 5am walking next week.

The weather was quite warm although a bit on the windy side.  I chose the route along the cliff tops heading out towards Boscombe and because time was limited, I simply chose 30 minutes out, 30 minutes back.

The cliff tops are so busy at this time of year, so much of my time was spent weaving in and out of people, but enjoyable all the same.

This part of the cliff top is literally 30 seconds from where I live

A longer walk tomorrow, I think!

Day 178 - 02 May 2011

Monday - Bank Holiday
7 miles -Running

The forecast had said it was going to be raining at 7am, but fortunately they were wrong.  Again.  It was 11 Deg C, 12 mph ENE wind with gusts of 17mph. Not too bad for running.

My right knee was supported as usual, but my left knee was hurting a little bit, but not enough for me to have to stop running.  This morning, I was concentrating again on my form.  I spend far too much time staring at the road just in front of my feet.  This pulls my shoulders down and in turn, limits the air I can pull into my lungs.  I need to maximise my lung power, so I must learn to lift my head and focus on the road some 15 yards ahead of me.  Glancing down to see how my heart rate is doing,  I can see that even when I feel I'm fighting for breath, my heart rate is 85%-90%, so I definitely need to find a more upright style of running, which will also help with my pelvic area too.

I was very pleased overall with this morning's session though. But still more work to be done.

Back to work tomorrow.  Even though I've only taken 3 business days off, it seems like a lifetime since I was at my office desk.  Tomorrow will see the return of Stupid O'Clock sessions - but at least it will be light out there.

SEA STATE:

well 5.5ft @ 6secs
Wind 28mph
Temperature Sea 11°c    Air 11°c

First Light: 4:59am - Sunrise: 5:37am
Sunset: 8:31pm - Last Light 9:09pm

Day 177 - 01 May 2011

Sunday
60 minutes' brisk walking

My knee was complaining a little bit, but I knew I still had to get out there and shift some of the hot cross buns and Easter eggs I had chowed down in previous days.

We have our daughter, Fran and her boyfriend coming over for dinner later, so I decided to briskly walk my usual daily route, which I hadn't used throughout the whole 11 day holiday so far.  It was nice to do this route again.

 

Day 176 - 30 April 2011

Saturday
60 minutes' brisk walk

We had a lot to do today, so we were up early for an hour's brisk walk, then back for a shower, breakfast and then out to Bournemouth town centre for some serious retail therapy before going to see "Thor" at the cinema.

The Easter holidays have been bad for me in terms of what I've been eating.  Whilst I've been watching my weight, I've managed to avoid Easter eggs for the past 3 years.  But now I've got to my goal weight, paradoxically, I decided to eat what I wanted this holiday, but 'earn' my calories through daily exercising.

My problem has been that I haven't been accurately logging my intake...in fact, there were many days that I didn't bother logging anything at all (something highly unusual for me - I've been called 'anal' by more than one person, when I proudly state that I always fill in my food diary every single day, no matter what).  I don't think that this blip is a bad thing.  This is real life.  I know what to do.  I'm going by how my jeans are fitting me.  And the belt is still feeling quite loose, so I think that although I'm cutting it fine, I'm just about keeping within my limits.  I don't think I'll weigh myself for a little while yet though.  I may prefer to get a whole week of good eating in first!

Day 175 - 29 April 2011

Friday - Bank Holiday for the Royal Wedding
90 Minutes' brisk walking

It was the day of the Royal Wedding, so a good excuse to get some exercise in first.  Well....that HAD been the plan, but we overslept a little (finally getting out of bed at 7am!), so we decided to stay in, watch the whole lead up to the Wedding as well as the ceremony before hitting the roads at 2pm.

We briskly walked to Christchurch town centre and back again, which is such a lovely route for days when we have a bit more time on our hands and the sun in shining.

Christchurch Priory in the background

Well, at least that created some spare calories for those two hot cross buns I ate for breakfast!