Back on it!

There's nothing quite like a new year and a 95 mile run to help re-focus the mind!  Boom, here we go...I almost said 'again'...and while there is an element of it being the second time I'm going after the goblet, there has to be some things different about it this year.  As the saying goes, and I was reminded listening to the WHW podcast with Mike Raffan yesterday on my long run...'do what you've always done, get what you've always got'.

Cori looking for MtM on JBH

The main focus for January is sorting out the diet and getting back to following a plan for training.

Week 1..well, 11 days, has gone just fine!

A great run from Bridge of Orchy to Glencoe on 3rd Jan re-ignited the passion and awesomeness of WHW (that's when the photos were taken).  The conditions were perfect and the changing light gave me a great excuse to stop and take loads of pictures. I think it's one of my favourite stretches of the route.  Clark cycled in from Glencoe end and met us (me & Cori dog) at Ba Bridge.  I hardly saw a soul otherwise - just a handful of walkers and several herds of deer.  Perfect.

Healthy eating started on Monday when I went back to work and I'm using the myfitnesspal app for now to track what I'm doing.  I find keeping some sort of record motivates me to think twice about what I put in my mouth.  And I'm feeling the difference already (although not been on the scales yet...).

And as if trying to fit training (and resting) in around work, the inevitable winter has hit.  Yesterday's first long run of the year was teetering on the brink of not happening as the storm force blizzards rattled through.  I'd planned to stay close to home and do road miles though (to optimise the time available to recover afterwards), so decided to man up and do it in case today wasn't any better (which it's not much).  It wasn't pretty, it wasn't much fun and I made a few dumb-ass mistakes on fueling and kit.  I did manage to catch up on 2 podcasts though and didn't take the 'slightly easier' route choice, deciding that some more hills would do me good.  


Back to the point about changing up your training, I've also joined a running club to 'force' myself to do some hill reps/intervals/speed work...something that's 'hard' to do on your own and was lacking in last year's training (despite being in the plan).  So far, so good...it's tough going, but then that's the point!  The benefits will come!



And finally, the gym stuff..it's laughable how feeble some of my core efforts have been (Clark was wetting himself at my inability to plank, never mind side plank!), yet even after a few wee sessions I can see the difference...and you can't beat that shaky arm feeling after a wee bit of lifting!  I know the strength work will make a difference (and was another point from Mike's podcast yesterday about something that made a difference to him, so it's not just me saying it!)

It's kinda scary when you look at the diary and the training plan (and the big wall chart) and June seems REALLY close.  Key is remembering that it's only January and this is not the time for heroics (or panicking about what everyone else is doing).  I don't need to be 'ready' now, I need to be there in June, that's the only time that it will count.  Until then, taking little bite sized chucks and eating them all up!

I'm going to try and blog each week again this year to help me remember and track my progress.

Month to date: 
5 x strength/core training
3 x spin
5 x runs (46 miles)
1 x hilly hike

That's all folks....