It has Started

Well here it is, Juneathon. I've only done a Janathon, and whilst it was 'fun' (not sure if that's really the right word), it was marred by the fact that is was dark, damp and cold. Juneathon on the other hand is supposed to be bright, sunny, and warm (maybe to warm) - that is unless you're completely unorganised and don't go out until10pm, then its definitely dark, a bit of a chill, and damp misty rain - but that's my fault, for going out 18 hours later than originally planned.

So my plans for Juneathon

• Better Janathons 200km
• Add in some body weight exercises each day
• Eat sensibly/healthily - no calorie counting/points watching etc
• Decrease my weight/measurements.
• Get my wife and two sons on the Couch to 5k programme

So to do this I need/want to

• Run 60km a week
• Have created a workout incorporating some Tribesport Challenges (25crunches, 25squats, 10pushups, 1min plank, 25crunches, 1min wall squat, 10tricep dips, 10 burpees, 25 crunches, 10 push ups) This may evolve but want to stay with this minimum
• Cut out biscuits, sweets, cakes, beer etc eat more salad for lunch than Gregg's etc
• I have done my weight and measurements, and have them on my before photos. I would put them up but they ain't pretty, maybe after if there's enough improvement - 13st4lb(1st4lb less than when I started running) and 42inches around the bellybutton line
• Have got the App on her phone and shown them the run walk splits for the first couple of weeks

Well that'll do for now as I seem to be in to midnight blogging on day one and I have to up in 4hrs.

So 1st of Juneathon
5km in 24:47  starting at 2157 on 01/06/12

Total 5km

Day 1 Jogged Logged and Blogged

Feb-Ab-ulous

Well Janathon is over, and I now know I can run. Am I going win races, or break records- not at the moment, not ever really, but then I'm not running for the glory, I'm running for me. I'm running cos I can, cos I want to, cos it will do me good, and I haven't been good to me for a long long time.
The years of not being good to myself has resulted in a large belly (proportionately) and an unwanted pair of moobs, I'm around 14 stone, but my belly is 42in at its roundest. So whilst the running and a better diet (not great nor strictly monitored, just better) are doing a good job by burning calories and not putting as many in, what they aren't doing is toning the upper half of my body, where my least favourites parts are.
.........and so that is my I have decided on Feb-Ab-ulous. Now this isn't going to be like Janathon, there will be no daily jogging logging and blogging, with hundreds of others, just me trying to deal with the larger parts of me.
Initially it will involve me doing at least 8min Abs daily, this is a cheesy early nineties workout that I came across through a Tribesports Challenge. Although its quite funny at first, it also has the desired affect, and still means that I can continue with my fitness efforts with out joining a gym, and paying some one else to tell me what to do. There are a few other workouts with the 8 min gang (Stretches, arm, buns & legs) and so if time permits I will do these as well, particularly the arms as that will help the moobs too, then follow up with a few press ups and the odd plank. The abs daily is my target/challenge to myself, but I'll do it more often and more of the others too, as well as running 3 times a week at a initial 30km a week )1x 5km, 1x 10km 1x15km), with the intention to build on those distances as I need to get myself to half marathon distance by April. I may even dabble with interval runs, and some of the other styles of training, if I feel like it, but that is what I like about 'my training plan' there is no real plan, I will do what I want, when I want because I can.

Now with that, the sun is out and the temperature is just above freezing (+2c I think) and so I have a run to do TTFN, see you when I have something vaguely interesting to share.

I'll leave you with 'the gang'

4th of Janathon 2012

Hello one and all

Well with only 4 hrs sleep, a run before work was still not on the cards, but I thought as I had the car, I'd pack my running gear and maybe find somewhere different to run either at work or on the way home (Dulwich looks popular with runners, and seem to be a huge park, always see people running there) but as I was leaving work, it start to rain and was dark already so didn't fancy finding a new route in a dark park, so I thought I'd leave it until I got home, and hope that the rain would stop.
Once back home, I was sitting in the car outside the train station waiting for the wife (Pete  has made an improvement for those who read yesterdays post), and the weather had taken a considerable turn for the worse, and was resembling yesterday mornings storms, whilst waiting for her train I flicked through Twitter looking at #Janathon and thought it has to be done, no giving up, no indoor sessions (well not yet anyway).
Grabbed the kids from my Mums and had some dinner there too, got the usual abuse from my brother for running, and doing stuff like this, though he has been saying he'll come with me for a couple of months now and keeps giving different excuses - so I have plenty of ground to abuse him back.
So once finally back at my own house, it was now gone 8pm, the wind had dropped slightly, but the rain was still falling, "I need to go out" said I, "Your mad, but you need to or you'll fail"said wifey - At last she is starting to understand the crazy mindset that I am developing as a runner.

As I set out, I thought I need to get  high viz stuff, as tonight I looked more like a ninja than a runner, black hat, black jacket, black shorts, black tights, it was only the white socks and trainers that gave it away, and they weren't very white after the footpath at 1km!
I was more worried about trench foot then any muscle problems tonight
About half way round the rain stopped and it was like the last three days, just chilly and wet underfoot.

So that's today's run done, roll on tomorrow, where I can get a longer run in during daylight - this month is really going to help with my Tribesports challenges (7 day streak, 100km in a month, and a good start for 1000km in a year plus many more I'm sure) and I'm sure it's won't do my half marathon training any harm - either that or I'll never walk again!!

So thats day 4 done

5.14k in 30:07 starting at 2112 on 04/01/12

Day 4 Jogged Logged and Blogged