Tag: half marathon

Weekly Workouts

Weekly Workouts

by TartanJogger ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

What a beautiful week, with glorious sunshine and warmer temperatures. It has really felt like spring has sprung as we mark one year since lockdown and restrictions began. I had a little more space in my diary to get some exercise in, so here’s what I did.

Monday-

I had a meeting finish early which meant I had time to fit in a lunchtime run. The weather was lovely, with some light cloud overhead so I thought I’d squeeze in a trail run. I headed to Kintarbert Forest and did the hill and loop there. It was a lovely start to the week!

Later I was also able to join Jacqui’s Fitness Pilates class which was just lovely.

Distance: 3.4m

Time: 45m 19s

Elevation: 630ft

Pace: 13.19/m

Wednesday-

After a busy day on Tuesday when I managed no time for a run, walk or class I was determined to get a decent run in. Working from home gives a little flexibility around this and so I set out to run four miles. But both my legs and my head needed a little more, and so I ended up running 10k instead. Lockdown life isn’t always bad!

Distance: 6.2m

Time: 1h 8m 14s

Elevation: 433ft

Pace: 11/m

Thursday-

After work, we headed out for a walk, to make the most of the remaining sunshine, and I’m very glad we did, it was such a beautiful evening! It took longer than usual as we kept stopping and talking!🤣

Distance: 3.96m

Friday-

I had a wee gap on Friday and squeezed in a three miler, which was slightly faster than I thought it would be!

Distance: 3.01m

Time: 31m 10s

Elevation: 36ft

Pace: 10.21/m

Sunday-

We were up early and on the trail before 7am with a plan! As 21/3/21 is World Down Syndrome Day, we thought we’d walk 21k to celebrate and mark it. Diversity and inclusion is so important for so many people and we need to celebrate and raise the profile of those who need our support.

Distance: 13.66m

Elevation: 1,654ft

Not a bad way to end the week!

Wednesday Wisdom

Wednesday Wisdom

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Monday Motivation

Monday Motivation

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Happy Easter! I’ve had a wonderful weekend- how about you?

I was still getting over my chest infection this week so my activity levels haven’t been back to normal yet, but I am getting there. Meanwhile my eating has been, well, far from ideal – but I’m really not worried about it. Back on track between now and Florida 😉

Monday: travelling back from our trip away, but we did get a walk in. Nothing else.

Tuesday: back at class- yes! Sculpt was great, it’s tough, challenging, but feels very good indeed. That was followed by Trigger Point Pilates, which was ace.

Wednesday: back to Jog Scotland and it was my first run in 10 days. We ran for 40 minutes, which was around 3.6 miles. Thoroughly enjoyed it, and boy did I need it!

Thursday: a walk in Lochgilphead

Friday: three hours of gardening- I’m counting it!

Saturday: a walk to and from Portavadie as well as a lovely day in the Spa there

Sunday: a trip to Gigha, so we enjoyed a fab walk around the island

All in all, I still have a way to go to get back to my previous fitness levels before my chest infection, but a bank holiday 10k run today has helped to boost my confidence with that.

And here’s something I’m reminding myself of:

Have a good week!

Monday Motivation

Monday Motivation

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Well, that was some week! I’ve been away at the lovely Heythrop Park for work, so I’ve missed some classes but I’ve run in some new places, so there’s a pay off. I’ve also been dealing with a cold, which has improved as the week progressed, thankfully. Here’s how my week worked out.

Monday: after Sunday’s 10k I was still a little tired, but very much looking forward to Core Conditioning. Due to ongoing roadworks we had only one class but it was a good one. I definitely felt that I had made progress and felt a little stronger. Happy!

Tuesday: the roadworks were still playing havoc with class plans so again instead of two classes, we had one – Sculpt. I moved up the intensity of my bands and it was tough! But again, for the second night I felt like I was progressing. As we didn’t have TPP I did some myself when I got home just to keep the niggles under control.

Wednesday: we kicked off Jog Scotland’s new block with a 35 minute run. The training is a little different this time around as we’re doing the 10k training programme for those running the Mull of Kintyre 10k in late May. I’m happy to go with it as each week we’ll be building distance. We saw a stunning double rainbow on what what a lovely evening!

Thursday: a full day of traveling meant that I had no time for meaningful exercise but I did fit in a short walk before the CEDAbond dinner and awards. It was a good night of networking.

Friday: I was up at 6am for an early run around the grounds at Heythrop Park before a full day’s conference. I saw the sun rise and I had the grounds to myself. I did keep stopping to take photos as the sky was stunning.

Saturday: after the previous evening’s gala dinner and awards I was still up early for another run exploring the grounds before leaving. I headed in a different direction and came upon the most amazing hill- so I just had to run up it!

Afterwards, we headed to do some shopping at Bicester Village before we drove home.

Sunday: knowing that the Birmingham Half Marathon was a week away I wanted to get a final decent LSR done, but not one that was too long. I headed out planning on doing something like 8 miles. It was a tough run, but by 10k I was feeling ok so pushed it a little. I did 9 miles at a surprisingly decent pace.

All in all, I’m happy with that. Week one of my 5×50 Challenge is done, and I’m looking forward to seeing what next week brings. I’m away again to another conference this week, heading off to South Wales on Wednesday, but on the way back we’re diverting for a couple of reasons, including the Birmingham Half Marathon.

If you’re struggling to get out there, here’s your motivation for this week:

Make it a good one!

Monday Motivation

Monday Motivation

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It’s been another busy weekend here in Tarbert, with lots going on. After having a bit of a blow out last weekend, I’ve been firmly back on track this week and this weekend. Here’s how it shaped up for me:

Monday: back to class- yay! We were back at Core Conditioning which I loved, but it was so tough after some time off. Everything ached, but in a good way. We then had Veraflow which I’ve been really enjoying. It’s a lovely class!

Tuesday: I did three lots of activity, starting with a lunchtime trail run. I hadn’t run in three days and my legs were feeling rested. I made it all the way up the hill this week with no stopping, and I continued along the trail for a little further than I had before. Loved it!

I followed that up after work with a return to Sculpt. I dropped my bands down a little and focussed on form and reps which was great. Next up was Trigger Point Pilates and my body felt so much better afterwards.

Wednesday: I was away in Glasgow so wasn’t at Jog Scotland. I did manage a short run from the SEC to Glasgow Green and back, though. The cherry blossom was lovely!

Thursday: rest day. I had planned an early morning run, but since the hotel fire alarm went off at 3am I was tired so gave it a miss!

Friday: I headed out for a run, planning 3-4 miles. I felt good and ended up doing 4.8 miles, so I was pretty happy with that!

Saturday: we had Fèis all day, so although it was a rest day I easily managed over 10,000 steps!

Sunday: I was planning a run- the morning was promising with sunshine, but a few heavy showers were creeping in. I headed out, planning to do 9 miles. The first four miles were fab, with glorious sunshine, then the rain and the hail swept in. The last 6 miles were challenging with very strong winds on top of the wet weather but my legs felt really strong, all be it very wet! I pushed a little and ran 10 miles but kept my pace steady and slow. When I finished I felt I could do more, so that’s a good sign.

I had rejigged my training plan as I had decided during the week to sign up for a half marathon that fitted reasonably well with my training plan for the Kintyre Way Relay. My original run this weekend was a cut back run of 10k. I figured that a longer run this week and possibly next week means I can cut back the following week in anticipation of the Birmingham Half Marathon, and will fit better with my work plans in the coming weeks.

At the moment I’m feeling positive and that my training is on track 👍🏻. Being kinder to myself in this training cycle is working!

Whether you are struggling or feeling strong, here’s your motivation for this week:

Have a good one!

Monday Motivation

Monday Motivation

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How on earth did we reach the middle of February already? 2019, please slow down!

I’ve had a good week again, staying on track up to the weekend. Here’s a quick rundown of my activity for last week:

Monday: walk. I had a meeting in Glasgow and so I knew that I wasn’t going to make it to class. Instead, I was sure to get enough steps in for the day.

Tuesday: a triple activity day which made up for the day before – Alison and I had another lunchtime trail run. It was sunny and mild, and I made progress, running slightly farther up the hill than before.

In the evening I enjoyed Sculpt- I upped my resistance bands for every exercise and Jacqui upped some of the reps, so it was a real challenge. After, we had Trigger Point Pilates, working into shoulders in particular.

Wednesday: back to Jog Scotland- and we did lamp post sprints this week. 10 mins warm up jog, 10 mins sprints, 10 mins cool down. Loved it!

Thursday: it was Valentine’s Day but we still had class to go to! Jacqui ran a special PiYo Candlelight Flow class which was beautiful. And she had a rose for each of us to take home at the end, it was lovely! 🌹

Friday: It was an early start and a full on day in Edinburgh to see Les Miserables. I kept my eating on track but didn’t do much by way of exercise.

Saturday: we spent the day in Edinburgh, and while there we walked. A lot. One example – We walked through Prince St Gardens, then up the zig-zagging hill to Edinburgh Castle, then we walked the length of the Royal Mile to Holyrood Palace. And lots more besides!

Sunday: rest. Travelling home and getting organised for the week was my priority.

I was this pic on Reece Witherspoon’s Instagram during the week, and I really need to share it as today’s motivation:

Have a wonderful week!

Monday Motivation 

Monday Motivation 

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Well, last week this happened:And it was even more amazing than I thought it would be! The run was by far one of the most scenic with plenty of distractions and I loved it! It wasn’t fast, it wasn’t pretty but it was lots of fun. We dressed up in Nightmare Before Christmas inspired costumes and just went with the whole relaxed atmosphere. 

Since we got back from Paris, we did PiYo and VeraFlow and also had a short run on Saturday. This week I’m getting back into my routine with classes and runs too. I’ve also signed up for a few other runs: the Mo- Run, the Great Winter Run, the Great Edinburgh Run and the Great Scottish Run too. I also have my eye on the Rock and Roll Liverpool half marathon, too- eek! Looks like I have several runs to keep me busy for the next wee while! 

As I reflect on the Disneyland Paris half, I’m very pleased with what we did. It was our slowest half marathon by far, but I’m ok with that. I’m hoping that the shorter goals this winter might help sharpen up the speed a little but I’ve definitely made me peace that a quick pace is not something I need to be worried about. As Meb says:

 Have a wonderful week!

Monday Motivation

Monday Motivation

by TartanJogger ♥ 4 Comments

Hello, there, blog readers. How are you?

This past week has whizzed in, and in a week’s time, the inaugural Disneyland Paris Half Marathon will be all over. I feel that I’ve been waiting for this event for so long – and suddenly it’s approaching far too quickly!

Training last week went really well, with Body Conditioning, PiYo and another VeraFlow session. I also did a very comfortable 5k and 10k, so I reckon I’m about ready for race day as I can be.

We’ve also done all of the rest the prep: we’re packed, we have all of the waivers and forms printed and signed, Euros ordered and flights checked in. Roll on Saturday morning!

This week, I’m keeping training very light: I have Body Conditioning tonight and I’ll also do a couple more 5k runs – nothing strenuous, keeping everything gentle at this stage. I’ll be missing PiYo and VeraFlow on Thursday, though, which I’m sad about – I love these classes so much! But it’s only for one week. I’ll be back for some post-race recovery next week.

What do you have planned this week? Any training scheduled? Remember this – it’s how I think I’ll be phrasing Sunday’s run in my head:

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Have a brilliant week!

 

Monday Motivation

Monday Motivation

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Welcome to a wet, windy Monday here on the west coast of Scotland. After a lovely, sunny and warm weekend, I’m looking out of the window to a deluge of water and some decidedly autumnal winds. Urgh! Looks like summer may be over!

How was your weekend?

I had a lovely time – Tony’s parents were visiting, and we spent the day on Saturday at Portavadie, using the fabulous spa facilities (yes, again). It’s very relaxing, with stunning landscapes across Loch Fyne. Even the sauna has a stunning view. Needless to say, I’m planning my next trip already….

My last run was back on Tuesday, but I’ve managed to walk a fair bit, and I also had PiYo and Veraflow classes, back to back, on Thursday. You all know that I love PiYo, but Veraflow was new to me. It was our instructor, Jacqui’s first time teaching it, and it was good fun!

The warm up involved latin-style dance steps, combined with some gentle stretching. Actually, that sums up the class well, too – lots of lovely stretches with fun dance-style routines that I’m hoping I might get to grips with after a few weeks 😉 I’m not the most co-ordinated person, as many of you will know.

Tonight, I’m off to Body Conditioning again – I worked hard at last week’s class, so much so that my DOMS lasted though until Saturday! 😮 I’m looking forward to feelin’ the burn again tonight – though I might have to make sure I don’t take it too far. I’ll then pull on my trainers again tomorrow night, Wednesday night and again on Saturday – we’re less than two weeks away from the Disneyland Paris half marathon – eek!

Here’s a little something to get you started this week, if you are struggling:

22motivation-fitness-quotes

Have an ace week 🙂

Monday Motivation 

Monday Motivation 

by TartanJogger ♥ 1 Comment

Hello, did you miss me last Monday? We had visitors, so I didn’t post. We had a wonderful weekend with Neil, Ange and Harry which included a lovely walk around Skipness and a luxurious visit to Portavadie Marina’s Spa. It was bliss! 

I was back at PiYo this week which felt great after a few weeks off, I really needed the stretch and the workout. I’ve also been running, culminating in a long, slow run on Saturday. @TheWelshWookie and I did eleven miles along the Crinan canal. The weather forecast was for rain, but it didn’t appear so we ran in sunshine for most of the way. It felt really good to get such a steady run under our belts. With Disneyland Paris’ inaugural half marathon in three weeks time it was just what we needed. We spent time this weekend making the arrangements for our trip- I’m really looking forward to it!

Tonight, I had a Body Conditioning class which was tough but ace! It has been years since I did a body conditioning class- in years gone by I did body conditioning and Body Max so it felt good to exercise my body in a different way. Suffice to say that my arms are so tired that I struggled to pick up my cup of tea this evening! 😮 

This really helped me to push through tonight during the class:  Gie it laldy if you can! Have a good week!