The Good Mood Cookbook

Oryx

Saturday is run day, and at 5.30am I was lying in bed listening to wind and rain, and thinking... here we go again. The rain had eased by the time I got out, but the wind was gusty as hell. Headtorch and all that, more pitch dark puddly running. Did a 90 minute out and back that turned into 94, hey ho... my feet ached all the way. I need new shoes. Not a good run by any means, tired and heavy. 17.25k.

And since Ive had to spend most of today stretching my gawdammed feet... shoes are now ordered. Happy Christmas to me.

Oryx

Rode my bike yesterday. 1 hr at z2, 2x 30 mins @ z3 with 15 mins ez between and a final hour using up whatever energy was left. The ride ended with a few miles of full on sprinting with my cycling buddy and it was haaard. Neither of us giving in, playing chicken as we got to a roundabout seeing who would pull up first It was 3h11 and I couldnt do another 4 mins. I was toast.

Today I was given a crazy swim, and it was a rush to find the time and get to the pool with a bare 2hrs to spare... and it was closed. Power cut. Shiit. It did open as I got there for a bare 1h45 mins. So I didnt muck about:
1000 wu
20x 50 asstd drills
5 x200 pb + pad on 4.30
400 fc first 25 of each 100 sprint
200 kick
200 sd
3.8k, roughly 1.35 mins. Time for a quick shower before I was turfed out. Its amazing how being tight for time can focus you

Oryx

Todays run was hill reps, but the set was 6 mins 'on' with 2 mins rec. Given that I was doing this outdoors I needed a hill roughly 4k long to do it properly, and I didnt have that. So I did the best I could with the shorter hill I had. I was supposed to run the intervals by hr but my monitor was playing silly buggers and misreading all over the place. Oh, and it was dark, wet and blowing a gale. So this may not have been the best, most accurate run I've ever done. 10k. 57 mins.

Oryx

I was supposed to turbo yesterday but I was a bit under the weather so ditched it for a sofa. Well it is Christmas I did get out at a stormy 7am for a run with Mr Nutribullet, who thankfully was in better form today than last time. 57 minutes with the latter half into the wind.

Dory Dory

Merry Christmas ultra-iron-hoochie-supreme! I hope Santa squeezed down your chimney!

Oryx

Dory Dory wrote: »

Merry Christmas ultra-iron-hoochie-supreme! I hope Santa squeezed down your chimney!

He did! Its greeeeeen

Dilbert75

Merry Christmas Oryx!

Oryx

Merry Christmas Dil!!

I did my traditional Christmas day run in bucketing rain and in the spirit of the season I embraced the weather and sploshed through every single puddle along the way. My runners were squishy, i was soaked to my underwear and I had so-ho-ho much fun. I coulda been Dory

I even laughed out loud when I jumped into the verge to avoid traffic, only to slide all the way into the ditch with my arms flailing. I hope the people driving by laughed too.

Around 7.5k in 43 minutes.

Happy Christmas!

Dilbert75

Haha - myself and Mrs. D did 5.5k this morning in the sideways rain (she's now 6 days from a continuous 1-year runstreak so we couldn't not do it). Felt great coming in afterwards though.

Oryx

This morning I did my annual Christmas charity dip in the sea and oh my god it was fun. The waves were massive and kept knocking me over, I eventually got the hang of diving through them. It was cold but refreshing rather than painful and I laughed more than I have in weeks. Joyful.

Tonight was an hour on the turbo. Delayed by visitors but finally done. Now, theres a bottle of wine needs emptying

Oryx

Today more festive fun at the Duncannon turkey burner 5k. I don't know about turkeys but my lungs burned. Im not built for short and sharp! Set off far too hot and was in puke zone on the first lap of the village . Pace dropped on lap 2 but came back a little for the final loop. I lacked the oomph to really push, shows Im still missing that top gear. Came in on 21.01 3rd woman but way off no's 1 and 2. A fun, torturous blast.

Dilbert75

That's a great time for that course. Good job K.

Dory Dory

Dilbert75 wrote: »

That's a great time for that course. Good job K.

So it's a tough course then?

Oryx

Dory Dory wrote: »

So it's a tough course then?

Nah . Have you run it Dil?

Dory Dory

Oryx wrote: »

Nah . Have you run it Dil?

Maybe not tough for you, Ms. Ultra-Iron-Hoochie-doo!!! Well done, no matter!!

Dilbert75

Oryx wrote: »

Nah . Have you run it Dil?

Maybe it's not the one I'm thinking of so - up the hill past the church? In any case 21:01 for a 5k is not too shabby.

Oryx

Dilbert75 wrote: »

Maybe it's not the one I'm thinking of so - up the hill past the church? In any case 21:01 for a 5k is not too shabby.

3 times around the town.

Dilbert75

Ah.... Still....

Oryx

Easy spin time on the bike today. 2hrs ride time with coffee in the middle of course. 47.7k. It was blustery out, sometimes it helped sometimes it made you work. Rained all the way back but I'm so used to that now I think I'd miss it if it stayed dry.

Am a bit tired this week, I think its just Christmas does that

Oryx

Swim today. Repeat of a set I did just a week or so ago.
600 wu
6 x 50 polo/fc
400 alt hard ez every 50
6 x 50 one arm
400 alt hard ez every 50
800 ez focus on stroke

Took 75 mins. Messed around with my very patient kids afterwards and managed to kick an innocent swimmer in the face. Thus I discovered I can swim nearly all the way down the pool underwater.

Dilbert75

Oryx wrote: »

...managed to kick an innocent swimmer in the face. Thus I discovered I can swim nearly all the way down the pool underwater.

That was YOU???










Only messing....

Oryx

Last day of the year. Last training of the year. I went to my happy run place - Curracloe beach - for a dawn run to mark the day. Set off on the trail and then branched on to the beach to come back. What I didnt allow for was the effect storm Frankie-baby had on the strand. The banks were eroded, taking trees with it, the shore was full of debris, and the tide was full in. It turned my run into a scrambling jumping sliding obstacle course dodging the waves (not always successfully) and clambering over tree trunks. I got wet feet, wet everything actually, but it was pure fun. As I got back to more solid ground a thunderstorm struck. Then the hailstones came. It was biblical. Painful stinging brainfreeze all the way back but I was crying with laughter cos it was so ridiculous. An epic end to a cocked up year.

career move

Happy new year ... hope you stay healthy and have lots of success

Neady83

Happy New Year Oryx, wishing you lots and lots of amazing early o clock training sessions in 2016 (I'm always very jealous of how early you can get up & get going), many podium finishes and most of all, a year of good health and happiness

Dory Dory

Here's to 2016 being the best for you in every way!!! Whoop whoop!!

Oryx

Guess what?! Yeah I went running in the dark again. New year. Same story. It rained too. Not the best run, struggling these days. 16.85k in 1h30 or so.

Dilbert75

You getting enough good-quality sleep?

Oryx

Dilbert75 wrote: »

You getting enough good-quality sleep?

Ummmmmmm...... eh... yes?

Dilbert75

Oryx wrote: »

Ummmmmmm...... eh... yes?

Fair enough. In my experience sleep is an easy one to get out of control, especially over Christmas when other routines go by the wayside. I rarely notice it myself until I've already ended up drained and it takes a few days of early nights to recover my energy levels.

Oryx

Dilbert75 wrote: »

Fair enough. In my experience sleep is an easy one to get out of control, especially over Christmas when other routines go by the wayside. I rarely notice it myself until I've already ended up drained and it takes a few days of early nights to recover my energy levels.

I was being slightly ironic. I haven't had many late nights, not my style... but sleep quality with kids and dogs and early starts is always mixed.