A Good Plodder On-er

So all has been going well and I am running 5k three times a week. Compared to 40-50miles a week it is pretty paltry but it is progress.

I have had my third shockwave and this week it has been a bit more sore but hopefully just a bit of a blip.

I had a sore piriformus (bum muscle). So I used my massage gun to release it. Youtube (obviously the best medical advice) said that you needed to be aggressive in using a massage gun here as the affected muscle is quite deep. I think I need to remember that they are not directly advising me and that perhaps putting it on maximum until the battery went dead was not what they meant. I was quite bruised for a few days and sitting was a bit uncomfortable but it did seem to help the underlying problem so absolutely worth it

I am more motivated to go to the gym and I am increasing my time there and increasing my cycling too. There is a cat that stares and judges when you are using the weight room which is quite intimidating.

I tried a new class. The first time I did it there were only three other people and one of those was the instructor. I didn’t quite know what I was letting myself in for and I found out that it consists of a lot of burpees, mountain climbers, jumping lunges, squats and throwing a bar bell around. My co-ordination isn’t great which probably helped as in mucking up the moves I probably made it easier. I also managed to knock my head with the barbell which was quite painful, it reminded me of when we practiced with nunchucks in karate. My Sensei always gave me the kids rubber ones as he, for some unknown reason, didn’t think I could be trusted with the real things. Unfortunately there didn’t seem to be any rubber barbells and I didn’t think it was worth asking. I also did a class called abblast. I felt it was quite an alarming name but I am glad to report that I managed to finish without being blasted by anyone’s abs and mine still seemed intact at the end.

I have used the static bike and rowing machine in the cardio room. I really want to listen to an audiobook or podcast while doing this but I get drawn in by the real drivel on the telly at the front. I seem to be going at peak antique show time and I try to keep following my podcast while also finding out whether the family heirloom jug will make it’s reserve at auction. I often leave being confused about the outcome of both.

The downside of using the cardio room and a class is that you have to sign in again if you arrive 30mins or more before your class. I have now been blacklisted for not showing up for classes three times, I did forget to go to one as I thought it was cancelled when I went to check the time and another one I realised too late that I had booked it but mostly it’s because I forgot to sign in again. The staff seem to know who I am now and re-instate me without question. Would be better to be known for my extreme fitness and determination rather than the idiot who can’t remember what she is doing. They sometimes seem to find it hard to maintain the professional straight face but they are very nice about it.

I have cycled to work another couple times. Once I foolishly brought in a leaving gift for a colleague without thinking about how I was transporting it. It was a glass and I didn’t consider bubble wrap but just tossed it in my saddle bag which gets pretty bashed about as and I bump over potholes and squeeze through narrow gaps. I did give full warning as she opened it but luckily it was in one piece and I did not give her glass splinters as a goodbye and good luck. My cycling is improving (very, very slowly) although I have been spotted by work colleagues and even nearly incited a road rage incident as my slow ascent up a hill brought traffic to a near standstill. She insists that she was angry about the driver ahead not overtaking when there was plenty of room but she did also note that I was going so slowly I was wobbling so maybe his reticence was understandable.

I was discussing upcoming booked races with my daughter. There is Southampton Marathon on 7th April and South Downs 50 miles (with strict cut offs) on Sat 13th April. My daughter suggested doing the half marathon which is easy enough as it is a two loop course so could just go round the once. She also strongly advised cancelling the 50miler but they are 9 and 10 weeks away and I was thinking that if I got to 10k next week, 10 miles the week after I’d maybe be in with a shot, especially if I keep the cross training going. My daughter seems sceptical but that is not dampening my enthusiasm (I may not mention my plan to the physio. Why ask the professional who you are paying to get you back to peak form if you might not like the answer?).

Boo, our faulty foster kitten is still with us. She has managed not to prolapse her bum again and is doing spectacular poos. All she needs to do now is grow. She does have a bit of a death wish as she likes to run underneath the step I use to do my strength exercises on but otherwise things are looking more positive for her.

My mood has improved which has improved my motivation which has improved my exercise which has improved my mood. It’s much better to be in this positive spiral than the reverse. It is also easy to get complacent and not do all the things I do to keep myself on the right side of sanity or to panic at every little blip that things will crash down again. For me there is nothing like running to uplift and also calm me and my next big goal is getting back out on the trails. Races are fun and motivating but, for me, the biggest goal is always the journey. I have even had the motivation to get all the muddy dog towels out of the car and wash them. I also discovered that a banana peel does not look it’s best after a cycle through the washing machine.

Till next time folks.