Nurse...NURSE!!!!

On the way to Mum & dad's on Saturday I had a bit of a cough starting up, which I though was just from the all cold air from my run earlier...guess again!! By Saturday evening, it had turned in to quite a bad cough and my head was pounding. I woke up on Sunday and felt like an elephant had slept on my head all night!!

I got up and showered but there was no way I was going to manage a run of any sort, let alone an 8 miler. I've have been dosing up on Lemsip cold and flu ever since but I don't think I'll be running again before Christmas...gutted, no really I am! I was going to give the 8 miler a go tomorrow but I have been warned by my Mum & Tracey that I'll be in trouble with them
if I do...so I'm not messing with them!!

So that's it for now people, I'm done for the Christmas break and will resume my training after Christmas.

Have a very Merry Christmas :)

Happy Crimbo - part 1!!

Up at 0810 today so I had a bit of a lay in which was nice. This morning saw a slight change to the normal routine...no spandex! I only have one clean set of spandex which I need for tomorrow's 8 miler so today I was back in old school shorts and T-shirt.

It was quite a nice morning this morning, fresh and crisp...and I ran in daylight too!! I completed the 3 miles in 26 minutes and 13 seconds which is only 5 seconds slower than Tuesdays time...which I'm putting down to the loss of aerodynamics from not wearing spandex!! Haha

Not only am I running the furthest I've ever run before tomorrow, but I will be running an unfamiliar route as we're having a Christmas Day at Mum & Dad's today and staying over. That should be an interesting run with a belly full of turkey and Crimbo pud!! :)

No snoozing

I really didn't want to do today's run. I woke up at 0600 still very tired and the thought of a 4 mile run made me just want to curl up under the duvet even more!!

I had no time to "snooze" this morning because I had one more mile than usual to do. So I was up at 0600 and into the bathroom to freshen up and run my cold bath for when I get back. Shaved, washed and changed and I was out the door.

I had to remember to turn left at the top of the road today instead of right...left for long runs, right for up to 3 miles!! So first mission accomplished, I was going in the right direction!! It wasn't cold this morning, it actually felt quite mild which made a nice change. But it was still pitch black though, and felt like the middle of the night.

I didn't enjoy the run today, maybe because I was just a bit too tired. However I managed to get it all done in 33 minutes 56 seconds which is about 8 and a half minutes a mile so I'm pleased with the end result at least!! Next is 3 miles on Sunday before I attempt an 8 miler on Sunday for the first time ever. Something tells me that Sunday's scone will be the best ever after that!!

Day off...what's that then?

I'm off work today so I have a day of rest planned...but there was a 3 mile run to deal with first.

The alarm was set for 0600 and I was up, washed and dressed before leaving the house at 0630. I opened the front door and BANG...the cold just hit me! It was freezing today, but three miles had to be done and they were, in 26 minutes and 8 seconds which I think is my quickest time yet.

I'm almost halfway through my training plan and it's absolutely flown by so far. I think as the longer runs kick in it may not seem so quick though!! I have completed 37 training runs only missing 1 with a bruised heel and although I'm not losing any real weight, my wobbly bits are a little less wobbly!!

Next on the agenda is a Thursday 4 miler so until then, I'm putting my feet up!

He's behind you!!!

If my life was a Christmas pantomime, I would play the back end of the donkey!!!

I got up at 0800 after "snoozing" for half an hour this morning. I had a slice of toast and jam this morning because I was a bit hungry when I woke up and didn't fancy running on an empty stomach. So, hunger satisfied, spandex on, knee straps on, video camera on from the bedroom window and I was off for my second 7 miler.

It was foggy this morning and what I would describe as "fresh" as opposed to cold. It was a steady run today, which is the most important thing for the longer runs. However, you'll remember that last week my watch said 3 minutes 41 seconds when I finished so this week I wanted to make sure I got an accurate time to see how I'm progressing.

I reached the halfway point and did a time check...30 minutes 24 seconds...not bad so far. But here comes my qualification for the role of the back end of a donkey...I got back to the house with 7 miles done and dusted, checked my watch and it said...3 minutes 21 seconds!! I couldn't believe it, surely I couldn't have knocked my watch at exactly the same time as last week?!?! No of course not...the answer was simple...I have a 60 minute stopwatch!!!!!!! When it reaches 60 minutes, it starts again from zero!!! Doh!!!! So last week I did my run in 63 minutes 41 seconds with this week's run done in 63 minutes 21 seconds. That means I am averaging about 9 minutes a mile for my longer runs which is very pleasing.

Next week sees me scheduled to do 3 miles on Tuesday and Saturday, 4 miles on Thursday and an 8 miler...yes 8 miles...on Sunday. The schedule starts to get intense now, with only 2 attempts at each long run before it increases again...game on!!

For now though, it's scone time (Oh no it isn't) Oh yes it is!!!!! :)

Got a paddle?

Ok so I get home from work and it's still raining but I think to myself..it's only rain, I will only be in it for about half an hour so get to it!!

I ran my bath and got in to my spandex and waterproof top and left the house. The run started well...until I got to a HUGE flood in the road and pavement...it was so big I couldn't get through it!!! So I only managed part of the run today but I guess something is better than nothing!!!

Tomorrow sees me do my 2nd 7 miler and hopefully this time I will have a time for you too!!!

Rain Stopped Play

When the alarm went at 0700 this morning, I didn't even have to get out of bed...I could hear the wind and rain anyway!! It was hammering down so I decided not to run this morning as I couldn't see the benefit of running through that.

I'll do the run this afternoon, weather permitting, so watch this space :)

AM to PM

I decided to stay in bed an extra hour or so this morning and do the run this evening because I was just so tired!

So I got in from work about 19:35 and ran my cold bath, put the potatoes in the oven, turned on the heating and got in to my spandex before leaving the house for my 3 mile run. It was cold again tonight but not the coldest it's been so I just got on with it. Three quarters of the way around and just as I checked for traffic before crossing the road (all was clear) I caught my toe on the ground and nearly went "a" over "t"...I really am on a mission to do myself in!!!

The run was complete in 26 minutes 26 seconds tonight which is consistent with what I've been doing for 3 miles so I'm pleased with my training so far. 3 more miles on Saturday and then my second 7 miler on Sunday.

Raffle tickets are now on sale for the Brentford Football match, at a cost of £1 each - but buying a book of 5 tickets for £5 would be even better though!! To buy tickets for the raffle, please let me know in the comments section on here. The draw will take place on 09/02/2009 which means the winner will be able to choose from the following games:

• Port Vale
• Bury
• Barnet
• Wycombe
• Gillingham
• Exeter
• Accrington
• Luton

We're now up to £455 raised so far so a big thank you to everyone who has sponsored me...and for those that haven't yet, you can join the fun at www.justgiving.com/runneradams :)

Come on you Bees!!

This morning was tough...tough getting out of bed! The alarm went at 0600...then 0610...then again at 0620 before I dragged myself out of my pit. My bath was run from last night so it was a shave and a wash before getting in to my super hero spandex gear for today's run of 3 miles.

I found myself stalling, finding extra little things to do this morning because I really didn't want to go out in the cold!! But I did...eventually...and completed the run in 26 minutes 24 seconds. I managed to do the whole run safely, 3 miles with no accidents. I got to the end of the run, which finished outside the local shop, and started to walk back the short distance home and nearly ended up flat on my face after doing a heel slide on a frosty drain cover!!!!! I'm a walking disaster!!

The bath was a little too full this morning and the cold water was halfway up my back which took my breath away even more than usual. Still, I keep telling myself it's doing me good! I did my five minutes before thawing out with a nice hot shower. I've decided to stay in a hotel near Silverstone the night before the actual run so I'm not travelling up that morning...a two hour car journey's maybe not the best preparation for a 13.1 mile trot!!

I want to say a massive THANK YOU to Brentford Football club today. I received a letter from them on Friday as I had written to them asking for help with my fund raising (I chose Brentford as I was on their books as a school boy) and they have donated 2 Adult and 2 Child tickets to a Coca-Cola League game between now and the remainder of the season...FANTASTIC!! So watch this space for details of the raffle tickets :) And read the match report from the programme (below) from my game for Brentford against the mighty Tottenham!!

Have you got the time?

Firstly, Tracey was out with the girls last night and picked up this Christmas hat. One of the girls said that if I post a pic of me in the hat and spandex she will donate another £10...so this one's for you!!

So today was my first 7 miler and according to my stop watch, I did it in 3 minutes and 48 seconds!!! Something went very wrong there me thinks!! So I have no idea what time I did the run in but the main thing is I did it from start to finish without stopping at all so I'm very pleased.

It was cold and frosty this morning so again the spandex saved the day and kept me warm. I was up at 0730 and out at 0800 to get the run over and done with so I could start looking forward to my tea and scone as soon as possible...creature of habit! When I got back in I had my cold bath as usual but this morning my feet felt numb with the cold. The hot shower that followed just felt like the best ever.

So, with my first 7 miler done I'll be following it up with three 3 miler's across Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday before another 7 miler (which I will hopefully have a time for!) next Sunday...but for now, you know the drill ;)

If it aint one thing it's another!

Well this week certainly hasn't been an average week! After the false start on Thursday due to the weather, I have decided to pass on today's run due to an incident yesterday evening.

I realised yesterday that the back light on my scooter was not working so I went to a garage to pick up a spare bulb. I know it's only changing a light bulb but I was chuffed that I had managed to take the light apart and do it myself for £2.75 instead of the £50 a certain company were happy to charge me!!! Anyway, with my scooter now in full working order I started my journey home...that was until *pauses to avoid being abusive* someone decided to turn right, across my lane, without looking!! I slammed on the brakes but came off the scooter and ended up in the middle of the road with the bike on top of me - not a good situation!!

There was no serious damage to me, just a bruised knuckle and sore heel/ankle from where the bike landed. So for that reason, I have decided to rest up today so I can hopefully do tomorrow's 7 miler, as opposed to aggravating it today and having to miss the long run tomorrow. I will of course be paying my £10 fine to the MS society for missing a training session.

What I am most gutted about is the damage to my scooter...it's always the way though, you fix one thing and something else goes wrong!! Still at least no serious injuries were had. All being well, and avoiding any further incident, you will be reading about my 7 mile run tomorrow!!

Thursday Run - Take Two

After this morning's effort was washed out I got home from work at around 19:40 this evening, kissed the Wife, got changed in to my Spandex, kissed the Wife again and left the house for my run...100% record still intact :)

I've decided I prefer to run in the mornings...even though it means getting out of bed earlier! During the run tonight, not only did I have to dodge the general public coming home from work, I had to run past people's houses as they cooked their dinner's, past restaurant's where people were eating, pubs where people were drinking...and I'm out running in my SPANDEX!!!

Anyway, the run is done and dusted and was completed in 26 minutes 37 seconds...20 seconds faster than Tuesday. Maybe evening running isn't so bad, knowing that I have my dinner ready when I get home!! Only one more 3 miler to go before the big old 7 miler on Sunday...somehow I think Sunday's tea and scone will taste better than ever!!

Hopefully, today proves just how dedicated I am to getting my training done and running this half marathon the best I can...so if you haven't already, or if you have and you want to again, HIT THAT SPONSOR ME BUTTON PLEEEEEEEASE :)

Almost...but not quite

Usually I would be writing about my run about now, but this morning I woke at 0600, had a shave and wash before putting on my gear, opening the front door and thinking....no chance!! Not only was it pitch black, cold and windy but also pouring out of the heavens!!! So I shut the door and went back to bed for half an hour!

I will do my run after work this evening to keep up my 100% training record otherwise I will pay a £10 fine to the MS Society!

Watch this space...

The Gang

Up at 0550 this morning because I have to go on a course today, so I need to leave the house a bit earlier than usual. I don't care how much of a pillock I look in my spandex...I needed it this morning!! I stepped out of the house and a wall of cold just hit me, it was freezing!!

I was around the three miles in 26 minutes 57 seconds, an average of less than 9 minutes a mile, so again I am pleased with that. Two more 3 milers to go before the first 7 miler, not only of this training plan, but of my life!! Not sure if I'm looking forward to that!!

I went to the North Surrey branch of the MS Society yesterday and met with Allan and the gang and I just wanted to say thank you to everyone there for making me feel so welcome, it was an absolute pleasure to meet you all and you have inspired me even more to succeed in the run.

From some of my conversations yesterday, I realised just how unpredictable it can be with MS. Not knowing whether they will have the energy to do the things that other people take for granted, or whether they will be feeling pains today, or numbness, or whether they should change their medication? But things that everyone had in common yesterday were a smile, a laugh and a fighting spirit...and they were inspirational. One new friend said to me that he doesn't like talking about MS because he doesn't want to get down about it, he wants to stay as upbeat as he can...so hopefully reading about my pain and suffering will raise a smile or two ;) Haha!