Hi all! Things progressing quite nicely here, I had a great last week and was ready to break a PB when out of nowhere the snow started to fall, thus spoiling my chances for a run on Sunday.
I therefore felt this week, that it would be good to make up for some lost time. I decided to do 2 consecutive days of 10 mile runs. Both felt great and I actually felt like I had more left in my legs for both of them! I did a 10.7 and a 10.3 mile run in the same time (1h 49mins) as the 2nd run I was running with my running buddy at a bit of a slower pace for 4 of the miles.
Combined I therefore had 2 days, 21 miles in 3h 38mins and over 3000 calories burned. I am determined to smash this marathon. My plan is now to not run until Sunday and go for broke - 20 miles. It will be the longest run I do before the race. Wish me luck!
Weight progress ticker
Thursday 9 February 2012
Monday 30 January 2012
Killer run
I have had a really good week and stuck to the plan pretty firmly, except for on the Sunday where I decided I really needed the extra miles as the race is coming up soon! I pushed myself and did 14.23 miles in 2:29:58!
My legs are like jelly today but I am very pleased with 14 miles and a 28 mile week which is only 1 mile off my record. I will try and break that record soon!
My legs are like jelly today but I am very pleased with 14 miles and a 28 mile week which is only 1 mile off my record. I will try and break that record soon!
Wednesday 25 January 2012
I'm back!
Hi all,
Sorry I have been MIA recently. It is for good reason. I came back from Sweden and only had 1 week at home before I jetted off to the US, I then came back and was busy all last week with a house move. This week I am settled in at my parents which is a very strange feeling! I left home 7 years ago and so it will be a bit of an adjustment but I will survive.
I can now switch off and focus on what I need to foucs on - RUNNING. I've fallen behind the training schedule slightly but I am aiming to make up for lost time and this started with a 4 mile run to ease my way back in yesterday. Today I will aim for 6-8 miles and hopefully I will do ok!
Time to FOCUS
Sorry I have been MIA recently. It is for good reason. I came back from Sweden and only had 1 week at home before I jetted off to the US, I then came back and was busy all last week with a house move. This week I am settled in at my parents which is a very strange feeling! I left home 7 years ago and so it will be a bit of an adjustment but I will survive.
I can now switch off and focus on what I need to foucs on - RUNNING. I've fallen behind the training schedule slightly but I am aiming to make up for lost time and this started with a 4 mile run to ease my way back in yesterday. Today I will aim for 6-8 miles and hopefully I will do ok!
Time to FOCUS
Friday 6 January 2012
Hat trick and PB!
This week I have run 3 days in a row to really try and get back into the swing of things! 4,8 and 4 mile runs on the menu this week and after the 8-miler yesterday I felt really tired.
I couldn't have predicted today's run - 4 miles in 35 minutes! 8:44 minutes per mile pace which is a PB by a long way! So chuffed right now. Got to keep it going and up the distance! I got a long run on Sunday - haven't decided on distance yet but I will definitely do at least a ½ marathon.
Have a good weekend all!
I couldn't have predicted today's run - 4 miles in 35 minutes! 8:44 minutes per mile pace which is a PB by a long way! So chuffed right now. Got to keep it going and up the distance! I got a long run on Sunday - haven't decided on distance yet but I will definitely do at least a ½ marathon.
Have a good weekend all!
Thursday 5 January 2012
First run back!
First run back yesterday! 4 miles to ease my way back into the swing of things.
My chest ached and I had a bit of a stitch for the first 2 miles but it got better. I finished in 40:29 which was slower than how it felt but overall I am pleased to get going again. I am going to skip the gym this week and run Thursday, Friday and Sunday too. I got a feeling I will have put a lot of weight on and so I need to push this down ASAP.
Over Christmas I didn't take any care or precaution of my diet and did 0 exercise (unless drunken dancing counts). I will have put some weight on but hopefully it will come off quickly.
This is my year!
My chest ached and I had a bit of a stitch for the first 2 miles but it got better. I finished in 40:29 which was slower than how it felt but overall I am pleased to get going again. I am going to skip the gym this week and run Thursday, Friday and Sunday too. I got a feeling I will have put a lot of weight on and so I need to push this down ASAP.
Over Christmas I didn't take any care or precaution of my diet and did 0 exercise (unless drunken dancing counts). I will have put some weight on but hopefully it will come off quickly.
This is my year!
Wednesday 21 December 2011
2011 - what a year!!
Can I just start by saying WOW! 5000 hits is more than I could ever dream of when I started this blog, part of me thought I would give up training and revert to my useless unhappy self within a month or so anyway. I've started training before and given up pretty quickly for a variety of reasons, none of which I am sure about as this time it has been entirely different. I've maintained a motivation level required to keep going for most of the year and for that I am grateful. Most of this challenge is a mental challenge rather than physical, in my opinion.
I can only say thank you to ALL of you who have kept reading, kept supporting, kept commenting. The support has been fantastic! I definitely hadn't come this far without all your help. I've got some way to go yet but I definitely feel like my goals are achievable! So as it's the end of year I thought I would summarize 2011 and give a mention to a few people that have helped me along the way.
It was March 2011 when I decided to train for a marathon, when I came up with the idea. The biggest thank you for this has to go to my best friend in the world and brother-from-another-mother Jonny Keeling. I jokingly came up with the idea of running a marathon and he said "I'll do it if you do it". That was the biggest kick for me initially. We then planned for a years time and collaborated training plans etc. It's a great shame that he can't be there in Barcelona but I know he will do a marathon himself one day, I hope to run it with him!
I then spent March - July training really hard and I even worked my way up to a half marathon! This is where I got a bit complacent. I had applied to the London Marathon, I was already at 13.1 miles after a few months... I can relax a bit, this stuff is easy! How wrong was I?!
I spent July-September doing a few bits but nowhere near the required rate to improve. I found out in September that I found out I didn't get a space in the London Marathon, motivation was at an all time low.
Here is where the 2nd mention comes in: Dave Knight came up with the idea of a foreign marathon as an idea which would be much cooler than London. Dave has ran some marathon's before himself and so he's been giving me invaluable advice throughout the but he even went as far as to sign up for the race in Barcelona with me! This has given me the biggest spurt of motivation this year.
Since October I have trained really hard. Much of the help has been from Jamie Seward who has done several runs with me and dragged me round when I haven't wanted to go, and gone at a faster pace than I was comfortable with. He too is racing in Barcelona. The final person in the quartet to race is Scott Robson who has been supporting me from afar (Munich, Germany). He too signed up for the race and has been going through a similar training plan to me (as he is also a beginner unlike the other two). His support has been great, we've spent many a nights on Facebook chat discussing our training.
It was also in October where I decided to start going to the gym once a week to compliment my running training. Mark Anderson is single-handedly responsible for all my great progress in the gym, it really has helped me tone and I owe Mark a lot. I will hopefully start training with him more than once a week once the race is done!
Other mentions has to go to all my friend and family who have all commented, encouraged and listened to me bang on about my training. It's taking up a massive part of my life at the moment and so I probably spend way too much time talking about it. Their constant reminders of how well I am doing, how much weight I've lost, how good I'm looking makes me feel better than anything.
Another tool which has helped me through the year is www.myfitnesspal.com. It's a fantastic place to get advice on diet and exercise. I have 140+ friends on there who are a massive part of the support network when it comes to my training. Anyone wanting to lose weight or train for a physical challenge should sign up - it's free!
So since March I've lost 21lbs, gained some muscle (for the first time ever), spent countless hours on the road and will after and 8 mile run tomorrow have run 400 miles. I've got a LOOOOONNNNGGG way to go but thanks to all these people above and others I feel like it's achievable.
I am taking Christmas and New years off and going to my home town in Sweden for some rest and relaxation. Ready to re-charge the batteries for the new year - the hardest work physically is still ahead.
Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
-Erik
I can only say thank you to ALL of you who have kept reading, kept supporting, kept commenting. The support has been fantastic! I definitely hadn't come this far without all your help. I've got some way to go yet but I definitely feel like my goals are achievable! So as it's the end of year I thought I would summarize 2011 and give a mention to a few people that have helped me along the way.
It was March 2011 when I decided to train for a marathon, when I came up with the idea. The biggest thank you for this has to go to my best friend in the world and brother-from-another-mother Jonny Keeling. I jokingly came up with the idea of running a marathon and he said "I'll do it if you do it". That was the biggest kick for me initially. We then planned for a years time and collaborated training plans etc. It's a great shame that he can't be there in Barcelona but I know he will do a marathon himself one day, I hope to run it with him!
I then spent March - July training really hard and I even worked my way up to a half marathon! This is where I got a bit complacent. I had applied to the London Marathon, I was already at 13.1 miles after a few months... I can relax a bit, this stuff is easy! How wrong was I?!
I spent July-September doing a few bits but nowhere near the required rate to improve. I found out in September that I found out I didn't get a space in the London Marathon, motivation was at an all time low.
Here is where the 2nd mention comes in: Dave Knight came up with the idea of a foreign marathon as an idea which would be much cooler than London. Dave has ran some marathon's before himself and so he's been giving me invaluable advice throughout the but he even went as far as to sign up for the race in Barcelona with me! This has given me the biggest spurt of motivation this year.
Since October I have trained really hard. Much of the help has been from Jamie Seward who has done several runs with me and dragged me round when I haven't wanted to go, and gone at a faster pace than I was comfortable with. He too is racing in Barcelona. The final person in the quartet to race is Scott Robson who has been supporting me from afar (Munich, Germany). He too signed up for the race and has been going through a similar training plan to me (as he is also a beginner unlike the other two). His support has been great, we've spent many a nights on Facebook chat discussing our training.
It was also in October where I decided to start going to the gym once a week to compliment my running training. Mark Anderson is single-handedly responsible for all my great progress in the gym, it really has helped me tone and I owe Mark a lot. I will hopefully start training with him more than once a week once the race is done!
Other mentions has to go to all my friend and family who have all commented, encouraged and listened to me bang on about my training. It's taking up a massive part of my life at the moment and so I probably spend way too much time talking about it. Their constant reminders of how well I am doing, how much weight I've lost, how good I'm looking makes me feel better than anything.
Another tool which has helped me through the year is www.myfitnesspal.com. It's a fantastic place to get advice on diet and exercise. I have 140+ friends on there who are a massive part of the support network when it comes to my training. Anyone wanting to lose weight or train for a physical challenge should sign up - it's free!
So since March I've lost 21lbs, gained some muscle (for the first time ever), spent countless hours on the road and will after and 8 mile run tomorrow have run 400 miles. I've got a LOOOOONNNNGGG way to go but thanks to all these people above and others I feel like it's achievable.
I am taking Christmas and New years off and going to my home town in Sweden for some rest and relaxation. Ready to re-charge the batteries for the new year - the hardest work physically is still ahead.
Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
-Erik
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