Month: June 2016

We live half way up a hill which means that in general we either have to start or finish a run from our house by going up hill.  Furthermore, because our area is in general, quite hilly, a run usually has a variety of ups and downs.  If I want something quite easy I have to keep close to home and go through a few housing estates, literally round the houses which is what I did this morning.  It was a beautiful morning and while the sun was out it was still quite cool and I got a great view of the Leeds skyline.

This evening with the running club, we did the other thing that enables you to do “flat” round here; the canal towpath network.  Problem is (and I can’t complain because it was my idea) we did sprints which, in this heat, was rather extreme.  The other catch is that the jog back to the clubhouse takes us up a road that we have come to know as B@$*@*d hill, you get the picture!

Never mind, the two runs today take me to 49 miles in the first 7 days of June and I’m happy with that.

“Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
the rough ways smooth.” Luke 3:5 NIVUK

Has anyone ever tried one of those “30 day plank challenges”, which reckons to help you hold a plank for 5 minutes by the end of the month?  I did once and found myself giving up because after a certain point, I just couldn’t keep up with the programme.  Later, I discovered a much better strategy was to plank just 2-3 times per week and using that method, I was able to build up to 5 minutes.  Since I have been neglecting my upper body strength recently I decided to start to plank again so I started by doing 2 minutes a couple of weeks ago and I have now done 3 on two occasions (including at the gym today) so while being constant at the moment, I hope to increase the time soon.

It reminds me of the legend of Milo of Croton, an ancient Greek wrestler who supposedly started by lifting a young calf every day and then carried on doing so until it was a 4 year old bull.  I have a feeling that although he was undoubtedly a great athlete, this story is probably “bull”.  I think that in any journey of athletic improvement you have to be patient, take rests and increase what you do ever so gradually.

Next time I do a plank, I hopefully will be able to increase the time but I’ll be happy to do 3 again.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.” Ephesians 6:10 NIVUK

Well it feels like summer has arrived.  As a runner, I definitely shouldn’t complain because it’s great to be able to go out in a t-shirt and shorts pretty much any time without worrying that it will be too cold.  If you want to do a lot of miles, the best bet is to get some in early in the morning before it gets too hot so you can enjoy a more modest run in the heat of the day.

This is what I did today; Helen and I had a great run along the canal and back, topped with the extreme climb through Rothwell Country Park to get home.  Doing that after running 8 miles in 22 degrees Celcius is “character building”.

I’m so proud of Helen that she can do all that and keep going; we are so fortunate to be able to go running together and share these challenges.  If you use the WAVA system for assessing running performance based on your sex and age, she’s doing a lot better than me at the moment so I have work to do.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,” ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3:23‬ ‭NIVUK‬‬