Running Outside

Popped out late afternoon for a run to Red Rocks and back. Decent tail wind blew me home. My legs are still a bit stiff…might go for a longer one tomorrow and just enjoy the run and try and run the stiffness out.

Start:17:15
Duration:25:32
Distance:5.51km
Ave speed:12.95 kph

380 kcal

HRmax=172/ave=163

Running Hoylake

Still warm out even if the sun struggled to shine this afternoon. My legs were still stiff but I fancied a little run out. Off to friends later for a meal and I wanted to make space for a big dessert !

The blokes are still at Royal Liverpool dismantling the stands on the golf course. Looks to me like there’s a couple of weeks work there yet.

Red Rocks and back this afternoon.

Start:17:17
Duration:25:52
Distance:5.51km
Ave speed:12.78 kph

365 kcal

HRmax=169/ave=158

Running Hoylake golf

Stiff legs?

Because I obviously ain’t fit enough to do about 10km one evening then less than half that the evening after.

Actually, I gave it a miss today because the old legs were a bit stiff this morning and I didn’t fancy a session. Went for a family walk, just along West Kirby prom (oh Dad, do we really have to walk all the way around the lake? …fair-do’s it was hot and they’re normally great walkers) followed by a nice pub lunch in beer garden at the Ring O’Bells. But by ‘eck, there’s not much strength in their lime and soda.

Disappointments?

Landis fails a drug test.

Great! Just what the Tour-de-France really needed. They had a great story there. An American pro who needs a hip replacement, gets the bonk on stage 16 and loses time to his rivals, gets up the following morning and smashes the lot of them and goes on to take the Yellow in Paris. A few days later its announced he tests positive for high testosterone levels.

Okay, the bloke is innocent until proven otherwise. Fine. He may well have naturally high levels after immense physical effort. But it’s another PR disaster for the greatest race on earth.

I haven’t actually followed this years Tour that closely but I was pleased to read what appeared to be a great winners story. I hope it stays as such.

Running - Cycling

Legs were a bit tired today but decided to go for a short late afternoon run for some fresh air.

Headed off along Hoylake prom down to Meols then:

• Bennetts Lane
• Newlyn Road
• Elwyn Road
• Guffitts Rake
• Dovepoint Road
• Forest Road
• Shaws Drive
• Ashford Road
• Queens Park
• and back along the prom and home

Start: 17:18
Duration:19:36
Distance:4.27 km
Ave speed:13.07 kph

293 kcal

HRmax=169/ave=163

running - Meols

Bit of bi-athlon really.

Rode down to Leasowe Lighthouse on my old Marin Muirwoods this evening. It’s only 2 and a bit miles and hardly takes any longer than in the car.

Actually, using the car is something we try to do less of nowadays. Since I handed my company car back when I gladly said cheerio and best wishes to my last employer we’ve just had the one car. It’s easy to manage 95% of the time because my work is now home based and it saves on the cost of financing a car that we currently just don’t need. I rescued my old Marin mountain bike from the junk in the garage and I’m now using it for pottering around Hoylake. I’m not keen on using my Rift Zone for that because it might tempt someone to try and pinch it.

Anyway, I locked my bike to a signpost and did a bit of warmup then, with water bottle in hand for the return trip I ran the seaside. I started off well enough, purposely a little slower than previous races, with the first mile covered in approx 6:35. But then I slowed and to be honest I didn’t push it at all once I knew that I was on a slow-un. Ended up doing 21:50 - my worst PB I think. Sod it!

It was warm but not unbearable though a few blokes went topless. I gladly passed the finish line and then run+walked back to my bike. Followed by a bike ride back home for a shower, tea and brown medicine.

The stats:

Start:18:58
Duration:21:50
Distance:4.92km
Ave speed:13.52 kph

399 kcal (including a bit of the run back)

HRmax=200/ave=131 (inc. run back)

running - cars - cycling

Went for a run in the sun this lunchtime. Not going much better than yesterday. Shorter run a bit faster but felt as flat as yesterday.

The stands around the 18th at Royal Liverpool are slowly being dismantled. Presumably it’ll take a week or so to completely take down all the Open stuff. The Bentley display at Red Rocks Nursing home is still there….I’d be keen to remove those very expensive motors before they get sand blasted as soon as it gets windy.

Red Rocks and back today.

Start:13.27
Duration:26:01
Distance:5.51 km
Ave speed:12.71 kph

415 kcal

HRmax=178/ave=168

Running Hoylake golf

First run for a few days. Expecting to go better than I actually did. Another hot day, especially in the direct sunlight along the beach. It was interesting to run past the Royal Liverpool course to everything being dismantled and driven away.

Todays route took my down Stanley Road to Red Rocks, along the beach to West Kirby, up Riversdale Road, back to Kings Gap and back home along Hoylake Prom. I was that hot, bothered and generally not in to it that I even stopped it short and walked the last bit home.

Start: 13:39
Duration:37:57
Distance:7.69km
Ave speed:12.15kph

636kcal
HRmax=181/ave=173

running golf

Had a really good day out today.

I don’t play the game at all. I do enjoy watching it on telly (esp. The Masters in Augusta) and whilst it’s primarily a game of skill rather than physical fitness you have just got to admire Tiger Woods….physically strong, 100% mentally focused and very, very good at golf. A true sporting superstar.

It makes me think…..if only I’d seen Lance Armstrong in a time trial or mountain stage in Le Tour…that would’ve been awesome.

Also saw Ernie, Monty, Seve and lots of others today.

Really, really, enjoyed it.

Bit of biking to and from the course, bit of walking around in the sun.

No running again today.

Hoylake golf

No, neither do I !

Hoylake has become Hotlake and it’s way too hot for running today. I’m giving it a miss today and filling my face with flapjacks instead.

Decent breeze around which will make the Open Golf more entertaining if it stays this way. It starts tomorrow and we’ve got tickets for Friday. It’ll be good if the heat breaks a bit by then.

31c right now apparently.

running - Open Golf

In an attempt to avoid the heat I decided to go for an early morning run. I nearly got up at 6.00 am - I was awake and I did think about it - but I went back to sleep until the girls were up and went for a run at 8ish.

I’m not that supple first thing but this morning I felt particularly sluggish. I ended up just sort of plodding along and to be honest didn’t really enjoy it much this morning. It was already warm but not too warm as it will be this afternoon. It’s 12.30 ish now and my trusty firefox weather plugin says it’s currently 28c in Hoylake. 30c is the prediction for tomorrow.

Headed out to Meols this morning and then along the embankment toward Leasowe Lighthouse. Turned round at the steps in the “passing point” that is just a bit past the second life buoy after the rocky point (2m give or take) and ran straight back home.

Start:7:58
Duration:32:53
Distance:6.54km
Ave speed:11.93 kph

489 kcal

HRmax=171/ave=162

running - meols