Mid-Channel....

Mid-Channel....

Monday 13 December 2010

End of season down time and Start of season ramp up!!

Gosh, it has been such a long time since I have post on this site but life has just been so busy! Adam returned from his tour of duty in the first week of November and it was such a joy to have him home. Of course, my schedule has now become a lot busier as I have other things to do of an evening than just train and I have to think about his needs as well as my own. So these first few weeks have been a bit of a juggling act especially as Adam has had post-deployment leave so has all day at home by himself so by the time the evening comes round he wants to get out and do things whereas I either need to train or am knackered! We had booked a holiday so that I could get a proper break from training and say goodbye to the 2010 season and so Adam could have a bit of a relax after having worked 24-7 for the last five months.

We headed off for two weeks in Cuba which was just what we needed and we had a fantastic time. Training was chilled out but consistent. We run for 30-60minutes every morning along the beach and coastal path which was warm even at 7am, did some press ups and sit ups and then finished off with a dip in the sea. A pretty blissful way to start your day off! We took some time out from our resort to drive the length of Cuba up to Havana (our tour guides thought we were bonkers) which was an amazing way to see the country and Havana itself is really interesting. We took a tour of the Partagas cigar factory and Adam indulged himself in a number of Cuba's finest! Getting back was a bit of a shock as the country seems to have entered a deep freeze! Leaving Cuba in sunny 30 degree heat to return at 6.30am into a dark Manchester with the mecury hovering around -5degrees was not such a happy welcome home! I returned back to work the next day to find I have been posted up to Lincolnshire which is great news. Adam started up there early last week and we have had all our fingers and toes crossed that my posting officer will find somewhere up north for me too so that I can join him. I start my new job on January 17th and life is more and more hectic! We are both in new jobs, trying to find a new house, preparing for Xmas and thinking about getting a dog, so training is being squashed in around everything as best I can.

The Lanzarote Ultra however looms ever closer so I have tried to remain as focused as I can. Cycling is still pretty much non-existent however I am up to 5miles in the pool and this week will attempt my first 10k pool swim. This was a target I wanted to meet before Xmas so all appears to be on track. Running is going ok too, I am upto a 30mile run split over two days. So yesterday I ran for 20miles and today I was run the remainder. Having spoken to a lot of respected ultra runners this is apparently the kindest way to get your body used to the endurance required for long distance running. Doing a 30-40mile run straight off means you are more likely to be injured and will certainly need a long recovery period whereas doing a 20-25mile run one day followed up with a 10mile run the next means the recovery is much quicker and also you get used to the feeling of running tired. I have to say I have no real ill effects for doing the 20miler yesterday and feel ready to go again for the ten miles this afternoon. Other than that I am just trying to sort logistics and keep calm!! I cannot wait for Xmas - Adam and I am heading home on an epic road trip to France to see my parents and it'll be lovely to see them and my sister and eat, drink and be merry!