I was at work and after a busy day I walked home in the Sunshine. Joanne was still struggling after the weekend so I let her rest all day. I popped out for a run while Oliver was out with his carer then sorted out my jobs for the rest of the evening before putting Oliver to bed.
Running: 7.12 miles / 8.26 min/ mile pace / Cadence 177 / 1.00hr
I set off for a steady run with my new watch on. I was looking forward to training with it, using the heart rate monitor to add another layer of data to my analysis. If I can interpret the data correctly I know I can improve parts of my running and hopefully make myself more efficient.
Im racing at the weekend so this run was all about keeping the pace down but concentrating on keeping my cadence up.
It was really tricky to keep myself from shooting off at a fast pace and I had to really concentrate, the cadence was equally as tricky to control. After a couple of miles I slipped into the zone, slowed down and my cadence rose to nearly 180 which has been proved as the most efficient. Cadence is how many steps you take in a minute and the more you take the less impact there is on your joints making it a safer way to run too. I finished the tricky run in the sunshine and had really enjoyed it.
Thursday 17th March
I had a busy day ahead. Joanne and I had been invited to a premier of a BBC Drama about a family dealing with Autism. The premier was in Ambleside which is about 25 miles away. It doesn't sound far but its in the lake district and the roads aren't the best. Joanne was still recovering from the LB Awards (yes its been 5 days and shes still in pain) so we both knew the journey would hurt her again. However opportunities like this don't come around very often so we would still go and I had planned the rest of the weekend so Joanne could rest.
After finishing work early we got ready and drove to Ambleside. Joanne's Mum was picking Oliver up from school ad was looking after him for the evening. We arrived at the cinema where the premier was and I could tell Joanne was struggling. She had some morphine and after a sit down and a pizza her pain had settled. We made our way to the cinema and met the other guests at the pre show reception. It was a very nice reception with free wine and nibbles. It was orange juice for us though as Joanne was poorly and I was driving. The audience were called into the cinema and we found our seats before the screening.
The "A Word" is a new 6 part drama on BBC1 on Tuesday evenings starting this week (the 22nd at 9pm). It been written by Peter who has written other big TV dramas. It follows a family in Cumbria who find out their 6 year old has Autism and how the whole family deal with it. (Sounds familiar!!) We watched the first episode and it was superb. The writing was funny yet heart felt and dealt with the feelings of the family excellently. Set in the middle of the most imposing of backdrops, the scenery almost became a character in the play itself with its beautiful hills and fells, stunning but imposing and dark at the same time. It was shot totally in Cumbria and has a very Northern feel to it.
Christopher Eccleston plays the Grandfather in it and was very, very good. He portrays a very Northern straight talking character full of witty one liners and kept the plot going well. The best bit was seeing him fell running up in the hills, awesome!! For me, its going to be a must watch programme for the next few weeks. I don't really watch TV since I've been running but there are exceptions -Game of thrones, anything with "Star Wars" in the title and this.
After the screening there was a Q&A with the lead actor, the producer and the writer. It was a very good session and we found out the writer used to be a special needs teacher and had dealt with both teachers and parents, so he had a really good understanding of the situation and the emotions involved. It was excellent.
I drove home and Joanne was really bad, every bump in the road, every sharp turn caused her pain and she felt sick all the way home. It was just a matter of getting her home. I put her to bed and Oliver was still awake so I sorted him out too and managed to get my head down after a long day.
The A Word looks to be a very good representation of an autism family and I think its a must watch!
Friday 18th March
With only a day to go until my race I wanted an easy day. I was at work in the evening so I went for an extremely gentle 5k jog / walk, just to loosen up and get out in the glorious weather. After a lovely run I sorted out my jobs and had a soak in the bath before work in the evening. Joanne was still really poorly from the previous night so we arranged for Oliver to sleep at my mums so she could have a rest. I felt really good and very relaxed ready for the trail race on Saturday.
Running 3.25 miles / 34 minutes / 10.41 min miles.
Today was all about loosening up and relaxing. It was a glorious day for a run and part of me wished I was up in the fells, but with a race the day after a taper session was in order. I slowed right down and relaxed my body, breathing deeply, filling my lungs with the wonderful fresh sea air.
I made myself walk for a while and slow everything down. I actually enjoyed taking it easy and meandered down onto the beach for a jog along the pebbles, shale and shingle. The surface worked my ankles, twisting and turning them, mobilizing the joints. The race is going to be a big test tomorrow and I'm relishing the challenge. Bring it on!
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