No test run for New Shoes

Woo Hoo, my new running shoes arrived today. As I don't really want to try anything new at this stage of training, so I decided to get the same model of shoes: New Balance Leadville 100 V2 - named after the famous American 100mile race their design was inspired by. They are a long distance shoe with lots of great features that I really liked. I find them amazingly versatile and have used them as equally well on the roads, trails, soft ground or rocky mountain paths. The tread on them is great for traction and they have a decent toe box on them to protect from kicking stones (which I always do on long fell runs).

Old shoes, see how the tread is worn on the forefoot

Same model, different colour shoes and Salomon Calf Guards

I also managed to find a pair of Solomon Calf Guards for about 1/4 of the retail price (Top tip - shop around for last years model / design, they are always virtually the same as the latest designs but nowhere near the cost!!). Ive been after these for a while but they've always been too expensive, so I couldn't believe the price they were and they accidentally fell into my online shopping cart...oops. If you don't know compression calf guards are worn to (supposedly) prevent muscle movement / damage and aid blood flow much like a flight sock does on a long haul. My current pair are torn to shreds and they seem to have been working for me on long outings.

Running: 0:00   0/mil   0 hrs

Major cock up today. Joanne had a bad night last night again and I had a really interrupted nights sleep so I was exhausted this morning, I said to myself I would go out tonight. However I totally forgot Joanne was going to her friends party tonight and it was just the boy and I, so I was stuck in! Im so happy that Joanne went tonight, she really made an effort and looked lovely. She wont stay out long but it will do her the world of good.

Anyway I decided to go with the flow and did some running in Minecraft with Oliver instead and we had a right laugh together. When Oliver went to bed I got my exercise mat and gear out and hit a bootcamp session instead of a run. After a gentle warm up and mobilization I went straight into front plank as I always do in my strength sets. Ive got up to a semi comfortable 4 mins plank lately so I decided to see how much I could take: 6:23min, not bad at all! Then I cracked into some well rehearsed exercises: push ups, sit ups, ST sit ups!, heel taps, flutter kicks, squats with a weighted shoulder press, weighted Russian twist, one leg balancing with eyes closed (very good for trail running balance) and a few more exercises I cant remember the names of. After a good 50min of reps, the sweat was pouring out of me. I just did a free form exercise set, mixing up muscle groups from upper, mid and core to lower. A gentle stretch followed and I felt like I had worked really hard and effectively. Judging by the times and amount of reps I got through, my fitness and strength are definitely on the increase.

Torture equipment

Im a bit disappointed about missing my run, but it was just circumstantial so Ive let it go. It wasn't a major session anyway just a gentle 7 miles. Im off until Tuesday now so I will make up for it over the weekend and there is also my organised race recce on Sunday too. Im really looking forward to it.

Food Diary

Breakfast:
Nutribullet Veggie Smoothie with Spinach, banana, apple, avocado, flaxseeds

Thick and creamy veggie smoothie

 Lunch
Tuna Niscoise Salad with Quinoa, boiled egg, avocado, peppers cucumber, celery, beetroot, salad leaves

Tuna and Egg salad with Quinoa

Dinner:
Glazed chicken breast with a homemade tomato salsa, new potatoes, sauteed mushrooms and courgette, steamed kale

Glazed Chicken and new potatoes

Snacks
Nuts and seeds mix, 9 bar, 2x apples, banana