The West Riding Confuscius

Another week has flown by without a blog entry. I'm getting tardy aren't I?

I had a host of good blogging intentions a week ago: exercise and diet updates, review of 2010, plans for 2011, taking stock of progress through marathon training and so on. All to be posted before New Year's Eve.

Oh well.

Having got to 3rd January I'll now limit myself to a quick resume of the last week, the scores on the doors for Christmas weight gain and a very brief, and slightly philosophical (for Yorkshire), view of the last year.

Sound tolerable enough to bear with me? I hope so.

Here's my last seven days:

Tuesday 28th
Up early to do 7 miles but the thaw leaves a thin film of water on the thick ice and I can hardly stand let alone run on back roads. I only manage 3.5 miles, so after driving down to Northamptonshire and the outlaws I do another 4.3 miles.

Wednesday 29th
Up early again, and off to the frozen Grand Union Canal to do intervals (1.5m WU, 10 x 0.25m @ 6.40 mm pace with 2 mins jogging between each, 1.5m CD). Right calf is sore but I enjoy the intervals.

Thursday 30th
Due to do some light cross training after driving home but drop it due to calf soreness. I realise I probably attacked a knot a little too strongly.

Friday 31st
Off to the gym early doors but only do 3 miles at 8.30 pace on the treadmill along with core exercises. Then spend the day making a selection of Gujerati curries to have in the evening. As is my New Year tradition, I'm in bed and asleep by 10pm.

New Year's Day
Another unplanned rest day as calves are still slightly sore and I know there's an endurance run to come tomorrow.

January 2nd
14.15 miles done along the canal. Drop into a nice rhythm after a sluggish first few miles and finish up with 8.09 pace overall.

January 3rd
Rest day but toy with the idea of heading to the gym. Decide discretion is the better part of valour and make do with walking there and back and taking Charlotte for a swim.

So, what about the weight?

Well, I weighed myself yesterday and apparently have gained 10lb in 11 days. Anyone beat that? I'm hoping half of it is water/food in transit and will be opening up a can of healthy eating whupass on myself from tomorrow.

Now for the homespun philosophy.

While plodding through the opening miles yesterday I began to recap to myself the events of the previous 12 months. It would have made for fairly dull reading and consisted of a series of peaks and troughs or, to view it slightly differently, a series of snapshots during which times the glass had looked either half full or half empty.

By the last mile I realised it all boiled down to this:

After only 6hrs sleep, with nothing to eat, sore calf muscles, only a mug of tea to drink before I left home, no drink or gels with me, a 10lb weight gain and no thought to correct pre LSR nutrition or hydration I was able to rattle off in excess of 14 miles at a nice enough pace along a part frozen, part mud canal tow path without giving it a second thought.

i.e. not only could I easily do it but I didn't view it as anything other than ordinary.

When I paused (figuratively) to consider this I realised its actually pretty impressive isn't it?

So forget the highs and lows of the past 12 months I'm actually in a pretty good place right now!

Whatever our exercise I suspect that we're all so often like the mountaineer who focuses so much on the next incline that he doesn't stop to look back and realise just how high he's already climbed.

Whatever your recent trials and tribulations,or your aims and desires, take a look back down your own personal mountain side. The view is pretty good isn't it?