Ooo what happened to January? Did I blink?

Ok, it's 18 days to Brighton. So far I am back up to 3 miles. Hmm..I have got some really hard running to bank in! However, steady as she goes! I am combining kettlercise, zumba and some great 1 to 1 sessions with Gary to really build legs and core. "It will be alwight on da night!" as they say!

Not enjoying the coldness in my lungs and on my chest as I run. I am being hampered some what by that chest infection - it seems to have given me an asthmatic style wheeze after each run outdoors.

I have 3 hours for training today. As always, there is always something thrown in last minute to thwart my training plans but I shall make the most of the day!

Enjoy your day!

Ditched all dieting notions and now just making sure I eat enough to train.
I always start the day with my Rude Health Morning Glory/Spelt Flakes/Quinoa flake mix.
Managed to do 2 dog walks and horses before got hungry.
Topped up energy levels with a banana & a Pecan pie Nakd bar then set off for a slow 3 mile run, with the two dogs.
Jsut getting rythmn right plus breathing. Wore new trainers which made feet ache so stopped at 3 miles.
Tuna & mayo wrap for lunch with a cup of tea and nairns Choc chip oat cakes.

Dinner will be fish fingers & chips. If the weather holds I will do a quick mile run tonight after work.

Importanlty, the mind set and focus is back on track so the notion of running miles is no longer horrifying!

Had a nice quiet couple of days. Needed to catch up with chores, family and a car crisis! Plus fix fence posts to stop houdini horses breaking out - which happened four times last week!

Having a family sunday so no training.

Have realised I can't combine calorie watch with hard training. Plus I am in danger of becoming obsessive about food issues again so I am abandoning My Fitness Pal. I will just eat sensibly and enjoy every mouthful for what it is.

Can't believe that this time last week was my last day of recovering from tonsilitus and the 6 weeks of chest infections, colds & sinusitus! I had assumed my fitness levels would be too low to be able to do Bright half marathon in 4 weeks time.

A little bit of Gary and Gareth with Ketlercise, treadmill fartlecks, spin, crunchies, lunges, planks, squats and all manner of jelly-reduced-muscle training in the last 7 days has seen my energy and effort soar!

Today, for fun, I am doing Zumba, my first session since October! Love the feel good factor and fun of this class. Then a 1 to 1 with Gary.

Fingers crossed I can also get out for a fresh air woodland run with the dogs this afternoon, before work!

I log my food & training on My Fitness Pal - I have now lost a half stone!

It was a good day for training!
1 hour Kettlercise, 1 hour treadmill, 2 hour dog walks!
oh, and an hour sorting broken fences & retrieving Houdini Pesky Pony!

I am very strong mentally for my challenges; that was definitely tested today!

I had a successful hour's session with Gary with some treadmill fartlecks, squats, lunges.. and managed to walk home!

Chest still not quite 100% and was honest when I was close to passing out and over doing it!

Food diary complete and under calories.

The last three days caught up with me and body said, "slow down"!
So I did a 3mile brisk walk with dogs, and a lot of running around for chores and work!

Also had a rubbish night's sleep..was it because I forgot to use tiger balm on my temples?

A day of slow down is good for the body to recover :0)

New challenge also being put together for June!

Up and out with my two younger dogs to attack some hills and build up my legs again.
Did this as a brisk walk, in strong winds and it felt gooood!
Managed 10 miles in 2hrs 40mins. Lots of stretches after, then a well deserved Roast Dinner.

Met up with Andy for a run around Dinton Pastures late afternoon. Legs felt heavy so it was more of a run/walk around 1 circuit of 2 miles. He pushed on to do another circuit while I did some step ups on benches, stretches and slow recovery walk.

A very good day to put me in a good mind set for a week of intensive training.

Full food & training details on http://www.myfitnesspal.com/TheRamblingDuck

plus My Garmin

training for the rest of the week is as follows -

Monday - brisk 90mins dog walk, gym for core strengthen program + treadmill fartlecks

Tuesday - brisk dog walk 30mins then Gym for 1-1

Wednesday - Kettlercise, woodland run

Thursday - Zumba, Gym 1-1

Work day for me so not much of chance to do anything during the day.
But made a point of booking a PT session in at 5.30 to get this Duck fighting fit for Brighton half!

Did a core based program with 10mins of spin. Never done that before and was tough. On the 4th & 5th rep I could have thrown up! Gary probably laughing now as was a short spin session; wait til he cranks it up!

Enjoyed the planks, and forgot how tough they can be. Did some unusual balance planks with a gym ball too! I do not trust that ball one jot!
Simple meal of meatballs and rice afterwards with just a small glass of wine to treat myself.

Also remembering it's just as important to relax and rest so had a hot bubbly bath and twittered rather than read!!

Thigh mays dance a little tomorrow but have one some extra stretches to help ease the pain :0)

Hurrah! feeling very energetic, so I may have problems reining in the need to rush out overdoing things in my usual stubborn over exurberant manner!

I did a sensible paced class at Kettlercise with Gareth France today. Gareth has been providing me with training programs and was able to get me event fit for October and November 2011. In particular I love his cardio class with kettlebells - Kettlercise. 

For a variety of reasons, I have decided to use the local sports centre, a minute's walk from my house. With the sign up and new membership I have the use of their Personal Trainer, Gary Frewen.

Gary Frewen will be helping me out at the Cotswold Sports Centre. He has some different techniques and methods and compliments what I have learned and still practice, from Gareth.

Gary did a brief fitness assessment on me today, after my Kettlercise class with Gareth. Encouragingly, my fitness wasn't as bad as I thought, so there is hope to still be on target for Brighton Half Marathon 19th Feb. This is also a quacktastic testimonial as to how effective Kettlercise and Gareth's training program has been for my core strength and fitness to keep me resiliant through the 8 weeks of sickness!

Gary will help me at the gym and provide me with a gym based program. This will be structured around my Kettlercise with Gareth and the home program he wrote for me, that I still use. This will be an intense four weeks leading up to Brighton!

Gary has understood I am about endurance, not speed, and need to work on core strength, as well as distant training, with a lot of cross training to make sure I don't over do my poor joints! He will be using a form of boxercise and ViPR training.

I will still use My Fitness Pal to log my food and training to keep within the calorie count, plus eat right carbs & proteins.

I have a winning team in Gareth, Danielle and Gary, to help this Duck get fit and through some tough events over the next 6 months (and beyond!!)  I will still be doing Zumba with Danielle on thursday morning, plus Kettlercise with Gareth on Wednesday & Friday morning, all in Pangbourne.

I can't tell you the difference it made to walk in to see and hear so many familiar people, all encouraging and motivating me at the Costwold Sports Centre. These are people I live amongst, have grown up with, shared school playgrounds with, etc! This may be my home for the next few months!! 

It's always good to have a new and/or perspective/input into training. I have a balanced diet, eating a variety of different foods. By asking both Gareth and Gary to help me reflects my need and desire for a very varied training program for a balanced all over work out for my health, fitness, fun, motivation and inspiration. They are different characters bringing their own humour, support, ideas, strengths and methods. This is what I need to help me with the variety of events I want to take part in from endurance hikes with 10kg packs, multi terrain endurances runs, half marathons and anything else I can do to help my charities. A massive thankyou to both of them.