What a superb holiday. Many, many thanks to T, C and l & m for a wonderful time in France. Such lovely company, such great weather and truely one of the nicest breaks we have had. We then spent 4 days in the Alps in Chamonix where I spent the whole time trying to dig deep into my memory of my geography degree and explain to KB how and what glaciers were. She must have been so bored by the end of it - more like a school trip than a holiday.
But, moving on, I just knew it. My experiment to prove that you cannot eat 3 croissants per day together with copious amounts of pate and cheese, drink a bottle of wine and exercise only once every two days worked. I am now lumbering around at 82kgs and time has come for the experiment to end.
In Chamonix I decided that the fact I was out of breath running for 5km was down to altitude. Having stepped on the scales last night I can confirm that it was sheer weight of body.
My Garmin tells me I have worked off over 8000 calories in the last 2 weeks which means my calories intake must have been fantastic. I think I deserve a pat on the back for eating and drinking so much without actually exploding.
So some DRASTIC ACTION IS NEEDED:
1. Apply today for my start number for Amsterdam Half on 9 October
2. Apply to run the new 10 mile distance at the Vlietloop in Voorschoten on 3 September
3. Find a few 10kms in the next few weeks
Also stop eating so much. Target weight 77 kgs by October 9.
Latest news - finished a 11.5 km run today in an OK time for a biggie (59 :45) and felt dreadful.
Latest, latest news - said good bye to my training partner and mate NE with a farewell curry and bottle of wine, who tomorrow travels to the UK to start a new job. All the best in UK. I hope you and E and T settle in quickly and keep in touch. Sad to say, but running will not quite be the same again.
Those who follow this blog will know that I do not like dogs. Well that's OK - dogs don't like me either. The same bloggers will also know that CB and KB aren't that fond of dogs (however Mrs. B loves them), so this weekend, against all odds, Patches the dog returned to chez Bedders for a couple of days, while Mr. and Mrs. Patches were away. Actually this time around, compared to last time at Christmas, when CB spent nigh on a whole week standing on the armchair for fear of being eaten or something, I can confirm that Patches has was warmly welcomed - after being bitten and licked a few times, you tend to get used to it.
In fact CB and Patches are now best mates. See pic.
BTW I also ran 11km yesterday and 12km today in quite breathtaking heat. In fact I was stopping after 5km each time to take on a drink (as usual at the moment I am carrying 1 litre SIS Blackcurrent/water mix). I as so pleased that this summer I am not training for an Autumn marathon. Tomorrow I will register for the Amsterdam half - nice and easy.........for all those training for Sept/Oct marathons, you have my admiration this year. Last year was a grotty summer - perfect for marathon training!
Seeing that the temps are predicted to be 35 + degrees in Holland over the next week, Family Bedders are off to cooler climes - south of France, to bit a bit of cool climate training.
With the help of KLM I returned back late yesterday from my altitude training camp in Mexico city (aka a business trip of three days) and I can report that my red blood cell count is now very high and I am anxious to find a race in the next 24 hours that I can run to show my new found fitness levels off. Unfortunately I am not sure it quite works that way and so my 2 x hotel gym treadmill runs of 45 mins each will have to go to waste. But there is no doubt that during those runs it was very easy to get out of breath. And I blame the altitude.Am still trying to loose another 2 kg before I go on holiday next week. Looks like I'll just have to take some extra large t shirts with me and hope no one notices my girth. I will have to swim only after the hours of darknessCan't wait to get away with some lovely friends of ours in Holland who have a fantastic house in France. So a week of great company, great b-b-q's, great wine and a whole lot of fun. KB likes it for celeb spotting as well......I hear that Mr and Mrs Rooney are nearby this week so just missed them, but roll on the real celebs next week - Bedders and Mrs. B!...........don't you just hate all those paps?
Sitting here in Mexico in my high altitude training camp makes Holland seem a million miles away
KB centre
It always happens to me. Guaranteed. Put your life savings on it. A dead cert..........if I have to get back home from a long run at a certain time, I get lost and end up being very late.
I know that sounds stupid, but no more stupid than how I felt this morning when I looked in the mirror. "Time to go for a long run", I said to myself (how do you loose 3kg in two weeks anyway?). So armed with a litre of SIS Blackcurrent drink (if you have not tried it, please do, it is lovely) I set off, felt good at 4 km and went to try and find a new route home.
Fatal mistake. You know that road that you have seen from your car 100 times that looks like a good stretch to run? Well, when you are running, why does it seem to cease to exist? So I end up charging home through the local undergrowth, risking calf and achillies, arriving 15 mins late with Mrs. B standing outside the front door (had she been brandishing a tea towel, it would have reminded me of when I was about 8 years old and dragging myself away late from a football match with my mates, with my mum waiting for me because I was late for my tea). I mean, it's not as if I do it every night and I thought at 43 years old I could stay out as long as I wanted, but KB needed to be picked up from a party and Mrs. B had to go out spinning or something.
So Olympic record speed shower (you know, one of those when you get out of the shower sweating more than when you got in) and off to pick up KB.
Did she mind that I was 10 minutes late?...... not at all in fact I am sure she would have appreciated me arriving at least 20 minutes later!
Ever felt that you were in one of those situations when whatever you did you were never going to win? I think I will go off to the bottom of the garden for a quiet drink (see pic) before it rains.
I know come December I will look back on tonight's missed run with incredulity (if that is how you spell it). It was simply too hot to run. Too humid, too hot and that's it. For all my blog friends training to run Abingdon, Singapore, Berlin and a little later Chicago and then New York, you just have to grin and bear it and get out at the crack of dawn. I reckon past 10.30 in the morning and that is it. I am so glad I am not having to stick to a marathon or half marathon schedule yet as I think I would be well and truely behind. (Abingdon- Singapore- Berlin has a kind of ring about it doesn't it)
Also am I the only one in the world who gets extremely irritated by kids toys and stuff appearing at home, on the floor, in the lounge? Designed to cause injury to unsuspecting runners. With CB and KB having more room than I know in which to throw their junk why does it always appear under my feet in the one room in the house that Mrs B. and I have some claim over? And why do kids always leave their stuff just where they want? The concept of tidying up is alien.....and if I see another felt tip pen on the floor, abandoned, then I swear I shall not be responsible for my actions.
Oh well, must have been a bad day at work - no run and kids c**p to contend with. Roll on tomorrow.
A BLUE FELT TIP PEN HAS JUST APPEARED - must go
Running today 12km was more difficult than running FLM in April. With the temp at around 25 degrees and it being humid I really did wonder at about 6km whether I was going to get round. This being a 12km loop I had no other option but to continue. After my experience in Chicago last September I am so careful to run and keep asking myself if I feel the same as I felt then If the answer is yes then it's stop time. Thankfully I ran with water but it was tough. Now I know why I prefer to train in the winter for marathons. I know in previous blogs I have moaned about the cold weather, wind and rain, but frankly I think I prefer that. The altneraive is to do what NE and I did last year amd get up at 06:30 for the long runs in the summer. But it is still difficult.
Having spent most of yesterday outdoors, today is the same. So ahoy there shipmate, it's time to cast away, get on the boat and join the rest of Holland on the canal this afternoon.
