Last outing of the year... And a few thankyou's to wrap up with!

After another prolonged period of snow and ice it's been difficult to get out for a run but managed it today whilst out on the Llyn Penninsular for the New Year. Ran 4.5 miles around Pwllheli marina in 39 minutes, felt quite good after the Christmas excess :-)

This will be my last posting on this BLOG (I'll be keeping another in 2011) so a few thankyou's to wrap up...

Thanks to everyone who has supported me with a donation to either The Isaiah Trust or the RNLI... You know who you are and that you're money will be used wisely and well by the charity recipients. Your support was a massive motivator for me in helping covering the runs and swims and put in the training in order to finish in a half decent time! Thank you!

Thanks to Nicky and Tim for letting me run for the Isaiah Trust in 2010! Keep up the fantastic work! I hope I can help you out again in 2011!

Thanks to Lisa, Chloe and all at the RNLI for allowing me to fund raise again for the RNLI and all the help and organisation you gave (particularly being at the Salford swim after the Great North Swim was cancelled)... But mostly for the RNLI being there when I needed you! A debt I feel will never be truly repaid!

Thanks to the Uswim / Uberfit team for the coaching and open water swimming training sessions and for helping me to discover a new passion in open water swimming... Love it!

Thanks also to Karen and the girls for your support and for just being there! xxx

I'm planning on bigger fund raising events for both the Isaiah Trust and the RNLI next year... Watch this space!

It's been good keeping a training blog again this year... It really has been a great motivator in it's own right, if only to avoid the guilt of long spaces between training sessions! I hope you've enjoyed it! :-)

Happy New Year all!

Dave.

Night time run

After a bout of flu, and between snow showers, managed to get out for a run this evening which was good! A circuit out towards Middlewich and back covering 6.5 miles in just over an hour, stopping for a few stretches along the way. With more snow on the way, not sure when I might get out again...

Afternoon at the Gym

Freezing temperatures and snow prevail so spent a couple of hours at the gym this afternoon... A couple of kilometers running on the treadmill (tedious!), 40 minutes weight training and then half a mile pool swim... Gonna ache tomorrow! :-)

RNLI Reindeer Run

Finished the RNLI 10k Reindeer run at Knowsley today braving biting cold temperatures of -5'c! A great course around Knowsley Hall but a dissapointing time of 56 minutes... Legs and chest gave up around 7k :-(

Probably my worst 10k time... Need to get more miles under my legs before next years Edinburgh Marathon! :-)

Half mile swim

Managed to grab a half a mile swim at Total Fitness this evening, could have been more as I lost count a few times so aired on the side of caution (pool swimming is so boring!). Done in 25 mins. Felt quite good :-)

Swim & Gym

Invested in a new pair of ASICS running shoes today and a winter wind proof running top. However, as my ankle is giving a bit of a niggle at the moment skipped a run and went to the gym instead!

Half a mile of good front crawl in 21 minutes which felt comfortable for a change (32 x 25mtr lengths) followed by 45 minutes weight training in the gym :-)

Think I've earned a Saturday night beer now :-)

Running in the dark :-(

First evening run since the clocks changed so there I was this evening braving 5'c and darkness to get a run in. Always difficult near home to find a big run on street lit paths but managed 4.5 miles out to the outskirts of Elworth towards Middlewhich and back. Didn't get a note of the exact time... About 35 minutes but felt pretty good!

Trying to get a couple of runs in before the RNLI reindeer 10k run on Sun 28th November

Swim and Gym

Swam half a mile in just under 24 minutes this evening, thought it might be easier swimming before weight training but not sure it was! Mostly front crawl but a few lengths of breastroke thrown in to get a breather. Followed up with 45 minutes weight training

Gym

Did a spot of weight training at the gym this evening... 45 minutes in all. Have been somewhat disapointed with the switch from Bannatynes to Total Fitness and had taken for granted clean changing rooms and machines that work ;-)

Have entered what I guess will be our final event for this year, the RNLI 10k Reindeer run at Knowsley on Sunday 28th November. Antlers shall be worn ;-)

Half a mile pool swim

Finding the training really hard work with no target to train for at the moment... Managed 32 x 25 metre lengths of front crawl at sub-aqua club this evening. Felt tough at the time but feel good for having pushed it.

A run around Pwllheli Marina at sunset

A lovely Autumnal day today on the Llyn! Clear blue skies, sunshine but only 10'c at best. Went for a run along the sea front and around the Marina covering just short of 6 miles (5.7 to be precise) in a respectable 49 mins and 28 seconds... And that was after having had a wakeboarding lesson with Off Axis! Aching all over now! :-)

Gym and swim

Did 40 minutes weight training this evening at Total Fitness followed by a very untidy 16 length front crawl swim!

A rubbish run :-)

A day off today so went out for a run in the Autumn 'Indian Summer' sunshine. Up to the Romping Donkey in Hassall and back along the Canal and Wheelock rail trail covering the 6 miles in nearly 58 minutes! The route and weather were lovely but felt hard and rubbish! Having entered next years Edinburgh marathon with Karen last week I guess I need to brush up a bit! :-)

Half a mile pool swim

Since the Salford swim and having trained so much in open water in a wetsuit, I'd been finding it quite difficult swimming any distance in the pool without a wetsuit! Managed quite a comfortable 32 x 25metre lengths of front crawl though this evening though after taking care to pace myself at the start!

Tri Training

An hour at Total Fitness gym this evening... 10 minutes Cycling, 10 minutes running on the treadmill and 16 x 25 metre lengths swimming. Oh and 5 minutes in the Hot tub :-)

Big swim and run

Had a swim this morning at Uswim's last open water training session for the year at Salford Quays. Water was 14.4'c but didn't really feel that cold. Had a fairly gentle swim, focussing on trying to improve technique rather than speed, swam a mile in 43 minutes. The whole Uswim crowd have been fab this year in helping me get ready for my RNLI swim and also helping me discover just how much I enjoy open water swimming!

Once home, went out for a run with Karen who wanted to get a big run in for her half marathon training... I ran about 8 miles in 1 hour 25 minutes. Not the fastest time ever but the longest run I've done in months so not too dissapointed. Was absolutely spent at the end of it! Karen however ran on from about 7 miles continuing to cover 13.6 miles!!! Nice one Karen!!! xx

Last training swim for the year at Boundary Water Park

The title says it all really! Uswim are shutting up shop for the season at Boundary Water Park so went along this evening for a last open water swim there for the year. Water was a very very chilly 14'c! and quite dark with the sun having already set. Hands, feet and ears felt cold all the way round but was entranced by the flashing lights on the marker buoys to help them stand out in the dark!

Having looked at some video of my Salford swim last Sunday and seeing my windmill arms and head too far out of the water when breathing, I tried to focus a bit more on the technique this evening. Felt better but turned out to be a lot slower, covering the mile in a surprising 44minutes! Gonna miss these sessions! Roll on Spring! :-)

Great Salford Swim... Done :-)

Had a fantastic day today at the inaugural Great Salford Swim with not a spot of Blue Green Algae in sight!

Home ground for me having trained here with Uswim and a great venue for spectators. Karen and the girls followed me around the course shouting encouragement which was fantastic although I couldn't really wave back to show how much it was appreciated!

At the begining of this year I struggled to swim more than a few lengths of front crawl. I can't believe I managed to complete the course today let alone in a new personal best of 37 minutes and 20 seconds (I'd been hoping to get under 40 mins)!

Most importantly though, another £1,365 has been raised for the RNLI!

Thanks everyone for both the moral and financial support! Both have equally been important and I couldn't have done it without you!

The donation page will remain open for a couple of months so not too late to make a donation if you would like to... http://www.justgiving.com/daves-rnli-swim

Cheers!

D :-)

Three days to my RNLI Great Salford Swim!

Completed my last training session this evening prior to my RNLI Great Salford Swim this Sunday, swimming a mile at the Uswim training session at Boundary water park in 39 minutes. Really pleased with the swimming which feels a lot smoother now than a few months ago!

Got an e-mail from the organisers today too confirming all is still on! The water was last tested on Wed 22nd Sep and is clear for swimming (No Blue-Green Algae) but dropped in temperature to a chilly 15'c!

Fundraising total stands just short of £1,350 which is fantastic and worth getting cold and wet for!... Thanks to everyone who has contributed so far and if anyone hasn't but would still like to it's not too late! ~ http://www.justgiving.com/daves-rnli-swim :-)

Lunchtime swim

Only 6 days until the Great Salford Swim so wanted to get some training in early this week and taper towards the end of the week. So, went for a swim this lunchtime at the leisure centre near work... 32 x 25 metre lengths (so half a mile) in just over 21 minutes. Got an e-mail today from the Great Swim organisers who are 'pleased to announce that currently blue-green algae is not present at Salford Quays'... Fingers crossed!!!

Out on our Anniversary!

Went out for a run mid morning with Karen, dodging the rain but in quite a strong wind around Pwllheli marina. 4.5 miles in 40 minutes. Not the quickest run ever but not bad after the champagne the night before! 23 years deserves at least a couple of bottles :-)

Snook under 40 minutes!

Another open water swim this evening with Uswim at Boundary Water Park... These sessions have not only been invaluable training but also really enjoyable. Much prefer open water swimming to pacing up and down a pool! A colleague sent me a link to 'Swim Smooth http://www.swimsmooth.com/ ' which has also helped improve the swimming technique somewhat... Took heed of the advice to breath in the bow wake made by my head and keeping my head lower in the water, also rolling my body more in the process... Managed to squeeze just under 40 minutes for a 1 mile swim which I'm really pleased with. The nights are drawing in now and for the last 400 metre lap it was getting ditinctly darker, punctuated by swimmers leaving with car headlights brushing over me in the lake!

A mile at Salford Quays

Another openwater training swim this morning at the Uswim session at Salford Quays. Swam a mile in just under 42 minutes. Once again the coaches couldn't have been more helpful! Jane who swims marathon distance (26 mile!) swims and has swam the channel gave me some pointers on stroke and leg kick. Makes my mile attempt seem a bit puny! :0)

Another mile at Boundary Water Park

Went along to the Uswim training session at Boundary Water Park again this evening. Session went really well, swam a mile with the sun setting in 41 minutes... Felt Good :0)

Focus on the Great Salford Swim

The Great Swim organisers confirmed today that they wouldn't be able to reorganise the Great North Swim this year and so have cancelled it. Unbelievably they'd been considering trying to rearrange it for this weekend?! What planet are they on? How on Earth would 9,000 swimmers and 15,000 spectators have gotten themselves sorted with transport and accomdation in only 3 days!?... Anyway, onwards and upwards! Focusing now on the Great Salford Swim on Sunday 26th Sep and switching the RNLI fundraising to that.

The Dress down day at work last Friday has raised another £249! Fundraising total today stands at a whopping £1,329!! Thanks everyone!!!

Some training too this evening. 45 minutes weight training and 400 metres swimming at Total Fitness this evening

Out for a run

It's been a couple of weeks since my last run but managed to catch a quick loop around Sandbach this morning. Not the best ever run but not bad considering... 5.5 miles in 54minutes 30 seconds

Early morning swim in Salford Quays

Up at 6.30 this morning for a training swim at Salford Quays with Uswim. Arrived a bit too early so had a walk around the quays following the route being considered for the Great Salford Swim from dock 9, through the adjoining canal to dock 8. Whilst dock 8 was being used by a rowing club, the adjoining canal had a worrying amount of weed and algae growing in it! Here's hoping it clears within the next couple of weeks!

Dock 9 was open and with very clear water had a great session covering a mile in 42 minutes feeling much better than my first swim here last week. Also had my first swim with ear plugs... What a difference! I had been getting quite light headed at the end of these swims but a friend told me he'd had the same problem and had been told it was vertigo caused by water sloshing around his ears and that ear plugs had erradicated it... Well, they work! Thanks Martin!

A pick me up!

After the disappointment of learning last night that the Great North Swim has been postponed had a great 'pick me up' with the fundraising today at work!

A cake bake sale organised by Julie, assisted by Catherine and Pauline and supplied by many keen and talented bakers raised a massive £158.57!

We've also had an RNLI dress down day today with funds being collected over the weekend and totals being announced Monday.

This has helped break the £1,000 target with totals today standing at £1,075 :-) Nice one!

Good News and Bad News...

The Bad News: Great North Swim postponed :o(
After finishing what I thought was my last open water training swim before the Great North Swim this evening (800mtrs at Boundary Water Park) I got an e-mail from the Great Swim organisers to say the Great North Swim scheduled for this weekend has been postponed due to health concerns regarding a blue-green Algae bloom... Gutted!

The Good News: Entered the Great Salford Swim :o)
They're hoping to rearrange the Great North Swim for another date in 2010 but just in case, I've entered the Great Salford Swim too (or instead)! It's a mile in Salford Quays at 1pm on Sunday 26th September!

So... You can still sponsor me via the same RNLI Just giving link, and hopefully this will be acceptable for all those who have already supported me... You may even get a '2 for 1' deal if they do rearrange the Great North Swim!

Every cloud has a silver lining and all that!

Three days to the Great North swim!

No training today but plenty of fundraising! Donations of £125 since yesterday from family, friends and colleagues bring the fund raising total to a staggering £841 today! Thank you so so much!

The girls at work are organising a "cakey bakey" stall this Friday to bolster the funds! My younger daughter has spent the last day of her summer holidays making cakes for this. I'm not sure what the biggest test will be... The swim on Saturday or not eating these cakes before Friday morning! :o)

Four days to the Great North Swim!

Made the most of my last remaining day of Bannatynes Health Club membership (having switched to Total Fitness) to do 40 minutes weight training followed by a soak in the Hot Tub... The Hot Tub is definately better than swimming!

RNLI fund raising total today stands at £716 :-) Thanks everyone!

A swim at Porth Cerriad

Had a bit of a swim at Porth Cerriad off Abersoch this afternoon which turned out to be a beautiful sunny Bank holiday... About 600 metres swim, just enough for a stretch :-)

Had a major boost to the fundraising this week too with the folk at Gimblet Rock holiday park in Pwllheli donating £76 by way of sponsorship for my RNLI Great North Swim! Many thanks not only to the many folk who have donated but also Lynsay, Zoe, Kevin and Carl for organising this additional fundraising! Total today stands at £611! :-)

Nice Hat!

Got up at 6.30am this morning for a swim in Salford Docks... I was questioning the wisdom of this myself I must admit but good experience for next weeks Great North Swim as the water here is deeper that at Boundary Water Park (around 7mtrs) and about the same temperature as Windermere. Have to admit to being quite aprehensive intitally with the depth but settled down for an OK swim. Swam 1 mile in 46minutes. Not the best of times but have never been good at exercise this early in the morning! The Folks from Uswim have been fabulous support in helping me get ready for my challenge next week so all thanks to them!

My RNLI fundraising total as of today stands at £535 :-) ~ http://www.justgiving.com/daves-rnli-swim

A mile at Boundary Water Park

Swam another open water mile this evening at the Uswim training session. Water was considerably colder than last time I swam here (18'c as opposed to 24'c) but also considerably clearer being able to see the reeds and the odd school of small fish!
All went well completing the mile in 43 minutes :-)

Another Gym and swim session

Took my youngest daughter along to the Family zone at Total Fitness gym this evening and whilst she used treadmill, cross trainer, etc. I did 35 mins weight training. Both then had a swim... 500mtrs (20 x 25mtr)... Much more fun and felt a lot better than yesterday!

Gym and swim

35 minutes weight training followed by an 800 metre sloppy swim this evening (40 x 20mtr lengths) at Bannatynes gym... Wasn't the best ever session!

Back from holiday!

Just back from a fortnight family holiday :-) Managed a couple of sessions in the gym, some swimming, snorkelling and diving and too much food!

Back to the training... Did a 4 mile run today with Karen which didn't feel too bad.

Kicked off the RNLI Great North Swim fundraising in earnest just before I left and the fundraising total as of today stands at £500 already! A massive thankyou to all those who have already donated!

The swim is in just under two weeks time and the donation page can be found here if you'd like to contribute ~ http://www.justgiving.com/daves-rnli-swim

Open water swim

Swam 1600 metres open water at Boundary water park this evning in 44 minutes... Loving it!

Followed it up with a 'wash' and play in the pool at the Sub-aqua club training session with my daughters afterwards (Eau de lake is never a good smell!)... Underwater frisbee football is also fantastic fun!

D :-)

Out for a run

Managed to sneak a run in this evening, my first in almost a month! Down Middlewich rd to pick up the canal and then a loop around to Crewe rd Home again. Didn't have a puff on the inhaler and my hayfever related asthma played up a bit (excuses!)... 9km in 55mins.

A family affair

Whilst Karen went out for a run this evening, I took our two daughters for a gym and swim! 30 minutes weight training for me whilst the girls did the rowing, running and cycling machines and then 500 metres swimming in the pool for us all :-)

2000 metre open water swim!

Went along to the Uswim open water swimming training session again this evening. The coach Dave Quartermain was good enough to spend 15 minutes with me assessing my front crawl and giving me a few pointers to improve my stroke and efficiency which really helped!

Swam four circuits of the 500 metre bouyed route. Completing the mile in 45 minutes and the 2000 metres in 55 minutes. Really comfortable with front crawl now and felt like I could have swam on... Until I got out and felt light headed!

Also gave my new swimming wetsuit a go this evening... Very pleased! Accidentally bought it at Northern Diver last week... I only went in for air fills for the weekend diving!

D :-)

Gym and swim

Went down to Total Fitness Health Club this evening and after doing 35 minutes weight training in the gym stumbled upon the Total Fitness triathlon club on a training session in the pool and joined in for a half mile swim with them! Hoping to join them on their regular Tuesday training sessions... A very friendly bunch! :-)

My first open water mile!

Went for another open water swim again this evening at the Uswim training session at Boundary Water Park in Holmes Chappel.

I can't tell you what a good session this is, and still can't believe how many swimmers there are and how friendly the set-up is!

Swam four laps of the bouyed 400 metre route non stop, all front crawl in a very comfortable 45 minutes. Felt fantastic and as though I could have just kept on swimming!

I think I might have found another passion! The sense of freedom swimming in open water is amazing, really quite liberating!

I feel a triathlon coming on next year!

D :-)

Gym and Swim

Did 45 minutes weight training at Bannatynes gym this evening followed by 400 metres of very sloppy front crawl! Tired Arms!! ;0)

Half mile pool swim

Swam 32 x 25 metre lengths of front crawl at Total Fitness Health club this evening in 23 minutes. Didn't feel the best ever swim...

Open Water Swim :-)

Went along to a Tatton Triathlon Open Water swim training session this evening organised by Usiwm at Boundary water park in Holmes Chappel... What a Great set up! Must have been a couple of hundred swimmers, some just in speedo's !?! http://www.uswimopenwater.com

The water was shallow, murky but warm at around 20'c.

Swam 1,200 metres in total. Three laps of the 400 metre circuit with a few minutes break between each lap.

The coach that runs the sessions, Dave Quartermain was great and couldn't have been more helpfull and friendly! He gave me a few tips on technique and taught me how to 'spot' to help swim front crawl in a straight line when there's no sides or bottom to guide you... A great tip in itself!

The swim felt great! A lot more relaxed than my last open water swim in the sea but my front crawl is probably a lot better since then. Felt whacked and a bit light headed when I reached the bank at the end of the third lap and was glad of the BBQ and burgers being cooked up afterwards :-)

Great preparation and a huge morale booster for my Great North Swim! :-)

Half a mile in a wet suit

Did another half a mile front crawl at the sub-aqua club training session this evening and so was able to try out the wet suit swimming again... Very warm! Completed in 23 minutes :-)

Six and a half mile run

Went out for a gentle paced run with Karen tonight... Down Middlewich Rd picking up the canal in Moston and up towards Malkins bank to pick up the Wheelock Rail trail home. A round trip of 61 minutes but felt like I could have kept running all night!

Half mile swim

Swam 32 x 25 metre lengths of front crawl at Total Fitness' pool this evening in just under 25 minutes

Changing gyms

I'm in the process of moving from Bannatynes gym to Total Fitness, primarily as it allows my eldest daughter to also use the gym too (Bannatynes have an age restriction). So at the moment I have two gym memberships which must make me twice as fit!? :-)

Did 45 minutes weight training at Total Fitness tonight followed by half a mile swim (32 lengths of their 25 metre pool). Mixed front crawl with breast stroke and completed the half mile in 24 minutes. Rounded it off with steam room, plunge pool and 10 minutes in their hydrotherapy pool which was heaven! :-)

Out for a run

Went out for a run on a variation of my 'Romping Donkey Pub' route this evening covering the 6.7 miles in 57 minutes and a warm 21'c

Another mile

Swam at least another mile this evening at Bannatyne's 20mtr pool in 61 minutes (lost count a number of times so swam between 82 and 86 lengths?!?)... All front crawl, albeit sloooow...

That's just showing off ;-)

A break from the training to enjoy a spot of Wakeboarding out of Abersoch... Not quite ready for Wakesock yet ;-)

Weight training

Up early this morning to do 45 minutes weight training at Bannatynes before work... A nice way to start the day :-)

A mile of front crawl!

Not only did I swim a mile this evening (80 lengths of Bannatynes 20 metre pool) but managed to do it ALL front crawl which I'm really really pleased with. A massive achievement for me given that a few weeks ago I couldn't swim more than a couple of lengths of front crawl at a time!

Hoping to try and make this a regular training session and also get out into open water a few more times to get over the psychological factor of swimming without seeing the bottom or sides!

First sail of the year on 'Zig Zag'!

Went out sailing this afternoon on my Laser Pico 'Zig Zag'! A great day for it, sunny with a light but warm breeze :-)

Returned without cuts, bruises, broken bones or lifeboats! Always a good result!

D :-)

Thirsty work!

Went out for a 7 mile run in a very warm 26'c this evening (around the new 'home route' of Hassall, and Malkins bank golf course). Was thirsty most of the way around which detracted from the run a bit. 6 miles in 53 mins and a slow saunter back the remaining mile in 1 hour 10.

In an Iron man like challange ;-), I then swam half a mile at sub-aqua club! Pleasingly, 30 of the 32 x 25 metre lengths were front crawl! Completed in about 25 mins. The front crawl really does seem to have clicked!

Finally Clicked!

After my first open water swim, the reality hit home that I really need to do front crawl on the Great North Swim. Breastroke felt like just treading water!

So, this evening I decided to go for a swim and really work on the front crawl which I've previously only been able to manage a few lengths of. Anyway, this evening something just 'clicked'!

I swam 20 lengths of front crawl at Bannatyne's 20 metre pool before having a 2 length breather on breastroke, a further 8 lengths front crawl followed by another 2 length breastroke breather and the final 8 lengths of my half mile target on front crawl (so 36 lengths of front crawl in total!). Completed the half mile in 26 minutes feeling much more positive about my ability to actually complete the mile in Lake Windermere which is now only 12 weeks away!

Just a reminder that this is to raise funds for the RNLI to help maintain their coastal presence and specifically the Abersoch crew who came to my aid following my sailing accident in 2007... You can sponsor me here if you wish! ~ http://www.justgiving.com/daves-RNLI-swim

Diving around Abersoch

Brought the sub-aqua club ( http://www.vale-royal-divers.co.uk/ ) to our weekend haunt of Abersoch this weekend to do some scuba diving around Abersoch and Pwllheli!

A fantastic weekend's diving!

Relatively shallow diving but increadibly clear (+10 metre underwater visability) and warm waters (17'c) made for some lovely dives!


D :-)

5 mile run with Karen

Fancied a short run this evening but Karen was having none of it! We're now training for a half marathon this year (venue tba!) and a marathon next (venue also tba)?!? What have I done!? :-) Somehow amongst this I need to get some serious swimming training in for my Great North Swim in just under 3 months time!

Ended up running just under 5 miles (4.7) Down Crewe Rd, along the canal to Malkins bank golf course and back home via the wheelock rail trail... Didn't note the exact times but about 40 minutes.

Abersoch 10km ~ 51 minutes 52 Seconds! :-)

Second time at the Abersoch 10km event for me, this year the course changed slightly starting in the town rather than on the beach. Also had the company of Karen, Jenny and Dom and sunshine rather than the wind and rain of last year which made for an all round much better day!

The run was as tough as ever (perhaps more so in the warmth of the sun!) running up out of Abersoch through Sarnbach and then tracking around Abersoch Bay and up a gruelling hard core track to the highest point at Porth Tocyn with views out towards Bardsey Island before heading back through Sarnbach and the last mile along the beach to finish under the Yacht Club.

A truly stunning route and a pleasing time (seven seconds off last years time ;-) !

First open water swim!

Having a break in Abersoch this week and had my first open water training swim at Porth Cerriad near Abersoch today for my RNLI Great North Swim in September... What a shock!

The cold water on my head made breathing really difficult at first and took a while to catch my breath!

Made reasonable progress swimming front crawl which I'm still not very strong at but when I had to bail out and do breast stroke it felt like I was treading water!

Swam about a 3rd of a mile from just out of the bay to the shore (with Karen providing boat cover) covering the distance in just over 20 minutes.

The water was increadibly clear and as I got to about 3 metre depth could see the sea bed and a profusion of large spider crabs clambering over the kelp bottom which made for an interesting end to a very tough swim!

Definately need to up the front crawl training and stamina!

Seven mile coastal run

Had a run out with Karen this afternoon along the coast and around the marina and brine pool at Pwllheli, covering seven miles in just under an hour.

Preparing for the Abersoch 10km

Went out for a run this evening up through Sandbach to the Romping Donkey, through Hassall and back home around Malkins bank Golf course... A lovely route!

Felt really good completing 6 miles in 49 mins 10 seconds and after a stretch jogged the remaining mile home in 1 hour and 3 minutes.

Getting ready for the Abrsoch 10km on Saturday 5th June... Just under two weeks away!

Weight Training

Did 45 minutes weight training in Bannatynes gym this morning

A run along the Clyde

Up in Greenock in Scotland with Chris from work who I ran the Great Manchester Run with for a seminar... Went out for a bit of a run this evening out of Greenock town centre and back along the 'Esplanade' along the River Clyde.

Three miles in around 26 minutes. Legs felt very stiff and heavy...

Great Manchester Run ~ Done!

What a fantastic Day and an honour to represent the Isaiah Trust for the fourth year running!

Met up with the guys from the IT team before hand (L-R Chris, Rob, Karl, myself and Karen)

And ran much of the way round with them. Finished in a respectable 49 minutes and 33 seconds... Pleased to manage to get under 50 mins again!

Karen blasted her 'under an hour' target finishing in 52 mins and 04 seconds (and this is only the second time she's run this distance)!
Met up with Rachael (the other member of our work's IT team) at the end along with the rest of the girls...

All told have raised £290 on my own donation page and another £1,153 with the IT team I work with :-)

Karen has raised £630 so all in all a great fund raising experience for a very worthwhile cause! Thanks everyone for your support and generosity!

Rounded off the day with a BBQ and well earned beers back at ours afterwards!

D :-)

Out for a stretch

Did 40 minutes weight training in the gym this morning and then went out for a gentle 3 mile run this evening with Karen and our friend Jenny who's also running the Great Manchester Run this weekend... Feel good for the weekend :-)

Ready :-)

Went out this evening on the same run I did with Karen on Sunday... It's a great route, undulating hills and beautiful country lanes and tracks. Felt good from the off and did the 6 miles in 49 minutes which I'm really pleased with. A light run back home from there in 1 hour 5 mins... Boding well for this Sunday's Great Manchester Run for the Isaiah Trust.

Fundraising for the trust is going well too! £280 as of today and not too late to sponsor me ;-)

My GMR pack arrived today, running in the 'white wave' as are most of the other team runners from work.

So, all in all, I'm ready as I'll ever be! :-)

Seven miles with Karen

My wife Karen has also signed up to do the Great Manchester Run for the Isaiah Trust.

Karen hasn't run 6 miles yet and really wanted to before the big day so having planned a route on Map My Run we set out on seven mile run but with a clear point where we'd hit six miles and perhaps walk back from there.

Ran up through Sandbach to the Romping Donkey in Hassall, around Malkins Bank golf course and picked up the Wheelock rail trail completing a non stop six mile run in 58 minutes and continuing the 7 mile run back to our home in 1 hour 10 minutes.

Quite a gentle pace but felt excellent afterwards and good for Karen to know she can run the 10km in under her target time of an hour. :-)

Lies, damned lies and statistics!

The good thing about keeping a training blog is that I can measure how I'm doing against this time last year... I've been getting a bit hung up about the times I've been managing for the 10k recently and so compared it with the run up to last years Great Manchester Run...

Before the GMR last year I'd done 15 runs, 7 of which were over 6 miles. So far this year I've done 14 runs (latest this evening), of which 3 have been over 6 miles with another coming close at 5.6... So I guess my long run training just hasn't been the same! I intend to get another couple of long runs in before next week but this evening settled for a 3 mile stretch, completing this in just under 25 minutes and felt good at the end of it.

Aiming to do circa 7 miles on Sunday and perhaps again next Tuesday or Wednesday... I'll then 'taper' for the weekend and hope for the best! :-)

Half mile swim

Swam half a mile this evening (32x25 metre lengths) at the Sub-aqua club pool session in 24 minutes.

Another disappointing training run...

Went out for a run this evening, tired from a busy weekend perhaps but very disappointed with 1 hour 5 mins for 6.5 miles upto the Romping Donkey and back around the Wheelock rail trail. Felt really hard work? Not boding well to beat my previous Manchester 10km time of 48 mins 31 secs but the fundraising is coming along well despite, £250 as of today! Thanks everyone!

Quick Run

Went out for a run early this evening, through Sandbach to Malkins bank and then back down the Wheelock rail trail home. 4.5 miles in 39 minutes. Felt ok but it was quite distracting hearing my own panting running without my iPod for a change!

Run around the Marina

Went for a gentle run this morning with my wife Karen along the sea front at Pwllheli and around the marina and back.

Grey cloud and a light breeze made for a lovely run! 5.6 miles in 55 minutes followed by a cool down on the rocks overlooking the sea... It doesn't get better than this!

Weight training

Did 45 minutes weight traiing this evening at Bannatynes before heading off to Abersoch for the weekend :-)

A run round the Wheelock rail trail

Did a 3 mile run up to the Sandbach by-pass and around the Wheelock rail trail this evening in just over 24 minutes. Felt hard work but pleased with the time.

Sometimes it's just hard work!

Beautiful sunny day today but at a surprise 23'c by the afternoon a bit too warm for running!

Went out at about 2pm only having had a croissant breakfast and no lunch and withered en route! Ran through Sandbach up to the Romping Donkey pub in Hassall and back down the canal towpath and Wheelock rail trail home, stopped and walked a few times along the way...

6.5 miles in a very disappointing 1 hour and 5 minutes!

Weight training

Did 45 minutes weight training in the gym this evening

Half mile swim

Had another swim this evening (sans wetsuit), 32 x 25 metre lengths in 23.5 minutes. Mostly front crawl now with about 8-10 lengths of breassroke to get a breather!

Light Nights :-)

With the arrival of BST at the weekend am now able to get out weekday evenings on some of my longer run routes which take in some lovely country lanes and off road that don't have street lights.

Had a 7.3 mile run up to the Romping Donkey pub in nearby Hassall and back tonight... Ran 6 miles in 55 minutes and completed the 7.3 miles after a stretch in 1 hour 6 minutes. Not the best of times but quite pleased given that it's been a while since I've covered this distance and all feels good afterwards :-)

Gym

45 minutes weight training this evening followed by 10 minutes in the Jacuzzi... The Jacuzzi was much easier :-)

Half mile swim

Swam 32 x 25 metre lengths this evening (no wet suit) at the Sub-Aqua club pool session in Winsford.

Gym & Swim

Did 45 minutes weight training this evening followed by 400 metres swimming (20 x 20 mtr lengths)... Knackered!

A run at dusk

The nights are starting to stay lighter for longer but still ended up running the Wheelock rail trail in semi darkness this evening! 2.5 miles in 23 minutes.

Collecting for the RNLI

Not really training but I spent a couple of hours this morning with the South Cheshire branch of the RNLI collecting in Sandbach.

It was very cold but worth the while. Overall we collected £471 with my collection contribution being £58! Not bad for a mornings work!

Thank you Sandbach!! :-)

Half mile swim

Swam again in my wetsuit this evening covering 32 x 25metre lengths of the pool in 22 minutes. The front crawl seems to be getting easier, managing just over 4 lengths at a time now before I have to bail out and breastroke!

Diving!

Took a break from the training this weekend to go Scuba diving with my daughter and the Sub-Aqua club we belong to up in Loch Long in Scotland!

That is snow on the hills so yes it was cold! :-)

You can find out more about the BSAC branch I dive with here:- http://www.vale-royal-divers.co.uk

Swimming in a wetsuit

Decided to try swimming in my wetsuit this evening in preparation for having to swim in one for the Great North Swim later in the year. It makes quite a difference being slightly more buoyant! Front crawl seems a tad easier but breast stroke much harder being more horizontal in the water.

Swam 800 metres (32 x 25mtr lengths, so half a mile) in 22 minutes, over half of which was front crawl so all in all quite pleased!

Spring?

Went out for a run this evening, twice around the block again covering 3 miles in 25 minutes and 40 seconds. Slightly warmer than last week at 3'c but still running in the dark... Roll on BST!

So cold!

Went out for a run this evening in a light snow flurry and 1.5'c temperatures. 3 miles (twice around the block) in 26 minutes

Gym

Did 40 mins weight training at the gym this morning

Swam a mile!

Swam my first mile in a good few years this afternoon! 80 x 20metre lengths (1,600 metres) at Bannatynes Gym in 48 minutes which bodes well for being able to finish the Great North Swim in September before nightfall ;-). About a third of it was front crawl... Need to try and increase that.

Bit of a swim...

Took my youngest daughter down to sub-aqua club this evening during the half term holidays and in amongst the playing we swam 22 x 25 metre lengths (550 metres) followed up by a Jacuzzi :-) Happy days!

Gym

45 minutes weight training in the gym this evening

Weight Training

50 mins weight training this evening at Bannatynes gym... I love lifting heavy things :-)

Chilly!

Went out for a run late this afternoon. Around the wheelock rail trail, 2.5 miles in 17 minutes. Felt great!... time seems awfully quick?... not sure now whether I misread it!?!

Out for a stretch

Braved the 2.5'c this evening to get out for a quick stretch. Ran 1.5miles 'around the block' in 13 minutes.

Back from a cold

Had a bad cold last week so no trainng since then... Eased back in to it with 45mins weight training this evening.

RNLI's SOS Fundrasing day

Friday 29th Jan is the RNLI's biggest fundraising day of the year... SOS day! Read more about it here... http://www.rnli.org.uk/sosday/home

To mark the event, I'm launching my RNLI funraising for this year "Starting Off Swimming"... I decided that I could put this swimming training in lieu of running to good use and so have now got my confirmed entry for this years Great North Swim. It's a mile in Lake Windemere at 2.30pm on Saturday 4th September!

Catch more about the event here ~ http://www.greatswim.org/Events/British-Gas-Great-North-Swim/

You can support me here if you want ~ http://www.justgiving.com/Daves-RNLI-Swim

D :-)

Swimming and Weights

Did 45 minutes weight training before work this morning and 750 metres swimming this evening at dive club (30x25 mtrs)... Need to start timing my swims and working on my front crawl.

First run of 2010!

Decided to brave the drizzle and 4'c temperatures to get out for a first run of 2010. Ran the wheelock rail trail loop of 2.5 miles in 22 minutes. Felt great! :-)

Swimming & Gym

40 minutes weight training followed by 1,000 mtrs swimming (50x20mtr lengths). Can't swim front crawl after the gym! :-)

More swimming in lieu of running

35 minutes weight training last night and another 1,000m swimming this evening at Sub-Aqua club (40x25m lengths).

Still icy

With much snow and ice still around I'm concentrating on fitness training this week rather than running. 1,200m swimming at Banatynes (60 x 20m lengths).

Treadmill

Still lots of snow and ice about so decided to do some running on the treadmill at Bannatyne's gym (which I've always found much harder than road running). Did 5km in 33 mins 58 seconds and followed up with 30 mins weight training and 600 metres swimming.

Welcome to the 2010 Blog!

With thick snow, ice and temperatures of -14.5'c this week running outside has been out of the question... Instead I've been swimming twice this week covering 1,550metres over the two sessions :-)

D.