159. Broken news

After nearly a week of babying my knees, they seem to have nearly decided to return to normal. Still a little stiff, but no return to agony of Sunday night and so a return to exercise must be at least planned...

Not least as I have been applying the little-known "junk food" recovery method. Which pretty much involves lolling around on the sofa and eating any cakes or high-fat food (mmm, pizza!) that appears before me (as if by magic!). I am convinced that this method was a crucial element in assisting my knees to return to normal (or at least it can't have hurt), but it does rather mean that I've spent one week carefully undoing the work of the previous 7. Meh.

I was supposed to be doing a half-marathon today... But my knees, you know, wouldn't have been a good idea. And then there is the weather aspect - torrential rain all day. Nice running weather, I'm sure, but not for me. And then there's the whole "I didn't do any running training" issue... I mean, really, it just wasn't a good idea. Although, of course, I'm simply devastated not to be taking part. Devastated...

In other news (brace yourselves) - Boris is in the bicycle shop! Yes, that's right, he's no longer cowering in his box in the hall, he is now, um, cowering in his box elsewhere! Even better, he's there to be freed, freed from his soulless prison, and unleashed on the world once more. And all for the terribly reasonable price of about £100. (@_@) Well, it was that or risk a breakdown, and one can't really put a price on one's (mental) health, can one..? (OK, yes, £100, but apart from that...). Anyway, within the next week Boris will be back in one piece and ready to roll!

That's all the news at the moment - off to do some more housework (because I'm supposed to be doing some paid work) - onward!

:o)

Today's stats
Nothing. Not a darn thing. Bliss...

158. And now, the end is here

And on Sunday 18th May 2014 it came to pass that the 2014 5x50 Challenge did end.

Going out with a bang, I walked 5 miles, flush with success (actually did something every day of the Challenge this year!) and chock-full of fitness and vigour. Which heady sense of triumph lasted for about an hour, and then my knees started hurting...

I write this seated, but I shan't be seated for long as it's rather painful. Yes, on my first day of rest in 50 days I have knees that aren't fond of standing and are positively against sitting (the bending, you know, not a core function of knees, apparently). And so my day of rest has been spent whimpering in pain and shuffling around like a geriatric.

Exercise, it's bad for you -but then, we knew that already, eh?

Still, I've had the chance to break out the Biofreeze again and so now smell both of mint and menthol (which isn't that unpleasant), and it does appear that the pain has now reduced sufficiently that I might actually get some sleep tonight.

Repeat after me - virtue is its own reward...

(@_*)

Sunday's stats
Walking - 1 hour 14 mins, 5 miles [all good until...]

157. Bridges and doughnuts

This week has been something of a trial. Of a particularly tasty kind. Because, dear reader, it has been National Doughnut Week. Now, I have never before heard of such a thing (do doughnuts really care if they get their own week? And, isn't it a bit wrong to have a celebratory week which mostly involves destroying the very thing that you're celebrating??). But this did not stop everyone I work with embracing the week with gusto.

Now, I love doughnuts. But even I can see that an entire week of daily doughnuts might have the odd downside. Not that this stopped me from joining the celebrations: well, one does occasionally have to be sociable...

So the 5x50 exercising this week has had a somewhat desperate anti-doughnut feel to it. And on Friday it turned into a team event as we gathered together at lunchtime (daylight!) for a walk across the bridge and back. Which was actually quite good fun (I can recommend) and blessed with good weather (sunshine!). A bit slow (the pace had to accommodate walking AND talking - and challenge indeed!), but speed as ever is not my goal (just as well really).

However, the downside to all this exercise in the sunshine (and there has to be one) is that I now resemble a rather pink panda. It appears that I can spend a week in Dubai and now create silly tan lines, but one hour in the exceedingly rare sunshine at home and I have tanned myself some goggles.

Lovely!

:o)

Today's stats
Walking - 1 hour 1 min, 4.01 miles [better than nothing]

Friday's stats
Walking - 1 hours 7 mins, 3.46 miles [team walk over the bridge and back again!]

156. Boxes and windows

For those paying attention to the last blog, I can confirm with some authority that a complimentary glass of Cava offered on arrival can very nearly cure all ills. I was exceedingly annoyed by the whole check-in process (people requesting and then wandering off with my passport - why??) but that all... Went away when the free Cava came out. Take note hotels - free fizzy wine is the true answer to your customer service problems, and not a load of sincere people apologising.

Fewer apologies, more fizzy wine - this is my new policy. *hic*

In other news, as the weather turns to the summer (at least in terms of hours of daylight) I am conscious that the "ideal conditions for cycling" window is opening. And yet, poor Boris is still in his box... Really should do something about that. You know, soon. Ish.

Before you get too excited, I should point out that the Council has once again proved its deep and abiding hatred of me and once again put long-term roadworks on my cycle route to work (what is the point in having a dedicated cycle path if it's shut whenever I might want to use it?!). This means that, should Boris ever escape his box, my 15-mile route to work will once again be 17 miles (including diversion for roadworks). Pretty much the definition of motivational, that.

Still, there is little point in having a bike in bits. Plus it's cluttering up the hall... Should anyone wish to support the "Free Boris" campaign - you should note that bribery is always an acceptable option.

;oD

Today's stats

Cycling (in gym) - 47 mins, 10 miles [(proper) Level 5, oof!]

Wednesday's stats

Walking - 59 mins, 3.99 miles [so close! But no 4 mile cigar...]

Tuesday's stats

Walking - 52 mins, 3.41 miles [tired, very tired]

Monday's stats
Zumba - 1 hour [wiggling it]

155. Strange hotel trends

Right, well, this might be completely off-topic, but...

Having spent a week in a hotel room recently (ah, the heat! The sunshine! The lack of housework!!), and, in deed, regularly being stuck in hotel rooms for work... There is a worrying trend appearing. The posher the hotel, the stranger the things that they provide in your room as standard.

I mean, I can get by in a hotel without a towelling robe: it's nice when one is provided, but I don't go looking for it. Towels are fairly fundamental; a bed really gives the whole thing a purpose; and soap and shampoo are really expected. The towelling slippers that you always get with said robe, though - totally useless. Anyway, hotel provides a towelling robe (and stupid slippers), this is a nice treat: however, such hotels now seem to think that if you're going to like a robe then you're going to LOVE a set of scales.

I don't know about you, but nothing says "luxury visit to a quality hotel" like a set of scales in the bathroom. No, really. Home from home indeed. And that takes us to our next point: you find a set of scales in a bathroom - why, why, why do you always have to try them out? It's not like they're toys - they are instruments of torture and doom (or, carefully calibrated measuring devices - depends on your point of view)!

So, there you go, then - thinks to think on when next you find yourself in a hotel bathroom...

:o)

Today's stats

Walking - 56 mins, 3.3 miles [in the sunshine! The shock, the shock...]

Wednesday's stats

Walking - 50 mins, 3.32 miles [couldn't be bothered]

Tuesday's stats

Walking - 56 mins, 3.69 miles [vaguely trying to walk further - very vaguely...]

154. Acclimatising

Am getting quite tired of this 5x50 nonsense. I want a day off! I'm sure that this constant exercise is doing me some good (well, I certainly hope it is otherwise why? Why??!) but I am starting to dream desperately of a day without the the constant nagging sense that I have 5k yet to do and time is running out.

Obviously getting up and doing some exercise before work would get rid of this problem, but really, there are limits to what is possible. I am not a morning person. Getting out of bed early to go and do some exercise before going to work is always trumped by staying in bed a bit longer and snoozing. Always. On holiday, I did try to get up early (when it was cooler) but this was foiled daily by the thought of just another 10 minutes snoozing...

In other news, I am slowly regaining hearing in my right ear (which is good as otherwise work tomorrow would be rather embarrassing). And I am no longer shivering with cold. This may be because the local weather has ceased dropping to winter temperatures, but it could also be because I am re-acclimatising to the chill. This is probably a good thing (there's no need to be used to living in Dubai-style temperatures when you, erm, don't). Still, a little more warmth and sunshine generally wouldn't hurt.

Except when I'm training, of course. I have discovered that I need the cooler temperatures to do any exercise at anything resembling speed. Always finding new limitations to this "getting off the sofa" lark...

:o)

Today's stats

Cycling (in gym) - 40 mins, 8 miles [Level 5, trying to step up a gear. Without there actually being gears...]

Sunday's stats

Walking - 50 mins, 3.4 miles [seem to have finally picked up some speed...]

153. A sudden chill

I took myself off last week for a week-long break in Dubai. Which was lovely. Relaxing. Sunny. And very, very hot. Over 30 degrees C every day all day. Actually a bit too hot for my fragile self, but I managed to cope just the same and conduct much sun-worship.

Then I came home. To a land 20 degrees colder. OK, some of this might have been jet-lag, but I have been cold for the past three days. Deep-down, turn-the-heating-on, where-did-spring-go cold. To the point that I haven't been to the gym (house to cold to get changed into gym clothes) and have had to wear gloves to venture outside for my walk. I never wear gloves. This is quite unexpectedly irritating. It was nice and warmly spring-like when I left - I have no idea what happened in the intervening week, but I want it to stop now!

On top of that I have been lumbered with the now-traditional ear problems that occur post sunshine holiday. Always, right at the end of the holiday, one ear suddenly decides that it doesn't like being submerged in water on a daily basis and ceases to function. Which makes travelling home awkward (can't hear what all the officials at the airport are saying to me, making me look either awkward or just plain dim), and is not helped by the flying. Situation has yet to resolve itself, which means I'm saying "eh?" a lot and looking confused when people talk to me.

So, all in all, not only is exercise bad for you (give me enough time and I'll make my continuing adherence to the 5x50 challenge responsible for all these ills), but so are holidays. Particularly sunny ones...

*sigh*

:o}

Today's stats

Walking - 49 mins, 3.29 miles [glove-free! Acclimatising slowly to the arctic blast.]

Friday's stats

Walking - 52 mins, 3.3 miles [still walking with gloves on...]

Thursday's stats

Walking - 52 mins, 3.34 miles [stumbling through the cold in gloves and ski jacket]