Tuesday 11/09

Type: Short
Time: 20mins
Distance: 2.38miles
Pace: 8.30m/m
Rating: 5

I wasn't planning on running today but I felt quite "stressed" after work so went to the gym and ran in the west end. (The reason I put stressed like that is because my job isn't really very stressful most of the time...it's very satisfying actually, I just hate sitting still for 5 hours at a time) I headed out the usual route but my battery went dead in my ipod, and I was really getting into the music, so I decided to up the pace and just do a very shortened version of my run back to the gym again. When I got back, I did some cross training to give my Achilles Tendon a wee rest (it's been hurting a bit more recently - especially when I stood back up from my desk after my run yesterday) Here's my very light cross training diary:10mins rowing10mins cycling 20mins total body x-trainer
The machines at the gym have now had tv's installed in them and so it's a little bit more interesting than simply working out to music...although I still think running outside beats everything I did this afternoon. However - something interesting - I checked my heart rate on some of the machines today. I've not checked it since my heart rate monitor broke a couple of months ago. On the bike it was 135bpm when I was going fairly slowly. On the x-trainer it was 145bpm when I was pushing it slightly. Now I've been looking over the training diary which I kept from 1st October last year, and I've noticed that my heart rate used to be (on average) about 150-155bpm on the cross trainer and about 150-160 when I was cycling. So it has lowered quite significantly, and when I say "pushing it", I wasn't even breathing through my mouth which is good.

On another note, I've been looking to enter another race - I'm thinking a Cancer Research Race For Life 10k in Edinburgh. I'd like to raise money with a run sometime, and I think that is an excellent cause. Anyway, I'm also going to enter another half marathon because I think that is my favourite distance! I'm going to look for some big ones, even if they're not in Scotland I think I could make a wee holiday out of it if I travelled for one. There is a 10k in Inverness which has an absolutely stunning course, and I would love to do that but it's perhaps a bit soon after I go back to Uni, so I'll have to wait and see.

Oh, and my cycling friend has broken his hand whilst out on the West Highland Way! It's in a cast and he won't be able to cycle for a while, which is a real shame. Wishing him good luck and a speedy recovery.