Fitness check

Been a while since I typed my rambles. Not that I've nothing to ramble about because I have. I just seem to have ran out of steam lately.

After completing the Marcothon for a 2nd year I took a few days off. Seized up and struggled to get going again. My few runs have been short and not of high quality.
My marathon training is 'oot the windae' but on a plus note I'm really enjoying my Hoka's. They are most definitely not for the trails (says so on the gumph) but hey ho I've not told them and they are doing just fine. My only wee issue was on the ice, I felt I had no 'feel' of the ground, can't quite explain it but it freaked me when I couldn't feel how slippy the road was. I made a very conscious effort to run on the ice to get an idea of what grip I had or didn't have and how it felt. After a wee bit I settled down and managed to relax a tad.

Anyway back to the title. For my birthday Bryan (the long suffering other half) bought me a Gold Health & Fitness Test at the above locus. I was almost lost for words (but not quite). This kind of testing is usually for the great and brilliant, not the back marker sweeper hauder upper (me). Bryan though does not conform to such views and reckons if he can afford it, my lack of ability speed and brilliance should not stop me knowing how the hell it all works. Or in my case doesn't.

Well they tested away, blood, urine, height, weight, VO2 max, lactate profiling ECG got to go back for my Echo cardiogram though (evening only) I suddenly felt on the wrong side of 40 when the fat gripping callipers came out.. oh christ.. bingo wings tested, back flab tested and worse of all my wee dough ring round my tummy. Don't worry he says, most of it's skin... hehe yeah course it is!!

After almost coming a cropper on the treadmill he shows me some of the results, very interesting. I'm 63% fitter than jo public but 19% below where I should be for running the WHW. Most of the analysing has still to be done and will be sent out to me. I'm looking forward to reading it. He gave me real good pointers for my training and a better idea of what sort of runs I should be aiming to do and also how to work with my heart rate monitor.

I was feeling at bit lost with my training, not really doing anything useful and wondering constantly what I should be doing to get my speed up for a marathon, how do I work that in with keeping the miles up for the ultras etc. I now have a clearer view of where I'm at and where I'm going. Well tomorrow that'll be that Carrick hills, think that is a good enough place to start.

Next it will be the food, I've to send in an honest weeks worth of food and drink.. I'm really not sure that will be possible. Everyone lies about that don't they? is it just me? oh I will try. Nutrition was the main reason I failed so miserably at the WHW so it is pretty important for me to find out what triggers the puking.

On that happy note I'm off to plan my food for the WHW weekend. Really looking forward to it.

Karen & Munro