Thursday Training in non-rainy Wrexham

I managed to get out for a run this morning, the first mile was pretty fast and awesome.  I ran a strange loop around and in a local park, where I came across this somewhat muddy football pitch

I only ran 2.5 miles, the first mile was a decent 10 minutes, the second mile was an into the wind 12, and the third half was 5.5 minutes.  almost 30 minutes of jogging/running.  At some point, I need to learn to run longer.  Some point before the Cardiff Half Marathon I entered!!

After the run I treated myself to some rye-vita and Boursin cheese.  How do they make Boursin cheese sooo good?!  I don't know but I could eat it all day every day.  I don't though, because that would make me super massive.

In the afternoon I had a cheeky chance to use a real gym, and I jumped at the opportunity for an hour log weights set.  I'm getting better and better at my pushups, I can do 10 lame ones or about 3 full ones. I'm still working on the pull-ups but I can do pull-ups at 30% - where I go down to a 130 degree angle or so (180 being the top and 90 being a right angle).  Actually there's go to be some better math for that.

but still - too much math for exercise!

I did my new weights routine, which I will post at a later date, but it is a good one!  I also added some extra core work like leg lifts and crunches.

The sun has actually come out as well - the afternoon was lovely! 

Wales is so pretty when the sun is out!

Hotel Gym - a little room of doom at an otherwise suitable Ramada

I'm away with work again! I got in yesterday, which meant a day of no excercise as I got in at 11pm

This morning I woke up with the best of intentions.  I was delayed slightly by some technical problems, but managed to get to the gym for a quick 45 minute session

I nearly flew downstairs, excited at what i might find!  Will it be a big room? Will there be a rowing machine   Will there be free weights? bars? something I can practice pull-ups on?

I excitingly pushed through the first set of double doors, and found a small hallway leading to the jacuzzi room

It was distinctly average 

There was an unmarked door.

When I entered my heart fell.  To me, it was what I would expect to find if a real gym burned down and only 3 pieces were saved.

I hopped on the treadmill first, a rickety old thing that shook a lot as I tried to run. I ran for 5 minutes.

I got a phone call that took 20 minutes

I decided to try the bicycle, but the seat was broken.  I tried to cycle, but it was too uncomfortable.  I tried to fix the seat (lower it) but it was stuck

The room had no windows and no vents, and it was getting warm.  I tried to turn on the air conditioning but nothing worked.  I propped open the door.

I ran for 5 more minutes.

And then I left.

I know I'll need to figure out how to deal with bad equipment if I'm going to travel and train, but I was so excited to see the gym and so sad with what I found that it took me a good 4 hours to get over the disappointment 

Maybe tomorrow I'll find some internet lists of hotel room workouts.  And if it's not raining in the morning I'll go for a run in this delightful north/mid-wales town....

CHEESE! Wensleydale Creamery and my favorite British Blue Cheese

I decided cheese is too good to not eat.  So I'm limiting myself to only really good quality cheese.  Hence this post, about really good cheese!

My new favorite bizarre food is a Baked Sweet Potato with Wensleydale cranberry cheese.

Just look at this beautiful cheese

And imagine it stuffed into a delicious sweet baked potato.  YUM

Wensleydale Creamery in Yorkshire is my favorite non-Welsh cheese maker.

They make my second favorite Blue Cheeses!

Apparently Wensleydale Blue is actually Great British Cheese Champion!  

I still love Cashel Blue more, but maybe that's why I'm not a great british cheese champion judge.

Now I've devolved from blogging to looking at pictures of cheese on the internet

What's your favorite cheese?!

Swimming Sunday

My birthday was awesome, relaxing and food filled.

The day after was awesome too, I hung out in my house all day and then went for drinks and tapas in the evening.

Sunday I thought I should probably get back to exercising  but I realized how quickly the ennui can set in when activity stops.

Last week I did the following:
Monday: Weights
Tuesday: nothing
Wednesday: nothing
Thursday: Weights
Friday: nothing
Saturday: nothing

When Sunday rolled around I really didn't want to do anything.  In fact, I couldn't understand how I used to get psyched for exercise.  Everything seemed so hard and effort-ful.

My friends were headed down to the indoor climbing wall, and with little else to do besides putter and avoid exercise I decided to go.  I've not been climbing seriously for about a year so I faffed around top roping some 5 and 5+ and then led a 5+ and then climbed a 6a+ just to prove I could.  Then to a bit of bouldering and some silly strength exercises and I was done.

I've also not been out with the Cardiff Tri Swimming for a while and I decided to rejoin them tonight, for their 90 minute session.  15 minutes in I was tired.  30 minutes in my arms felt like they were falling off.  My 400s became 100s and since we were swimming in an olympic pool the laps were longer and the 100s were shorter, if that makes sense, which it doesn't.  After an hour I gave up and went home.  I don't think I finished my 100s, and I didn't get my 900 meter swim in at all, but I must have done at least a mile of swimming.

And now I'm so tired, and I like being this tired, and I'm looking forward to a weights session with Geraint tomorrow to whip me back into shape!

Oh and a massage - my birthday treat to me.  That's tomorrow as well.

It's been a good weekend!

Birthday Bits

Yesterday was my BIRTHDAY!

It was awesome, I got some sweet presents like a Coffee Percolator:

and a some bike bits

and some ear warmers and matching gloves

and a new hat

and this awesome computer I use to write this blog.

But the best bit was that I had the day off work!

My brewer half took me out to lunch at The Potted Pig - a restaurant I had been wanting to try for ages!  I will write a full review later but for now, 2 pictures:

Tasty mess of a burger.  Sadly my iphone's autofocus doesn't seem to work anymore.  But still, pink and squishy and delicious.

After lunch we went for a little walk in Cardiff Castle.  Here is what I would look like if I was on the evil side of the Revolutionary War:

And here is what I would look like if I got caught stealing a loaf of bread!

Speaking of Stealing a Loaf of bread - the brewer half took me to see Les Mis yesterday   It was awesome.  He may have been the only straight male in the theatre.  

It was an ace birthday!

Where-Has-My-Week-Gone-Wednesday

I havent done anything fitness at all for 2 days and I have eaten the most boring food.

This blog is about exercise and food, and I have done neither! So what do I write about?

....

....

...

My housemates and I have gone splitsies on a Turbo Trainer, which is basically an expensive piece of kit that turns expensive outdoor bikes into stationary bikes.   Because apparently it will never ever stop snowing, ever.

This youtube video is kind of funny!  If you do cycling that is:

Tomorrow is my last day on Camp (which is away with work, because my work involves Camps).  Then I have a 3 day weekend! Horray!

Time for bed so I can wake up tomorrow and do weights or cardio or swimming or swimming and weights and cardio!

There is no way I'll do all 3.

I may sleep instead.

Winter Walkies up Pen-Y-Fan

It's snowing in Wales!

This is exciting, because it never snows in South Wales.  Ever.  This is what I was told when I moved here 3 years ago.  Since then, it has snowed every year.

At first the snow is fun!  It is for making snow men and enjoying life!

Now the snow is annoying - it is for limiting outdoor activities and causing travel disruptions.

On Sunday, before the snow was annoying, we went for a hike up Pen-y-fan

Pen-y-fan is the tallest peak in south wales - almost 3,000 feet high.  Sometimes it looks like this:

When we got to the top, it looked like this:

I have a little pet project of headstands around the world, and I managed another:

Headstands in hiking boots are hard!

This week I'm away with work again, unlikely I'll get much gym time in (especially since I'm backdating this entry and know I won't gym for the first 2 days!) so it will be one of those fabeled "rest" periods.  Huzzah!