Dawn Patrol + Janathon #15 + S&C

Early start for the Global Therapies Dawn Patrol runners. We headed down to the leisure centre at 5.50am, meeting four others and doing the Derbyshire Level loop. We were rewarded for our early start with the hoots from two owls, how delightful. Total run for me and Tim was 8km which includes about 2.5km to get to the leisure centre and back. A lovely 51mins with great company chatting all the way round.

Back home and I went straight into the 'home gym' to do my strength and conditioning session. Today's set was:

3 rounds of:
20x kettlebell swing, 20kg
10x deadlift, 40kg
10x goblet squat, 16kg
1min rest

then 3 rounds, no rest:
2mins weighted step up, bodyweight+20kg
1min plank
1min back extensions

This was all followed by the barefoot training, strengthening and balance exercises for the research project we're taking part in, plus a 20min barefoot (wearing fivefingers) walk.

Total exercise time: 2hrs 15mins.

Do. Done. Doing.

A good day today, and it's only 4.15pm. I write 4.15pm at the start so I can see how long it takes me to draft this blog.

As I've just been doing my strength and conditioning session for today I was pondering exactly where my time has gone today. Is that the right way to think about it? For time goes by anyway. What I actually mean is, What Have I Done? What have I accomplished? and, am I satisfied that I have used my time to it's full?

All this thought has been provoked by a short book I read yesterday. My good friend Matt gave me a link to that book in his comment on my post Procrastination and Words just yesterday. It was an enthralling read, taking me about a 'mug of coffee time' to work my way down the text. Head over to my other blog if you're remotely curious.

Anyway, what have I done today. As I trained I considered my time, and this is where I have spent it (rough timings as I wasn't really clock watching as I got on with stuff):

up at 5.20am
coffee
5.50am running on the Dawn Patrol til just before 7am
7-8am breakfast, shower, chatting to Tim, made a tray of flapjack
8-9am study/work
9-10am barefoot exercises, including a 20minute barefoot walk and plyometrics
10-11am study/work
11-1130am snack, tea, house stuff
1130-1pm study
1-2pm lunch, getting ready for work,afternoon tea & flapjack
2-2.30pm chatting to Tim, house stuff
2.30-3.15pm study/work
3.15pm-4.15pm strength & conditioning
4.15pm onwards....writing this blog. (its now 4.22pm)

That includes four or so quality hours of study/work during which time I've completed 3 worksheets each containing 15-20 questions on physiology, health, nutrition and training - lots of reading and research needed for those too. I've had a fairly packed 11 hours already, and yet I still have a quality 5.5hrs before I go to bed.

I'm happy my day has been packed and busy. By the time I've had a short mental break (I'll knit, so I'm actually still achieving something) it will be about 5.30pm. There's then dinner to make, more work to do, and I need to fit in my hour of quality reading (see pic below) which I would normally have done first thing but today was Dawn Patrol day.

Right then. No time to fritter away here.......onwards I go...

ps. blog finished/posted by 4.32pm - setting a timer to get things done with focus helps!

Janathon #08 Global Therapies Dawn Patrol

An early start today, setting out at 5.50am to be at Glossop leisure centre for the weekly 6am Global Therapies Dawn Patrol run.

Four of us gathered and set off on a loop around Derbyshire level. The first challenge is to keep running up Cliffe Road - a very steep gradient that lasts about 400m in total, with small steps and determination we all reached the top. The route then levels off for a bit before a gradual climb of about 500m to the furthest point out. The road then undulates and to entertain us along the way we heard an owl....and then as we dropped down to Sheffield Road we saw another owl up close. We must have disturbed it as we turned the corner as it flew off, up over the hedge and into the trees. Shining my torch up into the branches must have disturbed it again as it then flew off and all four of us saw it. Now that's worth the early start.

A lovely run with good company, making the kilometres pass very easily. Since getting back I've had breakfast, post-run coffee and made flapjack that's just out of the oven. That's the snack sorted for elevenses.

Janathon #06 Dawn Patrol

Early morning dawn patrol was out this morning...me and Tim, out and running by 6.04am. We did our usual pre-breakfast, pre-dawn route - a 5.5km loop from home on the road. Torch in hand, but only used when cars are approaching, otherwise night eye sight is good and sufficient on tarmac, and while there are some dark bits on the loop without street lights torch light just limits what you actually can see. The stars this morning were amazing, loads out in the clear skies.

This morning we were joined by the usual chirping of birds, though unusually no owl hoots to be heard. Our pace felt weirdly fast but slow at the same time, on checking the stats we took about the same time as usual, but no strava course records obtained, not even a 2nd or 3rd personal best on any of the sections. But that's not the point of the dawn patrol. The point is that it's an energising run, it sets us up for the day and by 7am we are showered, dressed and have had breakfast and most of our neighbours aren't even up!

Snowy Dawn Patrol

Today's dawn patrol run took me and Tim to a secret location. If you're in the Glossopdale Harriers (and Pennine) then you'll know all about the goodie box Tim has been hiding in various locations. Today's pre-dawn run was to place the box once more. Apart from knowing we went above the snow line there's no other clues coming from me about this new location, just a couple of photos:

My almost new Mudclaw 300s having their first taste of snow

Definitely snow....not just a frost

There is something most satisfying about getting out of bed and going for an early run. Today's run was one of the more spectacular in recent times. As we left the edge of Glossop there were signs of frost, yet not frost. Too damp really to be frost, though there was a slight covering of ice on car windscreens. We ran higher, clag hiding the view and sunrise from us. I did a short bit of running without my torch, all good practice. Then within a matter of moments there was enough light for torches to be turned off and put away. My feet were starting to feel the chill of the snow underfoot and the foggy clag rolled in and out revealing the hillside before us. A glistening almost full moon still high in the sky beamed through the murk. And then, daylight, and a good smattering of snow. 

With the goodie box nicely hidden, both our gps watches recorded the location, we were off on our way home. Horses which we could barely make out not 30 minutes earlier were now clearly visible and the owl we heard twit-twoo-ing had long gone with the dawn.

My Mudclaw 300s have now done about 100km and I'm really liking them. The grip is much better than x-talons (or are my x-talons just quite worn down?!) and my foot is surrounded by more fabric so they should in theory be a little cosier. Today's chill was partly down to sock choice, not knowing it was going to be wet and snowy underfoot, and partly a bit of loitering around.

What a magical run. I'll reveal a couple of other photo's later, once the goodie box location has been revealed.