Keep on running!

Ahh so much to write but so little time... and where to start..... ok ok I know you'll want to know how the cat is..... evidently he is feeling better....When I got up this morning this is what I found in the hallway. Those "things" you can hardly make out in the picture are what was left of the mouse when I got up this morning!!! YUK!

What else....oh yes that little duathlon thing I did on Saturday.... talk about "emotional" in places! 5.5k x-country run, two laps of 6k on the mtb and then another 2k! This was a little bit more difficult then I had anticipated but was ouddles of fun dispite this!! Managed to convince a mtb buddy of mine to do the thing too.... so my personal objective was to try and not get too whipped on the bike section by her!!! The whole thing turned out quite good in the end as we actually finished at the same time!... and I did get truly whipped by both the bike course and my buddy on it... lucky for me I got a good enough head start on the first run and caught up on the second! Still it was an unexpected race and a great laugh... Oh and there's that little thing of coming joint third in my age group... not that there were loads of us in the age group but still 3rd is 3rd :oD. So I celebrated by trying to drown myself in Guinness whilst watching the rugby on Saturday afternoon... at least we won that game!

Needless to say (after my Guinness drowning attempt) I rested up on Sunday ;o)

I have got back on the proverbial treadmill a bit this week and been for a couple of runs which have also, in the first instance particularly, been entertaining. So let me paint you the scene.

Monday morning I was still in bed listening to the wind howl outside and thought about getting up for a run wondering if it was raining with that wind..... then the cat arrived, did a four paw landing on the white duvet to announce that it was indeed raining - a lot..... soggy moggy! EUH! So I got up donned some running tights, a t, a shower proof jacket and a cap and off I went. You know there are times I don't mind running in the rain, in fact I do quite enjoy it - is that masochistic? Anyhow I was in one of those moods - happy to be alive! As soon as I stepped out I realised it must have really come down a bit earlier as the drains were back-flowing and there were an awful lot of puddles in the road. So off I continued on my merry way when the inevitable happened. Yep. A car got me. Not hit me, but got me with a puddle. A head to toe soaking!! It was like running through a wall of water! Now, given the obviously good mood I was in I didn't let it faze me and did actually find it quite amusing (after I had muttered a 4 letter expletive)!!! Lucky my shower proof jacket was pretty good so it was just my legs, heads, hands and feet that were truly soaked, my trainers have not yet dried out! Still I carried on in my happy way and completed a 35min, easy jog. Very good start to the week! :o) But I bet you don't realise (at least that driver didn't), that you can get fined ouddles of pounds and points on your license for soaking a pedestrian??!!!

Now, as we're at quarter end at work things have been a tad busy, so I headed out for my second run of the week this morning, nothing doing on Tuesday. Fortunately it was dry if a little on the "OMG it must be winter approaching" cold side when I headed out. Another slow and easy jog, this time for 45mins.

And what awaits around the corner in this month of no focus, low fitness maintenance and beer??!... Humm yes I thought what better way to end the month then doing a 10k race! So that awaits for Sunday, and at least I'll post a PB as I've never done one before :o) Oh and more running as gotta get a longer one in to boost me on to that way to the small thing of a half mary in a few weeks. Yipppeee-deeeeee-doooooo! :o)

A quick blog

Cat Update:
Muffin the moggy has pretty much stopped sulking, although the whole tooth paste thing is interesting. You see I've got to get it in his back teeth and although he likes the taste he doesn't really like a finger full of it shoved in the side of the mouth. Still we haven't had a real falling out over it yet, so far he's pawed my hand away rather then clawed it - so we'll see how this continues!! Other then that the tooth extraction site looks good and he's now on his new "dental" biscuits - yum yum!

Run update:
This week hasn't gone too bad, already blogged my Tuesday run. Then made it out for long-slow-run Thursday morning. An hour and 12 mins, which is 15mins up on last long run, although at v easy 9.2kmph (avg). All done with avg hr 148 which is just at the top of my easy zone - so all good with that :o)

Swim update:
Err well made it to the pool yesterday morning for the first swim since Newbury tri at the very beginning of September..... needless to say it has hard!! Still I did 1.9k in 50mins as a mixture of drills, sprints and cruises! Had better make sure I keep going or I'm really going to start losing some form!!!! So once to twice per week even if it's a recovery swim should be built in to my half-mary schedule!

Bike Update:
Have not done any of this since the epic ride last Sunday.... but have bike plans for the weekend so no bother there really

Today:
Ahhh yes - just this little thing of an off road sprint duathlon that I've entered at the very last minute!! So that should get me a tempo run in (well 2 actually) and a bit of mtb fun! It's "only" a sprint so 5k - 12k - 2k... should be entertaining at least ;o)

Right - quick blog over, gotta get my gear sorted and get down to the race!

Poor cat!

My cat is in a right old grump with me :o(

Poor Muffin (the cat for the uneducated) has been a bit off his biscuits of late so I took him to the v*t last Friday who confirmed a case of gingivitis and therefore another trip for a bit of a dental polish and stuff.

Hummm, so Monday morning I had a fight getting him into the basket again. Suffice to say he was most unimpressed about being in that thing again and another visit to the v*t...... poor poor Muffin!

I left him, worried like a worried parent and went to work. Got a comedy call from the vets; comedy that it transpired Muffin had fought his corner some what and put up a bit of a fight when they tried to get some bloods pre-op. The v*t said he had some sort of gum disease (the cat not the v*t), which I felt awful about but said that the teeth so far were fine!.... Until an hour later when he phoned me back to say he had had to take one out!! :o(

So I went to pick the cat up and got a full briefing from the vet... apparently I shouldn't feel bad or guilty as this is one of those diseases older cats just get. Hummm... Still I got him in the basket and headed home.

I've spent the last couple of days trying to make things up - tuna, special cat food, cat milk and the like - he's not allowed any biscuits just yet, not that I think he minds.

Now the thing with all of this is as part of his treatment is to brush his teeth - totally unlikely don't you think? So the vet dispatched me with some cat tooth paste...... and this morning Karen + Muffin + paste = MESS.... now he didn't attack me, but he didn't really want my finger full of paste in his mouth either (well would you when it's poultry flavoured?)..... so I kind of got some paste in but I admit the majority ended up around his mouth, on his whiskers, on his chin, down his paws - I even think I got some in his ears..... is it any wonder he gave me some evil stares??!! ... Still he did strangely seem to like the taste of it and as I got some on his teeth I think I'll consider this a success!!! :o) ... although he still isn't really talking to me... and he definitely won't be come Thursday when I have to take him back to the v*t!!!

Oh I guess I'd better blog my training ummm... well as I am training for a half Mary I did manage to get out yesterday for a nice steady 7k in about 41mins.... really nice lunch-time run with a colleague around the woods and lake near work. Just what I needed after that monster bike ride on Sunday, my legs actually felt better after - phew!

Another run tomorrow I think - over the hour this time but at very easy pace (less then 10kph)

Right it's time for "heroes" on TV and as I think I'm beginning to understand what's going on I think I'm going to watch it! Tally-hoooooooooooh!