Training so far......

Away for a few days now, so you get two posts on one day...

I had done no training for a month, due to a very, very, heavy head cold. I competed in the first two Winter Walk Leagues, (which I will describe in later blogs) and then was struck down with the Great Snot of 2009. I am told that I had two beautiful meals at L’Experience over the Christmas and New Year period, and a great Christmas Dinner, but I will have to take everyone’s word for that, as I have not tasted or smelt anything since the middle of December.

It has been hard to breathe normally, let alone take exercise.

However, the Power of Murray and his Blog Slavery made me get down to the NSC yesterday. I had to put something on here about training.

I have been warned not to exercise with a heavy cold, and I think that advice holds good after my experience yesterday.

However……..onto the treadmill, set on ’Hills’ at Level 6. I find hill work is more beneficial overall than just plain walking. I set the speed to 8.5kph – a bit over 5 miles an hour, set it going and just hung on through the Great Snot. I tried to concentrate on the technique that I know gives greater speed, but when you are really tired, it is hard to keep that up, and I often reverted to the Farmer’s Lope just to stay on the end of the treadmill. I intended to do 5 miles, but in the end got too tired and stopped at 3 miles – in a time of 35 minutes 20 seconds.

I was reasonably pleased with that because it matched the times I had been achieving in the Winter Walk League, but I had been hoping that by the next Winter Walk I would have made more significant progress.

But some good news – after the NSC I went for lunch with friends to have a Final Pint before giving up drink for a few weeks. And I could actually TASTE the Okell’s and my substantial lunch of Plain Crisps. The exercise had cleared me up. But only for a couple of hours, I am back in the taste free zone again.

Other goods news for me– As of this week my political duties changed and I have been given responsibility for Sport and Leisure with the Tourism Department. I spent most of the morning down the NSC with Andy Varnom and Paul Bridson (the heroic Laxey coach who won us the Grand Slam in 2006) and there is some very impressive work going on, especially with the young, and with elite performers.

You may hear criticism of the Department of Tourism, but rarely about how Sport is dealt with and I believe, after just one day in post, that Sport is in good hands. In addition I will be Chairman of the Sports Council, and working with such legends as Steve Partington and the Heroic Midfielder General of the Laxey Grand Slam Team, Jim Travers. This is a dream job for me in many ways and I know that Geoff Karran, Andy, Paul and the teams working there are making a real difference to the sporting climate of the Island.

Apart from The Snot, I am very fortunate….