Training

The farther I run, the slower I go! I was just thinking how easy it was... and now I know why! 5 miles in 61 minutes.

Okay, the length of time is good, but the pace is appalling.

Run London

Great! I can now measure routes properly online!

www.runlondon.com

I've stored the Nunhead-Honor Oak route for future reference. It's actually 4.68 miles or 7.5k! That means I was doing 5.2 miles per hour! That's 11½ minute miles...

Training

One minor ambition achieved: I can now run to the One Tree Hill allotments and back.

I ran up Kimberley Avenue, then Ivydale Road but instead of turning right into Brenchley Gardens I went straight on via Eddystone Road onto Brockley Road. Then, I turned right and ran up Honor Oak Park, turned right into Forest Hill Road then trundled back down the hill with a brief uphill at Colyton Road.

54 minutes altogether but very gentle - 12 minute mile pace for 4.5 miles. My excuse is that it was slow going uphill and too slippery to race downhill. If I could get that same trip down to 45 minutes in the next couple of months I'd be a very happy man.

Training

30 minutes, sort of round the block. I went on a little tour past St Mary's Road and along Gautrey Road. It was really quite warm today, so I sweated a lot more than usual. Heat really takes it out of me so I really huffed and puffed for such a relatively short run.

Still, 30 minutes is now "relatively short". I should be pleased.

Training

14 minutes round the block. Assuaging my guilt, basically, for missing Weds night. But I didn't want to mess up the Friday run by going too far and I had stuff to write anyway.

Tried to go a bit quicker in a couple of sections, but probably only knocked 15 seconds off my time.

Food: 17 April

brekkie: one hot cross bun, toasted and buttered

lunch: ham and tomato sarnie, 2 bananas

Training

Did the Cemetery Circuit again today. Started off full of beans and was about a minute faster (21 rather than 22) at the end of Brenchley Gardens. I think I set off a bit too quick, though, and had to stop running after 42 minutes. Slightly annoying. However, even walking the last few hundred yards, I matched the time and distance I did on Friday.

Bit spaced out when I sat down, though. I seem to have a set pace that cannot be exceeded...

Interesting article on fat v calories

This article argues that, in terms of watching weight, the most important thing to watch is fat intake rather than total calories. The argument goes that of the three main components of diet - fat, carbohydrate, protein - only fat is easily converted to body fat. Protein is broken down and excreted. Carbohydrate has particularly stores but beyond that is burned off by an increase in metabolism.

Don't know how true that is. There is the alternative argument that high carb diets have screwed with our blood sugar levels in recent years. Also, if you consume a lot of carbs, you're unlikely to need to consume fat for energy. But I'll keep a strict watch on fat in the next few weeks to see how it pans out.

Fat or Total Calories?

Food: 16 April

brekkie: two eggs, boiled and mashed up in a cup with a bit of salt and pepper, on two slices of bloomer bread. No butter.

lunch: went to Ganapati. Masala Dosa, King Fish (spicy!) for main, and Shrikkand for dessert. Very nice and not completely stuffed afterwards.

tea: quite late, while watching shedloads of Band of Brothers back-to-back: three bloomer slices with melted cheese and onion on top (no butter again).

Training

chucking it down, but still went out for a run. This is the advantage of external discipline - it makes me do things I would never volunteer to do! Ran up Kimberley Avenue, along Ivydale Road, up Brenchley Gardens past Camberwell New Cemetery, down Forest Hill Road, turned right along Colyton Road then down past the Rye, down Rye Lane then right into Brayards Road.

3.9 miles according to my map measurement (slightly disappointed it wasn't at least 4!) - took me 45 minutes.

Food: 11 April

breakfast:
bacon sarnie, two slices of toast

lunch:
bacon and brie ciabatta roll (too rich)
smoothie

dinner: (after free speech event)
quarterpounder with cheese, small chips
three glasses of wine
1.5 pints

Food: 10 April

breakfast:
2 slices of wholemeal toast, medium poached egg, butter, half a Innocent smoothie

lunch:
tin of tuna, tin of rat, 85g of rice

dinner:
chilli con carne, 50g rice, 25g of cheese, salad
apple crumble, custard (small portions! Boo!)

Training

Another 30 minutes round the Peckham loop. Must find out how far that is...

Food: 9 April

breakfast:
fried egg sandwich, butter, 2 toast

lunch:
roast chicken breast, roast spuds, loads of veggies
strawberry cheesecake

tea:
one slice of toast, half tin of mackerel, salad

Food: 8 April

breakfast:
bacon roll (only two bits..), butter

lunch:
tuna pasta mess

dinner:
lamb shank, couscous, salad
raspberries, mascarpone
far too many crisps and nuts...
two beers, red wine

Food: 7 April

I'm so shite at this dieting mularkey...

Breakfast:
Two slices of toast with veggie paté

Lunch:
Two wholemeal pittas, buttered
Bacon sarnie with three bits of back bacon
Some out of date yogurt
Apple and blackcurrant smoothie

Dinner:
Lasagne and salad
Apple crumble and custard

Training

Did 30 minutes on the 'Peckham Loop':

Brayards Road --> Consort Road --> Nunhead Lane --> Hollydale Road --> Lugards Road --> Kirkwood Road

Two laps is bang on 30 minutes. Big knackered, but not bad considering fairly stiff sesh the night before.

Food intake: 6 April

Brekkie:
very healthy full english. Bacon, egg, sausage, two toast, cuppa tea

Lunch:
cottage pie, plus microwaved carrot, brollocky and cauliflower

Dinner:
lamb rogan josh at 'Spoons. Plus a pint of cider. Plus a bottle of wine. Blew it!

Food: 5 April

Brekkie: full english in Fitzrovia: egg, 2 bacon, 2 sausage, 2 toast, beans, tomatoes, cuppa tea.

Lunch: Thai green curry with beef and rice

Snack: two slices of toast

Dinner: houmous with three wholemeal pittas; two chunks of Dairy Milk

Training session in Dulwich

Coach Smith took us on a tour of Dulwich Park (ah, the longer evenings!) before taking us down Lordship Lane and round to the bottom of Dulwich Village. 41 mins and 3.5 miles. Marv.

Plan is to do more 25 min runs with an extra half mile on the long runs each week. And lose some goddam weight.

Training run

Quick turn around the block - usual Peckham route. Got a bit of a tit stitch after seven minutes so paused for a minute or so. Could easily have done 30 minutes but needed to stop at the Brayards for milk.

25 mins - 2.2 miles?

Running in Amshterdam

Saturday morning in the Grachtengordel and I'm going for a run at 8.30. Good lord, what's it all coming too. Still, didn't booze or smoke too much last night and I feel fine. Run for about a mile along the canal, past the statue of Jan naked, then run into loads of roadworks on the way home. Not impressed with the municipal dog litter trays that they have here. Lots of dog poo in sand - not attractive.

25 minutes - 2.2 miles?