Where we're up to

OK, I know it's been a while since I last posted.
Work has been very busy, but I have managed to keep training.
My routine has been increased (slowly) which is good and I feel pretty fit at the moment.
I'm managing to get some sort of exercise in every day, or almost every day of the week and have been able to do so for the last month!
Training usually consists of 2 to 3 runs a week, a longer / ish run at the weekend. Another run at the weekend and a run midweek, this tends to be a hill session.
In between There is the trusty bike session. This is turbo and tough that I've increased to an hour a session, this I normally do 3 to 4 times a week.
Badminton 2 times a week - fast and furious, great for anticipating and quick feet.
On top of all this, plenty of walking and specifically for leg strength, body weight squats! I've been doing these in a variety of sets, depending upon how I feel, what exercise I've done prior etc. However I tend to complete 8 sets of 50 - 400 squats a day. The plan is to up this to 10 sets of 50 or more to equate to 500 squats a day.

Half term this week, so the running will be increased significantly, plus the mileage. The trick with this is to not over do the running. The recommended rule of thumb is to increase by 10%, no more. I reckon, I'll increase by much more, maybe 50%. I've done this in the past and been fine, touching as much wood as possible.
Time will tell.
I'll try to get a number of long runs in over the week, 15+ miles at a time and also have a recce over Pendle.

Body Weight Exercises

I've been talking to a number of people recently who go to their local gym. They pay an absolute fortune, spend 1/2 an hour there and think they've had a great workout. There really is no need to go to a gym.  All you need is a little space and away you go as you see in the following video. Personally I swap the chins with another ab exercise, for no other reason than ... I can't do 30 chins!
You can, if feeling good always up the number of reps to 40 each etc or add extra exercises in.
They are tough and if you aren't used to these type of exercises start small - you will ache!
Try these 3 times a week.

The long run

I've been doing some longer runs recently and looking to run longer still. I fancy cracking 30 miles. For no other reason than I have a 30 mile route mapped out. Anyway Saturday morning I'll be out for 3 hours+.My last few runs were up to 2.5 hours and at times it was tough, not necessarily physically, but more mentally. So ... strategies I've used that at times have helped.

• Talking to myself - when it gets tough promise yourself a drink after a certain distance or land mark. Not a good thing to do when there are people around!
• Breaking up the run into chunks. A twenty mile run is 4 lots of five mile chunks. 5 miles is a quarter, 10 miles and I'm half way there, 15 miles virtually done! - That's the plan anyway.
• Remember its not easy to run a long way. There will be times when it gets tough. Work through it.
• I like the idea of a post run plan. When I get home I'm going to ..., tomorrow,  I'll .........
• Count / Guess how far. How many steps, how long to a place in the distance?
• Relax. The more relaxed you are the easier the run is. Concentrating on relaxing definitely makes the run go quicker.
• Smile. Smiling makes you relax and so we go to the point above.

These are strategies I've used - hope they help others.

Kilian's Training

A great video - he makes the whole running thing seem so easy.

Basically - just go out and do it! 

Simples!

Kilian Jornet - Kilian's Quest

Top top video of an epic tale of a man who ran up and down the Matterhorn in 3hrs and 14 mins, and a young man who wishes to one day ‘descend like him’…
The way he ascends is amazing!!