4th April 2011

         A nice restful weekend (training wise at least, ships in and out morning and night tides) and feeling okay. The groin strain is pretty much cleared up and I biked into work and back a couple of times with no reactions so I was going to get out for a walk today with a view to getting up a couple more mountains this week, but wind, rain and all kinds of meteorological rubbish coming at us for the next few days. As I type, heavy rain is hammering down on the skylights so more stretching and upper body work in my home made gym while watching telly. It seems it's going to be relatively quiet for a week or so at work, One more ship to come in during the week with windmill bits, the busy weekend saw lots of other windmill bits come in, so next week the tugs start towing the windmill bits out to where they will be put together as windmills. (Stop me if I'm getting too technical...)

The "Aura" with transition pieces, which are the bits that stick out from the sea for the upper bits to stick on.

               So, stepping up training in  a way, only twelve weeks to go, but this time I've got to make sure it all comes together at the right time. I have a few more races before the Parish, The Northern 10k Championships at Don Valley Stadium in Sheffield in a couple of weeks, the National 20k's in London at the end of the month, and the Olympic 20k time trial over the Olympic course in London at the end of May, which unfortunately means I can't race in the Bradford Whit walk, a hilly course over 35k at the end of May. I don't think I can get over for the Sara Killey Memorial Walk either, but I'll keep it in mind and see nearer the time for that one. It's just a case of shuffling work and races with other time off and training. I am getting home this weekend, picking up my father from the ferry at Heysham and taking him to Hull for his 80th Birthday, a chance for the family to get together although I'll be taking it easy with the alcohol. Another session with my coach on Saturday morning to assess my progress and pick up some advanced training tips with a good 10k session hopefully. I was hoping to come across the island this week to pick my dad up so we'll have to see how it goes. So I'm going to be busy over the next few weeks, and I'm hoping the spring weather will kick in for me to take advantage.

               

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          Stretching again. Try and imagine what happens when you step forward whilst walking, The right foot goes forward as far as comfortably possible, then hopefully lands gently on your heel before pushing back. The moment before it touches the floor, the muscles down the back of the body are all at full stretch. Starting from the achilles, the back of the heel, through the calves and hamstrings, which are up the back of the leg, through the glutes, (bum muscles), into the back up to the shoulders. Over 85 miles you do this 145000 times on average. (for you pedants out there, on my first parish I was wearing a pedometer and this was the result.) So it goes without saying that you can't stretch your hamstrings and calves then set off on 85 miles, because, as I said in earlier blogs, unstretched muscles are liable to damage when stretched to extremes, almost immediately. So, back and glutes.

          Remember stretch as long as you can hold it 30 seconds or more is excellent, and they are static stretches, which means stretch and hold, not jerking about. Stretching like this and the others 3 times a week can have good results after a few sessions and excellent results within 6 weeks. If it hurts, remember the advantages.

1. Less liable to injury.

2. More strength throughout the movement of the muscle,

3. Better posture and balance

4. Stretched muscles allow oxygen and nutrients to travel where needed easier.

5. Better recovery after exercise.

    It's for your own good.....