Good Evening Blofolers,
Well… what a fantastic day! Some of you locals may well have heard of, and even been to Issacs on the Quay, well last night in response to a post they made on Facebook to “Advertise on our screens” I sent them an email, I explained that I was training for the London Marathon to raise funds for Asthma UK and wondered if they would consider supporting me by placing a piece on their TV’s to advertise my blog and my sponsorship pages with a little bit of info about me and what I am doing… I had a response… Not only have they VERY kindly said they are more than happy to help me and put some information on their TV’s throughout the premises BUT they have also gone one step further and pledged some money to my cause… what an amazing response, a local business, supporting a local man and his quest to raise money for charity, and at the end of the day, if even a tiny cross section of their customers saw my information, followed my link and sponsored me just £1… together we could make a HUGE difference to Asthma UK and asthma sufferers everywhere!
To find out a little more about Issacs On the Quay take a look at their Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/isaacsonthequay or checkout their website http://www.isaaclord.org and next time your down there, keep an eye on their TV screens you might just see someone you know ;-)
So other than that fantastic news I have had what can only be described as a busy day, I got up and went for a gym session this morning, just before I left the house I remembered that today I had an optician’s appointment at 9am, having cancelled before and knowing they were busy till Christmas I did not want to cancel again.
Anyway… my training went very well considering I have done no resistance work for a long while, I will say however doing lunges and squats on a power plate was killer, my muscles in my legs tightened up so much I struggled to walk afterwards, I was in the gym for a good 45 minutes although I didn’t do a full workout as I was getting worried about the time and being late for the opticians PLUS my legs were making me look like a monkey as I walked around the areas of the gym, at this point my back started to ache just a little and I thought that now was a good time to stop… so I stretched out and hobbled downstairs, showered and changed.
Now this is where I show how blonde I really am, I walked to the car, stretching my legs as I went to keep them moving. I got in the car and looked at the clock 8:10, knowing that my appointment was at 9:00 for some reason I panicked “ONLY 20 MINUTES” I shouted, it wasn’t until I was almost all the way into town I suddenly looked at the clock again and realised I actually had nearly 40 minutes and I was just about to park, ho hum… I went to the coffee shop and had a hazelnut latte, and a cinnamon swirl for breakfast.
From there I have had a busy day at work, nose deep in the phone system for most of the day… this seems to be the trend of late pending a new VOIP trial into a store, all very exciting stuff!
Soo food wise today I have had a Latte (Yeah I class this as a food seeing as it’s packed with calories and is a “treat”) Protein shake and Cinnamon Swirl for breakkie, Ham Mayo sandwich for lunch followed by some nuts, and for dinner this evening, I have no idea what I am having, I would say Brussels Sprout and Caramelised Onion soup, as that’s what is in the fridge, but we will see… I’ll let ya know tomorrow… Oh and I may finish that little bit of chocolate cake on top of the microwave :) and once again today I have drunk far too much coffee.
Tomorrow I have another spin session booked, I hope to find the energy I seem to be lacking this afternoon to get on that bike and push myself hard, but we will see!!
I am running this Marathon to support AsthmaUK, without people like me, and people like you sponsoring me, Asthma UK could not achieve what they do, to find out more visit http://www.asthma.org.uk and to get involved visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/JohnClitherow and sponsor me as much as you can, perhaps £1 a mile??
Run Well,
Jay (Red John).
About Me
- Jay (Red John)
- Ipswich, Suffolk, United Kingdom
- Hi I'm Jay and I am training to run the London Marathon 2012 for Asthma UK.
Yes I am running the London Marathon, Yes I am mad, and Yes I plan to raise masses of money for Asthma UK.
So please follow me, and support me, with your help I can make it over that finish line.
My sponsorship page can be found by clicking here PLEASE support me by sponsoring me to run the London Marathon for Asthma UK.
And now a very short history about me... I am asthmatic myself and until a few years back was pushing on being obese, not only does running the Marathon give me the opportunity to give something back to such an important organisation, but it will be the crowning glory of my fitness regime, Asthmatic and overweight running 26 Miles for charity!
To find out more about what Asthma UK do visit their site by clicking here.
Thursday 24 November 2011
Wednesday 23 November 2011
This is why I don't swim very often!
Good Evening Blofolers,
That’s my new word for Blog Followers, its pronounced Blof-o-lers you like?
So Blofolers, what have you been up to today? Exercising, or working, or researching, or maybe all three like me :o)
This morning I chose to go for that swim, I got to the pool about 6:50 and started my lengths, initially as it seemed fairly busy I jumped into the “Intermediate” lane, it was empty so I wasn’t bothered, I am also a reasonably quick swimmer but I am never sure if I am quite up to the standard of these lanes so I usually stay away, however today one was free and that was a green light seeing as there were people walking up and down the other bit slowly chatting about what they had for dinner the night before.
I made a good start, and managed to keep the lane to myself for the first 15 minutes or so, but then was joined by a “serious” swimmer, you could tell by the speedo type trunks he was sporting, but I still held my own for a while seeing as I was only doing breast stroke he was only catching me up every 6 lengths or so, and there was plenty of room for us to pass, then we were joined by a third and I started to feel that unless I picked up the pace I was going to get in their way, and I didn’t want to swim like a mad fool this morning, so I waited for a lull in the traffic and swam under the lanes to the chat lounge, Oh sorry I mean open pool section.
10 minutes or so were spent here, swimming up and down, dodging people who seem to be oblivious, struggling to get past when they swim left to right at the same time as making slow progress down the pool, I know everyone has their limits, god only knows there are people better than me, but I like to think that when I am swimming for instance (as I was this morning) I make the effort to stay out of the way of those better than me, so they can get their best use of time out of their training, but some of these people in particular, would swim straight for you, when you had nowhere to go, people would even get in the pool and swim in your line where you were already and expect you to move… I got bored of this and left before my mile was complete… This is why I don’t swim very often, but I was reminded of my old mantra, Anything is better than nothing, and let’s face it I swam ¾ of a mile that’s more than most people today!!
While I was at the gym, I picked up a leaflet from the Sweatshop in the foyer about a running club, they are offering this free of charge every week (starting yesterday) to go off and do a 5K run, having had a little chat with them today it seems they have a front runner, someone at the middle and someone at the back, the back runner will be doing 5 minutes running, 5 minutes walking, and the front runner will be constantly running at a steady pace to make the 5K in about 35 minutes (Basically a little slower than my current pace) so I am thinking for the fun of running with others I might give it a go :) Anybody else who fancies it… it’s totally free and starts at David Lloyds Sweatshop (Ipswich I am mumbling about here by the way, and NO you don’t have to be a member) it’s 6:30 on a Tuesday evening… Just bring you, trainers, oh and some shorts I guess, don’t want anyone getting arrested! If you like it and you stick around you can earn free stuff :) HOW GOOD IS THAT!! To find out a little more pop along to http://www.sweatshoprunningcommunity.co.uk hope to see ya there!
Now a good friend of mine today reminded me that I need to start charting my food intake here again, this not only stops me from eating rubbish as I am not going to want to type things like “Today I had 12 iced donuts with hundreds and thousands, several packs of digestives, a MuckDonalds, and a Chicken Biryani“ for all of the world to see, not only that but when I have a good few days I can look back over it and see what I was eating and thus begin to build a picture of the foods that my body requires to sustain the exercise that I am doing.
LEGAL DISCLAIMER: The mentioning the name of MuckDonalds was in no way referring to that food chain of a similar name, but a fictional restaurant created by myself to emphasise the poor quality of foods available, however MacDonalds is still shit and does make me feel ill when I eat there, im not kidding it’s true I have some odd allergic reaction to their food, but they do provide free newspapers… although that statement made this whole disclaimer pointless.. hmmm.
So anyway back to the point, before I go into what I have and haven’t been eating I think it’s important to point out that I am NOT following a diet, there are no foods that I can’t eat, I am just being sensible… As Davey Wavey talks about in one of his posts http://www.daveywaveyfitness.com/nutrition/how-to-eat-french-fries-and-stay-fit-sorta/ I try to follow the 80/20 rule, that being I eat healthy 80% of the time, allowing the odd treat 20% of the time, fundamentally it’s just like my Dad used to say, everything in moderation!
So… Yesterday I had two crumpets for breakfast, followed by a morning snack of protein shake (to follow the training) and a small box-o-dried fruit and nuts, lunch was a portion of my home made scrummy Cottage Pie, and dinner was a not so healthy portion of chips… Oops!!
Today so far I have had crumpets before the gym, a protein shake post gym with Babybel, then I had a Ham a Coleslaw sandwich and another Babybel, as for this evening I am not so sure yet, but I think it’s likely to be Brussels Sprout and Caramelised Onion Soup… it is lovely although may not sound it. But today I have had bucket loads of coffee, this is not great and I need to cut this down and up my water intake again.
Tomorrow I am hoping to get to the gym for some resistance training, I figure a careful session paying attention to my back should be good, and if I have to stop I have to stop… Anything is better than nothing!
Don’t forget Blofolers that were here for a very important reason, I am working hard to train myself up to run the London Marathon in aid of Asthma UK, Did you know that on average there are two children with asthma in EVERY classroom in the UK? Asthma is a debilitating medical condition that can strip a child of a normal childhood, help asthma UK to research and develop treatments and therapy to make these children’s lives better, and who knows maybe one day to even find a cure?! To find out more visit them at http://www.asthma.oug.uk then pop along to my Virgin Money Giving page at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/JohnClitherow and sponsor me anything you can, perhaps £1 a mile, or even just 50p… every little penny really does help… AND don’t forget to gift aid :)
I’m doing my bit to help people with asthma, Are YOU??
Live Strong, Run Long!
Jay (Red John).
That’s my new word for Blog Followers, its pronounced Blof-o-lers you like?
So Blofolers, what have you been up to today? Exercising, or working, or researching, or maybe all three like me :o)
This morning I chose to go for that swim, I got to the pool about 6:50 and started my lengths, initially as it seemed fairly busy I jumped into the “Intermediate” lane, it was empty so I wasn’t bothered, I am also a reasonably quick swimmer but I am never sure if I am quite up to the standard of these lanes so I usually stay away, however today one was free and that was a green light seeing as there were people walking up and down the other bit slowly chatting about what they had for dinner the night before.
I made a good start, and managed to keep the lane to myself for the first 15 minutes or so, but then was joined by a “serious” swimmer, you could tell by the speedo type trunks he was sporting, but I still held my own for a while seeing as I was only doing breast stroke he was only catching me up every 6 lengths or so, and there was plenty of room for us to pass, then we were joined by a third and I started to feel that unless I picked up the pace I was going to get in their way, and I didn’t want to swim like a mad fool this morning, so I waited for a lull in the traffic and swam under the lanes to the chat lounge, Oh sorry I mean open pool section.
10 minutes or so were spent here, swimming up and down, dodging people who seem to be oblivious, struggling to get past when they swim left to right at the same time as making slow progress down the pool, I know everyone has their limits, god only knows there are people better than me, but I like to think that when I am swimming for instance (as I was this morning) I make the effort to stay out of the way of those better than me, so they can get their best use of time out of their training, but some of these people in particular, would swim straight for you, when you had nowhere to go, people would even get in the pool and swim in your line where you were already and expect you to move… I got bored of this and left before my mile was complete… This is why I don’t swim very often, but I was reminded of my old mantra, Anything is better than nothing, and let’s face it I swam ¾ of a mile that’s more than most people today!!
While I was at the gym, I picked up a leaflet from the Sweatshop in the foyer about a running club, they are offering this free of charge every week (starting yesterday) to go off and do a 5K run, having had a little chat with them today it seems they have a front runner, someone at the middle and someone at the back, the back runner will be doing 5 minutes running, 5 minutes walking, and the front runner will be constantly running at a steady pace to make the 5K in about 35 minutes (Basically a little slower than my current pace) so I am thinking for the fun of running with others I might give it a go :) Anybody else who fancies it… it’s totally free and starts at David Lloyds Sweatshop (Ipswich I am mumbling about here by the way, and NO you don’t have to be a member) it’s 6:30 on a Tuesday evening… Just bring you, trainers, oh and some shorts I guess, don’t want anyone getting arrested! If you like it and you stick around you can earn free stuff :) HOW GOOD IS THAT!! To find out a little more pop along to http://www.sweatshoprunningcommunity.co.uk hope to see ya there!
Now a good friend of mine today reminded me that I need to start charting my food intake here again, this not only stops me from eating rubbish as I am not going to want to type things like “Today I had 12 iced donuts with hundreds and thousands, several packs of digestives, a MuckDonalds, and a Chicken Biryani“ for all of the world to see, not only that but when I have a good few days I can look back over it and see what I was eating and thus begin to build a picture of the foods that my body requires to sustain the exercise that I am doing.
LEGAL DISCLAIMER: The mentioning the name of MuckDonalds was in no way referring to that food chain of a similar name, but a fictional restaurant created by myself to emphasise the poor quality of foods available, however MacDonalds is still shit and does make me feel ill when I eat there, im not kidding it’s true I have some odd allergic reaction to their food, but they do provide free newspapers… although that statement made this whole disclaimer pointless.. hmmm.
So anyway back to the point, before I go into what I have and haven’t been eating I think it’s important to point out that I am NOT following a diet, there are no foods that I can’t eat, I am just being sensible… As Davey Wavey talks about in one of his posts http://www.daveywaveyfitness.com/nutrition/how-to-eat-french-fries-and-stay-fit-sorta/ I try to follow the 80/20 rule, that being I eat healthy 80% of the time, allowing the odd treat 20% of the time, fundamentally it’s just like my Dad used to say, everything in moderation!
So… Yesterday I had two crumpets for breakfast, followed by a morning snack of protein shake (to follow the training) and a small box-o-dried fruit and nuts, lunch was a portion of my home made scrummy Cottage Pie, and dinner was a not so healthy portion of chips… Oops!!
Today so far I have had crumpets before the gym, a protein shake post gym with Babybel, then I had a Ham a Coleslaw sandwich and another Babybel, as for this evening I am not so sure yet, but I think it’s likely to be Brussels Sprout and Caramelised Onion Soup… it is lovely although may not sound it. But today I have had bucket loads of coffee, this is not great and I need to cut this down and up my water intake again.
Tomorrow I am hoping to get to the gym for some resistance training, I figure a careful session paying attention to my back should be good, and if I have to stop I have to stop… Anything is better than nothing!
Don’t forget Blofolers that were here for a very important reason, I am working hard to train myself up to run the London Marathon in aid of Asthma UK, Did you know that on average there are two children with asthma in EVERY classroom in the UK? Asthma is a debilitating medical condition that can strip a child of a normal childhood, help asthma UK to research and develop treatments and therapy to make these children’s lives better, and who knows maybe one day to even find a cure?! To find out more visit them at http://www.asthma.oug.uk then pop along to my Virgin Money Giving page at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/JohnClitherow and sponsor me anything you can, perhaps £1 a mile, or even just 50p… every little penny really does help… AND don’t forget to gift aid :)
I’m doing my bit to help people with asthma, Are YOU??
Live Strong, Run Long!
Jay (Red John).
Tuesday 22 November 2011
It’s been a while, but I am back!
Firstly I would like to start by saying, thanks for reading... and PLEASE follow my blog, a "Follow" button / Link is above to follow using facebook, or at the bottom of the page you can follow on email, I mention this as I have had several people who a regular readers say they don't know how to follow me :o) Anyway... let the blog commence!
Well today I got back to the gym after what can only be termed as an extended absence, having been away on holiday and thus not going to the gym, I returned home and continued my “Gym Holiday” for a further few days, I’m not really sure why I did this but at the time I didn’t think it would be an issue.
The following weekend I commenced operation clean up the garden for winter, nothing strenuous (or so I thought) just cutting the grass, tidying up and emptying the water feature and upturning it, easy right? WRONG… the water feature is solid granite so is a little heavy but this did not deter me and I lifted each of its bits one at a time myself then continued to bend over and clean it all out.
Monday morning loomed and with a twinge in my back I got up and headed to the gym, I thought to myself “I’ve done this before, bad back off to the gym anyway, usually loosens it up” and initially it did, my back eased and I completed my spin session, as I sat at my desk that day my legs and my back slowly stiffened more and more, until getting up from my desk for any reason was becoming really very painful.
The next morning I struggled out of bed, by this time getting in the car was bringing tears to my eyes, I just couldn’t bend in the right places to fit through the door, it became a game of get as far as the pain would allow, then just drop myself and scream I struggled through Tuesday in agony, moving around was just too much, I was propping myself up on anything and everything, and not only was I not able to stand for long, I couldn’t sit for long either, so I was in a horrible sort of limbo. By this time, I felt like someone had moved the floor away well out of reach, if I dropped anything I was basically screwed!
The long and short is it got worse and I found myself unable to make it to work the rest of the week, with one morning in particular where it took me 1 ½ hours just to get out of bed and down the stairs, at one point I was trapped, if I moved a millimetre in any direction the back would just begin to spasm, I’m sure you have all experienced this as some point and can sympathise with how debilitating it can be!
A few days of film watching and keeping my back warm lying on the sofa, or sitting bolt upright, whatever made my back feel the most comfortable that day ensued, and by the following week I was really feeling like this should all be over now, but it wasn’t so off to the doctor. She did a few tests and wasn’t happy with my range of movement so signed me off for the rest of the week with some advice on pain control and light exercise.
So here we are, nearly 3 weeks from my last spin session, and nearly 5 weeks since my last full on week of training, It’s been a while, but I am back!
I arrived at the gym raring to go, ready for my spin session… I asked the instructor where we were and she said “Were mixing it up” when I left last time we were mixing it up ready for the new release, when I went back before my bad back they were on the new release, and now they are mixing it up again, so I have effectively managed to miss one whole spin release, this didn’t really make me feel good but I got my bike set up and began the spin session, all I can say is WOW, I don’t remember it being quite this hard. But I held my own and had a great session even though it felt really very tough, I consoled myself with the fact that I was one of VERY few people who were there on this cold winter morning… it seems since I have been away the numbers have dropped substantially, the instructor tried to tell me it was due to the cold weather, I corrected her and said it was clearly my absence and that people only come to see me… Somehow I don’t think she believed me!
So all in all it’s been a while, but I am back, and glad to be back, I think for tomorrow, I will take a day off so as not to stress the back, or even if I do go I will make sure it’s for something gentle like a swim, or a gentle weights session, either way it won’t be full on tomorrow.
Oh… and if anybody wants to know what to get me for Christmas, I will have a new gym bag please… Preferably this one… http://breaktheillusion.acmeprints.com/product/good-vibes-gym-bag tehe.
Anyway, onto a much more important note, sponsorship!
Several people have said to me since I have been off with a bad back that “I would just give it up” and “you ain’t gonna run that” you know what I say… I say PFFFFFTTTTTTT I am going to run this thing, or die trying, that was my mantra when I started this and it still stands, and if you lot don’t believe me sponsor me… if I don’t make it across the finish line I will PERSONALLY give you a full refund of anything you put in.
So, this is all in aid of Asthma UK… did you know An estimated 75% of hospital admissions for asthma are avoidable and as many as 90% of the deaths from asthma are preventable, on average 3 people per day die from Asthma, Asthma UK is the charity dedicated to improving the health and well-being of the 5.4 million people in the UK whose lives are affected by asthma, to find out more visit http://www.asthma.org.uk then pop along to my Virgin Money Giving page http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/JohnClitherow and sponsor me anything you can, why not sponsor me £1 per mile, and as I said if I don’t cross that finish line I’ll give it all back!!
Live Strong,
Jay (Red John).
Well today I got back to the gym after what can only be termed as an extended absence, having been away on holiday and thus not going to the gym, I returned home and continued my “Gym Holiday” for a further few days, I’m not really sure why I did this but at the time I didn’t think it would be an issue.
The following weekend I commenced operation clean up the garden for winter, nothing strenuous (or so I thought) just cutting the grass, tidying up and emptying the water feature and upturning it, easy right? WRONG… the water feature is solid granite so is a little heavy but this did not deter me and I lifted each of its bits one at a time myself then continued to bend over and clean it all out.
Monday morning loomed and with a twinge in my back I got up and headed to the gym, I thought to myself “I’ve done this before, bad back off to the gym anyway, usually loosens it up” and initially it did, my back eased and I completed my spin session, as I sat at my desk that day my legs and my back slowly stiffened more and more, until getting up from my desk for any reason was becoming really very painful.
The next morning I struggled out of bed, by this time getting in the car was bringing tears to my eyes, I just couldn’t bend in the right places to fit through the door, it became a game of get as far as the pain would allow, then just drop myself and scream I struggled through Tuesday in agony, moving around was just too much, I was propping myself up on anything and everything, and not only was I not able to stand for long, I couldn’t sit for long either, so I was in a horrible sort of limbo. By this time, I felt like someone had moved the floor away well out of reach, if I dropped anything I was basically screwed!
The long and short is it got worse and I found myself unable to make it to work the rest of the week, with one morning in particular where it took me 1 ½ hours just to get out of bed and down the stairs, at one point I was trapped, if I moved a millimetre in any direction the back would just begin to spasm, I’m sure you have all experienced this as some point and can sympathise with how debilitating it can be!
A few days of film watching and keeping my back warm lying on the sofa, or sitting bolt upright, whatever made my back feel the most comfortable that day ensued, and by the following week I was really feeling like this should all be over now, but it wasn’t so off to the doctor. She did a few tests and wasn’t happy with my range of movement so signed me off for the rest of the week with some advice on pain control and light exercise.
So here we are, nearly 3 weeks from my last spin session, and nearly 5 weeks since my last full on week of training, It’s been a while, but I am back!
I arrived at the gym raring to go, ready for my spin session… I asked the instructor where we were and she said “Were mixing it up” when I left last time we were mixing it up ready for the new release, when I went back before my bad back they were on the new release, and now they are mixing it up again, so I have effectively managed to miss one whole spin release, this didn’t really make me feel good but I got my bike set up and began the spin session, all I can say is WOW, I don’t remember it being quite this hard. But I held my own and had a great session even though it felt really very tough, I consoled myself with the fact that I was one of VERY few people who were there on this cold winter morning… it seems since I have been away the numbers have dropped substantially, the instructor tried to tell me it was due to the cold weather, I corrected her and said it was clearly my absence and that people only come to see me… Somehow I don’t think she believed me!
So all in all it’s been a while, but I am back, and glad to be back, I think for tomorrow, I will take a day off so as not to stress the back, or even if I do go I will make sure it’s for something gentle like a swim, or a gentle weights session, either way it won’t be full on tomorrow.
Oh… and if anybody wants to know what to get me for Christmas, I will have a new gym bag please… Preferably this one… http://breaktheillusion.acmeprints.com/product/good-vibes-gym-bag tehe.
Anyway, onto a much more important note, sponsorship!
Several people have said to me since I have been off with a bad back that “I would just give it up” and “you ain’t gonna run that” you know what I say… I say PFFFFFTTTTTTT I am going to run this thing, or die trying, that was my mantra when I started this and it still stands, and if you lot don’t believe me sponsor me… if I don’t make it across the finish line I will PERSONALLY give you a full refund of anything you put in.
So, this is all in aid of Asthma UK… did you know An estimated 75% of hospital admissions for asthma are avoidable and as many as 90% of the deaths from asthma are preventable, on average 3 people per day die from Asthma, Asthma UK is the charity dedicated to improving the health and well-being of the 5.4 million people in the UK whose lives are affected by asthma, to find out more visit http://www.asthma.org.uk then pop along to my Virgin Money Giving page http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/JohnClitherow and sponsor me anything you can, why not sponsor me £1 per mile, and as I said if I don’t cross that finish line I’ll give it all back!!
Live Strong,
Jay (Red John).
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