5x50 Day 19. And the Winner is...

Day 19 of the 5x50 Challenge.

One word.

Tough.

Northsound Awards today at the Music Hall in Aberdeen, awesome show, great fun too! Post awards? Knackered! ha!

Short and sweet blog tonight, tired and my to-do list still has a few important jobs to tick off. A walk tonight, running just wasn't an option!

5x50 Day 18. The Wet One

Epic busy day. Northsound Awards preparation is in full swing, the big day is tomorrow... today? Setup and evening rehearsal.

...it almost out pay to my 5k!

Grabbed my motivation and hit the street. First 3kms was great... then came the heavy rain. Turns out running in the rain is almost therapeutic! Soaked.

Another challenging 5k to fit in tomorrow... the challenge is on!

5x50 Day 17. Space Hopper on the Loose

Day 17 of the challenge, a day that I feared I wouldn't get out to do my 5k!

Over and above the idea of doing 5k a day for 50 days, I've added the extra challenge of doing all of my 5kms outdoors, so no gym. no using the exercise bike that we've had installed on the balcony at Northsound. Outdoors for 5k, everyday till the end of the challenge. I must be mad!

Today? Epic storm. It pretty much kept me awake much of the night, gale force winds and heavy rain. When I looked out through the curtains this morning I was confronted with what only can be described as what I imagine the street of a large children's art school post-hurricane would look like. Yogurt pots, loo-roll tubes, tin foil, juice bottles, papers, cans and milk cartons scattered everywhere. Epic storm arrived in time for recycling day collections in Cove. #naturewin

Some really awesome images floating around the internet from this morning, there's a hole bunch of them right here on the Northsound 1 Facebook page. These are my two favourites of the day, both of Fittie in Aberdeen.

Sea Foam in Fittie from the Seacroft Marine's Office. Credit STV/Cal Reed

Shelagh Swanson tweeted this image to Northsound 1. The view of Fittie out her window!

The epic weather also resulted in a couple of unusual Jambuster calls to John Mellis in the Northsound 1 Studio, we're keeping these calls for the Christmas tape! Runaway Space Hopper and a loose Trampoline? It could be April the 1st...!

listen to ‘Watch out, there's a Space Hopper on the loose!’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘OMG! Trampoline (on the loose in Oldmeldrum)’ on Audioboo

Hometime from work, Epic storm gone. 5k time! 2km run, 3km walk today. My left calf muscle is giving me grief, ice and rest and back at it tomorrow for day 18!

5x50 Day 16. Holiday Monday

Day 16. It's a holiday Monday in Aberdeen!

Holiday means time off from the challenge, right?

Last night, frustrated at my progress, I set about some homework. This taught me a few lessons.

1. There's an almost infinite amount of freely available info online on running and eating better.
2. The majority of articles you'll find contradict each other.
3. Reading any more than a handful of them will leave you more confused than when you started.

That's where you'll find me.

More knowledgable than yesterday but with little idea what to do with it, ha! There's a dangerous combination.

Daytime 5k today, daylight... again! Gave interval training a go this morning, run 1km, walk 1km, run 1km, walk 1km, run 1km.

Enjoyable, if a little on the windy side.

5x50 Day 15. Progress is Frustrating

Day 15 of the 5x50 Challenge, walk, jog or cycle 5k a day for 50 days.

Today I'm frustrated.

Two weeks into the challenge and my fitness progress seems to have slowed. I kinda knew this would happen but that doesn't stop the frustration.

If you don't already know from earlier blog posts I took up running back in June. I'd signed up to take part in the Great Scottish Run 10k back at the start of this month. Back in June I couldn't run 1k without stopping! Between then and the 10k I took huge leaps forward in ability while training for the race.

Over the last 10 days I've really started to struggle to beat my personal best 5k time. I keep getting really bad stitches! If anything, I'm getting slower!

This evening, homework. What am I doing wrong? ha! Everyday is a school day!

Frustrated... but happy to have completed a 5k in daylight! It's pretty much always dark when I'm out taking on my evening jogs after work.

Daylight on todays 5k!

Right, I'm off to use my foam roller. Self inflicted torture, ha!

5x50 Day 14. Harold Bishop, Powerwalk.

Day 14 of the 5x50 Challenge. Walk, jog or cycle 5k a day for 50 days. The aim? Change habits for a lifetime, 50 days and the goal of developing a lasting exercise addiction. I'm raising money for Northsound Cash for Kids along the way too.

Yesterday I blogged about the coldest 5k yet, it really was freezing! I walked the 5k my #gammyknee still playing up from Day 12. That's when #5x50 support arrived from down-under...

Best @ Reply. Ever. Thanks Harold!

I walked the 5k today, planning an attempt at smashing my personal best 5k run tomorrow. Fingers crossed!

5x50 Day 12. Return Of The Gammy Knee

It's back.

It's sore.

It's the most frustrating thing I've experienced since taking up running.

My Gammy Knee.

Back to the foam roller and ice for me!

12 days into the 5x50 Challenge, 38 to go and I've just booked a holiday. Destination Zante in 16 days. There's a bunch of 5k's that i'm gonna need some serious motivation for!

5x50 Day 8. Olympic Inspiration

Day 8 of the 5x50 Challenge. Walk, jog or cycle 5k a day for 50 days!

I'm taking part as a member of Team Northsound Cash for Kids, raising money for Cash for Kids while I tackle the challenge. You can support me via Everyday Hero.

My real hope in taking on the challenge is that after 50 days I'll have formed a healthy, lasting exercise habit. Here's hoping! Rio 2016 watch out. ha!

Plenty motivation for my 5k today. Spent the day following the Olympic and Paralympic Parade through Aberdeen 'n Shire. Fabulous day! I was even lucky enough to get to chat with Tim Baillie and Katherine Granger for Northsound 1.

Tim Baillie

listen to ‘Olympic hero Tim Baillie in Westhill ’ on Audioboo

Katherine Grainger

listen to ‘Olympic hero Katherine Grainger ’ on Audioboo

I did try for an Olympic inspired personal best today. Didn't happen, mainly thanks to a killer stitch. Not eating properly today probably didn't help too much either. There's always tomorrow!

5x50 Day 7. Pedal Faster!

The best laid plans and all that. I had planned my first Parkrun for this morning, didn't happen. Change of plan, the Bike it was!

Route decided, bike dusted down, I took on the Cove to Findon road.

Nice route, slightly worrying for the first mile, a hevily used quarry generates a fair ammount of heavy contruction traffic. Scary big trucks! Few unenjoyable hills too. To be expected I guess!

Back to the running tomorrow. That's after some work fun at the Olympic and Paralympic Parade through Aberdeen. Should be the perfect inspiration I need to have a bash at beating my personal best 5k time!

Saturday coming, 0930, Beach Esplanade. Aberdeen Parkrun. I'll be there!

5x50 Day 6. Missing Motivation

I knew it would come eventually, or do I mean, I knew it would disappear eventually?

Motivation.

It's been a long week, busy at work and jammed with more physical activity than I've done in a long time.

Today as I left work, got home and sat down feeling sleepy. I lost it, my motivation.

I did it though, my 5k. Walked, briskly in just over 50 minutes. I feel great for it!

Tomorrow a new challenge David Walker pointed me in the direction of Parkrun earlier this week.

"a FREE weekly 5km event for runners of all standards, which takes place every Saturday at 9.30am at Aberdeen Beach Esplanade"

Sorted! I'm signed up and ready to go.

Shame, I'll miss my beloved sleep-in Saturday!

30 Years of Northsound

Marking 30 years of Northsound Greigsy produced and broadcast this special programme. What a phenomenal history. Some great old jingles and imaging too, I've been waering my anorak all day!

30 Years of Northsound by northsound1

Northern Nectar

One of the good things about living in the north (again) ..!