Week 11

[Antonio247]

Week 11. 9th -15th February My weight is 82, 200 kgs. 400 grammes more than last week but I´m glad since my waist must be smaller. I had to get a new pair of jeans size 42 instead of 44. Last September I needed a size 46. Then in November I had to change to size 44 and now I realized I needed size 42. I can´t believe it.

Tuesday. I left at 6.40 a.m. It was a bit cool so I decided not to go along the seafront and took Sierra Alhamilla road which is quite empty at that time and went up Avenida del Mediterráneo bridge and then down along that avenue. There were a few people putting up the stalls for the street market held on Tuesdays. It is near my secondary school. When I reached Carretera de Níjar junction, I came back but after going up and down the bridge I followed the avenue towards the sea turning right along Zapillo and Ciudad Jardín neighbourhoods to finish at my usual start/finish line. Then, I did some stretching workouts. While I was holding a palm tree to do some calf exercises, I noticed a big white dog that was staring at me. He looked interested in what I was doing not knowing whether to come nearer or to go with his owner, a young woman. Well, the dog decided to come nearer barking softly so I told him politely to go away. The young lady called him and told me he goes away if someone tells him to. As I like dogs, I didn´t feel uncomfortable. Later, when I was coming home, I saw that they got into a block of flats next to mine. Well, in all I did 45 minutes and around six kilometres.

[Antonio247]

Thursday. Although I should have gone for a run yesterday, I felt a bit tired and with little time so I decided to put it off for today. I wore for the first time a T.shirt I´d just received from Carreraspopulares.com, a Spanish website on running that has its virtual club which I´m going to join. It´s made of a very soft material with breath-comfort coolmax like the one used in competition singlets but I prefer a short-sleeve T-shirt. I liked it quite a lot. I went out at 9.30 in the morning leaving from my usual start point just opposite my place at a park by the sea. It was a lovely sunny day with no wind. Actually, the temperature was 19 degrees Celsius. I went to the lighthouse in 24´ 40´´. Then I came back along the same way. I saw a ferry leaving to Nador in Morocco. I got to the start line in 49´55´´. It must be nearly 8 kms. Then I continued along the sea front a bit farther km 1 in 7´30´´ to come back to the place where I started in nearly 65 minutes, which I completed. Then I did some stretching workouts. 65 minutes and around ten kilometres.

[Antonio247]

Friday. As I couldn´t go for a run earlier, I had to go at 10 pm. I thought I´d be the only fool running so late but, surprisingly, I met several runners along the sea front running alone most of them. I went from Parque de las Almadrabillas to the end of the first part of the sea front in 16´40´´ and continued to the petrol station just before the river. There were a lot of people at the entrance of the auditorium “Maestro Padilla” because David Bisbal was making a speech on the Carnival to open that festival which will last several weeks. David Bisbal is a singer from Almería who became famous after taking part in “Operación Triunfo”-a TV programme in which the audience would choose among sixteen unknown singers the candidate to represent Spain at the Eurovision song contest in 2002.http://www.portalmix.com/davidbisbal He became second and has recorded two successful CDs so far. Then, I got back in 40´40´´ completing until minute 48 and doing in all around seven kilometres.

[Antonio247]

Sunday On Saturday I should have done 13 miles but I felt some discomfort in my left leg and as I had agreed to go hiking with a friend and colleague on Sunday, I decided to have a rest. On Sunday morning I went to San José by car with Atanasio, who is a teacher of Spanish language and literature at my school. We went in his car at 8.30 a.m. but we went to a café to have breakfast before leaving. He had a white coffee and some churros but I didn´t have anything since I don´t like eating before travelling by car because I can get travel sickness. Then we went to San José along the coast arriving there at 9.30 a.m. and leaving for Los Escullos along a path that I had done the other way on bicycle on Friday 30th January. http://www.andalucia.com/province/almeri...e/home.htm It was a lovely sunny day with no wind. There were few people on the way just a few mountain-bike cyclists and a five or six hikers coming towards San José. Unfortunately, we also saw three young men riding a sort of low motorbikes like cars for the countryside which made a lot of noise and left some petrol smell. http://www.indalia.es/playas/cabogata/ca...a=cabogata When we got to Los Escullos, we went to La Isleta del Moro, a little fishing village that has grown with many new white houses. http://www.degata.com/We went along a steep footpath near the seaside. There, we stopped to eat some fruit and then went back along another path nearer the road to get to Los Escullos where we went into Hostal Emilio to have two beers and two tapas. I had alcohol-free beer since I´d find it harder to go back to San José with two glasses of “normal” beer. Then, we took a path that leads to El Pozo de los Frailes along some mills, waterwheels and houses.
http://www.almanzorasierraysol.com/sys/a...es_jpg.htm Then, we went along a path next to the road to go back to Atanasio´s car which was just opposite the youth hostel at San José. It took us six hours and in all we did around 22 kilometres. We had a very good time far from the maddening crowd and thought about doing some stages of St James´ way ( el camino de Santiago ) perhaps this summer. http://www.jacobeo.net/

[Seafront Plodder]

Originally posted by anlu247
[b]Sunday............... I had alcohol-free beer since I´d find it harder to go back to San José with two glasses of “normal” beer. ................ [/b]

"Do you know the way to San José?"

Obviously you do. Andy and Dionne are probably the only people old enough to know.

[El Gordo]

Ah yes, I seem to recall my old grand-dad telling me about that song.

Another interesting tale, Antonio. I really like the small details you provide. It's what sets your descriptions apart from some others I am far to polite to name, like SP. Ooops...

[Riazor Blue]

El Camino de Santiago eh? You'll have to come up and do the part in Galicia. Lots of people do Ponferrada to Santiago. You know it will be crowded this year dont you?

I was thinking about doing the Camino Inglés, one branch starts from La Coruña, the other from Ferrol.

Normally when people talk about the 'Camino' they talk about the French route which is 750km. The English is 65 from La Coruña or 105 from Ferrol.

If you complete more than 100km you receive a certificate called the Compostelana.

[Nigel]

The English Pilgrims' Way to Canterbury Cathedral, famous from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, runs just a few hundred metres from my home in Guildford. I may feel a running column lurking there somewhere....

[Riazor Blue]

Do it Nigel.

[Antonio247]

Well, I didn´t know the song, SP, but I know how to get to San José. There are different possible routes.

Thank you, Andy, but as I said in another post it is you who I must thank for providing such a wonderful website with your great entries and giving us the oppotunity to share it with you.

Yes, Brian, I´d love to do "el camino de Santiago". Although I´ve been to Santiago de Compostela several times, I´ve never arrived on foot or on bicycle. Actually, my dream is to do it on bicycle once in my life. The problem is that I don´t know when it´ll be possible.

Well, Nigel, the pilgrim´s way also sounds interesting. I went to Canterbury several years ago and I liked it quite a lot.

Good luck with your training, my friends.

Antonio

[Antonio247]

Summary of week 11. I went for a run three days only. I couldn´t go for the long run on Saturday because I felt some discomfort in my legs and I didn´t have much time. I think I should go for a run five days a week instead of four and break Saturday´s long run in two days but doing more kilometres in all. For instance, if I have to run 13 miles, I can do 8 miles on Saturday and five miles on Sunday doing 2 more miles. That way, I shouldn´t feel very tired the following week. Nevertheless, I want to take part in two more half marathons before the marathon and do at least one long run of 20 miles. This week I´ve done a long walk at parque natural de Cabo de Gata-Níjar, which was quite interesting.