More haste and less speed

A whole new approach to my running?

I did it! I got my trainers back on and ran at parkrun this morning.  I had decided before I went that I wasn't going to try to run as fast as I could, but instead find a pace that I was comfortable running and ease myself back in gently.  There were a few doubters among the pre race group that I would stick to my plan, and I almost changed my mind when it was announced at the start that today was some special PB day and all those clocking a personal best would be entered into a draw for some new shoes, but instead I held fast to my resolve and I'm quite pleased with myself for doing it! For once I seemed to be listening to what my body was telling me and not letting my heart rule my head - although to be fair my legs were screaming RATHER LOUDLY that they really didn't want to be doing this!

I have never quite understood why commercial photographers come out and take pictures of you when you are running large organised races (like last weekend) and then send you a link to your pictures. I get the ones at the finish line - but en route?! Needless to say mine never quite live up to the graceful image of my dreams (although I always look at them just in case) but have never warranted anything more than a quick glance (and a good laugh) to confirm that they haven't miraculously captured a snapshot bearing any resemblance to the girl in my head!

But as my journey from parkrunner to marathon runner continues, I have found a whole new level of interest in these photos as a rare opportunity to witness my running technique! Am I managing to maintain mid foot (as opposed to heel strikes) with my leading leg, and is it landing in alignment with my body as opposed to striding out in front? Time to inspect the photo's - quickly glossing over the facial expressions of despair and exhaustion I looked at my feet only to find my leg sticking out in front of me with my foot at right angles to my leg and my heel well and truly hitting the ground HARD! That would be a 'no' then!

So with this in mind I spent a large part of today's run trying to focus on landing properly on my feet, but I'm not very good at it, and so begins my next challenge of actually trying to sort out my running style (or lack thereof!).

I have a number of friends who are embarking on some hideous 30 day abdominal challenge tomorrow - GOOD LUCK! I was momentarily tempted to join you but have decided I don't need anything else to side track me from what I should be concentrating on...

Instead I have decided to join you in spirit and commit to
1) doing my exercises twice a day as I am supposed to do (foam roller horrid but a million times better than the tennis ball!); and
2) actually doing something about losing that extra half stone of weight that's been on my mind (bum, tum and hips!) since Christmas

Go girls... we can do this!

M - 710
Distance covered                3.1 miles
Total Distance Covered   119.3 miles

Up and running

But not quite in need of a Blue Peter style totaliser yet!

My first cards sold just as I was publishing last night's blog (thank you PM for getting the ball rolling!) and a few more went this morning (HM you're a star!).  This has made me smile and I'm feeling loads better than I did last night, but it brought with it a whole new problem... 

Having spent yesterday upset that they weren't selling, I have spent today remaking them because now someone is actually going to part with cash, I didn't think they were good enough! But I am finally happy with the result - phew!

It has been a busy day - washing on, off to the supermarket, home for the forgotten £10 off vouchers, back to the supermarket, home again and washing hung out all before anyone else had surfaced (It didn't take Al long after spotting there was food in the house to deduce that my busy morning might have been what as making me "waspish" - and I thought I'd hidden it so well!).

The rest of the day didn't get much quieter and I am now beginning to wonder when I'm supposed to fit my jobs in around my new found hobby of making cards! I have some more stuff arriving tomorrow (fingers crossed) which I already know will be far too tempting to leave in favour of doing the ironing! I haven't done any housework all week and I haven't been running either. Help! I can see I'm going to have to get myself organised, and work out some sort of routine and structure to my day however much I keep trying to avoid it! In the long run this will be good for me, in the short term it's going to be painful.

Talking of which my new torture instrument in the guise of a foam roller arrived today.. surprisingly enough I haven't rushed off to try it but have spent most of the day eyeing it suspiciously.  But I am hopeful that it means the end of the tennis ball - I'll let you keep you posted!

And I think it's time to get back in the saddle and run tomorrow!  My skin has (I think) healed sufficiently that running won't be detrimental to my health, squeezing myself back into my running kit after a week off and a LOT of food could be a different story...

M - 711
Total Distance Covered stands for the last time at  116.2 miles

Laid Back...

Not often used to describe me!

I've found today hard.  The enormity of the fundraising task ahead of me is beginning to sink in and if I'm honest I'm not sure how I'm gong to do it.  I got a few 'likes' for my cards on Facebook yesterday (thank you!) but as yet none have sold. Al has told me to be patient - not one of my fortes!

I am enjoying writing my blog.  I had no idea when I started that I would get so much pleasure from it, nor how much time I would spend writing and looking at the viewing stats! I also didn't know that I would be trying to raise so much money for Barnardo's, so far in advance of when I will actually run.

I knew that I was on the edge of something big when I chose to go public with my decision to train for a marathon, but hadn't appreciated how much of my life would be engulfed by it. Instead of just running a bit further each week in an attempt to get marathon fit, I am now committed to writing my daily insight into the life of a would be long distance runner and mother of two, who clearly has too much time on her hands (although I do reserve the right to have time off when I feel the need!) and I have become a fundraiser - or at least I'm trying to!

For the past forty days and nights I have been consumed by what has grown into marathongirl750 and what I am now trying my best to come to terms with is that enjoyable as my blog may be, or however keen my friends are to show their support, it's just not that important to anyone else.  My much loved viewing figures show large fluctuations in the numbers reading which highlights only too clearly that this is vying for space in busy lives.

I am not alone, I've received a huge amount of support, but my expectations of the time frame that I want things to happen in may have to change! I think I need to relax and be a bit more undemanding about it! My cards will sell, there will be people at mine for Afternoon Tea on the 14th. I don't need to start haranguing people about it yet, and I don't need to get disheartened because things haven't happened quite as quickly as I would have liked them to!

My bad mood is abating, I haven't completely lost heart and think I may even have taken tiny steps along the road to being just a little more relaxed (or at least I've acknowledged my need to be!), but the past few days have not been without repercussions...

Al is just back from his guitar lesson and it has been noted that he's tense - can't think why!

M - 712
Total Distance Covered a constant 116.2 miles

10 Years Younger Day

(don't believe everything you read!)

I haven't run for 4 days... this is the longest I have gone without running since the end of March, and so far I'm not missing it at all! I don't know if this is because for the first time in ages I have no immediate need to run, or because I'm exhausted. 

In all fairness it is probably a combination of the two.  The weather isn't helping, it's cold, wet and particularly uninspiring so it's probably just as well that my skin has yet to heal fully. I have my fingers crossed that it'll be mended for parkrun but at the same time feel like bailing out of that one and offering to volunteer so I don't have to run.  This isn't like me.

There is of course another option - that my bad mood which hasn't really shifted is pervading my every thought and bringing everything down with it.  I seem to be caught in a negative spiral and everything's rubbish... including my glue gun which has been unpacked, tried out, and returned all in the same day!

It doesn't work - it sets almost as soon as it leaves the gun. Great if you're eight and want to decorate everything in bubble writing, not quite so much fun when you're forty four and wanted it to make professional looking cards without having to resort to PVA or spray mount!   

Time to call Customer Services..... lets just say the initial experience at Dremel left a little to be desired, but they are trying their best to sort things now! Whether or not the replacement will work remains to be seen but in the meantime I got busy with the aforementioned PVA and have some cards ready to sell!

I've been making cards for years. I've never asked anyone to buy them before. It's making me a little nervous.

It is my intention to put them on my facebook page -  marathongirl750 - after posting this, in a too late to back out now kind of way.

Not for the first time I find myself having an internal conversation about putting my money where my mouth is - I just need to go for it....

Wish me luck - or better still buy!

PS I have now been drinking 3 litres of water a day for 4 weeks and have yet to notice any signs of looking 10 years younger! This was however not the initial reason for my increased water consumption so I shall stick with it for my general health and keep you posted if any years disappear from my face!

M - 713
Total Distance Covered stays at 116.2 miles

Steer Clear....

Grumpy doesn't even come close!

I am in a dreadful mood although I'm not overly sure why, but I think it may have something to do with my expectations for the day not matching up with the reality!

For once I am still asleep when it is time to get up! I would dearly have loved to roll over and stay in bed but there are dogs to be fed and the boiler men (a two man job today) are due first thing.  Next I want to start tidying up, but instead we've had to make more mess to give the men access to the boiler. There is a cupboard door, mirror and shelving unit in our back room and my collection of jars that usually live on the shelves are covering the dining table.  I'd like to start cleaning the back room but as the workmen are in and out all morning I'm not sure I'd have been particularly popular if I'd chose this morning to steam clean the floor! So I spend the morning eagerly awaiting the delivery of my glue gun but by the time it arrives my window of opportunity to try it has gone.

Usually I love it when everyone's home and long for days when time has no meaning. Today I can't help but wish for a bit of peace and quiet to get on with what I want to do - uninterrupted.  Alternatively if we are all going to be home, that we could all be living in the same time frame, instead of Al and I eating lunch when the boys are eating breakfast!  I know there's just no pleasing some people.

I have however been fairly productive! Resigned to the fact that, despite initial progress, communication between my pc and printer over custom sized paper is always going to be (quite literally) a sticking point, I have decided to invest in a stamp to print what I want on the back of my greetings cards.  The people at the stamp shop were incredibly helpful (unlike Hewlett Packard) and if this option doesn't work then I have decided what my next printer is going to be after a chat with a nice man from Canon!

My glue gun is delivered mid afternoon, but remains unopened in it's parcel.  I don't think I ought to be let loose with hot glue in my current frame of mind, and never having used one before I think there may be a technique requiring more patience than I have today.

I'm fed up with the weather and being cold (it's the end of May, the heating's on, I've got my feet tucked up under a blanket and a scarf on!) I'm irritable and short with everyone and think the best option would be if I took myself off for a hot bath and an early night - suffice to say the boys are glad I'm back!

M - 714
Total Distance Covered 116.2 miles

What now?!

Time for a new plan...

The stats are in... I was the fourth woman home (out of 165) in the Female 40-44 age category!!!
This has made my day, and not even the impending disaster looming in the garden as it approaches time to try and fit the glass in our new greenhouse can spoil it!

I have forgotten how much I hated the long hills and the horrid weather at the start... Edinburgh 10K will forever be remembered through post run euphoric rose tinted spectacles! And sandwiched in the middle of a weekend which otherwise seemed to centre around food! 

We completed our three day eating challenge yesterday with a meal at my friend's house.  Sat around the table swapping anecdotes and having a laugh, I was reminded how lucky I am to have such wonderful friends and how glad I am that their paths crossed this weekend.  Sisterofmarathongirl750 it is a shame that you couldn't spend the whole weekend with us and we missed you when you'd gone, but I have a feeling this weekend wasn't a one off - although it remains to be seen if we make it as far as the Barcelona Half! (my sister and HM are a dangerous combination!)

But if not Barcelona, what is next? I'm not sure.  I have been advised by the Biomechanics Man just to keep up with my exercises and not run further than 10K for the time being, and I can't run at all until my skin has healed. A week off then! Time perhaps to acknowledge that I've invited people to my house in a few weeks for Afternoon Tea and the place is a tip! I hate cleaning almost as much as I hate my current set of exercises, both have to be done.... but not today!

Rain has disappointedly stopped play on the greenhouse building front, but at least it means no tempers are frayed! Time to go curl up with Al and the dogs on the settee...

I think I may have already mentioned what a good weekend I had - but it's good to be home!


M - 715
Total Distance Covered remains at 116.2 miles

Heading Home

After a bit more food consumption (like we haven't already eaten enough!)

My plan to post something each day whilst I was away so that the dates would still be in order was foiled by posting too early yesterday morning (because the automatic clock is 8 hours behind!). I wish this didn't bother me, I wish I could have just left it as it was (after all it's possibly only C who will notice) but I can't. So with 5 minutes to spare I copied and reposted my blog and deleted the old one! This has played havoc with my pageview figures, which I have decided is a lesser anomaly to live with but has unfortunately meant the comment (and my reply) to "fellow parkrunner" has disappeared :(
So thank you fellow parkrunner for your words of encouragement and suggestion that I stop worrying and enjoy my run - that may take a bit of work!

I have had the most wonderful weekend and it's not over yet! My legs are a bit tight but MY KNEES ARE OK! In fact if it wasn't for the two inch long line of skin missing from underneath my chest I could forget that our reason for coming to Edinburgh was to run! My over riding memory of the weekend will be chatting, laughing and eating! It is also a treat to spend three days with girls for company! Much as I love all three of my boys (and two male dogs) to bits it's just not the same! Especially when a lifelong desire to go out wearing false eyelashes was realised last night! Be warned Al that I'm bringing them home with me but I'm not sure you'll be as adept as S at attaching them for me!

 


We're spending the day with a couple of my friends from Uni before heading home tonight.  I won't have wifi once we check out so this is it for today. Time to go squeeze the kitchen sink back in my case, the comments of which have spread across much if the room (sorry H) and head out for brunch!

M - 716
Distance Covered                0 miles
Total Distance Covered  116.2 miles

Edinburgh 10K

Race Day

6.45am I couldn't get to sleep, I couldn't stay asleep, what sleep I did get was spent having nightmares about running disasters! I have tried for the past hour to practise my breathing exercises in an attempt to calm down but couldn't concentrate on more than three deep breaths in a row. I am dehydrated but if I drink anything now I will need to wee whilst I'm running. The only plus side to this anxiety is that I am a stone lighter than I went to sleep (but am hoping that that will have stopped by the time the only option left is a portaloo). And all this for a race I'm not bothered about!


11.30pm
Not long after writing the above it was time to get up which is when I learnt three very important pre race lessons
1. Stop taking it so seriously everyone else had had a good night's sleep
2. Pack for all weather conditions even if the forecast says it is going to be nice
3. Don't under any circumstances forget your sports bra

Standing in my running kit, in a bin bag, waiting for a vacant portaloo in the rain I couldn't help but wonder why I was there...


The course was hilly. It was a long way up and an even longer way down which meant we had to come back up again as it finished where it began. The slow incline around the 7K mark was a killer and I spent a lot of the run vowing to knit for Barnardo's instead!
But a huge adrenaline rush on the home straight, a high five from a spectator on the way, a time of 49 minutes 43 and I can relax at last - I don't have to do that again!

M - 717
Distance covered              6.2 miles
Total Distance covered  116.2 miles
 

Oh Flower of Scotland...

We have made it to Edinburgh!

I have not brought my laptop - too heavy and not a lot of room (despite my case being twice the size of the others!). Which means I am typing this on my iPod. A horribly time consuming, labourios and frustrating pastime! So this will be short!

I am having a fab time. Have eaten far too much and can't imagine running a distance equivalent to twice round parkrun in the morning! None of us have run the course before and have heard differing stories about how hilly it is.... But as all of us have run at Dewsbury parkrun we are hopeful that it will all be relative and what are hills to some may be slight inclines to those of us who train in West Yorkshire! I have a feeling we may be in for a disappointment!

Not knowing what to expect it is also quite exciting - although I have a suspicion that sisterofmarathongirl750 may disagree with me on that one!  Will just have to see what the morning brings but whatever happens I'm glad I'm here, it's been a great day today and far too long since I was last in Scotland.

M - 718
Distance covered                 0 miles
Total Distance covered    108 miles

Procrastination

How many more jobs can I find to do rather than pack?

I am fully aware that tomorrow is Friday, I also know that I am travelling up to Edinburgh on Friday, but I don't seem to be able to get my brain to tie the two facts together! Looking around my house there is no evidence that there is anything out of the ordinary about to happen.

I have friends who pack weeks in advance (yes I'm talking about you CJ) I haven't even looked a case out yet, let alone anything to put in it!

Last week, before leaving to go to the States on business, sisterofmarthongirl750 did try her best to get me organised by delegating a list of things for me to sort!  I whizzed through these and was able to appear like a seasoned traveller when my friends who are going with me asked what the plans for the weekend were, yet since then I seem to be in denial about going.

Consequently I have spent the morning being creative with pieces of card and varnish and am heading out for a two hour dog walk this afternoon (I'm writing this at lunchtime and already I sense a late night ahead of me).

I am going away for three days - I have yet to decided what to do about my blog.

I could (and may yet) have three days off. I could write it down in the old fashioned way and type it up when I get back (but the dates which appear on each entry automatically would be wrong and that would really get under the skin of the (little) part of me that's just a bit OCD). I could just publish a heading and then update it later thus getting round the date problem (and could probably just about manage to do this on my ipod). Or I could take my laptop with me and cover all bases.

Ultimately I guess the decision will come down to how much room I have in my suitcase, and I won't know that until I decide what I am taking and start packing!

I am however REALLY looking forward to going. We are escaping early (ten past seven train - ouch) and once I've stopped worrying about H getting to school on time, and C spending the day looking after the dogs I'm sure I will have a great time.

I am not a 10K runner, I have been sporadic in my training and agreed to do this as an excuse to see my sister and have a weekend away with friends.  After Saturday I have no plans to run another 10K race, I could just go and have a nice time and enjoy the run, but no - I had to look up my previous best time over 10K.

Fifty five minutes is my time to beat....

(ps it's now 7.40pm there is baking in the oven for the boys to eat over the weekend and still not an item in my case which is still in the cupboard!)

M - 719 
Distance covered               0 miles
Total Distance covered   108 miles

Karma

what goes around comes around....

My tactic of leaving them alone to sort things out between themselves overnight has failed.  When I check on them (first thing!) this morning it is clear that my computer and printer are still not talking to each other. They are clearly keen to move away from this standoff position but are going to need a little help to get the ball rolling and I'm running out of options.  I would dearly love to sit around all morning trying to facilitate the process but I've the dogs to walk and an appointment with the Biomechanics Man!

I am pleased to report that my exercises are working, and there is improvement from my last visit, unfortunately not enough to mean my days with the tennis ball are over, but improvement nonetheless! 

Assessment over, it is time to move on to the second part of the session.  When I mentioned Sports Massage at the post parkrun coffee club a few weeks ago there were simultaneous winces around the table in memory of the pain!  For those of you fortunate enough never to have experienced this, it bears very little resemblance to what I shall refer to as a Spa Massage, and I am a little cross that it is even allowed to bear the same name - although Sports Torture would undoubtedly be harder to market!

It hurts, it makes my toes curl and my eyes water, I want a towel to bite into and for it to be over as quickly as possible! Instead of lying there with every nerve receptor in the rest of my body screaming "my turn!" my left leg wants to hide under the table in the hope that it will be forgotten by the time he's finished working on the right!

I don't mean to put anyone off going if they have a need to go.  I genuinely feel better afterwards (hmmm that might just be relief!) but I do have a most sincere warning....

Find out what past grievances your therapist may feel the need to avenge BEFORE you shoot your mouth off about yours! 

I had finished regaling my tale of yesterday by the time I discovered that mine used to work in a Call Centre.... and couldn't help but feel that every extra notch up of pressure was personal!

I am within a mile of PC World and am sorely tempted to go and buy a new printer ("this one is over two years old, it doesn't really owe us anything...") but decide against it not because I've seen sense but because I don't want arrive in the shop in my running kit! So head home for one last try at dispute resolution.

After several failed attempts we finally reach a breakthrough! It is far from perfect, and it is obvious that the communication channels are still somewhat strained (it refuses to print straight, or in the position showing on screen) but IT'S PRINTING! What's more, I think I can live with the results (at least for the time being!). Success!  It would appear that I have paid my dues for yesterday's outburst! 

That is until the pressure release valve breaks on the boiler... it clearly didn't get the message that we're doing calm today!


M - 720
Distance covered               0 miles
Total Distance covered 108  miles

Frustration

A little bit of everything equals a whole lot of nothing!

(Apologies in advance for mentioning the C word in May!)

I tend to spend October and November thinking of ideas for Christmas presents and feel relatively organised, until it comes to the first week in December and realise that I haven't actually get round to buying any of the the things I'd thought of! I am beginning to feel like that with my marathon planning - I seem to be doing a lot of thinking and talking about it, but haven't actually done anything yet!

Today I decide that this has to change! I have so many things floating around in my head that I can't settle long enough on any particular idea to make progress.  I am going round in circles and getting no where fast. What I need is a project planning book.

How fortuitous that I had the foresight to buy one yesterday - it's like I knew what was coming!

I now have a section for my Afternoon Tea, and another for Greetings Cards which I am planning on making.  I have made lists of the things that I need to think about, and am hopeful that writing them down will get them out of my head and perhaps help me to think about them in a more sequential manner, rather than the quick firing random thoughts that have been bombarding my brain day and night.

By late morning I have made good progress and am starting to feel much more organised, it's almost like I am back at work (I too am surprised my memory stretches back that far!). Then I hit a problem that eats up the afternoon and suddenly it's all gone pear shaped.

I can't get my printer to recognise that the paper I want it to print on is a custom size and it drives me to distraction! I soon discover from reading a forum on the subject that this isn't possible on my model of printer but that there is a way round it if I change the printer drivers.  I have no idea what this means but follow the instructions and manage to move on a stage but it STILL won't recognise it at the point of printing....

Time to phone Hewlett Packard.  I wish I hadn't bothered.  They want me to pay £18 for the answer! Not going to happen. I try my best to point out that this is the worse kind of customer service I have ever encountered but they won't shift, so I end up swearing whilst I tell them what I think of their company and hang up.

My next course of action is to try and think of a way around the problem - labels! I could then stick these to the back of the cards, won't look as professional but I might be able to live with it (although I think I already know I won't!). Back on the internet sourcing these, I find the size I want and look to see how much they are £18! Perhaps I should have paid for technical advice from HP after all, except now I can't as I'm blacklisted as rude woman who swore at them earlier!

In the grand scheme of things it's nothing, it really isn't that big a deal, but it feels HUGE and so unfair... why couldn't it just have worked first time at half eleven this morning and I could have had the whole rest of the day to do something else!

Instead it's 4pm and Dougal hasn't been walked (Sid went first thing), the tea isn't made, I haven't decided if I'm going for a run, the hoover is still sitting out in the lounge waiting for me to do the dining room, there's broken glass to sweep up in the garden (don't ask) and I have face like fizz. It doesn't take Al long to work out what he's walked into when he gets home from work an hour later!

Like the true star that he is, he then takes over the making of tea so that I can go for a run with Dougal! I think we both know that post run euphoric will be asking too much, but the hope that I will return having pounded out a few of my frustrations is worth taking over in the kitchen for half an hour!

It works! I return home in a much better mood, have my tea, and write this blog... I feel relaxed and rejuvenated. Time for Round Two with the printer!


M - 721
Distance covered            3.2 miles
Total Distance covered   108 miles

A Day Off

who was I kidding?!

C has 5 exams today.  The Exam Boards have double booked this afternoon's slot and so they are having to sit their Biology exam early in the space that should have been downtime between German and Physics.  He has to take a packed lunch (in a clear plastic bag) to eat whilst they are kept in isolation from the rest of the world should they dare to pass on any exam questions to anyone from a different school sitting Biology this afternoon. This morning my insomnia is nowhere to be seen and the alarm fails to go off!

Luckily we don't oversleep by much, but it is enough to make me panic whilst trying to maintain a calm exterior!  Just make sure the boys are up, feed the dogs, sort the breakfast, make the packed lunch, get the boys to school, go to the supermarket, and then I can come home, relax and plan the rest of the day without having to factor in a 5K! It's OK I can do this!

I am in the supermarket when my friend texts to say she's looking forward to seeing me later and is on 12 o'clock lunch.  Blast! (or words to that effect!) I have completely forgotten that that is today! This throws me into complete disarray, I throw some random items into the trolley and head home to get the dogs walked in time for me to go out.

If you have managed to find my blog and are reading this J, it was great to see you, but I so wanted a day where I didn't have to be anywhere at any particular time.  I am done with clock watching, and scheduling my life around the dogs, the boys and occasionally my own social arrangements! Thank goodness it's half term next week!

I then spent a large part of the afternoon drafting this blog, writing about Balnakeil, our favourite place in the far north west of Scotland. Picturing the mountains, lochs, clear blue sea, and white sandy beaches, describing how wonderful it is to go to a place at the end of nowhere (having driven through the middle of nowhere to get there), to find good friends and the best chocolate awaiting us when we arrive. Musing about how it doesn't get dark at this time of year, and without the sun to guide you, the passing of time slows down to something unrecognisable from our day to day lives...

Oh I was in full flow and it wasn't until I read it back that I realised that whilst the location of your daydream may be different to mine, I was describing being on holiday! A nice yet not overly productive way to spend an afternoon!

Unfortunately back in the real world I have a ton of things to do and time is not on a go slow, I've tea to cook, parents to visit, washing to bring in, ironing to do... it's not long before I succumb to the inevitable and get back on the hamster wheel!



M - 722
Distance covered                  0 miles (I am no longer counting walks!)
Total Distance covered   104.8 miles

Deja vu

But I'm not sure why...

I am a great believer that if you find yourself in a recurrent situation then you have something to learn from it, and only when you have learnt that particular lesson will you be able to move on. But try as I might I have yet to work out why I am not 'allowed' to sleep in on a Sunday morning - Dougal woke me at five again this morning.

This is my favourite time of year, I love the extended daylight hours, but they are not conducive to persuading a two year old English Pointer that it is still time to be in his bed. We have learnt the hard way that the quickest and most effective way to deal with this is to stay downstairs with him (although have succumbed to curling up with him on the sofa as opposed to the floor!).  The fact that he does great cuddles is one of his redeeming features (he needs several!) and it's not long before Sid, Dougal and I are ensconced on the settee to try and get a bit more sleep.

Quite why we then had to be woken up by the alarm on Al's phone that he'd forgotten to switch off is anyone's guess! Perhaps the lesson is to go to bed earlier!

It was another glorious day and instead of running, Al and I decide to do our last five kilometres of the 5x50 challenge by walking the dogs in the woods.

It's over!! I still have to walk the dogs tomorrow but they will be lucky if they get offered more than a trip round the block!  50 days, 50 hours, 319 kilometres (198 miles - yes if I'd worked it out earlier I would have run another two!!) I AM HAVING A DAY OFF!!

Not least because my legs are sore and I'm a little bit concerned that I've developed shin splints, but ice, rest and a visit to the Biomechanics Man before we head to Edinburgh on Friday and I'm hoping I'll be good to run!

The day then just seems to disappear.  The messages coming in from FB friends show days spent cycling, or swimming, or sitting around enjoying the sun, and I just don't know what happened to mine!  I don't feel like I've done anything, yet haven't stopped either.  For once this doesn't bother me, I think I'm just too tired to care!

This morning I became reunited on Facebook with an old friend who lived next door when we were growing up and I haven't spoken to in the best part of 30 years. It is good to be back in touch and enjoy our brief exchange of news and shared memories.

What I wasn't expecting was that he would remember when I was little I used to go to sleep with a toy dog under my chin.  It was a strange little thing, cylindrical with a face at one end and covered in rabbit fur intended to look like the dog from the Magic Roundabout.

It took a while to dawn on me that my life has apparently come full circle and I am back where I started, sleeping with a dog called Dougal....

I'm not sure what the message of this recurrent situation is either!


M - 723
Distance covered                 4 miles (walk)
Total Distance covered  104.8 miles

If it wasn't for the grey skies...

we wouldn't see the sun.

I DID IT! I ran parkrun 5K in under twenty four minutes! 23.44 to be precise and I have been smiling ever since!

It was a beautiful sunny morning, barely a cloud in the sky, and far too warm to be running quickly... but lets be honest, I was never going to listen to my own advice on that one!

I am soooooo pleased to have broken the twenty four minute barrier, my previous PB of 24.01 was just heartrendingly close.  I am hoping that I can leave it now - for a while at least! Although when my friend asked me what my next target was, 23 or 23.30....  I knew that answer straight away 23.16 (C's personal best stands at 23.17!).

Sitting outside the cafe in the sunshine afterwards with a group of people who are rapidly becoming close friends there was a real sense of togetherness.  The support for my fundraising efforts is beginning to grow and I am sincerely touched by both the kindness, and encouragement I am receiving.  Not for the first time I realised how fortunate I am to be part of this particular parkrun family.

Walking the dogs later with Al, I was full of the joys of spring. We don't live in the country but we are very fortunate that there are fields within walking distance and climbing over a stile I couldn't help but stop to admire England's green and pleasant land (which coming from a Scot is praise indeed!).  It was a beautiful snap shot moment where everything seemed perfect.  What made it all the more special was that Dougal seemed to sense it too and chose that very moment to go and roll in the stinkiest greenest excrement he could find, clearly as happy as a proverbial pig!

Three miles at parkrun this morning followed by a further three with the dogs, and I have broken the 100 mile mark! Couldn't have done it on a better day. Lunch sat outside with the boys, Arsenal winning the Cup Final (which means little to me, but made for a very happy husband), and my day is complete.

I often hate the British weather.  I spend an awful lot of time walking the dogs on days when I would rather not put a foot outside the door.  For every cold, wet, windy and sometimes icy Saturday morning that runners and volunteers alike have braved the conditions to make parkrun happen, we have earned today.  It is part of what makes it all worthwhile.

I don't know how I managed to run faster today, I can't pinpoint anything that I did differently nor did I feel that everything just clicked into place...
so in the absence of anything else I think the best and most pleasing conclusion would be to attribute it to yesterday's toast!

M - 724
Distance covered                 3 miles run
                                          3 miles (walk)
Total distance covered  100.8 miles

Weight loss

or rather lack of it!

Day Number 26.  A quick look back at my first entry on this blog and I see I was supposed to have spent the last three and a half weeks concentrating on weight loss. Ooops!

I think I started out well but gave up somewhere around my birthday, mainly due to my most favourite present being a butter crock - an ingenious pot ensuring there is fresh spreadable butter available, which in turn means I have been buying bread (lots of it!)

I try to convince myself that this is OK because of all the exercising I am doing, but the scales tell a different story, those irksome few kilogrammes are not going anywhere!

Talking with my friend at the weekend he pointed out the inherent evil with scales in that they don't show the conversion of fat to muscle, and suggested that I should just go by how I feel and not what I weigh... all makes sense, except that when I wake up feeling bloated and twice the size I went to bed, the first thing I do is go and stand on the scales! What am I expecting them to say? I am never going to be pleasantly surprised when I feel like I an inflated balloon! On the contrary (and after mulling it over whilst out with the dogs) it transpires that I what I am doing is looking for confirmation of how badly I have done on my diet (which I already know because it is me who eats the food) so I can berate myself over it.

Not for the first time I think my brain needs rewiring!

Instead of doing anything that might make me feel better I am driven by some strange desire to go looking for things to make me feel worse!

Pulling on my least favourite and most guaranteed muffin top jeans I head to the bathroom mirror for some close scrutiny of my hair and face...

Detox acne still visible - tick
Dark rings from lack of sleep (again) - tick
Grey hairs standing up off my head like I've been on a van der graff generator - tick

Like some strange out of body experience I can see myself doing this yet appear unable to stop! I take H to school, walk the dogs, nip into the supermarket and head home with a fresh loaf of bread!

Several slices of toast later, I decide to take control and be kinder to myself! I change into something much more forgiving (and comfortable) than those horrid jeans, straighten my hair to iron down those pesky greys, write this blog early so I can have an evening off, and make myself a salad for lunch which I shall eat in the garden enjoying the sunshine.

Or at least that's the plan.. the success of which all depends on whether or not I can ignore the blizzard of dandelion seeds that are descending into our garden because (and you may be able to guess what's coming next) we didn't do the weeding in the lane before it was too late and now we will have to weed both the lane AND our garden! (I say 'we'  - I mean Al!)


M - 725
Distance covered                 3 miles (walk)
Total distance covered   94.8 miles

Thank you!

Today wouldn't have been the same without you!

I have had another good day - yes that's two in a row!

My friend who is going to Edinburgh to run the 10K with me next week came round this morning and we went for a five and half mile run along the Greenway with Dougal.  (A nice steady conversational pace is a much more civilised way to run!) It is the same friend with whom I put the world to rights on my birthday and today is no different! In fact our day followed a very similar pattern, ending up with a hour spent sat on the bench contemplating life in the sunshine.

Today's topic being personal best's and how they are a culmination of so many things more than just the ability to run faster. Consequently we agree that it is futile to chase your PB, that it will happen when the time is right, before both going on to acknowledge that we will ignore this fact come Saturday!

I felt good after my run, it is the longest I have done in a while and I am pleased that my knees aren't hurting too much.  I am hoping this is because I have taken the increments in distance slowly this time, and have all fingers crossed that it might mean next time I go to see the Biomechanics Coach he will change my exercises! I don't like my current ones.  One of them involves lying face down with my leg bent at 90 degrees whilst I try and manoeuvre a tennis ball along my inside leg.  It is not a pretty sight and leaves me feeling particularly inept as the tennis ball invariably rolls out mid exercise or alternatively with my very best effort I realise I have only managed to move it a couple of inches!

The other good thing about today has been the increased traffic on my FB page! I have previously mentioned my stance on the outside world being given all day access to infiltrate our home life, but there are times when I just love it! Today has been one of those days!

My Facebook friends are a small group of carefully selected family and friends with whom I wish to share snapshots of my life, and I am genuinely touched that so many of you have made the journey from my personal page to that of my alias! Thank you!

You are an eclectic bunch of people, old friends with whom I have a shared history spanning back many years, friends reunited after losing touch, extended family now able to keep in touch on a much more regular basis and new friends with whom I share my current life.  In terms of my running buddies, it makes me smile to know that my partner with whom I won the Scotch Horses race with when I was five, my old adversary from the 100 metres when I was twelve (although I think we won a three legged race together at one point!), and fellow parkrunners from my forties are somehow now linked.

(There are also people reading who I don't know, but have chosen to dip into this part of my life for a day, or the entire journey, thank you too.)

Having a new FB page to administer has kept me busy all day, checking to see how many 'likes' I have accrued, I have nineteen at time of writing, looking to see with interest which ones of my friends are on board, wondering who the two people are who have liked my page but aren't my FB friends....

I don't know how many of my remaining friends will make the transition to my new page, and I have no idea what the rate for new recruits is likely to be, but somehow I can't see it matching today's peak. Still for a day at least it was like a whole new world had opened up.

I think tomorrow is going to be quite dull by comparison!


M - 726
Distance covered             5.6 miles
Total Distance covered  91.8 miles

Going Live!

Albeit somewhat unintentionally!

Today has been a good day.  After three weeks of thinking about it, dreaming about it, not sleeping about it, and obviously writing about it, I HAVE DONE IT!

I have taken my leap of faith, I am going to run, I am going to raise funds for Barnardo's.

And it feels good.

 

I adore my boys, they are a huge part of my life and I have thoroughly enjoyed watching them grow up - until now! At 14 and almost 16 they are everything they should be: fun, gorgeous, caring, articulate, (yet in the next breath) moody, monosyllabic teenagers. Increasingly they are starting to make their own decisions and no matter how much I advise them to the contrary would rather follow their own minds than listen to me. This is a path well trodden by every parent, and an absolutely natural progression - it's just taking a bit of getting used to!

I will always be there for them, yet there is a limit to how much more I can do for them, it is time for them to start doing for themselves (but C and H this does not mean that I will stop being on your case with regards to your homework and/or studying yet!).

The world is their oyster and, all joking aside, it will be both a privilege and a pleasure to watch them mature into their adult selves.  And when it comes to marathon day, I shall run for them. For all the love, joy, laughter and hope that they bring. 

But with every step I shall be raising money for children who aren't standing at the edge of a sea of opportunities, children who have had to grow up too soon, children who Barnardo's are asking us to believe in.

So....

Marathongirl750 is up and running on facebook! (Although I thought I was still working on it in private, when sisterofmarathongirl750 found me!).  It is my intention to try and post the link to my blog there in future, so please find and 'like' my page!

Artwork for my Afternoon Tea tickets is almost finished, and if I get on with it now (and ignore the mountain of ironing) I might get to post it tonight too!

Thankfully I am a million miles from where I was last night, I know there will be many more highs and lows to come but it would be remiss of me not to thank Al for riding the roller coaster of my mood swings with me first hand, and you for reading about them! (And for my friend H who I am going on a long run with tomorrow morning, lets hope this one lasts at least until lunchtime!).


M - 727
Distance covered                  4 miles
Total distance covered    86.2 miles

Standing on the edge...

reluctant to leap!

Let's face it - today was never going to be as productive as yesterday despite all my good intentions!

It started well, I had updated the finances and dealt with my emails before breakfast, but after a busy morning out and about, I failed to find any real focus for the afternoon.

It's C's fault... he started his GCSE's today! Having dropped him off at lunchtime, I found myself unable to concentrate, flitting from one job to the next, watching the clock and mentally ticking off the passage of time.  Eventually he arrived home - looking like he'd been stood in the shower! It was pouring with rain, and any hope I had of a post exam debrief was dashed by his need to go and get changed! By the time he came back downstairs all I was able to ascertain was it was "OK" - so glad I spent so much of the day waiting for that update!

Oh well only another 19 exams to go - perhaps it'll get easier!

I haven't however been totally idle! A idea hatched over a post parkrun cuppa on Saturday, to host an Afternoon Tea event is beginning to take shape and suddenly it is starting to feel very real! Eeek!!

Once I start the fundraising ball rolling there is no going back.

The thought of this both excites and scares me, which fits perfectly with my hotchpotch day! One minute I'm enthused and my head is a whirr with ideas and planning, the next I am fixated on learning how to marble paper and sourcing materials for a different project, like this was the most important linchpin of my whole plan! (It isn't, and I steer myself away from thinking about it further - and confess I am a little proud of myself for doing this!)

Mainly however, I am just feeling rather vulnerable.  In a day or two, when I have finalised the details of my Afternoon Tea party I am going to have to put myself out there, take a leap of faith and see what happens.  This same action will also mark my actual commitment to run.  It all feels a bit huge.


M - 728
Distance covered                3 miles
Total Distance covered  82.2 miles

Rebirth

(Al, C and H you have been warned!)

Today's train of thought began early and stuck around for most of the day!

Al cleaned the hob yesterday - this is bigger news in our house than it ought to be! 
Stood in the kitchen this morning I began thinking about how nice it looked and how much easier it would be if we just took the time to wipe it over every evening, instead of leaving it until it was a much bigger and ultimately far more time consuming job, when the penny dropped.  I have heard this somewhere before, worse than that I have said this somewhere before - my habit of not stopping to take the time to do the little things along the way is not reserved for running and knitting!

Great! Just what I needed something else to internalise! Had I happened to stumble across the three things where I display this trait or was it more wide spread? I needn't have worried about the time this was going to take to analyse - I think we all already know the answer.

What I hoped was isolated to a few separate events is in fact systemic across my whole day - from sorting the finances to dealing with emails, writing a shopping list to updating my 5x50 blog, I don't do it as I go along.  The result of this is that I waste so much time trying to remember things that I run out of time to do them, and every bit of cleaning becomes a bit of a mammoth challenge (like the shower I ended up having to steam clean yesterday!).

So for whilst becoming more introspective was the last thing I needed when I started this blog, it was perhaps an unavoidable consequence.  What was less obvious however was that my daily ramblings would lead finally to a bit of clarity as to why I never seem to have any time to do anything!

I am reborn!

(Well I will be if I can put this new found knowledge into practise!)

With this week's training schedule already worked out, I have been able to plan around it and have a more productive day than I've had in a while. I've shopped, cleaned, hoovered, updated the finances, sorted emails, ran, updated my 5x50 log, cooked, washed up and am about to start ironing!

It may not last, but for today I feel focused and like I've found a key piece in the jigsaw! Which is why when Al gets in from his run this evening and mentions he's going to shave his head whilst in the shower, he is handed the tub of cleaning paraphernalia and told to tidy up afterwards....

The new me may take some getting used to!


M - 729
Distance covered                3 miles
Total distance covered   79.2 miles

Reprogramming

My life is turning into a long list of apparently necessary adjustments!

I am not getting enough sleep - the combination of going to bed late and then waking up too early is beginning to take it's toll and as a result I decided not to run today.

On the one hand I am pleased with myself for putting a little of what I was saying yesterday into practise and listening to what my body is telling me, on the other hand I missed heading out to enjoy the open road and the quiet that only a Sunday morning brings - although it was nice to catch up with the Sunday morningers on FB after two weeks absence!

It also meant that Al and I got to spend a Sunday morning together for a change and ticked off today's 5K by walking the dogs.  The weather wasn't great but it was good to be out and we were happily moseying along enjoying each others company when foolishly I decided to share my plans for the day.  They didn't amount to much, I had four jobs that I wanted to tick off (I've done three) but almost as soon as I'd verbalised them my mood changed as I started to panic that I wouldn't have time to get them done.  I got cross that we weren't going to get back until lunchtime, frustrated that walking 5K across the fields takes so much longer than running, angry that I hadn't just ignored my aching ankles and gone out for a run first thing, as then I could have been at home getting on with my jobs instead of being out walking.

Al is definitely a husband of the long suffering variety - we may have been married for less than six years, but he's known me for just short of thirty six - and has long since learned to expect (and how best to endure) my mood swings!

I have the infuriating habit of letting my thoughts sway my mood.  I am particularly adept at this and can derail even the nicest of days (so heaven help me when I'm ten miles from home with only my feet and determination to bring me home!).

I know I shouldn't and it is yet another hurdle to overcome, but the vast array of self help books and very existence of Life Coaches are testament to the fact that reprogramming this particular trait is far from easy!

So perhaps just acknowledging it will do for today!


M - 730
Distance covered                  3 miles
Total distance covered     76.2 miles

Learning lessons...

... the hard way!

Running is not my only hobby.  I also like to knit.  Jumpers for Al, cardigans for my sis, and sometimes even something for me!  Now you may be excused for wondering how on earth I am going to find a link between these two rather disparate pastimes, and until recently I would have probably said that there wasn't one, but guess what?! I've found it!

I am as impatient with one as I am with the other!

Knitting isn't difficult but it does require patience and (as is becoming increasingly apparent) the discipline to stop every once in a while to check that you have the correct number of stitches and you're on the row you thought you were on.  Mine has gone wrong.

Happily knitting away in front of the tele I became complacent, instead of stopping to make those checks I carried on regardless and lo and behold I've made a mistake.  I have now had to find it, pull the work back, correct it and knit it all the way back up again to where I was in the first place.

I think this is how I run.

If last week was the perfect running weather. This morning wasn't.  Thankfully the rain stopped and we even managed some sunshine, but the wind was strong.  My Garmin's battery ran out before I started so, with no way of checking my pace, all I could do was run -my attention solely on the finishing line and my desire to beat last week's time.

I ran a good race and was happy with it, although it had felt a lot harder than last week, but I assumed this was because I was running so much faster.

The times when they came in told a different story... it would appear that, like my knitting, my run had gone wrong!  Why? Because I didn't stop to take note of the conditions or the feedback from my body during the race.  Running into a headwind on the downhill stretch is NEVER going to make me faster, running with legs that feel like lead are not going to whisk me along to personal best glory.  What I should have done, and perhaps this comes with experience (and/or a change in personality?), is to accept that given the weather and my tired legs I was not going to better last week's time today.  I should have made those checks and corresponding adjustments as I went along and settled into a nice steady pace instead of pushing on, risking injury and having to take things back a stage, only to build them up to where I was before.

You see, same same!

I am however pleased to report that I was not alone! Some of my fellow parkrunners fell into the same trap and were equally disappointed with the results!  But in response to my friend's post on FB a friend of hers wrote the following...

"With the wind that's blowing a howling gale around here, it would be like resistance training running into that today"

Resistance Training - and I still ran 24.15 Whoooo hoooo!!! It's all a matter of perspective!

M - 731
Distance covered                3 miles
Total distance covered   73.2 miles

Time to get my arse into gear

Literally!

This morning was tough... the numbers reading yesterday's blog were high but my request for feedback had not generated the level of response I was hoping for.  Instead of being inundated with comments, by 8 o'clock this morning I had 3 and I think it's fair to say I was feeling rather despondent.

Having studied marketing many, many moons ago, I should have known better than to leave myself in the position of not knowing whether a non response was an objection or tacit support for my plan. (Or perhaps the majority of you are just enjoying your anonymity?!)

C took the pragmatic approach that anyone who knew me would know that I was trustworthy and wouldn't have a problem with it, but the doubts about whether or not this is a good idea were beginning to outweigh the belief that it is, and my internal dialogue on the subject was in full flow - again!

A "Yes!" vote all the way from sunny Spain, followed by one from my friend in Australia and I started to feel more positive, but far from confident!

I generally do a lot of thought processing whilst I am out walking the dogs and today was no exception. Battling against the wind and driving rain I decided that it really isn't about what everyone else thinks, the person who needs to believe I can do this is ME - time to have the courage of my convictions.  After all what is the worst that can happen? That I fail? At least I will have tried.

Another "Yes!" arrives this afternoon, and I'm ready to believe this could work.  I am nervous and more than a little daunted by the task ahead - BUT I AM GOING TO GO FOR IT! Watch this space!

Today also saw my second visit to the Biomechanics Coach.  Sisterofmarathongirl 750 you will be relieved to hear that my pelvis has now realigned and I have to stop doing the exercises (that I did make the time to do) to see if it will hold.  Time to address the next issue - my back is doing the work that my butt should be doing - time to work those glutes! Oh joy!

Talking to C this morning he did suggest that there was another way to secure my place... I could run as an elite athlete - surprised no one else mentioned it!


M - 732
Distance covered                 3 miles (walk)
Total distance covered   70.2  miles

Making it count

(Bit of a serious one today!)

Last year when I did the 5x50 challenge I ran 5K for each of the 50 days, raised money for mosquito nets, got really involved in logging my runs and felt a huge sense of achievement when I finished because I had no idea when I started if I would be able to do it.

This year couldn't be more different. Because I am also trying to increase the distance I can run- I have had to walk some days, I'm not asking for any sponsorship, I forget to log my activities and just haven't bought into the challenge it the same way, I know I can do it and am increasingly of the opinion of "what's the point?"

I will finish it, because I have committed to it but I am not enjoying it. But it has made me and Al get out mid week which I have enjoyed and we are definitely getting stronger for it!

However with approximately 733 days to go between now and Marathon day I am very conscious that it may take more than just my determination to prove I can do this to keep me going.

And so the question of whether or not to run for a charity is reverberating inside my head...

What is becoming increasingly apparent is that the challenge of running a marathon is not just about being able to run the distance - depending on which marathon you want to run it is also about being lucky enough to get a place and I think I want to run the London Marathon which is amongst the hardest of all!

The application process involves a public ballot where 125,000 people put their names into a hat for a place, the odds for this aren't great added to which the ballot closed within 11 hours of opening! For some unknown reason it then takes from April til October to find out if you've been successful.

Alternatively I can apply to a charity for a Gold Bond place, still not guaranteed as competition for these places is also high and comes with the additional commitment of raising around £2,000 but the odds are slightly better than the public ballot!

The other option is to choose to run a different marathon!

What I do know, is that I will not be able to raise that amount of money in the six months that will be available if I am lucky enough to get a place.  I don't have that sort of network, unless each of my 20 or so regular readers would all like to stump up £100 for the pleasure of reading this for the next 23 months?!
Hmm thought not!

But perhaps if I start now I could do it! I have several fundraising ideas also swimming round inside my head ( it's a busy place in there today!) which I will share with you in due course, but there is a fundamental question I need to ask -

If I were to apply for a Gold Bond charity place would you be prepared to support my fundraising knowing that the money raised is being kept by me in a bank account until such time as I have a place and can start fundraising officially?  (needless to say if I don't get a place the money will still go to the charity!)

If you would, could you please comment "yes" on my FB page, then I can see if this approach could actually work - thank you x



M - 733
Distance covered                5 miles
Total Distance covered  67.2 miles

Sorted

(for a whole two and half weeks!)

I really needed a good night's sleep last night - unfortunately Dougal had other ideas!
4am and he was barking to go outside, upon which he made a bee line for the honeysuckle, his plant of choice if he wants to munch on something in order to make himself sick.
Such a lovely start the day!

Chomping away, the heavens opened and he darted back into the house for cover - his need to vomit outweighed by his overwhelming desire to stay dry! He never was sick, which I suppose is a good thing and I got to hear the dawn chorus, which was an added bonus but I would rather have been tucked up in my bed asleep - it's Al's turn to get up if he wakes us tonight!

By the time we make it to the park it is clear that Dougal has woken up with the devil in him this morning.  After overwhelming some poor man with his exuberance he spots his next victims across the field and away he goes.  He has got increasingly better at coming back, not so this morning.  Nothing was going to entice him away, he was having way too much fun! So I began the walk of shame to attempt the retrieval of my badly behaved dog, wondering what it was about this particular Border Terrier that warranted such a display of disobedience.... it was Maurice, the aforementioned 50 Club parkrunner!  (I hasten to add that Maurice was being walked by a dog walker - I would have recognised John!)

Watching the dogs chase, spar and enjoy each others company it was good to see that the ethos of the parkrun family has transcended to the canine world!

It was a morning for meeting people, next up a woman I haven't seen for at least three years, whose son used to be at playgroup with H.  She is one of those lovely people who you can't help but like even though you kind of wish you hadn't bumped into her - because in the twelve years I've known her I have never seen her looking anything other than perfect! This morning was no exception as she walked along with her three dogs trotting along at her heels, whilst I tried to keep Sid the slightly cantankerous old dog out of the way and awaited the arrival of Dougal in all his shambolic glory! After a quick catch up she told me that she hadn't been feeling well recently and was disappointed as this was curtailing her fitness drive, I'd like to think this comment was in response to my youthful athleticism but in reality I think it was my cue to enlighten her as to what disasters had befallen me in the past three years that would explain my appearance!

I remind myself that the recent outbreak of acne is part of my detox, console myself with the knowledge that in three weeks time I'm going to look ten years younger, and head home to write my plan!

It's not finished, but it is started! Avoiding the temptation to spend most of the day writing out something aesthetically pleasing, a procrastination tactic I am fond of applying, I opt for the back of an envelope, map out the next two and a half weeks til Edinburgh and work out some sort of running schedule.  Having done this I am then able to arrange my long dog walk with my friend for next week so it doesn't coincide with a run day, and already I'm feeling much happier.

By the time I'm back from my run I feel better still and am ready to tackle a job off the list, albeit a rather small and sedate one! Time to input my 5x50 activity log which is 10 days out of date.

It is then I discover that over the past 38 days I have spent in excess of 38 hours exercising - no wonder I don't have time to tidy!


M - 734
Distance covered               3.6 miles
Total Distance covered    62.2 miles

Here we go again!

"Would you tell me, please which I way I ought to go from here?"
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to."
"I don't much care where -"
"Then it doesn't matter which way you go."

Lewis Carroll


For the first time since starting this blog, I am struggling to write it. Why? Because what I want to write I have heard myself saying so many times before, and for whilst I may not have bored you with it yet, believe me you'll get there!

But it really is the singular most important thing to come out of today....

I need a plan!

The tenacity I demonstrated yesterday is sorely lacking when it comes to housework and getting my life in order.  By and large it doesn't matter what I do with my time as long as there is food in the house, clean clothes to wear, and the dogs have been walked.  Actually if Al came home and I hadn't done any of that he would just get on with it - I am SO lucky but it doesn't make me very motivated! The boys don't notice if the house is tidy or not and I get absolutely no satisfaction from cleaning the bathroom - only for them to come in and dirty it!

But clearly it bothers me as I keep coming back to it! (And we're only two weeks in!)

I have been stuck in the vicious circle of not being bothered and then berating myself for being disorganised for longer than I care to admit, which is fine when it's only me listening (although it would be nice if it stopped) but not something that I want to subject you to over the next two years!

Time to set some goals, work out a schedule and devise a training plan! This way I will know what I am supposed to be doing and will thus (in theory at least) avoid days like today where I ended up arranging a long dog walk on a day I should have been running and going out for lunch when I needed to be in the supermarket!

As a consequence I've had to miss my evening run with Al which makes me feel sad, and a little bit guilty that I didn't just go and put my kit on and get out there, but I'm trying hard to be sensible and not over do things (besides which I'm exhausted!).  I just wish I'd planned my day better.

So yes sisterofmarathongirl750 I know you've heard it all before but it really is time to
put up or shut up! 


M - 745
Distance covered                 4 miles (walk)
Total Distance covered   58.6 miles

Birdwatching, Bluebells

and a Blackberry I don't know how to work properly!

I feel like I have aged overnight when I wake up this morning! We were late getting to bed and my infuriatingly accurate internal alarm clock won't let me sleep past 7, the result of which is that I awoke tired -  but also very achy. My right knee has locked and every joint seems to creek and crack as I get myself moving.  I have a sore head and am surprisingly thirsty - it feels like I have woken up in a different body to the one I went to sleep in!

What is unclear is what has caused this change in fortunes.  Perhaps detox only takes two days if it's all you're doing, perhaps if you're just drinking more water but still consuming the same amount of (not always as healthy as it should be) food it takes a little longer...

Or could it be that I am suffering from a more psychosomatic illness this morning based on the fact that C went to his first proper party last night? Another milestone passed on his journey into adulthood and guaranteed to make me feel every one of the 28 years since it was me heading out with a smuggled bottle of Martini Extra Dry!

As the 5x50 challenge enters the penultimate week, sitting on the sofa for the day is unfortunately not an option. Fighting every desire to curl up and snooze the Bank Holiday away, Al and I head out to the woods with the dogs.  I am determined to be more alert, observant and at one with nature today! The bluebells are out in force, we spot a robin, some birds nesting in a dead tree, and best of all an OWL... who wanted lambs anyway?!

I'm enjoying myself now, when I become consumed with the somewhat modern phenomenon of the need to share -  pictorially. Quite why I think seeing photos of my day is going to make it anymore noteworthy to me or interesting to you is beside the point - I'm in full photo mode. But without my beloved camera! I take a picture of Dougal on my phone although I'm struggling to get one of Sid. I am not by any means a spontaneous photographer and spend the next 10 minutes chasing after the poor old dog trying to get him to pose for the perfect picture. Al starts suggesting that we perhaps just enjoy the walk but can see that I am not going to let it go, so mentions he has his ipod! A selfie of us and a fab picture of Sid (taken by Al!) we head for home...

The rest of the afternoon is consumed with trying to work out how to get the picture from my phone onto my pc! I know that really this isn't worth the effort, that there are a hundred and one better ways I could be spending my afternoon but I am relentless, this is not about a photo of my dog and some bluebells this is about being beaten.

This is a test of the sheer bloody mindedness I am hoping will see me through training and every step of those 26.2 miles...

Ta Da!!!!!

M - 736
Distance covered                 4 miles (walk)
Total Distance covered   54.6 miles

Take 5

Observation and Reflection

I run or walk the dogs every day, sometimes I do both. Relatively speaking that is quite a lot of time spent in the great outdoors, yet it would appear that I am not exactly in touch with nature.

Running past a field this morning, a rather loud "baaaaaaaa" jolted my brain into gear (my thought process moving quicker than my feet!) sheep, spring, LAMBS! I like lambs, I'm not sure who doesn't, but I was rather shocked to discover that these baby sheep were well past the frolicking stage! Admittedly Liversedge isn't the sheep capital of world, but there are a few fields with sheep in that I walk past on a fairly regular basis, and yet I've missed the lambing season. I clearly spend too much time staring at the road in front of me, worried about tripping on a curbstone or stepping in dog poo to notice what it going on.

And so the seed of today's blog was sown... a piece on my tunnel vision, blinkered to the wonders of the world happening around me. How did I notice the blossom on the trees but not the arrival of the leaves? How can I walk through the same field almost daily and not notice that the grass has grown until one day, for no apparent reason, it's almost knee high? And how, once in a while, we should take five to look up and really see what we're looking at at...
When it dawns on me that I've missed my turning, and not even looked in the fields I've just passed!

I am no better when I get home. C is making scrambled eggs for brunch and asks me to watch them for a minute whilst he goes to entice H out of his room with the promise of food, by the time he returns they have separated and would be best served with a slotted spoon. I don't think today is the day for my sermon on being observant and fully present in the moment!

So perhaps I'll take five to reflect on this week's progress instead.

I ran 5.1 miles today. Almost a fifth of the required distance. I enjoyed the run and think the pain in my knees has shifted a bit, which I hope is as a result of my exercises and not a figment of my imagination! I am however in need of some local advice. Part of my route this morning involved running on the Greenway (which for non local readers is a tarmacked disused railway line) and my question to local readers is this - is the surface on the Greenway (which may not actually be tarmac) exceptionally unforgiving cause I am increasing less fond of running on it?

The total distance I have covered is now 50.6 miles. I am really chuffed with this!

The total number of page views for my blog will be over 500 if the same number of you read this today as read last Sunday's installment!  The numbers reading varies daily, but I am really pleased that by and large it looks like you're sticking with me THANK YOU!

It would appear that the Universe too is following what's going on, heard my initial thoughts for today's chapter and did it's best to provide what it thought I needed most. Firstly Dougal returned from his walk a true beast of the field and stinkiest dog in the world - nothing like the pungent smell of cow manure to sharpen the senses! And then a text from Vision Express to say my new glasses were ready - at least now when I do look up things will be in focus!

M - 747
Distance covered             5.1 miles
Total Distance covered  50.6 miles

Bronze Medal Position

I may never see this day again!


Parkrun, as you may have gathered, is a big thing in my life at the moment.  It has been the single biggest motivator in keeping me running and making me want to run better.  It is free, run by volunteers, takes place every Saturday morning come rain or shine, and all you are required to do is turn up and run... oh and bring your barcode with you!

Each runner has their own individual barcode which is scanned at the end of the run and matched up with the times recorded as you cross the finish line to produce the results. Parkrun make it very clear  "No Barcode. No Time. No Exception."
Can you see where this is heading?

Al and I arrived at the park this morning about twenty minutes before the start (time for a quick warm up, a pre race catch up with friends, and the all important last wee) when I realised that I hadn't brought my barcode.  I had four options

1. Run without it and forgo my time
2. Volunteer but it was a bit too cold to stand around in my new birthday running skirt!
3. Beg Tom (the Run Director) to give me my time without my barcode (but the only leverage I have is sharing a birthday with him and somehow I don't think that would be enough to swing it)
4. Go home and get my barcode.

No contest really - go home and hope I can get back in time.

It was a close call but I made it! My warm up now a run from the car into the park, it was then either chat or wee, and the sad reality is that I have reached a certain age when going to the toilet takes precedence over talking - especially on what has become water week!

Race Time! Al and I have had a couple of good runs this week and today continued in the same vein. It was a glorious morning, beautiful sunshine but not too warm, perfect running weather and we felt like we had run the perfect race until our friend beat us on the last hill! But we managed to cross the finish line together having run PB's. Doesn't get much better than that...

Except it could. It is the curse of the runner to always wonder if you can go faster, and at 24.01 there was definitely thoughts of "if only I'd pushed myself just that little bit more I could have gone sub 24" swiftly followed by "next week!"  I have been trying to break that mentality, playing a longer game rather than chasing a second (or two) off my PB, but it doesn't come naturally! I want to run faster, I want to get below 24 minutes and I will - I just have to accept that it might not be next week (but I want it to be!).

Now I know I said I was going to refrain from a weekly stats analysis... but it did get better

I WAS THE THIRD WOMAN ACROSS THE FINISH!!

I know this is entirely due to the fact that the parkrun youth were almost all missing today and a fair few of the other regulars who run quicker than me were enjoying the Bank Holiday weekend elsewhere, but for today at least the Bronze Medal is mine!

And I'm VERY glad I went back to get my barcode!

M - 738
Distance covered            3.1 miles
Total distance covered  45.5 miles

The Sound of Music

Thanks for the earworm* Paddy!

(* an earworm is defined as a catchy piece of music that continually repeats through a person's mind after it is no longer playing, it may come as no surprise to learn that I talk to mine!)


Our house is a tip.  There is so much tidying to do that I don't know where to start.  Pondering this whilst I look around trying to reach a decision my earworm very kindly starts singing to me...

"Lets start at the very beginning, a very good place to start, when you read you begin with A-B-C, when you sing you begin with do-re- mi...."

And it's off, trilling along in my ear, forcing me to join in with it (completely against my will of course!). Hopefully it'll get bored soon, please tell me it's forgotten that I once went out dressed as a nun to Sing-a-long-a Sound of Music, surely it can't have remembered the super extended version we sang in the Eaglesham Primary School Choir that was too long for even the wonderful Antwerp Station Flashmob (I'll post a link later - save you looking it up) to use? It would appear not, it is relentless for the entire time I am walking the dogs and even now hours later I know it's lurking around ready to start up again at anytime...

I'm blaming Patrick Kielty! Standing in for Steve Wright on Radio 2 this week he had Julie Andrews on his show yesterday, I didn't even hear the interview (and still I'm stuck with this?!) but he was discussing whether the old singalong tunes are better than the new ones, I didn't hear the outcome of the discussion either but I'm guessing it all comes down to if you know the words and can in fact singalong!

I have a similar problem with my running playlist on my ipod.  There is no doubt that I run with a spring in my step when certain songs come on whilst others make me slow down, I have been known to sing out loud to 'Heart of Glass' yet other songs make me wish I could reach the skip button (without having to faff around getting my ipod out of the pocket in my running top!).

I think a cull, reorganisation, and some new sounds are called for! In fairness Al has been suggesting this for months (if it wasn't due to the fact that lack of breath renders this impossible I would be beginning to wonder if I'm singing out loud to more than I realise!).

I have read that I should be trying to maintain a tempo of 85-90 strides per minute and a quick internet search informs me that there are many lists of songs available that will fulfill my needs - but like with everything else associated with this journey upward of 5K it is yet another minefield! Which ones are any good, do I have to pay to download these, where will I find songs that I have even heard of?! And do I ditch my old favourites in favour of new songs that have the right tempo but I don't know so well?

I guess that the approach to this latest problem is going to be the same as with the others I've come across so far. Keep it simple. Do what I can. Don't get overwhelmed by the things that I can't. Find the first step and take it. Delete those slow songs, forget about beats per minute for the time being and just get out and enjoy the run singalong tune after singalong tune!


M - 739
Distance covered              3.2 miles
Total Distance covered   42.4 miles

Detox

There are better ways to feel this bad!

3 litres of water - I suppose it was inevitable that a large part of today would be spent going to the loo! What I hadn't banked on (although in hindsight perhaps it too should have been obvious) was the headache that would accompany my sudden increase in water intake.

The closest I've come to detoxing in the past has been a seaweed body wrap at a beauty salon! Covered in some nice smelling mineral rich mud, wrapped in giant cling film and popped under a duvet to cook for half an hour, I have been left to relax to the sound of waves gently crashing on the shore whilst the hard work was done for me.  By comparison this definitely feels like I've drawn the short straw, but it is considerably cheaper!

I've read that the headaches associated with detox usually last a couple of days which doesn't bode well for tomorrow but fingers crossed it will have gone by parkrun!

The response to yesterday's blog about biomechanics has been a text from my friend keen to know more because she thinks it sounds interesting, and a phone call from my sister keen to know more in an attempt to ascertain if I was told a load of mumbo jumbo!

Always with my best interests at heart, my sister has been very patient throughout my many dalliances with alternative therapies, and whilst unquestionably supportive I think it would be fair to say she is somewhat adept at being able to impart her skepticism! This is not helped by the fact that her knowledge of anatomy and physiology is far superior to mine. The result of which is that during conversations like we had today, as I flounder around looking for words to explain what I thought I understood, I end up sounding increasingly like I'm talking rubbish! However whether my pelvis is out of alignment or not, we both agree that anything that tones and strengthens my muscles will be a good thing in the long run! (Besides which I have since been and had a look in the mirror and I can SEE that my legs don't line up - so there!).

It is unfortunate then, that I have struggled to find time to do my new exercises. One of them involves single leg raises held for twenty seconds, three repeats on each leg a grand total of TWO MINUTES!
What have I possibly done with my day that meant I couldn't find time to do these? My only excuse is that they are done sitting down and I've spent most of the day on my feet! Nevertheless I'm cross with myself for not doing them and am full of resolve to do better tomorrow.

On the plus side I now know what is in the freezer and have written a shopping list for the morning! Progress!!

M - 740
Distance covered                 4 miles (walk)
Total distance covered    39.2 miles