Anyone for tennis?!

Confused? I know I am!

 

Prior to starting this blog I had never been on Twitter, but as Al doesn't do Facebook and C refuses to have any link between me and him on his account, it seemed like the obvious answer to also 'tweet' a link to my blog so they could read it.  Al has since all but stopped using his account but before doing so, did encourage (and this is where I struggle with the terminology) his 'followers' to have a read! At least a couple of them did, and at least one of them has stuck with me!

With the sum total of three followers (which makes me feel like I'm recruiting - albeit rather unsuccessfully - for some sort of cult) or put another way three people following me (which makes them sound like stalkers) I think it's fair to say I haven't exactly embraced Twitter as a communication medium! Of the three, one is related to me (thanks C), one I see most weeks (thanks fellow parkrunner) and one is unknown to me personally, but is someone Al came into contact with after tweeting about his first parkrun a year ago!

Given that I don't actually know the third, when they chose to contact me this week via Twitter, I decided this constitutes a success for my blog on a par with a purchase from an unknown person on Etsy! Thank you MM, which given the news that you are going to be running London 2015, has to make you Marathon Man!

A few messages on and I was starting to feel like I was getting the hang of this tweeting malarkey, when an email notification telling me that 30 Second Tennis have favourite a tweet I'm mentioned in starts to cast some doubt over this.

Initially I got my hopes up that, seeing as MM had mentioned tennis ball rolling for a knee injury, perhaps 30 Second Tennis was just what I needed to kick start my exercise regime and sort out my aching calf muscles (after all 30 seconds with a tennis ball might be preferable to several minutes with a foam roller....) but on delving deeper all I can find on their website is reference to actual tennis coaching from a company based in Seattle.

Now I am really confused, either they are friends with MM  (actual or virtual!) or someone has picked up on the word tennis and decided to share it with their following, not knowing that it referred to the torturous and somewhat ungainly activity of rolling a tennis ball along some aching muscle!

I might not understand the inner workings of social media, or the inherent dangers that apparently lie within, and I may have mixed feelings about whether or not it is a good thing, but I like that it keeps me in touch with old friends, and enables me to make connections with new ones. Good luck with your training Marathon Man, I am sooo envious of you having your place for London, and almost wish I was running in 2015, April 2016 seems a long way off...

M - 527
Brighton Half - 84
Glasgow Half - 308
Total Distance covered      399.6 miles

ELEVEN Pipers Piping...

Whooo hoooo!

Not surprisingly it was still dark when I got up this morning at quarter to six to eat my breakfast in enough time for it to have settled slightly before setting off on our run.  It was however still dark when HMG and I set off just over an hour later, oh and it was also raining, just to add to the whole experience. But with our usual Saturday morning greeting of 'we must be mad' off we set on a new route to run eight miles to parkrun.

Dark and with fogged up glasses the first four miles or so were a bit of a blur, but it's OK we'll still be running this route next summer so plenty of time to familiarise ourselves with the scenery! A bit of a killer of a hill mid way round but a lovely feeling of satisfaction when we got to the top knowing that by and large it was downhill all the way from there to the park (ignoring the REALLY steep bit that we finish our run just before so we can walk up it!).

By the time we reached the park I was already post run euphoric and enjoyed the final three miles - week before last when I 'only' ran three miles to get there aside - I ran my fastest time for a while which on the end of my furthest ever run is something to smile, write and potentially harp on about for the rest of the day! Even if Al can trump it....

Over eight minutes faster than when he ran parkrun for the first time a year ago this weekend, he managed a PB of 23.31 and although still not euphoric has at least admitted to being pleased! (not least because he managed to beat parkrunfastfinisher!! But only just!)  You've come a long way from those first few runs when your only focus was not to be sick Mr L! I love you (still a bit on the emotional side) and I love that parkrun has become part of our lives and something that we can share together. Extra bonus that C joined us this morning. Extra extra bonus that he decided to ease himself back into running gently and finished behind both of us! Love you too C!
 

Been a roller coaster of a week, but ending in a better place than it started! And for whilst there weren't eleven pipers piping us in past the finishing post today, there will be thirteen awaiting us at every mile marker next October in Glasgow HMG and sisterofMG750! Long way off I know but I'm looking forward to it already! 

M - 528
Brighton Half - 85
Glasgow Half - 309
Distance covered                11.1 miles
Total Distance covered      399.6 miles (aarrggghhh! Sooooo close!)

PS Just in case you ever do read this H - love you as well x

Black Friday

Never ever ever again!

Drawn in by the latest marketing hype - Black Friday - I decided to get up early and grab myself a bargain.  Trouble is, so did everyone else. 

It was a nightmare.  I could get onto the website, I could even find what I was looking for and put it in my virtual basket, but try as I might I couldn't actually purchase anything! Every time I got close the website crashed and I got kicked out, only to have to try and start the process all over again.  As it got later and more and more people got up to join in the fun, it got worse to the point where I couldn't even get on to any of the websites I wanted to visit. 

On my way to completely losing the plot, I decided to try an actual shop.  Bad idea! Entering Argos, it was like acting out trying to get on the internet, only this time there were actual queues of people all waiting for their turn to flick through the 'book of dream's'* I left without finding what I was looking for.

Rushed home to walk the dogs, and came back from my walk resolutely telling myself I would not to succumb to any more 'today only' 'must act now' emails when there is one from East Coast Trains - the date for our outward trip to Brighton is available! Get your bags packed HMG we're booked on the 10.15!

Still no luck on the gaming websites and I had to dash off for my long awaited and much needed hot stone massage. What a disaster! I got lost, I was late, and when I arrived and suggested to the scariest looking masseuse in the brightest tightest red dress, that perhaps putting the name of the building (which is visible from the road) instead of the number of the building (which isn't) on the voucher, I found myself being chastised in a manner that made me think of Anne Robinson. Apparently I was the weakest link in this exchange, being told that other people manage to keep time, and that if I had used a Sat Nav I wouldn't have had to abandon my car on the main road to find the place on foot. Plot well and truly lost by now, I told her where to shove her massage, flounced out, came home and booked myself in at a local salon that I should have just gone to in the first place!

It was heavenly and made all the nicer by the fact that when I returned home afterwards Al had made the tea and lit the fire. I'm a lucky woman, and in my post massage state of wellbeing and with the anxieties of the day (and past few weeks) washed away I may have pointed this out to him, repeatedly, like a bit of a soppy drunk!

In the end it took me eight hours to be able to purchase something from a particular gaming website, but I got there in the end.  Shame that I spent all the money I saved on a massage that didn't happen and another one that did! Oh well you live and learn, and just to be clear never ever ever again!

However this morning's shopping trip wasn't a complete waste of time, there is now Granola Squares and Chocolate Chunk Shortbread in the cupboard - it's like being at yours sisterofMG750!

M - 529
Brighton Half - 86
Glasgow Half - 310
Total Distance covered      388.5 miles

* should hopefully take you to Bill Bailey video clip!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggOa9aSG-Ow

The Hunger Games

Contender, Ready?!

Didn't sleep particularly well last night, then spent most of the day either exercising or rushing about - consequently I'm exhausted and back to falling asleep whilst typing this.  I am also starving.

It's awful. All afternoon I have been desperately trying to find something in the cupboards that might take the edge off it, but we've nothing in. I know there's nothing in, no biscuits, no cake, no GRANOLA SQUARES (that I've been fantasying about since about three o'clock) but I still found myself staring that the shelves and looking in tins like there might be something lurking somewhere, overlooked for just such an occasion.

With a craving befitting an expectant mother (better not be!) I have become obsessed with the notion of a particular supermarket's own brand Granola Square. I've only ever had them once (at my sister's in October) and yet apparently they are the only thing that is going to hit the spot and stave off my hunger.  Al was very nearly sent into said supermarket on his way home from work to see if they had any, and it was suggested he detoured on his way back from his guitar lesson this evening on the off chance of finding some.  Rushing out to get to his lesson I don't think he truly understood the severity of the situation - but somehow I don't think I'll get away with sending him to the twenty four hour store several miles away on his return!

Not entirely sure where this hunger and fatigue has come from, I did go for a run this morning, and I did find it hard going, but at four miles there shouldn't really have been much to complain about, although with my usual Thursday lead legs on I did spend quite a lot of it grumbling to myself!  In hindsight I think it might have been the dog walk.  One of the fields is very steep and given the amount of rain we've had recently it has turned to mud. Trying to walk up it is akin to trying to reach the top of the Travelator on Gladiators - in wellies! I think my legs got a bit more of a work out than I had anticipated!

Clearly there's only one thing for it... going have to spend tomorrow refuelling in preparation for our next run on Saturday. How awful!

M - 530
Brighton Half - 87
Glasgow Half - 311
Distance covered                    4 miles
Total Distance covered      388.5 miles

PS Happy Thanksgiving to those of you reading in the US - hope it's a good one.

Christmas is coming

and my thoughts turn to food!

Looks like it might not be just the goose who's gaining weight!

If, as I mentioned last week, there is something inherently wrong with trying to find time to write about not having any.... then taking time to write about all the things I want to do rather than actually doing them isn't much better! But it requires much less energy, motivation or indeed action!

Having spent the past couple of days drifting, I decided this morning that what I needed was to be a bit more focussed, working on the premise that if I could feel a bit more organised perhaps I would also feel a bit more in control.  But my day just seemed to slip away from me and I got nothing done.

Part of the problem is one that I've encountered many times before, and talked about it on more than one occasion.  Unsure of where to start, I end up not starting at all.  I think some more time spent prioritising my list is called for, but I'm not clear about when this level of organising my need to be organised becomes a procrastination tactic.... possibly when I've thought about it long enough to talk about it, definitely when I'm writing out the job list for the third time so that it looks neat and more aesthetically pleasing!

Unfortunately I don't have that much time to waste - Christmas is one of the items on this list.

Speaking to someone last week, she asked if I had started or finished my Christmas shopping and I had to inform her that the answer was neither. A week further on and I'm no further forward.  I genuinely can't get my head around the fact that four weeks today is Christmas Eve, nor has is sunk in that my friend isn't making our Christmas Cake this year and I should have done it weeks ago! I think the lovely restful weekend curled up in front of the fire that I had been planning may have just been replaced by a weekend in the kitchen, interspersed with frantic card making!

Add the post parkrun Christmas Cafe that I'm planning on hosting on the 13 December (fancy a wee pre Christmas visit to coincide with Dad's birthday the day after sis?!) to the mix and I'm not sure how I'm going to fit it all in.

Maybe I'm one of those people who works better under pressure! But why oh why did I start the tradition a few years ago of making H an advent pillow case with 31 (he likes it to run to his birthday) pieces of individually wrapped nice chocolate and handfuls of sweeties inside?! Thankfully C is content with a couple of bars of decent chocolate, which is much easier but rarely lasts till Christmas let alone New Year!

M - 531
Brighton Half - 88
Glasgow Half - 312
Total Distance covered      384.5 miles

Still here

For the time being at least!

I have spent a lot of the day mulling things over but the jury is still out regarding the future of my blog.  Having written it for two hundred and eighteen days part of me is loathed to stop now, whilst another part of me could walk away.  Never known for making rash decisions (unless it concerns purchasing vast quantities of fabric) I need to take time to evaluate what I'm doing this for, but aware that if I stop I may live to regret it, I have come to the conclusion to keep going for the time being. So, here goes....

As sisterofMG750 predicted in a text early this morning, it wasn't difficult to find things to keep me busy.  First job being to tackle the washing and ironing mountain that had built up over last week when I was too busy to notice let alone do anything about it.  The arrival of H downstairs yesterday morning wrapped in a towel looking for pants, socks and a school shirt alerted me to the impeding crisis on the clean clothes front.  It took a large part of the morning but I think it has been averted!

Next up trying to sort the money we raised on Saturday into bags of change that the banks will accept so that I can pay it into my account.  Sounding a bit like a 'Grumpy Old Woman', or heaven forbid 'Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells' it does rankle me slightly that unless I hand the money in, bagged up in the correct amounts of 'no mixed coins', so that they can weigh rather than count, they won't touch it.  This is not helpful to a fundraiser whose donations do not come in such neatly packaged sums! Thankfully H is far less fussy and more than willing to take a pound worth of copper, five and ten pence pieces to spend at the local shop! The shop may not be so welcoming when they see him coming back tomorrow with the next bag!

I could always put it in the 'Coin Star' machine at the supermarket but am loathed to give them 9.9% of my money for the privilege, but thinking about it this would make better business sense than the 100% it's costing me to reimburse my Barnardo's fund for every bag of change that I give to H!

Money sorted I started planning how best to do the rest of my jobs so that I could incorporate my dog walk and then, once home, put the heating on, curl up and not have to go out again - when it dawned on me that today is a run day and I hadn't as yet been for my run! Damn!

A somewhat chilly two degrees outside I tried to convince Al that we could light the fire and curl up in front of it instead... BUT I'm glad we didn't. After a slow start I found my running legs and ran our five mile route in my second fastest time.  It was exactly the run I needed to blow a few of the cobwebs and dark clouds away. Not quite basking in sunshine but feeling better this evening than I did this morning - which is a good way to finish the day.

M - 532
Brighton Half - 89
Glasgow Half - 313
Distance covered                  5.2 miles
Total Distance covered      384.5 miles

Thrown off course...

and not sure of the right way back.

Painting the faces of a group of students on Saturday we were talking about what I was raising money for, and they were all of the same opinion that they couldn't ever imagine wanting to run anywhere let alone a marathon.  Remembering how I'd felt last month whilst running around the city I was a student in, I pointed out that perhaps they didn't feel the need to run because they felt fit just by being twenty, and that in another twenty years perhaps at least one of them would find themselves buying some trainers in an attempt to do something about recapturing that feeling!

Woke up this morning and don't think I'm on my way to turning any clocks back, although my skin is trying it's best to make me feel youthful by erupting in a fresh bout of acne, which at forty four is just not right! Every other part of my body however feels old, my hair has decided to turn to frizz and I just feel run down, jaded and so far removed from the peak physical condition I am aspiring to!

Not for the first time I am thinking that if I want to do this without constant pain in my ankles and knees I'll have to get serious about doing some glute exercises, and if I want to feel better I'll have to eat better, but right now I'm a bit too tired to get my head around it.

I have for the past week been so looking forward to having a bit of breather today, and decided to indulge myself by tackling one of the nicer jobs on the to do list. Part way through doing it and a very dear and wonderful friend phoned to tell me that what she thought was an abscess, is in fact an abdominal tumour and is currently awaiting surgery to have it removed.

Stuck in the most horrible period of limbo until they operate and discover exactly what they are dealing with and what the implications for her future health will be, there is nothing anyone can do except sit and wait.

My day kind of lost direction after this.  The dogs were walked, albeit in a rather aimless way (especially as our usual route was blocked off by livestock and so we just had to tramp around some fields in a bit of an ad hoc manner until it was time to come home) but no matter how hard I searched for some way to make sense of it all, there is no justification for what's happening.

With an unexpected change in perspective it has made my blog about my aches, pains and domestic trivia seem somewhat shallow and trite and I'm struggling with the whole concept of it this evening. Time I think to go and immerse myself in all the jobs that got side lined earlier and just see what tomorrow brings.

M - 533
Brighton Half - 90
Glasgow Half - 314
Total Distance covered      379.3 miles

TEN MILES...

and thirteen hundred pounds in the bank (extremely smiley yet slightly haggard face!)

We did it! Set off at eight and completed our route in a little under two hours - all TEN miles of it! What can I say - it was a LONG WAY!! 

Not having had the opportunity to run my favourite seven mile route yet with HMG, I spent some time working out a way of incorporating this into our ten miles this morning, which meant that we ran a bit of an odd loop to start with but I think it was worth it in the end! Especially as we got to run past the house where HMG had lived when she was a teenager and I got to have a sneak peak into the world she used to live in.  Perhaps one day I'll take her up to Eaglesham - something to look forward to sister and school friend of MG750! On second thoughts I think the Glasgow 10K and half marathon next year may suffice!

Really pleased that the ten mile milestone has been ticked off, but not altogether sure how I feel about it not finishing at parkrun. It's hard work getting there with three miles still to run, but psychologically we did think that perhaps it was easier as we don't think about it in terms of three miles - it's just parkrun - but it was nice to know that we can run that sort of distance without a fifteen minute break and toilet stop en route!

Cursing myself for not having cleaned the bath before I went out, and making a mental note to make sure it is not the first thing I have to do on returning home from a ten mile run in future! I did eventually get to sink into the lavender infused water I had been dreaming of, and despite waiting for Al to get home just in case I couldn't get out again, I did manage to haul myself out a while later!

Brunch eaten I went into overdrive rushing round doing all the jobs that needed doing today, washing, ironing, putting clothes away, washing up after brunch anything to avoid sitting down knowing that when I did it was highly probably that I would either seize up, fall asleep or both!

At time of writing I am forcing myself to stay awake long enough to finish this (to put this into context it's quarter to four in the afternoon!).  

I am exhausted. It has been an exceptionally busy week but it has been worth it.... exceeding all expectations the thirteen hundred pound mark on the old totaliser has been reached, and I've run ten miles. I think a quieter week next week is needed, time to recharge the batteries and relax a bit in preparation for running eleven on Saturday! Can't help feeling slightly robbed that there isn't slightly longer to bask in our ten mile glory...

M - 534
Brighton Half - 91
Glasgow Half - 315
Distance covered                  10 miles  (have I mentioned that at all?!)
Total Distance covered      379.3 miles

Leeds Juggling Convention

Why did I waste so much time dreading this?!

No one wanted to be a butterfly! Or a tiger, or Spiderman or anything else I had learned how to do yesterday! But somehow I stumbled my way through a dog, rabbit, cat, numerous star patterns, magical tea cup (still not convinced I heard him correctly!) and my own personal favourite Harry Potter - on the loveliest wee boy who was so proud of himself for having been grown up enough to watch all the films including the scary bits, but floored me a little when, asked if he wanted me to just paint glasses and a scar, requested Harry Potter skin! I dabbed a fairly dry sponge over his face a few times and I think he was happy! In the end it was a fun afternoon but it hadn't started off quite so promising...

I was completely overwhelmed on our arrival - HMG having been dragged along for crafting skills and moral support!  Thankfully Al was already there, two cafetieres of coffee down and in full juggling convention state of excitement (I love seeing him so animated and gregarious) but still astute enough to notice my distress. He was great - fetching us tables, chairs and stuff from the car whilst I just stood there in a state of shock.  All set up but no interest in our stall, I wasn't fairing much better and was desperately trying to plot our escape - but there was no easy way of slipping out unnoticed as it would have taken a good twenty minutes to pack our stuff up again which is a long time to lose face, and unfortunately the ground didn't offer us the option of opening up beneath us!

Thankfully trade did pick up, and by the time the request for the tea cup came I was in full artistic flow, just as well really!  Asking for donations instead of pricing our services worked well and taking a batch of brownies was definitely a good move! A trip round the hall flogging them at the end of the afternoon saw us nudge past the fifty pounds I had been hoping for, and a donation from the Juggling Convention saw us come away with a whopping eighty three pounds and fifty eight pence!

Unfortunately I still have nine bags of creative crafting activities to shift so not entirely sure that it's job done, lucky then that we've been invited to the York Juggling Convention in January to do it all again!


M - 535
Brighton Half - 92
Glasgow Half - 316
Total Distance covered      369.3 miles

Uh-oh!*

*or another four letter word with roughly the same meaning! 

It's harder than it looks!

It is a mark of what good friends HMG and Garden Girl have become that neither of them batted an eyelid at being asked to come round this afternoon for a couple of hours of face paint modelling... I'm not sure they were quite prepared for what followed as they were transformed into tigers, flower fairies, spidermen, elves and butterflies! 

Trying hard to follow the directions of the face painter who had so kindly given up her time to come and show me what to do, I couldn't even get the water bottle to spray mist on the paints! Every time she did it a fine flow of vapour appeared, every time I pressed the pump... nothing! This led to much hilarity and thoughts of a very long queue tomorrow as I attempt to get started.

Not a complete stranger to a paintbrush I was surprised by how hard it was to paint on the left hand side of the face, let alone get anything approaching symmetry between it and the right... but I think I have mastered enough of the basics as long as the children (or adults) are less than demanding! There may be a lot of lop sided butterflies in Leeds tomorrow afternoon!

I have become convinced that there is bound to be someone (if not several people) there tomorrow with a lot more skill and experience than me and so will be offering up the use of my paints for a donation if they would prefer to do it themselves!

Dog walking duties pre face painting fun means no parkrun in the morning. Apart from when I was recuperating from an op this time last year I have never been at home and not gone... it's going to be a strange feeling at 9 o'clock tomorrow , and can't help but wish that if I have to miss it, could it not have involved some sort of lie in?

Still a long way off being ready for tomorrow, but not wanting to let you down for the second night in a row with no blog sisterofMG750, I have put writing this ahead of things I really ought to be doing. Already shattered and with a long day ahead of us tomorrow, not to mention the small matter of a ten miler on Sunday morning I think I'd best go get on with the pressing job of turning H into The Flash (whoever he is?!)

M - 535
Brighton Half - 92
Glasgow Half - 316
Total Distance covered      369.3 miles

All go!

There is something inherently wrong with trying to find time to write about not having any!

It's been a busy day, in a busy week, that I can't believe started with me having thoughts about getting a job! Already struggling to fit everything in that needed to be done today, the news that H had been called for a casting audition in Leeds this afternoon was close to being the straw that broke this camel's back - but not quite!

I have no idea why he wants to do this as a profession. It is soul destroying.  This time it was for a company who will apparently purchase your car whatever state it is in, and they were casting for a number of roles. This meant that the reception area was filled with hopeful luvvies of varying ages and appearance but all bearing the same trade mark fake smile and feigning interest in each others careers. No words this time (which was a slight relief after the teflon coated trousers incident) just a dishevelled fifteen year old boy slouching on a sofa - job should be in the bag really!

This unexpected alteration to my afternoon's plans did however mean that I didn't have time to run with Al this evening which was a shame. I plodded round my three miles first thing this morning, it was OK just another one ticked off the training plan really. Al, on the other hand, bounced through the door having run five, and the closest to post run euphoric I've ever seen him! Clearly without me to hinder his pace he had flown round! It was nice to see and hard to watch all at the same time. Chuffed that he was so pleased and proud of him for doing so well, yet awash with running envy - an odd mix of emotions.

An evening off this evening at Westival Saviour's. A pamper evening with lots of luxurious products to try and buy.  The last time I went we had spent the evening having a facial and I had assumed this evening would follow a similar format, so thought I'd save some time arriving ready to cleanse! I realised my mistake on arrival when luxury Christmas gifts to give you the red carpet treatment clearly meant come looking like you're about to walk down one!

Had a lovely evening Mrs J, an oasis of calm amidst the chaos - thank you. It was just what I needed but I still can't imagine a life where I get to spritz the room with aromatherapy mist, sit back and relax! Perhaps I should take a leaf out of your book - then I might arrive looking a little more serene next time! Forget casting for a fifteen year old boy, how about a role for a messy mum?!

M - 537
Brighton Half - 94
Glasgow Half - 318
Distance covered                 3.4 miles
Total Distance covered      369.3 miles

Deja Vu

But hopefully with a different ending...

My house is awash with crafting materials. Pompoms, feathers, pipe cleaners, toilet rolls, paper plates, painted egg boxes and googly eyes! Sound familiar - not, I hope, because you have had the same fate bestowed upon you, but because I've been here before!

Determined that this will be the last time I will see said crafting materials I am busy making them up into bags, so that each one holds all the constituent parts for a bug, a paper plate owl, an egg box flower, a pill box and two toilet roll pillow gift boxes.... now all we have to hope for is some children who would rather craft than juggle on Saturday, or some forward thinking parents who think this would be just the ticket to take home with them to liven up a dull day sometime in the future.

Still scarred by the whole Westival experience I am trying not to get my hopes up, amid fears that I may well be stung a second time round when the afternoon doesn't unfold quite the way I would like it to! I've put way too much time into it already to ever see a return on my investment, but at least I know this time they will at least be a nice bunch of people!

What I still haven't found time to do is have a go at face painting. Part of me is convinced that it can't be that hard, the other part of me is wishing that I'd spent more time in the past putting on make-up and then I might stand half a chance! I don't know what's stopping me from having a go, but I think it may have something to do with the fact that finding out that it's harder than I think when I can't do anything about it for the next day or so will only stress me out more - better to live in oblivion and worry about in on Friday when I've set aside the whole afternoon to practise.

A quick Google search on face painting ideas reveals some pretty hideous designs which people are clearly happy enough to be photographed looking like - and then put on the internet - so perhaps is won't be so bad after all, or maybe I'll just offer stars, hearts and flowers and be done with it!

Right all this talking about it is making me want to go load the brushes and give it a whirl... BUT I've cards to make tonight that need posting tomorrow, crafty bits to finish sorting and more jam to label for dispatch - however this time I'll check which is the right side before I start writing!

M - 538
Brighton Half - 95
Glasgow Half - 319
Total Distance covered      365.9 miles

Cracking up

or just getting old?!

A visit to the dentist this morning confirmed what I already knew and I guess many suspected, I am officially cracking up, or at least one of my fillings is (or rather has - through old age apparently!). The thought of going back in a couple of weeks to have it drilled out, re-filled and have to pay over a hundred pounds for the pleasure wasn't the best start to the day but at least it will, at some point, be sorted. In the meantime I will just have to rise to the challenge of trying to find a way to eat chocolate without it setting my teeth on edge, it isn't easy but rest assured I'm giving it my best shot!

But between this, my hearing loss, and the return of sore ankles (I know - shouldn't have tried so hard on Saturday), I just feel old. Who said regular exercise was good for you?!

Enlisting the help of my next door neighbour to sell jam to her work colleagues, I got an order in for seven jars this afternoon. This is fantastic news as it takes me past the twelve hundred pound mark that I so wanted to hit before the weekend. It did add the job of labelling the jars to my already extensive list for the day, but I didn't mind - until that was when I went to stick the labels on the jars and discovered I'd drawn them on the backing paper and not the sticky part! In my defence the backing paper is PLAIN (before you go picturing me not noticing Avery emblazoned across it in red ink) but it made me feel even more decrepit as I added failing eyesight to the list of today's aliments!

Nevertheless it was a five mile day today, old or otherwise, and I had a nice run despite it being the evening! Al had asked that I waited until he got in from work so we could run together and it was nice having his company - if you can call it that when we run listening to different music and don't speak other than to confirm roads are clear to cross and an occasional "you OK?!" Couldn't be further removed from the early morning 'putting the world to rights' run that I share with HMG but we're starting to fall into a better pattern of Al staying just slightly behind me until we reach a predetermined point where I am quite happy for him to pass and sprint for home!

But twice that distance on Sunday... really?!!

M - 539
Brighton Half - 96
Glasgow Half - 320
Distance covered                 5.1 miles
Total Distance covered      365.9 miles

A close call

and I think perhaps a fortuitous escape!

On the boys' school website this morning I happened upon an advert for trainee teachers. At a push I meet the minimum requirements to become a Business Studies teacher and it got my head spinning off at a tangent that perhaps I could re-train and actually do something with my life.

C was kind enough to point out that I'm already doing something - being a mum, looking after the dogs, running my marathon and raising money for charity - but was less than impressed with the idea of me being in school. H was more amenable to the idea of me being his teacher (but I think that may be because he thinks I might be more lenient and would be less likely to set meaningless homework than his current teacher does).

In the supermarket after dropping them at school and the reality of what it would mean began to sink in - I'd have to shop in the evening, weekends or on line like the rest of the working population. I'd have to find someone else to look after my dogs, which kind of defeats the purpose of having them, and as well as all that I'd have to fit my running around my life instead of my life around my running - Welcome to the Real World Marathongirl750!

Starting to think it might not be such a great idea after all, the final nail was put in the coffin this afternoon when I mistimed our afternoon walk and ended up walking past the local high school just as they finished for the day. Suddenly we were caught up in a swarm of teenagers, none of them looking where they were going, none of them giving me, Dougal, or poor little Sid ANY personal space, none of them looking like the conscientious students I had been imagining sitting listening intently to my lesson! I don't know how Al does it -they'd have ripped me to shreds in minutes!

Beating a hasty retreat back to the sanctuary of home, we arrived unscathed but nevertheless alerted to the somewhat fatal flaws in the teaching plan. C - you can breathe again, H - I'm sorry but you'd best just get the homework done, there is no easy ride on the way!

Day dream over it was back to plodding through the job list - my need for speed clearly only applies to running!

M - 540
Brighton Half - 97
Glasgow Half - 321
Total Distance covered      360.8 miles

Regrets

but I may thank myself for them (quite literally) in the long run.

Bit of an odd day today... most of my running friends have been at the Abbey Dash 10K in Leeds...
I didn't want to go for a whole host of reasons, that still hold true, but I can't help feeling that I've missed out.

My biggest problem being that the only real interest I had in running it was to better my time over 10K, which I keep saying I have no desire to do, yet know full well that given the opportunity I would have pushed myself to try, but the risk of injury is too great.

A text from HMG and apparently she knows this full well too (or perhaps that should be 'fool' instead of 'full!') as she informs me that it's a nice flat course which I'd love, and after three half marathon's next year I'd really be able to indulge my inner speed junkie!

So perhaps I should just be pleased that for today I haven't over done it, and am still on track for being able to do our ten miler next weekend. Ten miles! Really starting to look forward to it, and our eight o'clock start means we get a lie in too!

Meanwhile, I have opened the face painters box of tricks AND brought the Westival craft box out of hiding! I have however yet to persuade H to let me practice on him, and as for the craft box... why didn't I sort it out two months ago?!

I don't appear to have thought next Saturday through particularly well.  Sitting talking with Al yesterday I made mention of hoping to get twenty faces to paint.  Out of a turnout of around a hundred I didn't think this was too unrealistic. Then I worked out the times... Even if I can initiate, learn and hone my skills in the next five days, at fifteen minutes a face this would take me five hours of continuous painting! I think I may have to readjust my expectations just a little!

I would really like to make fifty pounds from the afternoon, and am now desperately trying to think of the best way of achieving this, short of going round the hall with a collecting tin and asking everyone for fifty pence each!

Currently six pounds short of the twelve hundred pound mark on the old totaliser, think it's time to get my thinking cap on before next weekend and see if we can't tick that milestone off before we go. Jam anyone?!


M - 541
Brighton Half - 98
Glasgow Half - 322
Total Distance covered      360.8 miles

Ho! Ho! Ho!

You'd better watch out....

(what do you mean the Santa run isn't until next month?!) 

When someone you love, and you know loves you too, asks you to do something without asking any questions, do it!

Setting off to parkrun this morning without HMG felt strange! I'm so used now to leaving my ipod out for Al to bring with him, that I momentarily forgot that I was on my own this morning and had to go back for it when I remembered - I hadn't got far! A change to our normal route saw me running along the main roads to get there and under instruction to toot as he passed, I almost jumped out my skin when Al drove past me en route! It wasn't a particularly inspiring run so just took it steady especially given that I was running in the fog.

Al was chatting with one of our friends when I arrived at the park and almost immediately he started gesturing to me to wipe my chin. Ehh?! "Why?" I wanted to know. "Don't ask" came the reply. Should have listened to him...
"What is it?! Snot? Flies?" (not sure where I thought they would have come from?!) "Worse - just do it" Worse.... "Spiders?!" (again I'm not sure which web I had obliviously run through). Seeing my distress at the thought of what horrific beastie could be living on my face and now not wanting to touch it at all, Al was then left in the somewhat unenviable position of pointing out that the fog had condensed on my chin and the droplets had adhered themselves to my, obviously not quite as absent as I would like it to be, facial hair - in other words I had arrived looking a bit like Santa Claus a month early. Oh joy! (To be fair I think our friend was more shocked at Al's bravery in telling me!)

Having only run three miles to parkrun I was hopeful of a good time and dared to even think I might get close to my PB. Didn't make it, but enjoyed my run nevertheless - not least because I was running along side one of the marathon elite! Admittedly she was at least two minutes off her normal form, but for a while I allowed myself to believe that she wasn't!

Harder to catch was parkrunfastfinisher.  Having been out with Al the night before and feeling slightly worse for wear I thought I might have been in with a chance, added to which I drove into Leeds to pick him and Al up last night, so surely it was only polite to let me 'win'? To be fair he might have done if I'd been anywhere near, but there was no catching him - hungover or otherwise! The tea and toasted teacake in the café later more than made up for it though - thank you!

Already on thin ice, Al had the good grace (and sense?!) to stay behind me, not sure that was altogether out of choice, but possibly a wise move in terms of the general ambience in our house for the rest of the day!

M - 542
Brighton Half - 99
Glasgow Half - 323
Distance Covered                 6.1 miles
Total Distance covered      360.8 miles

Fundraising Fatigue

I know it's not... but does the BBC have to make it look so easy?

It has been hard not to feel a little despondent today, as the generosity of the British people is being aired publicly on BBC television and radio for Children In Need and my fundraising hit an all time low yesterday.

Seizing an opportunity to break into the school market, poor C was sent in yesterday with a dozen chocolate muffins to sell at the lunchtime club his friend is organising. Significantly undercutting the school canteen I was confident that we were onto a winner and was busy planning what I could bake for next week, when a text from C put a bit of a spanner in the works. No one, apart from one girl and his brother would buy any and what should he do? Tempted to tell him to bring them home, but not wanting him to have to walk out of school still carrying the baking he hadn't wanted to take in in the first place, there was only one thing to do - refund the money and give them away.  I promise I won't ask again C.

An email from WaterAid last night compounded my feelings of inadequacy.  Apparently it is World Toilet Day on the 19th November and they are suggesting we kick start our fundraising with a loo-themed fundraising activity.  Thankfully I have my pledge amount for WaterAid already in the bank, because I'm not sure that five days is really enough time to plan anything, and I can only imagine the number of complaints that Al would receive if he told his students that anyone requesting to be excused from his lesson on Wednesday to go to the toilet will have to pay a pound for the pleasure!

However HMG if you're thinking this would be a great way to start your WaterAid campaign and would like to borrow my  bunting to adorn your front steps, perhaps you could attract a few passers-by in to use your facilities?! Aaaarrrgghhhh for people who don't work in offices (and possibly even for those who do) it is just not that easy to get anyone to part with their hard earned cash! (Unless of course you would like to pledge a large some of money to hear your name and have a really rather rubbish song played on Radio 2 - in which case it would appear there are lots of takers!).

So it was perhaps with a rather large degree of scepticism that I went to collect the face paints today for next weekend's adventure at the Leeds Juggling Convention.  I haven't even opened the box to look at them yet, let alone bribed H into coming downstairs to be my guinea pig (or tiger, or butterfly, or hulk?!) But I have enlisted the help of HMG and Garden Girl to come and be models next Friday when the face painter is coming round to give me a last minute lesson!

I don't mean to sound bitter, and I don't begrudge Children In Need a penny, in fact watching a little of the program this evening I am, as usual, humbled by the strength and tenacity displayed by so many people in the face of adversity and so very grateful for my wonderful family.  And my two thousand pound target may feel like a small drop in a very big ocean, but it will make a difference and it will be worth it . You Tube "How to Face Paint" here I come!

M - 543
Brighton Half - 100
Glasgow Half - 324
Total Distance covered      354.7 miles

Ouch!

But I think we knew it was coming....

(For the purposes of today's tale it is importanat that you are aware of a particular group of grown men who unashamedly go out in public in full football kit, they are known as Full Kit W*******.)

There is something incongruous about being rushed off your feet trying to get to an appointment the purpose of which is relaxation! I realised a little too late that I had the school run, supermarket shop, and three mile run to fit in before getting to my massage.

Lying in bed this morning I did toy with the idea of just getting up and going out for my run there and then but had left it just that little bit too late. I also contemplated not running at all (it is a rest week after all) but was reminded about something I wrote earlier to do with slippery slopes and fearing that once I've missed one run, others will invariably follow. With motivation low, and time at a premium I decided that there was only one thing for it. To get dressed as if I was going running and setting off as soon as I'd put the shopping away, no excuses. This worked well in terms of getting me out and round my 3 mile course, but meant I had to go to the supermarket looking like the equivalent of a Full Kit Fool (although I did dispense with my head band and running watch - so perhaps I managed to pass myself off as more of a gym babe!).

As predicted the massage was not of the hot stone variety, nor was it particularly peaceful as with two marathons under her belt and an interest in what I've found out at both the Biomechanics and Running Man, there was a lot to talk about (although admittedly I was rendered speechless with pain at certain points!). But I definitely feel better for going - perhaps fate knew what I needed more than I did!

Yet somehow I don't feel that the TLC box has really been ticked and I am clearly still hankering after a bit of a pamper session.  Still not removed from the mailing list (well it has only been a day) I received a voucher for a back and shoulder massage this morning, but having just looked at it is has sold out already, and to be fair I don't think it was really what I was looking for.  I'm thinking luxury, but given my bank balance I may have to settle for a scented candle and a hot bath!

M - 544
Brighton Half - 101
Glasgow Half - 325
Distance covered                  3.4 miles
Total Distance covered      354.7 miles

Christmas is coming...

and it's sent me into panic mode!

First thing this morning I got an email from a voucher code website highlighting today's top deals. Normally I ignore them (occasionally I even get round to deleting them) and I have for the past few weeks been meaning to remove myself from the mailing list as I never buy anything... until this morning!

Suddenly I became obsessed with sorting out Christmas in the twenty minutes between the boys appearing downstairs for their breakfast and leaving for school! Is this a good offer? Should I buy this? Would you like that? Not surprisingly we didn't seem to reach any conclusions, yet somehow Al and I have some new headphones on their way despite neither of us really needing them! I then seemed to spend the rest of the day in a bit of a tizz and, despite trying my best to work my way through my to do list, didn't make much progress.

I'm not sure how much of this is my fault, and had I been in a different frame of mind perhaps I would have just dealt with the problems differently but as they were of a computing nature I'm not sure I would ever have known how to fix them irrespective of my state of mind.

I was trying to upload photographs to be printed, and my pc kept crashing, the one time that it didn't and I got as far as ordering them, for some reason it wasn't processed and I was told (after ringing them up) that I'd have to start again.  I've had problems logging in to my account because there are two different sites running off the same page (another phone call) and interrupted on my last attempt I left the items in my basket to buy later, only to discover that they aren't stored anywhere and I have to start all over again! (phone call number three).

I've had a gentleman in India remotely accessing my computer to try and help speed things up a bit (such are the wonders of the modern world!) but I don't know if it's worked or not yet because after an evening of chauffeur duties I decided to get this written before giving it one last shot for the day, not trusting myself to be in any fit shape to write this if it doesn't!

Hot stones or deep muscle manipulation at tomorrow's massage - either way the poor woman's got her work cut out for her trying to de-stress this body - I think my mind may be beyond repair!

M - 545
Brighton Half - 102
Glasgow Half - 326
Total Distance covered      351.3 miles

Running on empty

Time for some TLC...

Having ascertained that I like to run first thing in the morning, there isn't much that will tempt me into postponing until later in the day... but the chance to go back to the fabric sale and buy a couple (or ten) more pieces for my fabric emporium was enough to tempt me into changing my routine. I'm glad I went and got the fabric, I'm less than pleased that I didn't plan my day better thereafter!

It was cold today and a bit grey, and all I wanted to do was get to the point where I didn't have to go out again! I couldn't face going for my run, coming home and showering only to have to head straight back out with the dogs.  I was all set to run post dog walk when I remembered that the boys had dentist appointments after school which would have meant heading straight back out to pick them up after school.  In the end I opted for phoning Al and offering him the chance to run with me after work, giving me the pleasure of his company on the run (provided he stayed alongside or behind!) and the added bonus of coming home and getting into my pyjama's before tea!

Trouble was, I didn't plan my food or water intake at all well for the day and by the time he got home I was in a foul mood, tired, hungry and dehydrated - I'm surprised he didn't leave me for dust! In the end we had a nice run but I think I need to start taking better care of myself.

I have finished working on our running schedule for Brighton, the next fourteen and a half weeks mapped out in front of me and HMG, and I think it's somewhat of a surprise to both of us that we feel it is achievable! We will be able to do this (as will you sisterofMG750 when you stop jet setting around the world long enough to get out for a run - but well done for your 8 miles on Sunday!). BUT the focus now has to be on keeping ourselves fit and healthy.

I need to start looking at what I'm eating and getting my water intake back up to the three litres a day it is supposed to be, but most importantly I need to get some sleep! No more sorting fabric at half eleven at night and then waking up thinking about the bits I didn't buy!

In an attempt to relax I decided to book myself a massage on Thursday and spent the vast majority of the afternoon picturing hot stones, smelly candles, and soothing music when suddenly it dawned on me that perhaps having been handed the flyer at parkrun on Saturday it might be 50% off a massage of the Sports Torture variety! Best get on with some foam rollering in preparation for it - just in case!

M - 546
Brighton Half - 103
Glasgow Half - 327
Distance covered                  3.4 miles
Total Distance covered      351.3 miles

PS Just looked her up on the internet... a Level 5 Advanced Diploma in Sports Therapy - not looking promising on the hot stone front!

Speculate

to accumulate - I hope so!

I was doing so well - supermarket, ironing, finances, running schedule, phone call from my friend alerting me to a fabric clearance sale, dog walking.... fabric shopping!

"I've just got one more piece of fabric to find" Ha! Ha! Ha! I have never bought so much material in my life, and I mean in total never mind in one go! I have no idea where I am going to store it, but I may well have run my marathon before I've finished sewing it! 

I have done no market research into the current demand for beautiful handmade shopping bags, but it doesn't matter. I will have to sell these whether anyone wants them or not! I am hopeful that the current policy of charging for carrier bags in Scotland will be rolled out to England in the near future, and going out with a 'designer' tote will be just what every girl needs.

You have all be warned! I can say that the fabric is fab-u-lous and they will be items to covet, and entirely original but it may well be into the New Year before I've finished sorting the fabric let alone started to sew!

But it's exciting and I'm ENERGISED sisterofMG750 and perhaps this is why my card 'business' has failed to take off (although thanks for the order sis) because rather than a creative card maker, I'm destined to be a bag lady! Oh dear quick look on the urban dictionary - weird looking outfits, fuzzy hair and a hat - that might be me already!

And so, if I'm going to start 'work' in the New Year then I have to be organised and ready to do so... Eight weeks to get my life in order? I'd better get a move on!


M - 547
Brighton Half - 104
Glasgow Half - 328
Total Distance covered      347.9 miles

PS Apologies to those who read via Twitter I forgot to post yesterday's double bill until this morning - it is now on there and at least explains why viewing figures were so low last night!

Creature of habit

My new norm and my old traits!

Whereas on Thursday I was in a really bad place and could quite happily have put my trainers on the shoe rack for an extended rest, today all I wanted to do was run! (I think this may have been a combination of some left over euphoria from yesterday, a beautiful sunny autumn morning, and the fact that it was a rest day!) Instead I contented myself with planning our ten mile route from the comfort of the sofa, trying to find one that I know we'll enjoy and for once doesn't have to end at Dewbury parkrun, but I am genuinely gutted that I'm going to have to wait a fortnight to run it!

This coming week is our first 'rest' week where we are cutting the mileage down, the week after we are shifting our long run from Saturday to Sunday to accommodate the juggling convention, and therefore doesn't have to factor in parkrun - hence the change of route.

None of the effects of these changes will actually come into force until later in the week, but already I'm feeling odd about it! Our long run to parkrun clearly having become the norm - but it will be nice not to have to set off quite so early. I am refusing to do the maths to work out what time we'll have to set off the day we run ten miles to parkrun! (but it may be somewhere around half past six!)

Had a nice relaxing Sunday, working out the dimensions and sorting fabric for my next sewing project. Started to feel guilty that I wasn't doing any of my jobs, and then reminded myself that it's the weekend and I deserve a day off! (Not sure what tomorrow's excuse is going to be!).

Actually what I need to do today is spend some time deciding where my focus is going to be for the coming week. I have a long list of jobs that hold much higher priority than sewing, but it is quickly becoming the only thing I am fixating on! Like my 'no exercises - no blog' mantra that worked so well for a couple of weeks perhaps I need a 'no jobs - no sewing' equivalent. In the meantime I've just got one more piece of fabric to find... and a trawl through the internet looking for the perfect piece surely doesn't count as actually sewing!

M - 548
Brighton Half - 105
Glasgow Half - 329
Total Distance covered      347.9 miles

On Cloud Nine

miles!

We did it!! HMG and I ran NINE miles this morning (smiley face, smiley face, smiley face!), almost three quarters of half a marathon! Bring it on Brighton - we can do this!! But not if we've to run the route we ran this morning again!

It was horrid, not significantly different to where we've been running previously but amazing the difference changing a couple of roads can make. Admittedly it was a mile further and perhaps we would have felt it wherever we were running but I don't think so. Fear not though HMG, I have been playing around on mapometer and found us an alternative for when we revisit nine miles some time in January!

Whether we liked it or not - we did it - and arrived at parkrun with just enough time for a few quick hello's (and the pre-requisite toilet stop!) before we were off again for the final three miles.  For once in my life I started off slower than normal and then let my pace build more naturally, it seemed to work and I think I'm finally starting to see some strength in my legs as a result of our increased mileage.  (Already I'm trying to work out what would be my optimum warm up distance if I wanted to have a go at setting a new parkrun PB - clearly still a speed freak at heart!).

Talking of which, watching Mrs Motivator's face break into a smile as she crossed the finish line knowing that she'd got a long awaited, post injury, sub 30 minutes PB, was a joy to see! Thank you for making me do my stretches with you afterwards - I never do them and you know that, which is why you made a point of suggesting I went with you to the bin to do them (all glamour in our park!).  Thank you also for the pep talk on making time to do my pre run exercises, I know I tried to stonewall you with excuses as to why I can't, even though I knew you would hold no truck with any of them! What can I say I'm a work in progress!

A bit of a lazy day followed with a bit of a mad dash towards the end of the afternoon with the realisation that I wasn't quite as prepared for our friends coming for dinner as I had led myself (and Al!) to believe. I did however stumble across what is now my top tip for cleaning - do it in the light in which it will be seen! Wait until it's dark, dim the lights, you'll get round with the hoover in no time and no need to dust! Yes fellow parkrunner - day 202 was a good day!


M - 549
Brighton Half - 106
Glasgow Half - 330
Distance covered                  9.2 miles
Total Distance covered      347.9 miles

When the going gets tough...

nothin's gonna hold me back!

A good chat with Al last night, a period of reflection somewhere around 4am(!), and I got up feeling in a much better frame of mind this morning. Action plan to keep me busy all day formulated and exercises done before I came downstairs things were looking up.  Until I saw the weather! It was throwing it down. Dougal took one look at it and retreated under the dining room table and for a fleeting moment I thought about joining him, which conjured up a lovely mental image of Al coming home to find me and Dougal in our den hiding from the world, with Sid standing, legs crossed, at the backdoor desperate to go out for a walk.  It was however just as well that I let the thought pass, I'm not sure that sisterofMG750 would have been prepared to cut me that much slack when she phoned at lunchtime to see how I was doing.

With that special brand of straight talking borne out of concern that I love her for, sisterofMG750 has, in a nutshell, observed that I either need to find a way to enjoy what I'm doing or stop doing it! That the overall trend of my blog is of someone who doesn't appear to enjoy running and rather than energise, the whole process of running, fundraising and blogging seems to be draining me.

Not for the first time, she's right, and I promise to give some proper consideration to your suggestions sis, but for today it really was just a case of put one foot in front of the other and keep going.  Perhaps yesterday was the equivalent of me hitting 'the wall' and I can either give up, or persevere.  I hope you'll be glad to hear that I've decided to go with the latter!

I kept myself busy in the kitchen all day, a conscious plan to keep me off the internet and focussed on something other than MG750 (although I did manage to do some calf stretches whilst stirring the sauce for tomorrow's dinner!).  It's been good therapy, and I feel loads better than I did last night, but apparently such productivity is somewhat out of character as the first thing that Al did on coming home to discover my prolific cooking fest was to ask if I was feeling OK!

I'm trying my best to be. I chose to do this knowing that it was going to be a struggle both mentally and physically.  Bailing out at the first serious down swing is not part of the plan... finding a way to pull myself out of this dip is.  But when my phone died after getting rather wet on our dog walk (my waterproofs clearly not as waterproof as they once were) I couldn't help but think "Really? Was my ipod in the washing machine not enough water damage for one week?!" Unless of course this is the Universe conspiring to get me my iphone!

Nine miles tomorrow - see you at half seven HMG!


M - 549
Brighton Half - 107
Glasgow Half - 331
Total Distance covered      338.7 miles

Day 200

Hoping Day 201 might be better!

My insomnia is back which means that something is clearly keeping my mind from shutting down at four in the morning, but I haven't quite worked out what it is yet. There wasn't any particular problem I was trying to solve, or worry that was churning over in my head, just couldn't switch off and then when I did get back to sleep I had the most bizarre dream, the meaning to which I have also yet to work out, although I think it's fair to say that I might be a little stressed! I am certainly carrying rather a lot of tension around with me in my muscles as was confirmed by my return trip to the Biomechanics Man this afternoon.

I haven't been for an assessment for months, and I was really hoping that he was going to be impressed with how well I was doing, especially given the fact that I've miraculously managed to get myself into such good shape without doing any of my exercises. It didn't really come as a surprise when it didn't quite work out this way.

I've known for a while that I've been getting more tense and my muscles have felt tighter but I was shocked to see how much my mobility had ceased up. I'm cross with myself for letting this happen and I don't really know how it did. Always reluctant to do my exercises I know that I've never really found a way to fit them in on a daily basis, but I used to at least have the good grace to feel guilty about not doing them, now it doesn't even cross my mind! So when BM said the dreaded words "I think it's time you got reacquainted with your foam roller" there is no one but myself to blame!

Day two hundred and the optimism of both a few and a hundred days ago seems to have waned slightly! Back then I was all enthusiastic about putting what I'd learnt from the Biomechanics Man and Running Coach into practice and celebrating my internet sales and fundraising efforts.  It would, I think, be hard to feel further from that this evening and even HMG's realisation that our nine mile run on Saturday sees us three quarters of the way to half marathon distance isn't enough to pull me round. But I'll get there.

M - 550
Brighton Half - 108
Glasgow Half - 332
Total Distance covered      338.7 miles

Eating Cake

for once not literally! (but only because I haven't had time to bake)

With two five mile runs, this is the biggest mid week schedule of the whole twelve weeks, and I have to say I felt it today (not wanting to put you off your run tomorrow HMG).  I think psychologically it was harder still because of how much I had enjoyed running the same route on Monday. I missed you this morning Al - and I'm almost sure that you would have rather been running than teaching!

I think I knew before I set off that it was unlikely that I was going to be able to match my performance on Monday, and also that it would be foolish to try, so I just decided to take it at a pace that I was comfortable with and see how it went.  It was OK.  I'm glad that I ran and I'm glad that it's behind me.... it would appear that my dislike of the Thursday run is happy enough to shift to a Wednesday when circumstances dictate a change in running days!

I am however feeling a little spurred on by the fact that I've looked at the dates and we CAN have both our cake and eat it HMG -there is time for rest weeks and still get to thirteen miles by Christmas! Which means that next week we can step the distance down, and looking at the plan that Brighton Half sent us, by more than just a notch! I'm not sure that this is the right attitude but I'm definitely more excited at the prospect of this than the thought of running nine miles on Saturday morning!

Have had a bad few days wasting a lot of time swithering over every decision and came back from my run determined to be more decisive... all ready to put this into practice over some fabric I found on one of my many internet trawls, I put it in my basket only to discover that the postage was going to be £6.20 - I don't think so! Another hour wasted trying to source it elsewhere only to go back to the original site and discover that for some reason I had chosen Spain as my country of residence! Mistake rectified, fabric ordered and peg bag started so that I am free to 'play' when this latest purchase arrives... I think I might have found a way to spend the extra time I'll gain from less exercise next week!

M - 551
Brighton Half - 109
Glasgow Half - 333
Distance covered                  5.1 miles
Total Distance covered      338.7 miles

Sound and Vision

(Nothing I could do but) sit right down waiting for the gift of....

Last week when Al was on holiday and I would have had no problem with waking him up to go and see to the dogs if they had woken early - they didn't - going back to work this morning and Dougal decided to wake up at five.  I did lie there for a few minutes hoping that I'd misheard but no such luck - it's been a long day! Some of it productive (a couple more jobs ticked off the list), some less so!

Yesterday I inadvertently managed to leave my ipod in my running kit and put it through the washing machine, not surprisingly there was no sign of life afterwards but I put it in a bowl of rice to try and dry it out just in case.  It is an old ipod Nano of C's and both he and I were of the impression that I would be able to pick up a replacement for pence as it is really out of date.  Not so.  I am unsure as to why exactly but the ones on Ebay are all being keenly watched by large numbers of people and selling for significantly more than we thought.  I wonder if this is for the very reason that I like mine so much, it is small enough to fit in the exceptionally tiny pocket that they include in some running kit (I think it's meant for a key).

So I found myself trying to work my way through this current dilemma - do I spend money on a 'new' ipod Nano, do I try and find a way to run with my ipod Touch (which I have also inherited from C), or do I put the money I would have spent on a replacement Nano towards an iphone and just be done with it? But if I do go for one of the two larger options where do I put them when I'm running? Al has an armband contraption that I think would drive me nuts (although to be fair I've never tried), I could make some sort of belt with a pocket in it, again I think this might annoy me (never mind how it would look!), or I could sew pockets onto my running tops - which is possibly my preferred option but seems a little time consuming and I can't help but think there must be a better solution out there.

Before I had time to go off into cyber space in search of it, I decided to retrieve my ipod from it's grain covered home and see if there had been any sign of improvement - we have sound but very little vision! I don't hold out much hope for being able to add anything new to it, but as long as I keep it on the same loop that it's been on since April I am hoping it'll be OK! And for whilst this should make me happy, I can't help but wish that it had sparked into life an hour or so earlier and saved me all that time searching for and debating it's replacement, add in the hour that I've now spent typing up the tale to tell you and it would appear that most of my day has in fact been wasted! BUT I did make myself text the lady who is doing to lend me her face paints for the juggling convention, she remembers me and is still happy to let me borrow them - I think this I good news!


M - 552
Brighton Half - 110
Glasgow Half - 334
Total Distance covered      333.6 miles

Running Joy!

sorry Al!

A change to my dog walking plans for later in the week, meant that it made much more sense to run today instead of tomorrow - especially as Al was at home and could come with me! But I'm not sure either of us really knew what we were letting ourselves in for when we set of!

I don't like running behind him, partly because the feeling of the open road stretching out before me isn't quite the same when the view in front of me is the back of his running top, and partly because I hate the feeling of needing to keep up with him - so I thought he was being very considerate this morning when he either ran along side or just behind me depending on the width of the pavement...
At no point did it dawn on me that he was working hard to keep up, all the time wondering why today felt so much harder than last week, was it the oatcake and peanut butter he had just before leaving that wasn't sitting well in his stomach, was it the extra can of Guinness he had last night, or was it because he pushed himself on Saturday? At no point did he consider the option that perhaps it was because we were running each mile over a minute faster than last week!

Oops! I'm not sure what came over me! But I all I wanted to do was run and run fast, and I loved it! After the first hill we managed to maintain a pace of around eight minute miles, which would have seen us both with a parkrun time to be pleased with!

Full of running joy, but slightly exhausted, I then spent the afternoon looking at fabrics on the internet - never the most productive use of my time but always enjoyable! Clearly I am not ready to give up on the idea of my Etsy shop just yet and am trying to think of some new things to make, but continually come across the same problem that the fabric I like isn't never the most cost effective! I need to sit down and plan what my next fundraising projects are going to be before I go ordering fabric which will then have to sit in the cupboard until I find time to do something with it! Nice as the afternoon was I think I've allowed myself to be lulled into a false sense of what time is available to me after having Al home for the past ten days, and maybe I'd be well advised to leave any fabric purchases until after I've had a look at the job list I've conveniently ignored over the holidays! Going to miss you tomorrow Mr L.


M - 553
Brighton Half - 111
Glasgow Half - 335
Distance covered                  5.1 miles
Total Distance covered      333.6 miles

Tough Mudder

The other side to husbandofmarathongirl750 ?!

Out for dinner last night (at the lovely Mr & Mrs J's) and the subject invariably turned to running - how things were going and did Al not fancy running the half marathon with me?  Adamant that he didn't want to run further than five miles the conversation moved on, only to resurface again several glasses of wine later.  This time it turned to Mr J's (albeit as yet unconfirmed) plans to compete in a Tough Mudder event next year, at which point Al announces that he quite fancies doing this (despite it being twelve miles!).

In the cold light of morning he was slightly less committed and claims he didn't agree to anything, but has been told that drinking the man's whisky after voicing his interest is tantamount to signing on the dotted line!  Looking at video footage of the event over brunch and the full extent of the challenge unfolded before us...  I know that you struggled with the shopping and nail art conversation post parkrun yesterday Al, but I think this may be taking things to an extreme! HMG and sisterofmarathongirl750 have no fear I will not be suggesting this for our next adventure!

My feet are feeling better today than I thought they would, and HMG and I are already looking forward to our next long run together on Saturday. I'm wondering if perhaps this might have a little to do with the fact that it is yet another beautiful day today and as we don't have to run again until Tuesday we can say this safe in the knowledge that we don't actually have to do anything about it! A quick look at the weather forecast for the coming week and I am less convinced that we'll be feeling this way come Saturday morning!

The unseasonably warm autumn we've been having is due to come to a rather abrupt end and I can't quite get my head around what potentially lies in wait for us! My second delivery of winter coat options has been held up at the warehouse and I can't help but think I may be wishing I'd kept one of last week's contenders! I have however sorted out my winter training dilemma with the kind offer of the use of a treadmill at the aforementioned friends - thank you!

Brighton Half sixteen weeks today! Running out of excuses not to be ready - looks like my optimism might have to stay with me a bit longer!

M - 554
Brighton Half - 112
Glasgow Half - 336
Total Distance covered      328.6 miles

A rare moment of optimism

or perhaps just mid run euphoric!

Big run day today! Eight miles! In actual fact the same distance as last Saturday but run in two instalments instead of three!

As the distance we've to run gets longer so HMG's arrival time at mine is getting earlier, a slightly uncivilised quarter to eight this morning, (but not as bad as next week's half seven start!).  It was a beautiful day, our route was slightly different but still enjoyable, and we are starting to settle into a comfortable conversational pace, which makes it all the more enjoyable still! The five miles to parkrun didn't seem any longer than the four miles last week and for the first time I really got the feeling that I might be able to do this! That thirteen miles is, if not quite yet within our reach or even our sights, definitely attainable. I felt at the end of it that I could have run and run stretching out into the great blue yonder, the thought of three and a half times round Crow Nest Park didn't have quite the same appeal!

But I did it, chalked up another run on my way to my 100th and maintained my time of around just under twenty six minutes, since starting our long run to parkrun training.  My knees and ankles are however less than impressed! Thankfully I have a trip to see the Biomechanics Man on Thursday, which can't really come soon enough, although by then I should have run a further ten miles, no rest for the wicked eh?!

Actually, although perhaps not rests exactly,  HMG and I have been discussing possible alterations to our training plan to accommodate other commitments (running and non running) but for the next week at least we're sticking to the plan.  I'm a little anxious about deviating from it - that once we've done it once, or indeed twice it might all just slip away, and then there is the arbitrary goal of running thirteen miles by Christmas to consider, but I think if we decide on the deviations in advance then it should still feel like we're sticking to it - just that we've tailored made it for us! I'll have a look HMG and see what I can come up with!

Clearly running during the week (and being held back from his full potential!) worked in Al's favour as he completed his fortieth parkrun today in his forth fastest time ever - way to go Mr L! What better way to celebrate but to be man amongst ten babes sat outside the café post run?! Although in fairness I think he would have rather have had some male company - come back parkrunfastfinisher! All this holidaying is getting a bit wearing now!


M - 555
Brighton Half - 113
Glasgow Half - 337
Distance covered                   8 miles
Total Distance covered      328.6 miles