Lesley Judd

Eat your heart out! *

Special days at parkrun, where an unknown list of contributing factors have come into alignment resulting in a good run and feelings of being on top of the world have previously been reported on (thankfully) more than one occasion, so perhaps it was only a matter of time before it would all go awry!

More often than not we are blessed with dry weather at parkrun, not so this morning - the rain came just before nine, and heavy as it was we were not to be deterred! It did however change my plans to run slowly, I wasn't hanging around in this weather... or so I thought!

I felt OK and the pain in my legs I felt yesterday had eased, but when it came to get going there was just no running in me - I felt like I was running through treacle and had to watch Al shoot off with no chance of catching him. I did hope at one point that I would be able to accompany my friend walking up one of the hills but she was having none of it and sent me on my way (I'm grateful really JM!)  I appreciate that this is all relative and I still ran in under twenty six minutes, but two minutes slower than my PB over a relatively short distance feels like a lot!

However I think mine is a better position to be in than Al's, who worked hard and flew round only to be one second outside his PB (just galling!).

Two card sales in the café post run (and very excitingly a commission for another) and I have reached the total that I was waiting for before announcing the good news! Thanks to those who have bought cards, and to sisterofmarathongirl750 who very kindly donated my share of money owed to her for the room in Edinburgh, I can now have first my Blue Peter Totaliser moment!

£150 in the bank. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
We've a long way to go, but we're getting closer every day! I say "we" most deliberately because this is beginning to feel like a team effort! And I'm grateful to each and every one of you xxx

M - 703
Distance covered               3.1 miles
Total Distance Covered  130.6 miles

*To those reading in foreign parts this week... (Russia, Ukraine, Germany and  USA) or those not around in the 1970's (!) Lesley Judd was a presenter on Blue Peter which is a children's television programme that amongst a lot of other things raises money for charity. The presenters also take on momentous challenges... but I think I'm a little to old to receive a Blue Peter Badge for mine!!

Playing Catch Up

If my brain hasn't got a grasp on the task ahead my legs have!

Sisterofmarathongirl750 has been conspicuous in her absence over responding to yesterday's blog.  This can mean one of three things:

a) she hasn't read it yet;
b) she isn't going to warrant my latest hair brained idea with a response; or
c) she's talking herself into joining me on all three

Have to tell you sis that HM has already signed up! I am not on my own, and our other fellow parkrunner who has already committed to doing a half with us may yet be convinced to join us in the triple! We have also received an invitation to run Bath and Bristol (thanks FAK) lots to discuss over the post parkrun coffee tomorrow!

My legs may however wish they had a voice - they have woken up feeling every one of the five miles they ran yesterday and are not at all convinced about my plans for next year! They hurt and I'm still wondering if I've got shin splints, but I really don't want to stop running for a while so am going to stick my head in the sand for a bit longer and keep my fingers crossed.

I've had quite a productive day and have even started cleaning the kitchen, which makes me feel very self righteous whilst I'm doing it and then thoroughly hacked off when less than half an hour after finishing I have to start cooking and it's a mess again. What is the point? But for a short while at least it looked nice!

My insomnia has been replaced by anxiety dreams which is progress of sorts (I think) I'm almost done working out my menu for next weekend and starting to feel a little more organised, long may it last!

Al did mistakenly think that it was this weekend that people were coming - I find this slightly incredulous not just because the house is still a bit of a tip and clearly not ready for visitors, but also because he hasn't done any cooking!

M - 704
Total Distance Covered  127.5 miles

A little bit OTT

and about to get worse!

I was fortunate enough today to manage a quick update with an old friend over FB.  She has known me for the best part of 20 years, and for the majority of those also known that exercise and me have not had the closest of relationships!  It is not surprising then that one of her first questions was "what's with you and all this running?" A brief explanation about feeling the need to do something to take me out of the rut I've been in for a while and we are soon in agreement that exercise is the best medicine, but that 26 miles might be taking things (quite literally) a bit far and in fact a typo of "over OTT" summed it up perfectly!

If only she knew the half of it... (I was going to say excuse the pun, but I'm quite pleased with it!)

Still not wishing to focus on the job in hand, I have spent large parts of today trying to formulate some kind of half marathon plan.  I have looked up various runs to see when they are and have a quick look at the course to see if I can make an informed decision about which one I'd like to do, although at the moment this seems to be largely influenced by how scenic the surroundings are! Currently I'm favouring Cambridge and Chester, one is in March, the other in May... and I'm wondering if I could do both! (Eeeeek!) Perhaps with Glasgow in October to finish off the year?! A 2015 Series of Half Marathon's - am I serious?!

I don't know and I'm certainly not going to be held to this (yet) but here's my thinking behind it...

Firstly, my friend who's run two marathon's has advised me to keep myself at half marathon fitness (yes I did feel the need to point out that I have to get to there first!). Secondly, I have never run that far and am a little concerned that I'll hate it (having previously professed to being a speed over distance kind of girl) so if I've already got another one booked I will have to get back out and do it again whether I want to or not! Thirdly, it might make me train and run Cambridge in a more intelligent way if I know I've got another opportunity to run a half coming up, rather than going all out for some arbitrary time (I said might!). Finally having just been back to Scotland I'm feeling a little homesick and am full of romantic notions about running in my home town (which to be honest I could just go and visit without the need to run up St Vincent Street) but don't want to wait until October to test myself over this distance.

What I am still struggling to conceptualise is how far this actually is! Al and I ran five miles this evening and there was no way when we got back that I could have set off round the circuit for a second time, let alone then again for over half of a third!

It's OK you don't need to point out how many laps for a full marathon, I get it, it's a long way! But for some reason that isn't putting me off - the day may yet come!

M - 705
Distance covered               5.1 miles
Total Distance Covered  127.5 miles

Forget going forwards

I need to take a step back!

(but this time it's intentional)

For someone who was supposed to be pulling their socks up and starting afresh - this morning could have begun in a slightly kinder fashion!  Al left for work early and typically my insomnia was no where to be seen, consequently I thought it best to set my alarm so I didn't oversleep. It felt like my head had barely touched the pillow when it rang, I switched it off and promptly fell back to sleep for another twenty minutes. Flying out of bed I couldn't help but get the feeling that something wasn't quite right, a look at the clock in H's room confirmed my suspicions - I had changed the time of the clock and not the alarm, fast forwarding through the 50 minutes I had hoped to be asleep for!

Oh well, perhaps my day would get better - it didn't, nothing major just lost of frustrating little bits that didn't quite go the way I wanted them to, like knocking a pint of water over just before I started cooking tea. Which isn't surprising because my head's busy and I'm permanently in a bit of a flap - I think it's time I took a step back, although I get the distinct impression that I've talked about the need to do this before.

It is becoming blatantly obvious to me (and no doubt you) that I get too easily side tracked and find myself fixating on things that I have very little control over rather than getting on with what I can do and letting the rest take care of itself.  A prime example being my search today to find a half marathon before next summer (need to talk to you about the Great North Run RLB and HM) which instead ended up being a search for a website I'd been on previously and wanted to find again (but didn't!).

Despite all good intentions and kind words of support and advice, I am not going to be able to stop worrying overnight and have spent too much of today caught up in the same futile internal conversation (oh and a couple of external ones - sorry Al and C) of "what if's" regarding my fundraising and afternoon tea. But I am not a completely lost cause - yet!

I have put away all my card making stuff until after next weekend (unless I get an order in which case I will more than happily get it all out again!). Tomorrow is the start of the big tidy up in preparation for having people round because irrespective of whether or not I get to my magic twelve, there are seven who've already said they'll come so I'd better start focussing on them and providing some good food in pleasant surroundings!

And ladies I may still have to master the art of the mini frittata but the brownies I made this morning are to die for (not that I tasted any of course!).

M - 706
Total Distance Covered remains at 122.4 miles (although I did walk 4 with the dog).

One step forward

and two steps back

The wine has arrived for next weekend! This jolts me out of my card making groove that I have been stuck in over the past few days, and makes me realise that there are other things to think about, plan and prepare (which is a bit of a shame as I've new art supplies in the post!).

Time to look at the notes I made last week, trawl the internet for inspiration and flick through our recipe books and collection of bits torn out of magazines.

On paper it looks like I'm starting to get somewhere and I am motivated enough to head out this afternoon to buy some ingredients (the fact that we'd nothing in for tea despite me going to the supermarket yesterday morning may have a little to do with this).

By the time Al gets in there are a dozen mini frittatas on the cooling rack and I'm feeling rather pleased with myself.  A couple for dinner, the rest in the freezer and I've made my first (non alcohol related) step towards Afternoon Tea.

Al is impressed, both with how they look and also with the fact that I've finally done something positive instead of sitting worrying that people won't come!  It is such a shame then that they taste of nothing!  Somehow I have made the flavours of eggs, feta cheese, leeks, sweet potato, garlic and cream cancel each other out, and have even been back to check the recipe to see if I missed something (apparently not).  I am more than a little disheartened and tempted to throw them in the bin so I never have to see them again, but know that I won't be able to cope with the waste and we'll be having it for tea again, and again and possibly again before they're gone!

I didn't really need this, I am already struggling to see the good that has happened in the past week because I'm too busy worrying about the bad. I am two card sales away from meeting a milestone, on the soon to be published totaliser, yet to talk to me you'd think I hadn't sold any. 

Acknowledging that I have to stop ruminating about things that may or may not be, I was reminded of something that sisterofmarthongirl750 once told me about 85% of the things you worry about not actually happening.  It was a while ago and clearly I haven't paid that much attention to it so I thought I'd best check I'd remembered it correctly.  I found this on my search...

Self-doubt - It is a downward spiral that focuses on the negative and why things cannot be done versus why things can be done. It is a sinkhole, a debilitating attitude, and a terrible habit. 

That's me told!

M - 707
Total Distance Covered (a guilt free - trainers are still wet) 122.4 miles

Running in the Rain

There's method in my madness

We have two dogs.  Sid a seventeen year old Jack Russell, and Dougal a two year old English Pointer. A lot of the time they live somewhat independently of each other, however when it comes to opening doors they have perfected a double act.  If the door opens away from them Dougal has mastered the technique of standing on his hind legs and operating door handle with his front paws, if it opens towards them and is slightly ajar Dougal who lacks the tenacity of a terrier will stand the other side of if and whine whilst he waits for Sid to get his snout (designed for sticking down rabbit holes) in the gap and open it for him. Dougal sleeps shut in a cage overnight but rarely goes anywhere near it during the day (the relevance of these two pieces of information will become clear later!).

Today was a bit of a nothing day, it never seemed to really get started and I couldn't help but feel a little flat. I missed Al not being around and I'd to bake for my neighbour's birthday which made me feel sorry for myself that I am supposed to be cutting down on such sugar loaded luxury. (I am genuinely quite fond of an oatcake until I mention the word 'diet' and suddenly it's like eating cardboard!) Thankfully on this occasion I'd to give the brownies away so temptation has been removed from my path, but I've a week of baking ahead of me in preparation for next weekend, and can't help but think I've chosen the wrong month to focus on weight loss!

The plan was that Al and I would go for a run before tea. Not long before he got in from work the heavens opened.  We sat around on the sofa for a while trying to decide what to do, whether to run, or wait, or forget it all together.  We decided to go, if only for the fact that it would change the number of miles at the bottom of my blog!  Dougal on seeing Al in his running kit made a bee line for his cage, managed to open the door all by himself, and curled up as small as he could in his bed hoping we wouldn't find him!  By the time I was changed there was no sign of the rain passing and as it bounced off the pavement and thundered down on the skylight Al's body language became less and less like that of someone about to go out for a run - in the end I went on my own!

I'm glad I went but I'm also glad that the rain kept me from trying to up my distance in an attempt to catch up with HM!

However perhaps the best bit of running in the rain is the guilt free day off it has given me tomorrow.  I am not running in soggy trainers - I may be keen but I'm not that keen!

M - 708
Distance covered                 3.1 miles
Total Distance Covered    122.4 miles

Whoosh!

Another week flies by!

 

We had a lovely evening at our friends last night, we haven't seen them since New Year when my buried desire to run a marathon had yet to surface, so there was lots to tell them although I still feel slightly strange saying it out loud. I can't quite shake the feeling that at some point someone will find the whole idea farcical when I mention it, but so far everyone has been incredibly supportive and last night was no exception - thank you!

Today started well - at last I managed a lie in on a Sunday morning, it's just a shame that the benefits of not waking up until 9 o'clock had to be offset against not getting in until half one!

I would like to say that a lazy Sunday followed - but we've long since forgotten what one of those is like!

It dawned on me yesterday that it's Father's Day in a fortnight and an ideal opportunity to try and peddle a few more of my wares, so today has been spent putting new cards together, suggesting customising existing ones and getting them on to Facebook.  I am not particularly adept at this last part so apologies if you've received the same message more than once, be patient with me - I'm on a steep learning curve!

Meanwhile the ironing mountain grows ever higher and the house remains untidy and in need of a clean - although if I do it soon it'll need doing again before Afternoon Tea Day, but if I leave it til nearer the time...

Feeling slightly sad this evening that it's the end of the half term holidays, I don't want Al to go back to work tomorrow or H to go back to school (C is on study leave but rarely puts in an appearance before lunchtime). We've been here before and I know that by now I should have written my shopping list for the morning, and planned my day so that I'm focused but I've yet to do either. 

I also know that I've let the little jobs (that I'm supposed to do on a daily basis) slip and am going to have to spend at least part of the week playing catch up.  Al however has taken my words to heart and is cleaning the hob on a nightly basis! On the one hand this makes me smile, on the other it just serves as a reminder that I may talk a good story but am rubbish at putting it into practice... oh well, you teach best what you most need to learn!

Yet again my day seemed to disappear in an endless stream of things to do, but with little evidence at the end of it that I'd done anything at all!  I would have liked to go running (I know bit of a change from a few days ago!), especially as one of next year's half marathon contenders has upped the anti by running 7.86 miles...  HUGE well done to you HM, but I now have running envy!

Oh well there's always tomorrow!

M - 709
Total Distance Covered    119.3 miles