I thought I’d do a little ranting and raving in this post of some of the thing going on around here lately.
Rant: walking Alfie at 5.30am when the weather is freezing. The weather has definitely realised it’s November now and it is COLD. I walk Alfie before I go running and whereas I have no issues with running in the cold (because really it’s only cold for 5 minutes) the pre-walk is horrendous. I’m half asleep, freezing cold and feeling really grumpy. During that 10 minutes of walking all those annoying voices in my head are having a field day persuading me to just go back to bed. So far I’ve been able to ignore them…
Rave: having friends who bring back treats from India!
I’d love to pretend I know what each of these delights are but needless to say they taste amazing. They’re all sweet treats – some a bit like fudge, others just condensed sugary cakey things. The smell of them is incredible and I’m pretty sure each sniff is about 500 calories each 😉 Those bad boys won’t last long at all.
Rant: As I’ve been running on consecutive days in the morning things have become quite stressful to ensure I’m not late for work. This means getting up at stupid o’clock (aka 5.10am). I get dressed and ready, take Alfie for a walk and then run at about 5.50am. But do you know what’s most exhausting? Washing my hair after every run. So that’s shampooing, rinsing, conditioning, rinsing, towel drying, combing, blow-drying, combing and finally a quick straighten to tidy things up. Effectively my life is wasting before me because of my hair. In desperation I have sought another option.
Dry shampoo! Obviously I still shower, but not washing my hair after every single run means I actually gain back about 15-20 minutes of my morning (all important porridge eating time).
I’ve only used dry shampoo once before and it was ages ago when they were pretty much just white powder. Perfect for blondes but a disaster for any dark haired people like myself. If you don’t manage to comb it all out it can look suspiciously like dandruff. So I was chuffed to find a brunette-specific one.
After finishing a fairly easy run I forwent the hair wash and decided optimistically to just spray this stuff all over my hair. Big mistake. I probably should have been a bit more careful and less liberal because it took quite a long time to not look like my forehead and neck had been beaten up. And it sprinkled lovely dark dust all over our white sink. ARGH. So the time I saved from not washing my hair was spent washing my face and neck again and then cleaning the bathroom sink. I’m sensing I need more practice at this…
Rave: coconut water. Yes I know I’m so far behind the times and trends of the healthy living world but I am fully on board after winning a whole set of Naked coconut waters from Maria’s giveaway.
I pretty much keep one in the fridge at all times so when I get back from my run I have an ice cold coconut water to guzzle.
Rant: I subscribe to RunnersWorld magazine and really enjoy reading it. I often go on the website as well. Sadly the UK version of the site is far less comprehensive than the US version, hey ho, but that’s a rant for another day I think. No my rant for this is when I’m clicking on different articles suddenly a huge subscription advert will occasionally pop up.
And to escape from it you have to click “No thanks, Marathons are easy”. This annoys me. It’s similar to that subscription advert for one of the women’s fitness websites too but that was about getting the a “bikini body diet plan” or something similarly pathetic and you had to click “no thanks, I already have a perfect body”. Awful.
I’m already hacked off that you interrupted my reading pleasure, RunnersWorld, but don’t get all cocky with me with you cheap digs. And speaking of annoying, RunnersWorld is also notorious for having adverts at the top of the page so if you ACCIDENTALLY scroll briefly over it your screen becomes submerged once again with guff you didn’t choose to see. Way to go at annoying your readers!
Whew always feel a bit better after a good rant 😀
What are you rants and raves lately? I might do these posts more as they’re quite fun. There’s always something to moan about 😉
Do you spend a lot of time on getting ready in a morning? I don’t wear make-up but my hair takes ages mainly because it’s so damn long.
What’s your favourite coconut-based product? Coconut oil is still high on my list for frying vegetables in.
That Runner’s World pop up really bugged me when I was on the site yesterday. For a while I was a little confused as to his to get rid of it! Not loving their choice of words there.
My rant for the day is the increase in cars on the road when it rains. Literally adds another 20 minutes to my work commute. GAH! I can’t believe how much colder it is this week after the beautiful weather we had at the weekend. Really took my breath away when I stepped outside last night!
Mary recently posted…How much a wedding in the UK ACTUALLY costs
Yes I agree about the cars on the road. And it’s like suddenly everyone can’t drive…nightmare.
AnnaTheApple recently posted…JoggBox Review
That runners world pop up is so annoying!! I have short hair largely because it’s so low maintenance so I can get ready pretty quickly in the morning. It’s absolutely freezing, I can’t believe how quickly it has dropped, I don’t see 5am in the morning but I imagine it is very cold!
Lauren (@poweredbypb) recently posted…Like the Wind Street Art Run
I really envy people with short hair. I had mine cut at uni but I don’t think I suit it as much as long hair.
AnnaTheApple recently posted…JoggBox Review
Ah I feel you on the early cold walks, although I’m leaving about an hour later so am sure it’s far pleasanter! Getting out of bed to shove on cold clothes and walk about it the dark is never fun but I bet Alfie appreciates it 😉
Urgh I HATE those pop ups, they always come up when I’m a fully paid up subscriber and I never know what to do. Should I reenter my email or click the box that make me look super arrogant?
Claire @ Flake and Cake recently posted…Beaching and Bouldering
I just close them. Just really gets on my nerve! Bad user experience.
AnnaTheApple recently posted…JoggBox Review
I don’t get dry shampoo. Does it work for wavy hair? I leave the house with wet hair every day, by the time I get to the office it’s dry. Not great looking – a ponytail is needed but I just cannot make myself lose valuable time faffing with my hair 🙂
I don’t see why it wouldn’t work for wavy hair but it is a tricky process I’ll warn you!
I’m with you on the pony tail. Just so much easier.
AnnaTheApple recently posted…JoggBox Review
Does coconut cream pie count?? lol! I use coconut oil quite a bit at home! I also feel the dry shampoo frustration! I have tried it and it just doesn’t cut it for me.
Staci @ Hoosier Running Mom recently posted…Weak on Wednesday
I’ve never tried coconut cream pie but it does sound delicious!
AnnaTheApple recently posted…JoggBox Review
Got to love a good rant sometimes! The coldness of the mornings has taken me by surprise, it’s getting up in the night to nurse and change Fin that has got me, I need to start wearing a hoodie to bed instead of just a vest top! Love dry shampoo!
Oh wow yeah of course getting up in the middle of the night must definitely be chilly!
AnnaTheApple recently posted…JoggBox Review
I hate pop ups like that! So annoying. I have a lot of ad block things on my laptop so don’t tend to get too many things like that.
I feel your hair pain too- I have fairly long hair but it is extremely thick- at the hairdressers they always get a second person to help blow dry and straighten it as it takes to long- last time I went it was a new person helping and she did a double take and then went to get someone else to show them how thick it was. Anyway, I digress, the point it, that is why I run after work in the week as I just could not get it dry in time- even if I blow dry it for 20 mins some parts will still be damp , so I have to leave it a bit before I tidy it with the straighteners!
But I do also love dry shampoo, although I use the normal tropical stuff- I do have a sample of the brown one but have been too scared to try it! I find that I only need it around my parting and sometimes at the base of my hair (neck ?) and if you sort of work it in, then it doesn’t show white any more.
I like running in the cold, but certain bits of me never warm up, and also the cold air really hurts my throat, but if I use a buff then it makes me face all damp. Hmmm.
LOve this post!
Maria @ runningcupcake recently posted…Starbucks freaked me out!!!
That’s probably the best way to deal with it – just stop the popups from the outset.
Wow your hair must be so thick! Mine takes about 7 minutes (yes I’ve timed it) and it’s literally just blowing it all about without any stylizing, and then I straighten it to neaten it up.
That’s a good tip about the dry shampoo because the white would be a lot easier to deal with then having black powder and marks all over me. At least with white you can’t see it on your face.
AnnaTheApple recently posted…JoggBox Review
Just catching up on some reading and whole heartedly hear you on the hair washing… It actually puts me off going for a run sometimes as I just can’t face the faff of washing, drying, straightening… YAAWN!
If it’s any consolation, I may be blonde but I don’t get on too well with the ‘normal’ dry shampoo.. You’d think with all the amazing things we can create these days, solving this very common problem would have been sorted by now!
Liz recently posted…Great South Run 2014 Part 2. The Emotions
Ahh see I thought blondes had it a lot easier with the old dry shampoo. Sorry to hear it’s a faff for you too. It’s just a nightmare really being a female. Even when my hair was shorter it was hard work as it required a “style”. I learnt very quickly I don’t do styles!