All moved in and exploring the local routes for running

So we are in the new house!

Kyle and I had a week off of work to sort ALL THE THINGS and while we definitely could have done with another week (or month) off, we got so much done. As I sold my flat furnished (and Kyle was moving from his mum’s house), we didn’t have a huge amount of furniture to move in with so it was a real timing act for certain items we bought before we actually moved in, like the bed and the sofa.

The bed arrived a couple of days after we moved in (which meant sleeping on several duvets for the first couple of nights – not particularly comfy!) and that was a HUGE feat to get it upstairs. Normally the delivery people would help you get things in and to the room you want it, but during this pandemic era they now just leave it at the doorstep.

Of course we understand this but it makes for tough work for just the two of us to get a super king size mattress up the rather narrow stairs. And we can’t ask for help from our family because we’re now isolating from them… so things are a lot harder.

It took us over 40 minutes to get the mattress up the stairs and honestly we weren’t sure it was going to happen. It took all our strength to pivot, pivot, PIVOT that bad boy. Whhhy did we order super king size?? But our bedroom is quite a big size and as Kyle is quite tall it seemed like a nice indulgence. We had not considered actually getting it into the bedroom though.

Likewise the sofa was another drama. This time the delivery men went above and beyond what they were technically allowed to do and helped us actually get it in.

We stood awkwardly back while they heaved to and fro to get the sofa in to our living room. It wouldn’t go through the door so in the end (after trying all the angles) they took our living room window off and got it through there.

THANK GOD. We were so grateful and sent them away with lots of biscuits.

So between cleaning, unpacking, buying and constructing furniture and organising our life, I have also been doing a bit of exploring on my runs. It is SO cool to have a whole new area to run round. Though it does mean my running has become less about switching off and more about being super alert with my surroundings and working out distances and where to go. It’s been great though.

We’re kind of living in the centre of Portsmouth as an area (not central city, just the central geography of the island if you get what I mean) so I have the luxury of heading out in any direction. Previously at my parent’s house this wasn’t really possible to do because of their location, so I’d always just head out in one of two directions most of the time.

And what’s lovely is the sea is just 1.5 miles away to the east of us, and Southsea is just over 2 miles to the south of us. So I’m still so close to the sea. While I’m definitely a land creature, I’ve always lived by the sea and just love being near to it. The possibilities of running and walking are just endless and I’m so excited. Kyle and I adore Southsea – it has very special memories for us throughout our relationship, and so to be so close to it (and all the incredible restaurants) is just so exciting to us. Unfortunately of course the coronavirus has meant that we can’t actually enjoy those restaurants at the moment, but hopefully in time…

This week was my highest mileage week in a while (almost 40 miles) and my running has been going so well (TOUCH WOOD). On Saturday I ran 18 miles and it went so well! I felt strong, had no niggles or issues and enjoyed it immensely. I had a vague route in mind and was able to run along Southsea seafront, along to Eastney and then followed the Portsmouth Coastal Marathon route up to the Farlington Marshes  and run round there. So it was a really interesting and, at times, very scenic route.

But it was hot. Of course I hadn’t gone  out super early and probably went out in the peak of the day’s heat but that’s just how I roll. I didn’t take any water with me (of course I didn’t, because I’m an idiot)… Though to be fair, I knew I could run back to the house to get some water and Kyle said he’d walk out to me to give me some if I rang him. Where we live is literally central to the route, so it would have been only 2 miles or less for me to get back. But being stubborn, I just pushed through. It was the final two miles when I was like “OK now I am THIRSTY”.

And Kyle, being the incredible human he is, had tracked me on his phone (not the entire run I must stress, he’s not a weirdo ha) and was standing outside our house with Alfie and a glass of ice cold water. Oh my god, that water was SO needed. I was so grateful!

The next day my legs felt tired but good! And Kyle and I enjoyed a gentle 3 mile run after a lovely lie in. Kyle does not enjoy running in the heat at all (whereas I can endure it) so he didn’t quite have my enthusiasm, but it was nice to FINALLY be able to run together. I mean, running aside, it’s nice to finally be together at all. This week has been so so lovely.

Do you enjoy running in new places?

Are the routes round you hilly or flat?

Have you had any moving in drama?

3 Replies to “All moved in and exploring the local routes for running”

  1. COVID has definitely added an extra level of “crazy” to moving. I was fortunate to move into my apartment right before COVID but then my peloton bike was delivered during COVID and I live in a second floor apartment. (That was quite the dilemma) NOW … I just purchased my first house and construction is experiencing some delays due to COVID and I am praying that by move day the movers will be able to help with the move because my new house is two stories!
    p.s. Silly question and I should know this as a Brit but how far is Portsmouth from London??

  2. That sofa and bed incident sounds very stressful! When we moved out we hired movers and I honestly thought I was going to have to call an ambulance because they didn’t take the wardrobe apart, just strapped it around on of their waists and then staggered down the stairs bracing against the weight. Our moving week was a bit crazy because we moved on the Tuesday, I had a after school training (in the wrong direction) the next 2 days and then on the Friday night we flew to South Africa- we had to pack our suitcase before we moved!
    You are so lucky to be so close to the sea 🙂 We have lots of lovely countryside here and I am still finding new routes (4 years on), but I do miss the business park because it was an easy 3 mile loop of flat, wide and well-lit pavements, always gritted in icy weather and they would clear the paths if it snowed. No such luxury around here!
    Maria @ Maria Runs recently posted…Running, baking, gardening and the rest of half termMy Profile

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