Grumpy running, good snacking and a leg workout

Brrrrrrrrrrrr!! It is cold! Sorry to state the bleeding obvious but it really is. OK we don’t have snow and I know we’re far better off than you warriors up North or in countries with lots of snow, so apologies for my pathetic moaning.

Saturday morning I optimistically put on my shorts for parkrun but after taking Alfie for a quick walk I realised this would not be a wise move. It was so much colder than it had been in the week – and very windy.

I had intended to wear all three of my new running tops and take one off on each lap (as I mentioned, jokingly, in a previous post – then people actually wanted me to do it) but it was too cold for short sleeves! Before realising how cold it was I did put them on with the intention of wearing them…IMG_6151Top layer was to be the Bournemouth finisher’s t-shirt, then the Marathon Talk t-shirt, then finally the parkrun 50 t-shirt.IMG_6153It was going to be so good… Then I stepped outside with Alfie and thought “yeah this isn’t going to happen”. There was no way I’d want to strip off any layers when I was running!! Instead I put on some leggings and a long-sleeved top.

I got to parkrun to meet the other set-up crew guys and we were all pretty miserable and cold. It was windy and wet as well as stupidly cold. As the minutes ticked closer to the start I started to feel more and more apprehensive and, well, moody about the whole thing. I was so close to just going home. My muscles all felt really cold, creaky and just niggly. I was worried about my knee and worried about needing to stop.

I did a quick warm-up with some of the guys and I just felt myself sinking further and further into a bad mood and was certain I couldn’t run the whole parkrun.

At the start my friend Mark realised I wasn’t in the best of moods and, bless him, he tried to pull me out of it by running with me and chatting. At first I just wanted to stop and give up – I gave him fairly blunt responses to his questions and conversation attempts. I was so cold and I couldn’t warm up. I couldn’t seem to run any faster either, and I was nervous to push it anyway because of my knee, which was feeling uncomfortable.

Mark realised how cold I was and gave me his jacket mid-run which was nice of him and did help. Possibly because I wasn’t running very fast (for me) and how cold the wind was I just didn’t get warm until the 3rd mile. By then I had started to come out from my dark place and actually be a nice human being to Mark. He was very patient with me and I wouldn’t have blamed him to have left me!parkrun splits

 

 

 

In the end I ran 27:18, my slowest parkrun in a long while and possibly one of the worst in terms of enjoyment. We were also on the winter course which is worse anyway in terms of hills (and wind). I was so glad when it was over. My knee didn’t hurt but it was uncomfortable, but given the conditions I’ll take it!

I was in such a better mood afterwards as you can imagine. I was warmer, relaxed and just glad to have got it done. And there was cake made by my lovely friend, Sheryl, who was celebrating her 150th parkrun!!IMG_6154

Mar bar crispies and Malteaser bites

I was in my happy place once again 🙂 The hot drink in the cafe afterwards was much needed as well!

Later on my friend, Tom, was celebrating his 30th birthday with a Mexican and Cowboy themed party. His wife, my close friend Louise, had made some really tasty cupcakes and an immense Cactus cake. There was a spread of nachos and dips and a chilli slow cooking as well.Cactus cakeThere were churro cupcakes (with cinnamon sugar and a doughnut texture) and piñata cupcakes that had Smarties in the middle!! I can attest that both cupcakes were very tasty 😉

I also brought round some popcorn I’d found in Budgens.IMG_6156For 99p and buy one get one free I call that a definite bargain! Marshmallow popcorn?? Yes please! To be fair though, it actually just tasted like sweet popcorn with a slight marshmallow hint.1 I think I was expecting chunks of marshmallow stuck to pieces of popcorn (what an idea, eh??) and the salted popcorn was basically sweet and salty. But tasty nonetheless!

I didn’t do a very good job at the fancy dress by just having a checked shirt so Louise did my hair in plaits for me and lent me her hat 😉IMG_6167I couldn’t stay for the evening sadly as my parents had invited me over for a meal with some friends, which also meant I didn’t see the main cake being cut 🙁 Lou, the lovely friend she is, said I could pop over the next day to pick some up. Always need friends like that in your life!IMG_6194After seeing Lou and Tom on Sunday morning, I headed to the gym for my leg workout. I don’t know if you guys care to see what I did but here it is anyway…

  • Squat: (warmup sets first): 4x 65kg, 6x 62.5kg, 8x 62.5kg x3, 10x 60kg x2, 8 x60kg
  • Box squat: 12x 60kg, 12x 65kg, 12x 70kg, 10x 75kg x2
  • Deadlift (warmup sets first): 6x 65kg x2, 8x 62.5kg x2, 10x 60kg, 10x 55kg x2
  • Hack squat: 12x 47.6kg, 12x 57.6kg x4
  • Sumo squat: 20x 10kg, 20x 20kg x4

Followed by some glute kickbacks/sidekicks on the cable machine and ab work. It’s a lot quieter on Sundays than Saturdays so it was nice not to feel crowded. The hack squat was a new machine to me, which focuses primarily on the quads. I prefer the leg press machine but it wasn’t working annoyingly. The hack squat machine was quite painful on my shoulders and left marks, despite there being cushions on it. It wasn’t a fun experience!

Anyway the rest of the day was same-old same-old: Alfie walks, housework and watching a new-to-me TV series, True Detective. The first episode was soooo s.l.o.w. I’m hoping it’ll pick up. My physio leant me the box-set so I need to get through it fairly quickly (I feel bad hanging on to borrowed things for too long).

What’s your favourite popcorn flavour?

What machines do you like to use at the gym?

What’s the coolest shaped cake you’ve seen (in real life, not on the Internet!)?

8 Replies to “Grumpy running, good snacking and a leg workout”

  1. I couldn’t believe the difference between last weekend and this one. When I was in Gower last weekend for the marathon I wished I’d worn shorts and would have been fine in a t-shirt despite the rain. This week it was all about the tights and layers on top!
    Glad there was cake post moody-parkrun. Cake can cheer anyone up! 🙂 That cactus cake is pretty awesome too!
    When it comes to popcorn I am all about the salt and sweet variety. Last time we were at the cinema, one of the attendants was giving away pots of salty and sweet popcorn as a ‘new flavour’. Despite having had it many times before, I was all for testing out their ‘new’ flavour! 😉
    Mary recently posted…Cook your way to a healthy smile 🙂My Profile

  2. Glad the run went OK in the end. I did like the idea of the 3 t-shirts, but it was way too cold for that at the weekend!
    I went to the Cake and Bake show a few years ago and they had some amazing cakes there- volcanoes and cookie monster and all sorts!
    Is it the first or the second series of True Detective? I think the first was better, but they were very slow, plus for ages I thought he was in a launderette not a police station (don’t ask me why) so it was harder to work out what was going on. Have you seen Fargo? That’s good- on a second series now but the first one was good too.
    Maria @ runningcupcake recently posted…Ideas to Hone your cooking skills (*guest post)My Profile

  3. That cactus cake looks amazing! Glad you made it through Park Run – I don’t think I could have been tempted to go for a run in this weather… I am such a fair weather runner! I’ve been in the gym a lot more as a result – I’ve not tried the hack squat machine but I tend to stick to what I know in the weights area as its always so packed! x
    LilyLipstick recently posted…Salad Secrets – Eat More Veg Month!My Profile

  4. I love plain popcorn, but sweet and salty is nice too. I imagined something like Rice Krispie treats in popcorn form when I read ‘marshmallow’ on the label, so I can see why it might be a bit disappointing just to have the flavour there.

    I still think you should give the wardrobe changes at Parkrun a go at some point 😉 We had snow flurries here, but thankfully no ice and it didn’t settle. I hope your next Parkrun is a more positive experience, although I think you did very well just to get out there and put some of your doubts to rest.

    My gym is pretty useless for weights equipment. I wish we had a hack squat machine! I rely on Body Pump so much because I can’t handle the stress of fighting with the weight-slamming bros we have over one squat rack.

    I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything that could top that cactus cake – it looks like it should be an emoji!
    Jess recently posted…Marathon MeditationMy Profile

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