Walking not running

Good morning and happy Monday.

Thank you for your lovely comments about my last post. Provided I’m no longer injured by the time the marathon comes about then I will run. Ideally I’d like to be able to run a good few runs before the marathon problem-free, perhaps even a 12 or 10 miler but we’ll see. The longer long runs are lost to me now sadly.

Ben and me have spoken at length about this and what we’ve sort of decided that I will run the Paris marathon with him. He was aiming for 9min/miles and I think that should be in theory do-able for me. But we’ve both agreed if one of us is really struggling, the other one can run on with no hard feelings. I know that sounds quite callous but I think it’s fairly pragmatic. Unless obviously we’re enjoying running together! I don’t want to hold Ben back if the wheels come off for me – he desperately wants to have a better marathon than his last.

Moving on to this weekend…despite feeling fairly pants about the whole running situation, it wasn’t too bad. We went over to my parents for an Indian takeaway. They have the best Indian. Sadly where we live it’s all very sub-par. I got my usual…

Indian takeaway Chicken tandoori starter and chicken tikka main, with lots of onion salad and regular salad. I know this sounds very boring but this is actually one of my favourite meals. I love the little pot of white sauce you get with it as well. I have no idea what’s in it and frankly don’t care. It rocks my world. And a few cheeky poppadoms as well of course 😉

Moving away from food, Ben and me have just treated ourselves to Fitbits [we bought them ourselves, I haven’t been asked to review them].Fitbit I used to have a pedometer but it was annoying to attach to my belt or trousers. But I love this! It has really encouraged me to walk more, I’m not even joking. It’s even become a little competition between Ben and me (though he’s winning by miles as he’s able to run and 18 miles is a lot of steps…). To the point that we’re fighting over who walks Alfie in the morning. OK we’re not fighting, but it encouraged me to give Alfie a huge walk yesterday morning while Ben was out running.Spring walk with AlfieThen when a friend came over we took Alfie for another long walk to catch up with our friend. In the end Sunday’s steps were over 20,000!

I sit a lot at work so this will definitely help remind me to get up a bit more and take a lunchtime walk, which I rarely do at the moment. The weather is getting nicer so this should be lovely.

As I can’t run at the moment I’ve been back at spin. Oh joy. On Saturday I did the 45 minute spin class followed by 20 minutes of rowing and then lots of strength work. Not nearly as exciting as Parkrun believe me (especially as it was the two year anniversary and it was a fancy dress one…onesies galore). But I just have to keep telling myself it won’t be long until I’m back again. Annoyingly though spin tends to aggravate my IT band and tightens it up. So instead this morning I went on the cross trainer, the rower and the stepper.

Am I the only person who’s never used the stepper before? I was quite confused what to do and had to creepily watch a woman using it to make sure I was doing it right. It was quite cool to see how many floors I’d climbed though. Silver linings and all that.

What machine do you always use at the gym? Which is your favourite?

Do you own a fitness tracker, like a Fitbit or a Nike Fuel band or a pedometer?

What’s your takeaway of choice?

All those random things

Hello! Today feels like Friday for me today because Ben and me have a day off tomorrow. Hurrah!

This post is about the random things that have been happening that I wanted to put in the blog but it never seemed ideal.

  • Rain. So much rain. And the delightful experience of parking your car at work and coming back to see the river blocking your route back to it.

    Flooded car park This was great. I really enjoyed wading through this massive puddle to get back to my car after work.

  • Alfie, I love him dearly (he’s our little dog if you weren’t aware). But when I get home, walk him, make our dinner, then attempt to make my way to the sofa to relax he picks up his ball and runs over to me with it and drops it right in front of me…playing ball is the last thing I want to do. He then looks up at me with the most expectant face. Oh Alfie, how can I refuse?Guilty Alfie
  • However, I have found a way to keep him entertained if I just want to do nothing (read or chill):Alfie watching TVPut the Animal Planet channel on! He loves the big cats programme and the cat-specific one (surprise surprise).
  • The gym…ahh the gym. The things you see at the gym:Crazy gym girl outfitCan you see the girl in the pink jogging bottoms? That white thing on her head is a huge furry hat. Sometimes it can be a bit chilly at the gym…but not that chilly! And yes she was there to workout. Seeing her on the treadmill was an experience in itself.
  • Crazy shoe guy running on the treadmill:IMG_5670 They’re barefoot trainers (I guess). They just looked very odd. I saw someone running in barefoot trainers at the Reading half as well. I’ve never been tempted to try it…You basically have to go back to basics with running to ‘re-learn’ how to run – like mile by mile. The guy in the race though was doing some hard heel-striking so I don’t know if his have helped him. I’d probably get injured in all new areas if I tried it.
  • Apparently I’ve been saying “grimace” wrong my whole life. I thought it was “grimance” with an ‘n’ in there. Quite embarrassing really.
  • And I’ve finally taken a photo of my medal holder (which isn’t actually on the wall yet). My granddad made it for me. He goes up to Scotland every winter to help out look after reindeers at this reindeer centre. The male reindeers ‘drop’ their antlers and he collects the ones in good conditions and makes things out of them (he was a carpenter).Medal holder

Ben held it up for me and I put some of my medals on it to give it it’s full effect. I think it’s amazing!

So this weekend is going to be a busy one. With the meal tomorrow, then Karen’s (pregnant amazing runner) 30th birthday party on Saturday (afternoon tea – YES She very much shares my love of cake!) and then a meal out on Sunday for Ben’s birthday (which was on Tuesday). Lots of food…the best kind of weekends 😉

What do you do with your medals?

What kind of trainers do you wear to run?

Do you have any pets?

Weekly workout and weekend catch-up

Hello September! I think September is my favourite month. It’s the month where I feel everything is starting again. Does that sound weird? When I was at school, college and university the new year would begin in September. It was the month Ben and me got married (it’s almost our one year anniversary!) And it’s the month where you can see summer disappearing and the colder weather creeping it.

Don’t get me wrong, dark mornings and dark evenings can be so depressing. As can cold blustery winds and relentless rain…but there’s something so lovely about curling up in bed hearing the wind outside and being snug and warm inside. And runs that aren’t stupidly hot!

This weekend has been great. A nice quiet one, while also having dinner with friends and seeing my mum for a coffee and slice of cake. Unfortunately Ben has come down with a cold. SORRY – man flu. So I’ve been making him lots of hot lemon with honey drinks and giving him some TLC.

And I finally went for a run! Hurrah! This whole week has all been about avoiding running and mending myself. This is what my workouts this week have looked like:

Monday: LBT (due to spinning fail) and circuits

Tuesday: Spinning

Wednesday: Spinning

Thursday: Pump

Friday: Spinning

Saturday: 4 mile easy run

Sunday: 11 mile long easy run

Yeah I sort of went spinning crazy. I really enjoyed it. OK it wasn’t the same as running but it was still good to get that “oof that was tough” buzz afterwards and sense of accomplishment. Don’t get me wrong, I will always  choose running over spinning though.

One thing that annoyed me about spinning was one of the instructors kept talking about weight-loss and fat-loss – “burning those calories”. That is not why I go to spin. I go to spin to help compliment and improve my running without actually running. Spinning is a tough workout and really works my legs and works muscles that I don’t use when I run so I become stronger overall.

It just annoys me when people can be so narrow-minded. The gym is not all about losing weight! I get a lot of judgements from people as well when I tell them I go to the gym. Comments like “you don’t need to go to the gym!”. It just irks me that that’s all people think I’m doing.

Moan over. So as you can see I did go running eventually. I decided not to do Parkrun because I couldn’t guarantee I wouldn’t go into ‘race mode’ and do something stupid and reignite my groin problem (hmm, maybe I should call it something different? That sounds weird haha). Instead I ran the 4 nice and easy miles to Parkrun (while Ben drove) and then marshalled. I love marshalling because it’s great to cheer people on and a few people afterwards said  it really helped Smile

Later Alfie and me had such a lovely long walk while I listened to an old MarathonTalk podcast (interview with Nell McAndrew one running a stupidly fast marathon – she is amazing and sounds lovely).

IMG_4997

Then we had dinner at my friends house which was great. Felt like proper grown ups having a dinner party! Open-mouthed smile

Then Sunday I tentatively went out for my long run. I was so worried it wouldn’t happen. That I’d aggravated things the day before…but it went fine! My groin didn’t hurt but it didn’t feel completely sorted, still an annoying niggle, so I kept things nice and easy.

image

I don’t think I’ve ever run at such a consistent pace! It didn’t hurt and it felt amazing to get out for a long run. It just cleared my mind wonderfully of any stress.

This week I’m still going to take it easy on the running front. Probably keep going to spin but see how I feel for the Thursday running club session and then maybe Parkrun Saturday.

It’s two weeks until my next half marathon (Bristol)!! So I’m glad things are getting back on plan…finger’s crossed!!

How was your weekend? What did you get up to?

What’s your next race or big event your planning for?

What’s your favourite time of year and why?

What makes you happy?

Hi guys, hope the week has treated you well. I thought I’d be a little reflective in today’s post. I read something online during the week that really got my brain ticking. It was this article from the BBC news website:

Can we make ourselves happier?

Everyone wants to be happy in life. I think when people make goals and plans, whether that’s to save up for a new outfit, run a significant race, or progress in your career, it’s ultimately to be happy. Unless you have some pretty altruistic goals, that tends to be the case I think.

In the article, for example, apparently you’re happier if:

  • You’re in a long-term relationship
  • Go out to dinner (that’s my kinda happiness right there Winking smile)
  • Lead an active life
  • Actively engage in politics (I listen to the news does that count??)… and so on.

So this got me thinking: what makes me happy?

Well, I guess it comes as no surprise that my husband is on the top of the list.

Ben5

Marrying him was the best thing I ever did.

Page 12 copy

Oh sure he annoys the hell out of me quite frequently (man-related bathroom paraphernalia not put away, ringing me panicked and confused when I ask him to put the washing on if he gets home before me from work despite the fact I have told him a million times how to do it Winking smile) and I’m 100% certain I annoy the hell out of him too (apparently I malt like a yeti…). But we’re stronger every day because of our trials and tribulations.

Sorry, mush over.

I would also say that a strong contender for increasing happiness (that I didn’t see mentioned in the article) is having a pet. Specifically, having a dog. Cat-lovers don’t hate me – I have limited experience with cats…but we’ve always had a dog. When I was living at home my parents had dogs (and still do) and now Ben and me have our own pooch, Alfie.

IMG_4112

He’s part of our little family and our home would be empty without him. His little quirks which drive me mad (eating kibble on the LIVING ROOM FLOOR, thus crumbing everywhere) only make me love him more.

And obvious family (and friends) in general:Family

They’ll do Winking smile

And it will come as no surprise that I love running and it makes me incredibly happy.

DDay Photo

When I couldn’t run properly for a couple of weeks it made me the grumpiest person known to man. And my husband (and family) were getting pretty fed up of me. I called it my Running Depression.

But we’re through that. I’m past it. I’m a new woman. A more-cautious-terrified-of-any-niggle woman, but it’s all good. Though honestly, I don’t even want to admit how many races I’ve got coming up. It’s become a problem. But I’m hoping they’re staggered sufficiently to avoid any over-training/injuries.

Food. BIG contender for making me happy. Cooking healthy, hearty meals:

Healthy food 2

And enjoying not-so-healthy, but equally enjoyable food:

IMG_1750

That was the day is ate three and a half puddings. It was a great day.

Food for heart and soul is essential for happiness. It’s all about balance.

And though there are hundreds of things I could write that make me happy, the last thing I will note is reading.

IMG_4472

Going to bed with a good book is the best way to end a day in my opinion. I may sound like an old granny, but I really relax when I lose myself in a book Currently I’m absolutely gripped by Ken Follet’s Winter of the World. It’s a good’un.

Just one simple question today: what makes you happy?

Random Tid Bits

Hi guys. I hope your week has been whizzing by as quickly as mine has. Missing out Monday does help!

My week hasn’t been that exciting I must admit…same old same old. I thought I’d do another post of randomness…

1. We’ve had a lot of rain round our parts so it’s been pretty depressing. Kind of ironic that as soon as the long weekend finishes it begins raining. Though rain sucks (hello stupidly long commutes because people forget how to drive), I do love going to bed hearing the rain outside. It sounds so cosy!

2. Last night I went to running club and it was TOUGH. The usual guy who leads the faster group was on holiday and so one of the other guys led it. He took no prisoners. Usually the other guy keeps a nice speed up but will stop to wait for the people at the back and let us all catch our breath. It’s more relaxed that way and not so intense.

However, last night the leader just wasn’t keen on stopping or waiting. We kept having to tell him when someone dropped behind and he just sighed as if irritated and then doubled back. So it was relentless with limited stops. I was shattered by the end.

image

I wasn’t too impressed with him to be honest. Yes OK he said we were going to do 7.30mins/mile pace but at least two of the guys struggled and he should have pulled back for them.

3. Does anyone else get seriously bothered by this??

Capture

I hate it when my music doesn’t have proper track names, artists or albums. Gahhh. It means I need to listen to each track to figure it out. It’s on the to-do list…

4. Alfie apparently likes watching TV. He goes mental though if there’s any windscreen wipers. I think he had a bad experience with them when we drove him home after first picking him up. It was raining and we had the wipers on and he really didn’t like it.

IMG_3403

I also fed him a bit of an apple on the journey home as well (probably the one and only time I’ve ever willingly shared an apple). He gobbled it up quickly. Only to throw it back up on me an hour later. What a waste *sighs*

5. In other Alfie-related news, he loves to sit by the window in the sun and get a fur-tan Winking smile

IMG_4420

6. I’m loving my running socks. They have little bits of padding on them in nice places (how vague is that? I won’t lie, I don’t know foot anatomy…) and they have “L” and “R” so you know which foot they go on. It might be psychological but I really think they help my running.

IMG_4234

7. I love having customers in the office. We get exciting fruit platters and delicious food. OK it’s supposed to be for them but there’s always left-overs.

IMG_4314

There is no easy way to eat a massive slice of watermelon at work. It’s messy and un-ladylike. And I love it Open-mouthed smile

8. This is the amazing red velvet cupcake I got from the Swallow Bakery at the weekend. I realised I hadn’t shared a photo of it.

IMG_4436

HEAVENLY. It actually makes me sad that it’s gone.

9. After my running club runs on a Thursday night, I always find I’m just not hungry for dinner at all. But I do have dinner because I know otherwise I’ll die of hunger a few hours later (slight exaggeration perhaps). But it’s just never that appealing when I get in. The day after though my hunger goes into overdrive. I always need more food than usual. Which works perfectly today because tonight we’re off out with friends to the amazing all-you-can-eat Brazilian restaurant we went to before. Amazing.

And that’s all folks! Have a great weekend Smile

If you have a dog or a cat, what crazy things do they do that make you laugh?

What’s your favourite flavour of cupcakes? I love lemon flavoured ones and red velvet. I’m not a big fan of chocolate (weird, I know).

Do you have any fitness clothing/gear that you find really helps with your performance?