Maria Runs - Maria Runs

A little jaunt around Scotland

I used to travel up to Scotland a lot when I was younger as I had a friend who moved up there, but I had not been for years. For some reason we have now been twice in less than a year!

On Friday we flew up to Edinburgh from Stanstead- as we were hand luggage only this meant not too long at the airport and not too much stress once through security (as we landed there was a fanfare over the tannoy system announcing how good Ryanair were at being on time).

After parkrun on Saturday morning (see previous post) we picked up the car and drove to Pitlochry, where we would be staying for a couple of nights.

Saturday- we park in town and have a wander. Check in to B&B. Walk into town a bit too late and get caught in torrential downpour. Discover that my “shower-proof” pack-a-mac is not waterproof in the slightest. All restaurants full so end up eating chips from a chip shop under the awning of a shop.

Sunday: We did some lovely walks around the town, around some different lakes and forests, including getting slightly lost for a bit in some woods, and finding some stone carvings.

Pitlochry was a lovely little town- it was all very walkable and we could walk down into the centre from our B&B. It had plenty of lovely cafes and even a John Muir centre (we are more used to seeing things about him in the US National parks). We saw a salmon ladder, although it was too murky to see inside if there were any fish. It was so warm we even shared an ice cream. As it was so busy the day before we had booked a meal for the Sunday evening (I had veggie fajitas which came with the most enormous pile of sizzling peppers, onions, courgettes, mange tout etc.).

Monday- Of course we went to a distillery. We were heading to Fort William and this one was on our way. Initially I was going to drive the hire car on this day, but it was too expensive to add another driver, and we found lots of the distilleries did driver packs where you took sample bottles away. Bonus for Andy- he gets mine too!

We stopped off in Aviemore for a wander and lots of people had recommended this mountain cafe, run by someone from New Zealand. This was a falafel and beetroot sandwich and it was so huge- each slice of bread was the thickness of two normal slices! Andy had a flatbread with chilli haloumi in it, which was equally as huge.

Their cakes had come recommended so we bought some lime and blueberry cake for after dinner, and a chocolate, plum and almond scone (*).

It was still fairly overcast and we didn’t want to get to the B&B too late so we didn’t stay much longer- I think if we were to visit again there would be some lovely walks nearby. We then drove to Fort William and after checking into our B&B had a walk beside the water. We were both so full from lunch that we had a bit of fruit salad, and then shared the cake.

The view from our room

Tuesday- It rained. Oh, how it rained. We had a lovely breakfast (cinnamon porridge) and took our time as it was just raining and raining.

We drove out to one of the visitors centres, and after being told off for not having walking boots (even though we told the lady we were only there for one more day, she told us quite seriously to drive back to Fort William and to buy some walking boots), we found a walk through a forest to Signal Rock.

It actually stopped raining for the walk, so we enjoyed the views and fresh air (the midgies, less so).

Just as we were nearing the car park the rain started, and as we got into the car it was torrential yet again. We drove out towards the coast for a bit in the hope of passing the rain, but it seemed fairly set in, so we headed back to Fort William as there was a little museum there. We mooched around the museum for a bit, had lunch in a lovely little cafe, wandered around the town a bit more and picked up a little picnic tea. We drove to the canal to see Neptune’s staircase (8 locks)- so we walked up one side and down the other.

There was even a teeny bit of blue sky.

We had a little picnic with these views, and I got out the scone * for us to share after. Sadly, it turned out to be some sort of cheese scone, and not the plum and chocolate one I had asked for- how annoying!

Wednesday- we had a long drive back to Edinburgh so left early. I took a few photos as we were driving- it was so scenic.

Once we returned the car (which took 35 minutes because there was one customer in front of us and no other members of staff, and this customer was being a right pain) we had a few hours to wander around Edinburgh.

Blue skies!

More blue skies!

We were going to go out for lunch as we wouldn’t be back until after dinner time, but it was so sunny we got some picnic bits and sat in the park.

It was so peaceful and a lovely end to the holiday. We had time for a bit more of a wander around the centre before we got the bus back to the airport.

Now, we just had to go straight through to security, and at Edinburgh they have the big body scanners. I was randomly selected to go through one, and I made sure I had nothing in my pockets, not even a hairband (I was stopped before and then had to have a proper search because it called up an anomaly which turned out to be a small hairband in one of my pockets- they are clearly very sensitive). On the screen it shows where the anomaly is and it was my hair! After having the pat down I had to turn around and the lady had to lift up my hair and pat it down too! That has never happened before- I do really need a haircut though!

Our plane was a bit late landing (no fanfare this time) and we got home at 9pm- the good thing about going away for only a few days meant that unpacking only took about 10 minutes!

Have you ever been to Scotland? We are already planning another trip for sometime next year. Do you like more active holidays?

Edinburgh parkrun- 20 in the UK completed! (And maybe have a plan B)

Last Friday we flew up to Edinburgh- we were picking the hire car up before 1pm the next day so I had enough time to get to a parkrun. We went up to Edinburgh in October and I went to Portobello parkrun, so I decided to head to a different one, Edinburgh parkrun, this time around.

Edinburgh parkrun is 5 miles north of the city centre. It’s along a prom (no road) and it was a bit hard to work out exactly how to get there. It seemed there were buses that went to somewhere called Cramond, but depending on the bus you would be either a 10 minute walk or 2.5km away, and so I decided to take an uber instead. I got it to take me to the end of Marine Drive, which was perfect as that road was on the coast and looked down onto the prom, so I could see people heading to the start area.

In Scotland they start at 9.30am, and the new runner briefing is at 9.15. As I arrived earlier I had plenty of time to take photos and spot tourists- I even saw some Harpenden Arrows (it turned out to be the weekend of the Edinburgh marathon so there were lots of tourists for that).

The finish funnel had loads of flags flying, and there was also a parkrun van. There was a speaker playing music- it was great.

I loved this info board too- so many parkrun facts. There was a pacer chart so if you wanted to finish in a certain time it told you your km splits, and a board of statistics about the parkrun.

After some milling about it was time for the briefing. Now this was comedy gold and I really wish I had filmed it.

From the Flickr page photos

The guy running the briefing (who did something for parkrun Scotland- he mentioned doing all the Scottish parkruns in one weekend, and all the Irish ones- something I know Tom Williams has mentioned on MT before) was the most enthusiastic person. His briefing lasted the full 15 minutes, and included audience participation (quizzes about what he had just said), a selfie with the runners and running into the crowd and checking that people actually had their barcodes. At one point he spoke about being well hydrated, and then grabbed a doughnut water bottle from someone, and had a mini rant about being able to last for more than 30 minutes without having water, and then he threw the bottle over a barbed wire fence into the next field. He then encouraged others to do the same. It was all very funny but also a bit bemusing! He did of course mention the rules, and the course (but it was an out and back, one lapper, so very easy to explain), and he also talked about the history of the event, being one of the first in Scotland and the first in Edinburgh.

At 9.30 on the dot we walked to the start for the main briefing- lots of people reaching milestones which is always lovely to hear. It was also mentioned (not sure which briefing) that children should be encouraged to take part for their own enjoyment and not pushed beyond their means. I totally agree with this and really loved that they emphasised it.

The course was beside the water so I enjoyed the views. It was super sunny and very warm, although on the way out we were running into a breeze which helped to cool it a bit. I stopped briefly to take a photo as it was just so lovely.

From Flickr

The course had a bit of a lollypop at the turnaround point, and then the breeze was gone. It was so hot I was wishing I had worn a headband/sweatband, as sweat was pouring into my eyes and stinging them.

From Flickr- I did a thumbs up at the photographer but not as extreme as the lady behind me!

There was a cafe along the prom and there was a staff member very wisely shouting things out like “get your bacon rolls here/ hot coffee in the cafe” and they had even written things like “cake” on the pavement with chalks. As it was so hot on the way back someone said to him “a cold drink please” so he then started shouting “ice creams, cold drinks” etc.

There was a photographer out on course (at the 1k and 4k point) and there was someone snapping away at the finish line too, where the course peeled away from the main prom under some trees.

I finished in 28.01 which I was pretty pleased with (although I did think I could have got sub 28 had I not stopped for a photo!). I like to finish in under 30 minutes but as it was flat and no laps I should be a bit faster really.

My Ellenbrook fields vest is now my parkrun tourist wear (I have a Panshanger t-shirt but now it is too hot for t-shirts).

I walked back to the road and watched the last few runners heading along the prom.

Then, things didn’t go so well. I looked on the uber app, and it told me there were no cars available, but I could book one for a later pick up. I booked one for a pick up between 10.30 and 10.45 (it was around 10.20 I think by the time I had scanned my chip and walked back to the road). Not too bad I thought. I had the email confirmation, so I just had to wait. Each time I looked at the app, it told me “allocating your car”. I had brought a long sleeved top with me (I tied it around a fence near the start) so I put that on as the wind was making me fairly cold. At 10.45 I had a notification saying my pick up was cancelled as there were no cars, so please try again. Argh! I then looked and there were no cars. I was messaging Andy as we had to check out at 12, but also pick the car up before the hire place shut at 1. It was a bit stressful. I was going to look at where the bus stop was (in the other direction from the finish line though) and I opened the uber app one more time and saw one car nearby. Thankfully I managed to get it (book it?), but as it was finishing another drive nearby it didn’t pick me up until gone 11am. I was so thirsty and quite hungry by that point but I could not risk popping down to the cafe to buy something in case I missed the pick up. There was a little roundabout so I was waiting just beyond that as it didn’t seem a sensible place for a car to stop. As I was waiting a couple walked to the roundabout just as my car pulled up, so they went to get in it! I panicked even more here, so I ran towards it and asked him “are you for Maria?” (I knew it was as the registration matched)- I was so relieved to get into the car and be on my way back. I got back to the hotel at around 11.30, so it was a very rushed shower and a short blast on the hairdryer before having some breakfast (Andy had been out on a walk around the town and got me some).

I really should have had a plan B! I prefer when I can run there myself- this was 5 miles away but in fact if I had run back I would have arrived sooner- I’ll know for next time!

But, it was very enjoyable, and now I am on the UK most events table, having been to 20 different UK parkruns. I ordered my cow cowl yesterday, so hopefully it will arrive before my next tourism (we are going to Kent at the end of June so I am aiming for Maidstone parkrun that morning, and I need to plan with Dad to visit the last couple of Hertfordshire parkruns too).

Are you a fan of public transport? Have you been to Edinburgh? Do you like to visit different parkruns? Have you ever forgotten your barcode? (Quite a few people in the briefing had forgotten theirs)

Half term is nearly here and some random photos

We are off to Scotland tonight- I am hoping to get to Edinburgh parkrun, but I have seen that there are road closures because of the marathon and other races, so who knows.

Onto the random photos:

This shower gel is amazing- cherry and almond milk and basically smells of marzipan. Winner.

Ages ago (Easter…) I ordered a selection of these chia charge bars (some are flapjacks, some are nakd style bars). The chia charge cocoa karma bar is amazing- more like the Lara Bars you get in the US. I shall be ordering some more when I get around to it.

We have been seed-sitting (looking after some seedlings for Andy’s parents while they are on holiday). The fox cubs had been enjoying getting a few of the little pots each night and flinging them across the patio, so we got an old shelving unit from the shed and put them up there- it seems to have worked so far!

Bees love the foxgloves.

I want to paint our fence (green I think) but I am a bit worried that the paint will drip through to next door.

I’ve got a sun shade for my car to keep the steering wheel from being boiling hot. But it really only fit my old car (I only remember this on those hottest days)- on Thursday after a boiling hot day at work, this greeted me! I think I need to invest in a bigger one!

This week has gone:

Monday- pop to see Mum and Dad after work (sit in their garden), come home and finish up work, have dinner, do some weeding in the garden, then make pb blondies for work- a very jam-packed day.

Tuesday- OH run to the lakes and back. Wore a t-shirt and should have worn a vest. It’s way too hot now for t-shirts, what was I thinking?

Wednesday- Yoga- lovely session focusing on breathing. I managed for the first time ever to do the top bit of the pairs downward dog thing, although I did fall off on my first attempt and ended up with a mini egg lump and bruise on my knee (I iced it once I got home). Very pleased that I managed it though.

Thursday- a run looking for shade, although some of the paths I took through the woods turned out to be way too narrow and full of stinging nettles and brambles.

After we get back from Scotland I have a few bits planned, including doing the London 10 Mile race on the Sunday. Entries close at midnight on the 1st June so if you fancy it, make sure you sign up asap!

Do you like 10 mile races? Do you think I could paint the fence? Any Bank Holiday plans?

A parkrun birthday and more foxy visitors

This Saturday it was the first birthday of Ellenbrook Fields parkrun so it was time for some celebrating.

But first- the week leading up to it: I had a sore throat on Sunday and Monday, so on Tuesday I did a little run/walk on my own instead of going to the club run. On Wednesday I sneezed a few times and wondered if a cold was on the way, although yoga seemed to help as it was a very calming session (and nothing came of the sneezing). I did another short run on Thursday which was fine, but by Friday I was sneezing lots and had very sore sinuses. I didn’t want to miss out on the birthday celebrations so I told myself I could keep the tail runner company if I felt bad still.

Even though the weather that week had been total pants, the sun shone on Saturday morning and someone had gone around putting balloons and bunting up.

They had asked for cakes, so on m way home from work one day I stopped to get some baking supplies and made a tea-bread and then a raspberry and almond tray bake- basically the raspberry cake from the CCC book, with ground almonds subbed for some of the flour, and then topped with white chocolate and flaked almonds.

Loads of people turned up! They were trialling a pacer event and I think had pacers from 22 to 32 minutes.

Image may contain: one or more people, people standing, sky, grass, child, outdoor and nature

From the Ellenbrook Fields facebook page

Dennis and Eleanor Draper (our “local celebrities”- they were the oldest couple to run the London marathon this year, and have been interviewed on MT before) set everyone off.

I actually felt loads better on Saturday morning, but was being very sensible.

I started near the back but actually felt OK (after having an early night and having a mixture of peppermint, lavender and tea tree oil to help with breathing)- I stopped to take some photos as it was gorgeous out there.

Image may contain: one or more people, people standing, tree, sky, cloud, outdoor and nature

I always love the end of the first little loop as all of the timers and RD’s and funnel managers etc. are all there to give you a little cheer as you go past.

Even the km markers had balloons! I ended up running with a friend who was being the 32 minute pacer (although I think I distracted her somewhat as near the end she realised she was going a bit too fast- I ended up just over 31 minutes). It was very enjoyable and I felt fine when I finished.

There was still plenty of cake when I finished, although all the raspberry and almond cake had gone. I had a little piece of lemon cake and then hung about cheering everyone else in and chatting to lots of people in the club.

The rest of Saturday was fairly boring (school work with a little walk into town to break things up), but our fox cubs did visit our garden on Saturday evening- around 9.30 pm each night now they seem to come and are hilarious- chasing each other about, jumping in the bushes and hanging from the branches by their teeth.

On Sunday I didn’t set an alarm, and so didn’t head out on my run until gone 9am. It was warm but with a breeze so actually fairly nice for running.

I had decided to add on some distance to my run from last week (I did 7 and I wanted to do 10 this week), although I thought going further would add on 3 miles but it only seemed to add on about a mile and a half. I could have run past home and gone on a bit, but I was so thirsty by that point that I decided 9 miles was enough.

After more work (and spending ages getting very annoyed emailing my MP and the other local candidates about education, fox hunting -I am very against this and do not want to see it voted back in again- and how they will support the rights of EU citizens) my brain was frazzled so I headed out into the garden for some pottering.

I found that the fox cubs had been digging a hole under the willow tree so I filled it in and put a stone in the way- I don’t mind them digging but I don’t want the tree to become unstable.

The fox gloves are starting to flower too! (This post is very fox-heavy it seems!). This is the only patch of garden that I have added plants to as we are going to plan it all out properly. There are cornflowers and poppies there too.

I felt so much better after that- just an hour or so of pottering around lifted my mood.

Goldilocks running, gardening and baking

The weeks are flying by! So here is a random catch up of thoughts (which turns out to be a lot of baking).

A sunny walk

St Albans Abbey in the sunshine. Weeks ago we had parked outside St Albans and then walked into town via a flooring shop to look at some samples. We were going to visit The Pudding Stop but it was very busy so we got a takeaway instead (peanut butter salted caramel brownie..).

Baking

I have their recipe book so I decided to make them for work the next week- they went down very well. Although in the recipe book you add the caramel in the middle, with more batter on top, but I think next time I would just put the caramel on the top with the pb.

Last week I made a raspberry and white chocolate loaf cake, and it was very well received. This week I used the same recipe but made it into a lemon and blueberry cake instead. I doubled the mixture and made a tray bake for work, topped with a little lemon icing, and then a loaf cake to take around to Sunday tea, with the rest of the white chocolate melted and poured on the top.

The loaf needed longer to bake, hence the more browned appearance!

Sensitive skin products

I have been sent some products for dry and sensitive skin, including some lovely What Skin Needs soothing skin gel (which is good for wind burn- I have not tried it yet as it hasn’t been as cold, but I do have a problem with this after a long run in the cold so I know it will be useful), and skin balm (I love this stuff). It contains plantolin, which (from their press release) “is a patent-protected active plant extract, scientifically proven to soothe, renew and protect. This key ingredient is derived from the Australian indigenous plant, centipeda cunninghamii, and is internationally patent protected for its novel active compounds that provide a natural synergy of anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant activity. Plantolin extract is used in Australia on wounds to speed up the healing process and stimulate tissues regeneration“. It also smells lovely (it contains lavender and geranium oil which I love as a combination (we had that on our foreheads at the end of yoga last week). I do get dry and itchy skin, and I have trouble finding creams as body butters tend to feel too greasy and thick, some very scented ones irritate my skin, and others don’t seem to sink in very well. Before this one I was using a Body Shop almond milk and honey one, and this one works just as well.

I was also given a massage candle. (I didn’t know what that was either)

It turns out you can use the melted candle wax as a moisturiser- it has a pouring lip at one end, so once a bit of the wax has melted, you blow out the candle and then pour carefully onto your skin. I haven’t been brave enough to try that yet, but the candle does smell lovely- a fresh citrus smell which is perfect for spring (grapefruit and tangerine).

Running

I’ve had a real mixture of running recently. As I haven’t been training for anything specific (eg the Wings for Life was just run as far as I fancied) I’ve just been going out as far as I would like. Last Tuesday our running club started the tradition of the 8 (and a bit) mile route on country roads and paths around Essendon- a tiny village near Hatfield. We only do it once a month in the summer, when it’s light enough to finish before it gets dark, as we have to cross a dual carriageway, and some of it is on country roads. We usually do around 4-6 miles on a Tuesday, so to push it up to 8 always sounds hard, plus this route has some big hills, but it’s so satisfying once it is done. I skipped a run on Thursday in favour of going to the cinema- we went to see Guardians of the Galaxy 2- I thought it was quite fun, and I am not usually into the comic book films. The end did drag on a bit though, and I lost patience with the extra bits in the credits, so we left after the third one!

Last Sunday I didn’t set an alarm, and I’d been out for a meal the night before so had a fairly late night (for me- midnight!)- I decided to run to the lakes and back, but when I got there the route I usually take was cordoned off.

It said helicopters were using the area so I was taking no risks! There was some sort of car show going on, so I had to run up a hill, along the top and back down again before getting to the lake. I had no idea how long the run would be- I guessed around 6 miles, but it turned out to be just over 7. I think 7-10 miles is a good Sunday morning Goldilocks run- not too short, not too long.

Brunch and free jam

The day before my birthday (weeks ago now) we went out for brunch at Bill’s- my favourite place for brunch (or sweet potato fries!)- I have been using the app to pay for the last few visits (you link it up to paypal or a credit card) and I had enough stamps for a jar of jam- they wrapped it up so beautifully too.

Furniture

A while ago we ordered a new shelving unit from St Albans Wood Recyling co. – they use recycled wood to make bespoke furniture. (A side point- this is a bit like parkrun for wood as it is a not-for-profit, run by volunteers and works to support people getting back into employment). We’d been for a look around their “ideas hub” (a sort of show- room, but it more shows things they could make with the wood, and then you give them the exact specifications and they do a quote) and seen something similar that we liked, so they made one to fit perfectly between the dining room and living room doors. The bottom shelf is a metal grid so it can be used to store shoes. I just need to actually put some books or something on it- the thermostat is a little lonely!

Do you have many loyalty cards? I feel like I have so many (I even have one for the Montezuma’s shop in Brighton- even with 3 visits a year it will take me a long time to earn a free bag of truffles!). I do quite like having it on the app but then if I can’t get internet (or remember my password…) it’s more complicated. Have you been to the cinema lately? I still haven’t seen Beauty and the Beast, but as the cartoon is not my favourite Disney film I haven’t been that bothered. We did watch Moana last Friday as I was given the film for my birthday- that’s more like it! What sort of distance do you like to run? I do prefer a slightly longer run (because I would rather run slower but for a bit further than have a short and gasping for breath run), but up to half marathon is long enough I think.

*I was sent the sensitive skin products in exchange for a mention on my blog. All opinions are my own.