Author: Maria Runs

November?

How is it November? This means the C word is just around the corner! Crazy!

I’ve been making the most of the darker evenings by watching some TV shows-  we just finished Goliath which was really good (I think we watched one episode per evening until we finished it), and have  just started The Crown which (to someone who is not a fan of period dramas) seems interesting.

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The mornings have been very frosty recently. I had a lovely run on Sunday morning and enjoyed seeing all of the frosty leaves covering the ground.

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It was such a sunny morning- beautiful.

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I had to keep on stopping as I was having a whatsapp conversation about later in the day, so kept taking those opportunities to take pictures while my phone was out. After my run we spent some time in the garden (we have finally planted the apple tree), and I attempted to saw up some logs to take to work- this did not go as planned and I am not sure how I managed to do some without chopping my ankle off. Later the clouds rolled in and it absolutely poured- I was meant to be meeting friends for cake and a walk, but in the end the walk was abandoned and we stayed inside.

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Of course on Saturday morning I headed to parkrun- my dad decided to meet me at Panshanger (and actually made it this time!)- I was awake early so I did a few miles beforehand, before we ran together (both finishing with 29.00 as our time, on the dot), making it up to 6 miles for the morning.

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Instead of my nuun tabs, I have been having powdered coconut water after a run, sent to me from Proto-col. If I put some in the bottom of a glass and pour water over, I don’t even need to stir it which is brilliant. It does not taste the same as fresh coconut water, but it still contains the minerals and electrolytes so it’s great for re hydrating.

We’ve been doing some house things-  we got our immersion heater wired up so that if the boiler goes we can at least have hot water. Our bedroom curtains were fitted last week (Andy would normally do it, but we have two windows which were odd sizes, so we bought made to measure ones, and lining up two just seemed hard work..). Anyway, they make our bedroom so cosy, I love them! So much better than the office style blinds we had before.

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On the subject of that (sort of) I listened to a Late Night Woman’s hour podcast last week. I don’t tend to download one each day (or even each week), just when I think it sounds interesting. Anyway, this one was Lauren Laverne presenting, and the panel (including someone Danish) had a discussion about the latest craze hitting us, Hygge. It was a really interesting discussion, here if it interests.

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And finally, look at what Andy found! Well, it is November now….

Are you thinking about Christmas yet? (Yes, I said it, it’s out there now).  Are you enjoying the frosty mornings? I am enjoying my collection of winter hats!

*The powdered coconut water was sent to me in exchange for a mention on my blog. All opinions are my own.

A long weekend in Edinburgh

Last Thursday we headed up to Edinburgh for a long weekend. We had both been there a few times, but I think the last time I went I was still at uni, so a re-visit was long overdue. A few weeks ago Andy found a deal for first class train travel (which means bigger seats, a meal and drinks) for £30 each, which seemed like a bargain. We got the train from Kings Cross at 6pm, so spent the evening on the train, listening to the film podcast first, and then some others, before arriving after 11pm (the train got stuck behind a slower train after another train broke down and it had to take a different route, so it was a bit later than planned). We were planning on walking to our hotel as it was around a mile from the station but after walking a bit we ended up getting an uber.

On Friday morning we went out for breakfast at this amazing bakery around the corner from our hotel (Loudon’s)- I was spoilt for choice but in the end went for French toast with bananas and salted caramel sauce. So delicious.

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Loose leaf tea in little tea pots too, which is always a winner in my book. Andy had gone for scrambled eggs (his usual) but even he was envious of my choice- it was such good bread (home-baked) and really thick slices- not soaked and not too eggy. It was massive though (not sure the photo really shows it) and so he ended up finishing it for me!

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Good fuel for walking around the town. We walked along Princes Street (the main shopping street) and into a park at the end, up some steep steps for lovely views.

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We then walked along the Royal Mile, past all of the very touristy shops, up to the castle. Andy wanted to go into the Whisky experience, so we booked tickets for later that afternoon. We were both so full from breakfast so we shared a salad, before heading inside to warm up.

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The tour was actually quite interesting, and we got to see the thousands of varieties made in Scotland. Each ticket also got you two samples- we did ask if they did a cheaper one without, as I wouldn’t drink them, and they told us I could have Irn Bru instead- sorry Scotland but I’ll pass on that. Andy had mine! The seating area had great views too, and a map to show what you were actually looking at too. We then walked back along the main streets, before heading for an early dinner close to our hotel.

On Saturday morning I was off for my parkrun tourism.

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I was very glad of uber as I am not sure I would have managed to navigate the buses. However there were not that many around so I had to wait about 10 minutes at the end before one came- if I had realised that I would have booked one and then stretched and taken photos, whereas I waited until I had done all of that before booking it. Ah well.

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We headed to Loudon’s again, and I was going to have the blueberry pancakes, but then they said they were doing a Halloween special- French toast with nutella, banana creme fraiche, caramel sauce and m&m’s- I could not resist that! It also came with various jelly sweets which I asked to be left off because of the gelatin. I was so full after that! We needed a big breakfast as we were walking up Arthur’s Seat (and walking to the bottom from our hotel). There are some museums in Edinburgh but we were saving those for if it rained- not this time luckily.

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It was hard work!

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I even took my coat off as we were walking up as I got so hot. I soon put it back on again as the wind was very cold.

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We had lovely views across to the park we went to on the Friday- it also showed us how  far we had yet to walk as we were going back to the centre after.

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We didn’t need lunch of course, but we stopped for a cup of tea to warm up for a bit, and sat in the park with lovely views.

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On our way past Hotel Chocolat we saw a sign that advertised a seasonal special (the shop had a cafe in the back)- spiced hot chocolate with salted caramel (or something, I can’t quite remember). I could not resist that so we shared one of those- it was so good.

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Then it was time for dinner- we were both pretty shattered after all of that walking.

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On Sunday we were up early as we had to get the train back at 12.00- this time I had the blueberry pancakes (they were actually purple!) which I think came with banana and cherries. Of course it was delicious. We then walked into the centre and wandered around the town a bit. Annoyingly my back was really sore when I woke up, and so I was walking fairly slowly and not looking forward to sitting down all afternoon on the train.

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Going back down in the light was great, particularly further north as the train tracks were right by the coast. We saw lovely views, and mostly listened to more podcasts- really relaxing.

It was a great place to visit, and we are already looking at where else we can get to by train- Durham always looks great and the line goes through there so that might be next.

Have you ever been to Edinburgh? What type of city break activities do you like to do?

A Scottish parkrun

Last weekend we went to Edinburgh (I’ll do a separate post about that) and so on Saturday morning I had decided to visit Portobello parkrun, one of the two parkruns in Edinburgh, mainly because it was closer to where we were staying (cheaper Uber ride) but also the other one was an out and back along the coast and I didn’t know quite how windy that would be.

They start at 9.30am in Scotland, something I vaguely remembered from listening to the parkrun podcast, but I then spent a lot of time checking on other Scottish ones to check it wasn’t a typo- I didn’t want to get all that way and miss the start!

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The uber ride didn’t take too long and I got to the park at about 9.10. It was a gorgeous autumnal morning and the park was filled with red and orange trees, so I took a few photos while I hung around at the start. It was so cold- breath was hanging in the air, and I was so glad of the last minute  decision to bring my long sleeved top with me- I kept it on until the last possible moment.

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I thought I had read that they did a new runner’s briefing at 9.15am, but nothing was announced (and on checking their page I can’t see anything about it there), they just called everyone over to the start line a bit before 9.30. They had people holding up signs saying things like “sub 26/ sub 30” so people were in some sort of order which seemed to work well. Luckily I had read the course page and it wasn’t complicated (3 laps).

During the run briefing they celebrated some 50th parkruns, clapped the tail runner, mentioned a few birthdays and then asked runners to keep left as it was a course with laps. This to me is fine- things should be organised. However, they then said that this was so that the faster runners could get past, which implies that their times are more important. This really annoyed me, as it inches towards being elitist. Yes, keeping to the left is sensible. But why is someone who can run an 18 minute 5k, but today is running 20 minutes more important that someone who is about to get under 30 minutes for the first time? As we were running this thought just went round and round my head. At some points the path was fairly narrow- enough  for 3 runners really, 4 if you were touching. Because of this I frequently found myself behind some slightly slower runners, wanting to overtake, but I didn’t know if faster people were coming behind. I would move out to get past, and then move back over, but this was not always easy, especially if I was going past people running together. My favourite part was when a lady (one of the runners) kept bellowing “KEEP LEFT” once the  faster runners were lapping, but she herself stayed in the dead centre of the path.  I don’t want to sound grumpy about it, but I just disagree with this. parkruns are not races, they are timed runs, and they are to encourage everyone, so everyone taking part is just as important as everyone else.  I do have to say that the runners who were lapping were very friendly, and most of them called out “passing on the right” so you knew if they were coming.

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I finished in 28.06 (155/253), and hung around for a bit before going back to the road to call another Uber.

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I particularly liked finding trees that matched my apricot vest! Fantastic views of Arthur’s Seat from the start line too.

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So, my 11th different parkrun (although really 10th, as San Francisco won’t count towards the 20 as it was abroad).

What do you think about lapped courses? Do you think faster runners should have priority?

Why running in the autumn is brilliant, plus some cake baking

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Or why walking in the autumn is brilliant.

I’ve been on a fair few runs over the past few weeks- I’ve only managed 3 per week instead of 4 because of various work things getting in the way.  (On a side note, I am quite relieved that I didn’t sign up for 100 miles this month, because for a couple of weeks I have come home on a Thursday totally exhausted, with work still to do, and so have had a gentle walk instead of a run- this is for overall balance of health). I’m also getting way behind with my podcasts because I have been running races or club runs on Sundays, and then I’ve missed my Thursday solo runs, and I don’t listen to podcasts at parkrun or on Tuesday club runs. Anyway, the runs I have managed have been fantastic.

Autumn seems to be coming much later at the moment- I remember years ago always going to see a fireworks show and being absolutely freezing, wrapped in so many layers with massive hats, gloves, scarves on. Now, yes it’s a bit chilly first thing, but it’s nowhere near as cold. So many trees are still green, and lots of them have only just started changing colour in the last few weeks.

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I listened to a Marathon Talk interview on one of my runs, with Ian Corless (who hosts the Talk Ultra)- and I think I am an ultra runner in the disguise of a (mainly) half marathon runner. Why? Well, I just enjoy the process of running. Yes, sometimes I aim for a faster time (I had that sub 2 hour half on my radar since I started doing half marathons) but actually, I normally run because I actually like it. This may be no big revelation, but recently I am coming across more people who see running as a necessary evil- I’ve even been called the duracell bunny by some of my club members (in a nice way) because I keep on going and am “always” running. It’s hard to explain to people who don’t feel the same way, but I just really do love running, and so I think 3 or 4 runs per week is a reasonable amount of running to fit in.

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Even on a grey day, the colours are just beautiful. I could have stopped every few metres on my run the other way as I just saw so many stunning trees, in so many shades of red, orange and gold.

I also find running in the heat of the summer very tough, so when it is a bit cooler (but not freezing- I don’t like slippery pavements and chillblains) running is even more of a pleasure. The air is fresher, and you can easily wear an extra layer to begin with, and tie it around your waist later on if you get too hot.

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There is the dog poo danger though- who knows what’s lurking beneath the leaves???

Plus, coming home for a hot shower and hot cup of tea is a lovely reward.

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(Or a hot chocolate.)

On Sunday morning I headed out to meet some of our club- the club were raising money for a local breast cancer care charity, and the fountain in Welwyn Garden City is always coloured pink during October for breast cancer awareness month. So the club had planned a pink run, and were donating money for each member who ran (and if you could not make the Sunday run, they asked for photos of people running at other times in the week, dressed in pink). As they were running from Hatfield I met them half way (and was given a tutu then)- as I was leaving the house I met my neighbour who was off to the gym, and had to explain why I was dressed head to toe in pink! In for a penny…

Anyway, we ran into the centre of Welwyn (lots of cars beeping at us on our way!) and were met by some club members who gave us a piece of pink cake to eat, before we posed for some photos in front of the fountain before running home. We posed as if we were checking for lumps, in the theme of breast cancer awareness. The club posted a message later saying they had donated £85, which isn’t bad for a little club.

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Onto the cake baking! I tend to make cakes if we are going to Andy’s family for Sunday tea, and as we have been away for a few weekends it’s been less regular.

A few weeks ago I made a lemon cake (while singing along to Muppets Most Wanted soundtrack).

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I filled it with some cream cheese icing- very delicious.

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More recently I made some lemon cupcakes and hazelnut brownies. Andy’s brothers and wives were coming over, so I used my cake stands- I think it might actually be the first time I have ever used the three tiered cake stand (don’t worry, I washed it when I got it out of the cupboard).

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We had to send them home with a bag of goodies too, as I did make rather a lot.

My favourite half term job (hooray for half term) is making Christmas cakes. Last year I think I had a bit of a problem fitting them in the mixing bowl (as I usually make a double batch as I make cakes for our families), but I have made them in two lots this year which has worked so much better.

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They smell so good when they are baking- it makes the house feel all cosy.

Finally, I made a toffee apple gingerbread cake (for this Sunday’s tea)- it was amazing. It’s from the CCC book Year of Cake- basically you cooked slices of apple (from our apple tree) in some butter and sugar, and then put them in the bottom of the cake tin. You then made a gingerbread cake mixture, and poured that over the top. Leave it for a few days makes the flavours get even stronger, so I enjoyed a leftover slice this week. You might just see a bit of apple peeping out of the bottom of the cake.

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Finally, (not to do with running or baking) Snow Fairy is back! I went into Lush to get some shampoo and was so excited to see the pink display! I love how this shower gel smells, so that (here we go, it can link) can mean I look forward to my post-run shower even more (yes, I linked it!).

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Are you a fan of autumn running? What is your favourite soundtrack? Are there certain things that you associate with this time of year? Snow Fairy and Strictly being on the TV signal that soon we can mention the C word…

Tring parkrun in the mist

This weekend was another one where my dad and I decided to be parkrun tourists. At some point we are hoping to run one of the Milton Keynes ones with my dad’s cousin, and this was one of the weekends where we were both free. As Brian (his cousin) could not make the date we decided to be tourists closer to home (Tring parkrun is in Hertfordshire) as neither of us were in a hurry to be home after. We had a bit of a to and fro via email (I had parents evening this week, plus a long training day, so no time for phone calls!) and in his final email I was invited for pancakes afterwards- yes please!

Google said it would be about 40 minutes past my parents, so I picked up Dad at 8am and we drove there. It was very foggy in places, especially as we neared Tring. The traffic was clear and the (free) car park was very easy to find. We arrived at 8.30 and it was very cold, so we sat in the car for 15 minutes before deciding we should leave and find the start.

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It was so foggy! The car park is a very short walk from the start, over a footbridge- very easy to find. The parkrun was very well organised (aren’t they all?) with lots of little added touches. For example, there was a sign on a stake with the parkrun logo and words to the effect of “First time here? Please speak to one of the volunteers in the high viz vests”- we ended up chatting to two first time parkrunners (a man and his son) before they did the new runners briefing. For the briefing two people did it- one held up a large (A1?) laminated map of the course, and this was pointed at to describe the various parts of their “flat” course…. I knew they were joking about that!

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They also had these lovely wooden posts with the parkrun logo- they had one at each km too, saying the distance, although they also had the traditional laminated sign in the ground as I suppose those colours stand out more.

At the briefing they had a few names to mention, including one guy who was getting married later that day- apparently on Friday night in the pub his friends decided it would be a good idea to run his first ever parkrun on the morning of his wedding!

After the run briefing  (where they said they didn’t know where the cows were because of the fog..) we were off into the fog- they had mentioned a hill in the first km, and we thought the first bit was it at first. We ran up a hill through a field, and then into some woods, and then the hill properly started! It was very steep and I was glad we could not see how long it was!

The first kilometre marker was at the top and I had lead legs already!  The ground was covered in tree roots so you had to focus on that too. We then ran through the woods (past a gorgeous wooden owl carving sign for a natural play area) and at times the trees parted for what we assumed would be spectacular views across the countryside- it was still so foggy!

After an enjoyable section on slightly easier ground, the course went steeply down a hill (towards a big monument or something) before going back into the open again. It then took us through fields back towards the start/finish area. They had mentioned that they had a pb bell (something else I think is brilliant) and as we were running we heard some people ringing it- this was great as you could send some telepathic congratulations to whoever was ringing it. It’s a bit tough being near the finish and knowing you still have 1k to run, but then there were lots of the faster runners out cheering people along.

From their facebook page- there was a marshal with about 0.5 km to go I would guess, taking loads of photos. 

Although we thought the hill was out of the way, just before the finish straight there was a short but very steep section- I did run up it but it felt more like comedy running as I am sure I was going slower than walking pace! Anyway, the final section was slightly downhill so we picked up the pace, both crossing the line with official matching times of 30.30 (I like the repetition in the numbers here).

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You can see from my Strava the steep uphill at the start of the course.

When we were getting our barcodes scanned, my dad asked one of the volunteers about the pb bell. She said seeing as it was our first visit to Tring, it would be our pb, so dad told me to ring the bell while he took my picture.

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Yes, I was very excited about ringing the bell!

The two new people who were talking to us at the start saw us at the finish, so we asked how they got on- his son had managed to finish 21st! How impressive!

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I thought that the fog had lifted a bit, but this was taken at the end and it doesn’t seem that different. We both had really wet hair along our hairline -covered in big drips from the fog.

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That’s the start/finish area taken from the footbridge on our way back to the car park.

We both said straightaway that we would love to re-visit Tring, when there is no fog so we can properly enjoy the views, and when my brother is free so he could visit there too. another successful new parkrun! I do love the one lap courses and the park seemed to pretty. The volunteers were a very friendly team, and although 176 people ran it, even the start didn’t feel congested as it started on wide fields.

Then Mum made us pancakes- the start to the weekend doesn’t get much better than that!

Has your winter kit started to come out? I thought I would run in my t-shirt but it was so cold I kept my long sleeved top on the whole run.