General ramblings - Maria Runs

IKEA trip and not-quite a parkrun sandwich

On Saturday I had a brilliant time at the athletics, but I’m going to do that in a separate post, so on to the rest of the week.

On Sunday I was up early for a run- I decided to run along the old railway line and back as I wanted to be home for about 10am so I could just turn around when I had got as far as I could go. As I got to the path I saw an animal on the path ahead- at first I thought it was a fox, but then it jumped and I realised it was a small deer. It jumped up to the bank on the side of the path and then stood still, so I walked over, but as I went to get my phone out of my belt it hopped into the bushes.

Andy’s dad came over to help with some bits in the garden, and then we tackled the rest of the wallpaper (the steamer ran out just as we reached the very final strip of paper!).

I bought this cup last summer but had totally forgotten about it until this week- it’s fab as it has an infuser basket and a lid, which can double as a sort of coaster for the basket. I have a lot of loose leaf tea but I don’t always drink it as it is a bit more of a faff. I have been loving this tea which is rooibos with almond and coconut- plus as it isn’t black tea I can re-use the leaves later in the day.

On Monday Dad came over to help with the decorating (he is so keen to do this which is great)- we finished the last few bits of wallpaper (there were a few tiny patches here and there) including getting most of it out from behind the radiator. He had a brilliant tip which was to soak a tea towel and then put it behind the radiator, pulling it up and down- this was brilliant and I have managed to get all of the top layer out and most of the bottom layer too. While I was finishing that, Dad sanded down the walls and woodwork.

We enjoyed a cup of tea (and some of those lovely wafers) in the garden as a well earned rest, before painting the ceiling.

Dad was itching to paint the walls but we need to leave that until the fireplace has been sorted.

On Tuesday I headed out on a 5 mile run – I’ve pretty much perfected the route now, although I thought I could detour through a park but could not find the path to the right exit so I think I ended up cutting a corner there somehow. I was then off to brunch at The Waffle House- I had the banoffee one which is a waffle topped with sliced banana, toffee sauce and flakes of chocolate.

The weather was gorgeous so I decided to stop at Heartwood Forest on my way home and have a walk around.

They are doing something to the car park though so it ended up being a bit stressful as the entrance is along a road with passing places, but all the passing places were closed, and on either side is a big ditch so you can’t even pull onto the verge- I got a bit stuck between a lorry and a people carrier when I was leaving. Anyway, the walk was lovely but next time I’ll park in the village!

So, when the weather is lovely, it’s the perfect time to buy winter running kit right?

Tribesports were having a sale, and I really like their kit (and my beloved Thoosa winter tights have seen better days) so I got a pair of thermal tights, a long sleeved top and a long sleeved jacket (they both have thumb holes! I am so easily pleased…). I do find their sizing a big difficult to work out though. On the parkrun milestone range (the 50/ volunteer tops, plus the apricot range) the small is a perfect fit for me, leaving me a bit of room but not too baggy. It does say that the parkrun range is relaxed fit (or something to that effect) which is fair enough. Anyway before I had ordered some long sleeved tops and chosen a medium, which is basically the same size as the milestone small, so the medium has been fine.

So I got the jacket and top in medium- the top is fine but the jacket is a little snug- I laid them on top and you can see that the top is a fair bit bigger than the jacket- and I would think it should be the other way around as you are going to be wearing the jacket on top of other things? Anyway, it’s fine (I mainly can’t be bothered with the faff of sending things back)- it will keep me toasty in the winter!

After dinner on Tuesday we drove up to IKEA as I have decided to get a bigger desk for my office. In our old house my desk was in a sort of cubby in the spare room, behind the airing cupboard, and it fitted perfectly. But now I have a whole room to myself I could do with a bigger desk. The one I had before was a build-your-own desk; you choose the size of the top, buy separate legs and then the options of cupboards or drawers to go under. I had drawers on one side and the smallest table top (120cm I think) but really I need a bit of space next to my laptop for paperwork, so I got a 2 metre wide table top, and a second set of drawers to go at the other end.

I also bought a laptop stand as I think it will be better to have the screen more at eye-level. I did look for the standing desks but we didn’t have a great deal of time. It’s something I will look more into as now I have a bigger desk I will have space for something like that.

My favourite bit of IKEA is the little food shop at the end- last time I got some organic mixed berry jam and it is really tasty, so I went to get some more of that. I found cloudberry jam (I had only heard of them as they were mentioned in my Hygge cookbook), and those green things are basically marzipan filled chewy oat things so I was never going to not buy them. At the moment I am reading “A Year of Living Danishly” and so I could not resist the mini cinnamon rolls either (they seem to eat them a lot in the book).

There is a new half marathon taking place at Knebworth House (by Stevenage) in the autumn, and after thinking about it for ages I signed up. I then panicked about not being able to run that far, so I decided to attempt a much longer run as I had some time on Wednesday morning. I was pretty sure that I did a half marathon in December last year with a parkrun sandwich to Ellenbrook Fields, so I decided to run there, do the parkrun route and then run home.

I set off later than I had intended as we had got back very late from IKEA the night before, and of course there was the usual pre-run faff of getting enough podcasts etc.

I actually enjoyed most of the run, and made it to the parkrun course just fine. It was pretty good weather as it was fairly overcast and not too warm.

I forgot to turn back at the end of the first little loop (it’s one small loop which goes back to the finish, and then a big loop repeating some of the first loop, so when I got back to the start/finish area I was a little under my target distance. I felt so thirsty though. Recently they have had a stand pipe fitted, with a dog bowl at the bottom. I spent ages looking at it, (and then a bit more time trying to work it)- first I splashed my face with it and then I decided to risk it and have a little drink (from the pipe, not the dog bowl I must add)- it’s a new pipe right? Then, even though by that point I was at 7 miles and had only 5 to run home, I decided to head back. Then I spent most of the run home worrying about the water that I had just drank in case it wasn’t drinking water…

(I was fine though, just very thirsty)- in the end I did 12.2 miles, but it took me ages- 2.15. I was questioning how on earth I managed a half marathon in less time than that, but of course races are different, and I haven’t been training for anything, I have just been pootling along and enjoying running, so I managed to talk myself out of the panic after a bit. The half isn’t until November so I think you can agree that I was being a bit irrational.

By the time I’d had a shower it was basically lunch time, so I went for a big brunch- soya yoghurt with cherries (I’d defrosted them before my run= more pre-run faff) and almonds, coconut water, tea and a pain au raisin- these are brilliant as they are frozen and take about 20 mins to cook= shower time.

I had a few hours to plough through some work before heading into town as I had a massage booked. I have been trying to go about once a month or once every 3 weeks when I can afford it, as I find it helps so much. I get terrible tight shoulders, and it also keeps the hip issues at bay. The lady I see (Katie) is brilliant- it feels like a treat as the room is lit by candles and she plays zen-like music, and there is a diffuser with lemongrass and other lovely scents. Most of the massage is relaxing and wonderful, but some points are not exactly painful, but not such a treat as she works through the knots. This time she paid a lot of attention to my lower back and it really felt like bliss (for the most part). I notice it so much too- I reverse onto my driveway and as the weeks go by I find it harder and harder to look over my left shoulder- I’m nearly as good as new when I get back from a massage!

On Thursday I had to stay in as we were having the log burner fitted- I spent the morning taking apart my old desk, building my new one and then moving the shelving unit (which meant take all the books off, move the shelves, then put it all back on again). Now I have two sets of drawers I feel like I can be so organised- I have one drawer just for sharpies and highlighters at the moment!

After the builders left I walked into town for some fresh air I was getting a bit of cabin fever! Friday morning has been the same so far ( they are finishing off) but I am hoping for a run before lunch as I think they will only be here for a few hours.

Do you buy clothes online? And if so, do you have problems with the sizes? Do you do much work at home? Would you have risked a drink from the stand pipe?

The week where I remembered just how much I dislike steaming wallpaper!

Seriously, I don’t understand the appeal of wallpaper- it must be a pain to put up with mixing the paste and measuring the paper and making sure it goes up straight, not to mention lining up any patterns. I think we were lucky as our last place was a fairly new build, so when we decorated we just had to paint over the old paint.

(Ignore the big hole- we’re having a fire put in next week). Luckily my parents have a steamer so I had hours of fun this week – the wallpaper is so thick that it has to come off in two layers, and the top layer is woven which makes it a right pain. We are most certainly not going to be putting up wallpaper- the walls seem nice and smooth so paint it is- then at least if we want to decorate again we won’t have all this faff first.

So, what else has been going on this week?

I’ve had lots of nice runs- 5 miles on Monday before a lot of sorting of unpacking/washing and a walk to the shops, and 8.5 miles on Tuesday before visiting my oldest friend (not my oldest friend, but my oldest friend- we went to Nursery together) and her gang of children (5 of her own plus 3 she was looking after..)- it was so lovely to catch up.

It poured on Wednesday- I think we had a months worth of rain in one day. I needed to post a letter, so I decided to get some fresh air and walked for about 1.5 miles. I had to shelter under a tree for a bit.

I’d recently had my boots re-soled, and it turns out that they are not water tight against this sort of downpour- I had to change my socks and jeans when I got home. What are you playing at August?

One of my friends was visiting later in the morning and she brought along these amazing galaxy caramel cupcakes (she is a brilliant baker and has a lot more patience surrounding piping than I do!).

Then, as it was still pouring, I decided an afternoon of baking was required.

I have wanted to make this for ages- Earl Grey tea cake- it has ground up tea leaves in it as opposed to “normal” tea bread which is dried fruit soaked in tea- this had no fruit in it which surprised me- it did have lemon zest in the icing though.

It didn’t have much tea in it, but it’s really speckled inside. I also made two tea bread cakes (the proper ones where you soak dried fruit in tea) for my parents and for Andy’s brother and wife (they’ve just had another baby).

On Thursday after another 5 mile morning run (I have nearly perfected my route now) I went to see my parents for lunch (and to pick up the wallpaper steamer), and had a wander around Heartwood Forest, to scope it out as we were planning on parkrunning there on Saturday. I also managed a big weeding session where I filled our green bin with brambles and assorted twigs. As Andy finished work fairly promptly we headed over to St Albans for dinner at The Waffle House (a waffle topped with hummus, avocado, tomatoes and sweet chilli sauce) and then a walk around the lakes.

Then on Friday it was all the wallpaper stripping.

Some fresh tomatoes with my lunch (grown by my parents- and you can never leave their house empty handed) before more pre-decorating.

I’ve done just about 3 walls, and the final wall is mainly porch doors so it won’t take long (hopefully)- I’ve saved the rest for Sunday now.

I also had a little post pre-decorating treat of some of these wafers- I love them and bought a few packs from Vienna- basically they are a bit like wafers with nutella inside each layer.

Do you have wallpaper or paint at home? Do your parents like to insist that you take something home with you? Usually I get given eggs, but their hens were eaten by a fox and they got some chicks on Friday but they are not quite old enough to lay eggs just yet. Do you like tea bread or tea cake?

The Life Changing Benefits of Cross Training*

Hello- I am back from Austria and Germany, and will post about that in a bit. In the meantime I have a guest post about cross training:

Cross training is one of the best ways we can keep fit. The benefits of cross training, from survival fitness to premium endurance fitness are too amazing to ignore, so today we are sharing all the fantastic ways that cross training can change the way you approach exercise and can benefit your life in general.

What is Cross-Training?

Cross-training is a training regime that combines several different forms of exercise, usually a combination of variations of swimming, running and cycling. Most athletes focus their attention on improving and perfecting just one sport, and that is of course understandable. However cross-training actually helps athletes to improve their overall performance and fitness, leading to greater levels of sporting success.

Prevent Injuries from Overuse

It is normal for anyone starting a new sport to want to go all in and completely dedicate themselves to that one new and exciting sport. However putting all your energy and time into one specific sport can result in all sorts of injuries that can have you out of practice and recovering for weeks on end.

Quite often your muscular fitness can’t quite match up to your aerobic fitness and that is where some of the problems lie. Cross training can help prevent that from happening. It will help to ease you into new activities and exercises. You can begin running to build up your leg muscles, then you can cross that training with swimming to slowly but surely improve your aerobic health and you can them mix that with cycling for a low-impact endurance sport.

Challenges & Experiences

Getting involved in cross-training will open up a whole new world of exciting new fitness challenges that will have you boldly travelling around experiencing new levels of fitness as a way to see the countryside, different cities and new countries. Everything from London to Paris bike ride, from triathlons across Europe, marathons in foreign cities, to swimming the English channel. Getting involved in different types of sports will naturally have you itching to show off your new skills, and challenge yourself to keep building on them, by getting involved in a wide range of different challenges in your local area and abroad.

Maintaining General Fitness

If you only ever practice one sport your body will never have a natural and healthy balance. Look at bodybuilders for example, they don’t do cardio workouts and the result is that they are enormous. This makes them lack flexibility, endurance and overall mobility and speed. Same with runners, they are associated with really lean bodies that don’t have the upper body strength that other athletes will have. In order to have a more well balanced overall health and fitness you will need to find a balance between endurance and strength and cross-training gives you just that.

So as you can see, getting involved in cross-training is a no-brainer for anyone who wants to take their fitness to the next level, whilst being kind to their bodies and building stamina, fitness, endurance and strength.

Do you cross train? How do you keep a balance in your fitness? I used to cycle a bit, but I have lost confidence riding on the roads and so haven’t for a few years now. I get very antsy if I am not active each day, so I tend to have a walk if I am not running, as I can’t really run for more than 4 days a week. I used to love body pump classes as some strength, but I have swapped that for yoga, which I think suits my needs better as it works on strength but also flexibility.

Bingo for parkrun! And a few random purchases

I follow a lot of the local parkruns on facebook as it’s a good way to see if there are events cancelled, anniveraries or new events coming.

Wimpole recently posted a parkrun bingo card which I found very amusing:

They have produced it to encourage people to volunteer, as they have said if you tick 12 or more boxes you can exchange it for free cake in September. However, a lot of them are to do with running (thank all the marshals/ smile the whole way around/ beat your highest finish/ run the whole route with a friend).

I always get the Bluebird Tea emails as I love their teas, so I was very excited when they advertised sticky chai. It’s black tea, spices and agave (to preserve it I think). Now, from the directions it makes it sound like it would be all ground down, and it tells you to add it to hot milk for a ready made chai latte.

The trouble is, it’s actual tea leaves and big bits of spices- I wasn’t expecting that! It smells amazing but when I added it to the milk I realised too late that I needed to strain it really. Ah well, next time I’ll know.

Now, I love Pip and Nut nut butters as their smooth stuff is proper drippy pb, and they do some interesting combinations too. I was excited when I saw they were starting to do almond milk- I tend to go for the Rude Health almond milk, and sometimes Alpro stuff. It was on offer on Ocado so I got one plain, and one with honey and vanilla. Sadly, the honey and vanilla one curdled in hot drinks and even when I used it on muesli it separated in a weird way. It was only something like 2% honey so you couldn’t taste it (and I don’t like things too sweet so I am not sure why I went for it anyway). The plain stuff has not curdled usually, so long as I pour it slowly into my tea. I might try it again later on, but for now I think I will stick to the two brands I usually use.

What would you put on a parkrun bingo card? What was the last thing that disappointed you?

The start of the summer! And all the iced tea….

From the Twinkl facebook page (not a typo- they miss of the e and it annoys me every time I type in the website address)

Yes, the summer is finally here! After the parkrun tourism on Saturday I went on a long run on Sunday morning (8 miles), somehow managing to miss all of the rain. I took on the big hill again, and managed to get to the top without stopping which pleased me immensely.

I got a Strava segment “PR” down this path

To celebrate the summer I stopped off at Starbucks (I finished my run in town to get some cash out, and I was feeling very thirsty so after I saw they were open I got an iced tea, although running the final mile carrying it was not so easy…)

Sitting in my garden after was the perfect treat, and a good way to cool down.

On Monday I was in work for the morning (well, until 2pm) and then we had an afternoon tea for a colleague who was leaving. It was in a garden centre so I had a mooch around the plants outside, as I had arrived early. It was all very relaxing and a good start to the holidays. When I got home I had a pile of laminating to do, so I sat in the living room watching some of Wild Alaska while I powered through the pile.

On Tuesday I was back in work again for the morning, and then after getting home and having a spot of late lunch, I headed out on a run. I’d mapped out a route (I wanted to get to the big hill from the other side to see about doing a loop)- the map thought around 9.5 miles.

It was warm out- I’d worn fairly long capris and a t-shirt, and within 10 minutes I was wishing I had opted for a vest- I really do not know what I was thinking.

I ran down to the lakes and then, after a little stop to look at maps on my phone (as I nearly headed off in totally the opposite direction) got to the other side of the big hill, to run up it and then down it, before looping back and running up the worst hill ever (it’s nearly 200ft in half a mile and it just is horrible). I do enjoy running I promise! By the time I got to town I had run 10 miles, and I still had just over a mile to get home again, so I stopped for a drink before running slowly home as a cool down. 11 miles was my longest run for ages- I think since doing the half marathon with Dad at the start of April. I am not good at running far in the summer! I also need to remember that mapometer is not that accurate especially once you go off road.

My new watch is going well, although I am having slight issues with the bluetooth. After it worked so well on Saturday (it uploaded to strava while Mum was cooking pancakes), the app on my phone seems to have a paddy if it loses the bluetooth connection. I spent ages turning the bluetooth on and off, trying to re-set it, and ended up having to pair it again. The Garmin app does seem to have trouble as I had given up synching my vivofit with it (I used my tablet instead) as a newer version just seemed to crash the whole time. I will experiment as I think it seems to prefer being connected the whole time, but in reality I don’t have my phone in my pocket so even if I go downstairs to the kitchen it will lose the connection, so I am not sure if I should just leave it off until I need it.

I’ve turned off the “move” alert as it vibrated and made a noise (very annoying in the cinema I would imagine, or a staff meeting….), and then for some time after that it was telling me each time I had an email or a facebook update. I’ve turned that off now too, as I don’t want my watch to be that smart!

It does, however, still link to my calendar. On Wednesday I’d been out for breakfast with the team from work, and then had a walk for an hour or so, before heading over to St Albans for a massage- I was fiddling with my watch in the waiting room and just seeing “summer holidays” and “massage” on the screen was relaxing!

After the massage I thought I would go off plan and try an earl grey and lavender iced tea, but it was not a good decision. I couldn’t put my finger on why, but it just tasted weird. I had been struggling with a headache on and off for the previous 2 days, so perhaps I just wasn’t feeling 100%. They do a rose and hibiscus one and I think I should have gone for that instead- ah well you live and learn.

After a 5 mile run on Thursday I had a blissful breakfast (a chocolate and almond croissant) while watching some of Wild Alaska Live. It’s making me want to go to Canada again (and yes, I know Alaska is not in Canada, but the scenery looks like British Columbia with such amazing wildlife).

We’re off to Austria for a week and I am not taking my running kit- I am hoping our days will be filled with walks in the fresh mountain air, and of course enjoying anything with marzipan. I do sometimes like to run on holiday but I feel like a break is a good thing (my heel, although not really painful, is still not quite right) and we’ll be keeping active with lots of sightseeing.

Are you a Friends fan? I feel like there is a Friends quote for pretty much any situation. Are you an iced tea fan? I prefer it properly brewed rather than the syrup stuff, but when you are hot and thirsty I am not going to complain. I’ve made some pineapple iced tea so I shall be enjoying that later. Do you like to run or exercise on holiday?