Category: Running

Hey everyone- I hope you are all enjoying the Indian summer (well, last week anyway). I got back on Saturday lunch time, then Monday was back to work, and all my blog posts have been holiday ones. But I have been back to randomly taking photos (and back to running regularly too) so here is a whistlestop tour of the last week.

So, running:

Sunday- 6 miles= felt OK.

Monday- same 6 mile route after work= much harder.

Tuesday- 3 miles slow

Wednesday- Sweatshop run! Super speedy middle section (I jog there and back slowly)- 3 miles in under 30 mins!

Thursday- Body pump! I had forgotten about all those press-ups!

Friday- Rest

Saturday- 10 mile run. I took it super slow and steady, didn’t look at my Garmin (turned it around on my wrist so I was not tempted) and tried to run on “feel” more. Took me just under 2 hours, but I felt OK at the end and I think at that sort of pace I could continue for the 3 extra miles.

Sunday- Rest

Today- Just under 4 mile run after work. For some reason my plan said 7 miles! But then I remembered about the taper (I think I still get one even though I just had a holiday?) and also got home from work later.

I bet you missed seeing pictures of me just back from a run? Well here you go:

The red face is back! (I think that was after the second 6 mile run, and it was rather hot out there that day!)

I got my vest for the charity I am raising money for.

The GNR is just around the corner! Eek!

Food has been tasty:

Yummy quinoa chickpea salad with a lime/coconut dressing (well lime juice, agave and dessicated coconut), with spinach, artichoke, basil tofu and dried mango. Sort of tropical fused with Italian! Had the leftovers for 2 lunches too.

Lovely chai latte (celestial seasonings Bengal spice teabag, vanilla soya milk and a splash of syrup I think) in my new cup, plus lovely energy ball bites by Something from Sarah.

Delicious sweet potato and pb, with a spinach and fig salad (yes there is some potato under all that pb).

Lovely post run breakfast of blueberries, chia seeds and muesli soaked in almond milk, topped with mango, plus coconut water.

Yummy granola to top my soaked muesli- love all the freeze-dried fruit.

My attempt at an acai bowl. We had these loads on holiday- this one (made 2) was made with: 2 cups frozen cherries, 1 big frozen banana (slice before I freeze them), tsp cocoa powder and a tsp vanilla bean paste whizzed up in the food processor. Served with chopped papaya, blueberries and banana, sprinkled with granola and drizzled with agave. It was pretty close to the ones we enjoyed in Hawaii.

There has also been lots of tea! Especially teapigs tea, as I have been sent some samples 🙂 Lovely Earl Grey tea (the best I have had I think)

Yummy Lemongrass- so refreshing.

And warming spiced winter tea for a cool autumnal evening.

I also missed baking while I was away, and boy I made up for it this weekend! After running 10 miles, doing some work, and housework, I then made batches of white chocolate peanut butter blondies, another batch with added coconut, some peanut butter and strawberry fudge, and some dark chocolate orange brownies! Phew!

Then I bagged them up ready to take to work, to help persuade people to sponsor me. The little tags have the website on them. They covered my dining room table I cannot believe I made so many! Hopefully I will manage to raise some more funds for the charity.

Right, that is enough for now! I have been catching up on the Great British Bake Off (love it)- might try to squeeze in an episode before bed time.

Night 🙂

Packing my suitcase, and emptying my fridge that is!

Well the last few days I have been trying to use up everything (no photos again because for some reason I can’t get it to upload). Yesterdays breakfast was lovely- Alpro plain yoghurt, doughnut peach, and some pumpkin tea bread with pb. (I made the pumpkin teabread with 1 cup dried chopped figs, 1 cup raisins, soaked in 300ml tea, plus one cup of pumpkin puree, 2 cups flour, 2 eggs..)- delicious.

Last night was a Sweatshop run- we did a route that was about 3.2miles, and I kept the front of the group in sight- made it back in 31.35! Pretty fast, especially as it was hot!

Finishing that I had a lovely dinner of balsamic tofu (I pressed the tofu and then soaked it in balsamic and dried basil before baking) with a salad of beetroot and avocado- things that needed using up!

I have been sorting out things at the allotment a bit- some weeding, planting a few more plants, picking mountains of raspberries (and now eating them as they needed using up!).

Today I was packing (and waiting in for a parcel) and went out for a slow 4 mile run (in the baking heat this afternoon)- soon I shall be running along the beaches, or something like that.

I am taking my running shoes on holiday with me- I have never done this before, and usually take the opportunity to have a rest from running on holiday, as I think a rest makes you come back with more enthusiasm. Plus we always walk a lot on holiday- we are not ones for lounging about- we do a lot of sightseeing, so I never want to be tired from a run during a long walk or something. But this year I had a rather long enforced rest, and I am concious that when I get back I have 2 weeks before the GNR- not long to get up to that distance (13.1 miles- eek).  Andy is taking his too, so we are hoping to have a couple of runs together each week- not much, and not extending anything, but hopefully it will minimise the fitness loss. That is the plan anyway.

Our holiday is a rather special one- at Christmas we were meant to be going to New York, Washington and Philadephia for Christmas (and then to the beach in Florida) but as I was in hospital we had to cancel. Andy promised me that if we had to cancel it, we would go to Hawaii, and that is where we are headed! We have a stop in Vancouver, so are off to Whistler tomorrow, and then after that to a few of the Hawaiian islands- I cannot wait- might even get to visit the Dole pineapple plantation and see a volcano! Eek! Better finish my packing 🙂

Do you have any trips planned this summer?

Anywhere you can recommend?

Hey- I hope everyone loved Super Saturday and am not getting fed up of me raving about the Olympics yet!

Where did I last leave you? Friday I was at a wedding all day- it was lovely, there was no rain, I spend the whole day with some fab friends- wonderful stuff…

Saturday the plan was a 12 mile run. Recently I have been going out before breakfast, so I decided to do that. It did not go so well. I will not ramble on (really?) but it was hard. The weather was muggy which didn’t help, but I felt like I had no energy- I walked several times which is very unlike me, and I even had to stop for the toilets at one point. Andy caught me up again and ran with me for a bit which was nice, but I just wasn’t feeling it. It started raining lightly after about 5 miles, then eased off, but then when I was about 1-2 miles from home it poured down- torrential rain. First the rain washed all the salt off my face and into my eyes, then the rain filled my eyes (had to take my glasses off) and at points I could not see because my eyes just could not get the water out. In the end I cut it a bit short and did just under 11 miles, but it was a struggle. I was quite fed up when I got home, but in reality I know that I had not slept enough, and had not eaten normally the day before (wedding meal in the afternoon, slice of cake in the evening), and probably had not drunk enough either. Anyway, as I keep saying, I just want to enjoy the GNR, and so what if I have to walk a bit??

Breakfast could not come soon enough! Nectarine, raspberries, muesli, maple cereal, chia seeds, almond milk, topped with soya yoghurt and pb.

I spent the rest of the day chilling- watching some sports on TV, popping to town to pick up my new glasses, then spent the evening at Andy’s parents- I was so excited during Mo’s race! I really didn’t think he would do it- I thought he would do better in the 5000m so it was even better!!!

This morning we headed into London- we made pretty good time- leaving home at 9am and getting to Tower Bridge at about 10.

When we came out of the tube station it was very exciting to see the logo on the bridge.

(Andy’s camera for most of these as the battery ran out of mine after 3 pictures!)

You can almost see the colours here!

We walked over the bridge to by the Tower of London, and then it started raining very hard!

See those black clouds- they were on their way to us!

We waited in the shop for a bit, and then when it eased off we walked up to the course. Then it started raining hard again, and we still had a while before it started (and we were near the end of the loop bit) so we headed down to a Starbucks for a warm drink and a sit down. Just in time, as it poured even harder.

At about half 11 the rain had nearly stopped, so we went back up to the course. I was so jammy- the crowds were about 2 or 3 people deep, but the man I stood behind moved as soon as the runners went past on their first lap, and then a child moved away, so I got right up by the barriers! Plus we could see them on the way past in both directions, as they ran up the road, turned and ran back down the other side.

Seeing the runners was so amazing- they are just so fast! Plus I hear about them all the time on marathon talk- I felt pleased that I actually knew some of them! All the crowd were cheering every single runner past, but there were big roars for the GB girls. I saw Freya Murray go through, and a little later Claire Hallisey, but never saw Mara (and only later I saw the news story that she pulled out after 5K- such a shame)- extra big cheers for them. The sun came out, and it ended up getting quite hot. After they went by the third time we started to wander to the river.

We saw a band playing very lively music, and walked passed one of the water stations too.

We walked over to St Paul’s, and I was so excited when we came across an Earl of Sandwich! We have been to these in America before, but never seen one in the UK! That was lunch sorted!

Just look at that blue sky- hard to believe it is the same day!

We then walked along the river (lovely views of the Eye and Big Ben etc) and then up to Trafalgar Square. Nelson was wearing a Union Jack on his hat!

A lot of it was still pedestrianised (as they had closed lots of roads I suppose) which made it lovely- much better as there were quite big crowds.

We also stumbled across a free exhibition of different Olympic torches- belonging to the Prince of Monaco. It was very interesting as they gave us a leaflet about all the torch designs- but we only took a picture of the London 2012 one.

Exciting stuff!

Finally we headed to the big Wholefoods- what a lovely shop. And yes, I managed to spend quite a bit!

Drinks- vanilla chai (love this and had just run out), plus mango and tropical coconut water.

Snacks- popcorn (for Andy), chocolate pretzels, yummy zest pesto.

Chocolate and things- pb, marzipan bars, coconut bounce bar, raspberry and coconut chocolate, earl grey tea chocolate, lucuma powder.

Plus some doughnut peaches- I have only ever had these in the US before and they are so good- had to have one as soon as I got home.

Then we headed home on the train, and collapsed in front of the TV for some more sporting action!

Phew!

I am hoping to have a run tomorrow morning before I go into work, but I looked just now and my trainers are still soaked from yesterday. I have put them in the airing cupboard with some newspaper, but might have to wear my old ones I suppose if they are not dry.

Did you watch any of the women’s marathon today? What did you get up to this weekend?