Category: Running

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?

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?

This week, because I was running a 5 mile race on Wednesday, I skipped the club run and went out on my own- I was going to do 2 miles (as I didn’t want to do too much as it was again on consecutive days) but I got a bit lost and ended up doing 3.

For the final week of term (which was not at all “winding down” as some people think- I had 7 meetings this week to fit around normal teaching…) I was given some lovely gifts from co-workers and the children, including this lovely cream tea kit.

It contained homemade scones, a tea bag, coaster and mini jam pot- I decided I would have that after my race.

I could not decide on what to eat during the day, and poor planning ended up in a fail- I had a mini bagel for lunch in the end (toasted) and then a piece of toast when I got home-I didn’t get back until 6, and I needed to leave before 6.45.  Anyway, worse things have happened at sea.

I did this race last year and so I knew it would be the type of low key event I love. I drove and parked and within 5 minutes of parking I had picked up my number and found my crew.

I decided to not look at the time I did last year as I didn’t want any pressure, I just wanted to enjoy it (despite all the pictures looking like I was having a grim time, I promise I loved it!). The weather had been overcast but it was pretty good running weather (for July).

The start is next to the lakes in the park (around 3km of the regular parkrun course) and while we were standing at the start line we saw a teeny frog hopping about in the grass. I don’t mind frogs but I don’t want to touch them, and we tried to shoo it out of the way but it was hopping nearer the middle of the crowd. Luckily a guy stood near us picked it up and put it on the other side of the tape, so it was saved- phew.

Back to the race- it starts on a hill which is pretty mean! I actually had thoughts of walking, but then told myself off. I really should have warmed up a bit….

It’s a very up and down route with lovely views of the park, and the first mile and a bit are away from the parkrun route (to the old oak tree) so it’s good to have a change of scenery and not feel like you know it too well. It felt fairly muggy once we got going and I kept wiping my face with my sleeve as sweat was pouring all over my face. At the 2 mile point you run back through the start area, and we could see the kids finishing the fun run (which started right after the main race).

The route is hard to explain- starting in the middle with three out and back loops each time returning to the middle before beginning the next loop.

I knew there was a big hill coming but could not remember where, as the next bit was in a part of the park that is still usually closed to the public (unlike the oak tree part where you can walk or run there any time). I’d already decided I was walking up the hill- my legs felt tired and I think I probably hadn’t had enough to drink during the day.

When I reached the hill I ran up around 1/3, walked, and then when I got close to the top started running again.

Then after a very steep downhill it was onto to the final couple of miles- it follows the end of the parkrun route, up the finish hill, and then back through a field towards the race start/finish area- a lovely downhill and flat part, and the sun even came out.

I’d packed a few coins in my pocket as I knew the coffee van would be there, and so as soon as I finished I headed to the queue- I really fancied a chai latte.

I bumped into Elaine (my running friend from our Sweatshop days) and we chatted for ages- I love this sort of thing about running.

The OH crew then came to find me so we could have our medal photo- no idea what I am looking at!

Then it was time to head home- it was the most gorgeous sunset. I checked my results- 49.37- not too shabby on a fairly undulating course. Strava told me I was trending slower on this route, with a very downward looking graph (I think it is always the same steepness) but in fact when I looked I had 49.43 chip time last year so I did in fact get a course pb.

After a shower I sat down and enjoyed my scones- they were delicious.

Onto the rest of the week. Last Tuesday (Prime day) I finally relented and ordered a new Garmin. My old one is 5 years old (I think- it’s the only one I have ever had) and it is starting to peel away from the strap a bit, and does not always locate satellites very quickly, plus I fancied one with bluetooth so I don’t need to plug it in to upload my runs each time. Anyway, it turned into a hoo-hah because each time I logged on it would say “arriving tomorrow”- for a whole week. In the end I called up and they said it had been lost in the post so they sent me a new one.

I was very excited when it finally arrived on Thursday (over a week later)!  I had a bit of a play on Thursday but in the end decided to charge it up and work it out at the weekend.

Friday was the last day of term (hooray)- one of my colleagues drew me this amazing Totoro card- she knows me so well! This mini orchid is beautiful and is going to go in my office once I have sorted out a bigger desk.

After dinner we had a walk around while I wore my new watch- I had a bit of trouble sorting out the bluetooth but once that was sorted it was very easy to use, and I love that it sent the run to Garmin/Strava right away- I don’t mind when I am at home but I always worry about the run not saving properly once there are a few on there, so if I am on holiday it will stop that from happening. Plus it turns out it is also a step counter and activity tracker so it can replace my vivofit (which is nearly 3 years old).

Do you like frogs? I like seeing them but I am worried about treading on them- when I was little I thought I was jumping from stone to stone, and just before I landed, the “stone” hopped away, and the thought of what it would have felt like was traumatic for me (and of course I don’t want to kill a frog). Are you good with technology? I still feel like everything moves a bit too fast- as soon as I work out how to use something, it has been replaced (I hand wrote all my A level coursework as it was quicker than typing, and only really started using computers and even emails when I was at uni- how times change!).