HNY 2008

I like making New Years resolutions – and sometimes I keep them! 2007’s was to try new stuff – which I think I achieved – skating, sailing, sea kayaking (OK – that was more of a revisit).

Some of my 2008 resolutions:

• Stop picking up plastic bags at supermarkets
• Run a 10K in sub 55 minutes
• Nail the elusive 3 turn at skating
• Continue to try new stuff

That’ll do for now! I've resisted the temptation to add in any weight/diet related objectives, but I'm now in the position where I really can't afford the new wardrobe that gaining fat would require.

Another popular activity for Jan is to think about holidays. We’ve been horribly organised with our holidays for ‘08 – and have 3 booked plus a mini break. Austria in June (mountain biking & rafting), Scotland in July (mountain biking & trying out our inflatable kayak) and Croatia in September (sailing and even more mountain biking). Mini break is a very unjustifiable weekend in Cornwall to celebrate our wedding anniversary in August.

Sometimes it's bad

Sometimes it's good
Sometimes it's bad
Living with a cold - it's driving me mad

Ran today - well, I tried to. At 3.4K, had pain in my chest so walked. Desultory 34mins to do 5.3K. Chest pain when I got home - and back pain - and a strong desire to sleep.

So I guess I'm not over my cold yet!

Festive Offsetting

That's offsetting overindulgence in food & booze as opposed to offsetting our considerable carbon emmisions this year....

We headed off to the Welsh borders on Thursday 21st to see Brother-in-Law & family. Had a wander on Friday around the Hoffman Kiln at Llanymynech - an amazing 150' long cloister like structure built in 1898 to extract lime from the local rocks. I ran mini races with our nephews J & B - I have to exert a little effort now to keep up with 7 year old J. His throwing & catching is already way ahead of my abilities!

Headed up to Corbridge later that day to my parents'. Short 3 mile walk on Saturday afternoon with Husband that finished in the dark following the line of Hadrian's Wall.

On Sunday, we did a mountain bike route on Blanchland Moor - 26.6K with challenging singletrack sections, a killer hill and lots of ice. It added different dimensions to our riding to decide whether to ride over sheet ice (would it take the weight, short enough to keep at least 1 tyre clear etc). I managed to fall over rather than off - slipped whilst gingerly carrying my bike down a steep slope covered in ice - I have a big bruise on my arm to show for that! Loved the challenge of the ride but I'd like to try it again in the summer.

Short walk with Dad, Husband and Baby Sister's family on Christmas Eve. Dad's walking has been hampered badly this year by knee problems and a hernia so it was just a short on road wander. 2 year old nephew J was fascinated by the inquisitive goats we saw.

I went running with Middle Sister later - 4.4K around the village - good natter as well as a much needed breath of air.

Road ride on Christmas Morning with Middle BIL and Husband - Hexham/Acomb/Fawcet Hill - great start to the day with views up the valley. When we got back, I went running with Middle Sister again - 4K this time along the Tyne where we saw a sparrowhawk. I was feeling very sniffy afterwards & this has now morphed into a head cold. I think my nephew D had the same thing but he was much more poorly with scarily high temperatures.

And all this has probably done very little to offset the vast quantities I ate/drank!

Rode to work today - not sure I'm going to make the gym later on as I've been sneezing & producing snot in vast quantities....

Last BC of 2007

Only 9 of us at Body Combat - lots of space, but we made much less noise than usual. We did the full new routine - more kicking than before which is good.

Gym & Commuting

Gym was horribly hard work last night - I think I'm paying the price of overeating over the last week! Husband has gained 2lbs and I'm too chicken to get on the scales - so will be reverting to healthy eating post Xmas. Stepper, treadmill and 3 weights machines (rower, incline chest press and leg press).
Have cycled to work every day this week, so I guess it could be worse....

So behind

I've been neglecting both my blog and exercise of late - so here's some of the stuff I've been up to and an early resolution to not let it slip again!

• Skating - lots of! Failed level 6 again on the three turn. Skated in a paddling pool at Winchester. Skated with Baby Sister and fabulously slidy Nephew at Marwell - both did really well although Husband rescued Nephew from the ice after a few chaotic circuits.


• Running - none except on the treadmill a couple of times


• Body Combat - Instructor fell off the back of the stage but heroically carried on with a bashed knee.

• Cycling to work - some - pleased coz I've been getting into work for 8 which means leaving home in the dark. Husband has been heroically keeping the bike roadworthy - I didn't realised my rear brakes had seized....


• New Forest bike ride with Husband & M for his first post hand op ride (he'd damaged his hands saving orphans from a burning building - at least that was what he was saying down the pub). Vale Views - M came off and I rode down all the scary bits for the first time. Very cold day.


• Pseudo exercise - oodles! Boogying at the office party [incurring weird scratches on my arms courtesy of my short sleeved sequin encrusted dress], walking from Oxford Street to Covent Garden & back again laden with Christmas shopping, housework - getting home straight enough for guests on Saturday night.

Birds on the Exe

We did get to Torquay eventually!

• Pleasant walk with Husband & Mum-ish on the beach on Saturday (24th), but it's not good that Husband's Dad's fishing sessions down there may be threatened as the carpark, pub & lots of land has been bough by a developer. He thinks the pier where he fishes may be unaffected but not being able to park close may make things more difficult.
• Ran to the beach hut on Sunday - glorious weather!
• In the afternoon, we went on a boat trip up the Exe. It was a bird watching trip with a local expert telling us what to look out for and info about the birds, many winter migratory visitors. Saw lots of avocets as well as brent geese, godwits, egrets, shags, lapwings, curlew, greenshanks and redshanks.

Summary of this week -

• Skating on Monday with G
• Cycled on Tuesday, Thursday & Friday
• Body Combat on Wed
  

Bike ride with Husband yesterday in the Forest. I increased the length of a loop we've done before from the Portuguese Fireplace near Emery Down to 30K. Fast & I was pleased to actually cycle through the ford at Rhinefield that's always been too scary before (the water was above my waterproof socks' cuffs so I did get wet feet). We timed it well as the rain started as we were driving home afterwards. No punctures - for a change!

The Portuguese Fireplace story - in WW1, Portuguese soldiers were stationed in the Forest, felling timber for the war effort. As a gesture of thanks, the fireplace from their cookhouse has been retained and restored as an unusual war memorial.