Had a Happy Christmas

I ran for the first time since the Mince Pie run - and I'm not feeling better for the break, indicating successful over indulgence over the last few days. My Dad's got great choice in beer, my middle sister makes great ginger puddings, my brother in law cooks fantastic pork, my Mum's mince pies & Christmas cake are the best, my other brother in law aided and abetted the beer drinking and even the sight of my littlest sister looking decidedly svelte didn't halt my calorie intake! So it's not my fault. OK, it is. A little bit.

I had to cancel all runs last week due to ice & snow. It was too snowy in Northumberland so my running shoes stayed in the suitcase & I scrounged a pair of walking boots from Mum. It's great having walking addicts as parents as there's always spare kit!

Walking was required between our lodgings at a pub and my parents' home - only about 10mins, but a slippy operation on ice and compressed snow.

Middle sister & I escaped for a brief moon/snowlit stroll on Christmas Day in a vain attempt to create more food space.

We did a more substantial walk on Boxing Day, heading down to the Tyne and the east along its south bank. My older nephews used this as an opportunity to try out their new wooden swords - very impressed that they restricted hits to dragons and other such monsters and not each other - or youngest nephew who joined us in a rucksack. Nieces headed back earlier with their Dad as it certainly wasn't very warm. As you can see in Husband's photo, the light, snow, mist and landscape all made for a memorable walk.

And more walking yesterday at a lake close to Belsay - just with Husband, Mum & Dad. The snow and frozen lake made everything monochrome - our colour photos could easily be black & white! Lots of swans & canada geese hung out on the only non frozen bit of the lake, competing quite viciously for vistiors' bread!

Top 40 update

Done:
2. Follow a crochet pattern - done with R's booties (very easy one though)
3. Crochet something wearable that isn't a scarf - done with R's booties
5. Make some homemade Christmas presents - done! Pity my female relatives!
10. Finished a George Elliot Novel - finished Mill on the Floss
17. Used my wii fit lots
26. Fixed a puncture all on my own (almost!)
33. Great South Run - done
35. A non-running WRN event - as the Mince Pie Run was more of a ginger balance/walk - and was much more about the mulled wine & mince pies, I figure it counts!
39. Slept in our tent

Failed:
6. Make something from foraged food - my sloe cheese was a disaster - so back to the drawing board

WIP
21. I've bought a water butt - haven't fitted it yet though
22. Loft insulation- you wouldn't believe how long clearing it out is taking!
25. Bought the paint for redecorating living room

9/40 - hmmm, plenty to be getting on with! I guess I won't need any more resolutions this year!

The Mince Pie Run

10 uf us braved the ice and cold today & ventured across the icefields of Bishopstoke for the Eastleigh WRN Mince Pie Run. Very slidy & icy so we mostly walked, fitting ina few jaunty runs where the conditions allowed. And as you can see from our shoes, a little muddy!

Back to mine for mince pies & mulled wine - expertly served by Husband - in our very warm dining room.

It was great to get the different runners in the different time groups together. And Husband was able to put names to faces at last!

Ice and mood enhancement

I haven't been feeling too good this week - been getting very anxious about a kazillion things that don't merit a high level of anxiousness. So it was great to get out for a pedal today in the Forest - and what a day. Blue skies, sunshine, little wind - crisp and icy. We were joined by Goldfish and did the route I think of as Kitty's route from Milkham. Lots of frozen puddles to crunch through. I'm not very brave with ice (or many other things) but managed to do a few - loved the sound of the ice breaking like glass. And as you can see in the photo, some of the ice wasn't crunchable! The boys whizzed past 3 deer really close to the trail - but at my sedate pace, I spotted them & we stared at each other for a bit before my camera scared them off. The ice meant that I didn't get as wet as last time - so although it was very cold, I stayed quite cozy in my layers. I am really appreciating my merino wool base layer and I put a pair of thermal leggings under therma cycling tights.

The ride did the trick with my mood and I feel much more relaxed now. I had been hoping that the treadmill last night would work - but no. It was a short but quite satisfying session with a nice solid 20mins of intervals. Husband should have been swimming but the pool was shut due to having been vomited in!

Just cycle commuting on Thursday, made a little more challenging by lugging 2 bottles of liqueur in my panniers.

Not to plan

I haven't exercised quite as much as I hoped this evening. Body Combat didn't happen - the services of the previous instructor were discontinued last week and a very apologetic gym manager explained that he'd messed up with sorting out a replacement for tonight. Irritating, but these things happen. I've got mixed feelings about the change - liked the instructor, but also love her replacement. So by the time I got to exercise, I just had 25 mins - 20 on the cross trianer and 6 on the stepper.

And no pedalling today as I had to go to Portsmouth for work. None yesterday as I went to London. I did walk to & from the station in freezing weather.

Very proud of the Beginners - they completed their 30 minutes last night with aplomb. More important than my pride, I hope that they are all feeling suitably proud of themselves.
Running was good on Monday too - with one of the Beginners doing her first WRN 5K.
All good!

Sunshine in Noss Mayo

I'm starting to feel Christmassy - despite the sunshine. We enjoyed this weird sun thing this weekend in Devon with the Fabulous In Laws.

Husband's legs withstood a 5ish mile walk near the intriguing named village of Noss Mayo on Saturday - loved the coast views from NT stretch called The Warren. Woodland with creek views through the trees, then up & over a hill back to the car. He was suffering afterwards though - shuffling when we popped into Dartmouth to see the Candlelit Christmas thing (great Irish band).

I got to do my favourite beach hut run this morning with my Fabulous Mother In Law. Nearly couldn't as I'd managed to leave my running tights at home - but despite being a svelte size 8, FMIL managed to find a pair of shorts my bum would squeeze into. I'm hoping that I haven't stretched them too much! We tried a variation that avoided the worst hill and involved some downwards steps - interesting, but I prefer the original.

Gym on Friday - new machines! All very impressive - individual TV screens and ipod docks - but its going to take me a while to adjust - wasted about 10mins faffing about.

Christmas party on Wed did involve a little dancing, but offset any benefit by feeling too delicate on Thursday to do anything except wii. Pedalled 3 days this week as I had 2 trips to Portsmouth. Running was fine on Mon & Tue - but low numbers which I'm attributing to Christmas!

My first puncture repair

Heavy rain through the week meant that choice of bike ride this weekend was restricted to Forest tracks - unless we wanted to spend hours ploughing through bog. Chose a route we haven't done for a while - another Kitty creation which combines classic forest fire tracks with a stretch of "proper" bridle way just south of Brockenhurst. The river you can see in the pic is normally a Husband-ridable-ford - even he didn't fancy it today. Several mushy bits but as it was New Forest silt as opposed to central Hamphire clay, it wasn't too claggy.
Big news is that I fixed my first puncture, with a little supervision. And it was a back wheel one. And I patched it rather than just swap the inner tube. Another Top 40 thing to tick off my list.
No deer, but some pretty birds at the beginning - loads of bluetits and a couple of nuthatches, and a v.handsome fox in the carpark at the end.

Other exercise this week - I tried tempo running with J on Monday. This consists of running faster than's comfortable. The benchmark is speech - normal steady runs have normal steady conversation. Tempo running means mono syllables - but not as fast as sprinting. We did it as a pyramid - after warming up & a steady paced start, we did 1 min at tempo followed by 1 min at steady pace. Then 2 mins at tempo, then 3. Decided that would do for now, so repeated 3, then did 2, finally 1. It went OK & we did the 5km in under 30 mins.
Cycled to work Mon-Thurs, but had a day off on Friday so heaved around 60L boxes of books instead.

Goggle Grump Update

• First pair - grey lensed speedo - lost.
• Second pair - black speedo - worked fine but cut into my eye sockets, making me look like a red eyed panda after a few lengths. Pain did take the edge off my swimming experience.
• Third pair - lovely lilac lensed speedo - leaked badly, causing pool rage to set in as I attempted to tweak every length.
• Fourth pair - considered stealing Husband's zoggs as they work perfectly - but instead bought my own at a ludicrous £17 from the gym shop. And they are perfect! Big lenses allow a degree of peripheral vision (a bit academic as I am a speccy four eyed creature and swim in soft focus). No leaking. Comfortable - even with hair/strap interface. Easy to adjust. Very happy!

41 lengths and I feel I'm starting to really get used to this head-in-the-water concept - so much that I was able to try & get my arms to perfom better. More upper body strength would be useful - I managed to burst into tears today when husband presented me with a too heavy box of books from the loft & I found myself stranded in pain half way up the step ladder. Not my most dignified moment! He did rescue me.

Uber Burley Loop

I had the chance to try out Husband's new Forest route today - which takes in some of our favourite sections from 3 different routes. Starting at Burley, old railway line to Brockenhurst, up to Emery Down & over to the Portuguese Fireplace via the hibernating Reptile Centre. Husband fixed puncture and I admired cute pigs. Up to Highland Water towards Milkham, then parallelling the dual carriage way before cutting underneath it, going back to Burley via a pretty bit with a pond. 39.15km and we got back to the car just as it started raining.

We were still drenched though thanks to loads of surface water - and I got cold - esp at the end. My top half was well insulated with a wool base layer and windproof top - but my bum and legs weren't warm after first soaking.

I also managed to burn 140 calories on the wii - not quickly - in between jewellery construction.
My knee and backside have been a bit achey this week so all I did after Body Combat on Wed was pedal to work & back.

Running went well on Monday - and I think I have the sessions scheduled OK for the Christmas break. I do need to do some research and thinking on training plans though - so the group can approach the Eastleigh 10K next year with a measure of confidence.

Why haven't I been to Bristol before?

Liked Bristol lots. Bit like Vancouver, Istanbul & Auckland (stay with me...) it's got water breaking it up at different angles and like 2 of the 3, has had lots of harbourside re-development. We had 2 objectives for the weekend - catch up with J who's in Bristol & try out the Thermae Spa in Bath. Hotel prices led to us staying in Bristol - and to be honest, I preferred it to Bath.
Lots of rain on Saturday. We got drenched waiting for ferries - but still enjoyed getting our bearings on the water.
Bit of a Brunel theme started - SS Great Britain was much more interesting than I expected. Husband told me about his Grandad being on HMS Exeter in WW2 when it was shot almost to bits, limped into Port Stanley & cannibilised metal from SS Great Britain's scuppered hulk to become seaworthy again.

Fabulous catching up with J & B that evening - and meeting their very cute son for the first time.

Got up a bit late on Sunday & walked over to Arnolfini to see a Climate Change art thing before breakfast in a cafe/bike shop. Then more Brunel - Clifton Suspension Bridge and a walk up to the Observatory for a better view.

Shopping in Bath was a bit disappointing, but the Spa was good. Busy, but apart from not having enough showers, it was well able to cope with the numbers. I loved looking out over the cityscape in the dimming light (and rain) from the rooftop pool - but goggles weren't needed. Very pleased that hugging Husband was socially acceptable in the pools - it was kind of romantic in an odd way. The water didn't smell bad - but didn't taste great - kind of old badoit! Steamrooms were very non-plastic and immaculate - although we couldn't tell which aroma was in each. The meal included with our package was better than we expected. I was surprised that we had to rush at the end in order to meet the 3 hour deadline - I'd expected to have exhausted its charms much sooner! My skin is now very soft and I almost relaxed. Not a cheap way to spend an evening - but enjoyed the experience - and it's another Top 40 objective ticked off.

A good week

It's been quite a good week for exercise. I pedalled every day except Wed. Got myself to Body Combat on Wed and to the gym tonight. And running on Tuesday was fine.

Feeling a bit achey in the legs and feet tonight - weirdly, foot ache went away when running. I did better on running intervals than any session over the last few months, keeping it up from 12 mins to finishing at 30. I'm going to have to do more though - way off my Eastleigh 10K target pace.

Wii fit plus is here. The new calorie count feature satisfies my inner anorak - and confirms my hunch that it's nowhere up to "proper" cv work in terms of energy burned. It's not a huge deal for me as I tend to use the wii for yoga and muscle stuff. Some very odd new games - the cycling is especially odd.

I have invested in new goggles ready for a spa visit on Sunday - really looking forward to going away esp as some work pressure has just been eased. I'm almost feeling human already - much earlier than last weekend.

Goggle Grump

I had such a grumpy swim yesterday - I couldn't get my goggles to stop leaking & was swimming with 1 eye shut for the last chunk of every length. Then wasted time fiddling about with them every length trying to get the fit better. Length 20 - they finally stopped leaking, but misted up so I continued to 40 in soft focus!
Windy pedal this morning but the weather calmed during the day and it was dry for running. Not a great turnout tonight but enjoyable, speed with first group & hill with the second. My knees are aching which I'm really hoping is a temporary state of affairs.
One of the runners was telling me how much fitter she feels now - I'm reallly chuffed for her. It makes it all seem worthwhile!

In touch with my inner anorak

Through (finally!) connecting our wii to the world, I've discovered that 30mins of wii tennis burns 122.85 calories for one of my weight! So not as good as a jog or pedal, but still something. We're addicted to wii snowboarding though in the remote mode which I suspect is negligible in benefits other than entertainment. I've ordered the wii fit plus software - which will satisfy my inner calorie anorak as it gives calorie estimates. And sadly, this was a major motivation in purchasing.

Husband went cycling yesterday whilst I had a most enjoyable afternoon with G. The only glitch was having my purse swiped - in a busy shopping centre on a Saturday afternoon. John Lewis scored huge brownie points - their Card Services team were really helpful when we came in to stop my partnership card - allowed me to use their landline, looked up phone numbers and even brought us both a pot of tea. I now intend to do as much of my Xmas shopping as poss in John Lewis!

So apart from my wii fit, no exercise to report since Thursday. Hoping to do something today.

Back on the bicycle

Two wheels better - even if I did get a little soggy pedalling home today. Traffic has been dreadful over the last few days- which is good for cycling motivation. Lowlight was an hour sat on Oxford southern bypass - lorry overturned on other carriageway causing gridlock. It's been the first proper soaking for my panniers - they passed the test.

No pedalling at the weekend as my folks were here en route to a stint working on a cruise ship - have convinced Dad that they are really galley slaves. The ship will slow down when he's teaching bridge as there will be one less rower...

Anyway, enough of the excuses. Gym on Sunday and tonight - overheated big time tonight as the ventilation is up the spout, probably due to the gym renovation.

Running was calorie-anorak-interesting on Mon & Tue as I took all groups bar the beginners on the same route. The one we looped back to do a little speed used 451 calories. The gentlest one used 331 calories. So that's 120 extra down to higher intensity and 0.21km more distance.

I am a slug

No exercise whatsoever today - absolutely diddly squat (is that how diddly is spelt)? I attempted to collect my Panda from the garage & got stuck in traffic everywhere - the highlight was 10 minutes underneath the M27 at J8. So as the chap I spoke to had to collect his child from nursery rather than keep the place open just for me (he was apologetic - bless), I gave up & collected car today - so a third non-pedal day. The traffic was a useful reminder of just how much more I benefit from pedalling to work.
Gym last night - I hadn't been for so long that I didn't realise that it's getting a spruce up. This includes some "floor classes" - so my new mission is to persuade Husband to give a Spinning class a go with me sometime.

Curiouser & Curiouser

Getting very confused about the relationship between Run in England & Women's Running Network. I'm hoping that the new RIE county activator will help to un-confuse me! I met her on Tuesday - she has a remit to develop new RIE groups across Hampshire - and I was hoping that this would mean more groups that Eastleigh WRN members would be able to run with - but I've been reading up on t'internet & am now more mystified. Anyway, she was lovely and is keen to support me which is fabulous. And she ran with us - very much appreciated!
Useful chat about development - I think I may need to review my top 40 objective to become a level 2 coach - might investigate alternative ways to improve my running coach skills.

No pedalling today as I was due to attend an off site meeting - which was moved to on site. And my Panda is being serviced tomorrow - so another petrol fuelled day.

I definitely spent a few calories on Saturday night bouncing around a dancefloor if the level of sweatiness I achieved was anything to go by! Nice gentle relaxing Sunday followed.

Body Combat tonight - haven't been for so long that the routine had changed. I'm plesaed that the new tracklist includes Metallica!

Dimpsy at the end

Bike ride in West Sussex today. I had an email flyer from Paramo advertising a clearance thing in a church hall in Emsworth - so we shopped for outdoor clothing then drove north a bit to make the most of a beautiful Autumn day.

The notice on the carpark gate stating that it would be locked at 5pm prompted us to review our planned route - still adjusting to the clock change - and we cut back our plans. We should have been concerned anyway - I didn't have any lights & Husband's are very much of the "get me home just about legally" light level.

It still took longer than anticipated - proper hills and some lethally slidy downhills with wet leaves over wet tree roots with that special chalk/chalk mud combo that makes for no grip whatsoever! And a stick nearly brought our ride to a premature end - bending Husband's gear hanger quite impressively. Brute force brought back all bar 2 gears - but it will be going to the bike shop this week.

Stunning scenery though - enhanced by the light and golds/reds/browns of the leaves. We saw a stag run across the path & you could hear them rutting from the track. Husband bumped into a collague he hadn't seen since her maternity leave started in August - and met her baby for the first time. no time to chat though as the light was going.

28.3km in total - but we both feel like we had a proper work out, probably due to the mad dash to get back in time at the end and the proper hills! As you can see from the lower pic, it was definitely dimpsy (fabulous Devon word) with fading light and the moon was out. Mist hugging the lawns around the big house definitely gave an appropriate look for Halloween. Turned into the car park at 4:55pm!

It's been quite a sedate week though - just 3/4 runs on Mon & Tue, pedalling to work & a little wii.

Great South Run

10 miles, 1 hour 41 - I'm quite happy with that! Helped by fab supporters, good company (thanks L!) great weather & a text from Z this morning reminding me to watch my pace at the beginning! It was a great event. Transport was the only bit I'd tweak if doing it again - parking looke too tricky, but it's a long walk from the station to the start for Husband's delicate arthritic ankles - so we'd probably take bikes next year!

I was very excited to meet WRN members from Canterbury and Weston Super Mare at the start - and to actually bump into L. We ran the first few miles together which was great. I also bumped into L from Garmin on the run too, looking very steady.

Not much other exercise to report this week bar lots of walking on a business trip. I was grateful to WRN members for allowing me gentler runs!

Quick pick sloe

One of my Top 40 is to do something with foraged food. We've made sloe gin lots of times - very good it is too - but I have a hunch that something else can be done with these little plum relatives.
Only got around to picking them on Sunday - right at the very end of their season here in the deep south - on a pedal from the house. And as the ride took all afternoon, the fruit is now sat in the freezer awaiting inspiration... sloe cheese could be on the cards.

Anyway, the bike ride! Just me & Husband on the parched tracks of central Hampshire. Up to Owslebury, over to Cheesefoot head, bit of South Downs Way, back around to the normally mushy Park Wood track then home. 44.3km& a very pleasant way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
Husband sustained a really good puncture - big metal staple, part one of which was visible on the ouside of the tyre. Part 2 had completely separated & was in the inner tube. First, tried to change inner tube but it was one with an extra long & delicate valve (schraeders are so much more robust...) & had to be discarded. Super patched the holey tube successfully.
Very confused to see some poppies & cornflowers close to Cheesefoot Head. Crimson spindle berries, dark red hawthorn berries and leaves on the turn to golden, red and brown.


Running tonight & I tried to take it easy as I have the Great South on Sunday.

Chocolate & subs for

I have strong feelings about chocolate - it's up there with ice cream and beer as something I feel my life would be much poorer without. The good stuff is always preferable - dark chocolate with reasonably high cocoa solids and a depth of flavour - well demonstrated by Montezuma's dark chocolate.
However, there are a few substitutes that form part of my chocolate intake.

Not shown here is my recent discovery of FairBreak wafers now merchandised perillously close to the coffee shop till at work. Something a bit kitkat like about them and not too bad on calories (110ish) and these have now replaced Freddos as main threat to my diet.

I share a liking for the Special K Bliss bars with Mum & Dad. Has to be the orange version - the raspberry one is too sweet, but I think my fondness for marmalade also plays a part. The dark chocolate base is just about sufficient for a cocoa hit.

I've included a recent discovery here - Waitrose gave me a voucher for a free pack of macaroons - smart marketing as I've failed to avoid them since. As with the Bliss bars, just enough dark chocolate to matter.

Combining 2 of my loves has potential. Beer flavoured icecream may not be a wonderful thing, but I love chocolate icecream. Skinny Cow bars are fabulous - fewer calories than many yoghurts & infinitely more dessert like in my warped opinion. Only hitch is that my local Waitrose has switched from Triple Chocolate to a toothpaste flavoured abomination - and the stock of the revolting green version doesn't seem to be declining. So my fix can only be achieved on our occaisional ventures to a big Sainsburys.

Finally, I thought I was the only person in the world who liked nakd bars*. Bought a multipack on impulse, tried 1 and wasn't convinced at all. They claim to be uncooked and fruit packed (lots of dates) but there is cocoa there together with a unique earthy taste. 4 or 5 bars later, I was hooked! Very filling for a little calorie count, chocolatey enough to work and pretends to be virtuous. Again, the cocoa one is the only one I like. I have witnessed many (OK, Husband and Goldfish) be suckered in by the brand name only to be hugely disappointed & not sure that they are really food. So I was surprised to hear somebody not me extol their tastiness and chocolateyness - HC from running. I am no longer alone....

* = this logic is clearly flawed as Waitrose continue to stock them & I'm sure that my purchasing alone wouldn't justify their shelf space.

A little more conversation please

My last long run tonight before the Great South - 16K in 103mins so a tad quicker than last time - but it was more important to me to prove that I could do the distance. I missed the WRN runners though - chunks seemed abnormally long without a quality conversation to occupy my head.
Bumped into Kitty doing her WRN homework - her halo was shining brightly!
4km - 6km, I was accompanied by a bloke on an invalid scooter with 2 incredibly fit looking red setters. He was updating me on my speed - very sweet if not necessary for a Forerunner wearer.
Later, a fox shot out ahead of me, disappearing into a hedge. A cyclist coming the other way convinced the fox he was cornered & he shot past me again.
High fived a yoof who was giving encouragement (kind of!) at 11km.
So quite an eventful run!

Gherkin

New beginners started at WRN on Tuesday - although at least a couple are returners rather than true novices. I am getting more confident but have much room for improvement as a coach. Very excited that the group should have a second coach soon - not impressed with the booking system 4 her course though. J's perseverence will be a useful quality as a coach!

Last night was first ride home with lights - summer is over. And it will be pavement runs only with WRN now until March April. Sigh.

London trip today and as I am not sure I will be up for a gym visit later have been walking as much as possible - hence gherkin pic.

PW for me at Beaulieu 10K

To be fair, I didn't set myself a time goal for the Cancer Research 10K yesterday at Beaulieu. It was still a shock though to achieve my Personal Worst for this run - 61mins.
Not the case for the other 5 Eastleigh WRN runners - 4 of whom were doing their first ever 10K race (and for 3 of them, I think it was their first ever 10K). All acquitted themselves brilliantly. LH was ahead of me all the way through. I did the first 4km with N before she moved on. Spotted K later on looking extremely comfortable. Spotted C & LW making their way over the finish line looking great.

Panniers were christened today - full load including laptop. The bike feels heavier but I think I'll adjust OK. Braking is really different with the weight so far over the back wheel and I can't do my dreadful powering up hills using my weight to push the pedals down - no bad thing I guess. All my stuff stuffed in very easily with plenty of room to spare and the transition to office was fine.

Running tonight was the first time I've kept a second long sleeved layer on - quite chilly. I was really chuffed that X came out with the Advanced group - and she ran very well. 4 runners in the 8pm standard group. Neither group was very speedy tonight - we all seemed to find it hard work. I think I need to rework & structure the warm up a bit more for colder weather when it's even more crucial.

De-Slugging

I think I made up a little for my sluggish week today. Husband decided we should make the most of the sunshine in the New Forest - and opted to start close to the Portuguese fireplace.

28ish km in 1 hour 41 - predictably fast going on the forest tracks. We did pause to gather some chestnuts - although the pig shown here was more interested in acorns. Lots of deer too.

Followed up with a swim. Husband was pleased with his time, I was just pleased to do 40 lengths - must start upping this if I'm to get to my Top 40 target.

Speaking of which, I have done a couple this week. I completed a crochet pattern - but I'm not showing the output for a couple of weeks as it's for a gift (so 2 goals ticked).

I also completed my first George Elliot novel - Mill on the Floss. Liked it but felt the ending was a cop out. Loved the way the characters developed and the descriptions of the landscapes. My problem is that when I get into a book, I treat it like a rollercoaster ride, and like to roll on to the end caught up in the plot. Which results in reading way too quickly which means that I miss depth/detail/subtle stuff. Pretty much a fault that I exhibit in other areas too!

Bike Pimped but Languishing in Shed

Husband did lots of great work to my bike last weekend - a much needed service, new brake pads (I did wonder why the back ones weren't working very well) and he's fitted a rack for 2 very yellow very waterproof new panniers. My back has been complaining about the Crumper messenger bag when fully packed - esp when my laptop is in it. The new panniers will move the weight stress to my quads and remove my dependence on plastic bags in wet weather. And are yellow.
So it's a shame that I haven't tried it out this week. Work's required some very late nights, logistics of hire car petrol filling, an awayday & a presentaion in London.
Work's also meant much less exercise than normal - even the wii has been under used.
But in the spirit of talking about what I have done, I ran 15km on Monday (albeit with a break at 10K) and did a day's much needed gardening on Sunday. A couple of walks - to paper shop, station and an eco house in Woking.
Not really any great surprise though that I've gained 4lb this week.

Allsorts

Just cycling to work on Thursday & Friday. I have decided that panniers are the way to go - my laptop is just too heavy on my back & I'm not sure it will fit in my bag now I'm wearing more clothes at work (that sounds like I've been working semi naked - please be reassured I haven't been!).

Our new tradition of No Cook Friday (which I'm really enjoying) resulted in a little walking in high heels in Winchester between pub & cinema.


And next to no exercise on Saturday bar the wii.



Sunday was more active - I saw off P, K & L who were cross country running in Hursley (their first race) then went mountain biking with Goldfish, X, S and Husband. S & X were curious to try the South Downs Way to see if doing the full thing in May would be a good training goal. Unfortuneately, X wasn't well so we changed our plans slightly - which pleased Husband as it meant we were able to do one of his favourite impossible downhills. It's been tamed a little though which means it's just steep now as opposed to lethal. Beautiful weather- golden autumn light.

I swam quite well later on - up to 50 lengths now & the breathing is so much easier! I tried to think "hands are paddles" - still got some work to do...

Running tonight. Did some speedwork with the 7pm group then 5K with the 8pm group.

Top 40 list progress

1. Get into size 12 jeans - hmm, gained 2lbs this week, so not so good so far!
2. Follow & execute a crochet pattern - will probably be baby bootees - thanks for the patterns K!
6. Inflict something homemade on all female relatives for Christmas - I have a commission from Mum for a green based necklace - and I feel inspired to attempt baby proof stuff for my sisters.
10. Finish a George Elliot novel - ordered Mill on the Floss today
13. Do a press up - vaguely tried tonight at Body Combat but reverted to boxed after just one failed half hearted attempt!
14. Swim a mile with proper breaststroke - getting better at swimming so may attempt this soon.
16. Use my wii fit - success, enjoying it!
29. South Downs Way - have signed up for this on a mountain bike in May
30. Try somewhere new for mountain biking - looks like this will be Portugal in May
31. Do level 2 coaching training - have attempted to sign up for a course at the end of Oct, but have bee thwarted by Run in England's web site!
33. Great South Run - feeling really confident about this now that I know I can do the distance.
34. Half marathon - this will probably be the WRN women only one at Castle Combe in April
36. Go somewhere new - Portugal planned for May - learning to sail
38. Try out a different spa or gym - plan is hatching to try the Bath one in November...
39. Sleep in our tent -yup, done!

So, two completed so far. Not amazing progress, but I'm not panicking yet. The goals I'm most concerned about are 1 (getting thinner), 13 (press up), 27 (berms) and given my lack of speediness, 32 (10k in under 55 mins).

Juliana was back as Body Combat instructor - good reminder of how good she is. Her control is so sharp and she motivated us really well. Had a spot of walking too as I had another London meeting.

Bloke Flu

It's probably a good thing that I didn't blog much last week as I was in hypochondriac mode - I had the world's mildest cold & whinged & whined like a bloke about it!

Very grateful that I didn't pass the virus over to Eastleigh WRN's Z who completed the Great North Run on Sunday in a very creditable 2 hours 33mins - impressive stuff, especially as she ran it all and raised over £500 for the Alzheimers Society.

Due to my life threatening illness, I didn't do much apart from cycle to work on Wed & Friday and some wii-ing. Gym on Friday was kept gentle - 5 mins running on the treadmill and I was dead, so switched to x trainer!

Lots of walking at the weekend at the Boat Show and at the Goodwood Revival - I especially enjoyed the latter & plan to go in costume next year. The pic is of Rowan Atkinson going around the circuit on top of a mini...

Camping Revisited

Quite a few years ago, Husband declared himself "too old for camping" following a rather soggy experience where trenchfoot seemed a real risk. So I was surprised when he declared himself ready to try it again - but with conditions:

• Only in sunny weather
• Only one night at a time
• Adjourn to pub for eating

This weekend qualified on the weather front & I found a couple of appealing bike rides in Dorset that were a tad too far away for a day ride. Found a campsite at Osmington, rechecked forecast & packed the car with vast quantities of stuff.

Saturday's ride was 14.5miles, starting from Maiden Castle south of Dorchester with 490m of ascent. Real mix of terrain & scenery - loved a stretch along a chalk ridge at the beginning with sweeping views of the coast - and then Hardy's monument (that's kiss me not far from the madding crowd Hardy). Foresty bit, heathland and some fields, finishing up with a strtch of tarmac. It was surreal at the end seeing HRH's toytown of Poundbury on the left and the giant earthwork of Maiden Castle on the right.

We got the tent up fine, showered and headed for the beach where we watched the sunset. Pub - which did my favourite Badger ales - and Husband discovered their cider. As we walked back to the tent, we had one of our occaisional "wouldn't it be great to live somewhere where we could see the stars instead of an orange glow" conversations - kicked off by seeing the milky way.

Later, we discovered that we hadn't chosen the best orientation for the tent - our feet were above our heads and Husband got cramp. But apart from swivelling airbeds at midnight, a reasonable night's sleep. Bacon rolls for breakfast & successfully tried out my new expresso maker - thanks C & M!

This may be our only camping this year as I was struggling on the warmth front - duvet thing that's with my air bed, sleeping bag, fleece blanket & PJs and I was just about warm enough. But it's my first Top 40 big tick.

Sunday's ride was a bit longer (22 miles) and a bit higher (730m) starting from Ringstead. Loved the coastal views - and again, there was a real mix of tracks. We did have a few navigational glitches - guess where the bridleway moments across fields, and we managed to do a stretch of footpath by mistake. Guilty pleasure as it was good singletrack.

Back to car for malt loaf & the drive home.

Longer than usual commute today as it included a store visit. Running was good tonight - but my legs are feeling a little spent still after the 10 miler last week.

My first 10 mile run

I was so pleased when Z agreed to do a longer run with me tonight. She has the Great North Run coming up so it fitted pretty well with her training. Agreed on 10 miles - 16K and further than I've ever run before. One of the reasons I was chuffed is that Z is the Queen of Pacing - she is incredibly consistent so I figured she'd be the ideal partner. I was pleasantly surprised to get a a note from L who I hadn't seen for a few months saying that she'd be coming too. And J, despite feeling a little sore from her first ever 10K on Monday, decided to join us for part of teh route.
We did a figure of 8 route - starting off climbing up through Stoke Park Woods as it would have been criminal not to on a beautiful evening! The rest of the route was road - and comparatively flat - so we did the hard bit first.

And we did it! 110 minutes which I'm pleased with - esp as the aim was to simply do the distance, not to push speed. J did the first 7.5K as she'd planned. So good to have Z, J and L to chat to which made it enjoyable rather than a slog. And the Queen of Pacing's skills were much used - my knee was starting to declare its presence after 9K, but all I had to do was slow slightly to Z's perfect speed and it cleared.

Best of luck to Z - I'm convinced she'll be fine with the half marathon based on tonight's run. And I'm no longer dreading the Great South - just need to watch my pacing!

Pedal, wii, mackerel and mixed feelings at running

Bike Ride on Saturday to celebrate S's birthday. X organised a gentle pedal along the Test Way with lunch at the Mayfly. It wasn't quite as sunny as we'd hoped - but it didn't rain. Phase 2 of birthday celebrations was later on - I demolished vast quantities of sparkling wine and some of Kitty's very good pizza - and we adjourned to S & X's dedicated wii room (very jealous!) to play tennis. G is no longer a wii virgin. Finished the day with some fabulous cheesecake.

On Sunday, Husband made good on an offer he made a long time ago to take our godson H fishing. He headed over to Hengistbury Head with H, his brothers & dad whilst I attempted crabbing with K & W. Boys caught 1 fish, we failed miserably to get a crab. The mackerel provided lunch for H's semi veggie brother A whilst we had burgers - love beach bbqs. I figure that we walked a couple of miles at least - so a bit of exercise.

Running was a bit mixed yesterday. I was really impressed with J & N achieving their first 10k, but I felt really bad about D who had to cut back early with hip problems. Mystery injuries are so frustrating. The later standard group did well on their first hill. Running tonight was just me & L - beautiful evening jog in the woods with light best described as golden!

Does technique make a difference?

No cycling today as I was in London - not as much walking as this normally entails as Husband kindly dropped me at Winchester station which gave me a very painless train journey.
Following a fruitless search for my goggles, we went swimming tonight. I'm finding the head-in-water thing much more natural and I had no half drowned moments - a result!
Less successful wer Husband's spare goggles which dug into my eye area quite painfully - I now know why they are his spares.
I really appreciated Husband giving me some coaching at the end - my arms haven't been contributing very much to my stroke which I now know is more down to lousy technique than my lack of upper body strength. So next swim will require:

• Not drowning - still getting my breathing better!
• Using my hands as more definitive paddles (as opposed to vague ones)
• Not letting my hands come further back than my ears when pulling back.

Did some wii sport later - he beat me at tennis again & I attempted the boxing game which exhausted me as I didn't worry about technique and simply pummelled my opponent!

Soggy Wednesday

Yesterday was the first time in ages that I got thoroughly drenched whilst pedalling home. I was in a better position than my colleague B who'd forgotten his waterproof trousers - however, my smugness was repaid by karma as I got even wetter at the gym entrance later on (canopy suddenly off loaded big amount of water onto me - so I got to do Body Combat wearing very wet cotton leggings - nice!).

I haven't rambled about kit for a while - so here goes - essential cycling wet weather gear:

• Waterproof socks.
• Waterproof overtrousers. I dont bother for showers or drizzle, but these make a big difference when it's pouring.
• Bicycle clip to prevent overtrouser/chain interaction. I never have one and have been using a reflective snap on band instead which performs quite well. None with me yesterday so I tucked overtrousers into socks - not a good move as water then trickled down the top of the sock....
• Waterproof bag. My Crumpler is pretty good at keeping my office clothes dry, but it struggles a little with very heavy rain and puddle spray, hence:
• Carrier bag(s). Anything I don't want to get damp gets an extra barrier.
• Wateproof jacket - ideally with zip pockets so I'm not scrabbling in my bag for keys etc, getting contents of bag unecessarily soggy.

Shoes were still wet this morning as were my gloves (my waterproof ones are winter only) so have switched to drier alternatives for the day.

Staycationing in Northumberland

Our final summer staycation was in Northumberland, staying with my parents. I've been very keen to try the new Lonesome Pine trail at Kielder as we'd enjoyed the Deadwater Trail so much last year. Mum & Dad arranged a walk up in Kielder so we were able to travel with them (and cadge afternoon tea afterwards in Bellingham).

The trail was 12 miles long. Deadwater has had its red rating disputed by some as it has black leanings in places - Lonesome is also likely to be discussed but more in the other direction as it seemed more blue in areas - not esp technical (yay!) but enough challenges to keep the little grey cells ticking over. They seem to be in the process of adding more bits to it so I'm hoping that it grows more comfortably into its grade. All a bit academic really as I still chickened many sections! I did manage the north shore at the summit - a rarity - but it is a whopping 2m wide apparently to counteract the strong windy gusts across the exposed hillside. Husband did very well. I loved the views - especially with purple heather contrasting with red rowan berries (the latter is the sign of a hard winter apparently).

Middle sister, BIL and my nephews D (4) and C (nearly 1) came over so we spent the day at Cragside where we all got the chance to try adventure playgrounds - their trim trail is designed for 10-adult. I still can't do monkey bars! Fair amount of walking around the grounds - landscaped hillside, lakes providing HP power to the innovative house, formal gardens all surrounded by Northumberland hills. Pleased to discover that it takes much more effort to allow D to just about win running races now!

Coast on Sunday - 22 mile bike ride from Dunstan (should have been Craster but we couldn't get a parking space) whilst my folks walked again. Easy bridleways and byways. There was a scarecrow fete thing at Rennington which was entertaining - never seen an ostrich scarecrow before! Stepping stones across the river Aln were non existent so we took off shoes & socks to wade across. My favourite bit was along the stunning coastline - views to Dunstanburgh castle to the north, sand, rockpools, seabirds, fabulous! We took the bikes onto the beach at Boulmer to try out the hard sand. Very different to Friday's ride, but just as memorable.

Very grateful to parents for hospitality - which included packed lunches which are a novel addition to our bike rides.

We got back in time for a little allotmenteering before running.

The Beginners are no more - they all ran 30mins non stop so are now Intermediates. I also enjoyed the earlier standard run (soon to be renamed the advanced run I think!).

Big achievements tonight as well - 5K in under 40mins which I know is a milestone for L - both she and J ran really well.

30mins wii-ing tonight, 15 last night. Have discovered that I can't do shoulder stands.

Activity catch up to Thursday

Beach Hut Breakfast last Sunday - but without the customary run first.
Instead, Fabulous Mother In Law and I went out on Monday morning for a damp but enjoyable run.
Bits of walking on Sunday - including a wander down to Babbacombe, back up Oddicombe.
Running went well on Mon and Tue and I think my scheduling headache may have a resolution brewing...
And that's all - apart form some wii fit.

40 things for 40 project - the list

This is my project to complete by 12th August 2010 - i.e. all to do whilst I'm 40!

1. Get into size 12 jeans (defined as Uniqlo - brand makes a difference!)

Making things:
2. Follow a crochet pattern
3. Crochet something wearable that isn't a scarf
4. Make vanilla ice cream
5. Make some home made Christmas presents
6. Make something from foraged food
7. Bake soda bread
8. Make a curry paste from scratch

Culture stuff:
9. Discover a piece of classical music that I don't already know
10. Finish a George Elliot novel
11. Watch Citizen Kane

Fitness:
12. Go to a circuits class
13. Do a press up (not boxed!)
14. Swim a mile of proper head in water breast stroke
15. Try pilates
16. Try a dance class
17. Use my wii fit
18. Use our canoe

Home & Green stuff:
19. Grow something new to eat
20. Plant a tree in the garden
21. Fit a water butt
22. Get a thermal mug to wean myself off disposables at work
23. Improve our loft insulation
24. Redecorate hall & landing
25. Redecorate living room

Bike stuff:
26. Fix a bike puncture all by myself
27. Get the hang of berms
28. Get the hang of my GPS
29. Do the South Downs Way
30. Try somewhere new for mountain biking

Running stuff:
31. Do level 2 coaching training
32. Eastleigh 10K in sub 55 mins
33. Great South Run
34. Half Marathon
35. Organise a WRN non-running event

Travel stuff:
36. Go somewhere new
37. Go to the Isle of Wight
38. Try a new spa or gym
39. Sleep in our tent
40. Organise a work social event

Granite Way

6 of us on today's pedal - me, Husband, the Fabulous In Laws plus Kitty and Goldfish who are here for the weekend. We did the Granite Way - a cycle route between Okehampton and Lydford following (mostly) a disused railway.

We started from Okehampton YHA next to the steam railway & Fabulous In Laws picked up 2 very reasonably priced hire bikes. Considering that they haven't ridden for 2 years - and before that, a much longer non cycling period, they did really well. R struggled a little at the start as her confidence is still a little shaken from a running accident 3 weeks ago - but soon got her pedalling back. T set off really well - and did even better after taking his saddle up a lot!

Kitty & I relished being able to take photos en route - there was no pressure to speed.

Terrain was really easy - off road tarmac at the start with some gravelly bits. Goldfish still managed to go flying due to another cyclist considerately running him off the track. At about 10km, we switched to quiet lanes and much bigger hills.

Pub at Lydford - loved my cheesey chips - and I had a quick look at the castle - a 12th century prison.

34.03km in total with a respectable ascent of 605m. Very proud of my Fabulous In Laws - and great to spend the day with Kitty & Goldfish.

Proper hills and random boulders

We're in Torquay this weekend at the Fabulous In Laws. As they were walking today, we decided to cycle & dug out an MBR route from North Bovey - only 18km and "medium". It took us all day! Our route was closer to 22km due to navigational confusion - too many bridleways and although ascent was meant to be 720m, I haven't downloaded the "real" data yet & suspect that our diversion added metres to that too.

What made it so long was a slow section at the start - very technical steep uphills and boulder ridden singletrack downhills that were certainly beyond our ability in places. My bike started to feel more like a fashion accessory than a mode of transport! "Flowing" is not an appropriate adjective for the singletrack. Second half was easier technically (mostly) but some killer climbs. Even here, we'd be going through shoulder high bracken & getting thrown around by invisible random rocks. My legs and arms have been shredded by brambles and Husband is sporting a few more serious scratches.

What made the ride worth doing was the scenery. My favourite kind of woodland (twisty stumpy oaks dripping with lichen on a mossy bouldery thin soil). Open moorland with bright yellow gorse and purple heather. Dartmoor ponies, buzzards and an adder. And towards the end I finally remembered that granite isn't slippery when wet & my riding attained a marginally less rubbish skill level!

Scheduling dilemma

Running was much better this week than last - although I'm now a bit concerned about a scheduling issue I've managed to create. Beginners don't all want to switch to Tuesdays and Intermediates like their 7pm slot. The worst case scenario is that I will have 4 groups and am in a state of exhaustion by Tuesday night - arrrgggghhh. Have asked WRN for some advice!
Some walking this week - station to home on Monday and home to park & ride site on Tue as I had a visit to London on Mon afternoon & left bike at the office.
Too dead to wii on Monday, just 15 mins on Tuesday but over 30 yesterday - it made for guilt alleviation for pizza that I had over at D & W's later on! wii fit is now my friend as it's telling me that my age is 39!

Milkham

We tend to avoid the New Forest in summer - it's when the muddy bridlepaths are ridable to tempt us away from the forest tracks and crowds - and Lyndhurst in particular grinds to a gridlock. However, C now has a bump and she's been finding cycle commuting harder work recently so she requested a less strenuous ride. Kitty's 26km Milkham route has many fine qualities - including many possible shortcuts and cut backs, not too much in the way of hills and a couple of sections that are more engaging than the average New Forest pedal.
M & I were both glad we'd opted for a t-shirt single layer as the sun soon came out. Husband employed wrangler style whoops to shift ponies out of the tunnel under the dual carriageway where they were enjoying the shade - I'm sure they soon wandered back in.

There's normally top entertainment in Burley and today was no exception - a birthday girl and buddy were squealing wildly whilst vaguely attempting to ride a tandem. The squeals were inferior to C's guinea pig squeals - although I was relieved to not hear too many of the latter today as I was hoping she'd find the ride gently pleasant.

A little gardening when we got back - Husband had to mow the lawn as we have a rat problem atm. i did venture into the back garden - giving my feet a sauna in wellies. And a little wii tennis in addition to 30mins wii fit.

Like Richard Hammond's hair....

... my performance is wildly inconsistent and not as good as it used to be! I was watching Total Wipeout at the gym whilst dripping with sweat running slowly.
Lots of exercise today - 30mins wii-ing plus after which I discovered that Husband likes the wii sport tennis game. And spent the afternoon carefully exposing pak choi, beetroot and leeks by removing a jungle of weeds.

Wii and swimming

Quads are back to normal so I cycled today. I didn't want to push my legs so opted to swim with Husband tonight - and I can now do 40 lengths of proper, head under water kind of breaststroke - even enjoyed it. In the spa bath afterwards, I used the massage blast on my quads which felt like it was a good thing to do.
I've been having fun with the wii too - esp hula hooping (might have the courage to try the real thing sometime at G's now!) and the neglible fitness benefit balance skiing game. The yoga isn't driving me to rage as it's very functional & it's single moves so I can pick'n'mix.

Cognitive Dissonance

Discovered last night something I’d suspected whilst setting up my shiny new wii fit– my weight is up to a level that I really should be addressing it. So I respond by having a bacon roll for breakfast! Never mind. Maybe weighing will help me with Big D…

I had a very enjoyable few drinks last night with friends to celebrate my actual 40th – so today started with a 50 minute walk to the pub to retrieve the panda.

I was really touched to receive a bunch of flowers from runner L yesterday. Runner K sent me an e-card – and runner P came along to the pub & presented me with a bottle of Lucozade!

My quads have been painful this week. I think it was down to running on Friday followed by an active weekend. I was truly rubbish for the standard run on Monday and was very happy to keep to a gentle pace for the beginners session. Still painful on Tuesday – so much so that I contemplated accompanying the intermediates on a bike! Instead, we opted for the flat Itchen Way route – runner N was dancing around the nettles Jason Robinson style! Runner D is preparing for a triathlon next year so I need to work out how to support her best.

So with even achier quads, I drove to work yesterday and I’m not cycling today. No plans for exercise tonight as I’m seeing CS for the last time on her UK visit. Might cycle tomorrow as the pain is less today – and am thinking about a swim as the least painful option. And playing with my new toy!

Fabulous Fortieth Birthday Celebration

In the summer of '69 man landed on the moon and Bryan Adams bought his first real six string - and I was born on 12th August! So I'm a sixties baby by only 4 months.

After much deliberation, I took up Husband's suggestion of a weekend away with my buddies in the Forest of Dean - on the understanding that he would organise it all. He did a superb job - as did my uni friend E who acted as local fixer as she lives there.


We arrived with G on Friday evening, meeting up with my Fabulous In Laws, M, C and M's offspring JA and MA. We had a wander around Parkend village - lots of woodland, a pretty church and some mud! Met up with everybody else for beer and a meal. Surreal moment when a sheep vaulted over a wall into the beer garden!

On sunny Saturday morning, Husband, CS, X, S, Fabulous in Laws and the As headed with me to Symonds Yat where we spent the morning cruising down the Wye on big canadian style canoes. CS and I made the most of the river, investigating every bit of bank, tree, rock and swan - nothing to do with our steering! Green and pleasant. Lunch by the river then we went to a bit of forest close to Parkend to do Go Ape.

CS, G, Kitty, Goldfish, S, X and me made up the first group, with the As following an hour later - we couldn't get a booking together unfortuneately. We were harnessed up & briefed - all the time we were above ground we were attached securely to wires. X was amazing - she seems to have no fear and was very balanced, scampering across the course. I wasn't so good - but agility and balance don't really fetaure in my skill set and I'm nervous & shaky getting up the loft ladder at home - so perhaps I should apply some perspective! CS opted to be our photographer after the first section - very much appreciated and I love the sillhouette pic you can see here. G looked very Lara Croft down the zip wires, Goldfish managed to drop his specs (retrieved safely) so completed the course in soft focus, S did well to follow X and Kitty had a very determined look! M is a climber & reckons that the trick to a lot of the sections was to do them quickly. My arms ached afterwards & I'm keen to try it again.

Barbecue followed by cupcakes and rounders in the dark where we girls beat the boys (assisted a little by the fading light). Lots of fun.

It was a bit chaotic on Sunday for cycling - E & J were having major problems with their & their kids' bikes. I enjoyed a 22.8km ride with J - he was doing very well on a road bike on the forest tracks. Husband explored the mountain bike course with Goldfish, S and X.

Finished my weekend with lunch at a crafts centre - excellent ice cream in a sunny garden. I'm really grateful to my friends for giving me such a fabulous weekend for my 40th!

Achey legs

I'm not sure quite how I managed to persuade myself to run today as my morning off was being absorbed by chores - glad I did though as the sun is shining for once. I chose the itchen way route as its shady - but I now know that its not shady at midday! I carried on the path after allbrook 4 first time, running on a narrow strip in between the river and the navigation. I was slow but hey, slow is loads better than zero! Walked to the beautician today too.
Lots of cycling to work this week, getting v wet yesterday.
Body combat on wed, running with wrn on Mon and Tue. Experimented with intervals this week - needs more thought on how to make them fun 4 the groups.
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Ellisfield plus a bit more

Husband & I have done the HCC Ellisfield route a kazillion times - so much so that I was getting bored of it last year - but we realised today that X & S have never done it. Less surprising, D hadn't either but he is new to the muddy, nettly world of Hampshire mountain biking! He'd never met S & X before either - they live about 50 yards away from his house!

We needed a shortish ride and I was being very sniffy about some of the rides Husband was digging out (too long, too short, too dull, too much road - I was being pernickety) - so we opted for Ellisfield.

We started part way up hill one at Cliddesden Primary School as there weren't enough parking spaces in the village.

It is a good ride - plenty of off road & the variety of tracks means that the little grey cells get a bit of a work out too. Before the last section, Husband proposed an extension over to Preston Candover and Dummer so we ended up with a little deja vu on tracks we'd ridden last week! Unlike last week, it stayed dry. Heavy rain yesterday meant that my legs were very mud marbled by the end. With the extension, it was 27.42km with an ascent of 567m.

The rain meant that we didn't go out yesterday - opted for a session at the gym where I ran a little better than last time - 15 mins within the 30 minute run.

Bad news on Friday - whilst we were chatting to friends in the back garden, a rat made an appearance - more pest control required!

Solution to a clothing problem

This is a tenuous link to exercise - but bear with me.... I often shower mid evening due to timing of running/gym/classes, but never fancy wriggling back into jeans or other day clothes afterwards. But 8:30-9:30ish feels way too early for pyjamas - esp if I then prepare dinner. Coooking in nightwear just feels wrong! I'm sure that Husband would like me to opt for a slinky negligee/wrap thing - but that's still nightwear in my mind (& potential fire hazard for cooking?).
Solution is loungewear. I've gone for a shortsleeved dress length hoody sweatshirt and the first non-exercise leggings that I've worn since the 80s. I could wear it outside without controversy and very surprisingly, Husband likes the outfit lots.
It's probably a good thing for my bank account that my 2 favourite clothing stores atm (Muji & Uniqlo) don't have branches in Southampton...
Walked to station at an ungodly hour this morning & then walked from Waterloo to Victoria. Pretty picture will be added when mobile decides to talk to laptop. No other exercise today apart from exploration of Euston station as it was exacuated (fire alarm) and weaving through crowds to aforementioned stores from tube station.