On the way to another top 40

Feeling very pleased - started decorating at half 12 and finished at nearly midnight and the front room refurb phase 1 is complete. We got the ceiling, whitework (bar the skirting boards) and 2 coats of paint on the walls done. And it now has energy saving light bulbs thanks to Husband agreeing to ditch the dimmer switch. Phase 2 is to get T in to fit the flooring (this falls into the category of "yes we could do it ourselves, but life is short") & paint the skirting boards. Phase 3 is the only fun bit - shop for a big squishy rug & choose pictures. I'm very tempted to make N from WRN an offer on one of her beautiful abstracts.

I am a little bit sad as the room used to be a chalky, sunny orange - but Husband has never liked it & I have to concede that application of yet another shade of beige makes for a more grown up looking room.

So not exercise (technically) - but my aching arms are telling me otherwise. And another top 40 is on the way to being achieved!

Haggis and a Hangover

Good party on Wednesday night hosted by Futerra, but I'm not sure that I danced enough to justify alcohol & haggis calories. Damage was made even worse by not having pedalled that day (overslept).

I had the opportunity to walk off my hangover on Thursday, making my way to the Eco Home exhibition at the Geffrye Museum somewhere near Hackney - some great items and well put together if not exactly huge or surprising! It's interesting that even when using the tube, just how much walking I do when I'm in London compared to home.

Just a bit of wii last night & lazed on sofa, crocheting.

Pedalled today & hit the treadmill. I decided to just run - no x trainer, no step machine, just running. And I really enjoyed it - did just over 9K at 10.5kph, so used it as my "long easy run" of the week. I was helped by the TV - when it was just 4 screens, it seemed to be Question of Sport & soaps on a Friday evening, neither of which float my boat (honourable exception to the gloriously trashy Hollyoaks), but I got to see the 1950s with Andrew Marr which most definitely does!

Uneven

Finished tonight's runs with a warm top half, but frozen from the waist down! It was so cold that the Panda's windscreen was already icing up when I set off home. It's been a bit uneven with WRN this week - 1 advanced, many Monday standards, 2 Tuesday standards and just 3 beginners. It is spurring me to actually do some marketing which I've let slip a bit of late. Given that I'm more of a career marketeer than I am career runner, you'd probably expect otherwise! Some of my laxness is down to confidence - can't quite bring myself to do a press release, even though it's well within my skill set.

I try to convince myself that communicating too slickly would be counter productive - but I'm so so far off slick atm. Pretty far off competent to be honest.

Pedalling to work has been great - Husband has serviced my commuter bike & I can really spot the difference. He also had to sort out the bike shed lock today after I managed to reset the combination without realising - a blonde (dyed) moment.

Challenging the little grey cells

Although I love cycling in the Forest, it's really not great for my pedalling skills as it's so easy! We knew that it would be muddy, but Husband and I opted for a route that extends the much-ridden Ellisfield HCC route over to Preston Candover to get our brains ticking again. And it was muddy. Much of the mud was clay on chalk that varies between ultra claggy and ultra slippery and I have to confess to much walking. Having said that, I also did enough to feel that I'd pushed myself.

3.5 hours to do 26.5km! Very grateful we didn't get any punctures as fixing them would have been very messy - and Husband made me go through a deep puddle repeatedly at the end so that tyres rather than mud would interface with our bike carrier.

I was surprised to still see a little snow around - as you can see from this picture. Snow damage was evident on many of the roads with new cracks & potholes.

Snow damaged roads yesterday too as my satnav took me down a very little lane en route to my nephew's 5th birthday party in a village hall Buckinghamshire. I didn't want to repeat Husband's experience so took it very slowly & chose a different route home later in the dark. Very proud of my nephew as he was beautifully behaved at his medieval themed party, looking cute in a crusader outfit. I can't count any exercise for Saturday - but I did make vast quantities of sandwiches!

More energy required

It's been a tiring week. Running went fine apart from having to decide whether an idiot bloke was being menacing - or just an idiot - and having to revise our route. On both days, I had to do a manic sprint back to the Hub to greet the 8pm group vaguely on time - very grateful to both 7pm groups for tolerating this!

On Wednesday, I experimented taking my bike to Cosham on the train as I am fed up of having to drive to work in order to go to a merchandising lab. Going was fine - I used the lifts to get over the bridge at Eastleigh station, direct train and I was directed to where the guard wanted my bike to go. Not so great coming back as I got the time wrong & had to change at Southampton. Complete lottery as no information about what train went from where, lots of lugging bike up/down stairs, no idea where the bike should go - but hey, I got home!

Body combat that evening after which I retrieved Husband from a country lane - he had destroyed a tyre in a pothole and like most modern cars, his doesn't have a spare - or even a jack!

Thursday was really tiring but more of a mental endurance exercise. I was representing my work area at a press event - try and engage journalists and spend hours on feet attempting not to let the boredom between journalists show on face/body language! Amazing venue and the whole thing was extremely well organised. Walked home from the station at about 8 & was asleep by half 10.

Just cycling today - a bit more coming home as I wanted to get Husband a birthday cake. Very proud of getting it home in my panniers with the frosting intact!

Very bright new jacket

8km in 50 minutes wasn't quite the pace I was hoping for on Friday evening - but my solo run was my first outside since New Year and did include a fabulously vicious hill (Olympic Way to Stoke Heights) that I've only done downwards before. It was a useful opportunity to try out my new branded convertible and luminously bright windproof- as I was drenched on the inside when I got back, I remain to be convinced on its breathability. I think I had overdressed a little to be fair - it was much warmer on Friday evening than it's been for a while. I pedalled too on Friday so felt reasonably justified in stuffing face with pizza and wine.

Lots of walking on Saturday on a very enjoyable jaunt to Brighton with G. Probably not enough to justify my Choccywoccydoodah chocolate & ginger cupcake! Picked up a pair of leggings that should be great for Body Combat in the Sweaty Betty sale - deep and secure feeling waistband.

I'd been toying with the idea of joining Goldfish in Stockbridge today for a runners vs mountain bikers 8 mile thing but lost my nerve - still aching a little post

Friday, guilty about deserting Husband having spent Saturday without him. paranoid about my shoes slipping and sliding on wet mud and paranoid about ensuring that this week's WRN runs go well after last week's cancellations. Pathetic huh? Goldfish did really well too.

So went for a bike ride in the Forest with Husband instead. We did a 26.73km version of the Portuguese Fireplace ride. I was proud of cycling through the fords - lots of water and a noticeable current.

Anyway, pizza and cupcakes contributed to a weight gain of 2lb this week - so much for getting committed to dropping a dress size!

I bet Danny MacAskill isn't scared of cycling on snow

This is fantastic - well worth a view!

I pedalled today - just as the snow/ice subsides, I've finally found a decent main road route to work that doesn't involve teetering past static traffic & waiting for a hundred traffic lights. The problem at the moment is that although roads are increasingly clear, the pavements and cycle paths are still lethal - although much better today. And with the ice's departure, my mood is so much improved.

And I swam today. My breathing is so much more natural - but my technique is still in need of the tutorial Husband gave me at the end.

No pedalling yesterday due to trip to Portsmouth for work - but I enjoyed Body Combat that evening. It's Juliana again & the new routine is refreshingly different with more of a Muay Thai empahsis (apparently). Not so sold on the music this time - bring back Foo Fighters...

Lots of gym - but I need sunshine

Gym tonight - x trainer, 16 mins of intervals followed by 20min at 10.5kph. I really need to get to 11kph to stand a hope of reaching my Eastleigh 10K goal of 55 mins - still, baby steps.
I should have been running but the pavements are still too ice bound - and failed my risk assessment. What makes it even worse is that my next Beginners programme should have started tonight.
Gym on Friday and Sunday too - so I am getting some exercise. I'm also getting used to the new treadmills which have fabulous personal TVs and fans, but do take longer to set up.
I did cycle to work yesterday. It wasn't much fun as I was restricted to the busy roads I normally try to avoid.
Lots of wii fit - I'm on a mission to accomplish skateboarding atm.
Not feeling very good about life at the moment - I think it's lack of daylight, attempting to drag my eating under control and acclimatising to normal life post holiday. It's normally Husband who has a sad January - maybe it's transferred!
I have some new running kit about to arrive - maybe they will cheer me up.

Another Top 40 done - thanks boss!

No ordinary paper cup, but a porcelain mug with silicone prevent-hand-burning wrap & silicone prevent spillages when taking drink upstairs lid.

Very pleased with my Christmas present from my boss - it's been used and it knocks number 22 off my Top 40 project!

Snow prevented exercise yesterday bar a thoroughly good walk in the woods with Husband - we went up to our wedding wood at Crowdhill Copse. And a bit of wii fit later on - I am determined to master skateboarding.

Less fun walking today to work & back - especially when I slipped, landing square on my backside on the way home.

Fantastic Start to 2010

We spent New Year in Pembrokeshire with friends in a cottage near Saundersfoot on top of a cliff, but a short walk down a steep lane to get to the beach at Wisemans Bridge - and I had a fantastic time.

On New Years Eve, went for a mostly on-road pedal with Husband and Goldfish to Pembroke, following Sustrans Celtic Way. 4 hours to do 53km - with some challenging hills. I loved the stretches along the coast - and some pretty villages inland. Chips scoffed by Pembroke Castle & then back. Husband & I both had to walk up quite a bit of Slippery Back near Tenby, accompanied by a drunk but friendly bloke!

Short walk at midnight to the beach to let off fireworks - to cheers from the pub nearby!

On New Years Day, S & I participated in the New Years Day Swim at Saundersfoot - surrounded by hardier souls in fancy dress. The Simpsons group impressed me - although Lisa's hairy chest was a revelation! There were some mankinis too... a bloke wearing normal swimwear took the p*** out of our wetsuits, but boy I was glad of mine! "Swim" was more of a brief dip with a couple of strokes, but it was a great event to take part in - and I now have a wetsuit.

Husband & I then went west to Solva for a short walk - and as we drove back, the snow started. The lane to the cottage was transformed into a "treacherous" (word of the week on weather forecasts) snow/ice slope. So later in the evening, we played with our sledge on the driveway & had a snowball fight.

S, X, Husband and E joined me for a walk the next day - ostensibly to hunt for razor clams using a technique with a bottle of salt. Not successful - a beautiful location though and a fun fruitless task!

A new activitity on Sunday: land yachting at Pendine which is where various land speed record attempts have been made. A land yacht is a plastic tub on wheels with a mast & dinghy sail - we sat back & let the wid blow us along the beach as we jibed (is that spelt right??). Couldn't get the hang of tacking. It was very much like dinghy sailing - and I think the skills I picked up will be useful next time I try sailing. X looked really nervous at the start, but got the hang of it well. S and Husband picked up the skills quickly.

Ran with X later on - I'd been feeling jealous of every beach jogger we'd seen and I was so glad to get the chance to run myself. We teetered cautiously down the lane from the cottage, but once on the coast path, the route was mostly ice free. 5K and loved it - although X was having some hip pain which was not good.

We planned to go mountain biking at Brechfa on Monday but as it was higher up, too much snow and ice stopped play and we walked instead. -7oC at 2pm! And the walk was ended prematurely by seeing a buzzard caught up on barbed wire - we couldn't work out how to release it without injuring it - or us - so got the Forestry Commission involved. We did get a short walk later on - with Kitty & Golfish to a seafood restaurant in Saundersfoot.

More snow today and forecast to get worse so we headed home a day early. I have decided that I will sub 2 activities from my Top 40 list for the NYD swim and the land yachting - hope this is acceptable to any readers of my blog!