Ooomph!!!!

Help!!! I need to find some..or at least some consistency!

Maybe it's post wedding/honeymoon blues or the weather but whatever it is it needs to shove off so I can get ahead! Despite the tone of the start of this latest post I had quite a good weekend, full, but very good!

I think Friday was the start of the weekend for me..I ran for the first time since the half marathon and it was really good to get out there and back in my park! Yes I did ignore the E-Coli risk notice which is still up..I briefly glanced at it as I jogged by and swiftly disregarded it! Rebel...no..just missing my favourite park!

So I flew off at a very eager pace using the pacemaster on runkeeper and feeling very good about beating my set pace with every mile I clocked. I was very surprised at my energy levels and the lightness in my legs having lived it well and truly up over the previous fortnight but it was a pleasant surprise and the only irritation that occurred was when I realised I needed the loo just going into the second mile! Yes, this is one of a runners problems and actually this is a recognised problem. Called runners trots if I remember rightly..(information, courtesy of womens running magazine) anyway, fortunately my route led me via the park bistro and my dignity was salvaged!!! Hey, I never said running was glamorous or this blog would be pretty but I can promise it will be honest!!!

Once I got back into my rudely interrupted stride I found I was grinning..from ear to ear..I love it, it's true! It was a revelation after the half marathon which in all honesty, hurt like hell and made me reconsider my motives etc...I think of long distance running a bit like childbirth..knowing at the end...it's all worth it! The euphoria lasted for most of the day and I was raring to go on Saturday. I'm glad I had to focus on the kids and getting them to their new clubs. I might have been tempted otherwise to go out and run again as it was such a lovely sunny, crisp, calm day. However rest and repair is all important...I can't risk an injury.

My youngest, Tom has finally settled into a football club that suits him, he went off with his dad on Saturday chomping at the bit to get his little size 10 trainers on a ball and he returned with an enormous grin and as I assume is a requirement of playing footy in the winter, caked in mud!
My daughter, Ella enjoyed her new group too. Drama...and I pretty much reckon that's all I need to say about that one..smiles all round and happy parents, definitely joining the ranks of many other parents who have lost their weekends to football, drama, dance, swimming and so on and so forth!


Talking of football.....

 

 

On Saturday evening we went along as a family to watch Aston Villa v Manchester United. For the kids and I it was a first and for Ella and I will most probably be a last!

Tom absolutely loved it(see the above picture) despite being seated in the worst possible place in the stadium, surrounded by men...(using that word loosely) who seemed to be totally oblivious to the splattering of children in the vicinity!

I don't really know what I expected but the mums I spoke with afterwards looked horrified and oh well...you live you learn!

The highlight of the evening Man U coming back to beat Villa 3-2 from 2-0 down..I was so sorry for the neanderthal Villa supporters surrounding me!

 

And so Saturday became Sunday and it took an entirely different tone..

11.11.11

 

Remembrance Sunday

 

We got ready as a family, Richard, Tom and I in our Sunday bests and Ella in full Beaver Uniform as she was to help represent her group at church.

I was a little disappointed with the low turnout to commemorate this very important occasion, however, we were there and I am very proud of my children who were extremely well behaved and respectful.

The service was as emotional as expected. We had all been given little bags of sand to pour out part way through to represent the many lives lost and as the grains of sand slipped out from the bag I felt again a rare moment of clarity, about what is really important and what life means to me.

The reading of the lives lost in our village and the playing of the final post and 2 minute silence which followed was extremely emotional and I wasn't the only person to shed a tear. Even Ella had a little weep and I thought it good that she absorbed what the service really meant. A little bit of real life doesn't hurt the young in my opinion, in fact I think it's very good for them.

 

Onto the memorial outside and viewing the names on the plaque reinforcing that young men died and are still sadly dying in wars in which they do not necessarily agree with.

It was good to see the kids smiling after a very sombre occasion. They had shown their ability to be mature at such a young age and I was very very proud.

Normal life resumed after the service but even in our daily lives

WE WILL NEVER FORGET

                             

 

 

Little by little..bit by bit

I'm slowly crawling back into a routine, accepting the workload which has to to be taken up and I'm intent on enjoying it rather than seeing it as a chore but first I need to get my blood test results before I go happily charging into training 4-5 times a week and high protein/low fat/carb eating programmes!

What you see above is a far cry from the view I'll be enjoying  in the weeks ahead and it's going to be a true test of endurance, strength and willpower to get all the way through without even a thought of abandoning this sometimes seemingly crazy challenge!
The beautiful scene above is me taking a moment to look out over the sea whilst on a guided cycling tour of Toulon..that was one week ago today and was infact my last specific planned excersise to date.
I feel like I've done a workout today, cleaning frenzy suddenly hit which in my world means I'm mentally prepared to start again, just getting moving is an achievement to begin with. I am going to test my legs later with a light run on the treadmill and some strength excersise with the medicine ball and dumbbells..nothing too vigorous...just a reintroduction to it all. My first real training session is not until Tuesday so I have more time to become mentally strong...believing you can is half the battle in the pursuit of full fitness...
I haven't time to go over the events of the last fortnight, besides, it's pretty irrelevant now in my mind as it's more important to focus on whats to come..as enjoyable as it was, a holiday is a holiday and it's the day to day struggles and journey onwards to marathon day which is what the bulk of this blog was to follow.
How am I going to handle the trials and tribulations...?!! Little by little...and bit by bit...that's how!

 

...New Shoes...

Normally a twitter post, facebook comment/status update or new blog post at 2.48am would mean a fairly drawn out piece of writing proclaiming how crap it is to be an insomnia sufferer... 

 

 

 

 

however...this type of overactive thought induced sleep deprivation...I can cope with! I am quite possibly overtired. It's been a very long day within which I could not have crammed  any more chores or activities if I had tried! Nail appointment, doctors appointment, a trip to Sutton Runner to buy the above beauties, a trip to the carwash, a trip to the pharmacy, the school run, a brief sweep of the house, feeding of urchins, halloween disco preparations, followed by attending of said disco with urchins in tow where I tried out my skills in the tuck shop..donning a very attractive blue rubber glove serving hoards of gruesome children (and I say that in the nicest possible way) with Freddy Frogs, and various other sugar loaded timebombs to send them into one very hot room of what I can only describe as mayhem, masked by disco lights!

And that's not all...post disco.....herd urchins out into into the car, quick zip home..pick up dog, kids suitcase and other kid paraphernalia, then an hours trip to drop urchins and dog off at my mums for halfterm so I could then, drive back, pack a suitcase for myself to finally be able to crawl into bed awaiting for the alarm to go off at 4am and get up, ready to embark on a very exciting holiday/honeymoon in the form of a cruise!

There....has that made you tired?! No!

Well, that was my 'active rest day'!

A very important part of a training schedule, rest and recover whilst still being active. I think we can comfortably say I achieved that, so, normally today would be a training day and I would now be extremely pissed off to be sitting here at this ungodly hour typing away, however as already mentioned...it's holiday time! I'm relaxed, I'm going off leaving the UK when snow is beginning to hit many parts of the country so I couldn't feel any warmer inside...it's strange to have packed trackies and trainers for a honeymoon but training won't just stop for a week because I have a holiday, not for something which will be so intense. I think the enormity of the challenge at hand really dawned on me as I was driving home from Shropshire. I arrived at the point of turning onto the motorway and noticed it was exactly 26 miles to home which takes just under an hour.......by car!!!
I didn't panic, I just got serious..a marathon deserves respect...I may joke along the way to keep my sanity but let there be no doubt that I am VERY focused, I am VERY serious and I am VERY determined!

With that said I will go and make use of my early waking and make sure the house is left in a reasonable state of affairs so walking back in feels homely and welcoming rather than like a huge big slap in the face of returning to reality!

Happy half-term holiday bloggers!

26.2 Miles

So...here it begins, a journey into not quite the unknown but there is an uncertainty of how this is all going to pan out!

I'm nevertheless excited to begin this new adventure, I've got 6 months to train, it's a realistic amount of time to prepare for a full marathon. Isn't it?!!!

I suppose the first question I should answer or try to answer is why am I putting myself through such an ordeal! I say ordeal because I know that's how others view it, but I'm quite excited, not just about taking part in the run but the whole training process. I've been working with a personal trainer for the best part of 2012 but not for anything as major as a full marathon.

 So, the answer to the question?!

 No idea! It's just something I feel I need to do as much as want to. Maybe it's because I've been conversing with so many others who have caught the 'running bug!' Maybe it's because my neighbour competed a marathon this year and not just a marathon...'THE' marathon. The London Marathon...need I say more....

I do feel like I'm part of a special family withing the health/fitness/running community. I identify with the need to workout..for each individual there may be different reasons..for me it's very important for my mental health as much as a physical need/want.
I was not only proud to complete a half marathon on Sunday but I was extremely proud for doing it all by myself. Once I was dropped off at the venue, it was all up to me..and I got through it without any anxiety. Ofcourse I had some nervous butterflies, but I felt it was just a normal runners excited, nervous feeling rather than a building of illogical, irrational thoughts leading to full blown anxiety!

So today was decision day.. I AM taking part in the Manchester Marathon on 28th April. I have a cruise to look forward to beginning on Saturday to relax and not only enjoy myself, but to focus on the task ahead of me on my return. I have an appointment booked for a full health check with the nurse including blood tests to see exactly what my body is up to at the moment. I've been having some night sweats sporadically for a while now so a check wouldn't hurt even if I wasn't entering a marathon!
My first PT session since the half is tomorrow and I'm looking forward to resetting goals and changing up the training plan to accomodate my new goals which are to be at my best for the run ofcourse, including weight loss, stamina, strength and nutrition. It all needs to be considered!
Part of  the rest and repair process is to get enough sleep so I am actually going to leave it here..I guess this is day 1 and it's been great. It feels right...it feels great actually...onwards to eating clean...training mean and getting lean!

Goodnight Bloggers!