Here's to 2017

So, it's a new year. Whooo... Gone is 2016, famed for being the annus horribilis for many people I know and for the world in general. On a personal level, there's been a few lows but equally as many highs too. I'm proud of running two half marathons, a hobby which is definitely following me into 2017, getting to know the new addition to our family, my nephew Oscar and being a bridesmaid for and watching my little sister marry the love of her life and childhood sweetheart.

You can make changes at any time of course, but there's something about the start of a new year, after the over indulgence and exuberance of Christmas and the general festive period, that makes it a good time to take stock of your life and realise what you want to achieve over the coming 12 months and beyond.

Rather than resolutions, I've set intentions for the year. It doesn't matter if I don't reach all of them, as long as I've made some progress and continue to work on them into the next years. After all, small progress is still progress right??

Anyway, here's my 2017 intentions...

1. Run a marathon and complete it, run a half under 2hrs and a 10km under 50mins.
I've already signed up to the Yorkshire Plus Net Marathon on the 08th October so I guess I've already committed to that one. I'll hopefully be able to succeed and achieve some half and 10km personal bests as part of my marathon training.

2. Start driving lessons and pass theory test
I've never been that bothered about driving or owning a car, with living in a city like London, you just don't need it. However, as I think about getting older and possibly relocating away from the city to be able to settle down and buy a house, you can't deny that being able to drive would open a lot more possibilities. I feel like this is one thing, I need to stop putting off and just stomach the time and costs and get on with it. Wish me luck, crossing a road terrifies me, never mind getting behind a wheel!!

3. Be more of a morning person
Every work day I press snooze on my alarm for as long as possible, then rush around using every single last second until I'm out of the door, rushing again to the tube station, getting stressed and frustrated at every time the tube stops unexpectedly, making it to my desk by the skin of my teeth. It sets the day off to a bad start. I want to be able to take my time a little bit more, make sure I look and feel calm and well put together when I arrive at my desk.

4. Learn to cook more dishes, plan meals better and food shop better to save money
I'm not a terrible cook but I fall back on the same tried and tested meals (sausage pasta) again and again. I want to learn a few more dishes and get better at cooking things from scratch with fresh ingredients. I need to get into my head that spending more on a supermarket shop will benefit me in the longer run and stop me spending more in Sainbury's local on top ups and in Pret when I haven't made breakfast at home.

5. Save more and chip away more at the credit card
Pretty self explanatory.

6. Read 52 books
I have this intention every year. One book a week. I fail almost every time by one or two books. This year I'm determined. I just need to select books that I can't put down and partake in a little less mindless internet scrolling. Currrently reading: Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche

7. Look after my health a little bit better
Make sure I keep my regular appointments for eye tests, smear tests, dentist etc.... Get a better skin care routine and drink less alcohol!
I'm guilty of burying my head in the sand when it comes to the above but I need to realise I'm not getting any younger and looking after myself will help me both look and feel better.


8. If you want to do something, just do it, even if it's by yourself
Ten years ago, I left Hamburg after 6 months of working as a language assistant in a school. I haven't been back since. I was browsing the Easyjet January sale and found flights for £45 return. I just thought f*** it and booked them. I didn't wait to check if anyone else would be interested or before the politics of where to stay and what to do. I just wanted to go and be able to suit myself. It's gonna be a little bit strange eating by myself but hopefully I'll enjoy this and possibly take a few more solo trips this year.


Fingers crossed for me !

Why I Run and Previous Endevours Into Sport

This year I've managed to complete two half marathons, a 10km and a 5km race. Not too bad for someone who balked at the mere idea of exercise let alone running for 13.1 miles less than three years ago. Anyway, enough of the humble bragging and onto how and why my mind set changed.

At school I loved sport. I wasn't always the best or even that good, but I definitely enjoyed the camaraderie and sense of healthy competition. I loved rounders and will never forget the summer term of 1997 at primary school practising tactics in order to win our town's annual primary school competition. The disappointment of not being able to put them into practice and take home the glory when the competition was rained off has not left me.... (just kidding, although I had pretty mean throw as backstop to first base to get people out!). I also had a brief encounters as a midfielder for a girls football team and representing my school at a North Yorkshire Schools athletic competition.  The less said about that those the better.... Although A* for effort!

My only sporting success was making it onto the A team of the school netball team. I was goal shooter, I wasn't too bad. I was fairly tall (I've been about 5"6' since I was 11 - early growth spurt) and had spent the summer before going to secondary school pretending I was Julie from Hang Time throwing a penny football through a basket ball hoop nailed to our shed! Those were the days....
I loved that time though, it was a chance to blow off some steam, meet people from other schools, flirt with the boys from the football team and especially the boys in the year above on the sports coach on the way home and have a laugh with your mates. You also got a pass to go first into the dinner hall if you had lunch time practice - the best pick of the food and the fresh chips!

After I left school though, my sporty days were behind me. I had much more important things to worry about, boys and drinking and going out. The uni netball teams were quite Mean Girls-esque and not very me. I was always too worried/intimidated that I wouldn't be good enough. I flirted briefly with home work outs (I thought if I bought the Ministry of Sound Dance work out, I'd have a body like the Call On Me dancers) and a one off jog after I put on a stone during my first year of uni but nothing that was a routine. I joined the gym in my final year but went about three times, the last time I was severely hung-over and almost vommed on the treadmill. Idiot.

Three years ago, I joined my local Virgin Active and whilst I wasn't there three times every single week. I did use my gym membership and got relatively fit. I could run 5km without walking some of it. I lifted weights. I even did one Body Pump class. It was never with any real motivation or vigour though. And in February 2015 I cancelled it because £62 a month is a hefty chunk of money. I made myself all the promises of running in the park and free work outs but I was seeing someone and I used my aforementioned gym time to eat pub dinners and chocolate feasts in front of the TV and I put on half a stone.

After not seeing someone any more though and having endless evenings feeling miserable, unfit and fatter not helped by just sitting in front of the TV eating family sized tubs of Celebrations/Miniature Heroes/Quality Streets, I re-joined the gym and signed up to a half marathon. I haven't looked back since. And these are the reasons why. Why, although I don't always love doing laps round the park, or running home from work in order to fit a workout in, I love running as a whole and how it makes me feel.

1. It gives me an appreciation for my body that isn't based on how I look. I still have cellulite, my bum wobbles and isn't as peachy as it could be and I bloat out to almost pregnancy levels the minute I eat. But, when I run, I don't think of any of that. I think about how strong my legs are to carry my body around 13 miles and how hard my lungs and heart are working to stop me getting completely out of breath. I appreciate how strong and fit I am rather than of any perceived flaws I have.

2. Carb loading. - pre-race night and the nights before long training runs - you have an excuse to eat all the carbs! What more could you want??

3. It's a great for de-stressing. Whenever I feel like everything's getting a little bit on top of me, a run really helps me gain a bit of perspective and to clear my head. Despite the perception that running by yourself can make you go too far into your own head and dwell on any negativity, I find the complete opposite. I'm so focused on the physical side that I am able to switch off all those little niggling doubts and negative voices in my head. It helps me to think clearly and release any built up adrenalin from stresses elsewhere in my life. Also, the release of endorphins from physical exercise is a well known mood enhancer.

4. It makes me feel proud of myself. Sometimes, I'm not quite where I want to be in life. I don't always want be poor, single and living in a house-share. Running makes me feel like I've set myself a new goal and challenge that I can realistically achieve rather than constantly worrying about a house deposit that needs a lottery win. Improving, beating my personal bests and building up my distances gives me a real sense of personal achievement. I've also helped raise some money for very worthy causes too which is an extra bonus.

There you go! I just need to remember these reasons when I'm trying to motivate myself to get out of bed on a cold, rainy, weekend morning when all I want to do is stay in bed.

Right, off to find my next race!

Money, Money, Money



£5 well spent on some spectacularly tacky sunglasses!

These kind of posts are doing the rounds at the moment so I thought I'd do my own, mainly to track where my money goes (too many trips to Sainsbury's Local) and see where I can definitely cut back and try to put more into my savings/paying off my credit card.

This will be a weekly diary so starting from 05th September until 11th September. My rent, utility bills and direct debits come out of my account after the 1st of every month so some will feature. I have a handy little 'note' on my iPhone to tick off when each one has been withdrawn from my account. Not the most adult of ways of doing it, pretty sure I should have a detailed spread-sheet. However, as long as I'm not burying my head in the sand and praying to Jesus, Mary and Joseph when I hand my card over that it doesn't get declined, then it's OK right??

I live in London in a houseshare with three other girls. We each pay our own rent to the landlady and utilities are organised by ourselves. I have the water, Sky & Broadband and TV License in my name. We pay council tax directly to Lambeth Council and my housemate takes care of the cleaner and gas and electric. I don't have a car and have a monthly zone 1-3 travel card at £146.00 a month to get around.

Monday 05th September
I had the day booked off work. I've had a few busy weekends and needed an admin/cleaning day.
My housemate bought a new vacuum cleaner for the house at the weekend as ours had broken quite a long time ago. My share was £8.25 so I transferred her the money for that.
Brunch was scrambled eggs on toast from food I already had in the house.
Later, I went for a walk to the shops and did a grocery shop and picked up a few other bits.
I spent as follows;
£3.00 in Poundland on a pair of headphones that went straight in the bin - I wanted a temporary pair to last til I get some for my birthday at the end of the month, a Tupperware box for the soup I was planning to make, and a bag of mini Double Deckers.
£18 combined in Lidl and Iceland on food for the week. I got a load of salad stuff, fresh vegetables to make a soup, stocked up on tinned tomatoes and vegetables for adding to soups and stews, some sausages, fish, chicken and a few other bits to make up lunches and dinners for the week. I make up a batch of vegetable soup which does 04 portions and then two portions of couscous and feta salad one to eat for dinner and one to take for lunch the following day.
I also put £5 into the kitty for household cleaning products and miscellaneous items that we need.

Total: £34.25


Tuesday 06th September
Back to work... Journey is already paid for with my monthly travel card.
Breakfast was overnight oats with honey which I prepared with food I already had in the house. 
Lunch is couscous and feta salad, again, prepared from food I already had at home. I bought a lot of breakfasts and lunches last week and am keener to be a bit more mindful in terms of money and what I am eating this week (even though I've got a multipack of Double Deckers in my drawer).  
When I get home I go for a run and then have a portion of the soup I made the previous night with some bread followed by Ben & Jerry's which I had in the freezer whilst watching TV with one of my housemates.
The water direct debit came out of my account today. My share was £10.74.

Total: £10.74


Wednesday 07th September
I had overnight oats again for breakfast at my desk.
I brought my own lunch again which is another portion of the vegetable soup which I batch made on Monday. I was in a rush though so forgot to pack in some bread and a banana as an afternoon snack so I stop off at Sainsbury's on the way into work and pick up both for 50p. We also have lots of cake and snacks in the office at the moment so I pick at those throughout the day.
I'm training for the Royal Parks Half Marathon on the 9th October. My training plan is a 12km run today which is pretty much the distance from the office to home, so I fit it into my day by running home.... not a great time, not helped by the heat and getting poo-ed on by a bird (crying face emoji).
When I get home, I make a tomato and mozzarella pasta with food I already had in and also finish off the last of the Ben and Jerry's (I earned it haha) whilst watching Ex On The Beach.
​
Total: 50p


Thursday 08th September
I finish off the last of the yoghurt I have with overnight oats again for breakfast.
My direct debit of £18 for contact lenses has come out of my bank account. I have a scheme through Specsavers. I probably could find a cheaper deal but I like the ease of this being delivered to my door and all the eye care such as check-ups, eye tests and free pair of glasses is included too so it's not all bad. I did use to pay £15 a month but eyes used to get so irritated and dry that I upgraded.
I'm really bad for falling prey to promotional emails and as I quickly check my mail before leaving work, I end up buying a Kindle download for 99p.
I need to pick up a few bits so call at Tesco on my way home. I only needed toilet paper and moisturiser but end up buying a skirt and another book too. Totally, it only came to £19.45 though so I don't feel too bad.
I made dinner again from food I already in - a cauliflower cheese bake with asparagus and potatoes. 

Total: £38.44


Friday 09th September
I had intended to get up early and have breakfast at home instead of the usual at my desk. However, I didn't sleep that great and ended up pressing snooze a couple of times. I popped into Pret on the way into work and picked up a coffee and a croissant for £3.45. Once a week, it's an OK treat I guess!
My lunch was the same tomato and mozzarella pasta that I made double of on Wednesday night so no money spent there.
I left work early at 15:15 as my mum and dad were in London for the weekend. I went over to their hotel in Canary Wharf to meet them for the evening.  We had a look round the shops and at the Cross Rail rood gardens. I had dinner and a few drinks with them there before heading home. My mum paid for my dinner and I bought one round of drinks for £11.80.

Total: £15.25


Saturday 10th September



PSL like the basic I am!

I met my parents in central London at lunch time after going for a morning run and having breakfast at home. We had a wander down Oxford Street but I didn't buy anything. We stopped for a coffee and sandwich in Starbucks which my mum again paid for.
As the weather was dreadful, we headed over to Kensington and visited the V&A museum. We looked round the main, free exhibitions so that didn't cost anything. We also paid a visit to Harrods so my mum could pick up souvenir teddies for my niece and nephew and to have a look at their Christmas World! I love looking at the decorations, even though I could never afford to decorate a tree solely in Harrods decorations!
I went back again with them to the hotel for dinner and a few drinks in the hotel bar. I paid for my self and a round of drinks this time which was £31.35.

Total: £31.35


Sunday 11th September

Southbank Roof Gardens

Drinks at Southbank Roof Gardens

I meet my mum and dad again up in East London for a morning round Brick Lane and Spitalfields markets. I buy a bottle of Lucozade and a packet of chewing gum before getting on the tube for £1.45. I was looking for some vintage Levi Mom Jeans but didn't see any that grabbed me. We stopped off for a coffee/tea at the Hip Hop Café which has brilliant Beyoncé slogan cups "I woke up like this". Mum paid for mine. In the markets I picked up a wooden coaster with a painted M on it for £3 and a pair of sunglasses for £5.
I also bought a birthday present for a friend. Her birthday isn't until November but it was a case of seeing something that was perfect and it doesn't hurt to be a bit prepared! I also pay 30p to use the toilets at Liverpool Street Station.... So glamorous!
After the markets we headed over to the southbank for some lunch and a wander. We get food from a street market stall. I pay £2 for some chips (they were £3 but I only had £2 in change so mum donated a £1). Afterwards, we head up to the South Bank Centre Roof Garden and have a drink. My dad gets this round and I get a round later at a pub near Westminster Abbey which was £13.00.
At around 5:30pm, we go our separate ways and I eat a pizza at home in between re-charging my phone and a quick shower and change of clothess. We meet back up later in Covent Garden for a stroll and a few more drinks, I get a round in at £17.15. 

Total: £59.90


TOTAL: £190.43

My parents visit rounded off a summer of fun things, a hen do in Marbs, various people visiting, birthdays, SW4 festival, a hen do in Yorkshire and many al-fresco drinks. I spent way more than I should've done but looking back, I've had a great summer and full of memories and experiences. Time now to hibernate a bit (well, after a couple more days of high 20s temperatures), save some money and knuckle down with trying to beat my PB in the Royal Parks Half Marathon. Roll on autumn.

Flashback Friday

Early adopter of the mirror selfie even with my Sony Ericsson

 

Blogging is absolutely huge these days and everyone and their nan is documenting their lives online for everyone to see in one way or another thanks to social media. I remember though, back in the day having an online diary at TeenOpenDiary (LOL - I still try wonder what happened to some of the people I followed religiously), before progressing to OpenDiary and then Livejournal. It was kind of embarrassing and a little bit geeky back in those days and I would have been mortified for anyone I knew IRL to discover it and read it. Kind of hard to imagine these days when the whole point is to gain as many followers and reach as many people as possible.

Anyway, it got me wondering.... I never actually deleted my Livejournal and after some scrambling around in my email archives to try and rediscover my username and password, I managed to login. I had a flick through the archives. It did make me laugh. Is it really 12 years ago since I got my A-Level results and was about to start uni? Ten years since I was having epic meltdowns about having to move to Germany?

Here's a few excerpts from the archives....

21 August 2004
guess who passed their a levels?! whhhooooo yeah, that's right me -lol- i got BBC. i was slightly disappointed in not getting a B in psychology but i'm over it now. i'm disappointed in people saying it's virtually impossible to fail etc and that a levels are getting easier etc but i'll save you my opinion on that. i got 410/600 for psychology altogether with all the modules added up which is 68%. in french i got 453/600 with all the modules together (76%) and in my written exam i got 83/90 which i'm really pleased about. in german i got 464/600. only 16 marks from an a. i think that is 77%. and i got 108/120 which is pretty amazing because of all the cases etc which are pretty difficult to grasp. anyway, i just wanted to get that out of the way. i'm sure you don't really care about my little breakdown and analysis -lol- anyway, to cut a long story short. i got into my first choice university, hull and i got my confirmation letter this morning so i'll be sending it off tomorrow.

we decided to got to hull. well i did. i kinda just wanted to see the university as that is where i'll be in three weeks. we ended up arguing lots whilst in the car over directions -lol- there was lots of swearing. once we were out of the car though, we were fine! i didn't buy much. just two tops. a green halterneck with blue polka dots (sounds nicer than it is) and a blue goldigga vest. i wasn't really in the mood for shopping i guess. i nearly did buy cowboy boots in topshop though. gonna definately go back for them. i felt kinda strange. i was feeling kinda blah. i dunno why, i'd just got great exam results and i'm about to go to university and start a new chapter of my life but instead of feeling excited i just felt like crying. i guess it hit me how much things are gonna change for me and it's terrified me. i told J how i was feeling and he took me to pizza hut for my tea to cheer me up which he did. we had a garlic bread starter, chicken feast pizza to share and then a chocolate fudge cake each. it was v. delicious.

I guess grammar and capital letters weren't my forte back in 2004. Also, gotta love the fashion of the noughties.... cowboy boots and golddigga vests! Quite funny how I was dreading leaving, yet loved uni almost straight away and dumped my at home bf for the boy in the next room in halls. What a cliché.

21 August 2006
i am starting to actually shit myself now. i fly out to germany in one weeks times. i'm trying to block it out. i haven't even started to get things ready for it yet. i need to pack, buy things, get my euros, speak to the my mentor over in hamburg. argh too much to think about. i don't even have anywhere to live :( i've seen a few places in the internet which i need to enquire about.

i've spent pretty much all this weekend with andrew - trying to spend as much time together as possible until i go. he came down on friday after i'd finished work. we just chilled out with a take-away and watched the big brother final which was a bit shit actually.

I was terrified of moving to Germany for my year abroad. Looking back though, it's one of the things I'm most proud of and I have the best memories of that time.

I don't think the girl who wrote those entries would have thought her life would turn out the way it has. Then again, who really does? It's hard to reconcile the girl who'd never really left Yorkshire and always had a long term boyfriend with the 30 year old eternally single Londoner. I still do struggle with change though and moving house/jobs and being pushed out of my comfort zones terrifies me. I am a lot more confident and independent though and I am so grateful for that.

I bet in ten years time forty year old me will be cringing at all the snapchat filtered selfies and artfully placed coffees, cocktails and meals that dominate my feed these days!

A bit of a rant about housing in London

I live in a houseshare and whilst it has its merits in the sense of sharing the bills and having someone to automatically come home to and share a glass of wine with in front of some trashy TV, I’m beginning to grow weary. Weary of petty arguments, weary of cleaning other people’s mess, weary of other people’s friends and partners when you’ve had a long day and just need to not talk to anyone, weary of not enough kitchen cupboard space….. I think you get the picture. And this is by no-means an attack on my current housemates. I’m just 30 and beginning to crave my own space.

I think it’s always been ingrained into me that the thing to strive most for in your life is your own home. Financial security in bricks and mortar. My parents and family forwent other luxuries to pay their mortgage to keep a roof over our heads. My younger sister was on the property ladder at 23. And now, at 30 – it’s all anyone in my friendship group is talking about. I guess I’ve got a bit of a chip on my shoulder about it and I get a bit unnecessarily defensive when people are asking me “So, when are you gonna think about buying somewhere?” Errrrrr……. When I when the lottery, mate!

According to a recent report in the Evening Standard, first time buyers in London need an average salary of £106,000 to be able to purchase a property by 2022. OK… so maybe that’s doable if you split it into two salaries of you and your partner. But what about the monstrous deposit you need to be able to secure a mortgage. The only people I know who have been able to do so have been fortunate enough to be able to still live at home with their parents rather than paying rent. I worked out that in almost eight years of living in London I’ve spent roughly £48’000 on rent alone (an average of £500.00 month). That’s excluding utilities and bills. And I don’t even have particularly high rental costs. If you take all that into consideration, maybe I’d have enough to put a deposit down on a one bed flat in zone four – not that I’m complaining about that. I would genuinely love that.

OK, so I could rent a place on my own. However, again the prices are ridiculous. A studio flat in the same area as I live now starts at around £800 pcm without bills and that’s usually with sharing a bathroom and or kitchen space with someone else so still not my own space. And coming up to around £1000 or rent and utilities alone, how are we supposed to afford everything else? And save £1000+ a month needed for deposits. It’s exhausting trying to do the calculations.

Then there’s the non-refundable estate agency fees for finding yourself a rental property. I’ve been lucky that I’ve been able to avoid these so far by renting directly from the landlords. These alone can add up to a couple of grand including a deposit. I understand the logic of a deposit. If you return the home in the way you found it on moving out, you get your money back. If you’ve wrecked the place, then the landlord has some way of recouping the repair costs. But charging young people who are already busting a gut to pay ridiculous rental amounts and saving for their own places, money that they’ll never see again, is just crazy and unfair. Agency fees are also completed unregulated and can vary between different companies. In Scotland, they have been banned since 2012. Please sign this petition to try and help get them banned in England too. There is also a great website called www.openrent.com which is advertises properties to rent without agency fees.

I could always move away, to more affordable parts of the country, but I despite everything, I love living here. I want to settle and put roots down. If I have children, I want them to have more opportunities, to be able to experience more culture. I’m not asking for Made in Chelsea, Kings Road kinda life – just a chance to live comfortably in a city that I’ve made my home for the past eight years.

Right, I’m off to go buy a lottery ticket and dreaming of buying this house.

Silverstone Half and My Running Journey

I did it! I ran a half-marathon and in a pretty decent time too – 02:02:28 for anyone who is still interested! Not too bad for someone who was barely coping with 5km at the start of the year. I just want to do it all over again. I want to get sub 2hrs… I want to run a full marathon. I’m a mixture of suffering from post-race blues and still on a high and wanting to talk all things running with anyone who’ll still listen to me ramble on.

When I signed up for the race, I wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of how I would do. At that point, I’d have been happy to just complete it. In terms of preparation, I stuck pretty much to the 12 week beginners training plan which was given by adidas (the race sponsors). This was based on two short runs during the week and one long run on a weekend working right up to a 12 mile run 4 weeks before race day. I definitely recommend sticking to a plan as much as possible. If I’d have just done haphazard running and building up my distances with no thought put in, I don’t think I’d have done as well as I did on the race day. I also found that it didn’t interfere too much with a social life either. I could still manage to fit these runs in without having to say no to big nights out or events.

I invested in a little bit of new running kit. I already had a pretty decent pair of trainers and sets of sports bras (M&S do great sports bras in cup sizes). I went to Primark and got a bright pink waterproof (which has been great), a couple of tops (which have also been great) and some leggings (not so great – they fall down a little bit and don’t have pockets). The running leggings I did swear by were a pair of Karrimor ones that were reasonably priced from Sports Direct. I also had a little waist pouch from h&m that fits in a couple of cards, keys and an energy gel. Rather than using a running watch, I used the mapmyrun app on my phone which works brilliantly. I have my phone for music when I’m running anyway and this gives me a recap at each KM of the time, distance, pace and split pace.

I didn’t want to end up spending loads of money on kit and equipment only to not enjoy running and/or only do one race. It would have just been a complete waste of money and also even more unused things when I'm trying to drastically de-clutter. Now that I know I want to carry on, I’m happy to start investing a little bit more of my hard-earned cash. New trainers are the top of my list.

I did a little bit of research of what to eat before running and how to fuel myself but it wasn’t a strict diet. On a normal workday, I’d have breakfast which was either cereal, cereal bar, yoghurt, fruit, a lunch of pasta, sandwich or soup and then a banana at around 4pm. It always seemed to work. I’m much more of an afternoon/evening runner/exerciser anyway. I’m just generally not a morning person at all. On long runs, I would usually have porridge mixed with some fruit about 2hrs prior to going out. This served me well. I had to be careful to leave enough time between eating and running. The first time I attempted to do a 10 mile run, I ended up having to walk a big chunk as I started to suffer with bad stomach cramping, almost like period pain. Lesson learned – but I guess that’s part and parcel of training, learning to know what your body responds to both positively and negatively. I used one energy gel on long runs and I’m still unsure as to whether I did need them or not. I think it was more a psychological thing more than anything else. I felt I could go on more if I had them. I used the SIS GO ones purely because they were easy to get hold of in my local Tesco.

 

Silverstone Race

The race was the adidas Silverstone Half at the F1 race track. It was a three lap route. In terms of the venue, on the plus side, it was pretty flat the whole way round with a few slight inclines which makes it great for a first race like mine. Also, if you're an F1 fan, you may also relish running on such an iconic route. On the down side, it’s slightly out of the way making it difficult to get to unless you drive.  (although there are buses put on specially from Birmingham and London). I think this combined with the layout of the route meant that there were large parts of the race with little or no spectators. I’m only speculating here but I’m guessing with races through city centres, you end up with a lot more accidental spectators…. The organisation was faultless though and all in all, it was a great day. We were also blessed with gorgeous sunshine which definitely helped! Not sure I’d have enjoyed it as much in the pouring rain.

 

 

For the first half of the race, I was keeping pace with the 01:58 pacer. I was even a little bit in front at one point. My target finishing time was 02:10 and there was no way I was expecting to get sub 02 hours. However, there was the voice inside my head just saying “What if…. What if?” I pushed myself at this pace for a little bit longer, but by 08 miles I knew I had to slow down. I still tried to push myself in certain places but my legs were getting tired. I’m still pretty happy with my time and know that with some work, I will be able to get sub 2hrs which is more than I dreamed of when I first started training back in December.

 

 

Right, now to go and find some more races to run!!

An Ode To RIAD... My Palentines

2011

2016

 

 

It’s Monday morning and I still feel like I’m recovering from Saturday night. I’ve checked my bank balance and have £100 to last the next ten days. I woke up so late that I didn’t have time to get milk before work so I’m getting through the morning on some left over Galaxy Minstrels that I found in my desk drawer. Sounds like an all-round depressing situation, right? I’m actually feeling pretty content, albeit a teensy bit tired.

The reason for such a chipper mood? Friends. I know it’s a cliché single person thing to say about Valentine’s Day, but celebrating love doesn’t have to always be limited to the romantic type. It’s good to take time to appreciate all the great relationships in your life. And at one point or another last week I got to catch up with all my favourites.

The icing on the proverbial cake was the arrival of two brilliant babes in London, the other half of RIAD (Rhythm Is A Dancer - as none of really have any rhythm at all) to celebrate Roxanne’s 27^th birthday. And it was the best way to celebrate #Palentines. A weekend full of yummy food, good wine, belly laughs, getting dolled up for a night out, skittle bomb shots, late night McDonalds and even more yummy food.

So, although there was a lack of romance on my Valentine’s Day this year, there definitely was not a lack of love (awwwwww) and for that I’ll always be grateful. Grateful for friends that always have my back and never fail to make me smile.

If, by some stroke of luck I manage to find a man by next Valentine’s Day, he definitely has a lot to live up to in terms of beating this year’s celebration.

Roll on Newcastle in April for the next RIAD reunion.