Telford 10K Photo

Telford 10K and Personal Best!

Today was the Telford 10K which is just under an hour from me here in Oswestry. My mum was visiting this weekend so it was super nice to have company for the ride there, the waiting around before and for someone to congratulate me at the end.

The weather was just fine. Cold and dry.  I wore my Underarmour tights, Sugoi skirt, an sleeveless top under an Underarmour cold weather long sleeved top. Hat and gloves too.

There was a decent crowd and a narrow start.  I sneaked in to a potentially selfish spot not very far from the front.  Its hard to judge the speed of a crowd and they had an elite sub 40 minute race earlier on so as i was aiming for 56 minutes i didn’t want to be too far back.  And I also didn’t want to walk for ages up to the start as i wanted to start my clock on the gun start to see what i could get, rather than on the start line.  What i actually did was press lap at the start line – or what i assumed it to be as there really wasn’t a defined line anywhere.

 

The start was signalled and i was carried along with the crowds. Feeling good and knowing i wasn’t sticking to my 9 minute mile pace – my race plan so to speak, i just went with it.  There was a big down hill at the start then two laps to the finish. My fist mile was 8:05 and i panicked a bit. I knew i couldn’t sustain this for another 5 miles.  I was being passed continuously and found it hard to slow down.  The second mile 8:23 and the third mile at 8:37 made me realise that perhaps i could maintain this pace till the end.  Mum was there about half way and took some photos. Its nice to have supporters on the side lines. 

I was feeling pretty good. I knew it was a flat course as i was coming to the second lap.  I really wanted a negative split and so i pushed. Mile four 8:25 and only 2 to go.  I picked it up some more. Now i was passing others steadily. Mile five 8:13 and i turned it up another notch.  Mile six 8:01 and running in for the last 200m – i LOVE this part as i speed up the whole way, i am running in long strides, faster than any other time i run, this is when i feel like a real racer, a real runner, an athlete .2miles @7:16 pace. 

FINISH    51:46 

Avg pace 8:16

Excellent, awesome, thrilled, stoked, joyous and surprised. I was hoping to beat the 56 minute as i knew it was a flat course, but i never thought i would get so close to the average pace of my 5K PB which was 8:11.

Good days in a good week.

Monday Wednesday and Friday this week i went spinning, if that is the correct term.  Monday and Wednesday were at the gym.  After Wednesdays spin class i ran for 20 minutes - 3.37km and then did 10 minutes of arm weights.  That was a good day. Friday i got up to go swimming before work.  I managed 34 minutes in the pool. I wish i had longer as 35 minutes is just not long enough in the pool. I felt like i was cooling down right after i had warmed up. This was my session,

250m swim warm up

5x50    15sec rest

5x100  15sec rest

450 swim /cool down

 But i suppose something is better than nothing. 

On Friday night i felt i needed to still do something, given the short swim, so i got my bike out in to the living room and set up the virtual ride on my pc and did a hard 54 minutes of cycling.  It was really nice, as when i got hot, i took my top off, can't do that in class.  Well, i probably could, but won't!  I then fished out my hand weights and did some arm stuff too.  I seriously need heavier hand weights though. 4lbs just don't cut it.

And tomorrow is the postponed 10k from December.  So for only 4 days of working out, i have done a pretty good job this week. Totalling about 4.5 hours is actually good for me.  But, knowing that only amounts to under 5 hours, and i was thinking i could do 10hours a week to Olympic distance train slightly worries me.  I'm not sure that i could ever do 10 hours a week. Unless i do a 3hour bike ride and a long run on the weekend.  In the summer that might happen, but i'm guessing not regularly.  

But i think the most important thing is that i am enjoying what i do and not stressing over what i don't.  I'm never going to be first in a race, i'm never going pro, i'm only ever racing myself and i am the only one i have to answer to.

My Best Bits

We all have parts of our bodies we don't like and i hope we all have parts we do.  My problem areas are my bum and thighs. typical women areas. My belly gets fat too, but i have felt ok about it in the past, in fact right now, it doesn't bother me too much, but never in my life have i been okay with my thighs.  Not once have i looked at them and thought, you're not so bad.

But lets not dwell on those parts today. Today was a good day.  Today i noticed definition in my deltoids and triceps. Like real clear definition.  It was during spin class and we were stood up on our bikes. There are mirrors in front of us and there they were, flaunting themselves at me, all defined and shit. I could hardly take my eyes off them!

I have always liked my upper body. I have strong square shoulders, actually a little broad, but they don't look too big or anything.  And i have always admired that area on other women and men. I like basketball players and swimmers, those are body types i swoon over. Long lean arms, long torsos.  So to have actual definition, to see what i have always longed for was joyous.  I'm totally stoked.  The weird thing is, i still have that slight under arm wobble, you know the bingo wing wobble, but to a much lesser degree.  Does that ever go away? What are your best bits?

Wipe the dust off…

unpack and set up the unused bike trainer.

Today was the first time i used my bike trainer properly since i bought it. It wouldn’t have happened if i had never done a spin class, or if i didn’t have a dvd to follow.  Before attending a spin class i hated stationary cycling. I would never use the stationary bikes in the gym and when i first got the trainer, it was because i had been cycling a lot and thought as i had a good base then i would be able to use it and not hate it. I was totally wrong. I still hated the trainer. It sat unused in the spare room for a year. It got packed up and shipped here.

Thankfully, i tried the spin class and fell in love.  It’s such a great workout and I find it a lot of fun too.  Brutal fun, if there is such a thing.  So i decided that i should get the trainer out and see if i like it. This time, i set up the laptop with the dvd i got with my Triathlon220 magazine. It’s a ride through Orange County of 18 miles, a 54 minute workout. Its focus was hill endurance and efficiency.

I got all set up yesterday and this morning was the day. Lets see if i can stick this out, and enjoying it would be a bonus. It would also have to be a necessity if I am to do it more than once.  I have to enjoy my exercise.  54 minutes later, a pool of sweat on the floor, burning thighs and over all euphoria at accomplishing a brutal spinning session the verdict – Score!  I LOVED it!  And yeah, i felt those hills.

Best of all, no drive home, i could take me shirt off to mop the floor with and immediately hop in the shower.

Please ignore the patio furniture wrapped in brown paper and cling film in the garden.  One day, when it’s closer the the days of using it, it will get unwrapped.  Just imagine, your whole house wrapped like that. That is what we had to contend with.  The reason i have a total of 4 trips to the recycling plant with a car that looks like this:

Just a bit of muffin baking today.

Today I had my arthrogram and MRI, if you want to know more, click here.

I tired to make the day more productive by baking too.

Yummie muffins – my favourite thing to bake right now.

Ah-hoy Pool-Matey!

Tonight was swim night.  I decided to have my dinner early and head to the pool when i thought it would be quieter at 8pm.  The changing rooms were busy and there were a few girls in dry bikinis.  I was hoping they were there for the sauna, not a swim.  As i got changed i hoped for the best, that being an empty pool, but when i entered i was sorely disappointed. It was busy. Not a portion of a lane free.  I hung about and looked for folks doing front crawl. There were two. One guy was in the designated lane.  The pool being a hotel pool has only one lane roped off. Its just off centre and divides the pool in to a fat lane to its left, a normal lane between the ropes and a super fat lane the other side. How i see it, you can have 2 swimmers one side 2 inside and 4 the other side.  There were no lanes left.
I intended to hop in with the front crawl guy but make sure he know i was getting in. I sat on the lane end, waiting till he saw me.  Right as i got in someone from the super fat lane left and i took may chance. Ahh, a ‘lane’ all for me.  I did a warm up and by the time i was warm the lady in the outer edge got out.  I’m kind of thinking it was coz of me swimming faster than everyone else (doing breast stroke) and she was big and slow, but there was space, and i don't kick too much and certainly don’t splash, so i didn't force her out or anything.  Well her leaving then gave me my preferred position – against the wall.  As there are no lines on the floor i find it hard to stay in a straight line, so i like to use the wall as a guide.
I had brought my swim book with me, but when i saw the packed pool i just left it by the edge, and when i had managed to claim a lane, i didn’t dare get out to grab it so i could follow a work out. This left me to make one up – for the first time.  I made my decision pretty quick while i was warming up and decided on this:
3x100 30s rest
2x200 30 sec rest
4x100 30s rest
2x400 30s rest
CD 75 bs 50 fs
For a total of 2325m in 58 minutes.

The time flew by. I didn't look at the clock at all in fact. I had my new Poolmate watch on and simply went through what i had planned.  I love the watch. Numbers really motivate me. I am terrible at keeping count too, so its great for that.  As there is no real pool clock, i never really had any way to measure myself. I didn’t know how long anything took me to do. Now though, i know it all. every bit of info i could possible need is recorded. This is the programme interface screen. This is the total page

And this is the info for todays workout.

In my book – Swim Workouts for Triathletes, there is a test session you do to work out your T1 time which you then base some of the set upon.  This consists of a warm up them 3 x100 ensuring that the three times are with in 5 seconds of each other. The average is then your T1 time.  I did this last week and my T1 time is 1:54.  As you can see from this my fist set averaged at 1:50 (1:48, 1:49, 1:53) and my second set averaged at 1:53/4 (1:52, 1:53, 1:54, 1:55) I love that i know this! This is the number i am aiming to bring down.  With my running i have noticed recently that i am running in the 8:50s area. I remember when hitting the 9min mark was exciting a short while ago, so to see 8:50s a few times is super cool.  I can’t wait to see the 1:54 number drop as i swim more, become more efficient and fitter.

So tomorrow i may just go and eat one of those cupcakes i burnt off today!

Cream Crackered

After a lazy weekend with regards to exercise – i only ran 3.8 miles on Saturday, it was about time to get to the gym and work hard.  I did work hard all weekend but in a different maner.  I busted ass on my house and its finally looking respectable, homely and not like a cardboard recycling plant.  I actually barely sat down all weekend, even in to the evening. I was unpacking pictures at 11.30 at night.  It was like i had ants in my pants. But worth the effort i can tell you.

Banana coconut muffins

I have been battling with this a bit.  Working out or setting up house.  I’m the kinda girl that likes the house neat, tidy, homely and cosy. I prefer it with a husband in it, but if i can’t have that, then i at least want my pictures hung up and books on shelves.  I told myself as i was on my run, that if i only ran the short loop (3.8miles) then i would go for a swim later on in the day.  But i got carried away with the house. I did put my swim stuff in the car planning on going on the way back from Wrexham, where i was going to B+Q and Tesco’s.  But it was 6pm by my return trip, i was getting hungry and wanted to cook a nice dinner so it just didn’t happen. 

Sardines, leafy greens with avocado in

French style dressing and pan-fried pak choi

Sunday i thought that if i don’t get dressed properly; as dressing often hinders me wanting to workout for some reason, don’t ask as i can’t tell you why, then i would stand a better chance of going swimming.  So i just pulled on jogger bottoms and a zipped hoodie over my pjs, not even a bra.  But again, i got so involved with sorting the house, baking muffins and cooking a delicious lunch i just didn't get there.  I couldn’t pull myself away from what i was doing. Getting ready for bed was easy!

Mackerel Thai Curry from River Cottage Every Day – Hugh Fearnly-Whittingstall

So i had to change my attitude a bit.  I have to say, that if i am enjoying what i am doing, or if what i am doing will make me happy, then its ok to miss an occasional workout.  The pleasure i get from walking in to a clean tidy sweet little home is immeasurable.  Having the time to cook a lovely lunch and dinner was superb – as were both meals.  It is worth the cost of a skipped work out.

 

And tonight, i totally made up for it.  The spin class was brutal. I really like the instructors style.  It was the first time I've had him and i like it!  Then i went straight to a run.  I still haven't memorised the km rather than miles pace so put it on 11 thinking that was 9:?? pace; and a 1% incline.  It was hard at first and i thought it would get better, once my wobbly legs went away, but it didn’t. In fact it got worse.  I wanted to slow down or reduce that slight incline from 2 minutes in.  It was hard. But i was determined to prove that its all mind over matter.  I battled my will for 18 more minutes and won.  And did so in style. The last minute, even though i had been puffing and panting the whole way through, i increased the speed to 12. It was a bloody tough work out but i was super pleased with myself. My mind won.  Then i find out 11 is actually 8:50 pace – bloody yee-haa, that's fast for me!!

 

House photos to come soon. xx

Is There Any Point?

I have my new computer at last. I had been hankering for a new one for a while, my old one being so sloooow.  I love that my hubby considers computers as necessities, so i don’t have to wait for it to be a birthday gift or the like.  He bought me it months ago in the States and it was shipped over.  Its at least a year in the waiting, we were putting the purchase off till we were moving.

So i plug it in and BANG PUFF it blows up! Oops! Yes, it seems that i had forgotten to switch the Voltage to UK, as it had being bought in the USA.  In all honesty, i didn’t even turn it on, i simply flipped the wall switch that allows power to travel to the computer (you don’t have those on USA wall plates) so i didn’t think i would need to flip the switch until i was going to power the actual computer on. Shows how much i know about electricity and electrical goods.

So,  i purchase a new power brick thing for inside the pc, at a hefty price of 35 quid!  And now have it all working.  I installed that myself too, i may add.  Its a beautifully quiet pc. I don’t real know its on and i sit literally right next to it –  as you tend to do with pc’s i know, but its at ear height with no obstruction either.
I have never used any Windows online products, live messenger and the like, but its set to pop up when the pc is turned on.  So annoying, so i went to uninstall it all.  As i was uninstalling it it asked me about Windows live writer, do i really want to uninstall it?  It made me think, do I?

I’m a blogger user (obviously) but sometimes it bugs me when adding photos and stuff, so thought i would give Windows Live Writer a chance.  So this, unintentionally long and involved blog, nothing to do with Trainers or my bike, is the test post to see what i think. Is there any point in changing?

So to maintain the theme of being totally unrelated to trainers or a bike or in fact healthiness in any respect. For the photo test, i will use food photos, my baking.


SO far so bloody good!!  Loving all the things you can do with photos. Kudos Windows!

View Full Album

I can’t seem to title individual photos, but maybe i just haven’t found that yet.  But  the sequence above is when i stayed in the capsule hotel in Tokyo.  They do actually provide lockers for your bags, but i thought that given the price of the locker and the fact that you get no other secure place, you would be able to open and close the locker at will. But no, so i paid about 6 quid for 30 minutes, and annoyingly i was sitting round the corner from it the whole time.  So i decided to just leave it in my tube. It didn’t really bother me when i slept.  And the hotel doesn’t cater to many women, so i felt confident that it would be ok in the tube in the daytime, i just pulled the blind down over it.  Those are the pj’s they give you to wear, and i even used the communal showers and bath – though again, not many women, so i communed with only myself.  It was a really cool experience. I love sleeping in cozy spaces, and this was a high tech cozy space – very me.  I like sleeping in tents for the same reason, though quite the opposite: low tech.

Okay, so i’m convinced.  There is a point. Yes!

Random Thoughts

• Felt the burn of Spinning tonight - 3 weeks off will do that.
• Used my Poolmate yesterday. Its sweet though i need to get used to the buttons.
• I am totally protective of my pool space.  I hate a busy pool. Not having my own portion of a lane is horrible.  I'd rather not swim. Like tonight. I did 400m and got out.
• Yesterday there was a girl who joined our lane (a guy doing front crawl too) and swam breast stroke up the middle. The cheek!  My lane mate also had a Poolmate - i think new too, and was kind enough to move over a lane to allow her to do slow ass breast stroke, she was lucky someone got out. The whole pool was doing BS and she chose the lane that the two of use were doing FC to join in to.  Clearly this bothers me!
• I wore a skirt today at work, it was so nice to do. My job is much easier in trousers, i knee a lot, need to crouch and stuff, so typically wear trousers.  Skirt, boots and tights were a nice change.
• I have my new PC working here now, its super sweet, it has windows 7 which take a bit of learning but i like it.  It is the quietest computer i have ever known. I don't know its on and i'm sat right next to it - 

Shuush, do you hear that?  No? Well you wouldn't!

• I'm home alone again. hubby is back in America. There is only one advantage to this. I don't have to listen to his jet engine loud computer droning in the background.
• Well that and i really never miss a work out, there is nothing to stay home for.
• I have got the unpacking to a point where i can actually sort things out.  I tidied the storage closet last night. Made it much more functional. 
• I filled a huge box with clothes and shoes for charity.  Pleased with my ruthlessness - especially in the shoe department.
• Okay, i need to write some thank you notes. Ciao xx

 The festive season was amazing, with plenty of fun, laughter and tasty tasty food.  Over the last few weeks at work with the chocolates and the deserts and filling meals since being here, there is no doubt in my mind that i have put on weight.  But i am trying to keep it to a minimum by running as much as my motivation will allow.

On Christmas day i ran to church (4.17miles 38mins). I haven't been to church in well over a decade on Christmas (i was brought up catholic but i am not religious now) and for some reason, i just wanted to go this year.  So i set off 45 minutes before it started and met my family there.   It was really cold, snow on the ground but beautiful.  I ran down to the beach, around Marine drive which took me past a surfer getting ready to join his friends in the surf.  I shouted a cheery Christmas greeting as i passed.  I got to church with 5 minutes to spare to stretch and cool off a bit.

Jeff and my delicious Christmas dinner

Parsnips Molly Parkin - if you have never had them, you have never lived!

My Christmas Dinner

On boxing day i also ran. I got up earlier and was out the door by 8am  As it was so lovely the day before i chose to run down to the beach again.  It ran a shorter route, i hadn't had my porridge and was probably a bit worse for wear after drinking all Christmas day.  But i did 3.9miles in 32 mins.

The Crown Hotel bathed in morning sunlight

Self portrait with my new camera.  So happy i got a new small camera.

Spa bridge at sunrise

Three Scarborough favourites.  The Esplanade Hotel, Spa Bridge, The Grand Hotel and the Regal Lady.

Yesterday i did a long run of 6.5 miles.  Ran the same route as Christmas but made it a loop to get home.  Tomorrow I must run.  Then i shall bake muffins.  Then go to a friends for new years eve.  Its all moving so quickly.  xx

Christmas Eve Already. Only one more sleep - crazy!

Its come around so fast. Tomorrow we will be laughing, eating, opening gifts and playing games. Yipppeeeee!!

 

Its going to be a very merry Christmas and i can not wait.  Its been a few years since i was home in Scarborough for the festive season and i missed it each year. We leave today at 2pm.  The roads are supposed to not be too bad.  Jeff is packing the car - though i know i could do it better. I have the Driver packing gene (Driver being my maiden name) which i got from my Dad.  Alison also acquired this gene and i hope to pass it on to my future children as it is super useful.  I remember one Easter going to visit my Aunt and family in Exeter. 5 of us in the car, a Renault sedan and as the luggage, boxes and bags filled the house it felt like a Mary Poppings car.  The whole kitchen floor was full of stuff, spilling in to the hall. I was amazed. Still am.

 

Anyway, i hope that my things will not be crushed and that nothing will have been forgotten. I will do the once over in the house to make sure, fill the flask of hot coffee, defrost the windscreen and off we will go. Eeeeeeee!!!!

 

I will be sure to drive safe and hopefully my MIL won't have white knuckles!

 

 

The weather outside is delightful....

But i feel its also frightful. 

My patients are bound to slip,

if we don't clean up the snow.

 

Ok, so i come from living in the States where it is second nature to clean up snow, for the paths to be cleared by 8am in places like hospitals, shopping centres and the streets of conscientious neighborhoods.  But i really am shocked by how poorly the hospital grounds are dealt with here.  Patients have to walk through slush and uncleared snow to move around the hospital grounds.  I also have to walk in the slop and slush to go from my clinic room to the workshop.  Thus bringing in snow and making the floor wet in my clinic.

 

But other than that, and the terrifying thought of driving in the snow, its really pretty outside, light fluffy snow fell on me as i walked in to work this morning.  We got about 2 inches last night and its still there now.  I'm hoping for a full on thaw by Thursday but i know that's not going to happen.  It will be a slow drive home.

 

Hopefully i will brave the roads tonight to get to my spin class, or at least the gym. I have been eating chocolates none stop.  Like really, i have NO self control when it comes to chocolates and free ones, forget it!  I haven't run or anything since Sunday. I'm starting to feel bad, not for not exercising, but because of what I'm eating.  tonight i will sweat though, one way or another!!

Minus 8 and new shoes

This morning i got up to do a bit of baking, made some blueberry muffins for my husband and mother-in-law. Unfortunately they didn't turn out as sweet as i know they would prefer them - with their American taste buds - but they are edible which given my lack of GF baking experience and the made up recipe, i'm still pretty pleased with.

Once they were out of the over, and one eaten of course, i donned my cold weather running gear and hunted for my trainers.  They are no where to be found. I used them last on Monday, and since then, we have had a 20 foot container load delivered so i have no idea where they are.  fortunately, i did find a pair of New Balance that i was going to sell.  I got them from work and never wore them, they had tags on still.  I was more desperate to run than the twenty bucks i may get for them on eBay so pulled my foot in to them and wondered why i was willing to give them up. They were comfy and have great traction.  They were perfect for running in the ice and snow that is the outdoors right now.  They don't have much cushion but were just perfect for my run today.  Totally stoked i wore them.

5.7miles 54:10 avg pace 9:31   ------------------ 9.17k

nb: i totally forgot i got up at 6.40 to run 3 miles on Wednesday morning. Totally love it when i find i have worked harder than i thought i have.  I did lamppost to lamppost knee us x3 and also leaping x3.  Good run. yay.

Snowed off

Unfortunately my 10k race tomorrow has been cancelled, well postponed until Jan 23rd.  But at least by then i may be a bit faster.  Went in to town today, both Oswestry and Shrewsbury so didn't really get chance to go to the gym. Been entertaining my mother-in-law all day.

I baked some GF muffins and bought goods for more, i'm starting to feel a little like Christmas.  The house even has some decorations up now.  I found them whilst unpacking the numerous other boxes and couldn't resost.  Yes the house is a mess of cardboard, packing paper and furniture in the wrong room, but at least its Christmassy.