Making marmalade. This is day one.  Poach fruit, boil pulp, squeeze out pectin and chop rind.
Day two is today, dissolve sugar, simmer until it will set - about 3 hours, jar.
Tomorrow, eat!!

There are many things i love about running, but up at the top of the list has to be cute
running skirts and new shoes.  I bought this skirt with the $75 gift card i won on Dailymile
(spare change for a sale 2nd skirt on sale too).
The weather was so lovely i wore it with no running tights.  Great day.

Curious about what this would say about my run yesterday. I did my usual route but in Fartleks. It ended up with an average pace of 8:10.  I'm doing a half marathon in 3 weeks, but i hardly think i will do a sub 2 hours. But, i wont be properly trained either.  This does state that my 10k time is actually over my personal best though. This makes me want to run a 5K to see how i would actually do.

Would you believe me if i told you i didn't realise how dirty my trainers were?
 I had no idea until i got my new ones.  They are a little white aren't they?!

As an Orthotist i find this very interesting (i look at the wear patterns of all my patients shoes), but even just a runner, its nice to be able to see what kind of runner you are.  These clearly show that i a a mid-foot runner.  There is basically no ware on the heels. The red arrows are to show that these areas are not worn, they just didn't have the blue on them. There is about 2mm of tread missing from these sections. I do love these shoes, i was properly fitted for them, but that was before i knew what kind of runner i was.  Though i have just repeated them (almost - new one are Cumulus 12 the old were 11's) but for my next shoe purchase i will investigate if there is a better shoe to provide mid-foot cushioning.  Until then, i need to dirty up my new ones so you can't see me in the dark!!

Five Things Friday

1. Did 30 boring tiresome frustrating minutes on the elliptical then started browsing cardio machines. They used to have one that simulates running, with no impact but it appears to have been removed.  I'd been craving that machine from 5 minutes in on the elliptical.  So i was kinda at a loss of what to do. I got on the stair stepper, and didn't even get to the quick start, then got on the gliding one. Managed 3.44 of that before i got off. Then i noticed folks going in to the spinning room and dashed downstairs to see if there were any spaces left. Yippee! yes there were.  I had time to choose a bike and get my arm weights done and a 5 minute warm up before class.  Really glad it was on as i expect i would have wandered around getting frustrated i couldn't fun and then, well hopefully gone for a swim.  But spin class is DISCO SPIN on a Friday night so was a little different and super busy.  So, i think i am just going to go to every spin class they hold next week!

2.  On Wednesday i left my earrings on the treadmill.  And can you believe it, someone nicked them!  Really, like, you want someone's earrings? Really?  They weren't anything special, little oblong hoops with tiny acorns, all patina'd silver, pretty cheap thank god, but i liked them a lot.  They were the second thing i have left at the gym and its not been handed in.  So from now on, i am taking off all my jewellery before i leave the house. Especially my watch. I always put it in my locker, but what if one day i forgot to lock that, it would be just my luck the opportunistic thieves that are at my gym would half inch it!

3. My husband is bribing me with my new shoes.  I'll let you use your imagination what he wants for them ;)

4. I have been convinced in to running a HM in March.  Its just up the road in Ellesmere, only £11 and why the hell not eh?  Well, under trained and a knee issue, but lets forget that.  Its on rolling hills, so i know i won't get a sub 2 hour. In fact i will be lucky to get close to my 2:10:44 for my last one.  That was all flat.  But it will be fun.  Leanne is running it, a girl from work, and i'd imagine that we will be about the same pace.  She did her first HM the same day i did mine, hers in England though and got a 2:05:??.  She hasn't been training that much for it so i think we will probably run it together.  That will be a very new experience for me. I'm not used to running with anyone at all.  In fact, i have only ever been on one run with someone, that was my bro about 6 months ago.

5. My BIB for the Virtual 10k I am doing on March 8th.  2 days after my HM in fact. I guess it will be my recovery run on the treadmill then.

Have a great weekend.  I'm making marmalade and friends are visiting on Sunday.

A quickie in the dark

oooerrr missus ;)

I got my run in. 2.5 miles in my new shoes.  I took a bit of a random path, didn't have a plan you see.  It was weird. Running at 7.15 and its dark already.  I have gotten so used to it being light until 10pm in England.  It really makes the day shorter. I know, it sounds silly as the 'day-light' is shorter but really, having the sun set later extends the day so much.  I slow down later, i get more stuff done when the sun is up. I am way more active in the summer, and more importantly more active later in the day.  That is something i missed when living in Milwaukee.  But in just a few days i will be back in the UK and living it up all evening. Running later, cycling later enjoying the long evenings. Even though they are getting shorter every day i will still feel they are long.

I SO need to run

On Tuesday i went to Doctors park to get a little trail running in.  I wanted soft ground and fun, like that last recovery run i did with the running club.  But it was not to be. I have only been there once before i and i parked in a different place to avoid paying the $4 it cost to actually use the park.  So i set off but couldn't really find the trails.  I went off path but ended up running on a river bed which was soggy and pebbly. I was no where near as much fun running in the woods on your own.  I look forward to having a group to run trails with when i get home.

My new Puma Haraka XC

And i will be using my new trail running shoes.  I wore then once before my HM and just for two miles. I ran in the park on the grass.  They are very minimal and i could feel the ground really well.  Its a much different feel to the cushioned shoes i wear normally.  But i'd like to get in to this minimal foot wear trend. It all makes so much sense to me.  I didn't wear them Tuesday as i was planning on running 5 miles and i know i have to ease in to them. Unfortunately i only ended up running 2 miles. I got all disappointed at he lack of fun and needed to get home to call my sister too.

So now its been since Tuesday that i have run. I have been busy renovating but i hope to get out today to run away some annoyance. I cut two fingers today, broke a pain of glass of a window i was re-glazing, and stood on my camera and broke the lens in/out function so its f**ked.  Not too thrilled about that at all.  It shouldn't have even still been open/on as i hadn't used it in at least 5 minutes and it normally shuts its self off.  Grrrrr