Same Run, Same Sun!

I have had a busy day trying to get ready for my holidays so struggled to find the time to get out for a run!

After a short dog walk this afternoon I decided that I really needed to go for a run!

I set off at around 5.30pm with no idea where I was heading so I made a snap decision to do the same route I had done yesterday with the hope I might be faster!

Despite waiting all day to run it was still very warm and there was no hiding from the sun! I stupidly forgot to take a drink with me too!

However, I felt much better running than I did yesterday and managed the same 6 mile route at an average 8.57 minute mile pace compared with yesterdays 9.13 minute mile pace!

I'm happy with that!

Yeah I made it!!

After what has felt like an exceptionally long term we finished school for the Summer yesterday!

We celebrated by doing a "Murder Mystery Town Trail" which I really enjoyed despite there being numerous real-life people on it I could quite happily have murdered! After living here for 24 years I discovered parts of Kendal I didn't even know existed!!

Being the ultra competitive person I am I was delighted when our team arrived at the finish first and had solved all the clues along the way meaning we got the correct murderer and murder weapon! We celebrated by having Pizza and Prosecco, before visiting numerous other bars in town too!

When I woke up this morning feeling fairly human to another hot and sunny day I decided to go for a run immediately before it got too hot!

So by 9am I was out on the streets trying to coax my body into running after maltreating it last night with excessive food and alcohol! My legs weren't keen and my plan to go before it got too hot also failed ... the sun was already very hot!

Thankfully I had had the good sense to take a drink with me so I pushed on despite feeling the desperate urge to walk! The hill after a couple of miles nearly finished me off but determination kept me plodding along!

I managed 6.00 miles at a 9.13 minute mile pace!  Not as fast as I would have liked but not bad considering how hot it was, also I have had an exceptionally busy week at work and there was an army of toxins marching around my blood stream!

I will worry about getting faster and fitter when I return from my jollies!

Still HOT!

Another hot day at work, and I felt really hot and bothered by the time I finished work at 4pm, and I wasn't in the mood to go for a run!

However, I was meeting Sue so I had no choice but to get changed into my running gear (and wore as little as I dared to bare!!).

We decided to go along the river in the hope that we might find some shade in the trees!  We did find the much needed shade but it was still exceptionally hot and I was sweating buckets within minutes!

However, we had a nice slow run putting the world to rights along the way and by the time I got back I felt 100% better despite being exceptionally sweaty!! 

We managed 4.7 miles which I am delighted with!  If I hadn't arranged to run with Sue I would have been back in the garden with Pimms and Ice Cream again!

Algae stopped play!

After I survived the hottest day of the year at work trying to keep a class of four year olds from overheating I was looking forward to a dip in Windermere this evening to cool off!

Unfortunately, the Tri Club Session was cancelled due to there being Algae in the lake, and since I am going on my holidays at the weekend I wasn't going to risk going in alone!

So ... it was too hot to run ... it was too hot to walk ... and it was too hot to go to the indoor pool! 

So instead I sat in the garden with a jug of Pimms and devoured Litres of Ice-Cream!

In actual fact I am still sat here now!!

Lazy Summer Evenings are the BEST!

The sun is shining ...

the weather is sweet, makes you want to move your dancing running feet!

It has been a really hot day today but I am not going to be a typical Brit and complain! After the recent rain the sun is very welcome to come and shine on me for a while!!!

However, a lot of my Ladies in both my running groups tonight did complain as they struggled to run in the intense heat!

Despite the moaning, they all managed well and pushed on regardless! They still managed to natter and laugh so they weren't too distressed by it all! 

The first group ran 4.44 miles and the second ran 3.80 miles so altogether I ran 8.24 miles.

That's my last run with the group for 3 weeks as I am going away on holiday.  However, I have another Leader taking the groups whilst I am away so the Ladies won't be losing fitness or motivation in my absence!

Parkrun Meet-up!

I went out last night knowing I had to get up early this morning to go to Fell Foot Parkrun with the Women on the Run Kendal Ladies to meet up with the Women on the Run Preston Ladies!

My famous last words "I'm not drinking much tonight" were soon forgotten after the first jug of Pimms!

Despite the bad weather we had a great night and still managed to BBQ and cook Pizza in the garden Pizza Oven!

I got home at round 11.00pm after consuming a lethal cocktail of drinks including Pimms, Cider, Prosecco and Gin!

I had a dreadful night sleep and was actually pleased when my alarm went off at 7.30am and I could get up to face the day!

However, facing the day was slightly harder than anticipated and I didn't feel up to running 5K!

Thankfully I wasn't driving so had an additional 30 minutes to pull myself together on the journey!

Once we got there meeting all the ladies took my mind off just how rough I was feeling and I actually enjoyed the run!  I ran with one of my ladies to try and help her run a PB and I was delighted that she did! Our official time was 30.43 which she was chuffed with!

Afterwards we enjoyed a much needed coffee in the cafe by the lake!!!

When will I ever learn?

A Wet One!

Today it rained all day, not torrential rain but a steady downpour! 

Despite the rain it was still very warm and clammy!

By the time I had survived another busy day at work I was ready to run off my weekly stresses and believe me I have plenty of stresses to run off!

I got home and went straight out for a run as I was going out later! 

I was still feeling "coldy" with a nose like a tap but hoped the run would sweat it out of me once and for all!

I stupidly opted to put my very lightweight rain jacket on, but wished I hadn't bothered as it was far too hot (although it was probably good for sweating the cold out of me!)

I did my usual Friday night one mile warm-up, before doing a "fast as I can" 5K finishing off with a one mile cool down.

Unfortunately, the weather had driven every Tom, Dick and Harry into their cars and the roads were really busy which meant I had to slow down or stop to allow cars to pass and it was uncomfortably hot which meant my time was slower than I would have wanted!

I managed the 5K in 26:17 which is 16 seconds slower than I did the same route last week! 

Hey Ho I need to work harder!

I got home hot, sweaty and very red in the face just after 5pm and I had a text from my friend saying she would pick me up at 5.40pm for the party we were going to! 

Before I had gone for my run I thought I had plenty of time as I believed we were going out at around 6pm, but I was sadly mistaken so I had a frantic half hour running around like a mad fool trying to cool down whilst making myself look less like a beetroot and a little more respectable!

I think I managed a compromise and went out looking like a respectable beetroot!

Cold ... or HayFever?

Yesterday I woke up feeling dreadful!  My nose was totally blocked, I had a really bad headache and my eyes felt puffy and uncomfortable!  It was just typical as I had the day off work to go to my Son's Graduation in Newcastle.

I had to dose myself up with a mixture of paracetamol and Piriton as I really didn't know whether it was a cold or an allergy.

Thankfully I wasn't driving to Newcastle as I felt really poorly on the way and I was beginning to think I wasn't going to get to see my son Graduate after all. I had visions of me being in hospital instead!

Thankfully, once we got there and I got a little bit of fresh air I began to feel a little

better.  I think all the medication I had taken had started to kick in too!

I survived the day with the help of a little Prosecco and we had a super day!

Today, I woke up still feeling under the weather and I was supposed to be running tonight with a friend.

I said I would still go but insisted we did a flat shortish route so I didn't die!

I dosed up with more Piriton before we went and I managed 4.7 miles and enjoyed it.

Thankfully it didn't make my symptoms any worse!

Fingers crossed I feel much better tomorrow!

Back in the Group!

Tonight I was supposed to be going swimming with my swimming Buddy but unfortunately he cancelled on me at the last minute!

I had a very quick decision to make!  

Go and swim in the pool or go back to the Tri Club Open Water Session!  Bearing in mind that it's 10 weeks since I last swam with them and I was one of the slowest then!  

Anyhow, before I could talk myself out of it I decided it was too nice an evening to be stuck in a crowded pool and opted to brave it and was soon on my way to Windermere feeling very apprehensive about how I would fair!

It was nice to catch up with them all again, and although I was one of the ones at the back I wasn't too far behind the other slow ones!  

The group I stuck with did just under a mile, whilst the faster swimmers managed 2 miles! You can view my swim here!

I am pleased I went and now that I have done it I will continue ... until I go on holiday that is and come back very fat and totally unfit!

Double Club Run!

It's Monday so that means just one thing  - Women On The Run!

It was a lovely evening and I really enjoyed the club runs with my 2 groups!

The first group managed 5.2 miles and the next group did 3.7 miles which means altogether I did 8.9 miles! Not bad for the start of the week!

My ladies are ALL awesome!

They are all at different levels of fitness and all have different running abilities but all pull together and we stay as a group by the faster ones looping back for the slower ladies! This ensures everyone gets what they want from the run!

It is fantastic to run with such a great group of people who all encourage and help each other! 

Really looking forward to Fell Foot Parkrun on Saturday with this bunch, another opportunity to laugh and run!

One of the groups having a sneaky breather!

WET ... and Windy!

After a fantastic night out last night where I enjoyed one or two too many cocktails I woke up this morning feeling slightly delicate!

It took me until well after lunch-time to even contemplate moving very far, and by 2 O'Clock I decided a little bit of fresh air might do me good so we ventured out in the rain to take the dog for a short 2 mile walk!

It worked wonders!

So much so that by the time we got back I decided I would risk a run!  

What better way to get all the toxins out of my body!!

It was raining torrentially but I decided if I wore my shorts and vest I wouldn't be too uncomfortable as it was still very warm although exceptionally windy!

Shorts and vest worked well as there wasn't too much wet fabric sticking to my skin!

What I want to know is what pleasure do motorists have in aiming for the biggest puddle as near to the kerb as possible to drench those trying to be fit and healthy! GGGRRRR!

Anyhow, despite this minor irritation (I was already drenched so it really didn't make that much difference), I enjoyed being out and enjoyed putting my body through it's paces - however, I don't think my body would agree as it seemed to be objecting about every step!  
However, I pushed on and managed 3.62 miles at a 8:51 minute mile pace! 

Not too bad for a hangover run!

Once I got home I had just enough time to get showered before having to head off to Manchester Airport to pick my Daughter up from her Thailand adventures!  

We were incredibly lucky as there was an accident on the M6 which probably happened about 10 minutes before we passed it so the traffic was still flowing fairly freely in 2 lanes, however 10 minutes later the entire Southbound M6 was closed for the Air Ambulance to land!  If we had been slightly earlier we might have been caught up in the collision, if we had been slightly later we wouldn't have got to the airport on time ... if at all as it is still closed 6 hours later!

I call that impeccable timing!

Trying to speed up!

After a very busy tiring week at work I tried to push myself tonight to do a fast 5K. 

It didn't really happen, although I did try my best to push myself!

It was very hot and sunny but windy too which made it difficult! 

I did just under a mile warm up, then the 5K route I have done the past 2 Fridays then ran just under a mile for a cool down run!

The first week I did this route I finished in 26:01, last week I did it in 26:04 and tonight I matched my first week and finished in 26:01.

I'm chuffed I managed to get ever so slightly faster than last week and can't believe I have got an identical time to the first week!

Something to work on!

Now I am off into town because I deserve a Cocktail or 2 after the week I have had!  CHEERS!!!

Supporting a Newbie Trail Runner!

For the last three Wednesday's I have been trail running with a friend who is training for her first trail 10K in September!

Considering she has never done "off-roaders" before she has managed remarkably well on the hilly routes I have introduced her to!

The first week we ran 3.69 miles, last week we ran 4.10 miles and tonight we did 6.54 miles with only a couple walk breaks!

Now that we have done the distance, we need to up the pace!

I love supporting and encouraging others to love running as much as I do!

I only hope she continues with her running when I go on holiday in just over 2 weeks time - I don't want all her hard work to go to waste!

Now that I am getting back into my exercise regime again I am feeling much more positive about life!

I am even looking forward to starting Marathon Training again - although it's a long way off!

I'm Back in the Lake - finally!

I am feeling on quite a high after having an amazing swim in Lake Windermere this evening!  This is my first lake swim since my cycle accident 9 weeks ago and I must admit I felt very nervous when I first entered the water!

The last time I swam in the lake the water temperature was a chilly 9C, tonight it was a near tropical 18C although it was much choppier than I would have liked for my first swim back!

However, I was determined to succeed and tried not to let the waves bother me!

It felt fantastic to be back in the lake and before I knew it I had swum half a mile and we were heading back to the boathouse - this is when things got a little trickier!  I felt like I was swimming through treacle and didn't appear to be making any progress!  The direction of the chop was now holding me back and I had to put a lot more effort in to keep moving forward!

However, I persevered (not that I had much choice about it!) and dug deep to get back! 

I was chuffed to get back without experiencing any shoulder pain after swimming just under a mile in 40 minutes! You can view my swim here!

With only 42 weeks to go until The London Marathon I have already started raising money for Blackwell Sailing based on the shores of Lake Windermere! The charity provides sailing and some other outdoor activities to people with disabilities in Cumbria. They rely very much on volunteers and local support, and I am relying on you to help me to help them!! Please sponsor me by visiting my fundraising page here!

Running is ... Therapy!

After a horrendous nights sleep I felt exhausted at work, combine that with a busy day, a late meeting and torrential rain and I really wasn't in the mood to do my two Ladies running groups tonight.

To dampen my mood further I was getting constant "sorry I'm not running tonight messages" and I started to think "What is the point?".

Anyhow, having no choice in the matter I dragged myself out to meet my first group and although the weather had put off a large proportion those who did turn up managed to lift my mood! By the time we were a mile in I remembered why I started the group in the first place! It is so refreshing to do "no pressure" running and just to enjoy the social side and not stress about pace!

After running with both groups I had covered 8.5 miles and felt like a new woman!

Ready to face another day!

A New Month ... a new beginning!

Since my last post a month ago I have been concentrating on getting my running fitness back as well as dabbling in the pool to see what my shoulder and arm can stand!

The first pool swim I attempted 3 weeks ago was a depressing affair!  It was too painful to swim front crawl and I ended up wallowing around doing some weird form of breaststroke which wasn't a pretty sight!

However, not to be defeated I kept returning to the pool and did a mixture of front crawl and breast stroke until yesterday HALLELUJAH I managed a slow mile but ALL front crawl!

I feel like I am finally getting back to the old me, although my shoulder is grumbling about it today! 

However, I did promise myself that once I could swim a pool mile I would get back in the lake!  So on Tuesday I am meeting my swimming buddy for my first lake swim in 9 weeks!  I am both excited and nervous about it! Fingers crossed the weather is kind to me and it goes well!

I have been managing 3 runs a week for the past month and have enjoyed being back out there! 

On Sunday I was supposed to be doing Windermere Olympic Triathlon but due to my accident I am unable to, HOWEVER I am unable to feel too depressed about this as I have just found out today that I have been offered a charity place for the 2017 London Marathon!!!

After years of being rejected through the Ballot I am thrilled that I will be finally running my dream race 10 days before my 50th Birthday!


I will be running to raise funds for Blackwell Sailing which is a sailing school for people with disabilities based in Windermere!

Just over 42 weeks to get Marathon Fit!!

Sod's Law suggests that I will also get in on the Ballot this year too!!!

Now I can spend the forthcoming months fundraising and looking for my "ideal" training plan although I am not going to stress about running for a PB, I am just going run for the experience and enjoyment of it!

Bring it on!

I am back!