I should be blonde

Woke up this morning and was disorientated for a few seconds, I had slept like a log and didn't know what day or where I was. Haven't experienced that for a while! Walking and running over 28 miles around Kent at the weekend certainly took it's toll!

Felt strangely relaxed though and clear headed... if you've been following my Twitter feed you'll know that I had an eventful morning getting into work. Luckily I had no meetings until the afternoon and it was a fresh morning pleasant enough to walk from London Bridge to Tower Gateway to catch the DLR to Canary Wharf.

Blonde moment 1...

Met Espen for lunch today. I gave him two options of which were either 241 or bogof offers. Being the gentleman he let me choose. So carbs it was and to Pizza Express we went.

While we were waiting I took out the voucher to show Espen. "I think you were supposed to print the voucher." On closer inspection it was the darn form I had to fill in before the voucher was presented - duh...

Blonde moment 2...

Mary gave me a good pummelling this evening. So much so she knocked sense right out of me. After turning over I was rubbing my dry itchy eyes and realised everything was a bit blurry... "Oh bugger, I think my contact lens has folded to the back of my eye again..."

Mary paused mid-petrissage and looked at me bewildered. "Haven't you got your glasses with you?" I followed Mary's gaze across the table and there they were neatly folded (albeit a little blurred) just as I'd left them...

Night night.

Lamb skewers

Run with the club this evening, I was feeling pretty tired after work so had a powernap when I got home, they are the way to go!

Woke: 07:11 PM
Snooze: nil
Up: 07:20 PM
Fuel: a big portion of shepherds pie and sweetcorn followed at a creme caramel type dessert with summer fruits at lunchtime
Out: 07:35 PM
Weather: very mild! Amazing it was snowing and icy just 2 weeks ago
Will have to start wearing my summer running kit soon!
Thoughts:

• got my membership!
  
• oh my gosh, I really need not have donned my fleece, headwarmer or gloves - it's not even been 30 seconds and I'm sweating like there's no tomnorrow!

Mornings!: er nil - I went running with the club in the evening time, did manage to say 'hello' to a couple walking their dog though!
Distance: 6 miles
Route: Gipsy Hill
Back: 09:05 PM
Refuel: Ginger Ale, orange juice and my favourite kebab - seriously good - I never used to eat or like lamb before Hisars!

Kuzu shish at Hisars - my favourite kebab restaurant!

Alcoholic beverage treats: again, didn't really fancy any, had a mint tea to help with digestion
Alcoholic beverages not consumed: a glass of red
What next: a teeny bit of me had let the though of a morning run tomorrow but I'm going to give it a miss and just do yoga in the evening, so next running is going to be on Thursday with the club - I think we're doing hill training...
Notes: Ade called just before I left the house, I'm staying at his on Saturday so we can drive down to Brighton together to do the Sussex Beacon Half Marathon. He's going to cook pasta so we can carbo load the evening before and we'll probably chill out watching DVD's or something- can't wait!

Spring

Woke: 4:38 AM and went back to sleep...
Snooze: nil, full of beans this morning! I could hear the birds singing outside which is a first - must be springtime!
Up: 06:08 AM
Fuel: water
Out: 06:27 AM, I was pottering - should I make my bed now or when I get back?
Weather: mild, probably would've managed without my gloves. Sky was a dark light blue purple-y shade of pink...
Thoughts:

• Wonder if the pavement on Croxted Road will sparkle today... it did!
• Gee, I could feel and smell the car fumes during the last leg. Dulwich Common was busy this morning - thought it'd be quiet with it being half term, then again it should't have had any bearing since it was a little before the school run
• I once read that Maggie Thatcher lives in a gated estate in Dulwich, I wonder if it's Hambledon Place?
  
• Yes! I knew why I'd brought my iPhone with me this morning...
  
  
  To take advantage call Dulwich Riding School

Mornings!: Was feeling a bit shy today... I had 2 opportunities:

• the silverfox getting into his Merc on Croxted Road
• the senior runner in a bright florescent yellow mac crossing Dulwich Common at College Road

Distance: 3 miles
Route: Court Lane, Turney Lane, Croxted Road, Dulwich Common... I'll map it later
Back: 07:02 AM
Refuel: daddy portion of porridge and decaf earl grey
Alcoholic beverage treats: didn't fancy anything, green tea for me
Alcoholic beverages not consumed: saki - went for Japanese with Geoff this evening
What next: 6 miles with the club on Tuesday evening
Notes:

• Had to tell Sarah that I wasn't running with her this lunchtime, was feeling pretty stiff and a little tight from Saturday so probably not a good idea to do speedwork
• The salesman who sold me my car sponsored me today, am touched. I love my Mazda and if you want one just like mine, get in touch with Phil Hodgson at Peoples in Bootle - he's the man!

Race crazy

I had a really nice lie in this morning, just what I needed after a restless week. Pottered about doing chores and then decided to be very organised and enter a load of races in an attempt to keep me motivated and on track after a pitiful fortnight of basically slacking off, not necessarily all my fault of course, blame the snow...

Anyway, if you're at a loose end why not come and support me, here's what I've now got in the diary for all my Sundays in March...

1st - Cloud Nine Hill Race
8th - Banbury 15
15th - well, I'll be in Austria visiting Silke with Jen, so somewhere around Gotzis or maybe Bregenz (interesting fact: Quantum of Solace was filmed here!)

Pic from my 2006 visit... Seebuhne (Lake Stage), Bregenz

22nd - A20 Pathway 17.3
29th - Cranleigh 21

I really wanted to enter the Haweswater Half Marathon but it was fully booked :( Definitely on the cards for next year, scenery looks absolutely amazing!

What next: back on track and starting with a nice 3 mile Monday morning run

Wouldn't it be great if you could store fitness...

As you know I've been pretty slack over the past fortnight and I really need to build up my mileage... Luckily this is what the club is for, and after a struggle with the snooze button I made it to the meeting point and connected with 2 chaps who were up for doing 11 miles. Ian and Steve took me under their wings, they'd already done 5 miles before the running club had even started...

I always look forward to seeing familiar faces (as well as the new), and especially Lacruta who is a positive soul with a heart of gold. She's looked after me from the very first run I did with the club. This morning, she's particularly concerned since I'm not able to keep up with her as I have the previous times... and I know I'm not feeling particularly 'speedy' today - hmmm.

Woke: 08:04 AM
Snooze: 2
Up: 08:19 AM
Fuel: mummy sized portion of porridge and Lucozade Sports (orange flavour)
Out: 08:55 AM
Weather: cold with a breeze
Thoughts:

• Feeling so stiff today
• Gee I can't seem to build up a decent pace, that's what I get for not doing the mileage this week... and last...
• I'm sure this must be quicker than 10 minute miles though?!
  
• should I listen to Lacruta and not do the mileage?!
• I really wanna do 11 miles!
• maybe I should take Lacruta's advice and just listen to my body...
• well, my head is saying "you need to do the mileage Susan"... my body is saying "you can do it, you just need to take your time"
• sod it - I feel fine and comfortable doing 11 miles, I just can't keep up with the group in front!
• So glad Ian and Steve break off for the last 4 miles... now I can just focus on doing the miles instead of getting distracted and worrying about keeping up with the group in front
  
• How lucky am I that they're running 10 minute miles... perfect pace
  
• Ian is pretty focused... whereas Steve and I had a good old natter
• I hope I get my beginners pack in the post soon, I can't wait to log on to the forum they keep talking about. That's how Ian and Steve arranged to meet up earlier to do 5 miles before the club session started... oh and get my Cram Tag...
• Yes! 11 miles in my legs - get in! And... s-t-r-e-t-c-h.
• Shit, why do I get the feeling I'm going to be feeling stiff for the rest of the day...
  

Mornings!: just the one, he'd stopped on Rosendale Road to tell us to hurry up and catch the group up front!
Back: 11:20 AM
Refuel: Sausage and egg baguette washed down with Lucozade Sports (orange flavour) and a nice cup of tea
Alcoholic beverage treats: nil
Alcoholic beverages not consumed: a glass of white wine with delicious homemade haddock chowder...

Homemade Haddock Chowder - mmm!

Distance: 11 miles
Route: Brockwell Park, West Dulwich and Dulwich Park
Notes: Must enter some races to keep me motivated
What next: Monday morning 3 miles

Early night

What can I say? I need a kick up the arse, I've only done a fraction of the mileage I should be doing this week according to Chris's plan. I think I just need a good night's sleep - have been waking at 05:48 AM most mornings... yes a bit random I know!

I'm missing a run with the club tonight, although there's a physio who was coming to talk to us about stuff...

My body and mind are telling me to rest, had a big lunch so not really hungry, so a cereal drink and then it's bed for me (before 09:00 PM)! Big breakfast in the morning though...

I promise to start in earnest on Saturday morning on a long run with the club. Sussex Beacon Half Marathon in Brighton the following weekend to look forward to!

p.s. there are 4 drafts I need to finish off from the past couple of weeks, so sorry my blog is a bit all over the place! I need to get into the habit of writing it all up at the end of the day...

Gatecrasher

I couldn't wait to get out of bed and head out of London for the day. Before I knew it I was ordering a soy chai tea latte (wet!) and almond croissant from Starbucks at Waterloo, before meeting Katia, Jeannette and the rest of the gang.

Gillian had good intentions for a walk in Kent this weekend but it never happened, so I basically completely gatecrashed Katia's birthday walk, having only met her at the running club yesterday! If it means a walk in the countryside I have no shame.

The walkers gather in Wanborough...

How tasty!
Breathtaking (and now my iPhone background!)

Get told...

Just can't get enough of it!

Shortly after we headed back up the hill, it just wouldn't be as much fun without getting lost really

Lunchtime at the Cyder House Inn in the quaint Surrey village of Shackleford

Henrik gives Jeannette a piggy back

Alcoholic beverages treats: half a cider with lunch
Alcoholic beverages not drunk: half a bitter shandy before the start of the walk at The Good Intent, and then half a Guinness at the end

I'm not particularly wordy today... let the pictures speak for themselves. If you want to know more please comment.

What next: Tuesday handicap run with the club

Daft not stupid...

I got up, showered and got dressed. I saw that Stacy had text me and then the next thing she's on the phone to Kim. Apparently none of the buses were running. I did think it was a bit quiet when I woke this morning. I finally opened the door and what a sight! Snow snow snow! No chance of getting to the office then.

Well, that goes my run out the window and potentially most of the week...

Norman Court

No joy working remotely either. I spent an hour trying to get onto Citrix and on the phone to tech support, not sure they knew what was going on here in England...

We had the News on pretty much most of the morning, it's quite mad really that London basically came to a stand still. The whole commune was 'working from home' and Vicky offered to to make a hearty soup for lunch. 1pm and Kim, Neill, Paul, Seamus and Nigel headed to the Sheard's. Delicious!

Dulwich Park, Rosebery Gate

The only thing left was to make a snowman...

Nigel and Paul start rolling the body...

Team work - Tim, Paul and Nigel get down to it while Seamus and Vix look on

On goes the head...

Humungous

...and then I made spaghetti bolognaise for dinner...

What next: Tuesday with the club... or not...

Getting into it...

It's as addictive as running... seriously... sign up and tweet me, you know you want to!

Falling in love with London again...

Woke: 07:48 AM
Snooze: nil, I woke up before the alarm went off!
Up: 08:07 AM
Fuel: mummy portion of porridge
Out: 08:50 AM

My first long run with the running club today, was quite excited! As I closed my front door and crossed the roadworks onto Court Lane, I wondered how many people would turn up... Quite a few so it would seem, after some debating and discussion on how long and where, we broke off into 2 groups with Dianne leading the 7 milers and Gillian leading the 11 milers which included Lacruta, Lorraine, Penny and I!

Running by: 09:05 AM
Weather: cold and windy to start, the sun came out to welcome us along the South Bank... ahhh - although the North still beckons it doesn't stop me from falling in love with London again
Thoughts / Notes:

• What a jolly soul Lacruta is!
• I'd never run to Camberwell by myself...
• Ah, how we look out after each other... Gillian pointing out 'dog poo'
  
• According to Penny and Lorraine's GPS gadets we'd only been running 4 miles when we got to Lambeth North! I always had this thought that central London was miles and miles away since it takes so long on the bus and well, seems kinda long when I drive in the car too...
  
• How long have I lived in London?! I can't believe I've never run along the South Bank before?!
• What nice toilets County Hall has...
• Big Ben!
  
• Hope Penny gets her hip sorted, she had to get the bus back from Victoria
• I should've brought my camera - the sights we saw! London Eye, South Bank, Big Ben, Chelsea Bridge, QVC...
  
• Anyway still feeling a little bit self conscious about flinging my iPhone around whilst running with a group I'm not overly familiar with (yet) and I guess it'd be asking for trouble really... not sure I like the iPhone camera function that much either since I have to take my gloves off to use it which is a bit of a faff... maybe when I know the running peeps a bit better I'll start flashing my iPhone and be able to take some blurry photo's for you...
  
• Next week I'll feel less shy about joining Lacruta singing her heart out as we crossed Vauxhall Bridge... 'I'm singing in the rain!'... no your not it's very sunny!
  
• I did however feel comfortable enough with the group towards the end of the run and alerted the ladies to the 'shit!' on the pavement too.

Mornings!: this isn't too appropriate now that I've got my running club buddies to chat too (well... they chat to me, I just breathe heavily...)
Back: walked through the door at 11:45 AM - hahaha, and all before midday - the whole day still ahead of me!
Refuel: during the run I had 500ml Lucozade Sport (orange flavour), when I got back I treated myself to some nice warm rolls with yummy cheese (that stinks out the flat), and some tasty chorizo, cup of earl grey to wash it all down ahhh!
Route:

Distance: 12.48 miles and feeling good... ok a teeny weeny bit stiff...
What next: 3 miles on Monday morning weather permitting, apparently it's supposed to be snowing!

Had an afternoon nap (yes I did!) and pottered about for the whole afternoon. Got ready and called for Paul who wasn't even up yet! Seamus and I headed to Adventure Bar for a few pre-dinner drinks which included 241 cocktails - yummy! Rob turned up limping - it seems he's puled his medial collateral ligament, well that's our Sunday runs out the window for a good few weeks - hope he gets it sorted, he's only been active for a few weeks after 9 months of rest. The rest of the gang started pouring into the bar and taking advantage for the 241 cocktails too - how happy I am :-)

So 09:00 PM arrives and I hurry everyone to down their cocktails. While some of us headed to the off licence (it's BYO) and cash points (it's cash only) I headed straight to the Thai Corner Cafe, one of my favourite restaurants. It's a popular little place that gets very busy and you have to book, even during the week. They have 2 sittings, one at 07:00 PM and and the other at 09:00 PM... we got there and had to amuse ourselves in the cold while the 07:00PM sitting got told off.

Andy and Mary think they're at my 5th birthday party

Alcoholic beverage treats: 1 x mojito, 2 x champagne (naughty Andy) - hey I turn 25 (again) on Wednesday so I'm allowed!
Alcoholic beverages not consumed: 2nd mojito, a 3rd glass of champagne and potentially a couple of glasses of red... I know my limits and like Jose I'm a cheap date ;-)

Free Poo Today

Woke: 05:18 AM
Snooze: nil - I'm getting good at avoiding this!
Up: 06:14 AM
Thoughts / Notes:

• not 1 but 2 foxes ran in front of my path crossing Court Lane this morning!
  
• it's the first time since I started running that I've seen a paperman (defnitely not a paperboy since he was bald) delivering papers
  
• my ears are cold because my hat is too small or maybe my head has just got bigger...
  
• ooh, it seems the streets are lined with silver this morning, another first - the pavement on Croxted Road was all sparkly!
  
• as I ran past Dulwich College I could hear high heels walking behind me, it was odd since she should have past me by now. After a little while longer, I looked up and realised it was actually a man's footsteps echoing from the other side of the road!
  
• I'm sure I saw a rabbit hop into the hedgerow of Dulwich Common
  
• Another photo opportunity... 'FREE POO TODAY' was being advertised at the Dulwich Riding School

Back: 06:50 AM
Refuel: 500ml Lucozade Sport
What next: long run with the running club on Saturday

I've started Twittering... hmmm... lets see how I long I can keep it up for...

Rob couldn't sleep...

... that was his excuse for standing me up for our Sunday morning run

Woke: 08:57 AM
Up: 09:20 AM
Fuel: daddy bowl of porridge
Out: 10:00 AM

Well, it was clear to me after about 7 miles that I really do need to join a running club... I was lucky that when I was training for Stockholm back in 2007 I had the lovely Clas to keep me company and I very much looked forward to and enjoyed our Saturday morning gossips and lunch at his afterwards!

So since my marathon running buddy is still recovering from his hip operations (yeah - that's what 26.2 miles can do to you - yikes!) I've downloaded and completed an application form to join the Dulwich Park Running Club which is literally 3 minutes run away... will do that on Tuesday.

Oak lined avenue Cox's Walk. Did you know it supports nuthatch and green woodpecker birds

Footbridge... does this look like central London to you?!

Almost home... actually only just started...

Back: 11:01 AM
Refuel: 500ml Lucozade Sport, warm rolls, cheese and Spanish meats... delightful
What next: 1st run with the Dulwich Park Running Club on Tuesday evening!

Coldfeet

So as you may have guessed I've been eating like a pig recently, usually I leave leftovers (for Paul) but these days I've been going for seconds! Anyway just in case you think I'm going off on a tangent here one must remember that marathon training isn't all about the running... it's also about the fuelling. So although I haven't been particularly active this week I have been concentrating on the fuelling so to speak...

Got taken out for a work lunch today and we went to Sophie's Steakhouse for some red meat. Me and the boys enjoyed a really thick milkshake to start and then had a huge ribeye steak and chips with bearnaise sauce - mmm! I must admit, it was the first time in a while that I'd actually felt 'stuffed'! I did wonder how on earth I was going to manage curry with the girls later that night...

Claire C arrived and I met her at the Adventure Bar for a round of happy hour cocktails, however we both opted for a classy glass of vino instead. Claire C and her new hubby Matt are also doing the London Marathon too and are training together. We shared training routines and stories and she had me in stitches recalling her most recent run where she tripped face first in a pool of mud whilst running around Stonehenge... oh ok, you had to be there, Claire is the funniest storyteller ever!

Lucy arrived just before 08:00 PM, which was the time of our booking, so I ran across the road to let the restaurant know we were going to be a little late. However, the waitress looked at me scornfully and said 'NO', then the manager came over and explained that they had further bookings and if we didn't turn up on time we'd lose our table. So I headed back to share the news.

Lucy had just ordered mojito's and got 241 having just made the happy hour deadline. She happily said not to worry she could down them both which she promptly did! We then headed to East Dulwich's finest curry house Tandoori Nights (their website might be crap but the food is in a different league altogether).

Claire D arrived soon after we were seated right next to the exit with a great view of Lordship Lane. We and we all got stuck into the menu's. Actually I lie, we didn't do that until the waiter had visited our table at least 4 times! We were so caught up in catching up and having a giggle.

I noticed my neighbour and tried to get Claire C's attention. She eventually noticed him with a high pitched noise when he spoke to thank and said goodbye to the staff as he left prompting Lucy and Claire D to turn and then we all gawped at him through the window. You just can't mistake James Nesbitt's distinct Northern Irish accent. We all watched him drive off with his curry takeout in his sturdy German car into the Dulwich sunset.

Alcoholic beverage treats: large glass of red (which I didn't finish!)
Alcoholic beverages not consumed: bitter shandy with lunch, 2 x mojito's (it was happy hour!), Cobra beer with dinner
What next: 8 miles with Rob on Sunday

p.s. it turned out Lucy was drinking virgin mojito's since she was driving home...

Massage ahhh...argh!

OK, I'm slacking this week I admit it - I just couldn't get myself out of bed this morning. I thought writing this blog would provide some sort of peer pressure to guilt trip me into making sure I get up and out by 6:30 AM... but hey ho, I'm just enjoying it!

Finished work early and made my way home to get changed before heading over to Mary's for a Sports Massage...

I trained with Mary a number of years ago and what fun we had! I thought my social life would go down the pan with evening courses on [Tuesdays and] Friday evenings but instead I gained a whole new set of [massage] friends. Mary now has her own business massaging celebs and the likes of us mere mortals. She's amazing and I highly recommend you check her out, for more information Total Body Balance is the place to go.

Anyway... back to the treatment... this was no time for relaxation oh no, straight into my left calf muscle...ouch ouch ouch I could hear the couch roll scrunching around my face as I pulled numerous faces, and this went on for pretty much most of the session.

I'd thought about joining the running club this evening but Mary advised that it was probably wise to just chill out for the rest of the evening. So I went supermarket shopping, booked a restaurant for next weekend and did a lot of chores...

What next: er... I'd like to say a run tomorrow morning but in reality it'll be a long run on Sunday with Rob

10 minute miles? No way Jose!

Woke: 5:43 AM but since I was running at lunchtime I went back to sleep for another hour - yay!

I walked past Dean this morning and he'd just got round to reading my email asking for sponsors. He'd done the London and New York marathons and we had a good old natter about them. I am loving that everyone [who's done marathons before] is willing to share their experiences and tips - keep them coming!

So, we ended the chit chat with an action point: use my Sweatshop voucher from my [Les Witton Dartford 10] goody bag to purchase some funky running gear to hold my running fuel... any excuse to go shopping!

Out: 2:30 PM sharp Sarah was at my desk. We headed to Level 5 to get changed before starting a short and fast run, a very fast run... we were only out for about 20 minutes and I must admit I was thinking:

• OMG - should I tell her I need to slow down?!
• Ooh... I think I've stitch coming on...
• darn builders...
• I'm running around Canary Wharf!
  
• are we nearly there yet?!

I've been doing 10 minute miles for as long as I can remember and apparently I was running much quicker than that - wahey! Sarah really whipped my arse into gear, it's about time I got out of my comfort zone...

Refuel: banana, hot chocolate
What next: yoga on Wednesday
Notes: Am pretty impressed with the showers at work!

Cup-a-roast-dinner

Last night after we'd all wolfed down Niell's amazing roast beef dinner (no food left on my plate [lucky Paul had already had dinner number 1 earlier, with Seamus, of faggots] - in fact I even went in for seconds!), conversation moved onto my marathon training.

Rob was surprisingly keen for me to continue running with him at the weekend, even though I told him I could barely make it home after trying to keep up with him the weekend before. He had a valid point that he could help contribute towards my 'speed work' training which I have to start doing, like 2 weeks ago! And so it is, that I'm running with Rob on Sunday morning 10.30 AM sharp!

Vicky asked about sponsoring me again so I must get round to putting that email together and sending it to everyone in my personal address book. Claire sent hers round over the weekend and I love it, she's so entertaining it makes you want to sponsor her regardless of whether she runs the marathon or not!

I always thought that people would find it a burden coming along and waiting in the crowds on Marathon day, which has in recent years been either boiling hot or wet and windy. So, I hadn't really thought too much about asking whether people would like to come along and support me, and watch me run like a chicken (according to my lovely siblings I walk like one) and sweat like a beetroot.

However, I'm pleasantly surprised that a few people are suggesting it. I should formulate a plan... Adam at work suggested that they not only support me but bring along goodies too! Which means I won't have to carry them around myself! Rob suggested, since it was on a Sunday, that he'd bring along a treat of liquidised Sunday Roast for me to enjoy and I could pour it over myself to cool down - hmmm...

This afternoon Sarah checked whether I was going running with her at lunchtime and I cowardly admitted that I was actually a bit scared now, since in a meeting earlier, John had informed me that she had come 4th in a company race and had won a holiday off the back of it! I didn't want to hold her back. You think running fast is tough, try running at a slow pace, it's frustrating!

Anyway, she was really nice about it and didn't mind running at my pace once a week. Which means a lie in for me tomorrow - yay! I must remember to pack my running kit tonight...

Les Witton Dartford 10: 1 hour 40 minutes

Driving down the A205 / A2 I couldn't stop smiling, it brought back fond memories from last summer when I was driving with Claire, Clare and Tracy on our way to France for a chilled out girlie holiday at Lucy's place in Genouilly - one of the most relaxing breaks I'd had in a long while.

Woke: 7.10 AM

Snooze: once, well I did wake to the sound of rain and wind, hmmm...
Up: 7.21 AM

Fuel: big bowl of porridge and orange Lucozade Sports

Out: 8.10 AM
Route: around Dartford...

Distance: 10 miles
Weather: the weather man got it wrong again! The weather was perfect for a long run, sun shining, clear blue skies. The only thing I'd say is that it was little windy throughout which made it cold when we were waiting at the start and wandering back to the car after crossing the finish line!

The drive to Dartford was straightforward, the roads were clear and parking was a doddle. It was a very organised race I have to say. The facilites were impressive too. No queues for the toilet and I picked up my number without any hassles. All the marshalls were friendly and helpful which made the day even nicer really.

Met Ade and Matt dropping off their bags. We posed for a few souvenir photo's and then headed to the start line!

Ade happily poses while Matt bares his number

Taking photos with an iPhone is tricky business...

At the start line...

Mile 1: got over taken by lots of runners, young, old, light and heavy...

Mile 2: it was about time I over took someone! A bloke wearing an orange running jacket! [1]

Overheard a conversation between 2 blokes, let's call them Bill and Bob
Bill: She's my assistants best friend
Bill: She's really fit
Bill: She's 24... too young?
Bob: well, you're 28

Mile 3: I've noted that I seem to have a similar pace to a bloke listening to his iPod and wearing a black running hat with a grey rim. We've been taking turns in overtaking each other, let's call him Graham [2]

Mile 4: Graham over took me... pah, but then I over took a lady in a shocking green t-shirt - take that! [3]

Mile 5: over took a bloke in red t-shirt and mp3 player tied around his waist [4]

Mile 6: ran under some pylons and could hear them buzzing away. A little further and I saw a lady in a yellow coat cheering a runner on with a rattle, let's call her Barbara

Mile 7: felt quite light on my feet, it was as thought I was gliding on autopilot for about half a mile, the water stop probably had something to do with that...

Mile 8: Overtook 2 blokes and Graham for the final time [6]!

Mile 9: Barbara had made her way to mile 9 with her rattle! She recognised me and cheered me on too - ahhh! Over took a guy in a white track suit and a golden hooped earring in his left lobe [7]

Mile 10: Ade and Matt cheered me to the finishing line where I over took an 8th person - yay!

Finishers medal!

Refuel: a nice big and perfectly ripe banana washed down with a SuperBerry ForGoodnessShake from the goody bag

Back: 12.20 PM, not bad for one morning! I was going to have an afternoon nap but I just couldn't fall asleep
Alcoholic beverages not consumed: glass of red with dinner

What next: 3 miles on Tuesday morning

Notes:

• I should probably go back to my roots and invest in a [lime green Kappa] track suit for after my runs... it did get quite nippy and Ade had to lend me his jacket while we walked back to the car
  
• I hope Mary's free to give me a sports massage tomorrow...
• Looking forward to Neill's roast beef dinner this evening!

I am the one and only!

A lie in on the weekend? I don't think so...

Route: Phil got Gillian a new book, for Christmas, on walks which can easily be done from London in a day. This weekend we opted for Walk 45 - Princes Risborough to Great Missenden.

Weather: the weather men got it wrong again and what a blessing it was for us. The sun shining, skies clear we headed out to the Chilterns on the 9.18 AM train from Marylebone. Whilst getting my cup of tea for the journey I noticed some marks on my right sleeve. My sister borrowed my walking jacket and it seems left me a trail of snotty presents - how nice.

Getting off at Princes Risborough and breathing in the fresh air, all I could think of was - I love it! I love it! I love it! I take the countryside over the beach any day. I couldn't wait to get walking!

Distance: the walk was 9 miles and we crossed fields and woods with different levels of muddy-ness.

Andy thought he could bring his motor bike walking

What storms?

Strike a pose, a perfectly titled Lane

Lacey Green Windmill

Had enough, Gillian and Phil decide to bus it - nice bus stop...

Gillian carefully plans her way through the mud

Waiting for their turn

Steep climb

Fuel: Lunch was had at The Gate in Bryants Bottom, apparently a haven for Chesney Hawkes spotting.

Lunch at Chesney's local

Walkers have right of way

We got to the end of the walk and headed to Roald Dahls Cafe Twit for a cup of tea and scrumtiously named cakes. It was full of parents and kids and not a spare chair or table in sight so we decided to head to the train station and home.

Roald Dahl's Twit Cafe and museum. Too busy for us to sit down and eat cake.

Refuel: I enjoyed an early evening power nap when I got back and then Kim and I called on Paul and the boys to go for dinner at The Plough - I had a pretty good appetite and managed to eat more than Seamus and not leave any leftovers for Paul to enjoy - sorry about that.

Treat: since I just had orange juice with lunch, I treated myself to a pimms and hot apple juice with dinner

Alcoholic beverages not drunk: half a bitter shandy (lunch), half a strawberry fruli beer (after dinner)

What next: I left the rest in the pub and headed home for an early night, ready for an early start tomorrow, fingers crossed the weather men get it wrong again...

Peachy

Woke: 6:00 AM
Snooze: once
Up: 6:08 AM
Fuel: peach cordial (cold)
Out: 6:19 AM
Weather: overcast and cool, it's definitely noticeably a few degrees warmer
Thoughts:

• Felt taller as I was running down Court Lane, must be the yoga
• No sign of any planes this morning, I never realised how much clouds make a difference to noise pollution
• Traffic still noisy (was wearing my hat rather than ear warmers again)

Mornings!: 2

• woman who runs with her dog, usually I pass her near the end of my run near Rosebery Gate but today I passed her at the junction of Dulwich Common and College Road
• bloke who had the huge on ear headphones, but wasn't wearing them today... although they could actually be different blokes all together...

Back: 6:50 AM
Refuel: porridge and more peach cordial (hot)
Distance: 3 miles
Route: same as Tuesday
What next: 9 mile walk in the Chilterns on Saturday
Notes: I seem to be feeling quite hungry these days, so I need to be eating more food!

Snoozan

Snooze: 4

I passed the point of no return so updated my alarm to go off an hour later. I just couldn't fall sleep last night and remember the last time I looked it was nearing 2 AM so I wasn't going to give myself a hard time about missing a run this morning.

I must get used to writing a blog and realise that it's not a 'secret' diary. I was pretty impressed when John and David made comments about my hair this morning, and for a moment they had me... I mean come on, men don't really notice these things do they, what was I thinking?!

Last night I got an email about the Paddock Wood half marathon and forwarded it to my friend Ade to see if he fancied it. He replied this morning, and it seems we're both thinking "if you enter, I'll enter!", so that's what we'll be doing on 5 April!

Ade also mentioned in that he is running the 'Les Witton Memorial 10 Mile Road Race', on Sunday with Matt. According to my training plan, which Chris put together for me, I'm scheduled to do a 10 mile run this weekend and had been contemplating where I could do this, so I promptly entered online and will be picking up my number from the late entry desk, it couldn't be more perfect!

Ade, Matt and I did the Great North Run a few years ago - it wasn't as 'Great' as I had hoped. Apart from the Tyne Bridge, we basically ran through run-down housing estates and along dual carriageways - very inspiring.

Matt, me and Ade in Newcastle

Had a nice stretch at yoga this evening, so am all set for 3 miles bright and early tomorrow, night night!

Planes

I wore some of my new running kit today, including a nice top and hat which Chris bought me for Christmas. The only pocket I had though was at the back of my running bottoms and so having set up the iMapMyRun app on my iPhone I had to squeeze it in... not particularly access friendly so no pictures today.

Woke: 5:55 AM
Snooze: nil
Up: 5:58 AM
Fuel: cold cup of Rooibos tea
Out: 6:16 AM
Weather: Clear dark sky and definitely warmer than previous mornings
Thoughts:

• I had my hair cut yesterday so did wonder whether I'd be needing clips to clip my hair but there wasn't any need since I wore a hat which kept my locks in place
• I did a slightly different and longer route today in an effort to keep things interesting. It was a nice change of scenery along Turney Road. The traditional red post box and white fences remind me of Postman Pat.
• My hat didn't quite cover my ears fully and it's the first time I've noticed how noisy the traffic was. Of course this could also be that Croxted Road is generally busier then Dulwich Village in terms of traffic volume, although Dulwich Common [South Circular] was pretty noisy this morning too...
• It's the first time that I also noted 6 planes fly over head! The sky was indeed pretty clear this morning. From the direction I'd say they were either coming from Stansted or heading towards Heathrow. I could hear 2 of them, the first as I started down Court Lane and the last at the end of my run when I walked it off up Firemans Alley.
• Where are those dogs [Dulwich Riding School]?! I actually kind of look forward to the short sharp adrenaline rush I get when they bark at me and knowing I'm safe because the fence is way high...

Mornings!: 5. People this morning just weren't in the mood for jolly little me! Most of them did have earphones on though, in fact one guy wore a pair of huge on ear headphones while he was running which made me chuckle, maybe they served as ear muffs too.
Back: 6:48 AM
Refuel: porridge with plenty of milk
Distance: 3 miles...
Route: I managed to sync that cool little iPhone application with my online account, check it out...



I can assure you that I didn't run on the rail tracks and taking this into consideration along with the fact that the last leg of my run wasn't recorded for some reason, it does actually bring the distance upto 3 miles!

Notes:

• I didn't wear my gloves today so my fingers were all swollen and looked like chipolata's - nice
• Clare at work introduced me to Sarah today - she goes running at lunch times around Canary Wharf Monday to Wednesday so I plan on joining her 1 day next week, I've been reluctant to do so so far because it's usually a faff getting changed and showered at work, and I have to be really organised, brining in my running kit, however since I'll soon have to be doing longer runs during the week and would prefer not to have to wake up any earlier than I already am, so this is a potential alternative, I can't quite see myself running in the evening but if I get my arse into gear I might do if I join one of the local running clubs.

What next: I quite enjoyed the slight change of scenery so will be doing the same route tomorrow morning too - see you then!

I'm a geek...

I got a new iPhone at the weekend (thank you Tony!) and the first application I downloaded was iMapMyRun, it turns out this is a cool little programme which will record my route and track my pace! It also connects to MapMyRun.com which is a social networking and online fitness community - how very exciting (and appropriate to work)?!

I've already spent time this evening mapping out my route for tomorrow morning! I want to be home and showered by 6:45 AM so that I can have a cup of tea with my sister Christine before she heads back to Doha.

8 miles around Crystal Palace and Dulwich

It was a little odd to wake up and go running during the day time, even though it was only 10:30 AM. There were so many people out and about and I really needn't had bothered with my ear warmers or fleece as the sun was shining and it was indeed a beautiful morning.

Picked up Rob at his flat and donning his special girdle pants we headed down to Crystal Palace Park.

They do great Sunday Lunches at the Dulwich Wood House

Woke: 8:47 AM then went back to sleep for a bit...
Snooze: nil
Up: 9:58 AM

Fuel: Granola bar and orange cordial (cold)
Out: 10:32 AM

Weather: Clear skies, Sun shining, temperature perfect!
Thoughts:

• It was a bit strange to run during daylight, since all my runs so far have started between 6 and 8 AM! In fact it was so light I didn't feel the need to wear my reflective vest which my siblings bought me for Christmas as it got in the way of me accessing my camera from my pocket anyway... should I still be wearing it during the daytime?
• There were lots of people out and about, and I felt a bit self conscious in my dodgy running gear... must wear new stuff that Chris bought me for Christmas
• Didn't really need my ear warmers or fleece - the sun was shining and I was boiling! Or it could have something to do with running up Sydenham Hill so early on
• What I could put in my blog today
• First time during my training sessions that I've been over taken?! And judging by his balding head he was much older than me too tut!
• Lots of runners are wearing red - wonder if they're affiliated to a local running club...
• I didn't feel like I was in the city at all, there's so much greenery and the roads and street look different on foot
• Rob can run impressively fast for not having done any exercise for 9 months! He walked up the hill to allow me to catch up, well at least that's why I think he did...

Rob and a frozen Crystal Palace Park Lake

Mornings!: I have to admit there were so many people on the street today that I lost count of how many people I said ' Morning!' to... if this happens again I might just have to count the number of responses I get instead.

The tollgate on College Road and bendy lampposts

Back: 12:02 PM
Refuel: cup of early grey, Sunday roast at the Magnolia

Alcoholic beverages not consumed: half a bitter shandy

Distance: 8 miles

Route: I discovered run.com over Christmas - it's ace! This is where I ran today...

Mileage to date: please check back, I'm still figuring this out...
What next: Tuesday morning

Notes: Must learn how to upload pictures to my blog, I really want you to see the whole chicken I ate for lunch.

I finally managed to figure out uploading images - yummy!