I've just got back from this mornings run and it really is a beautiful morning, a lot less humid than yesterday morning, with Sunshine, blue skies and the promise of a great day.
I just did my normal 5 mile run along the river this morning, running at about the same time in the mornings means you get to see some of the same people. The regular dog walkers, people walking to work, the butcher and green grocer setting up their shops..... Everyone is friendly and it really does make me appreciate where I live, it is still a community.
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A blog to track my running... From nothing to something !
Wednesday, 29 June 2011
Monday, 27 June 2011
It's hot !!!
Well yesterday Holly and I went out early for our long run together. I say early because it was early for me on a Sunday morning, to other hardened runners 8:30am may seem like half way through the day but for me it is early... Especially as I needed to be up and have eaten breakfast at least an hour before setting out.
The weather forecast was for it to be hot and sunny so we thought getting out early seemed like a sensible idea so we didn't melt. Some fog had come in over night and was just starting to lift as we started running.... At about the 3 mile mark we stopped so I could take a few photos of the fog on the Downs.
I've started running with my little panasonic camera in my bumbag, it isn't too heavy and gives me a good excuse for a breather at times, but I also see some amazingly beautiful scenery when I am running. Unfortunately a photo doesn't always convey the full beauty of the scene... how can you squash a whole panorama into a small photo ??
I also took a couple of photos of Holly and the field of cows we had just walked through. We walked through the field because the cows not only had their calves with them they also had the bull in the field with them and we didn't want to spook them by appearing out of nowhere !
We had a good run, nearly 11 miles in total and the furthest Holly has ever run :)
This week I am going to rework my training schedule, I have found trying to run 5 days a week quite tiring.....
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The weather forecast was for it to be hot and sunny so we thought getting out early seemed like a sensible idea so we didn't melt. Some fog had come in over night and was just starting to lift as we started running.... At about the 3 mile mark we stopped so I could take a few photos of the fog on the Downs.
I've started running with my little panasonic camera in my bumbag, it isn't too heavy and gives me a good excuse for a breather at times, but I also see some amazingly beautiful scenery when I am running. Unfortunately a photo doesn't always convey the full beauty of the scene... how can you squash a whole panorama into a small photo ??
I also took a couple of photos of Holly and the field of cows we had just walked through. We walked through the field because the cows not only had their calves with them they also had the bull in the field with them and we didn't want to spook them by appearing out of nowhere !
We had a good run, nearly 11 miles in total and the furthest Holly has ever run :)
This week I am going to rework my training schedule, I have found trying to run 5 days a week quite tiring.....
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Tuesday, 21 June 2011
Training run with Holly
It is Hollys day off today and because we are running a half marathon together on the 21st August we thought it would be a good idea to do a few training runs together... so this morning we went for a bimble along the river... with a stop on the way back to reunite a lost dog with its owner !
Anyway, this is the route we ran, we had the odd breather, partly to climb over stiles etc and on one occasion to move a few cows out the way so we could get past them..
Anyway, this is the route we ran, we had the odd breather, partly to climb over stiles etc and on one occasion to move a few cows out the way so we could get past them..
Monday, 20 June 2011
Fathers Day Run
Well, this week has been a bit of an odd week and I haven't really stuck to my training plan.... Wednesday night was the annual inter club race between Steyning and Henfield; 5 miles along the Downs Link from Henfield to Steyning, this was actually one of my best races so far and I completed it in 44:04 :)
This was followed by Thursday nights club training session, titled "hill training and endurance" which roughly translates to finding the biggest hill in the area (trust me we have some big hills around here) and running up it followed by a few miles across the Downs..... My problem was that I hadn't eaten enough during the day Thursday and felt fairly knackered before I started...... So, I decided to skip Fridays early morning run....
So, come Sunday and my long run I know my week has already gone to pot training wise so I decided to run a new route over to my parents house to hand deliver my Fathers Day card to my Dad.... It is about 5 miles each way across the Downs but I did have a break in the middle for a chat and clod drink !
I also took my camera with me and stopped to take a few photos.... Total miles for the week 24.57 - target for the week 33 miles.......
This weeks target is 35 miles... Let's just see how it goes... Anyway, these are a few of the photos from yesterday's run :)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
This was followed by Thursday nights club training session, titled "hill training and endurance" which roughly translates to finding the biggest hill in the area (trust me we have some big hills around here) and running up it followed by a few miles across the Downs..... My problem was that I hadn't eaten enough during the day Thursday and felt fairly knackered before I started...... So, I decided to skip Fridays early morning run....
So, come Sunday and my long run I know my week has already gone to pot training wise so I decided to run a new route over to my parents house to hand deliver my Fathers Day card to my Dad.... It is about 5 miles each way across the Downs but I did have a break in the middle for a chat and clod drink !
I also took my camera with me and stopped to take a few photos.... Total miles for the week 24.57 - target for the week 33 miles.......
This weeks target is 35 miles... Let's just see how it goes... Anyway, these are a few of the photos from yesterday's run :)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Wednesday, 15 June 2011
It's official - I'm an athlete !
Things not to do to a Garmin 110
1. Back up all your accounts data to it......When it is connected to a
PC it will be seen as an external hard drive. Don't forget this may
change all your other drive letters around. Accidentally backing up
your accounts system to your watch is not a good idea, you may not
even realise you have done this until you next go running..... And
then it takes some head scratching to work out what has happened and a
little while to fix.
PC it will be seen as an external hard drive. Don't forget this may
change all your other drive letters around. Accidentally backing up
your accounts system to your watch is not a good idea, you may not
even realise you have done this until you next go running..... And
then it takes some head scratching to work out what has happened and a
little while to fix.
Note to self, don't connect watch to work machine in future.
Sent from my iPhone
Monday, 13 June 2011
Just me and the Skylarks....
I had a series of really enjoyable runs last week...
Last Sunday during my long run that goes past both Chanctonbury and Cissbury Rings I saw a little baby deer with its Mum.. it was only about 18 inches long and very unsteady on its feet. I have seen deer a few times while I have been running, they are very timid and have gone long before I can get a camera out.
During one of my early morning runs I also saw an Owl, just sitting on a gate post looking at me. I think it was a Barn Owl based on the RSPB website, again it flew off as I got closer, a really beautiful bird that I will certainly keep an eye out for again.
Sometimes I see other runners, cyclists and dog walkers but on one of me evening runs I didn't see a single other person... I was running up along the top of the downs following part of the South Downs Way, it was quite windy but still quite warm and the skylarks were swooping over the fields.
It is weeks like these that I realise why I love running so much; it gets me out in the countryside that surrounds us. Away from phones and computers and just able to enjoy this amazing scenery that we have.
I have also got completely soaked a couple of times this week :) but even when I am running in to the wind in the pouring rain I still love it.
I was thinking back about the last year, the changes that I have seen in the countryside I run through and the changing weather. We have had everything from rain, snow, ice, roasting sunshine and winds. I have seen the crops grow and be harvested, the lambs being born and growing up, all in the space of a year.
This is why I don't get bored running, there is so much to see and hear, it is constantly changing and I love it.
Last Sunday during my long run that goes past both Chanctonbury and Cissbury Rings I saw a little baby deer with its Mum.. it was only about 18 inches long and very unsteady on its feet. I have seen deer a few times while I have been running, they are very timid and have gone long before I can get a camera out.
During one of my early morning runs I also saw an Owl, just sitting on a gate post looking at me. I think it was a Barn Owl based on the RSPB website, again it flew off as I got closer, a really beautiful bird that I will certainly keep an eye out for again.
Sometimes I see other runners, cyclists and dog walkers but on one of me evening runs I didn't see a single other person... I was running up along the top of the downs following part of the South Downs Way, it was quite windy but still quite warm and the skylarks were swooping over the fields.
It is weeks like these that I realise why I love running so much; it gets me out in the countryside that surrounds us. Away from phones and computers and just able to enjoy this amazing scenery that we have.
I have also got completely soaked a couple of times this week :) but even when I am running in to the wind in the pouring rain I still love it.
I was thinking back about the last year, the changes that I have seen in the countryside I run through and the changing weather. We have had everything from rain, snow, ice, roasting sunshine and winds. I have seen the crops grow and be harvested, the lambs being born and growing up, all in the space of a year.
This is why I don't get bored running, there is so much to see and hear, it is constantly changing and I love it.
Wednesday, 8 June 2011
Running for Charity...
I currently have two runs I'm planning on doing for charity. the first is a 5k Race for Life event on the 10th July and the second is the Brighton Marathon on 15th April next year.
At this point in time I am planning on these being the last charity runs that I do; there are a number of reasons for this....
With the Race For Life for Cancer Research I first ran this last year and raised over £500 for them, yes, it is a good cause but I have a bit of a problem with the way some charities operate. After running this race I got fed up with the unsolicited post and phone calls from them asking for money. You know when someone from a call centre phones and it is quite obvious they are following a script... and quite a hard sell "emotional" script to get you to donate money by direct debit each month to them doesn't sit right with me so this year is the last time I will run one of the Race for Life events. If I hadn't already committed to it (and raised some more money in sponsorship) I would not be going ahead with it, their "marketing" techniques really have got to me that much ! I also hate to think how much these marketing campaigns cost them..... and that will be coming out of the money that I have raised for them in sponsorship (yes, I am slightly disillusioned with big charities).
Next year I am running the Brighton Marathon to raise money for the Myotonic Dystophy Support Group. This will be my first ever marathon and I do have personal reasons for supporting this charity, they are also a much smaller charity without the national clout of Cancer Research. Most people I talk to have never heard of Myotonic Dystophy and until I met my husband I had never heard of it either. Even then it wasn't until the death of his brother and sister that I fully realised what this illness can do and the implications for the people that carry the gene.
But again there is a dilemma.... it is normally the same group of people that I am asking to support the charities through what I do... and I don't think it is fair to keep asking....
Also, for me, running is not a "one-off" thing, yes, it started that way, but I enjoy it and I am planning on running more marathons in the future so again it feels slightly "wrong" to ask people to sponsor me for my hobby !
So, these two runs will most probably be the last two that I do for charity. I may very well leave a link on this blog so people can, if they choose, donate to the Myotonic Dystrophy Support Group but that is it.
At this point in time I am planning on these being the last charity runs that I do; there are a number of reasons for this....
With the Race For Life for Cancer Research I first ran this last year and raised over £500 for them, yes, it is a good cause but I have a bit of a problem with the way some charities operate. After running this race I got fed up with the unsolicited post and phone calls from them asking for money. You know when someone from a call centre phones and it is quite obvious they are following a script... and quite a hard sell "emotional" script to get you to donate money by direct debit each month to them doesn't sit right with me so this year is the last time I will run one of the Race for Life events. If I hadn't already committed to it (and raised some more money in sponsorship) I would not be going ahead with it, their "marketing" techniques really have got to me that much ! I also hate to think how much these marketing campaigns cost them..... and that will be coming out of the money that I have raised for them in sponsorship (yes, I am slightly disillusioned with big charities).
Next year I am running the Brighton Marathon to raise money for the Myotonic Dystophy Support Group. This will be my first ever marathon and I do have personal reasons for supporting this charity, they are also a much smaller charity without the national clout of Cancer Research. Most people I talk to have never heard of Myotonic Dystophy and until I met my husband I had never heard of it either. Even then it wasn't until the death of his brother and sister that I fully realised what this illness can do and the implications for the people that carry the gene.
But again there is a dilemma.... it is normally the same group of people that I am asking to support the charities through what I do... and I don't think it is fair to keep asking....
Also, for me, running is not a "one-off" thing, yes, it started that way, but I enjoy it and I am planning on running more marathons in the future so again it feels slightly "wrong" to ask people to sponsor me for my hobby !
So, these two runs will most probably be the last two that I do for charity. I may very well leave a link on this blog so people can, if they choose, donate to the Myotonic Dystrophy Support Group but that is it.
Friday, 3 June 2011
Evening River Run
I thought an easy run this evening would help stop them aching quite as much. It hasn't......
What I need now is to find someone who does gentle massage, the sort that makes you feel better, unlike sports massage that has been designed to cause more pain.... That and a nice glass of cold wine sounds like a perfect way to end what has been quite a good week....
Anyway, this is a photo from this evenings run :)
Thursday, 2 June 2011
Feet nibbling....
Well, what can I say. As a treat to my feet I went for a fish pedicure today. Now I will say that normally I don't like anyone touching my feet, I don't know why, maybe because when I was younger it normally involved being tickled... And I don't like it. But today I allowed lots and lots (and I really do mean lots!) of tiny fish nibble the dead skin off my feet.
It tickles. I don't mean just a little bit but it tickles like crazy for the first few minutes ! It was all I could do to keep my feet in the water whilst these fish (a relative of the pirahana....) gently removed the dead skin from my feet.
While I was sitting there I was thinking about the year ahead leading up to the marathon... At my current mileage I will be running over one thousand miles between now and then. That is a long way. That is all the way from here to St Tropez and one third of the way back again..... and my two feet are going to carry me the whole way. At the end of it I will ask them to carry me for 26.2 miles all in one go, not quite as fast as they possibly can but quite fast without stopping..... so I think they deserve a little bit of TLC now and again.
The fish did their job and my feet definitely enjoyed it.... So much so I will be back again.... and the perhaps they will forgive me for what I'm going to ask them to do over the next year.....
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It tickles. I don't mean just a little bit but it tickles like crazy for the first few minutes ! It was all I could do to keep my feet in the water whilst these fish (a relative of the pirahana....) gently removed the dead skin from my feet.
While I was sitting there I was thinking about the year ahead leading up to the marathon... At my current mileage I will be running over one thousand miles between now and then. That is a long way. That is all the way from here to St Tropez and one third of the way back again..... and my two feet are going to carry me the whole way. At the end of it I will ask them to carry me for 26.2 miles all in one go, not quite as fast as they possibly can but quite fast without stopping..... so I think they deserve a little bit of TLC now and again.
The fish did their job and my feet definitely enjoyed it.... So much so I will be back again.... and the perhaps they will forgive me for what I'm going to ask them to do over the next year.....
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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