back home

I've been on the road this week - first on Tuesday to my Mum's where I had great fun with the hedge trimmer - turning some ordinary bundles of box bushes into strange shapes - the rabbit was the most fun! Good cross training too.

And then on to Cambridge and a taste of the old job for a day, a chance to chat with former colleagues and remind myslef why I am well out of it there - the usual story of employees not valued by them higher up and them higher up wanting more for their pound of flesh.

Good to be home.

Exercise? Oh yes - I went to the gym again on Tuesday morning and I have done some good brisk walking in Cambridge too :>) With 2 weeks off with cold and then the bump I have not quite met last months mileage - but hope to move it on in the coming month as Amsterdam begins to loom - maybe Bedders will keep a count down of the weeks for me.

endorphins - you can't beat them

Sue suggested walking as that was not painful

and after thinking about it and looking at the torrential rain, I decided to go to the gym

so 15 minutes on the cross trainer to warm up

and then on to the treadmill - I started off walking and gradually increased the pace until it was at the 'this would be easier to jog than walk' pace and jogged for a bit then walked for a bit and so on for 30 minutes

when I went down to the changing rooms afterwards I couldn't believe how much better I felt!

and I didn't feel any pain while I was doing it - though it still feels uncomfortable when I am sitting and it is an effort to stand from sitting

I feel so much more optimistic - thanks, Sue

I am not the only one ....

CAD mentioned 4-6 weeks out if I have broken my coccyx - I can't believe it is broken, a sixth former at school HAS broken hers (a fall from her horse was involved) and is in MUCH more pain than I am

Paula has damaged her sacrum - and talks of 6 weeks off

I just worked out that if I were to do Amsterdam full, Shades 3 runs a week training starts the week after half term (not that I am you understand - would be a bit bonkers starting from with an injury wouldn't it?)

So just hope that it will be better asap - but surely not 6 weeks.

still no running

well, it is a week tomorrow since the bump

and I am feeling very frustrated - I've been waking early to lovely sunshine but just know running would be painful

it does seem to be getting slightly better but is still painful to rise from a sitting position

on the plus side it is more comfortable to sit straight up than slumped - that can only be a good thing


ah well I guess I haven't given up on teh idea yet

Oh, and please note those who mention Amsterdam - I am only doing the half!

still sore

well I can stand up ok

lie down ok

some seats are ok to sit on

but going from sitting to standing is PAINFUL

so no running :<(

just as it was all getting otgetehr again

I am doomed - maybe I should just give up and ....................





well maybe not

ouch

half awake

going downstairs this morning

fastening watch

suddenly oops!

bump

bump

bump

one shaken beanz with a sore coccyx

just as my cold was getting better too :<(

cold wet and happy

briefly

a great day out at Stratford Sprint Tri

no, silly, of course I didn't do it!

I went down to support some Waister forum friends who were doing their first tri

and found myself volunteering to marshall!

I was marsdhalling at the turnign poiint on the run - so had people coming at me from 3 directions and occasionally failed to spot someone going the wrong way (sorry Cath, I wondered why I didn't see you coming down for a second lap!)
the weather was a little damp to begin with

6 hours later .......

it was persisting down and VERY muddy too


but I stayed out until the last lady had finished


they'd packed away the t shirts by the time I came in - I hope the last lady got hers!


I came home to find that my computer had crashed beyond recovery and the system was being reinstalled

although I thought I had backed up everything, it was rather an old version of my Eudora address book - so if you are reading this and think I should have your email address, please email me!

(unless you don't want to hear from me ever again of course!)

Ups and downs

Friday - up
Up early to run (note to the Fast Asleep Club - I only get up early to run becuase otherwise I know it will not be done, not from any great vocation).

And then off to work where I had a mainly nonproductive day from a teaching point of view.

It was the school founders day as described in Wikipedia:

Perhaps one of the most enduring images of the school — and one of its most public manifestations — is that of its traditional Commemoration Day Procession, which takes place every Summer Term. The pupils process from the school to the Parish Church of St Nicholas, down the centre of the high street, in height order wearing white veils (officially called "hoods", unoficially called "tea - towels") fringed with light blue, carrying beautifully embroidered banners and singing (unaccompanied) the hymn "Jerusalem my happy home". Members of the school choir wear an additional ankle-length white veil (officially known as "cloaks" and unoficially as "tablecloths").

So the girls spent the morning practising and the afternoon doing it for real. As I was due to teach Y10s and Y11s all morning and most of them were in the choir I was left with a few nonmusical girls in each class.

We teachers did not have to wear teatowels and tablecloths, thank goodness - we wore our gowns and hoods! I had to buy a gown - at no mean cost (showing that I intend to stay a bit longer I guess).

I've been looking on the tinternet for a picture of the girls but can't find one.

Saturday - down
Switched on this morning to find I have a 'well dodgy' computer - sabotaged by Windoze last attempt to do automatic updates which failed.

So after backing everything up I think the chaps in the household are going to give it a good seeing to.

And I have a stinky cold again - so no plodding today :<((

made it!

made it out this morning :>)

and so pleased I did

it had obviously rained pretty hard overnight and there was that fresh feeling

the scent of blossom

a pink sky

a fox who stood in the middle of the road watching me quizzically for a long time before moving on

and loads of birds singing - I wish I knew what they all were

so thanks to you lot I did it :>)

missed it :<(

I failed to set the alarm properly last night.

So despite getting my kit ready and really wanting to run I failed, because I did not wake up with enough time to go out.

Must try harder.

Sunday run

Tryin to get back into a routine of a Sunday run, which is going to get longer over the next few months.

Just over 3 miles this morning, with the aim of running to HR. However myHRM was not playing ball and was fairly intermittent. So I had to go on feel as well. Since starting my version of Shades 3-4 runs a week I have been running my easy runs at 125HR135 but this morning found that it was bettter to run at 130HR140 - so this will be the new 'easy' - with tempo runs pushing it up to 145ish I guess. Even allowing my HR to rise to 140, I walked much of the mile up killer hill coming home, with my HR still at 135+. Ah well as the weight falls off that will improve, I hope.

As its a holiday weekend I had a very lazy day yesterday, so now I need to get in the garden and prepare for the coming week at work.

and again ...

I was up and running on Tuesday morning - it helped that I had a virtual training partner - my waister friend Chuggy was getting up for her plod at 6.00 am and as she is across the water in the flat lands, we were able to run 'together'. (Other flatlanders seem to leave it to a more sensible hour)

And then I went down to the club last night - teenbeanz wanted to go and get in a long run and as it was such a fine evening went in my kit. We had some new lady beginners, and of course they were humiliatingly quicker than me. But it meant I did a tempo run, which is in Shades plan for the second of the shorter runs for the week. So I don't need to get up at a silly o'clock tomorrow.

Which is just as well as I have a slightly achey piriformis this evening. So another rest day will not do it any harm - must stretch though.