Anyone else miss Brexit/ Storm Ciara/ December's election?

Who'd have thought I would look back to those days with a smile (albeit a small, sad smile).....

.....or think that they would ever seem so far away as they do now.

I'm not really sure what to write, which is just brilliant for a blog, so I hope you're ready to enjoy this! But I haven't written about running, or seen anyone from running, for ages, and it goes without saying that I miss everyone, so I thought I would just pen a quick blog to check in, and say hello.

Been good to see everyone's updates and creative solutions to keeping fit and in virtual contact with each other during these times! Keep up the good work! 

I haven't been all too creative yet, I'm afraid. I did measure around the garden, but it's about 10 m all the way around the edge, so a marathon would be I think 4219 laps, and I don't have enough wrist bands. But I did read the story about the person who did one on their 7 m long balcony, so maybe the garden marathon might be a winner, if things get worse. 

I've got to get to work each day, so been walking 5 km there and running 5 km home (which was initially tricky to keep social distancing, but has been easier this week) so have been taking lots of detours/ running in the middle of roads etc to keep 2 metres away from people. And doing workouts at home each evening (started doing weights, got yoga mats out the attic, crazy dancing around the living room etc).

Was missing long runs, but being in London felt like was trapped without much option there, as worried about coming into contact with people outside. So this morning, got up at 04:00 with Andrew, to try to get in a marathon early enough to avoid people. This was successful, in that there was literally hardly a soul around at that time, and it was very beautiful out watching the sun rise, but I didn't sleep hardly at all and got a migraine, so I made it to a half-marathon and then felt too sick, so stopped - which was funny sitting at home at 07:00 already having finished running.

Odd to realise as an adult, only really for the first time, how lucky you are just to be able to go out when you want, see who you want, go where you want, and buy anything. I guess after all this is over, I won't take those things for-granted anymore, and for a lot of people in the world, that's how things are all the time. 

And it will all be worth it, we must beat this virus! Proud to be part of the NHS and knowing what massive efforts are going on withing my Trust 💙💙💙 And proud of everyone too (over the last few days in London, people seem to be way more on board with the regulations) - together we will win! 👍🙏

Hope that everyone is keeping well. Stay safe and take care. Looking forward to seeing everyone on the other side. Lots of love! 💖💖💖

A journey North

I was back at Leeds this weekend for more of my Sports Nutrition course. It started off quite like an ultra marathon day. Up at 4.45 am, cycled to station in full waterproofs as it was pouring it down. Got wet despite waterproofs (must get new ones). Spent some time on a train. Got off train and got on a bus. So far, so good, this was most unlike fraught journeys to runs! I would make 09.00 lecture in heaps of time! Then bus stopped, for no reason, quite some way away from where it was meant to go, and from where I was meant to be. This being more like a usual journey, I instantly felt more at home, and completed my journey to the university therefore with a run, and made it through the door at 08.59. 

I was upset to be missing some running that I wanted to do this weekend. And I keep seeing everyone's pictures of all they are doing and feeling I'm not keeping up. Plus, some of my booked races have been postponed (quite understandably) becuase of the Covid-19 and I am worried when the next time I'll be able to do a organised run will be! But, I've wanted for ages to do this course, and as my Mum said "you're legs won't forget how to run just because you have a weekend off".

Quite.

Anyway, I did fit some running in (sorry Mum). Saturday night, I decided to brave running through student-ville again (after my last experience here of being chased by a drunk man), despite having forgotten to bring one of my Excalibur sword medals as defence. It didn't start too well, it was fancy dress night, and I spent a few minutes negotiating safe passage through Headingly avoiding giant bananas and cowboys etc. It soon got a bit quieter, and I made it down to Kirkstall Abbey in the valley, which was looking splendidly spooky in the dark, although as far less scary than the students up above. 

I woke up in the night, worried I was going to get Coronovirus and be isolated in a Premier Inn room in Leeds, with nothing but myself, half of a book left to read, and two assignments to do, for two weeks. Honestly, that would probably result in a better quality of assignment than what I'll manage (my feedback from my last assignment was that the length was good, but I could have used the words that gave the length, to better effect). Brilliant. Then I started worrying about that, so tried to read some of my book to distract myself. This is about law and the problems with the legal system in this country. In the end, I managed to fall asleep, and had a dream where I was on holiday and got stranded in an underground house because of Coronovirus, meanwhile the princess of the island had been tried and found guilty of murdering her husband, and written to the local paper (which I was reading in the underground house) to contest the verdict, but the letter was too long, and had been cut half way. 

I was happy get up.To celebrate, I went for a fasted run (despite all my races getting cancelled, I still want to get better at 100 milers, and am trying to experiment with some things I'm learning on my course). As I left the hotel, the receptionist ran out of the dining room to check I was ok (no one else was up at 7 am, and she seemed surprised to see me), and on telling her I was out for a run, she exclaimed "blimey!", wished me luck, and waved me off. Such a nice lady!

I did my fasted run, down to Hyde Park (the Leeds version), which is a most confusing park....

Distracted myself from feeling hungry by looking at the flowers.....

...and on getting back to the hotel, the receptionist ran back out of the dining room (still no one up for breakfast) and asked where I'd run, and when I told her, she proclaimed "blimey well done!" even more excitedly than before, and then she asked me if I was ok, and if I needed a drink from the breakfast room. What a kind soul! That's cheered me up all day that has. It's things like that that that remind you what difference little acts of kindness can make to your day ❤️❤️❤️

The Funky Pants Challenge, 50 km, 08.03.2020

(and sing - in tune, please - in the fashion of the Teddy Bears Picnic)...

If you go down to the woods today you're sure of a big surprise,

If you go down to the woods today, you'd better go in disguise!

For all the pants that ever there were, have gathered there for certain,

Because, today's the day, the Funky Pants Challenge is running!

Every runner who's been good (ish) is sure of a treat today,

There lots of marvellous things to eat, and wonderful cakes, I'd say,

Beneath the trees, where nobody sees, they run and skip, as long as they please,

That's the way runners spend their Sunday.

Running time in fancy pants,

There are patterns and stripes and spots all

Running around today.

Watch them dashing through the woods,

And get all covered in mud through the day.

If you go down to the woods today you'd better not go alone,

It's lovely down in the woods today but safer to stay at home!

For all the runners from round and about, are running in circles, and laughing about,

Today's the day, the Funky Pants Challenge is conquered!

You may stop singing now. I don't know the rest (like Jingle Bells, I know there are many many verses, but most of them are a mystery to me).

Another great day down in the woods with SVN and a great bunch of runners, and a great deal of quite tremendous leggings out there today - great effort on the theme front! I loved this weekend - 2  x 50 km, and feeling good, so maybe there's a glimmer of hope I might not fail completely during this summers 100 mile adventures. Although, 100 miles is 160 km. All at once. So I won't get ahead of myself. 

Got a new watch, and today was it's first test. We are having some trouble getting to know each other. It's a case of, I'm sure it's very clever and helpful and really is quite easy to get along with, but how am I meant to know any of this, if it just beeps and flashes all the time? I press the button I think would be logical for it to start, but that stops it. I got quite interested in watching my heart rate for a while, but then that went blank, which was a bit disconcerting. Then I spent a couple of hours thinking that I was in some sort of time warp; it was 10:35 at the end of lap one, but that was 4.4 miles, and we'd started at 09:00, and I had (accidentally) found the screen at some point during the lap, which that said I was running at 10:45 per mile. Maths and time are not my fortes (I worked out my first ever 10 km splits based on there being 100 seconds in a minute), but even to my struggling brain, this didn't seem to make sense. At the end of lap two, it said it was 12:15. And lap three it said 11:48. That's not bad for a Sunday morning really, discovering time travel. By the end of lap four, it said 13:30. This was becoming confusing. I spent lap five (my heart rate had come back on by this point, so I felt able to think) considering this all, and pressing a few more random buttons, and then realised that these numbers were my average speed, not the time. Of course they were. Of course. Lap six was more successful, as I worked out how to find the actual time, which had been bugging me that I was wearing a watch, but didn't have a clue what the time was. Lap seven, I forgot to turn it off at the end, for about 20 minutes. But despite this, I still set 6 new records on my watch. Hurrah!

Fun weekend - thanks SVN for some great events, and thanks runners and well done to all (lots of celebrations this weekend)! 

Book Day Challenge, 50 km - 07.03.2020

A run in the woods, Kings Wood, with SVN Running. The sun shone for a bit, wood you believe it? Not run this course before, and I loved it - 7 x 4.4 mile loops, some nice downhills, uphills, tracks, trees, views. Lovely. 

Big celebration today - George's 100th Marathon - many congratulations George!

I had a vegan sausage roll from Gregs as my second breakfast today, and instead of giving me the extra energy I thought it would, I felt all dizzy and weak after 3 laps. Luckily, there was a great aid station, like there always is at SVN, and so I was able to rectify my nutritional mishap with a fantastic array of snacks. My favourite was the bread pudding. Bread pudding! In a marathon! 

In exciting news in Coronovirus land, the port-a-loos seemed be faring better than the rest of the country, and still had plentiful supplies of toilet paper and hand sanitizer. How exciting!

Lovely day out in the woods, with lots of friends. Thanks Andrew for keeping me company, and for the emergency jelly babies. 

Enjoyed it so much that am going back tomorrow to do it all again......

The Malta Marathon, 01.03.2020....The Sunny One

Loved this marathon so much! 

The weather back home has really been getting to me, so to have a few days in sunny Malta feels like a good kind of medicine. Plus, it is so nice to see so many running friends out here...it's funny to think you can come to a totally different part of the world, see a lot of people that you know.

The marathon started outside Mdina Gate (inland), and wound its way back to Sliema (on the coast). 

Yesterday, I went with Andrew to explore Mdina, which turned into drinking wine in Mdina....which always good preparation for a marathon....

It was an early (04:00) start, ready to catch the bus from Sliema to the start....where there was time to catch up with lots of friends...

...before the start....

The start was a nice few downhill miles, with nice views of Mdina (not captured at all well by me)....

Then the route wound around in a circley sort of pattern, with lemon trees, olive trees and pine trees pretty against the blue sky, and white stone walls and houses dotting the fields. Very lovely! There were plenty of water and poweraid stations (and an orange station) and bands playing along the route. 

Then, at about 25km, after running away and towards and around Mdina for what seemed like a long time, it was time to head toward to coast. The half marathon race also joined in at this point, so it all of sudden got quite busy. I quite liked that, bit of a boost to run a bit faster.

Ran about 35 km with Andrew before he ran off (well done on a great time, 3.44!), and I had a bit of a low point, tired/ headache/ etc etc blah blah blah. Sorted myself out with some water, electrolyte drink, and a headache tablet, and was feeling back on form again for the last 4 km. These were around the waterfront from Valetta to Sliema, and were loved with people cheering and smiling. I felt so happy! I did 3.47 which is my fastest time since I did my PB almost 4 years ago. 

Afterwards, it was a bit tricky to find people, but managed to find Andrew, Dave and Ian, and have a drink...

And take in the atmosphere. I love a marathon finish line!

So nice walking back in the sunshine, feeling warm and happy,  having had a good marathon 😎 Love you Malta and everyone here! 💕