Lockdown - Week 5

Well, here we go for Lockdown Week 5. Running (ha ha, ha) out of inspiration here, so sticking with the theme of a Good Thing each day for another week.

Day 28 - Monday 20th April, 2 x 5 km
Good Thing - I completed Monday in one piece. Which is a fact not celebrated often enough. I had got myself in a tizz over the weekend, worrying and dreading being trapped in the dungeon office on my own, with a load of (virtual, for me, yet still very real) stresses kicking off, and not seeing the sunlight for hours and hours.... As it turned out, it was OK, and I realised another Good Thing, that as there is no-one else in the office, and everything is virtual now, I now don't need to bother taking my shower things to work for after my run commute 😂 Or even put on make-up, or even brush my hair I suppose, but I should maintain some standards (for in case of in promptu video calls, more than anything else).

Day 29 - Tuesday 21st April, 2 x 5 km
Good Thing - it's still sunny, and I got to run twice today.

Day 30 - Wednesday 22nd April, 2 x 5 km
Good Thing - it's still sunny, and I got to run twice today.

Day 31 - Thursday 23rd April, 2 x 5 km
Good Thing - it's still sunny, and I got to run twice. OK, OK, there are good things happening, yes there are, I just have to think. Think think think. Oh yes! My Mum has found my missing Marathon #1 medal, thank goodness!

Day 32 - Friday 24th April, 2 x 5 km
Good Things are always easier to find at the weekend, and now it's Friday and it's STILL SUNNY. Which is an Extra Good Thing...... sitting in the sunshine with a cold glass of rose (another Good Thing), looking up at the clear blue sky, with a two day break stretching ahead into the sun...

Day 33 - Saturday 25th April, 6.5 miles
I miss the City Runs in the week! So it seemed prudent to get back to running there....

...you just can't trump it...

So I chose my Good Thing today, as being able to get back here, and managing not to be bored with my limited routes yet. There's always something new to see if you're looking for it.

Went in the evening so it was nice and quiet....

.....so made it all the way to St Paul's....

...without getting into any trouble...

Found a new building (The Guildhall, which has been there since 1440, but this is the first time I've been):

And another Good Thing - I learnt how to make bread with no yeast, for those lockdown times when you need emergency bread.

Day 34 - Sunday 26th April, 12 miles
My second longest run of lockdown = Good Thing. Up early to avoid people, through City....

...to St Paul's....

....then on down to the River, over it, some miles past Waterloo and looping back towards the Shard...

...before turning around and heading back. It was a blooming lovely run...

...which was really no surprise, as the signs were all there.

Weekly total: managed my best weekly mileage, 50 miles, of Lockdown so far - and I earned my first goal badge on Garmin after hitting the target I set myself at the beginning of the week, after I decided I should get back in to having targets. 

Lockdown - Week 4

Not a bad week running wise. Even exciting in parts! I've changed my Lockdown Diary to record daily runs and distances, plus something good that happens each day. I am so sick of the news, which is depressing and overly focused on the negative even without Covid. Whilst the subject of Covid is, by nature, depressing and negative, we all know that by now, and I'm fed up of being reminded of it at every minute of every day. When I look back at this period of my life, I want to remember that there were actually good bits too, and there are!

Day 21 - Monday 13th April - 6 miles to the City and St Paul's. Good thing: Being quiet there is time to stop and look at places, reflections, read the signs. I so love the City at this time! The shiny glass of the new building like a lake, reflecting back the terrific history surrounding them.

Day 22 - Tuesday 14th April - 5 miles
Whilst today in theory I did get older, having a birthday during lockdown means that you don't age this year, and you get a day of cake and prosecco for free (GOOD THING!)

And, instead of the 5 ultras in 5 days that I was planning on doing at this time (to train for the 100's over the summer, which now aren't happening, so I guess I don't need to train for them), I got to run 5 miles. Which sounds like a let down, but the 5 miles were to and from Florin Court, the building that was Poirot's flat in the TV series (Whitehaven Mansions) in Charterhouse Square. Quick bit of research, it was built in 1936 in the Art Deco style. It has a basement swimming pool. Parts of the inside of the building were used for filming in Poirot too, and Poirot's flat went up for sale in 2016, priced at only £699,950. Maybe, I will get his for my birthday next year, when I turn 21 (again etc etc), or even actually now that should be when I turn 30 (again etc etc), but we won't dwell on that. 

Day 23 - Wednesday 15th April - 10 km
Back to running to and from work, which means, back to work. The thought of this, and the subsequent and inevitable reality, are not overly stupendous, but Andrew ran with me for the first time, and I got to show him my route which was kind of fun. I think I've got my route down to perfection now, all but the 1/2 a mile on the canal, and it's pretty quiet. And since running to work every day for the last few weeks, I've saved 15 minutes in the morning, which can be used for 1) sleeping, 2) drinking coffee, 3) faffing (this is definitely a good thing). Plus, I ran a PB (on my watch, not an all time PB, and I've only had my watch a few weeks, but not to worry) for both 1 miles and 5 km.

Day 24 - Thursday 16th April - 10 km
Same as yesterday, and Andrew came again, and on a route I've been walking or running for 2 years, within 1 day he found a way to avoid the canal. And it's better. Which is kind of annoying, but then it is actually a lot better, so I won't hold a grudge. And now I avoid all the canal crowds. On the run home, it rained, kind of hot stormy rain, which I quite like. It hasn't rained for ages, come to think of it. It's quite nice to feel the rain on my skin (good thing), but it's still hot - winter seems to have gone, which had kind of passed me by with all that's going on. As it was Virtual Art Night (good  thing!!) and I was late, and ran fast home and set new PBs for the 1 mile and 5 km again (good thing!). So many good things!

Day 25 - Friday 17th April - 10 km
Same as yesterday and the day before. Which I was feeling a bit bored about, but actually, you've always got to do a commute (well, lots of people do), so how good is it to have one that you can run (good thing)? Better than getting the tube or a train. I haven't been on any public transport now for over a month. It's going to feel so odd when this is finally over - I can't imagine descending the spiral stairs at Holloway Road, into the deep dark dusty depths, sandwiched in with hundreds of other people. Another good thing - since being around the local area more, I've every day been seeing the wisteria in the park across the road,and it's colour and scent is stunning right now!

Day 26 - Saturday 18th April - 6 miles
An evening run to St Paul's getting there just as the bells chimed 8pm, and the scent of the tulips in Festival Gardens was dancing in the dusk. Heavenly! I really enjoyed this run, haven't run at night for a bit, and seeing the city light up is always magical.

Good thing - had time to organise my medals right from marathon #1 (which I've actually lost, which isn't so good, but I'm hoping it's somewhere at my Mum and Dad's). So satisfying with my spreadsheet and putting them all in order and thinking of each run!

Day 27 - Sunday 19th April - 6.5 miles
Morning run to St Paul's, just as the bells were chiming 11 am. My good thing for today, I chose as the secret garden we have found, hidden between to shiny office buildings by St Paul's. It's like paradise, and is it best place to do some body weight exercises mid run. 

Weekly total - 42 miles. All in all, a week of good things.

As always - take care and stay safe 💙💚💛💜💖

Isolation Easter - a poem

It's feeling very odd, 

To have Easter trapped at home, 

Last year, ten marathons in ten days, 

But now we run alone. 

As Covid sweeps the World, 

Causing fear and misery, 

We join together (2 m apart),

Show solidarity.

Because although I'm sad, 

To miss friends and family, 

What with Facebook, Zoom, Whatapps and Skype, 

We share the love, for free! 

Long runs now are shorter, 

But I love them every day,

Time to be creative, find new routes,

Quiet ones, so safe we stay.

My favourite place to run,

Right now is in the City,

The usual noises, now fall silent,

It's cool stone streets feel eerie.

Without the usual crowds,

There is time to stop and see,

The ancient places, tiny alleys,

Secret gardens, birds, a bee.

As it's Easter Sunday,

The place to which we must run,

Is iconic St Paul's cathedral,

Standing empty in the sun.

The chiming of the bells,

And the blue sky clear and bright,

The sweet smell of tulips in the air,

It is the perfect sight.

I miss you all my friends,

Stay safe in the Easter sun,

I hope we'll be reunited soon,

And life will carry on!

Happy Easter!

The Not The Paris Marathon

Today was meant to be the Paris Marathon.

Feeling sad it didn't happen as it was meant to, but also feeling grateful for lots of things. Like, that just before all this happened I had the best trip to Malta for the marathon there, plus we can still do running outside in the sunshine so long as we are careful to stay away from people, and (perhaps most importantly) I have loads of toilet rolls. 

Life is a little weird, but feeling a bit more used to it now. Work days are a 5 km run to work, do work (I work in a community NHS service, which has been drastically cut back and most of my colleagues are so amazing and have moved to the hospital to help - I'm carrying on for now with my current role, with the tube feeding patients - so I feel bad about not being at the hospital helping, but then there hasn't been much change in the volume of work to do, and there are many more discharges than normal, which need a lot of work to get people set up and settled on their tube feeds at home, so I guess I'm still being useful). Then after that, a 5 km run home. For the first time ever I managed to run to work and back every day this week. I found a new route which is much quieter, and I feel quite safe doing that, and it's much better than getting public transport would be. So that's 10 km every day. And then some weights/ yoga/ core work after getting home. 

Yesterday, the start of the weekend, I was getting anxious looking out at the canal and seeing lots of people on the towpath. Last weekend getting up at 04.00 to run when it was quiet didn't really work out for me, so I was wondering how to run and stay safe, but not get totally knackered doing it. Thought about running to the City, which usually is busy, but I wondered....if many people are working at home, maybe it would be quieter....

So gave it a go, and it was so quiet, it was ace! Did 7 miles yesterday and 9 miles today and it was quite spooky, but also magical, running through the city, and past places like St Paul's, London Wall, The Royal Courts of Justice, with hardly any people and virtually no cars.

So, it might not be the Paris Marathon, but it's not a bad substitute, really. 

I suppose it's not always such a bad thing to have a bit of time to think about things that you've done and be thankful for them, rather than always doing more and more things so quickly that you don't always have time to really appreciate them. My Granny, when she was poorly and moved into a care home, used to say, that she'd done all the things that she'd wanted to in life, and was lucky to have done that, and now she was happy sitting and thinking back through all the memories. I always loved that she said that! Of course, I don't want to stop doing things, but whilst we are a bit of enforced "reflection time" it's a good habit that I'm trying to get into. For example, rather than adding to my marathon spreadsheet just now, I'm going through it and remembering about each race and finding the medal/certificate/badge etc. I'm remembering loads of stuff I'd forgotten!

Take care, and stay safe! 💙💚💛💜

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)!