(Don't) let it snow

There had been a fair bit of rain on Sunday night which froze as the temperature dropped, meaning that by Monday morning the pavements were treacherous. This made my run more like an ice skating session as I slid all over the place.
At one point - where the path went down hill and turned a corner - it was only a well place lamp post that kept me upright. It's ok...no-one saw.
What should have been a tempo run turned into a take-it-easy-and-don't-lose-your-balance run, but I still managed my 2 miles.
It was considerably warmer this morning when I went out - a tropical 2 degrees! - and there wasn't any ice around. This meant that I could get on with my tempo run - and it went really well. I just did 2 miles again, but was pleased with my times.
There's a lot of talk in the media about snow on the way, and I'm really hopeful that the forecasters have got their sums wrong. I hate snow. I hate going out in snow. I've never even tried running in snow. A very kind friend has let me borrow her treadmill for the winter months, so at least I have a plan B if the dreaded white stuff does arrive.
There is some great news today...Muscular Dystrophy sent it's marathon team details of 'The Big Give', where money donated to charities is matched, and these matched donations can count towards our fundraising total. A couple of donations today have really helped boost my total. It's only running until Friday, and the doubled donations are limited so you need to get online around 10am when the website opens, but is a fantastic initiative.
The direct link to the Muscular Dystrophy page is http://new.thebiggive.org.uk/charity/view/3377?search=47d2745f-c266-4978-8d95-f0191d2d85a9
You get a reference number when you donate...just let me know what it is and the donation can be linked to my fundraising.
Go on...you know you want to...and it's all in a good cause :o)

No excuses

Motivation can be hard to find sometimes, especially when there's so much else competing for my time, but I promised myself this year that I would just get out and run. I allowed myself to make an exception if I was ill - when running can be counterproductive - but otherwise it was 'no excuses'.
I was reading a fellow runners blog yesterday, and she said she tags on the words '...but it doesn't matter' to any excuses she might make, so 'It's raining this morning but it doesn't matter', I'm tired this morning but it doesn't matter'...you get the idea.
I like that, and I've decided to adopt that for my running sessions, and more generally in life, too.
So this morning, when I was really snug in bed, and I could hear the wind whistling outside, and I didn't want to get up I thought 'it doesn't matter' and went out and did my planned 4 mile run. And I really enjoyed it.
I timed it well - as I was huffing and puffing up the hill towards home I got a cheer from hubby and oldest daughter who were on their way out in the car.
So...today's run is done, and another four week block of runs have been ticked off on my training schedule. It's a good milestone to reach, especially as I promised myself a reward each time I completed a block of training - and what a reward it will be today. Two of our chickens started laying eggs this week, so we've saved enough eggs to have with a bacon sandwich at lunch time.
After all the chocolate I've eaten this week I should be watching what I'm eating, but in keeping with my new mantra...it doesn't matter!

I say, I say, I say

Have you ever found that armchair critics are the most prolific at offering advice?
Hubby has helpfully pointed out that, while my blogs are informative, they could do with a few extra jokes inserted in them. (I'm guessing he was coming to this conclusion while snug and warm in bed when I was out running alone in the cold, dark mornings.)
Anyway, not one to shirk advice, here goes with a little light humour...

How do crazy runners get through a forest?
They take the psycho-path

Two hikers on a trail come around a bend to find an enormous brown bear about 50 metres up the trail. The bear spies them and begins running toward them at a full gallop. One hiker drops his backpack, sits down, throws off his boots, and starts lacing up a pair of running shoes. The other hiker says: “What are you doing? You will never outrun that bear!”. The first hiker replies: “I don’t have to outrun the bear …”

And finally, this one's for oldest daughter...

A blonde goes out for a run. She comes to a river and cannot see a bridge anywhere nearby. She spots another blonde on the opposite bank. "Yoohoo!" she shouts, "How can I get to the other side?" The second blonde looks up the river then down the river then shouts back, "You're already on the other side!"

So, hopefully that's fulfilled my joke quota for a while.

For those of you who read my blog to keep up with my training, I ran two miles this morning at a pace of 5mph.

Normal blog entries will resume tomorrow.

Two's company

I had a new training partner with me on my run this morning.

He didn't complain about running in the wind and rain and set a good pace. On the downside, he tried to stop and sniff every lamp post.

Yes...I took the dog out with me.

He's a lovely dog, and a faithful friend, but he never has quite got the hang of walking nicely on a lead. I found out this morning that his running etiquette isn't much better.

He was very excited at the prospect of coming out with me, and was jumping up and down so much it took three tries to get his lead on. I wish I could bottle his enthusiasm!

We set out just after 9am (it was my day off), and I began a slow run which he took as his cue to weave from left to right in front of me, with an occasional jump up for good measure.

It took about half a mile for him to calm down, but we did then settle into a reasonable pace, and the rest of the run passed relatively smoothly.

This morning was quite a short run (just under 2 miles). I'm planning on doing the same distance tomorrow at a slightly faster pace so I might give Codey another chance. It was certainly nice to have some company and he appreciated the outing.

I wonder if I can find a route tomorrow that doesn't have any lamp posts...?

A run that nearly wasn't a run

I didn't sleep too well last night and could so easily have stayed in bed all morning...or even all day!
I spent about an hour and a half weighing up if I should go for my long run or if I should postpone it until tomorrow.
I finally decided at half past eight that I should head out for a short run and see how I felt...if it seemed to be going ok I'd keep going, and if not I'd cut my losses and head home.
As is always the case, the 'thinking about it' was the hardest part, and as soon as I got going I was glad to be out.
The biggest downside of running this morning was the cold wind that I seemed to be running headlong into regardless of the direction that I took.
The biggest upside of running this morning was that I had plenty of time to mull some ideas over, and by the time I got home I'd not only clocked up a seven mile run but had also done some productive brainstorming.
As ever, a run in the morning sets me up well for the day, and I went on to tick off lots of grotty jobs that I know would have otherwise stayed on my 'to do' list.
Hoorah for productivity over procrastination today, and double hoorah for a guilt-free lie in tomorrow!

Hitting the right notes

It was a nice early start again today and I was out running by half past six.
I'd expected it to be quite chilly and had worn my very fetching woolly hat and gloves, but realised my error within a very short distance - it was actually rather mild and I was out in public looking needlessly ridiculous. At least it was still dark and there weren't many people around.
I headed out into the village, up the high street and then returned via the quieter back roads. The greengrocers was still in darkness when I ran past, but the tattoo parlour was fully lit and occupied. Quite why anyone would want a tattoo at that time in the morning I can only begin to imagine. Answers on a postcard...?
It was a quick and uneventful 2 mile run, and I was back and checking on the chickens before seven.
The chickens were a gift from friends a few weeks ago, and they are now at 'point of lay' which means we should be collecting eggs soon. Apparently their siblings have just started to lay, so ours are now on borrowed time...I've told them in no uncertain terms that if they don't start earning their keep soon they'll be in the pot. They didn't seem unduly bothered, so I may have to resort to waving oxo cubes at them tomorrow just to drive home the point.
To round off the day, we went to oldest daughter's school concert. There is some serious talent amongst the pupils, and the concerts are always a pleasure to attend and are well supported. I'm proud to say that oldest daughter played four flute pieces - two duets and two as part of a group ensemble. Marvelous.
Another good day, done.

Danger...rampaging germs

It's not been the best couple of days.
Oldest daughter was overcome by germs on Sunday night and spent all night up and very ill (I'll spare you the gory details) and had to take yesterday and today off school.
I wasn't too well yesterday, but am made of stern stuff and am glad to say that I felt much better by this morning.
Unfortunately I wasn't up to running yesterday, but headed out this afternoon instead. My plan is to still get my three weekly training sessions in before my long run on Saturday without having to run in the zero temperatures that have been predicted for tomorrow morning.
I took the same route that I went on last Friday when Kong came
with me, but at a much more genteel pace. The hills didn't seem quite as bad with my heart rate a little lower, and it was a very pleasant trip out.
The chickens had put themselves to bed by the time I got home so I locked them up for the night, then headed in to cook tea. Be impressed...I've perfected the art of peeling carrots while doing my post-run stretching. Now that's what I call multitasking!