Yume No Chikara

Kitchen update! Sainsbury have been very slow and I've had to chase them but today they were very helpful! In fact they are concerned we may end up out of pocket so have even suggested a work around for us to get kitchen fitted without us then having to pay out extra for missing bits etc. Very helpful! So it's now down to us to make up our minds on fitters etc and take it from there! Looks like I may get my kitchen fitted after all but not until the new year now anyway! Still there is light and soon I will be able to use my garage and therefore treadmill! Today I will be having my last run with J. He has just changed phones for the new Nokia 5500 (as seen on the Fetch site) and it looks cool! It comes with sports software that enables you to log runs, walks etc and calculates the distance covered by using a pedometer style measurement system. OK so this isn't hugely accurate (compared to a garmin) but it will be interesting to see how accurate it is. If it's good then w...

One new arm band for I-Pod and new earphones for I-Pod so ready for action! Tomorrow will be my last run with J. I've also finished all (grins) my Christmas shopping (OK so I have wrapping and cards to do but still!) which means I have no reason not to run at lunchtime now. So ….. Let battle commence! Whilst driving home last week I realised that my "Work It!" CD that I bought to support the Olympic bid has some great up-beat running music! So I now have the music and the means to listen to it! Have also located the 2006 Work It! CD for variety! Both CD's are double albums and both have upbeat and less upbeat tunes so perfect for long slow runs too! Cool! Hopefully I will get to test this out this week - I think J is only planning one run this week as he leaves Thursday (drink at lunchtime) so I will have to get out alone defiantly once maybe twice. We'll see! If I don't do 3 runs this week then I will extend to 3 runs next week … I'm still to get back to ...

No I am not meaning the blog which is of course all about me as it is MY blog! No seriously this is different. Yesterday afternoon we had a corporate hug and amidst the "we beat/thrashed this target" etc there was a "motivational speaker". There was black shapes on white back ground which eventually formed a word (FLY) and "what can you make of what you see" (I saw the word fly straight away but then how many e-mails go round saying "what can you see!"?) and this lead into a long section on conditioning. I'm sure the whole speaker thing was meant to motivate us in our jobs but I came out thinking: Who said I can't lose weight? ME!! Who said I will always be fat? ME!! Who said I am fat? ME!! Who said I am a slow runner? ME!! Who said I can't run fast? ME!! Who said I'm a plodder? ME!! Who said I will never be fast? ME!! …. The list went on. In fact it's true … it's only me holding me back! It's J's last week next w...

Boy am I tired! It seems that the suicide took it's toll yet my legs seem to be fine (will report back on that after lunchtime run!). Bear also said he was tired yesterday so I am guessing that the change from less demanding road work to full mud work does make a difference and that when people say XC is "worth" more then this is why! I was in bed and asleep before husband got home last night! Belly is still not 100% and Gnome has been complaining of a bad belly too. Lots of kids off at school yesterday and even after school club was cancelled due to staff being sick. Fraggle has been poorly too so I guess it is that time of year when the lurgy is doing it's worse. Tonight is weigh in night … I gained last week thanks to the hotel etc and my scales showed at the weekend that I had lost that weight, but because it was bad belly induced weight lose I've gained some back with eating almost normally! Hopefully I will still see a lose tonight mind! >Post Run Edit We...

Well what a wonderful weekend! Since Wednesday I hadn't felt 100% in fact I am still not 100% really. My food intake was down and I felt full having eaten much smaller amounts than normal. Saturday morning was home stuff … shopping, washing etc and then I popped over to Brum to see v-rap, bear and leon. They had just been off looking at bike porn … I mean been to the bike shop and running shop! We had some lunch and walked it off with a brisk 3m walk to Sutton runner who seemed pleased to see v-rap and leon. Had they been before then?? :-D hehe We all came away with purchases and wandered down the road a bit further for a drink before we headed home. I was still feeling very full and had a bit of a belly ache. Tea was soup and home made bread. Lovely bread too but I only had 1 slice and none of the Green and Blacks that was on offer (see I said I wasn't well!) Saturday night being pre-race night was a restless "have I slept through my alarm" night with my 1st waking u...

So there I was getting back into action … running well and looking to getting back into the WW thing and well ….. Left over takeaway curry. Wednesday night I used Imodium for it's proper reason for once and seriously worried as to if I would be able to make it into work. In the end I did make it to work, although I was very tired and eating a lot less! I even ran yesterday (3.2m again in 37mins again {and I beat S to the end of Whistler's Way (note I then died)}) then I got home and fell asleep. Tea was a few water biscuits as that was all my belly would take. I felt fine just had a sore belly. It's still not right today and I am still tired. I didn't get up in time to do the TRI and so didn't do it. I was too tired anyway and I am racing at the weekend. I suppose I could have done it at lunch as I had kit with me but instead I went shopping! My next course for work is Oracle in January; car and hotel booked today. The course will cover most of the requirements for ...

Or am I?!?! I've been tired since my course and tired Pixie people look at food for energy. It was WW last night and to be honest I was expecting a 2lb weight gain, despite all the exercise I did! In reality the scales said 4lb gain. I was shocked and annoyed. On reflection I did have a late lunch because I ran at lunch which was a lot of soup (2 large mugs) and a further load of drinks as I was thirsty and tired and trying not to eat! So I should have expected it to be higher but it didn't make it easier. Whilst in London I bought myself some nice new bling chav shoes and yesterday I actually got to use them. I wasn't pushing and did take walk breaks (was with J) and came in at just 8secs off the 3.2m loop PB. The only down side was the shoes now have less shine and I have a hint of blister. It's in the same place as I had the other day so I think it is new shoes rather than wrong shoes related. Tomorrow I will again run with the boys at work - not sure if it will be t...

Well what a week! Monday I went for a run at work (alone) as i wanted to start !the battle against too much food in London! ASAP! I did my 3m loop, was meant to be the shorter loop but it just felt good so I carried on! I even ran 95% of it (just climbing up the woodland style stairs). I finished thinking I had a PB on that route by up to 1min! I got back and checked fetch and it was a PB by 2.5mins!! It just felt good! One of those runs when everything works! I didn't feel tooo puffed and foot only niggled at the end! Train to the big city was was fine and I got to the hotel in 1 piece. You don't get much for your 4stars in London do you! Each morning (well not Friday!) I got up at 6.15 and swam then after breakie etc I walked the 30mins to the course. I walked as much as possible (see above battle!) as salad seemed an alien creature to my hotel! I meet Leon on Tuesday, Coach Spans on Wednesday and Treacle Tart on Thursday! Bought new shoes on Thursday too! The course was good...

Tomorrow I am off for my course in the big city. I have pre-paid train tickets with reserved seats and a posh hotel waiting at the other end. I'm also nervous! I hate traveling alone, have never been in London alone and I'm doing a scary course that will probably make my brain hurt. I've packed swim suit and some kit (damn forgotten shoes!) and have no space left (bugger what about my running shoes?). I won't be online at all for the next week! Today has been testing. I wanted to shop early, take Gnome swimming and do some gardening. Gnome had homework to do and due to his avoidance and sulking tactics (must be in the blood!) it took over 21/2 hrs to do. It wasn't hard just some fractions. I therefore couldn't leave upstairs because when I did he sulked, stopped trying or played with cars. Net result was shopping at 2pm, no swimming and no gardening. But I did defrost the freezer during the 1st hr of homework and finished stripping the wallpaper after that, then...

To clarify yesterdays post with some well thought out facts!! Lose Weight - Carry on a WW, get off 1 stone by Christmas (4.5lb down now) ideally get 10% off by Christmas (16lb) for WW 10% award! - Gentle exercise most days so as not to think I need more food! Such as walking for 30mins at lunch when not running. - Use "£ for a Lb" tin to fund new clothes/kit and keep me going! Basic Fitness - Aim to use stairs at work (all 72) 4 times a day and be able to run up them all by Christmas - Get back to swimming 20 lengths without a break - up to 10 front crawl. Have Fun - Join pool for both Gnome and I when I get back from my course - Take Gnome swimming at least twice a week, 30 mins serious 30 mins playing per session - Get Gnome running (well he has the shoes!) - Do team swimathon with Gnome in March, if possible do 5k swimathon myself too (not sure if time will allow this!) Shorter Runs - Work running routes vary with a max of 3.2m - Aim to run 1 short route fast (1.5-2m), 1 l...

I've been thinking a lot lately and various things that various people have said have been revolving around my head! FLM was always entered as a "collect the rejects" exercise, I'm still not convinced that I have a place anyway (have to wait for the magazine for that!). I've always wanted to lose weight and the recent foot injury has really kicked my butt and highlighted the importance of this. I've always wanted to be a good runner and dreamed of a GFA. Spans said to me a while ago when I had a fleeting interest in Abingdon : "Do you really want another 6 hour marathon?" Leon said in a recent comment : "One goal at time ... choose which one is most important to you....." I went for a run today! I did 3m with J at work. It was only 1min slower than the same run some 5-6 weeks ago which I am delighted with! Foot is fine (but have a hint of blister!) but I am no where near working towards a decent half let alone a full marathon but I have the...

I am so confused! I was expecting to not get in and that my cheque would be cashed next week. The RW list shows loads of cheques on the 31st then 2 on the 1st and now more people are saying it's cashed!Are the 2 the lucky ones from the 1000 ballot? Or just slow from the main ballot! Told husband last night that it looked like I wasn't in and as I couldn't sleep I planned my life (as you do thereby stopping you from sleeping even more!) and now I just don't know!! I know I have to wait until the magazine comes out really but that's not for another 3-4 weeks!! Last night I was planning a good 6mths of proper training, it was all about weight lose and fitness. I was going to DNS Brass Monkey as I was/am unlikely to get the time I want. I wasn't going to enter Reading or indeed any races until Mid year. Just train hard (swim and run and pool run) and get into top shape. I wasn't in FLM so there was no reason to worry! In fact I was so sure I wasn't in that I...

Oh yes the Pixie has been learning again! This time I have ventured into the big bad world of Business Objects! Nice looking tool but lots of odd quirks and special ways to do things. It's doing my head in! I've even resorted to reading a manual or 3! How bad is that???!!??!! Yet again I did not check my bank account for FLM cheques today but I can confirm my mortgage has gone out as it should at this time (thought I should check that!! Hehe) As a side point this was the only transaction today! Also I have been off out and about in the locality of the office with J! Nice 3m stroll "round the grounds" which turned into "round the village" on one of our running routes. I changed into my Saucony's for this and foot was fine but again I knew it was there but not hurting. I am also now sure that the main cause for the tendon issue was having my laces too tight because if I tie them as I used to it hurts! Tomorrow I am on a "Lunch and Learn" with so...