Viva Espana- We're off to Sunny Spain

Good afternoon people.

I am writing this from a gloriously sunny back garden in Swindon.I am typing between daydreams of my forthcoming week in Spain. Just a few days after completing the Race for Life, I will be jetting off with P and Sun to Nerja in Andalucía for a week of rest and relaxation by our villas private “infinity pool”.
Now, I don’t know how many of you are familiar with the “infinity” concept but apparently it means situated in such a way that it does not appear to have an edge on at least one side; our pool for example drops away over the side of one of the lovely Andalucían mountains and you therefore have a wonderful view whilst swimming in the pool. I shamefully, was not familiar with the “infinity” concept and embarrassed myself, just recently, by telling all and sundry that an infinity pool was shaped in a figure of 8 and as such you could swim around the edge of a pool for infinity without colliding with a pool side- as you would if you just swam up and down the length or indeed breadth of a standard pool!!! After much laughter (not mine), I was educated by my dear friend Rosemary, of the real meaning of the “infinity” concept but not before I had blamed P (my very intelligent other half) for misinforming me in the first instance!!!

So with time gathering speed and our holiday fast approaching I have been trying to organise a few essentials such as sun cream, new tee shirts for Sun, Travel Wash, and mosquito killer for P and I have also been agonising over matters such as shall I pack my period knickers just in case (only God knows the answer to that one!!) and even more painfully, what will my pool side attire be this year? Now, had P, Sun and I been travelling alone, it wouldn’t have been an issue but Rosemary and Steve and our good friend Jane (see And We’re Off… for low-down on Jane!!) are coming with us.

Let me explain my anxiety. As a mere strip of a girl, I was persuaded by a close friend to have a tattoo discretely placed on my body. Not being terribly brave I chose a small but beautiful (now considered naff) butterfly and decided that it would have to be tattooed low down on my left hip, so that I could show it off or keep it hidden from others. Little did I know that not even I would see it for the best part of these last ten years!! It has lain hidden, even from me, under an unsightly fold of (I would like to say relaxed muscle!!) tummy fat!!

The good news is, that as a result of my training programme for the race, P tells me that the little fellow has started to emerge and I have in truth glimpsed on a couple of occasions, the tip of his left wing. So things are looking up, not least my stomach, and if I keep the running up after the Race for Life my little butterfly may well be in full flight again one day!!! Hooray!!!

But for now, my pool attire dilemma remains and I am left wondering how I can get as much sun on my body, God knows it needs it, without putting our fellow travellers off of their grilled squid or indeed having the Spanish equivalent of air-sea rescue trying to rope me and drag me back down to the ocean, where all beached whales surely belong.

It is obviously time for another trip to Evans- the outsize store- as my Dad insists on calling it. And to think I once asked an Evans store assistance if they had a skirt in a size 12; not because I wanted to buy it but just because I could!! That’ll teach me!!!

Quote of the week:

P: Hey look at you, you’ve lost weight.
Me: Really, have I?
P: Absolutely. You only have 2 bellys now!!!!

Til next time
Julie

;0)

Gentlemen....we can rebuild her!!!

P: “Look at Mummy, Sun; she looks like the bionic woman!! You are too young to know about her but she was a bit like that man who ran this year’s marathon in slow motion!! That’s right, that’s what Mummy’s doing!!”

Call me old fashioned, but does that sound like encouragement to you? There I was jogging in the pouring rain feeling quite smug with myself as I had increased my running time to 3 minutes before I had to walk and then that comment hit me from my blind side, knocking me and my fragile confidence sideways.
Undeterred however and as if to show P and Sun what Mummy is really made of, I sprinted the last 100 metres up my street and to my front door. For more dramatic effect (and for the benefit of any neighbours who may have been watching), I doubled over, grasped my knees with my hands, put a grimace on my face, squinted my eyes and heaved my entire body in an effort to fill it to capacity with much needed oxygen.

P: “Well Done. You have shaved 2 minutes off your previous time. Carry on like that and this time next year you will be ready to actually run the race!!!!!!!!”

I however remain optimistic, even if I do run look like Im running in slow motion!!!!

At this point in the blog, I thought I would say something amusing about the state of my wet hair, but Rosemary has already commented on the same subject (see Hurdles Overcome) so in order to be original I am not going to mention it, suffice to say, it was plastered down with a middle parting and needed only a hair grip on either side to take me back to my greasy-haired, shy, spotty, childhood days!!!! Which leads me to conclude, that I shouldn’t bother with expensive face creams to take the years off…….a run in the rain is free and turns back the clock by 30 years!!!!

Adios Amigos

Julie

Run Forest Run!!!

Life is like a box of chocolates, apparently.
Fitness and weight loss wise, some chocolates are better for you than others. For example, one gets more exercise eating a chocolate toffee, with lots of jaw movement required and therefore more calorific consumption than I would eating a strawberry cream, which really requires nothing more than a swift tongue against the top of the mouth action to squash and swallow it in about 1 second flat (my opinion only, not scientifically evidenced!!).

And that dear reader is how I have come to view my training schedule in recent days.
With just 5 weeks to go until the big day, I have after consultation with a close marathon- running friend, come to the conclusion that if I am to have any chance of running this race, I really must up the ante. I must forget the pleasurable power walking, which is still exercise in its own right, and instead must chew on the idea of the more energy- consuming run.

Now I know that I could power-walk 5k without too much difficulty and apparently that is quite acceptable, but what sort of challenge would that be? Bizarrely I also feel that I owe it to my sponsors and more importantly to those I know, who live with, have survived or sadly have died from this disgusting disease, to actually make an effort in raising money for this campaign.

If you have had the chance to check out Rosemary’s or my sponsorship page, you will see that it is possible to name a person who you will be racing for and I am wondering why at this time I cannot bring myself to put my Dad’s name on the photo. It most certainly has nothing to do with indifference or lack of empathy or love for him but more like disbelief that he has been diagnosed with prostrate cancer. If I don’t name him on the site then I don’t have to think about it and don’t have to accept it. He has been told by his consultant, that chaps can live for years with prostrate cancer, but that's not much comfort. Any slight difference in his urinary habits has his mind racing and as he prepares for another trip to hospital to check on the little tumours progress, I can feel his anxiety as he fights to be brave and matter of fact about it; he doesn’t want to make a fuss as there are people much worse off than him.

Will I now, after writing this feel more inclined to add his name to my site? The jury is still out on that!

OK. Let’s lighten this up!

Power walking is sooooo last week!!!

I am now pushing on and have started running, or trying to run. I have engaged not 1 but 2 personal trainers to get me fit for the race; the first is my lovely partner (forthwith known as P), who in fact raced last year and raised lots of money in the process and the second trainer is my 2 year old son (forthwith to be known as Sun)[1]!!!

Yesterday saw our first running session. I ran (attempted to run) and P cycled by my side with Sun strapped into a bicycle seat on the back of the bike. P was in charge of clock-watching and both were in charge of dishing out encouragement.

Fully equipped with sports bra and crap trainers (see My Achilles Heel may well be my Achilles Heel), I strode ahead with a purposeful gait. Arms pumping by my side and striding out, I was more focussed than I have been throughout this entire training programme. Eventually however, I hit the “wall” and the pain was almost unbearable. I just couldn’t run through it.

Struggling for breath I muttered, barely audibly,
“How long was that?”
“Two minutes!!!” P replied

Obviously I couldn’t stop at that, so I walked for a minute and started running (attempting to run) again. Again I lengthened my stride and as instructed by P I engaged my core muscles and lifted my pelvic floor to give me more stability………apparently!!!!

Another 2 minutes, red in the face and with burning shins, I slowed to a fast walk only to hear Sun shouting “Again Mummy, again”

“OK Sun” I wheezed. And off I went again

And that is how we continued for a mile;
Me: run, walk, run, walk
P: giving me regular time checks
Sun: shouting encouragement in the form of “RUNNNNNNNNNNNN…….. MUMMY…….RUNNNNNNNNNNNN.”


When we arrived home, P took Sun to the in-laws, allegedly to give me a well earned break, so I could relax and have a lovely time on self-pamperation. (Own made-up word but I think it works!!)
The truth however was revealed today when I over-heard P telling Rosemary that her reason for taking Sun to the in-laws was that she could no longer bear to look at my bright red, sweating face!!

Love…..ain’t it grand!!!!

Til next time

Julie

[1] Sun: Used as a term of extreme affection by Annie Anderson towards her 3 gorgeous boys. Not sure if she has copyrighted the term, so referencing to be on safe side!!!

Hurdles overcome

Today see's the marking of several hurdles overcome- albeit fairly puny, but hurdles nonetheless. As I've mentioned, rain and me are not bedfellows and I really hate it in any shape or form, even the timid light rain in sunny climes. I also hate headaches (due to a childhood regularly peppered with migraines)

I did agree with Steve that if the weather was good this morning we would pop out on our bikes and do a loop of our adopted circuit. Dawn broke and it felt ok (ish) even though the weather forecast yesterday wasn't positive. Anyway we elected to go out whilst the weather was dry but the rain started to come down even before we'd clocked 0.37 of a mile.

Steve suggested that it was all part of my training and that it wouldn't hurt to do the ride in the rain in order to help me get used to it, because if it rains on the day I have no choice but to complete, which of course I agree with. I explained to Steve that he didn't get my concept of doing activities in the rain. I mentioned that I was only going to do this once in the rain and once only, so that was why it made sense to do that on the day because if it happened before it might make me lose motivation- needless to say that fell on deaf ears, and for those who know us well Steve uttered his usual comment to me which roughly translated means "shut up" (for those of you who know us well, this is a competition, email me your guess of what Steve said and I'll give the winner a prize!! competition ends Friday 18th May at noon).

Now the background information to this whole saga includes a couple of other details:

• I had only taken my blood presure reducing tablet 5 minutes before we set off
• Last night I enjoyed a few glassses of wine and a lovely meal out with friends
• Steve had decided to up the ante in terms of timing and speed ( but using traditional male levels of emotional intelligence had neglected to tell me)

As the rain came down, my hair got increasingly wet and stuck to my face, my blood presure raised and pumped around my head mostly, I began to feel wretched and sick (and not a little sorry for myself) I tried to coach myself into feeling ok and putting my slight discomfort into perspective, but tragically failed cycling home like a grumpy old goat. Arriving home I balanced my bike against the house and then tottered into the lounge and laid on the sofa listening to my pulse racing around my ears and feeling my skull crushing my brain. (what drama queen tendencies??)

However, and here is the science bit, after laying still for short while my blood pressure settled and I gradually felt fine, probably within 10 minutes. Now this is the first time that I have managed to recover that quickly from that sudden onslaught of a pounding headache, so I am seeing it as a triumph.

As for the wet hair and the subsequent hairstyle that shocked me when I looked in the mirror well that was a different matter entirely. I asked Steve why he hadn't told me that my hair was looking like Betty Boo and his answer was " well I didn't know how to form the right words in the right order to tell you"- how surprisingly emotionally intelligent! Another triumph indeed.

Thanks this weekend to some good friends Lyn and Karen. A card arrived in the post from them yesterday which made me laugh out loud. It featured a woman with contorted boobs who had obviously been out running without a sports bra- thanks for the warning and the laugh girls, much appreciated :-)

Have a good week everyone, wherever you are in your current challenges.

Rosemary

Fair weather buddies?

Those of you who know me, know that I don't do rain, so the recent change in the weather has seriously tested my commitment to the training schedule. However, I've been out there on my bike again to get the old ticker pumping and the calf muscles working hard. I've noticed that it's getting slightly easier to cover the distance so my fitness is improving and my attitude remains positive. The race is only 5 weeks on Sunday- the count down is on.

My current obsession is checking out the donations on my website:
http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/uberfast

and in order to be fair- Julie's:

http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/julielenderswain

This has been a new and interesting experience for me. At first I set my target at £150 which I thought would be a reasonable amount to hope for. However, as the emails went out the donations started to come in and very quickly my target was met. I incrementally increased it, trying to find a balance between still having something to aim for and being realistic about my expectations of those in my email address book.

It's weird how you have an internal set of expectations regarding who will sponsor you. If we're all honest we have a set of family, friends and acquaintances who we expect to come up trumps regardless- and the majority of them have- thank you, you know who you are. (hint: visit the site to see their messages). The question is- what about those who you have expectations of but they don't deliver? I know that we are seemingly constantly asked to dig deep and give and that can become annoying and some people need to wait until payday, but does a lack of sponsorship equate to a lack of support, friendship or interest?

Talking of fair weather buddies- spoke to Julie on the phone this evening regarding our next training session and we've set it for tommorrow when hopefully the sun will shine. We chatted for a while about our day's and a general catch up when she asked me why I sounded so happy. Perhaps it was because I'd spent the day with people who were doing things that were outside of their comfort zone and they did brilliantly. I didn't expect them to sponsor me, and they came up trumps!! Thanks ladies of WCC- you know who you are. (Jill, Debbie, Sharon, Carol, Tricia and Karen)

R

Reality cheque (payable to "Race for Life")

As you know, this blog is intended to record our experiences as we prepare for the Race for Life on the 17th June. My initial thoughts were that I'd be recording stuff about my aching feet, lungs fit to burst and so on. How I deeply wish that was the extent of it.

I know that everyone has moments in their life which are truly life changing and I'd give anything for the life changing moment that my friends Dave and Maria had last week to be different. You've probably guessed that the nightmare diagnosis of the big C has been made and Dave is about to undergo surgery to hopefully rid his body of the disease. The irony is that we spent some time with them just two weeks ago and no one knew anything about it, and we were chatting about the Race for Life and my attempts to complete it. So when I received a message yesterday telling me to jog a few more miles just for Dave this whole thing seemed crystal clear and way too close for comfort. Dave is now my inspiration to stop moaning about trivial matters and get on with this to help in some small way. This is for you Dave and Maria, with love.

Relatively good weekend training wise- bike ride Saturday, walk in Savernake Woods Sunday morning, walk home from the pub Sunday lunchtime, bike ride to Julie's Sunday afternoon, then WALKED home pushing my bike from Julie's Sunday evening due to a puncture (prime suspect for puncturing tyre- Julie)


Healthy positive love

RAA
XX

My Achilles heel may well be my achilles heel!!

Now, about 7 months ago, I had the pleasure of being civilly registered to my partner of 5 years, and as one does on this sort of (hopefully once in a lifetime) occasion, I celebrated well into the early hours and made sure that there was not one drop of wine left, in the many bottles that graced the tables during the reception. If I tell you that it took me 3 attempts to get out of the lovely rolled top bath we had in our hotel suite, once the partying had finished, you will get some idea of how much wine had been left in those bottles for me to guzzle. (For your info, I eventually got out of the bath with the assistance of my lovely and very recently betrothed, but not before I had flooded the bathroom and received 2 lovely bruises on the inside of my upper arms!!!)

The following morning, I couldn’t feel 3 of my toes on my right foot and to this day have no recollection of how I sustained such an injury. Over the next few days the feeling returned and then I realized how painful the top of my foot was. Incredibly (or stupidly some would say) I hobbled about on my poor foot for about 8 weeks, before, strangely, the pain started to move up my foot and to the back of my heel- which now clicks menacingly, when I walk down stairs!!!

Now you may think I am digressing from the important issue of our training progress, but a clicking Achilles is not the sort of thing a girl needs when she is in training for the marathon. (Ok, 5 k, but I tell you it feels like the marathon and will possibly take me as long to run it)

So, concerned for my well being and my sponsors hard earned cash, I took myself off to the physiotherapist at my local gym.

The long and short of it is this:

I am flat footed and excessively pronate!!!!! She is surprised my knees and hips don’t ache!!!!!

I need pronation insoles to realign my posture- cheaper on-line from Dr Foot!!!!!!

I had actually sustained a small stress fracture of my second metatarsal all those months ago, probably due to excessive dancing!!! (There is evidence to suggest that I was pogo-ing at one point!!!!) As a result I have shortened my Achilles tendon, which I now have to re-stretch!!

My new all singing and dancing pale blue running shoes with go-faster silver flashes (RRP £150. Outlet price £40) are crap!!!! They are nice looking trainers but really should only be worn with jeans!!!!

Would as a result of 4. like to name and shame the very successful sports company who have marketed my training shoes as runners but unsure of libel law, so will play it safe and will only name and shame to Rosemary, who was with me when I bought them and therefore it doesn’t really count.


The good news is that she can think of no good reason for me NOT to continue with my training. So I can’t even get out of it by feigning a dodgy Achilles tendon.

Well friends that’s it for today. I will of course be in touch soon to update you on my running progress……Achilles permitting!!

Yours gingerly,
Julie