The long and winding (and usually uphill) road

Just when I think I'm getting a tiny bit ahead, I come down to earth with a bump and realise I have a long loooong way to go. Tried out the Sport Relief 3 mile training plan 'Week 1' this morning. Hard, but not impossible. Until I got to the end, exhausted, and it said ' 2 minutes high knee jogging on the spot'. Are you kidding? 30 seconds and I was done. And talking of coming down to earth with a bump, I managed to slip in the snow and fall down the steps to our house today, adding a few bruises to my gym battered body. Hot bath and hot chocolate on the sofa has restored some of my dignity but I can't imagine a planet on which I could up the ante and run for 25 minutes in the morning. Beam me up Scottie.

Beating the 20 minute barrier

Not sure that my 22 minutes from last week really counts - had a bash this evening on the treadmill and felt decidedly sick! I did find it helped last week to hide the timer on the treadmill and focus on my playlist instead, so I'll be back on it tomorrow and having a crack at the Sport Relief training plan, not that I have exactly outgrown my current plan but a change is as good as a rest (I wish).

On the bright side, I am now the proud owner of 1 pair of clingy short shorts, 1 red vest and 1 long sleeve red top so at least I'll look the part. Tempted to wear something comical but can't think what - well, nothing that will make me look glam - also thought I must get my photo taken post-run while holding up a sign to thank Mr Maheson, hip surgeon extraordinaire and saviour of the crumbling hip brigade. Not bad really that I can (try to) run 3 miles when I couldn't last a decent day's shopping 3 short years ago - not only am I superwoman, I'm bionic too. Off to rest my bionic bones now, its 10pm and past my bedtime!

And then I bounced right back

Day of rest on Sunday, massive roast dinner, pork pies and chocolate orange cake for tea, fixed me right up. Back on it Monday with a 20 minute run, wasn't even fazed (well not tooooo much) by the Sport Relief 4 week training plan which landed in my inbox today, in brief its about 4 times the effort of my current training plan, gulp.

Watching the winter Olympics this week, that combined with the lovely husbands tales of derring doo on the slopes of Lake Louise mean I have been snowboarding in my head, so had to buy a jolly nice new jacket which I don't exactly need but since when did that ever matter to a girl with a credit card... Bargain buy anyway, even if I couldn't afford it - one must have rewards for all this getting fit effort, don't you think?

Over the Hill

Well I did the full 20 minutes yesterday so was feeling quite chuffed with myself but today I'm feeling over the hill, and not in the I-just-conquered-a-mountain-and-now-I'm-freewheeling kind of way. Exercise this morning: fighting vicious brambles in a sorry looking corner of the garden which has gone to pot. Exercise this afternoon - swimming in Abergavenny pool, which is kind of ok but why oh why cant they keep the changing room floors clean? Eeuw. Yep, I've definately got the grumps today.

Ups and Downs

16 and a half minutes on the treadmill! I was aiming for 20 when one of the old(ish, with bald spot and straggly ponytail) maintenance chaps comes into the gym in his usual uniform, screwdriver and mobile phone in hand - so I assumed he had come in to fix something. He gets on the cross trainer so I thought maybe its broke and he's going to fix it. Several minutes later he was still going strong - a sneaky workout in his Mr Fixit rounds? Whatever - I had totally lost concentration so gave up. But still, I was pretty chuffed that I could do a whole quarter of an hour twice in one week. Until a bloke on our team showed me his 6 mile lunchtime run route map...

This evening I have been working on a rough draft of the Nova Scotia bike ride route map which is about half way done, and showed my trainer / mentor /chief mechanic /much better half - he thinks I am underestimating my abilities and could do a fair bit further each day. Really? Day after day? For 850k? I'm not sure. But am delighted by his faith in me :o) So this will be the 'worst case' / 'better safe than sorry' version, to keep up my confidence while I work on my stamina. Then I might reconsider.

What to wear...?

In my mind I look like this. I feel more like this.................

I was having a 'what to wear' dilemma earlier, on account of the Sport Relief Mile. I want to wear stretchy shorts and a vest top but thought perhaps a baggy tshirt and sweat pants would be more appropriate. Then I thought oh what the hell, no-one cares what I look like except me, so guess what I bought on e-bay :o)

Weeeell... maybe just a little bit

FIFTEEN MINUTES NON-STOP ON THE TREADMILL! For me, that's 50% longer than I ever ran before on a treadmill, and I was tired but not completely beat, so decided to quit while I was ahead. AND it was after work rather than my usual early morning, on account of the car headlamps conking out this morning. Thank the lord my lovely husband is back from his snowboarding escapade (did I mention I am green with envy..?) and fixed them up for me, so avoiding garage stress and expense. He's a star. Sunrise 7.30something this morning so soon it will be light enough to get back on the bike to work routine - spring and daffodils just around the corner, happy days.

Most definately NOT born to run

Cardiff Bay - freezing cold, foggy, raining - 7.15am. Me and my (younger, fitter, tougher) friend, jogging 2.2 miles over the barrage and back. By the time I limped into the changing rooms back at our office, I felt sick, my face looked like a tomato and all I wanted in the world was to lie down right there on the floor and pass out. My face was still an attactive shade of puce half an hour later when I sank gratefully into a dishevelled heap at my desk and pretended to do something that looked vaguely like work. Is running really as good as everyone makes out..? I keep thinking if I stick at it I will eventually hit some kind of zone and get a kick out of it - the idea appeals greatly, but so far it just ain't living up to my expectations.

Good thing is, by comparison, riding my bike seems like a piece of cake, so as soon as this 3 mile thing in March is out of the way I'm back on two wheels - even those hills are surely easier with a bit of pedal power. In the meantime - nice warm gym tomorrow morning - lovely.

Who knew Tenerife was so pretty?

Forget the shameful horror of Brits on tour in Playa - what a delight to discover El Medano, the wind/kite surfing capital of Tenerife, flanked by beautiful mountains and dramatic rocky hillsides hiding perfect little beach coves... gorgeous. And I didnt feel too guilty for the platefuls of Tapas, mojo sauce and Canarian potatoes we put away (never mind bottles of red wine and Dorada beer) as we were pretty energetic on bikes and on foot. No running, but I kept up a reasonable pace behind my nimble friend as we scrambled over rocks, followed the local goatherd up his mountain, swam in the sea and cycled down the coast.

Back to the grind now - trying not to succumb to post holiday blues, all the harder as its my lovley husband's turn now, snowboarding in Banff, the lucky dog. Early morning run tomorrow before work, then back on the training programme and only a few weeks until the Sport Relief 3 mile run - gulp.