aquaphobia

Yesterday we did our usual Monday tough guy training (although running was bit painful on the old ankles after the hike on Sunday!). The climax of yesterdays training was a 50m swim in the Serpentine, a stretch of water in Hyde Park which the lads all took in their stride but which I bottled out of. For as long as I can remember I have always been a bit anxious in water, although am normally am ok in a swimming pool. Yesterday however, I was not prepared to go in the water.

So, all in all was not very tough girl of me so next time I think will at least give it a go!

ridgeway: goring to princes risborogh

This weekend I had the rare experience of not spending it stuck in front of the computer at work! So my b/f and I went on a little hike through the country side on the Ridgeway National Trail. Just getting to Goring was not the easiest thing in the world as we had to get up at the crazy hour of 5:30am, then ended up taking a replacement bus to Southall so we could get to Reading and finally a train to Goring.

So off we went in the usual grey murk that often accompanies British mornings, starting at 9am, heading north, and mostly along the Thames for the first 2hrs. After that we went Eastish for the rest of the day. By the time it was 12 the sun was out and all the autumn colours could be seen, v.pretty! Also around this time we started to think about lunch, however I didn't fully appreciate how fussy we both were in terms of fining a nice spot to eat and so was another 1.5 hrs before we found a nice field with the sun on our backs, green grass, autumn trees and birds of prey to watch. It seems that the Red Kite has made a great come back in the area, fantastic to watch so graceful.

At that point we had gone half way (20ish km) so then was the second half. This half was not as interesting as there were very long stretches along bridleways that always seemed to look the same! Felt for a while like I was in the twilight zone… Still we made it in the end to Princes Risborogh a full trip of 42km in about 8hrs.

Then there was the task of finding somewhere to eat. What a strange town, every pub we went to didn't serve food on Sundays! Eventually we found one but it felt like we had to hike another 10km to get there! After a Guinness everything was feeling much better :) Then we did a little jog back to the station in time to catch the train back to London and a nice hot shower!

Was a great day out!

tough guy circuits

You remember how I was saying in a previous blog entry about entering Tough Guy? Well, training has commenced! Twice a week the Tough Guy's and I make our way into Hyde Park, no matter what the weather, to roll in mud, brave the rain, strain those muscles all in the name of Tough Guy. It is hoped that after all of this the actual event will not be as bad… however this may just be wishful thinking! Here is the motley bunch that turned up for the first ever training session… Too much smiling obviously not working hard enough!

morning hills

This morning I managed to crawl out of bed (no small feat) at 6 to go for a jog. Around where I live it is impossible to avoid the hills, but it was really great! No pain in my knee, the quite of the morning, sweet smells, and birds singing! Plus now I can feel smug all day for getting up early and for running :)

the story goes on...

So much has happened since the last time I put a post up. I went for my holiday hiking in the Alps with my boyfriend and one of his mates. It was great till the end of the first full day hiking when my knee injury kicked in and I was forced to come home.

This prompted me for the long over due visit to a specialist who has told me to start training and if it gives more trouble come back.

So then there has been alot of work going on for my thesis, I now have a firm submission date, so the pressure is really on now.

I also have had to miss the Ultramarathon I had entered since my injury has practically stopped me from all running. But I did have a lovely few days working in Chamonix, beats my office any day!

I know I've been a slacker keeping up this page, must try harder!

pure genius

Do you ever stumble across a website and think "wow, I always needed you but never knew till it I found you!" followed by wet slurping sounds (optional). Well that's exactly how I felt when I discovered:

http://papercdcase.com/

I mean, how cool is that? No more expensive paper CD cases, fast and easy to customise, and you can do it all for free on this lovely, beautiful website.

Ahhhhh, am having a moment…

injured

I am properly injured... Again... Earlier this year I pulled my achillies tendon and have slowly managed to get it back on track. My latest injury is worse as I have no idea what is causing it!

It only hurts during or after running. It feels like a kind of sharpe cramp at the back of my knee and it really hurts. As soon as I slow and walk it goes away. Then after running I get some cramps too... This is not good for ultra running at all!

I think I have to stop running totally for the next two weeks and just do things like spinning and aerobics... Bummer