Month: October 2013

Happy Samhain!

Happy Samhain!

by TartanJogger ♥ 4 Comments
Source: http://scottishanduniversal.newsprints.co.uk/order/26058698/egp_len_181013zombies_06_jpg
Source: http://scottishanduniversal.newsprints.co.uk/order/26058698/egp_len_181013zombies_06_jpg

Happy Samhain, or Hallowe’en!

I hope you’ve all had a fun day 😀

I’ve been to a seminar, and on my way home, I treated myself with a trip to Costa. I had spotted a new, festive drink on their Facebook page that I fancied trying, and so I rolled up to the drive thru, and as I opened my mouth to order I could not remember what it was called! I ended up asking for ‘one of those new apple-y things’ 😮 Fortunately, the  barista knew what I meant!

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It’s called an Apple Spice, BTW, and it was delish.

In other news, @TheWelshWookie and I found out that our photo is in the local Dunbartonshire newspaper this week, The Lennox Herald.

That was a little Hallowe’en shock for us 😉 It’s of the Zombie Night Run, pictured at the top of the post.

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We’re stocked up, ready for any kids who come guising tonight 😉

Wednesday Wisdom

Wednesday Wisdom

by TartanJogger ♥ 2 Comments
Source: http://www.fitsugar.com/Motivational-Fitness-Quotes-21383537?slide=4
Source: http://www.fitsugar.com/Motivational-Fitness-Quotes-21383537?slide=4
Tuesday’s To-Do List

Tuesday’s To-Do List

by TartanJogger ♥ 14 Comments

Tonight, I’m not running. I’m having a rest day.

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Instead, I have several other things on the go:

1. I have a new copy of Women’s Running to enjoy!

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2. I have some Christmas cross stitch projects that I’ve only just started: I’m running late with these 😮

3. I have Steven King’s Doctor Sleep to finish reading.

4. I have Spanish revision to do.

I took a beginner’s Spanish class in the spring, and I recently received notification that they are running a ‘post-beginners’ class. Naturally, I signed up! It is conducted by video conference, so I travel to Argyll College in Lochgilphead where I am linked in with students from Campbeltown, Oban, Dunoon and Rothesay. It’s an interesting way to learn! So, this evening I’m dusting off my notes from the beginner’s course, and practicing my basic pronunciation.

Any help or tips on learning the lingo are appreciated! 😉

Testing the Treadmill

Testing the Treadmill

by TartanJogger ♥ 4 Comments

Tonight, I gave my treadmill a wee road test (pardon the pun!)

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I was late home from work; the clocks have changed meaning it was pitch dark outside, and the rain was pounding. Perfect treadmill testing time!

I ran for 20 minutes, just to give it a go, and get a feel for it. The machine was really steady and sturdy; it felt better than some gym treadmills I’ve tried. I set my Nike SportWatch to register my shoe sensor instead of the GPS, and away I went!

I was running reasonably fast (for me) but only registered at running around 10-11 minutes per mile. So, I increased the speed. I probably should have increased the incline instead- but I’ll try that out next time.

All in all, I enjoyed the novelty of it: being able to watch TV as I ran was fun, but in the long term I’m pretty sure that it won’t replace outdoor running for me 😉

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Today’s Stats:

Run: 20 minutes

Distance: 2.1 miles

Trainers: LunarRacers

Weather: wet and windy, hence the treadmill run!

Today’s Life Lesson: the day after helping lift a treadmill is not the day for wearing a skirt- bruised shins is not a good look!

Has your running week gotten off to a good start?

New Toy!

New Toy!

by TartanJogger ♥ 23 Comments

Would you like to see my new toy?

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OK, so it’s new-to-me, rather than new, but it is a decent, solid, heavy duty electric treadmill.  I figured that it would be better to buy a second hand one like this, rather than a new one that wasn’t up to much.

I love it!

This purchase isn’t designed to replace my outdoor runs: far from it. I only want to use it to enhance my existing running: maybe for speed training, and for days when the weather is really bad, now that we’re heading towards winter Me and ice don’t get on well at all: @TheWelshWookie calls me Bambi on icy days, as I struggle to walk if there’s even a hint of ice, let alone run on it!

Big thanks to @TheWelshWookie, as he did most of the work lifting this from the seller’s second floor flat, into the car (which I accidentally scratched 😦 ) into our house and upstairs to the spare bedroom.

It’s now in situ, and @TheWelshWookie has big plans to get the TV wall mounted on the wall in front of it, and setting it all up with the surround sound he has in the room; just to help encourage us to use it. Sounds like a plan to me!

I’ll get some pics up once we’re organised!

Any treadmill owners out there? When do you use yours?

Yum!

Yum!

by TartanJogger ♥ 10 Comments

Last night, as I was making dinner, I realised that it has been a looooong time since I last did a food related post.

And then I realised that I hadn’t really taken many foodie pictures recently. Hmmm. I’ll need to rectify that!

Last night, I had a gorgeous stir fry with zero noodles and honey smoked salmon flakes. It was delicious!

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And during a recent visit to the cafe, I had chilli nachos. The portion was massive, but that was not a problem for me 😉

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The only other foodie pics I have to share are of a recent pit stop at Subway, where I had a steak ‘n’ cheese on seven grain oat bread. It tasted better than it looked:

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And of some pigs ‘n’ blanket crisps. They lasted all of five minutes!

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I’ll try to remember to do some better foodie posts, promise!

Autumn Running

Autumn Running

by TartanJogger ♥ 23 Comments

So, the weather is definitely changing: sunshine and occasional showers has given way to winds, rain and much cooler temperatures. It is most definitely autumn!

Running at this time of the year is a real joy, as there is so much colour everywhere. And who isn’t tempted to kick piles of leaves, and crunch on dried leaves as you run?

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Isn’t this just gorgeous?

Speaking of gorgeous, I’ve turned on the TV to find Tarbert and Kintyre on BBC2 😀

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03fh1n6

Enjoy!

Addicted!

Addicted!

by TartanJogger ♥ 18 Comments

No, not to running, I’m afraid.

I’m confessing my addiction to Breaking Bad! 😉

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My boring life is on hold as I watch episode after episode, and I now have only three episodes left to watch 😮

Not bad, since I only started watching a couple of weeks ago! I’ve been viewing all campervans with suspicion ever since 😉

So, no running. But to be honest my legs are enjoying the break after three races in 14 days. My next race is 16 days away.

But I’ve not caught up on any other TV shows: Strictly Come Dancing, or Under the Dome, or Biggest Loser, or Downton Abbey, or even Pointless!

Tonight, I’ll get my life back, just in time for a busy weekend 😉

What Would You Do?

What Would You Do?

by TartanJogger ♥ 15 Comments

It’s a wild, wet and windy Wednesday. So what do you do?

Do you:

1. Man up, and go for a run: get blown around the harbour, soaked to the bone, but feel smug and thaw out when you get home.

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2. Do some indoor exercise: strength training. Yoga. Fitness DVD.

3. Do those stretches you know are good for you, but you neglect. Foam roll.

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4. Sit on the sofa and watch TV, listening to the rain battering on the window.

Can you guess which I did tonight?

Do You Do Fancy Dress?

Do You Do Fancy Dress?

by TartanJogger ♥ 15 Comments

Do you?

Of course, I’m pretty sure that most serious runners do not do fancy dress when pushing for PBs or wins. But, do you ever run in fancy dress, either for fun running or to raise money for charity?

The reason I ask is because I’ve done two runs in fancy dress this year.

The Color Run UK back in July:

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And at the Zombie Night Run on Saturday:

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And I’ll admit that neither of these were timed runs. Nor did I run fast (or rather fast for me) in either of these runs.

When I run more seriously, I don’t wear fancy dress. Usually this is because I am pushing myself a little more, and trying to run as best as I can.

Our next race is the Mo-Run in November, and right now I’m planning to run it semi-dressed up: maybe digging my lime green wig out, and donning a mustachioed t shirt 😉

What do you think about running in fancy dress? Yay or nay?

If you think ‘yay’ do you do any training runs in costume?