Cleanin’, Eatin’, Readin’

Cleanin’, Eatin’, Readin’

That just about sums up my Saturday!

@TheWelshWookie and I got stuck in to domestic duties this morning, with a spring clean of the living room and bathroom. I’m pleased to report that I have sparking surfaces, and TheWookie managed, at long last, to rid the carpet of the large wax stain caused by a slight candle meltdown incident a while back 😉

We were finished in time to enjoy some lunch before the beginning of the Six Nations rugby. I had some vegetable biryani: delish!

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As I’m sure you can tell by his twitter handle, @TheWelshWookie feels rather strongly about Welsh rugby 😉 So, while he was glued to the TV, I half watched, and spent the afternoon catching up on the past couple of month’s Women’s Running and Women’s Health magazines. I had already had a quick scan through these, but it’s lovely to have time to sit, mug of tea in hand, and really read them.

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I also had a slice of my grandma’s Jock’s Loaf:

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It is amazing!

There’s a couple of interesting articles in them, I thought I’d share:

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Tonight, we’re having some lovely salmon for dinner, and perhaps a glass of vino. Well, a girl’s got to fortify herself to finish the spring cleaning: tomorrow, it’s the turn of the bedrooms 😉

When was the last time you had some quiet reading time? What did you read?

Tuesday’s To-Do List

Tuesday’s To-Do List

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! 😉

Monday Motivation

Monday Motivation

I don’t know where it has come from, but I had one of those runs today: a great run! 😀

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@TheWelshWookie and I headed out tonight, and I’ll admit that my head wasn’t really in it. But I got my trainers on, and headed out the door. Despite still having a cold, I managed to run with only two stops. Once at mile two to use a tissue (I can’t run and blow my nose at the same time- too much co-ordination required!) and once to take a picture of this wee guy:

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@TheWelshWookie told me it’s a slow worm. It isn’t slow, and it isn’t a worm. Every day’s a school day! 😉

Tonight, I’ve been thinking about potential runs for next year, as we only have one half marathon booked so far for 2014: the RnR Madrid. So far, I think I might sign up for a Spartan Sprint, and maybe a Tough Mudder. We’ll see how my trail run and zombie night run go first, though!

Meanwhile, I’ll content myself with reading my mag, that arrived today:

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Today’s Stats:

Run: 5 miles, slow but with negative splits 🙂

Time: 53:25

Trainers: Lunar Racers. These felt great!

Weather: cloudy, but surprisingly warm

I listened to a pod cast again, instead of music today!

Today’s Life Lesson: never argue with an idiot. People watching can’t tell the difference.

Have you booked any runs for 2014 yet?

It’s Nice to Have Time Off :)

It’s Nice to Have Time Off :)

As I say, in today’s post title, it’s nice to have some time off (so much so, I’m saying it twice!). I finished work at lunchtime today, and I’m off until Monday. I guess that makes today my Friday, then?

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Today’s stats:

Run: No running for me today, as it’s taper time, I’m working on stretching, so I’ll do some yoga and some NTC stretching later.

Time: 30 mins walk, 30 mins yoga, 15 mins stretching

One yoga track I plan to listen to today:  Wonderful Life, Black. Very chill.

So, like the rest of the UK, we’ve had a thunder shower this morning, but only one, fortunately!

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This was the view from my office window today, as the rain started to pour down! 😦 It’s still very warm outside, and by the time I arrived home at around 12.30, the rain had stopped 🙂

@TheWelshWookie and I have been for a walk this afternoon, along the harbour and down to the ferry terminal. Of course, we had to pop into the cafe for coffee and cake!

I’ve had a lovely, lazy afternoon, reading this month’s copy of Women’s Running magazine, which arrived yesterday:

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There’s an interesting article in it about stretching, particularly in warm ups, and whether they are beneficial, or potentially problematic:

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For me, it depends on the length of the run. If it’s a shortie, I’ll really just do a warm-up jog. If it’s a longer run, I’ll start with a set of dynamic stretches: knee highs, butt kicks, and a short warm-up jog. I’ll usually finish my run with a walk home, followed by Kara Goucher’s running stretches from NTC. This seems to work well for me, and I’ve been fortunate in staying injury free (here’s hoping this continues!).

Today’s life lesson: It’s usually sensible to wear a jacket when rain showers are forecast…..

What’s your view of stretching, before or after a run?