Sixth 5k down, only four more to go!

Temp: 41 F or 5 C

Today's Weather: white cloud (according to BBC weather)

Today's Time: 27:47

This week marks the sixth 5k in my 10-Week Challenge and today's run was a mini challenge in itself.

I've had a bit of a cold that has left me feeling rather 'blah' overall this week and therefore not up to much exercising (I know, i'm a bit of a wuss!). Unfortunately this has meant that through the week when I would normally have done my training (yoga, spinning and at least one other run) I've decided to take it a bit easy in the hopes that the cold would just go away. I know some folks say that exercise helps you to get better. I applaud them for being able to power through their colds but I am a firm believer in the power of resting(long live the nap!).

My goal for today's run was simply to complete it without stopping and I've achieved that goal so I'm quite content. Phew. Is it time for a nap now?

On a running related note, a colleague of mine who has not run since school has mentioned that she has decided to run one of the 5K 'Race for Life' events happening this summer here in Newcastle. What a great way to raise money for Cancer Research UK and get herself moving at the same time. I'm very excited for her and who knows, she may even decide to join the growing group of her colleagues at the Park Run 5k one Saturday morning! *wink, wink*

This week I've finally received my first Runner's World Magazine, woo! It is definitely a good read and very inspiring. Although i'm not sure I will ever be a die-hard runner who travels the world marathon'ing, I think I will definitely be able to learn some techniques and tips to better my run. Plus it came with a sample of some sort of banana protein recovery shake which I have yet to try, but having this sachet of shake-to-be in the house makes me feel like a 'proper runner' for some reason. I haven't subscribed to the idea of needing fancy recovery drinks and refueling snacks yet, but I may be persuaded if it does the trick(and if it tastes yummy, ha!).

Today's

A Dog's Pace

Today's 5k officially marks the halfway point in my Born to Run 10-week Challenge for Save the Children, woohoo!

This morning the weather was cooperating with no rain and it was a nice pleasant running temp of 45 F(7 C). Many of the runners were even dressed in only their tiny shorts and t-shirts! The Moor was a bit muddy in places (that seems to be a permanent feature though) but overall it was definitely a good morning for a run.

Midway through the first k a cute little dachshund/beagle dog(short legged, low tummy, cute face) running with what I can assume was its owner, inched past me and I decided I wasn't going to lose track of this pair. Their pace would be my pace. If it was a greyhound then it would have been a different story, but in my mind I was thinking a cute but stumpy little dog is not going to beat me! This theory worked fine for a bit and I even passed them up very, very briefly, but they soon passed me right back and in the end, they beat me to the finish line. I can't complain about that fact since they helped me to keep my feet moving with a smile along the way(it was a super cute dog with such a sweet face!).

For my soundtrack this week, I went a bit overboard with Flux(what IS it about this song?!). I've had a bit of a computer meltdown at home so I had been without a computer or itunes for a couple of weeks(argh!). I have therefore been stuck with the same playlist, my '5k Vroom' playlist. This isn't too bad though since I think it works well for me and keeps me going at a decent pace overall but today for some reason I felt the need to play Flux three times in a row during the third & fourth K when I started to lose my 'oomph'. Luckily, for whatever reason, that song somehow magically brings my running mojo back from the deep dark depths of fatigue.Unfortunately it also confirms that I have yet to manage the art of actively reserving a bit of energy for the finish line push. Is there an art to this?

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the song in question (Mom, i'm talking to you!), go ahead and have a lil' listen to this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttcboE1GrNg

Perhaps when I start reading Runners World I'll learn some methods of planning better for runs and pacing, etc... I'm still eagerly awaiting the arrival of my first Runners World magazine(thanks for the subscription Mom & Dad!), and I'm really excited to read them so the postman better hurry up with it!

And the results are in for today's run with a time of : 26.53 a new Personal Best(yay!).

Chunky Rain & a Stitchette

Fourth week down and only 6 more to go, woo!

Woke up this morning at 7.15am, ate my oatcake, and heard the drizzle on the window. I was crossing my fingers that the rain would stop but also secretly hoping the heavens would open just to find out first hand if the super muddy downpour run is as satisfying as i imagine it would be. Fortunately, or unfortunately, I did not get my wish and this morning's run ended up being a combination of the following: rather chunky drizzle, semi-sleet, & not-quite-rain. The temperature was only 2 C (36 F) which is definitely a glove-wearing day but by the end of the run the gloves were off and the red face had arrived.

I did get what I am calling a mini-stitchette in my side roughly at the end of the 3rd k, but I breathed my way through it and luckily it didn't grow into a full blown stitch. I suspect this was due to the fact that I decided to latch on to the guy directly in front of me as my pacer (thank you whoever you are Mr '9th of Joon' t-shirt!) and even though I didn't finish directly behind him, he definitely helped me to keep a decent pace. All in all it was a cold but OK run this morning and i knocked 3 seconds off my personal best for a new PB of 27:33.

Someone asked me if I was a total beginner or not, and I thought i might clarify that fact in case anyone else was even slightly curious(or just to have something to write for today). I've been jogging on and off since high school but never as a regular routine. Also, I seemed to find myself injured often. I attempted to run the Great North Run half marathon a few years ago and ended up with an injury during my training which meant I walked the majority of the GNR. I always hoped that I would get back into running if I could do it without pain. So, I ended up joining a gym and for the last year have focussed on taking two spinning classes a week and slowly introduced running back into my activities and voila....it worked! So far, so good in the area of staying pain-free(crossing my fingers it stays that way!).

Lucy, one of the Community Events Fundraisers at Save the Children has been in touch with me and has been super supportive and also has given me all sorts of further ideas for fundraising. In case anyone wants to know more about Save the Children's Born to Run campaign (what this whole challenge is in aid of), or is keen to get running themselves you can check out the Born to Run Facebook Page which is a great place to get info and network with fellow runners, both beginners and non-beginners: http://www.facebook.com/savethechildrenborntorun

This week there will be an extra push to raise a few pounds for my challenge through encouraging my colleagues to eat silly amounts of extra calories in the form of home made goodies....muffins, muffins and more muffins (and perhaps some other goodies too!) will be on offer in my workplace to accompany the Monday morning cup o' coffee. Big' thank you's' to both Sylvia & Rebecca for offering to bake some tasty items with me!

And thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who has been so very supportive of my efforts, both with words of encouragement and through donations! It's very much appreciated!

A big thank you as well goes to Jon who has kindly let me take over his computer to write this :)

Stitchless worm avoidance

• Having trouble with PC this week, bear with me
• Soggy ground with puddles but no drizzle
• An oatcake (cracker) for breakfast
• Wore gloves this week, good thinking
• Avoiding the worms on path throughout the run
• New playlist was my savior - flux kicked in just when I needed it
• No stitch!!! (thanks to Dad and Jon for advice... breathing technique and greens)
• New PB of 27:36 woohoo!
• Post run re-fuel of sliced apple smothered with peanut butter (speaking of peanut butter... had delicious peanut butter ice cream at Marble Slab this week YUM YUM!)
• Will hopefully have PC sorted soon, argh!

Windy 5K with a cupcake mantra....

This morning's Park Run was a dry yet windy run. The crazy gale force winds from the previous night may have gone but the remaining gusts were just enough to make it a tough run on the flat course around the town moor. Luckily it was milder in temperature(45F/7C) compared to last weeks freezing temps, or so it seemed until your fingers decided not to move as rebellion against the "mild" temperature. Needless to say, it was a bad idea NOT to wear my gloves this week, but at least the rain held off!

My "keep going, don't stop now" tunage this week was brought to me by Linkin Park. There's nothing like a bit of rock(or is it heavy metal, or pop i never know?!) to keep ya going. Although I am now tempted to make myself a playlist with specific tunes at the more difficult parts of my run....i'm definitely finding there are certain stretches that are routinely tougher for me then the rest. Perhaps a bit of "oomph" from a particular tune at just the right moment will give me the push i need to keep it up nice and steady through out the whole run.

I find that the first and the third kilometer are the hardest for me. The first K is when i'm finding my stride, catching my breath, and coughing a bunch to loosen up the darn phlegm stuck in my throat (lovely!). After this stage I can settle into a nice pace and focus on my form (no fwacking allowed!) and weave politely around people to pass them.

I seem to then sail along at a nice pace only to get a stitch in my side midway through the third K which slows me down a bit as I breathe it out. I refuse to stop though, and during this I am also trying to muster up all my energy to keep my feet moving to my little pacing mantra of 1,2,3,4 .....(or this week's version: "Tas-ty, Cup-cake" to the same rhythm).

Then when the stitch finally passes(grrr!), which is usually midway through the fourth K, it's just a case of focussing on the finish line, wiping the snot from my drippy nose, and hoping that not too many people pass me in their own last minute push to the finish line. But good on 'em for keeping their pace and reserving a last bit of energy for the final push!

This has been the pattern for me twice now, so I think that I may need a proper little 5K plan.

Ok, just received my official time for this weeks Park Run which is: 28:23

This is not a personal best, but not everyone can have one every week. And I am very pleased with my time nonetheless especially since it was a darn difficult run for me this week(excuses, excuses).

What a great combo - cupcakes & running!

Oh, and did i mention that we headed straight over to town after the run this morning where our favorite little bakery gals had cupcakes available perfect for post-run refuelling? Yes, the Pet Lamb Patisserie ladies were at the 'Make & Mend Market' in Grainger market this morning and I sure bought my fill. Mmmmm....... hence the revised Tas-ty, Cup-cake mantra during my run today!

And last but not least, a great big thank you to everyone who has been so generous in donating to my challenge so far, it warms the cockles of my heart (whatever that means) that people are so giving, and I thank you!!

And special thanks to Mike Summers at Save the Children who donated to my challenge personally since apparently I'm the first person to officially take up their "Born to Run" Campaign with Park Run, how very exciting!

My Ten Week Challenge is a go, go, go!

The frost was still on the ground at 9am and the temperature hovered around zero degrees Celsius(32 F), but more than 200 runners turned up to give it their freezing cold best! Brrr!

Today marked the first of my ten weekly Saturday 5k Park Runs and boy oh boy was it a chilly start to the challenge.

I've decided to take on the challenge of running the free Saturday morning 5k Park Run for 10 weeks in a row rain or shine starting today in order to raise money for Save the Children. It's a very worthy cause and also gives me a clear goal to focus on, win-win.

I was fuelled along with tunes by Bloc Party on the ol' ipod this week (something about the song Flux just makes my feet keep goin') and I was determined not to slap my feet on the ground as I ran. I've only paid a little attention to my form previously, but lately I have been reminded, and now am very conscious of the fact, that good form whilst running is the ideal way not to get injured (along with a few key other elements like stretching properly and not overdoing it, of course).

So I was concentrating on keeping my feet in line and rolling along smoothly, rather than slapping down (you know that rhythmic *fwack, fwack* you hear occasionally when a runner passes by that makes you want to cringe with the discomfort you imagine they'll be feeling).

It was nice to have a clear focus during the run other than just focussing on finishing the full course which has been the main thought in my mind on previous runs.

I've just received confirmation of my official time which was: 27:44 and marks a new personal best, yippee!

So all in all, a good first 5k to begin this challenge of doing 10 in a row......roll on next Saturday!

My Just Giving page can be found here: http://www.justgiving.com/Melissastenweekchallenge

Snow, Ice and Brrrrrr!

I used to refer to Britain's weather as 'mild' and that I enjoyed the fact that I could wear the same sort of clothes all year round since it didn't get super cold or super hot. That's now been blown out of the water by this winter.

Wow.

It's been icey cold, temperatures in the negatives(celsius), plenty of snow floating down making picturesque landscapes and perfect for building snowmen with and snowballs causing disruptions at major sporting events(ok maybe that was technically in Europe, but still worth mentioning).

It's been lovely for those of us who enjoy snow and I am really enjoying this new found UK winter season. In fact, winter is my favorite season closely followed by fall. They are such atmospheric & cosy seasons with such unique landscapes.

However, I am not a fan of extreme winter weather conditions causing huge upset for people trying to get to work and dangerous driving conditions on the roads. Nor am I a fan of it causing huge delays to me getting back to my family for the holidays.

Ho-hum.

We really can't complain though as long as we're healthy, well and safe(as my mom pointed out) and there is no one to blame since it's a freak weather situation. Perhaps Mother Nature needs a little slap on the wrist?

There's no place like home for the holidays and all that..... Season's Greetings to all and to all a warm & cosy goodnight!

Making Some Pretzels

In honor of Germany, my World Cup Team from the pool at work, I decided to make some soft pretzels since I think they are pretty German for my purposes. But I made pretzel nubs rather than twisty ones since those take a heck of a lot more dough to make enough for an office to taste-test.

So here I am now, telling the tale of my pretzel making whilst listening to the best of Dolly Parton (it makes me giggle to sing along to it) and the tale begins....

Having mixed all the ingredients for the dough together, it was not rising quite as fast as I'd thought it would, it kind of just sat there doing nothing, until I put the bowl near the oven which was preheating. That kicked it up a notch with some rising finally(phew!) and I was able to divide the dough up and roll the individual pretzel nubs out.

The nubs then got boiled in a baking soda/water combo and didn't look very pretzel-like yet...


Then they get to drip dry before they are sprinkled with salt(or whatever other fun topping you choose) and then put into the super hot oven to finish their journey to pretzelhood.


So at this point, post-oven, they finally look like pretzels, albeit nubby ones!

Go Germany!

Snow!

We've been hit by an unexpectedly cold & snowy winter here in the UK and wow! The country is just not able to deal with it, they're running out of salt for spreading on the roads and most people have no clue how to drive in the snow/icy conditions since they never get any practice, so it's pretty dangerous on the roads.

Luckily, the public transport has been reasonably reliable (when the freezing temps aren't causing doors to get stuck & engines to not work) so overall, if you can get a bus/metro to where you want to be then it's been a-ok! And i think kids are loving the fact that the schools are closed and they get to go sledding & build snowmen & have snowball fights, it's great.

I've gotten out into the snow a bit myself and have had some nice walks among the white prettiness. I even built a little horizontal snowman(it wasn't the right kind of snow for packing into an upright one - so i improvised!) in my back yard. I am just loving this wintry weather! It finally feels like we've had an actual season here in England for once.

Ruti & Zoot

Well, when i get the urge to take photos often it's cuz Ruti & Zoot have been around for inspiration....and today was no exception.

I'm currently sitting at the computer post-edit randomly choosing music to listen to on iTunes while i upload the photos, and at the moment it's on some Herb Alpert....and I have to say that it's quite cheesy. I can't even remember why i decided i needed a bit o' Herb at some point in the past on iTunes, but apparently I felt the need and it's there for the long haul.

So, on that note.... imagine that you too are listening to trumpetty 70's lounge jazz (a la Senor Alpert!) and enjoy the cute kitties below...

new bed = new nap location

pre-pounce

Ruti, looking like an angel, awwwww.....

10k Done Without Rain!

So it didn't actually rain, phew! Although there were some random(and not announced on the weather webpage, grrr!) torrential downpours earlier in the evening, but by midnight the sky was dry and although it was pretty darn humid it was still good walking weather.

We made our way to the race grounds, giggling and asking for help from everyone along the way, having not actually planned our journey very well before hand. Ooops! But, we made it there in plenty of time, safe & sound, and had fun along the way. We bought some pink accessories and did our best to avoid the obnoxious emcee/MC(i dunno?) as we waited to begin the walk.

We were well fuelled(almost too full & slightly tired, eeek!) by some tasty wagamama's gnosh from beforehand and ready to walk our lil hearts out! The crowd was a happy, peppy, pink crowd of around 1000 people and it was a strange experience mainly because we just walked along normal sidewalks in pairs and small groups, trickling along the route, and no one was very loud, even though it was an event with around 1000 participants.

And since it was midnight on a Saturday night i'm sure many a drunken geordie was slightly confused as to why our fluffy pink-ness was floating along past them.

All in all, it's something i'm very glad i did and had such a great time doing! And with everyones generousity i raised more than my target which is fantastic!!

So thank you!!!!
:)

Time For Some Ruti Portraits

Yet again, one of my favorite models and I had a photoshoot, hehe

Ruti happened to be lounging on the counter in the sun and so i ran to get my camera, of course. She was just rolling around, enjoying the counter top sun longer position, as she does, and i really wanted to try to capture that care-free look in her furry face, but i don't think i managed that exactly. I guess it was one of those "you just had to be there" moments......and at the risk of becoming a crazy cat lady i'll shut up now.

:)

Bubble Bath Self Portraits

I guess when you title something "Bubble Bath Self-portraits" you risk the assumption of it being slightly risque in the content, but really it's totally rated G as you can see. I just decided to risk water damage to my camera all in the name of capturing a self-portrait or two that i had envisioned each & every time I'd taken a bath in the last few months. It's funny really, each time i took a bubble bath i kept imagining which angle i'd snap from and how close up i'd make the shot and how it may or may not turn out...... so i decided to take the risk and bring my camera into the bathroom with me the other day finally. Yay! No damp cameras and a few good shots(in my humble opinion) which i've tweaked a bit and voila..... here they be!

And now if the grocery delivery dude would just arrive, life would be complete......or at least I'd be well fed, hehe


:)

Walking at Midnight Rain or Shine!!

On July 4th at midnight, rain or shine, I will be partaking in the St Oswald's Hospice Midnight 10k Walk! I'm so excited and looking forward to this unique event. It'll be a nice change to have the scorching sun already down(we should be so lucky to actually have bright sun in England, ha!) and be walking around the streets with the other participants in the middle of the night.

I've been training with Amanda(my fellow midnight-walker) on the weekends for a good few weeks now. We go for long walks along the coast or quayside(and chat about movies while we walk!) and we are both feeling pretty ready for the big event. We've been doing between 6k-13k each weekend and have gotten pretty good at it (put one foot in front of the other & be sure to bring snacks!).

We may not have a big cheering section on the night(everyone we know will be asleep?!) but we will just make up for it with attitude and have huge grins on our faces I'm sure!

You can check out St Oswalds Hospice's webpage to see what it is that this fantastic local charity does, and if you feel so inclined you can sponsor me using my Just Giving Page below:

http://www.justgiving.com/melissawalksatmidnight

Hello Zoot!

I am back to being sporadic with my posts, oops! Here's a post to fill the gap...

This image just screamed "Hello there Zoot!" to me, he's so funny.

He just couldn't keep his nose away from the lens and wanted to see what i was so interested in(cuz i was staring through the lens i suppose) so of course, he investigates the situation. Next would come his characteristic head-butting of my face! Ha!

Anyway, i love when i am actually able to capture a moment, mid-movement, or just a sweet expression and i think this is one of those times, even if i do say so myself. I haven't quite managed to figure out my camera more than just the "auto" function so far, but hey-ho i'll get there eventually.

Now i'm off to go make a vat of spaghetti sauce..... yum!

The Sweet Side of Seoul

Bean paste filled sweet & pretty rice cakes

Who knew that Baskin Robbins had such fantastic icecream cakes?

These were the celebratory "pup"cakes (Welcome Tiki!!) we found at the food court in Hyundai Dept Store in the Coex Mall on our way to see the temple across the road from the mall.

One of many afternoon treats we tried... funny how the lady who sold it to me gave me two spoons, perhaps I was meant to share it? Nahhhh!

The fish shaped red bean paste filled sweet snacks that we read about before we arrived. Of course we just had to hunt some down and try it! They turned out to be someone's absolute favorite Korean snack.

A waffle sundae topped with green tea icecream and bananas - obviously it's to share..... or is it?

So overall, there was a lot of eating while in Seoul, and I mean a ton of it. We wanted to try everything & anything suggested to us by our wonderful hosts who had the inside scoop on the "best of's." I must admit however, that we didn't end up trying the infamous dog soup, there just wasn't enough time or hunger for that one I guess, but overall, we tasted so many delicious treats & meals during our trip. Lucky for me that a good chunk of them were sweet!

I admit that I have a pretty wicked sweet tooth, and I was peasantly surprised with certain things like the abundance of green tea icecream everywhere, but I was also a tiny bit let down by the lack of "oomph" in certain sweet things. I guess different cultures have different preferences for tastes which is an interesting fact to discover while on your travels. I did appreciate the nicely decorated soft & sticky bean paste filled rice "cakes", but they just weren't sweet enough for me. But they really did look the part and if i was given a plateful of them as a gift i would be very thankful.

To sum up....my tastebuds were very pleased with Seoul's sweet side!

Seoul Vacationing....

I've been away on vacation to Seoul, South Korea to visit my sister and it was fantastic! I am a bit cross-eyed and fuzzy headed today though from the combination of jet-lag and beginning the organization of my trip photos. But above is a teaser to give a "taste" of what's to come..... hehe..... lots of food photos and lots of amazing sights to be shown(once i've finished organizing & editting them). But only a few highlights to write up & show on the blog, the rest will be on Flickr eventually. So yeah.....Seoul is an awesome place to visit even if it wasn't on my Top 10 list of places to go. I highly recommend it!

Groceries arrive safe & sound...

Playing with scenic shots directly into the sun - sometimes they work really well in my opinion.

Don't know what she thought would happen - these birds wanted more food! Ha!



So, online grocery shopping gets a thumbs up from me! It went to plan, the dude arrived within the timeslot, he had a few substitutions which was fine & dandy, didn't have to pay any more for them. I got my stuff(which will last a loooong time), and I didn't break my back or pocketbook to do so.

But i did learn something, which was my own fault, but i know for next time not to choose the cheapest option automatically. I used one of those sites that help to point out if there is a cheaper option for something that you have put on your grocery list, and i had chosen a pre-packed bag of sweet potatoes(bear with me, there is a point to this!) which was like £1.70 for 1 Kg of small sweet potatoes(ie:one per meal), and this webpage helpfully pointed out that if i requested the sweet potatoes as loose veg instead i'd save .68p a Kg, or something like that. So, ever the penny-pincher, thinking i was getting a bargain i said, "yes please! Loose potatoes work for me!" and the punch line.....instead of getting a bag of about 8 individual meal-size sweet potatoes, i got 2 gianormous potatoes together weighing 1Kg! Ooops. They still taste great, but i have to eat LOTS of potato, ha!

But if that's my only complaint, well i think i'm on to something - online grocery buying is goodstuff!!

The fun new experiences continue...

Zoot, napping in the sun
Close-up of Zoot, just woken up from his nap

Extreme close-up of Ruti, just staring

Ruti, staring head-on.


Ok, not very exciting new experiences really, but still sparkly new nonetheless!

I ordered my first ever online groceries to be delivered later this week - and for whatever reason i'm really worried that they'll decide to switch all my choices to the extra high priced alternatives and i'll be forced to grin and say thank you Mr Food Delivery Man/Woman. Inside i'd secretly be screaming "Where's my generic baked beans, i don't like Heinz beans!?" So besides that, all is well and my supplies will be brought to my door all for the low low delivery fee of £3.50, the taxi ride home from the grocery store after a big shop would cost more than that, so i'm pretty pleased! :)

I've realised that i have been neglecting one of my favorite hobbies lately due to studies & work. I hadn't played with my camera in a long time. But there are only so many hours in a day, and i plan on making more time in future, but i did get a few great shots of Zoot & Ruti over the weekend and the light was awesome, so here they are(above).

Been a while yet again...

Well, it's been a while since i last posted anything, but things happen in life as everyone knows and you get busy and aren't able to do the huge list of things you want to do. But i'm posting this little message just to say that i'm still around and planning to post in future, just not at the moment - ha!

So yeah, my message for today is: "Yay for mobile broadband dongles and yay for free facebook access & skype calls on your cell phone!"

Whooopeeeee!