Splish Splosh

Above: photos of my parents grandfather clock - it's a great clock & very photogenic! (taken with my new camera)

So, at 2.30AM this morning i was awakened by a form of Chinese Water Torture occuring from the flat above.... drip... drip ... drip .... DRIP! Pretty frustrating stuff to wake up to water streaming from the flat above in the middle of the night knowing that the older lady upstairs isn't really capable of answering the door herself, so you can't really go bang on the door (and who the hell answers their door when someone bangs on it at 2.30AM anyway?)

So i covered the floor in towels and moved the furniture out of the way as best i could....I couldn't really do much else but wait until I was able to get in touch with my partner (who was working nightshift), who then could get in touch with his contact for upstairs(the son of the lady) who could then look into it & figure out what was going on.

Long story short, at 6.30am the dude came over to investigate where the leak was coming from and apparently found a soggy carpet next to the kitchen sink upstairs, so it appears as though she is able-bodied enough to turn the sink on and then let it overflow. Perhaps she felt the urge to wash some dishes at 2am, but then decided to go back to bed instead, or better yet... maybe she sleep-walked to the kitchen sink and turned it on without even realizing she was doing so! Oooh! Who knows?!

Regardless of why it happened, it did stop streaming down the walls/ceiling around 7/8am, but who's to say it won't happen again? That's the scary part. When you live in a flat like this, or any shared building really, your neighbors have a HUGE effect on your home & surroundings. You may each own your own flat but if the upstairs person causes damage to the downstairs flat it's the downstairs person's insurance premiums that go up when they have to claim for the damage, it's the downstairs person who has to practically beg the upstairs person to fix things that drip over a long period of time through your ceiling but aren't urgent, and it's the downstairs person who will have to find a new flat when the older woman upstairs, who probably needs a bit more help than her family will admit, forgets to turn the stove off and causes a small fire from burning her soup, or worse. I genuinely hope she is not THAT bad in our case, or at least that they realize it darn quick if she is needing to be in an assisted living situation. Let's hope her son is right and that this is a one-off situation!

There really doesn't seem to be a way to "force" flat-owners to sort their stuff out, it's beyond frustrating as I'm seeing first-hand with my partner who owns the flat we live in. If everyone just took care of their own space and made sure not to infringe on others in a negative way, or, if heaven forbid you did cause some damage to your neighbors flat you'd be darn quick to fix it, and make sure it was fixed properly i might add, and then apologise profusely and maybe give them some candy or wine as part of the apology, that'd be nice!

Personally, I'd be seriously embarrassed if i caused my neighbor (who was a nice pleasant neighbor compared to the hoodlums you could have) any inconvenience due to my flat causing them any damage, and I'd be darn near horrified if i had a repeat problem that consistently caused damage that I seemed unable to fix(that'd be mainly because i would DEFINITELY be trying my hardest to sort it out), so all in all..... what is going on upstairs???? On behalf of my partner i say a big loud frustrated AAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!!

And now it has come to the end of my rambling rant on the splishy-sploshy situation that occured this AM.

The End.

(Definition of these flats = one flat upstairs and one flat below, but looks like a stereotypical "house" from the outside, except it has 2 front doors instead of 1)

A Snowy X-mas & Flickr

Christmas has come & gone and all that's left are remnants of chocolate selection boxes(only the flavors that people don't like) and lots of photos which help keep the memories fresh in our mind.

Above are a couple of photos from our x-mas visit to Chicago.....don't forget to get a snap with the gorilla statue when at Brookfield Zoo, my Grandma having her favorite shake while on a drive with us, and 3 generations in one photo on X-mas!

I've recently opened up a Flickr account which i'm excited and confused by.....it's a whole new world in Flickr! But i'm excited to be able to explore other peoples photos and also to see what they think of mine. Because you see, after thoroughly enjoying my digital photography course last year, i decided I wanted to explore further. So my main X-mas/bday present from my folks this year was the next step up in digital cameras.....a DSLR of my very own to play with and discover my inner photographer with and i'm lovin it!

Check out my stuff on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/melissaschueler/

A belated Happy Healthy New Year to you all!!

A little bit of snow & a weekend away

So today there has been a little snow(about 2 cm), and yesterday there was a little snow(maybe 1 cm), and both days the snow was gone by about noon, oh well. I know it causes all sorts of problems for people with driving and slipping, but i do like a good snowfall! I haven't been sledding in years. I would just love the opportunity to get a sled out and get out there, altho i may have to wait until i visit home. Either way, if i get to have some snowy fun i don't mind!

I've been busy in the many weeks since i've blogged. I've been to Amsterdam for a weekend and took the opportunity to put some of my newly learnt digital photography skills (another thing i've been kept busy with, an online photography course) into practice.

Here are some of the results with explanatory blurbs.

A beautiful building in Amsterdam which i've given the "aging" process to(sepia, grainy & with a border), i'm proud of the overall aged effect.

Playing with colors and black&white - another Amsterdam building, they've got such great architecture!

A swan in the park. I was so happy to catch this moment when all the ripples appeared, it looked like the swan was having a scratch behind its ear or something. I made it b&w to really show up the ripples.

The same swan pre-scratching, looking all handsome and elegant. I made this one b&w with a slight tint. I really think b&w images have an extra "something" to them that makes them stand out more.

Bikes. There are many, many bikes in Amsterdam. I tried my best to capture that in this photo.

The canals, anyone & everyone who visits Amsterdam gets a photo of the canals!


In gourmet circles, the frites of Amsterdam are known as being superbly exquisite. Served in a swathe of paper with a dallop of mayo plopped on top they are the epitome of a fry experience.......ok, i'm lying but they are damn good, and don't i just WISH the servings were THIS big - woooo!!

So yeah, there ya have it.....a short photographic journey through my Amsterdam weekend.

Now i'm off to find some fries
:)

The Great North Run 2008

Wow.

All I can say is that I'm in awe of people who have been doing the GNR for years now, how come I never knew how much fun it was?

I just have random thoughts to jot down that capture some of the amazing stuff that the GNR entails, it's really hard to put it into a coherent blog entry since i just want to spew all the stuff i saw and experienced onto the page, but here are some amazing points:

• the crowds of people cheering on the participants

• the 52,000 participants who go all out to raise money for their chosen charities(there were more charity t-shirts than not)

• the bands playing along the route every mile or so to motivate everyone along the way(the music REALLY helps to keep you going, as i'm sure you all know)

• the random on-lookers passing out handy-wipes & orange slices to people passing them by

• the St. Johns Ambulance crew members wearing blue plastic gloves smothered in vaseline for runners to swipe and get some much needed chaffage relief(who knew?!?!)

• the 80-something dude playing spoons(apparently he tried out for X-Factor?!) who beat us even AFTER he stopped a few hundred times along the way for his fans

• the 3 people dressed up as telly-tubbies carrying donation buckets

• a plethora of tutu & fairy wing wearing men & women

• the crazy-long queues for nasty non-toilet paper having port-a-loos

• the sneaky(or not so sneaky) people shimmying off the main route to have a wee in the bushes to keep down their race time

• the two guys carrying a (bigger than you expect)replica of the Tyne Bridge between them and running the whole 13.1 miles

• people running in full military gear, including boots and carrying their packs on their backs(can i just say: Ugh!!!!!)

• the kids looking on in amazement as a shark runs past them "hey, cool! it's a shark" was heard many many times

• the wave of momentum when you hear your name(written on your chest for all to see) called out by random on-lookers cheering you on and telling you that you've done great so far(i loved that!)

• Enjoying the overall experience with a special shark by your side helping to motivate you along the way by drip-feeding you jelly babies

I did manage to jog a little bit of it and i was pleased with that, especially since i didn't expect to be able to jog much at all due to injury which made it impossible for me to train properly, etc(see previous entries), but the majority of it was walked and we still finished in 3 hours and 21 minutes! I was very careful and listened to my body when it yelled at me to stop, altho it's still yelling a bit now when i attempt the stairs, altho much less loudly, ha! :)



So all in all, what an amazing feeling to have completed the race and collected my t-shirt and medal at the finish line.

I am pretty proud of myself and so far the tally is close to £850 with a few more donations to collect yet, so wow, i am constantly amazed with everyones generousity - THANK YOU for helping me to raise so much money for such a worthy cause close to our hearts!!!!!

Nervousness sets in....

The race is in 4 days and boy am I nervous!!

Next week at this time I will be able to say proudly that I have participated in the world's largest half-marathon and raised a chunk of change for a very worthy charity by doing so....Yay!

I'm sure if my cats could speak they would be telling everyone(not that they see many people in their day, but you know what i mean) that i have been waking up in the middle of the night from having silly dreams, bordering on silly nightmares, about forgetting to start the race, about getting lost in the sea of people (52,000 participants!!! And that's not including their on-lookers and other assorted hangers-on - Eeeek!), and last but not least... about it raining on my camera for 13.1 miles - this is England ya know! I wouldn't mind getting drenched myself, in fact i used to quite enjoy a nice jog in the rain, there was just something very satisfying about it. I will just be VERY upset if my camera went kaplooey and I lost all the photographic evidence from the day.

Anyway... thinking positively, and avoiding my cats judgements about my nervousness, I am going to eat a hearty but healthy carbo-filled dinner on Saturday and get a good nights rest (I'm crossing my fingers for no nightmarey-dreams!) and have myself a great Great North Run experience! And then i'll tell YOU all about it!

But maybe you'll be watching it yourself on the BBC or maybe catch snippets of it on the websites....here's one of the regional BBC sites that may have some coverage on the day:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/tyne/great_north_run/

:)

There be sharks in them there waters...

Well, there just might be a shark plodding along next to me during the Great North Run scaring all the runners and getting the theme tune from Jaws sung at him all along the way, altho it has NOT been confirmed just yet.....but someone very close to the source has verified that a shark suit has been purchased, and that is the first step in the process of having a shark plodding along next to me during the Great North Run.....so, watch this space......

one week and counting.......

Da-dum.........da-dum..........da-dum, da-dum, da-dum
(Jaws theme in case it wasn't clear *wink, wink*)

Race Day Approaches....

As race day approaches (it's only a few short, cold weeks away) i'm starting to have weird dreams about forgetting to show up on race day, and forgetting to line-up to start the race, and all sorts of disturbing dream ideas making me feel like i'm somehow not prepared.

It could be some lingering "let down" feelings since i can't run the race this year due to injury, but as everyone keeps saying to me......it's the participating that counts. Well, yeah in general it is the participating that counts, however it really sucks that i finally decided to attempt a big goal and due to weakness of body i can't do as well as i had hoped i could, and it had seemed like i would be able to do it had i been able to continue on my training path..... so that's me feeling sorry for myself, BUT on the flipside...... through the experience of having an injury i've realized that i was training wrong and that i needed to add in more cross-training, which i did. Through this need for other exercise i found that i really enjoy yoga, so that is definitely a positive thing to come from this negative stuff. So i'm very happy to have found another sport/exercise that i enjoy which is half the battle because if you don't enjoy exercise you just won't do it!

So, the next few weeks will be full of gym sessions which include mainly stationery cycling, some swimming, some yoga, I might attempt the new pilates class that is starting in 2 weeks to see what it's like, and some fierce power walking! Ok, not the super-wiggly kind that someone told me exists in the olympics(would have liked to see that!), but fierce by my standards.

I have been told by the physio that i can slowly(very very beginners stage) start jogging again, but that if my hip starts aching it may mean that i am not meant to be a runner. Grrrr! That's a let down. So i'm worried that if i try to start jogging again now(which would mean i'd only be up to running about 10 mins by race day) it will be too tempting to overdue things on race day, so i'm focussing on the walking aspect and will go with the walkers flow on race day. I will re-start my running in October, but having this huge race looming in front of me is rather scary when you are worried that even walking too briskly can make your injury flare up! Stupid hip!

So this years GNR will be the year that I participate, but not the year that I run it.

A bit deflated & let down about it, but my plan was always to be a long-term runner, not ONLY for race day.

I forgot to say....

I totally forgot to say how great a certain someone did on his Sprint Triathalon in London a couple weekends ago!! Yay! Big Congrats!!!!

He completed it right on schedule(his own proposed schedule) at around 1hr 40min and altho he looked pretty pooped at the end he still had a very calm & collected air about him for having completed a 750m swim in the nasty green watered Thames, a 20km bike ride in the RAIN and 5km run in the RAIN too!

So, now he's decided to do the olympic distance next year - yikes! Which is double the Sprint.......some people just love punishing themselves in the name of sport! Ha!

And now for an update....

It’s been a few weeks now, and I’ve been doing my special little exercises & stretches to strengthen the weakness in my hip area. No jogging, but I’ve been allowed to swim, bike & do some yoga. I’ve visited the Physio a second time in this timeframe, and was told that my efforts were paying off, but still no running was allowed which was upsetting. She did give me further exercises, which strangely seem like I’m not doing much(all these mini leg lifts from various angles) but apparently they DO help in the grand scheme of things?!

I’ve got another follow-up Physio appointment later this month, but even if I am magically allowed to start jogging again from that point on, there isn’t enough time to train properly for the GNR(the recommended minimum time is 10 weeks of training for a half-marathon)

So I’ve come to the disheartening conclusion that I will not be running very much of the Great North Run after all. I may be able to jog a little bit by then and walk a lot in between. On the day of the event, the whole overall atmosphere will be fun to be a part of even if I can’t run it. I will probably find that I have to restrain myself during the event for fear of a super-woman-I-can-run-this-even-though-I-haven’t-trained complex on the day from all the excitement & encouragement.

In conclusion….even though I’m a bit deflated about my inability to train, I still plan to complete it however I can, and I may even have a walk/jog buddy to accompany me on the 13 miles…..and *he* may be wearing PINK too…..watch this space! Hehehe!

*wink,wink*

Physio suggests....

Well, after my 15 minutes of excitement, there's some not so exciting news. I have been to the physio who has told me to stop running completely until i strengthen up my weak and wussy inner pelvic muscles thingies. So i may well be walking the Great North Run - poop!

She didn't give me the muscle names, so not sure exactly what is wrong except that i'm weak in my core muscle area, but i could have told her that without doing the tests! So my pelvic muscles/tummy muscles are the bad guys, and they're not keeping the hips held in place the correct way, so i have hip droppage and wiggle/rocking(but not in the sexy Marilyn Monroe way either!) which cause a repetitive strain thingy, ok.....something like that. I'm not a physio so excuse me for my lack of knowledge, and now i do these little, but quite difficult, exercises for 2 weeks and then go back and see whatever it is we see.

I'm feeling a bit down to be honest, but what can i do? Really, all i can do is get myself strong however she tells me to and do the GNR however i am able to do it, and hope that in the long run i will be an able-bodied runner. I think it's really the fact that i ENJOY running that is so upsetting, i'd love to get my shoes on and get out there and run like the wind, or even like a spring breeze, if i could. Plus this is one of the first times in my life that i have a big goal and feel like i actually CAN achieve it, and in the little steps along the way i've been super pleased with my progress, so i was well on my way to success.......and then BAM! Grrrrrrrr!

But thank you to my special people who have all been nothing but supportive in this whiney and painful trek to figuring out what the heck is going on with my hip/knee, it's nice to have people with positivity oooozing outta their pores surrounding me! So thank you!!!

Jog Attempt - yet again, but yay!

Well, long story short, i went jogging today for 15 minutes painfree!!

Wooooooooo! :)

Not sure if it's just cuz the length of the run was short? Or if the cross-training efforts on my part are actually helping? Or if the phase of the moon coupled with some other hokey-pokey-ness is somehow affecting my ability to jog? Whatever the reason, all i can say is a big loud YAY!

Ok, so 15 minutes ain't gonna get me around the half marathon in October, but considering i thought i may not get to run ever again due to pain/injury issues i'm pretty pleased. It's a little step towards my greater goal. And i definately want to cross the finish line of the Great North Run, but i also want to ensure i have a future of running beyond race day. I like running! So it's all an effort to get back to the bigger picture of becoming a runner(not an injured wanna-be runner).

Plus in line with that theory, i have a physio appointment this week, so hopefully that will help to focus on what i need to be doing to strengthen up or whatever it is that they tell you after their assessment. I'm still going to keep up my cross-training which is fun(loving the yoga!) and obviously a healthy choice no matter what the reason for it.

Anyhoooooo....... i'm off to do my weekend chores now, and also to bask in the glow of my happiness from my little 15 minutes this morning :)

Jog attempt - update

Ok, that didn't go so well. The jog went pretty badly, my knee and hip both hurt and it made me a bit depressed/upset as you can imagine.

I went to the Doctor today to tell him my knee wasn't better (even tho it had been fine for a while and was ok with the gentle stuff) and asked what i can do. So i've got a physiotherapist Appointment later this month for my hip, which is the original problem, and we'll see what they say.

This is just depressing. Why do our bodies not do what we want them to do? Just run legs, stay strong knee, be painfree hip!

Grrrrr!

Hrmph!

Declutteration (Part II)

Hmm..... declutteration, is that even a word? I say so!

So i've spent a good chunk of this morning doing some more de-cluttering, and wow! It is freeing to have less stuff! Granted what i'm getting rid of isn't making too much of a dent in my overall "stuff" count, but i feel better for it. It's the stuff i won't miss, don't need, and shouldn't keep anyway. So out with that stuff!! (makes room for new stuff, haha!)

I've even read a book this past week which i found during last weeks clear-out. It was just a fluffy chick-lit book - ya know one of those books about a girl who shops too much and then falls in love with prince charming who magically asks her out and they live happily ever after....i'm not even kidding that's exctly what happened! Ha! But it was cute, and i enjoyed having a book i couldn't wait to read each day, i like that!

I've also unearthed a whole box of picture frames, in varying sizes, shapes, etc....some unused candles and a collection of scarves i forgot i had! This is all from the original move way back last year when i shoved things in boxes never to be seen again.....until now! It's kinda like Christmas, except i get to decide what i want and don't want, and some things get hoyed out and some get kept, and some get USED even, wow fancy that?! Ha!

Yep, a good clear out is good for the soul.

Speaking of all around "good" things.......i've been keeping up on my gentle training this week. I've been to yoga(still loving it and i was even told i was stretchy - yay me!), been to the gym twice and am about to go for my official first jog/run of the training. My knee feels super(i haven't "noticed" it for over a week now) and i've borrowed a sport knee brace thanks to my pal Lynsey, so i'm going to give it a go! Once i've turned off the computer, i'll be heading outside for my run!!

Wish me luck and i'll report back when i'm thru....

...to be continued.

De-cluttering

It's Saturday, and i've filled my day with going to the gym and doing a good chunk o' spring cleaning(in summer - although to be fair you'd NEVER guess it was summer!).

Ugh!

One full garbage bag and a rather big "to give away pile" later and it still doesn't feel tidy. I'm going through a de-cluttering phase. It is a cleansing event i go through maybe twice a year, and it not only helps to de-clutter my surroundings, but also my brain too. I'm feeling bogged down by "stuff", toooooo much STUFF! So, i'm being pretty ruthless and getting rid of stuff i've collected just for the sake of collecting.

Why do i have the full set of Good Food magazines from 2004, 2005, 2006 AND 2007 - which i've never opened again since i got them?! Why do i insist on keeping books that i hated the first time i read them, and will NEVER read again, just for the sake of filling my bookshelf(which is tiny at the moment anyway due to downsizing, so i don't really NEED to fill it). And why on earth do i insist on keeping clothes that are 4 sizes to small that i fit into for about 7 months back in 1997.....what am i thinking???? There is NO chance that i'm going to be that size again - even if i dieted for months on end and exercised like a crazy person i'd still be bigger than those clothes it just wasn't natural.....i think it was my "i'm young and not going to eat much and i keep really busy and wow i don't gain weight" phase, which ain't going to come around again, (thank god cuz i like my food!!). So i've gotten rid of all the above mentioned hordings, yet i suspect there is much more that i could rid myself of.....but it will have to wait cuz i'm pooped now.

After ranting above about de-cluttering I'm surprised i have energy to talk about the gym, ha! I did go this morning for the first time in ages and it felt good. It wasn't very crowded which is nice - i hate it when it's crowded! Everyone is probably taking advantage of the Semi-summery weather and doing their exercising outside, where as i now have to do the opposite after taking too much advantage of the nice weather by running outdoors all the time instead of being smart and alternating what i did.....hence the gym visit.

So all in all, this week i managed to do 3 sessions and they were all classed as "gentle". Yoga, Swimming and the Gym(stationary bike & crosstrainer). Three gentle-ish ways to get my knee back into the swing of things and not be aggravated......and if this works to plan then maybe next weekend i will throw in a wee lil jog!!

Oooh, one can dream.... ha!

Updates...

Hedgehog update:

It is with heavy heart I update you on the cute, but injured, little hedgehog….. he did not make it – his injuries were far worse then they seemed and he was peacefully put to sleep for his own good by the vet. I had a tear in my eye when I heard that, but then I thought about how it could have been had we not brought him in and I felt comforted. I’d like to think that what we chose to do for him, by taking him to the vet, helped to end what could have been a painful and unpleasant last few moments in his little spikey life. I’m comforted in knowing the little hedgehog passed away peacefully in a warm & safe environment that was free from loud dangerous traffic and other obstacles which would only make his last moments on earth difficult & scary, rather then peaceful. So I hope he now is where ever it is that little hedgehogs dream of going when they leave this world.


Training Update:

It has been a frustrating week, my knee has been twinging up a storm which means I haven’t been able to do much exercise for fear of making it worse. Grrr! It was acting up even just walking around the office, so that wasn’t very promising. I had attempted to go for a lite jog mid-week last week but that was unpleasant and ended pretty quickly.

It’s feeling much better this week so far…..and my plan is to ease back into things. On the list for this week is: a yoga class, swimming and a stretching class, plus the cross training machine and stationary bike at the gym – how much gentler can I get?? Hopefully I’ll enjoy these activities but also get myself active again, heading towards the ability to do a nice jog in a couple of weeks, assuming the knee behaves itself.

I hate feeling like I’m “losing” my ability to run……. After all that hard work it’d be a shame to have to start from scratch when I have my goal looming only a few months away!


ps.....as i post this(i wrote it yesterday pre-yoga) i have actually already attended the yoga class which was great! Wow, it's bizarre how such a seemingly gentle activity can really push your limits....yes it's only the first time i tried it, but sheesh! Tough stuff! Yet, strangely fun!?!

My muscles were like: "Oh my....what are you doing...oooh...yeah.....wait, we like that.....more of that relaxing stuff...goood, good.... and a little more stretching of that please.....hmmm..... yes this is nice...... good stuff lady!"

Hedgehoggy cuteness

So, the BF & I saved(we hope!) a hedgehog last night. We were walking along a busy road and on the sidewalk of this road we found a substantially sized(about softball sized when curled up) hedgehog limping along as if he’d been hit by a passer-by or something. His leg was poking out in a strange angle but there was no blood or open wounds that we could see.

There was a bush right by him, which could have been safe for him if he had managed to get into it and stay there, but he had rolled down a little hilly bit(more like a glorified speed bump – but like Mt Kilamanjaro to him with his little injured leg!) onto the sidewalk and didn’t seem able to get himself into safety, which made us think he’d just be a target for vicious creatures or just die there, terrified and trembling, trying to get up the hill away from traffic.

So we made the decision to take him to my BF’s house and call a 24-hour vet. We put him in a cosy cardboard box with a soft towel and while my BF made arrangements for us to drop him off at the vets, I just watched the hedgehog be cute.

He kept smacking his lips like he was trying to taste something or was thirsty. I felt bad and wished I knew what to do to comfort him - what do hedgehogs need in order to be comforted? Then he wandered, half hobbled, into the corner of the box and kinda managed to curl up. He was super cute even if he was hurt! We took him to the vet by car, and the poor little guy jumped at every noise – he obviously was quite traumatised, if nothing else.

When the vet saw him(not sure if it even was a him, but I seem to have nominated that as his sex), she picked him upside down and he curled up like hedgehogs do, which was good - she said he had good reflexes and that was a good sign. She also said he had a MASSIVE tick on him – gross! He is a wild critter though, so of course they get ticks, lice, fleas and all sorts of fun creepy-crawlies on them, yuck!

According to the vet, the next step would be to sedate the little critter to find out just how badly hurt he was or wasn’t, and they’d know more once they’d had a look. We left him there knowing he was in very good, kind hands, and hoping he’d make a full recovery! So we’ll phone back today to ask how he/she is and hopefully it’ll be good news.

Thumbs up to 24-hour vets who take in wild critters in need!!!

My first 10k COMPLETE!!!

Ok, after a week with a painful knee worrying that i might not get to participate in my first ever race....... we did it!!! My friend Emma(in orange) and I completed the Great Women's 10k Run this morning! It was fantastic!

The weather was nice, breezy & even had sunny patches. Our route was along the coast just outside of Sunderland and there was even a bit of the run on the sand(hard packed sand - HA! Can i just say "Ouch" sand is NO FUN to run on!) and a part of the race was along the pier.

All in all, it was a rather picturesque route and was a pleasant run aside from the painful twinges every now and then in my darn knee. I wore my brace thingy on it and that seemed to firm it up and allowed me to run the majority of the race. Altho i did have to stop twice cuz my knee hurt too much at certain points of the race.

So unfortunately, i didn't complete the race without stopping as i had originally hoped to do, but the fact that I got to complete the race at all made me happy!!

So it's been a great Sunday and it's Father's Day too, so Happy Dad's Day to my dad who has been a runner for as long as i can remember, so it's a nice day for me to complete my first race.
:)


ps... I had a brilliant cheerleading section which helped to keep me motivated (even tho i kept telling him to "go away" when he was taking the hideous photographic evidence - Ha!) So...a huge THANK YOU to the bestest cheerleader/photographer around!!!

Summer, oh my gosh?!

Well, could it be that summer has arrived, if only briefly, up here in Newcastle? Hmmm..... it's 66F and sunny and there's a light breeze and i turned a lovely shade of beet red when i went running this AM - that's a sure sign that it's summer!

I went for a run in my "race clothes" today, i tested out my outfit which i plan to wear next Sunday for the 10k practice run i'm doing. I was very proud of myself, i wore the new sleeveless running top i bought, and I even felt ok about it, ha!

Most people don't mind showing off their upper arms. Wearing sleeveless shirts is no big deal to them, but me, well....i have issues with certain items of clothing(like ones that show off lots of skin or are too snug, that kind of thing). But of course i want to be nice & comfy for race day so i decided to have a go at wearing a sleeveless running top.

It's not so bad! My armpits get to breathe, and my headphone wire didn't get all tangled up in my sleeves, so overall the sleeveless running top gets a thumbs up! I may even get a wee bit of a tan from showing more skin - but don't worry mom i use sunscreen so i probably WON'T get that tan after all - altho i do have a light farmers tan already......... must have been the days i forget to lather up, ooops!

June is here

So June is here, the month of my practice 10k race(looking forward to it!!), the month that you expect the weather to feel summery(ha!) and hopefully the month where i get my first race medal & t-shirt for completing my first race successfully!

And just to clarify, i am running the BUPA Great Womans Race 10k on Father's Day, but not for charity, i'm using it as a practice to get me used to running in an organized race(I've never done one before) and it's a nice halfway distance to what i need to aim for with my traininf for the race in October which i am running for charity, the big monster BUPA Great North Run.

So, after running a nice comfy women-only 3000 participant race in June, the HUGE, co-ed half marathon in October will be a bit scary, but hopefully i'll be much more prepared for it due to this practice run.

That's all from me for now!
:)

May Totals

Since it is 1st of June it is now time to total up my May runs(it's very exciting!!!) and here are the totals:

• Total Minutes Run in May: 505
• Hours: almost 8 1/2
• Estimated Miles(based on an 11 min mile): almost 46

and i'm sure learning a lot about Excel spreadsheets while keeping track of this, it's fun!! I actually wish my job used equations in spreadsheets more - what can i say, i'm a bit of a nerd and proud of it!!

:)