Sunny Saturday morning

This morning started bright and early with the Edinburgh Parkrun. Rhona had decided to come and join me. We met Tracey and her friend Fiona and had a good laugh at the start line. There were loads of people there.

We took some nice pictures of each other at the start and then waited for the off. 

We got started and Rhona was doing really well. We got to about 2K and I noticed Rhona's shoelace was out. I told her and she bent down to tie it. Once she had tied her shoelace we started running again. She looked like she wanted to just plug into her ipod and get running at her own pace so I asked her if I should just let her get on with it. "Yes" she said. However, the mummy in me got the better of me and I had to stop and see how she was doing. I ran back to her because she looked like she was struggling a bit. She was. She said she felt a bit funny and didn't think she could finish. "How about we walk a bit?" I asked. Stroppy teenager reared her head and snapped at me :( so when she said she was going back I said I would run on and then catch up with her at the end. Better option all round! Well, then I just got all worried and because I was half way there all I could really do was keep running to get back quickly. Still managed to pull off 32 mins despite about 5 minutes dithering in the middle, I was actually feeling really good. Eventually got back to Rhona and she said she still felt a bit faint. She wasn't faking it poor wee soul. We got back to the car and reassured her that it didn't matter that she didn't finish - we all have dodgy runs from time to time doesn't mean the next one will be bad. 

Her 5K is in 3 weeks time, plenty of time to get over today. Anyway, we are doing a race for life on our holidays - no racing just lots of fun - lots of walking if necessary.

I felt really bad for her, cos I know what it feels like when you have felt really bad running and can't finish what you start. But still chalk it up as an experience.

Now, settle down, le Tour de France begins.........................................

allez, allez, allez.........

don't worry, be happy :)

Summer running and Pablo the pool bouy

My day started with a bit of toil time from work and a wonderful summer run. The sun was shining     and the fields were full of summer wild flowers. Their were two beautiful shire horses (yes really in Penicuik) being fed by the farmer. Pure bliss! Finished my four miles and then headed into work.

After work Alistair and I decided to go for a swim. Alistair was going to try and give me a swimming lesson! After nearly 2 years of not swimming he is back in the water and looks like he has not had a break at all! Anyway, back to my lesson. After a few lengths to get warmed up Alistair got a hold of a pool bouy for me. It was a child's one (pool didn't have anything else - note to self take Alistair's next time). Tracey has formed a special relationship with her Pedro - this may well be Pedro's wee cousin. I love him. Well, we started with me gliding under the water as far as I could to get used to it. Then Alistair said I should try doing four strokes and then take a breath. Gliding was fine but by the time I came up for a breath I was gasping. I was just not breathing out at all. So, after a considerable amount of time gasping, I told Alistair that my main problem was I didn't really know what to do whilst I was under the water. So he told me that I should be breathing out ready for my next breath. This sounds sooooo easy but when you have never been told how to and have asthma which you are convinced is going to kick off, it isn't. Once Alistair worked out what my problem was he told me to purse my lips and blow out. Yippee, finally a break through, I managed to push, glide and then blow out until I was ready to come up. NOT OUT OF BREATH!!! ( this is the break though part). My plan now is to keep doing this at the end of my swim session to get used to the breathing out part and then I will give the next bit a go.

Feel quite good about myself tonight :)

don't worry, be happy :)

Running after Rhona

Rhona said that she would like to go for a run when we were through at Granny's today. We are both running the Race for Life in Truro on our holidays and Rhona, despite a slow build up to her training (you are meant to taper down Rhona not up!) she has now got her training under way.

The last time I went out with Rhona she was quite slow, her pace was a little erratic, however full of enthusiasm. So off I set thinking I was out for a nice wee jog along the coastal path in St Monans. Despite all the rain, it was actually quite nice and sunny, if a bit windy. The path was quite wet and muddy but we skipped off down the path. My first mistake was to stop and take photos whilst Rhona continued to run along the path! She passed me as I was trying to get my phone back into my pocket and skipped away off along the path. Suddenly I realised that I was going to have to run some to catch up to her. Wait a minute, she used to run slowly, where has this speed come from???? I was quite out of breath by the time I caught up with her and she still kept on going. This was not the run I had been expecting, it was a very hard work out! The wind was behind us and eventually I pulled up alongside her and commented on how she had gotten fast all of a sudden and that I was very impressed with the way she was running. We finally got to the far end of the path at Pittenweem, about 1 1/2 miles from St Monans. Stopped to look at the view and discuss how windy it actually was. Rhona is really good company when she escapes the ties of teenager life and just gives herself to life! We had a bit of a laugh taking photos of each other in a howling gale and then decided we really should head back.

We then turned and headed back down the path, finally she slowed down and I was able to keep up. It was really windy and her small frame was struggling to push into the strong wind. Still she kept up a fairly decent pace and we ran together for a while until we made it back to St Monans. After a short break at the Saltpans we headed back to Granny's. On the way back Rhona could not resist having a wee shot on the new swing on the way back. She did say though that it was really hard work and her stomach muscles were hurting trying to make it work. Could this be a new fitness craze?? Magic fun I would imagine :)

As a last burst we had a sprint finish back to Granny's gate. I will admit to the fact that Rhona did beat me but only by about an inch! Quite happy that as an auld 42 year old I can still keep up with a young fresh legged 13 year old!

As I said not the training session I was expecting but bloomin' marvellous. I am very proud of how fit my wee fetchie is and can't wait to take part in the 5K with her. We are going to go down to Parkrun next weekend as a practice for the Race for Life.

Lovely. fun run with my daughter. Thanks Rhona.

don't worry, be happy :)

Thunder, lightening, stitches and devil dugs

After a manic morning mainly spent sitting in a traffic jam on the by-pass (Royal Highland Show) I came home and had my lunch. After about an hour I decided to go out for my run. There had been a good rousing thunderstorm and the bouncing rain had stopped so it seemed like the right time to go out.

And to begin with all was well. About a mile into my run I started to have a stitch which got worse and worse, probably didn't leave enough time after my lunch. But I am hardcore (ha ha) so I just ran through the pain. And then I noticed I was absolutely roasting, it had suddenly gotten really warm and the big black clouds rolled in. The thunder started again. However, I was out for five miles so five miles I was going to run. As I turned into the park there was a huge Rottweiller mauling a piece of wood in the park so I turned, not wanting to be it's next toy, and ran along a different path. This sent me off in a different direction from my normal route and I ended up running along a footpath which goes alongside a burn. The burn was quite full and there was a manic wee dug going absolutely bananas as it's owner threw sticks in the water for it. It went mad when I ran past barking it's wee head off. So on I kept going with the thunder and lightening rattling around my head. I went to head off up the big hill I usually run up and there in the park next to the hill was two enormous Alsatian dogs sharing some fun with a munched traffic cone. There was a lot of growling going on. "Flippin' eck" I thought what is with all of these dogs! It must have been the thunder.

Still by that point, and all of those dogs later, my stitch had disappeared and I was running along happily. I then turned onto a trail path that takes me back to the big hill which leads back to my house. What I had forgotten about was the torrential rain an hour earlier and the fact that the path was covered in mud and puddles. What a blast I had, my feet and legs were caked in mud. Keswick has cured me of my fear of mud! What a great bit of the run.

Almost home and the thunder and lightening was rumbling closer and closer and the rain was splooshing down and chasing me up the road. I managed to get home just in time and sat at the back door drinking my water and watching the lightening. Ended up running 4 miles - rain and dugs chased me in early :)

Don't you just love weather???

don't worry, be happy :)

Olympic hopefuls and swimming

This morning started with me helping at the Primary School Sports Day. It was my last day helping with my wee Primary 3 class and they were absolutely high as a kite! I have never seen a whole school galvanised so quickly to get outside and beat the rain. The weather forecast was threatening torrential rain so the Deputy Head had everyone organised and lined up to go outside before it would start. Each class had taken a country and had made flags and we had a parade around the playing field just like the opening ceremony of the Olympics. (don't you just love Primary School :)). Once we were at our places the teachers duly took the flags off the children and hurried them back into the school to save them in case the rain came on and would ruin all their hard work.

Then the heats started. Because it is the Diamond Jubilee the school had all opted for traditional school sports - run, egg and spoon and sack race! My job along with two others was to give out the first, second and third stickers. A few years ago the school tried not having first, second and third and just "we all took part" stickers. I know the jury is out on whether it is a good thing to encourage winners and those who take part (rather than losers) but all of the children I watched today were all going for it as if they all could win and I kind of liked that. There was a dodgy moment when the teacher who was with us decided that the little girl who came in second in her egg and spoon race heat had cheated because she carried her egg and spoon squashed against her chest therefore preventing it from ever falling. She only went and disqualified her !!!!!!! And I had to be the one who didn't give her a sticker (I felt flippin' awful as I am always telling my two that taking part in big city marathons is more important than winning them because without us there would be no race for the winners) but I did manage to get away with the parents not attacking me there on the playing field. The learning assistant and I just slinked away and let the teacher decide the outcome of the egg and spoon races from that point onwards.

The cutest part of the whole morning was probably the nursery children, it was really easy to work out who had won because they were going so slowly. They were so enthusiastic and cute. The bigger kids were really competitive and some of them were excellent runners in the making. It really was inspiring to watch.

Perhaps the best part of the morning was the relay race. There were representatives from each class and they made up four teams. Each team took part in the relay. The P4 - 7's ran 200 m and the P1 - 3 ran 100m it was really, really great! Everyone got into the spirit of the Olympics (which was why they were doing the relay race).

The children all got a really swanky medal (you know how I like a medal) which was for the Golden Jubilee and the Olympics. It was engraved. Lovely.

Then the rain came on!! In bucketfuls.

So I decided that if I was this wet outside I might as well go inside and swim in it. The pool was empty when I got there so I had a free run of the lanes. I managed my 750 m in good time and was still feeling strong so I kept on going and ended up swimming 900 m. I did try to get my head under the water but I nearly drowned gulping down half the pool. I have got a lesson planned with Andy and Rhona's swimming teacher after the hols so hopefully she will get me sorted out. I know my problem is that I think too much about breathing and then I panic that I can't breath and then everything goes to pot! aagghh!! I know my time would improve if I could just get the hang of breathing under water. I will do it!

Anyway, that was today's sporting events. Maybe there will be some future Olympic hopefuls on that field today - I am pretty sure Usain Bolt must have won the odd egg and spoon race in his early days :)

Oh, and happy birthday to my niece, Jessica, who is a big five year old girl today :)

don't worry, be happy :)

A day out to Rosslyn Chapel

As the perfect antidote to a hot, stuffy office this morning, I decided to enjoy the rest of the sunny day on my bike. My toes are still a bit sore after all my running, so an hour on my bike seemed like the right thing to do.

So off I went, decided to head down to Roslin via the University buildings at the Bush Estate. As I cycled along, I realised that it was not that I was in the wrong gear (regular occurrence - not very good at the gears) but that I was cycling into a gale force wind. Where on earth was that coming from? The trees were not even moving - where was the wind coming from?????

Anyway, turned down into Roslin and decided to have a rest and a wee snack at Rosslyn Chapel. The road down to the chapel is all lined with hedgerows and wild flowers - being summer (????) they are very full and high, which really made it feel like you were really out in the country. As I cycled down a huge tour bus drove past me and then proceeded to try and turn in the smallest space ever. Good point to stop and have a wee seat. Found a seat outside the chapel and watched the bus driver getting hot under the collar trying to fit into the car park. Eventually he managed it and then off the bus came a whole posse of Japanese tourists complete with cameras (and I am not stereotyping they really all did have cameras). They then spent ten minutes photographing the chapel from every angle with me sitting on a wee bench eating my biscuit in my cycling gear. It made me think that we take the chapel for granted as it is always there on our doorstep. There was a bit of interest when the Davinci Code was in the flicks but otherwise it is just a big building on the route of a walk/run that is regularly taken. But for these people it was a day out on their holiday itinerary and they will go back for their dinner and share photographs and stories about their great day out. We really do take for granted what is in and around our lovely city.

Anyway, as I was sitting the lovely sunny afternoon took a darker turn! The clouds rolled over, those dark blue clouds that signify a downpour! And it was still warm which would suggest thunder! So I hopped back on my bike and rode as fast as I could back to Penicuik. The rain was chasing me up the road and for some bizarre reason the wind was still in my face - can that scientifically be possible? By the time I was home and putting my bike back in the garage there were huge splats of rain on the ground. It was literately chasing me up the path into the house. Now I am sitting with it bouncing of the roof in the conservatory.

Nice 12 miles on the bike :)

don't worry, be happy :)

Recovery Run

This morning I was working at home so decided before I would power up the computer (following a bit on the Breakfast news about sitting at home on computers doing work not being great for you) that I would start with a recovery run.

My ankles were really stiff after Sunday's run, however after about a mile they soon settled down. As with every run at the moment I had no idea what gear to put on - it was raining and a little bit cool when I set out. So I put on a fairly light long sleeved t-shirt and my gilet and as par for the course at the moment one mile into my run and the sun came out and I was boiling!!! What can you do?

So after a decent four miles and a nice run I was back home ruining my posture sitting with my computer doing work stuff. At my cup of tea time I logged onto Fetch and was reading a thread about aiming for a sub 60 min 10k (Gimmiemedals has inspired me). Now there is a challenge I thought, a summer holiday challenge. I am technically training for a half marathon and a triathlon in Sept but aiming for a sub 60 min 10K can only help. I feel a trot down to Parkrun on Saturday coming on.

So with twotacklethree over here is my new challenge!

- sub 10k (will need to find a 10K to do this at)
- Glasgow Half Marathon
- Haddington Sprint Triathlon.

Will need to work hard to get that sub 60min 10k - I have done it before with some work should hopefully get there!

don't worry, be happy :)

Father's Day and Trail Running

Today is Father's day and I just thought I'd tell you a bit about how I got into running and how my Dad fits into it!  Almost 26 years ago when I was but a lass, my Dad was a marathon runner of some standing - can't quite remember the time but he is my Dad so it was a 3.30 marathon he was capable of doing (or thereabouts) pretty damn good if I don't say so. I had just left school and was forging a career as an office junior (okay not a career but a decent wee job) and decided that I quite fancied having a go at this running lark. Dad got me a pair of Reebok Phase 3's (if I remember rightly) and gave me a training schedule for absolute beginners written by Seb Coe and his Dad. The plan basically called for the novice runner to run out for 5 mins and then back. Gradually you built up to 10 mins, 15 mins etc until you were running a decent amount of time. So before I knew where I was I had entered my first half marathon on 26 October 1986. I was but a lass.....

Over the years my Dad and I went to many races, our most favourite was the Glasgow Half Marathon. 

End of the half marathon in Glasgow.

I have never quite shared the success of my Dad however, where I haven't clocked up fantastic times I have kept running for 26 years and am very proud of myself still running and taking on new challenges at 42 years old. Dad doesn't race any more but still goes out for runs and whenever I have been out with him he still skips along and beats me! So for a lifelong hobby thanks Dad and happy fathers day :)

Anyway, onto today's adventures. A few months ago Alistair pointed out a new race which was taking place in Keswick. Now, he knows what I am like, the chance of any race in Keswick and my ears prick up and I get the application form in! The Karrimor Great Trail Challenge. 10k up Latrigg, my most favourite wee fell in the Lake District. 

After staying the night in Carlisle we headed down to Keswick for the start of the run. There was a marathon and a half marathon at the same time. And there was also an elite 10K run. We got there after the marathon had started and just as the elite 10K finished. We passed one of the front runners who was looking slightly despondent. She had been in the lead, just as she got to the finishing straight and then took the wrong side of the finishing straight (there were two sides, one for the finish and one for the loop that you had to run if you were doing a longer run distance). She had to turn back and ended up 3rd!!!! not a happy camper. :(

The half marathon went off and then it was my turn to line up at the start. I have never been at such a spectacular start line, with the magnificent Fells in the background. Alistair took my photograph before I started and for once I actually like it!!

We had a bit of a run around the field first, presumably to make up the distance, and then we took off along the railway.

I have spent many a holiday in Keswick and I was running on very familiar territory. It was great. After 2 miles we turned up onto the hill. Boy was it steep! Everybody started walking which suited me fine. I even managed to take a couple of photos on the way. Chatted to loads of people as we walked up the hill. It was a fabulous atmosphere.

Once we turned off this very steep wee hill it was time to go up onto the Fell properly. Again I have walked this route loads and loads of times and knew what was coming. However, I have never run up this side of the hill and somehow running was just not going to happen. Everybody was walking, thank goodness. 

As I was getting to the top of the hill I met a lovely Fetchie, autumnleaves, we had a great natter about our teenagers and running as Fetchies. Then we got to the best bit - the huge downhill!!!! It went on for 2 miles - fantastic. My toenails began to grumble a bit when we got to the really steep bit because they are still a bit bruised from my marathon 4 weeks ago. At that point I lost autumnleaves because she was skipping down the hill and I had to slow down to protect my wee sore toes. Once I got to the bottom of the hill it was a short run on the road, which was tough as I had gotten used to running in the mud by that point. Then we were there! The finish line was just a couple of hundred yards away. Into the field was theeeee biggest mud bath you have ever seen and the energy was instantly sapped out of my legs as I paddled my way through the mud trying not to fall over. But there was the finish line 

(My time was 1 hour 11 mins and 50secs (not the 48 mins on the clock!!! ha ha ha))

and waiting at the end was Brian Burnett, presenter of Scottish Passport and more recently the end of many of the running races I have been in! He shouted out "here comes one of the Fetch runners, go JaneyM" - what he doesn't know is he is making a habit of shouting on me, in Edinburgh he shouted "go JaneyM" at the end there also! I finished as per usual with my Fetchie wingwave and he just laughed saying "she is flying into the finish". 

Nice t-shirt and a lovely wee medal. 

Excellent day out, fabulous wee run - can't wait till next year - I'll be signing up for it the minute it comes on-line :)

don't worry, be happy :)