De-stressing and inspiration...

I am sitting enjoying a cup of tea and some toast after the longest day ever.

The reason my day was long was we had another of our all staff development days. Since the three Edinburgh and Lothian's colleges merged a year ago we have been having these staff development days. The basically consist of the day starting with coffee, then the Principal blabs on a bit with no one listening, we then have to meet in groups and do some nonsensical task which no one is interested in, then we hang about in huge queues for lunch, then listen to someone rabbiting on, back into team time and then if we are lucky we get to sneak away before the boring q and a session later where all the moaners come out and harangue the Principal! This may be simplifying it but I just can't be bothered with any of it.

So in an attempt to make something of my day I started it with a swim before work at the pool in Penicuik. This was great I was raring to go. Got to work and stopped at the pond at the back of the College to take in some fresh air before heading inside.

This was very calming and I wandered into the college in a good mood. Now the day panned out just as I'd imagined. Which is fine, if that is what they want us to do with our day, fine by me!

I am of the opinion that no matter what we want or say the management team have a job to do and will do it the way they think best and we won't have a lot of influence upon that. This helps me not get stressed about the whole situation. You guys know me "don't worry, be happy". This attitude, however, I suspect drives the doom and gloomies daft because there is almost a culture at the moment where everyone must surely be stressed and depressed about all that goes on at work. But, I am sorry, I am just not. I know things might change, I know I could lose my job, but I could also have lost Alistair 2 years ago and still worry about him everyday so nothing at work can ever come that close. If I lose my job, I'll re-invent myself, I've done it before I'll do it again).

So to get myself away from the doom and gloom that inevitably becomes the lunchtime discussion I decided to head out for a run. I did get a few odd looks sneaking through with my running kit on past everyone having their lunch outside. Once I got past everyone I stretched my legs and headed into the park and off down towards the water. The sun came out, it was warm, quiet and the water was very calm. There was a wind but it was nice. The other thing I noticed very strongly was the smell of the seashore. Now this might seem odd but those that know me really well know that I suffer from chronic rhinitis and on the whole have absolutely no sense of smell (have had this for ten years) which generally means I can't really remember some smells, others I have in my memory but the seashore was one that caught me out. At the moment I have some sense of smell so I am enjoying rediscovering smells (good and bad). So I ran along really enjoying the smell of the seaside. There was lots of aeroplanes passing overhead and I was running along thinking that will be us in 9 weeks time going to Gran Canaria. I was running well and not really noticing my running which is brilliant to be that free at this point in my marathon training. I knew I only really had 30mins to be out running as our lunch was only for an hour so I cracked on quite fast. And you know what 26mins!!!! for 3 miles. If that had been on a measured distance it would have been an all time PB for me!

Worked my way back through my colleagues and headed to get changed, pleased with my PB!

One of the morning's tasks had been to consider how to de-stress in the workplace. I found it hard to actually identify points at which I get "stressed". I think I get busy, I get frustrated, I get hassled but stressed? Not sure I ever get stressed. I got stressed when Alistair was in hospital for 4 weeks, having nearly died and I was juggling work, kids, housework, visiting the hospital twice a day. But nope work doesn't get me that stressed. Again, not a popular view at the moment, and I do keep that quiet because it does seem to be the culture that we should all be stressed up to the nines. I am just not.

We had a great discussion about what things stop us getting stressed. One colleague said she has an allotment and well me it's running. Another colleague laughed and said "it must be like a drug". I think it probably is, I am totally addicted to the endorphins. I love running. I spent 26 mins out at lunchtime and I was chilled, happy, content and felt completely alive. I have been following Vicki who is running 26 marathons in 26 days (up and down the Royal Mile) http://vickiweitz.moonfruit.com/#/blog/4564207122. Her daily blogs have been an inspiration, she has dealt with injury, emotions and feelings in a way that I could only hope to reproduce. I have been thinking about trying the D33 in March and have gradually been bringing myself round to the idea. I am not brave, and I am technically not that good at running (I have just stuck at it a long time more than anything) and reading Vicki's blogs and running with her have given me the inspiration to crack on with my ambitions.

So what are my ramblings all about today. Well here goes:

1. Running is bloody good for you!
2. Work staff development days are not!

Don't worry, be happy!

Running in the Royal Botanic Gardens of Edinburgh....

Got up this morning at what seemed a ridiculous hour for a Sunday morning (I know it was only 7 o'clock but I was tired and cosy). It was absolutely chucking it down and the thought of going all the way into town to run 3 miles was not a great one. However, I mostly entered this race because it ran through the Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh. When I lived in Leith in the early years of Alistair and I's marriage I used to frequently run past the Botanics and into Inverleith and wish the nice people in the Botanics would let me run just once around the gardens. So I couldn't turn up the opportunity to actually be allowed to do it!

I got to Inverleith at around 8.15am and headed off to pick up my number and drop my bag. The rain had dried up by this point and it was turning into a really nice morning. I chatted to some people in the queue for the numbers and really noticed the nice feeling about this race. I think because it was a Jog Scotland event there was no ego's, no pre-race chatter about how fast you thought you were going to go or how tough particular bits of the course were. It was just a nice supportive feeling.

Got my number and then headed off to find the toilets. I sat on the floor inside the building and pinned on my number.

Once my number was pinned on I headed off to hand in my bag to the baggage tent. I wandered back towards the start line and who should I bump into but a running buddy from Penicuik, Alia. Alia and I live really near each other and bump into each other on training runs and at different races. She is really nice and just a bit running bonkers like me! She was there with a few of her running chums and her sister Nadia who is home for a visit from Dubai.

We had a bit of a giggle during the warm up. Nadia was taking it very seriously whereas Alia and I were totally unco-ordinated and not taking the whole thing seriously at all. Alia kept on saying that she was glad it was only 5K as she was too tired to do anything else. I was feeling guilty that I was only running 5K when I should really be turning out a 15 miler for my marathon training (which I am going to do tomorrow for the record.) Anyway, warm up over we headed for the start. We walked towards the start line and then the whole field realised we were facing the wrong way. Very amusing to watch the looks on the faces of the people who thought they had safely gone to the back of the field only to find themselves at the front!!! So runners sorted out, we waited for the hooter to start us on our way.

At 9am we set off for our 5K. Very quickly I realised that maybe Alia and I were hasty in being so relaxed about it only being a 5K. I had totally underestimated my own ability and had stood at the back of the field where I normally go in a race. I was forgetting that this was a run for people who predominately had just started running and were challenging themselves to their first race. I got totally stuck in a bottle neck as we ran into the botanics. I was faster than the runners I was stuck behind. So I managed to get myself past them and then my shoe lace came out!!!! This was turning into a harder run than I had imagined. Shoelace tied and crowds negotiated I was finally free to run in my own space. That is when I noticed I was running past the Chinese Garden and then the Palm House. This is great I thought, I am finally getting to run in the Botanics. Then I hit the first hill. Blooming heck I thought didn't really expect hills (although I know they are there I have pushed buggies up them often enough in the past). Then we headed out of the Botanics and into Inverleith Park.

 It was a odd part of the route as there were several doglegs. 

It was a really good route for this type of run because there were runners everywhere, so anyone who was finding it tough there was a lot of support. I was also smiling as there were loads of Jog Leaders all the way around motivating and supporting their runners. I had a lady behind me shouting "you are doing great, we are nearly there, you have nearly done it". She was of course supporting her own runners but it helped me too. It was a fabulously supportive atmosphere, more so than a non jog scotland race where there a huge variety of abilities. Fabulous.

Last dogleg done I was feeling really good but sure my time wasn't great (hadn't looked at my watch) but knew where the finish line was so picked up my pace to head for the finish line. Got round the corner saw the finish flags and then took a quick glance at my watch - 27 mins. Yeah, I had wanted 28 mins and was under it. So I ran as fast as I could to that finish line.

I crossed the finish line in 27:30 mins. I met Alia at the end and we both laughed at how you should never underestimate even a 5K! It was a tough course with a lot of hills, it is Edinburgh afterall we shouldn't have expected less. We stood and watched for the rest of Alia's group to come in and it was really great cheering everyone on to the finish line and watching the delight on everyone's faces at the end of their very own challenges. Great atmosphere.

Oh and there was a great wee goodie bag - got a fabby running belt for holding all my gels. 

I am a Jog Scotland Jog Leader but since Alan (the other Jog Leader) left at the college I haven't really done anything about it at work. Maybe this is the year to start trying to get a group together. I saw a slogan on someone's t-shirt which said "Running is cheaper than therapy" and whilst it raised a smile it also made me think how true. I have said before running is not about exercise for me it is about wellbeing and a healthy lifestyle. We work in a stressful environment and maybe I could help some people with that by sharing my passion for running and encouraging them to take up the 5K challenge. Will need to work on that when I go back. 

Great way to start Sunday morning. Will need to motivate myself to get out tomorrow to do my 15 miles - maybe not so easy!!!! 

don't worry, be happy :)

My Edinburgh Festival Fringe run...

Every year at some point during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe I pull on my running shoes and head on into the town to visit the festival. I like to do this because I think when you live and work in Edinburgh the festival is a bind because there are so many people land in our lovely city and just busy the streets up making commuting etc really difficult. However, I love the Edinburgh Fringe, have always done so I like to visit it like a tourist. I take my camera and run a route which is around 6 miles which takes in lots of the big venues. I celebrity spot and stop and watch free shows. I even take the flyers that the enthusiastic flyerers are trying to get rid of.

I normally wait until the middle of the festival but because I am working full time this year at the college I won't have any free days to go into town nearer the middle of the festival. So I chose the first day of the Fringe to soak up the atmosphere. I was also wanting to head to the High Street to go in search of Vicki Weitz (http://vickiweitz.moonfruit.com/#/blog/4564207122) who I had read about on Fetch. Vicki is a performance artist who along with others have been exploring the link between sports and the arts. This began as a project running alongside the Olympics last year. Vicki is attempting to run 26 marathons in 26 days with her route being up and down the Royal Mile. Most of the chat on Fetch was around whether this was art and how on earth she was going to manage to run up and down the Royal Mile at this time of the year - most of us avoid the Mile on our runs. I was intrigued. No matter whether it was art or not she was tackling a huge challenge - the Royal Mile is a big hill and to run up it 13 times every day for 26 days is quite impressive. So Vicki was part of my route.

I set off from the car park at Dynamic Earth. It had been raining on the way into the town but by the time I set off on my run the sun was coming out and lovely blue sky was revealing itself.

I then headed off in search of toilets! On of the privileges of being an Edinburgh University Alumni is being able to sneak into Moray House and use the toilets in there!! That was me ready for my run. I headed off up towards Venue 33, at the Pleasance. This is a venue which gets very busy and there is always lots of people having a drink at the pubs and cafes inside. However, it was just waking up and there were only staff around enjoying the calm before the storm.

Next I headed for Bristo Square. The Underbelly is always an impressively odd venue. A huge purple cow upside down in the middle of the beautiful Bristo Square with it's historical old buildings of the University always makes me smile. The Gilded Garden and the Gilded Balloon takes up residence in Teviot (the students union building). The Guilded Balloon Venue has been there since the fire at their original building a few years ago. I think it suits being in Bristo Square. It looks great. The BBC have their fringe broadcasting centre here too which is always a good spot for celebrity spotting. Only techy guys having coffee this early in the morning though.

Moving on I wanted to get to the Royal Mile to go in search of Vicki but rather than just heading down George IV Bridge I headed down into the Grassmarket via Greyfriars Bobby. How many festivals has Bobby seen I wonder?

What I love about the fringe is how you walk along the road with people passing you all dressed up. I was walking along and a huge dressed up teddy bear passed me, a man dressed as a scraggy pirate, and a whole load of old fashioned soldiers were amassing outside a cafe just beside Bobby. And nobody bats an eyelid! I used to have a job in Boots the Chemist in Cockburn Street when the kids were young and it used to make me laugh in the festival when you would be serving drag queens their meal deals whilst listening to a saxophone player outside playing the pink panther tune. I love the madness of the fringe. This is what you don't have time for when you are working day in day out and it just gets in the road. 

So down into the Grassmarket. Edinburgh Castle looked stunning from the Grassmarket. I ran down into the Grassmarket and then ran up a steep set of steps which led tourists up to the castle. These steps led up to Johnstone Terrace which is where all the coaches wait for the tattoo. From this angle you could see the castle surrounded by the tattoo seating.

Very slowly I ran up the steep steps to the Castle. The Esplanade is taken over by the impressive structure of the tattoo but you can still get into the castle and there were loads of tourists taking photos of the castle. It was particularly impressive with the pure blue sky behind it. 

Right off to find Vicki. I was hoping by starting at the top I would find her near the top that way I could meet her and run down hill! Giving me the chance to see just how fast she was running and whether slow coach me could keep up with her! And just as I came out the entrance to the castle there she appeared! I introduced myself and we set off down the hill. We chatted for two and a half miles. Vicki was very easy to chat to and we had a great blether. She explained her "performance" and I was intrigued. (I apologise to Vicki if my paraphrased explanation is completely wrong but this is what I got out of what she said and loved the whole idea). We talked about how Vicki came to running 26 miles every day for 26 days. She said that the project initially started by looking at where sport meets art as part of the Olympic Games Legacy last year. She told me about the other projects that she had taken part in as part of the Olympics last year. She said that this project came out of her thinking about fear and how she didn't think she was really frightened about anything. She said she likes spiders, not afraid of the dark, fine with heights. Then she said she found herself being apprehensive about everyday things like meeting new people, doing new things. So this led her to thinking about how fear can drive different challenges. She told me that she knew that she is completely over trained (with the support of sport scientists, friends and physios) for the first day of her 26 in 26 challenge but wondered at what point fear would kick in and make the challenge more difficult. The team that were supporting her were recording her feelings, her moods etc to help record this change. Vicki also talked about how she felt she would engage with the changing Royal Mile and all the people that she would meet over the time. Different people have been running with her and regular workers such as policemen at the parliament, security guards at Holyrood Palace are all becoming part of her run on a daily basis. The sun was out by this point and it was very warm but it was quite windy and we were dodging signs blowing over as well as festival performers. Vicki said she had been running in the rain early on and it had been lovely to wake up with the Royal Mile. We got to talking about how people always ask of distance runners if they get bored whilst running long distances. We both said the answer to that is no because there are always people to talk to, things to see and things to think about. She also said that a sports psychologist she spoke to said to her that Ultra runners tend to be running away from something. She said her run is confusing him because she is running up and down the same hill! I said that I wanted to step up to Ultra to find a new challenge as I no longer fear the marathon. So we both agreed that maybe there are exceptions to his theory. We stopped at the Scottish Storytelling Centre which was where Vicki had her support team. Vicki was lovely and introduced me to her team. We got a quick photo at this point whilst Vicki ate her 10gms of carbs and had some water. We had a natter about her fuelling strategy which sounded really interesting. 

I had already decided to leave Vicki at Jeffrey's Street as I was concious of not eating too much into her thinking space. She was at 16 miles when I left her and I know that around 18 miles I start to retreat into my own thoughts in order to get to the end of the distance. When we parted Vicki gave me a huge hug and I wished her well on her challenge. What I thought was interesting was Vicki is just passing through the everyday bustle of the Edinburgh Fringe, she is a performer but will anyone notice her? She is officially a performer but Vicki silently runs through the throng of performers singing, dancing and wearing loud costumes. Is that the performance? You just need to think about the way Usain Bolt arrived in the stadium at the Anniversary Games, cheer as Mo Farah does the Mobot to see that Sport does meet art/theatre/performance. I am not sure I run to entertain but I agree that when I am running I feel connected to life. I run through the different seasons, feel the wind on my face, run through people, animals, life. One of the theories I have learned about at work is a play theory called Evolutionary Play by Bob Hughes who discusses how children should have the opportunity to play experiencing the elements (that is really simplifying it) and I like to think that when I am running I am playing. I wish Vicki lots of luck for her remaining marathons and hope she finds the answer. And as I said to her, it's just running, one foot in front of the other, don't fear it, you can just stop and walk! 

As I ran away from her I was mulling over our chat. I started to question if I was running away from anything with my long distances? Running has never been about exercise for me, it has always been a way of life. And now, maybe I am running away from getting old, I worry about how many more races I will be able to do, will my body stay in one piece for one more marathon. So yes, maybe I am running away from something but I don't really see it that way I just love running and the challenges it brings to my life and the lovely people that I meet. 

Lots of people inspire me. Ingrid Kristianson inspired me to start running 27 years ago, my Fetchie buddies Margaret, Alastair and Carolyn inspire me in my running now and my children and wonderful husband inspire me in life. Meeting Vicki showed me that ordinary people can achieve amazing things. She is inspirational, friendly and seemed a lot of fun. Go look at her web page to read her blog - very interesting. Make up your own mind as to whether you think it is art or not? I think it is.

But my run wasn't finished. I headed down to Princes Street and ran through the gardens. The Gardens and The Scott Monument looked great.

The streets were beginning to get a little busier as the day moved on. I headed down Waverley Bridge past all the tour buses. That was quite tough. I then ran up Cockburn Street and up another set of steps. I used to run up and down these steps when I worked at the Regional Headquarters when I was 18!!! They were a little tougher today, not quite as fit as I was then.

These steps (Warriston Close) took me right into the heart of the Fringe performers. Stopped for a bit to take some photos of the performers and the street.

My Garmin told me I was just over 6 miles so that was me for the day. I headed back down the Royal Mile and onto Holyrood Road to Dynamic Earth and as is my treat at the end of a nice run I had a wee cup of tea whilst sitting on the grass at the Parliament. Saw Vicki once more as she ran to the bottom of the hill and touched the Holyrood Palace Gates and head back up the hill. She is only on day three she has another 23 days to go, so if you are in the area go find her, she is really nice and has loads of interesting ideas to chat about. And she doesn't run too fast - I kept up with her!!! 

So that's my festival run for 2013. A whole year before the next one!

Good luck Vicki!!!!

don't worry, be happy :)