And with one single step my training for the White Rose Ultra came to an abrupt end.

Sunday was to be first of our running club's cross country races for the winter BDL, my plan was to run there at an easy pace, do the 5 mile xc, then run home again but alas plans are subject to the whims of fate...that day all it took was tripping over the last step at the bottom of our stairs, something I do far too often (damn narrow British steps).  Sunday was different though, I rolled my right foot outward and ended up sitting on the entryway rug clutching my legs and letting loose a very loud and imaginative string of curse words which had my partner awake and rushing down those very same steps to find out what happened.  

For once it wasn't an ankle sprain, it was towards the upper part of my foot and it HURT.  Hurt in the way that you know something is very broken and you are not just going to hop up and dust off and continue on.

After a few minutes I was able to hobble around, send my apologies for not being able to make the race--fortunately the club now has quite a few women running cross country so my presence wasn't needed to make sure we had a team--and to figure out which A&E was the best to head for.  Never have I been so relieved that I had actually taken a shower that morning instead of my usual modus operandi of getting up and throwing on my running kit! The thought of having to spend the day amongst other hurt and sick people while desperately wishing I wasn't a hot mess should not have been first in my mind but it was--very much the 'Wear clean underwear in case you are in an accident' scenario.

To shorten the story up, our local A&E no longer has x-ray services on the weekends so after some poking and prodding the nurse taped up my toes and made an appointment for me to return in the morning to be scanned (wasn't too impressed with that part of the process although everything else went smoothly).  Rather than wait that long we ended up going to Nottingham's Queen Medical Centre A&E where there seemed to be an unusually large number of people with foot and ankle injuries!

Putting a happy face on things

So yes, my foot is broken. Specifically, the 5th metatarsal on my right foot is fractured and I am now wearing an oh so attractive black moon boot and restricted to doing absolutely nothing for 2 weeks, then slowly moving about.  The bone specialist said that if I was very, very, very, very good about not rushing back into activity (can't even do any spinning) then I should be able to return to running in 6 weeks. After the 2 weeks though I can do upper body work (Hello knee pressups!)

The evidence

Of course the ultra is on the 1st of November so obviously that is out and I am unable to earn any money during this time because leading Nordic Walking sessions and dog walking requires me to be able to walk...oh and there's the tiny matter of needing to be able to drive to do those things which is out of the question with the boot.

My thoughts on being immobile

I thought I would include a short synopsis of my NHS/A&E (Accident and Emergency) experience for family and friends in the states as well.  One of the first things we did after I moved over was to register at a local surgery (GP/Doctor's office) and to get my NHS number.  Once this is done you rarely have to fill out the mountain of paperwork and seemingly signing away your life whenever going to the doctor that is required at every single visit like in the states.  All I did Sunday was walk up to reception hand over my NHS card and driver's licence, confirm my DOB, phone number, address, and next of kin verbally.  I did the same thing when arriving for the appointment the next morning at the fracture clinic.  The waiting time is also much shorter! The nurse we spoke to at QMC said they would have over 500 people per day go through A&E there so that's very impressive.

A little catch-up

An evening with running friends

Can't believe it's been almost a month since I've blogged! It has been a fairly busy month, I had the opportunity to cover several Nordic Walking classes while other instructors have been off enjoying sunnier and warmer climes on their holidays and there has been a name change and services added to the RWIR site--why not take a moment to check it out? Constructive comments are more than welcome and of course we would love the opportunity to repair and restore your photos!

Retouch and Restore

Training for the 30 mile White Rose Ultra has begun in earnest and I'm experiencing a few niggles here and there but at least the allergies have eased slightly so I'm starting to feel like maybe, just maybe I can get around the route without slowing the birthday girl and our other friends down too much.  Part of what has been helping to ease the allergy-induced fatigue was starting back on the magnesium oil spray. I make my own because 1) it's dead easy and 2) being self-employed means I have to watch every pence, recipe will be included at the bottom of this post.

You can follow my running progress and other random fitness/Nordic Walking/health tidbits at Of Runsound Mind on facebook or instagram.  There's also a twitter account for it but it's mostly facebook re-postings at the moment, I will be transitioning the run stuff over to it full time eventually.

Of Runsound Mind

While the racing is on hold until the BDL cross country league starts back mid-October I did manage to get the women's 1st place award for the IRC performance championship, not because of being particularly speedy but because most women my age have more sense than to spend their Sundays slogging through mud during the winter months! It was a lovely evening and a beautiful award which I think will probably be the last one I get for quite a while :-) However as I posted on our club's fb page, being part of such a great community is quite an award in itself and that's the most important thing. 

BDL Performance Award

Magnesium oil recipe: 

1/2 cup magnesium chloride flakes

1/2 cup distilled water (I just use 2x boiled water)

Mix the flakes into boiled water in a glass container, let cool, then transfer to a spray bottle.  Shake up mixture before use. I use it after showering and before applying moisturiser, approximately 10 sprays. As a word of warning it can sting almost as bad as nettles when you first start using it so only apply to less sensitive areas--I usually spray it on my upper legs, stomach, and lower back.  Some people refer to it as 'tingling' but it was a bit more intense than a tingle for me! It does ease up after a few days though as your skin becomes accustomed to it.  

(Mis)Adventures in Running at The Rugby Rover

Sunday saw me joining a couple of running club friends for an interesting event that none of us had done before--The Belper Rugby Rover, 30 kilometres of undulating mixed terrain fun. We are going to blame this one on a Tesco car park conversation with a member of a neighbouring running club who claimed she was going to run it slow then went and thrashed all of us!

We started out together but since my training has been so poorly due to the damned allergies plaguing me I told the other 2 that I would just see them at the end and hoped they wouldn't have to wait around too terribly long for me (turned out to be around 16 minutes).  My plan was to walk every uphill because despite taking clarityn nearly every hard effort is resulting in hellacious sinus pressure headaches--better to be a slowpoke rather than having to get a lift back to the finish line due to not being able to focus on the path.

Picture courtesy of SL Images. Cheesy grin and thumbs up courtesy of moi

Anyway enough whingeing, I actually was able to keep my friends in sight with the power hike up the hills and bombing back down them up for the first few miles until I decided to strip down to my crop top (hey, it was actually warm for once!).  That involved having to unpin my bib, take off the hydration pack, pull off the vest, fold the bib to fit onto my shorts, repin said bib, wrestle the pack back over my shoulders, realise I hadn't closed the top of the pack so had to take it back off, decided I wanted to eat something, put the pack back on AND finally back to moving forward. Whew, that was a workout all on its own!

What was good:

*Stiles. Wasn't bothered about the time so enjoyed the slowdowns at the stiles in the beginning and middle.  Towards the end it seemed like the gaps kept getting narrower though and those rocks don't give any!

*Multi-Terrain:  Nice mix of road, trail, footpaths, and fields. Keeps it from getting boring although I know some don't like it because it's impossible to maintain a steadyish pace. There were even some technical bits to 'dance' over.

*The views: Absolutely gorgeous vistas, I'm still oohing over the section where I glanced over and could see the Crich Monument in all its glory on the next hill over.  Shining Cliff Woods also warrants a return trip for a more laid back exploration.

*Chatting with other runners/walkers:  Fell/trail races are far more laid-back generally so there's always laughter and chatter at least amongst those of us towards the back of the pack.

*No litter:  Everybody was VERY good about not throwing their cups down too far from the water stops and I didn't spy any gel packets about

*The water stops/check stations:  Awesome volunteers! I didn't stop for water because I had the hydration pack but the jelly babies, crisps, and encouragement were very welcome.

*Race marking:  This is going to be in the good and not so good.  99% of it was very well marked but there were a few instances towards the end that I questioned if I was going in the correct direction.  Part of that appeared to be other trail users messing about with the signage though.

Not so good:

*Nothing in this section that pertains to how the race was set-up except for there being a couple of spots near the end that should have been marked better for those of us that are directionally challenged--like the section where the path splits 2 ways at the water treatment plant.  Yes, I was the dumbass that went the wrong way here and ended up with bonus mileage and I also couldn't remember the where we turned into the rugby club carpark for the finish.

*Wearing the hydration pack which coincidentally is the amount of weight I need to lose right now! It's a pain in the arse wearing it but I NEED to get used to it before the 30 miler in November.

*Catching a sharp rock with the side of my foot in such a way that the rock went under the big toenail on my left foot.  I was afraid I'd torn the nail off but thankfully it only loosened it, bad thing is it's still extremely tender today.

*Of course there was a fall, only the one though and there was no blood so not sure it even counts.

*I am listed as a male in the results! Still debating on whether to bother contacting them to change it or not.

The aftermath! I look peeved because I was still fuming about going the wrong direction so close to the finish :-) 

The post where I whinge a little

I was hoping to be writing a recap of Nordic Walking 33k at the Salisbury 54321 event but alas it ended up being a big fat DNS (did not start) due to a resurgence of an allergy-induced migraine that was determined to hang about.  It had started Friday afternoon, eased up Saturday midday then made a comeback in the wee morning hours Sunday.  There was no way I was in shape to endure a 3.5 hour drive down to Wiltshire to be at the start line before 8:45, I am aggravated to the nth degree about this because I had been looking forward to it so much!

Training overall has been extremely lacklustre due to the allergies and the fatigue/headaches that comes along with them but the only thing I can do is plaster a smile on, pull on my big girl pants and keep plodding forward. Oh and take naps, lots and lots of naps!

Like the logo? Get a hoodie, tank, or tee here :-) 

Running kit review: Montane Bite 1

Way back in June I won a competition from Accelerate UK for some Montane kit which consisted of a Featherlite jacket, hydration belt, t-shirt, and 3/4 tights. The jacket is awesome, I've worn it several times but as of yet I've not tried out the shirt or tights--it's summer (sort of) so I'm wearing vests and shorts or running skirts as much as possible right now.  The Bite 1 hydration belt also didn't get tested out until last week because I've not gone on any runs long enough to justify the use of one since it arrived.  I finally decided that I should take it out for a spin on a short run to find out if it would cause any issues on a longer one.

Montane bite 1 hydration belt

First impressions:  It looks heavy.  Even my friend who I was meeting for a run the day I tested it out commented that it looked heavy.  It doesn't feel it once you get moving but it's hard to get past the psychology of it appearing that way.

Looks like I'm getting ready for a quick draw!

Next thing you notice is the pocket material, it's crinkly. And noisy as you are loading up whatever gear you are taking along.  Again, once you are moving it's not noticeable until you need to get something out and then you are reminded of the crinkliness (yes I know that's not really a word) and noisiness.

Roomy pocket

The pocket is nice and large though, big enough for a phone, gels, tissue, keys, a peanut butter sandwich, whatever you think you might need. It's large enough to fold up the Featherlite jacket and stow it away as well if you omit the sandwich from the aforementioned items.  But there is a downside to that roominess, it needs a smaller pocket within to kind of separate things out otherwise it's like a bottomless purse where things disappear never to be seen again unless you dump everything out.

Fiddly bottle

Is it going in yet?

Still trying to get it in place

Last step! But still not quite fully seated

I also wasn't impressed with the water bottle, it has a flat side that is meant to fit flush against your back but while on the run it's fiddly trying to get it back into place because it isn't different enough from the other sides by feel. It also started leaking around the lid during today's picture taking session. Amphipod totally wins with their shaped bottles because you don't have to take too much attention away from running to get the bottle back in place, if I decide to keep the Montane belt I will simply use those bottles with it rather than the one that came with it.

Excess belt

What I did really like about the Bite 1 is that it stayed in placed while running thanks to the stretch belt.  Only very minimal adjustments were needed which is miles better than the majority of belts I've tried out.  I have the excess bit of belt looped over and tucked under in the photos but there is a bit of blue strapping there to loop it through--something I didn't notice the first 2 times I wore it! Definitely a d'oh moment for me.

Belt wrapped over and tucked in

The mesh fabric on the inside of the belt is quite comfortable and according to the hang tag it is coated with an antibacterial treatment (no stink!).  Haven't tested it out enough to find out if the anti-stink actually works though.

Mesh on the inside of the Bite 1

One last thing that isn't normally an issue for the UK is that the black version can feel hot if you are running on a warmish day.  Normally not a problem for here but if you live where it stays warm I would suggest opting for the light blue version of the belt because the black absorbed the heat quite rapidly.

As of right now I'm not sure if I will keep the belt, I do like that the pocket is waterproof and large enough to fill with the necessities of a longer run but the water bottle being so fiddly might be a deal breaker if my amphipod bottle doesn't work with it.  The Bite 1 also rides further up on the waist than I usually prefer but at least it didn't bobble about like a Salomon belt does that I have.

Thank you again Accelerate for running such awesome contests! 

Nordic Walking a parkrun and Crich Monument Race

@BritNordicWalk I've become a nordic walking convert! & we would love to see more of your members at @parkrunUK! Can I contact you re this?

— Chrissie Wellington (@chrissiesmiles) July 3, 2015

As most everyone who reads the blog knows I am a huge fan of Nordic Walking, it tends to not get much respect from the running community but that's slowly changing.  Turns out that a triathlete I respect and admire greatly is also a fan of Nordic Walking--Chrissie Wellington!

Our group minus one who had to leave right after finishing, we all got Nordic Walking pbs!

As a result of this several of us decided to NW one of our local parkruns yesterday morning instead of running it as usual, we ended up with 6 altogether at Long Eaton.  We were welcomed quite warmly and when it came go time we gathered up at the very back of the start line because there had been some concern expressed by one person about the poles being in the way on facebook (not by any of the parkrun organisers or volunteers, just a participant of one).  I had two goals for yesterday, to get sub-40 and to demonstrate that Nordic Walking can be quite fast if that's what you want out of it, I think I succeeded at both :-). My official time was 38:23 and my mile splits were progressively faster (12:27, 12:15, 12:10 and 11:13 for the last tenth of a mile).  I am paying for that today though! You activate your glutes and shoulders far more than running and stairs are a bit of a challenge for me to get up and down after pushing that hard.

From the Long Eaton parkrun flickr

As if that wasn't enough for the day a running club mate posted up that she couldn't do the Crich Monument Race and offered up her spot if anyone wanted it.  Totally spur of the moment decision to ask if I could have it but I don't regret it at all, this one has been on my 'that looks interesting, I want to run it someday' list.

Crich Monument on the hill

Since I was already feeling the effects of pushing it hard on the walk earlier my plan was to just go out and enjoy myself, I even briefly considered taking along the camera.  There's a bit of regret that I didn't but I ended up with a much faster race than expected (not saying it was fast, just faster than I thought it would be). In the beginning we have a series of stile crossings in fields which causes bottlenecks to form--one of the perils of not starting close to the front but I kind of like the chance to catch my breath and chat with those around so long as it's not an extended pause.

Crazy hair, don't care :-)

After the fields we hit my favourite part of the course, a technical downhill through the forest, again there were areas of slowing and stopping as people not used to tree roots and rocks navigated this section with caution but I love bombing down those! It's almost like a dance when you get it right but it can go very wrong if you misjudge foot placement.

The slog along the canal almost seems endless after the fun of the forest but I ended up pacing out fairly well there and it was at that point I realised I didn't actually know how far the race was! I considered asking the woman who was running just behind me but figured the question might be better kept to myself. Once we started the uphill climb up to the monument I switched to power hiking because I figured it would be best to conserve my energy rather than trying to run the steep inclines.

I look happy, the others around me not so much!

After we got to the top though there was no more walking! It was a mostly downhill bomb that took us through a few more narrow stile crossings (3 I think), through a graveyard, across a busy road, through another field, and 3 more turns on the streets of Crich back into the Village Green and down a short but wicked steep downhill to the finish line chute.

I can't think of anything bad to say about the Crich Monument Race, it was well-marked, they allowed us to switch numbers, there was a banana AND a bottle of beer in the goody bag, it's very reasonably priced, food and cake is available to purchase before and after, the course is interesting and if you remember to give your email address and pay your £1 they will email the race photos to you (I forgot to do so though).  This one is a definite do again event!

2 thumbs up! 

A few photos from the event are here including the last two I have used in this post.

Let the (last minute) training begin!

After much deliberation (and discussing it with the partner) I have finally signed up for the Salisbury 5-4-3-2-1 event but rather than running it I will be Nordic Walking the 33k distance option.  I was initially considering the 50k option but the aforementioned partner talked me down off the wall for that one.  I'm fairly sure I could run it slowly but going for the walk only option is another ball game altogether because it will be using muscles in a way they aren't accustomed to for that far.

Bristol 2014

To be honest now that the registration form is filled out and submitted the enormity of WALKING 20 miles has just hit me.  Yes, I know it's weird to not be bothered about running that far but scared sh*tless about Nordic Walking it!!!!!!!!  Wish me luck please :-)

Adios Juneathon

Hello blog, apologies for having neglected you and missing the end of Juneathon.  Yep, despite good intentions I yet again didn't complete the move/blog every day challenge.  I have quite enjoyed catching up on with the blogs and reports of the other participants but I have fallen into the habit of reading them on my tablet using the feedly app at bedtime and it doesn't lend to easy commenting sometimes.  Oh sure I will think to myself I need to go back and comment but 99% of the time I fail to do so, my memory is like a sieve nowadays.  On the upside I have finally started familiarising myself with google calendar and actually USING it!

Activity wise I have dialled back the running slightly in order to get back into the habit of cross training because I have been neglecting the weights and they are oh so important for women of a certain age to help prevent osteoporosis...Not saying they aren't important for everyone but once you hit the point when you are closer to 50 than 40 then it does become a bit more of an issue with the bone density loss (this loss generally starts around age 35).  Of course you also have the added benefits of preventing injuries and keeping the weight at a healthy level, so yeah pumping some iron is kind of important.  I know I certainly run better if I do a full body weight workout at least twice a week.

Last week's running had some interesting twists.  Tuesday's club run was on a gorgeously hot evening that I think I enjoyed more than most of the others but then again I was out for a laid back trot and stayed at the back of the group and I think some took off at a balls to the wall pace for the temp so there was some suffering happening.

My new friend 

Thursday most of the club was doing one race or another so a handful of us went out on a bit of an offroad adventure recce run.  Parts of it was absolutely gorgeous but there were some mishaps of the sort I usually find myself on when I'm exploring by myself.  There was a two mile detour to avoid a pasture of cows and a machete wouldn't have gone amiss in order to cut our way through the nettles, thistles, and brambles!  Some awesome views though and I don't regret a moment of it --well there might have been a WTF have we gotten ourselves into a couple of times, lol. The pics above and below were taken on the run by a club mate (Hi Richard!).

Looks more like a jungle path rather than an English one!

Saturday I made a last minute decision to make the drive over for parkrun despite it being unbearably humid and experiencing some hellacious DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) from Friday's weight session. It's not a good sign when you are covered in sweat from your 1 mile warmup slog!  This time around I seeded myself closer to the front of the pack despite knowing it would cause me to run my first mile too fast (no discipline!).  Of course I jackrabbited and it felt hard from the very first step...what I didn't expect to see was 7:10 flash up for the first mile.

I did my best to push on but miles 2 and 3 were both 7:40 and I ended up having 2 women pass me in the last mile.  The first went on to finish in 22:54 and was running so strong that I had absolutely no chance of reeling her back in, the 2nd I managed to sprint by in the last .10 of a mile and finished ONE second ahead of her. That's why you always run through to the finish, no celebrating or relaxing as the guy in the Peachtree 10k found out over the weekend!

Despite the pacing mishap, I managed to get a pb (UK times) of 23:10, Still need to get those splits into a more even keel though. Let's see if I can match that time at tonight's club handicap!

Start of 2nd lap, don't let the smile fool you, I was suffering

Footpath Relays Recap

Shadow pic while I was waiting for my turn to run

After much hemming and hawing I finally succumbed to the lure of participating in the Footpath Relays in the Peak District that our running club fielded two teams for and I am glad I did! It was quite fun even though I was slightly stressed about getting lost (understatement) and letting the team down.

Map, notes, and team number

The format of this event is different to most other relays that I've done in that there's self-navigation involved across a mix of terrain--a route recce is highly recommended! Legs 1, 3, 6, and 9 start from the event centre and legs 2, 5, 8, and 10 finish there with legs 1 and 6 starting at the same time.*  Teams are made up of a mix of ages and sexes and there is a handicap system to ensure that each has this mix, for example since I'm a VW45 (VW=veteran woman, the equivalent in the states is masters female) I counted for 2 points toward the minimum 14 required.  The below screenshot shows the different leg information.

Click to enlarge

I was the 10th leg on Ilkeston Running Club Team B which gave me a LOT of time to worry about getting lost despite having recce'ed the route with Rachel the previous week.  However I did relish the opportunity to soak in the warmth of the day (slightly sunburned!) and being able to cheer on the others.

Legs 1 and 6 at the start line

As I mentioned in a post last week the route is gorgeous but I had no time to enjoy it once Paul handed off to me.  A slap of hands and I was off through the first stile and across the fields trying to catch Rachel who had set off just minutes earlier...it wasn't until I cleared the 2nd field before entering the woods that I realised I had forgotten to start my garmin, frustration! I made it to the single track after the farm and B&B before I heard footsteps pounding from behind and one of the guys from another team flew by me.

From the recce day, the downhill side of this is where I was overtaken

In the next section of woods I nearly missed a turn, I had a fairly decent head of steam and overshot where the path divided but it was just a few seconds to slow down and go the proper direction towards where we had our first bit of confusion on the recce but thanks to that I knew just where to go yesterday.  Past the bench and across a stile into another wooded area which led out into the fields where we had the 2nd bit of trouble last week. I still ended up coming down to the road at the wrong place and had to climb a fence instead of the stile and it meant more of the steep uphill on the lane to get up.  A few more valuable seconds lost there... 

The last section in Bow Woods is where I lost the most time though, the route instruction notes read to stay with the main path as it bore left but just before a clearing in the centre the path divides and they are the exact same size.  This is NOT where I was supposed to bear left! I'd gone the wrong way and it wasn't until I glimpsed the clearing on my right when it was meant to be on my left that I realised my mistake.  Instead of continuing on I backtracked and of course this cost me at least a minute.  While I was fairly sure the way I went would bring me back in to the path I needed I couldn't take the chance it wouldn't.  

After this it was fairly straightforward to get back to the finish, over the gate and across the main road (had to wait for traffic to clear on this one), around the bend and left to the canal footpath.  By now it was fairly heaving with people also out enjoying the day so there was some dodging and weaving happening and trying to maintain some semblance of speed while grunting out thank you to everyone who stepped aside.  To get over to the Rugby field from the canal path for our finish involved trying to find an opening to the right that quite a few people missed--by the time I'd gotten there someone had drew a large arrow on the ground pointing to it but it was still easy to overlook.  Thankfully we had double-checked on this earlier so I didn't shoot by but it did involve a very short but steep scramble over rocks and tree roots so it behooved you to watch your step. 

Garmin Connect details

I can't wait until next year! Hopefully my navigation skills will have improved even more before then.  If you can muster up a team I heartily recommend doing this one. There are no medals or prizes or even cake unless you bring it but it's definitely fun and challenging and a veritable bargain at £20 per team.

After the relays, I'd already changed out of my club vest

*If you are wondering what happened to legs 4 and 7 they started and finished out in the middle of nowhere! 

Adventure Challenge and Juneathon Day 22

Today was a bit unusual for a Monday in that I didn't run solo, a friend from the running club agreed to go on one of my rambles and while I enjoyed sharing one of my favourite routes, I'm not so sure he was as impressed! We did get in a solid 10 miles and I felt better than I have in quite a while on a longish run.  It also unlocked the Adventure Challenge badge on Strava where it gives me the opportunity to buy an exclusive tank top for the bargain basement price of $28 plus shipping charges of $15 and taxes of $5.60 for a grand total of $48.60/£30.69. Ummm, no. I can't afford race entries right now so I'm certainly not buying a branded shirt that is the equivalent to 2 or more races! I do highly recommend the Strava site if you like tracking stats and participating in fun competitions although it can become addicting--not that I'm obsessed with getting QOMs or course records or anything like that (read: totally addicted).

The Limited Edition top I am not buying 

Juneathon Day 22: 10 miles of hills, roads, trails, fields, woods, canals, rain, wind, sun, and poppies.  We had it all today!

A run in the fields with the mutts at the end of yesterday's run, change the quality to 720HD for the best viewing.

Juneathon Day 21

Welcome summer solstice! Now can we have a wee bit more of the warm stuff please? Yes I know we don't have any air conditioning but I would love to have a chance to wear my cute summer dresses and sandals without shivering at least a few times this year.

Today's Juneathon activity consisted of a late afternoon run where I optimistically wore a tank top.  That would have been fine but I'd also brought along the go-pro to see if I could get some decent video again (that would be a negative) and every time I stopped to get a picture I would get cold again.

Run selfie where it looks like I have a freakishly long arm

"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"

"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to" said the Cat.

"I don't much care where--" said Alice.

"Then it doesn't matter which way you go" said the Cat

"--so long as I get SOMEWHERE" Alice added as an explanation.

"Oh, you're sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough."

For some reason this picture reminded me of 'Alice in Wonderland'

The heat is on for Juneathon!

Apologies in advance for the earworm but I have been humming 'The Heat Is On' since posting an article about hot weather and how it affects your running on the Of Runsound Mind page yesterday. Gotta love the 80s!

Last night we had what was our first properly HOT run of the year, there have been a handful of warmish ones but this was the first where I came home and after peeling off the jogbra could have wrung the sweat out of it.  Oddly, I quite enjoyed the feeling of running in the heat and humidity but unlike Arkansas it won't be an everyday occurrence from now until October.  

The ashmei socks have been some of the most comfortable socks I've ever worn but unfortunately I have already worn holes into the toe area--so incredibly disappointed. I had hopes of these lasting at least a year which is around the time frame my socks generally make it to before the toe wear-through happens and this is at 3 months.  I'm in a quandary as to whether to make an issue of it since these were a gift rather than something I purchased for myself.  

Juneathon Day 15: No walk or run, short kettlebell workout

Juneathon Day 16: 4.8 miles Nordic Walking class, 9.2 miles club run

Hairy Helmet Relays and Long Eaton parkrun

Hello folks, yes it's another Juneathon update post for the 12th and 13th! I ended up taking yesterday as a rest day but did show up to support the Ilkeston Running Club at the Hairy Helmet Relays.  While I was in my running kit to step in in case someone couldn't make it at the last minute I was glad to not have to run because of lingering GI issues.  Lots of fun getting to cheer everyone on and actually being able to spectate the entire thing! The fancy dress is always fun to see, the Pirates of the Caribbean team was my favourite, well done them for running in full costume.

The club!

Hanging out at the Hairy Helmet 

Today was the inaugural Long Eaton parkrun and what a great event it was! Exceptional volunteers and despite the rain it was a good day to run because West Park is normally very windy and today it was only slightly breezy. It's a 2 lap course and they don't come much flatter so it is excellent for chasing after a personal best.  Lots of parking and there are changing rooms available for afterwards. Amongst the volunteers today was some very enthusiastic cow-bell ringers! I hope they had enough fun to continue coming out because it certainly put a smile on everyone's face that was running by (at least those in my proximity). 

Start pic from the facebook page

Despite me saying it is a pb course there wasn't one in the cards for me, I was thankful to have even made it through at a steady pace because of the continuing GI problems (yes still! grrrrrrrrr), heavy legs (4th 'speed' session this week) and a very achy lower back.  Getting old sucks! 

Stats:

5k time: 23:55

Splits: 7:31, 7:51, 7:46, 0:46 (6:48 pace)

70/242 overall

10/104 female

1/18 VW 45-49 category

If you aren't signed up for parkrun yet, whatever are you waiting for??? It's free, it's friendly and you don't have to be fast! And if you are very lucky there is cowbell!!!