Let's Get Physical

 Greetings one and all and welcome to yet another blog update. I shall have to dig deep to find anything interesting to blog about but lets start with this....

14 weeks!

Yes, in 14 weeks time we shall be in the midst of our challenge to complete the Adidas Silverstone Half Marathon 2014 and, hopefully, raise some funds for  www.whitelodgecentre.co.uk.

Now,14 weeks = 3 and a bit months or 98 days which may sound like a long time but, by the time Christmas
and New Year have been celebrated along with various birthdays and anniversaries, I know the time is going
to fly by and I will be in panic mode but until that time arrives I intend to keep plodding on with my various
exercises and to keep focused on my goal.

Exercise has been fairly basic this week. I returned to my yoga class on Tuesday, survived my 2nd lesson 
and lived to tell the tale. While I am still  finding  the poses difficult, even in the space of a week I can feel a 
difference how my body is responding to each position and stretch. I felt invigorated when the lesson was
over and I am really looking forward to returning this week.

I have also been to the gym and incorporated my yoga stretches in my general warm up routine. I then did a
leisurely 5 km on the elliptical trainer and similar on the bike. I felt it was a good workout and I have not had
any ill effects to my knee or anywhere else which is great!

I have also continued with the dog walking which doesn't really seem like exercise but which definitely counts
in my book. I intend to walk further and further with the dog as I implement a walking regime in a couple of 
weeks so we will hopefully have a fitter me and a fitter doggy too.

Hubby and I have had a week of  trying to only eat three times a day. This is really to try to stop me from
snacking at any given time of the day whether I'm hungry or not. I've found it quite a struggle if I'm honest!
I don't think biscuits have ever lasted so long in our house! I haven't had a baking session at all this week
which is deliberate because I always lick the bowls and spoons after I've finished with them and I also eat
the majority of what I bake. I hope to see a result the next time I step on the scales. Fingers crossed!

The 'no snacking' theme was blown apart last night as we were invited to a 50th birthday party where there 
was a lot of fabulous food and drink provided. Although we stood as far away from the buffet table as we
could, we were enticed by the beef in Yorkshire pud with horseradish sauce and the ham and cheese in
particular. We did avoid the pizza but we did have cake. It would have been rude not to! The party was to 
celebrate the birthday of one of the nicest men I know. Happy birthday for Tuesday Peter.

The evening before had seen another birthday celebration....the 84th birthday of my dear old father in law
David. Various family members joined us for a lovely meal in an Italian eatery in West Byfleet. David's 
sister and brother in law were down for the night and we spent a very pleasant evening talking about
allsorts. Father in law ate really well which is always nice to see and we were all safely back to our 
various abodes by 11pm. We are gettting old!!!

Last night was also the big night for the BBC and their Doctor Who 50th birthday celebrations. There was
a special programme featuring all 12 Doctors and I'm looking forward to seeing it. When I do, I shall be
reminded of two people. My Dad was a big Tom Baker fan and I'm always reminded of Dad
whenever I see Mr. Baker as The Doctor. The other person, the main man as far as all things Doctor Who
is concerned, was Thomas. I worked with Thomas for several years and, during my time with him I learned
an awful lot about The Doctor in his various guises. I now know that TARDIS stands for Time And 
Relative Dimension In Space and that Torchwood is an anagram of Doctor Who. I learned so, so much
more from Thomas and his family about so many things and therefore Doctor Who has a very special
place in my heart and always will have.

Looking ahead to this week, apart from work, I have little planned apart from preparing for The Jigsaw 10k 
which takes place a week today at Dunsfold where they film Top Gear. I'm looking forward to it already!

I hope you all have a fabulous week and I shall update the blog after the 10k next Sunday if possible.

A xx

Take It Easy

Good day folks,

This will be a short and sweet update mainly because I have been very lazy and done next to no proper exercise this week! This was not for any particular reason, it's just how things panned out. I haven't been particularly busy, I have no terrible injuries to stop me. In fact, I have no excuse at all.

The dog has had some good walks though including a trip to Winkworth Arboretum on a stunning Friday morning. The colours of the autumnal leaves on the trees there are quite spectacular. Unfortunately, although dogs are welcome there, they have to be kept on a lead at all times which did make negotiating the slippery steps quite an adventure.

 I also took the doggy down to our newly acquired beach hut. I've been to it 4 times now and every time that I have been the weather has been good. This time was no exception. It was windy but wonderfully invigorating. I envisage many happy memories being made there over the coming years. We enjoyed chips and hot chocolate...daughter and I, not dog and I!

 So you will see that walking...on pebbles, on sand, on trails...has been the exercise of choice this week and it has been very enjoyable but not at all taxing which makes me feel a bit of a fraud to be honest. However, I DID finally get to yoga. I have been to several yoga groups over the years and have always enjoyed it but it has always been one off classes here and there and nothing consistent. Tuesday's yoga class was a real eye opener. I found it really difficult! There were obviously poses that I couldn't do because of my knee but I found even the basic holds hard. It really made me realise how unfit I really am. I think I have been kidding myself that because I have been basically fairly physically robust and strong throughout my life that that equates to fitness. Couldn't be more wrong! I worked muscles that I haven't worked in years, if ever. By the end of the hour long class I was exhausted and shocked at how much I struggled. The following morning I had very sore shoulders and upper arms but I actually felt pretty good. In fact I felt that my ongoing shoulder problem felt improved and has continued to feel that way throughout the week. So, I am looking forward to returning to the class next Tuesday and see how I get on. I know that yoga and I are meant to be together!

Another exciting step on the road to Silverstone was receiving the official email from the organisers which contained lots of information and tips for training and so on. It also gave suggestions for fund raising including setting up a blog!! Jack received his email as well so we both have official confirmation of our places. Exciting/challenging/scary/etc etc etc.

Of course, Friday was Children In Need day. As usual, I made Pudsey cakes. I only made a dozen as I wasn't going to sell them. In previous years I have organised cake sales and raised lots of pennies for Pudsey's piggy bank. This year I ate about half of what I baked and gave the rest to family who made donations which was great. Jack and I had already made individual donations after watching DIYSOS and being moved to tears by the bravery and inspiration of the children and their families.

That's about it for this week. I hope that you all have a wonderful week and I promise I will attempt to make next week's entry a little more interesting. No promises though!!

A xx

I Walk The Line

Hello people,

As I type this I am in the same room as the three males in my life...hubby, son and dog. Hubby and son are watching the Man Utd v Arsenal game and dog is desperately seeking attention by dropping a very smelly, wet mini tennis ball onto various laps in the hope that someone might just throw it for him. He will give up eventually. It is quite likely, therefore, that I am going to be continually distracted and annoyed by any one of them! I will attempt to stay focused but I can't promise anything.

After last Sunday's walk/run at Loseley, my knee, which was fine at the time, became a bit stiff and uncomfortable so I have been taking it easy and being a good girl. I have not been to the gym at all but I did go for a swim with eldest daughter and have been walking the dog fairly regularly.

We swam at The Surrey Sports Park which is a fantastic facility about 2 minutes from our house. The water felt a bit on the chilly side to me but it was fine once I got moving. Unfortunately for me, the only stroke I have ever been able to do in the pool is breaststroke which is notoriously bad for someone with knee problems. I attempted my usual swim and found that it was, indeed, bad for my knee. It was also painful for my shoulder. In the end I decided that swimming on my back was the way forward (!) so that's what I did. I mixed up the swimming with some water exercise such as jogging and stretching and I felt that I had done myself some good by the time I climbed out of the pool.

I find it increasingly difficult to work out what I should be doing exercise-wise to benefit me. Am I supposed to be painfree before I start, in which case I wouldn't do any exercise at all, or do I give things a go and stop if the pain gets worse? The latter of the two options is what I have decided on. It will be interesting to see how I get on.

Hold on......just going to eat my roast dinner. BRB as they say!

You can't beat a good roast and that was a good roast.

Anyway, some good news on the old knee front was received via a letter from the consultant. In the letter he confirmed that I have a lot of arthritis in all parts of my knee but not grade 4. The most badly affected part of my knee is grade 3 which is under my patella. That is good news to me. In the letter he also referred to me as 'a very nice lady' (hooray) and wrote that for me to attempt any kind of jogging 'is completely and utterly wrong' (boo).

So, walking it will be from now on.

The other piece of good news  is that I contacted the organisers of The Silverstone Half Marathon and asked if I would be able to take part in the event if I could not run and could only walk and they said yes!! That is a big relief to me and it means that I can, knee permitting, put a training plan into place and gradually build up my distance. I am still waiting to hear from the organisers of the upcoming 10k which takes place at the beginning of December. I really hope to be able to take part but I won't if I can't walk it. I hope to hear from them soon.

Jack at The Loseley...note shoes and carrying his t shirt and sweatshirt. He finished 4th! I still think that's not fair.

Today is Remembrance Sunday which is always a poignant occasion. The sun has been shining all day and it has been a bit chilly. My Dad was born on November 11th and poppies and Remembrance Sunday always remind me of him so I popped over to the cemetery and placed a poppy on his headstone and then went over to the crematorium to place a poppy for my Mum as she always supported the buying and wearing of poppies. 

Tomorrow would have been Dad's birthday. He would have been 78. I cannot imagine that he would have been much different at 78 than he was and 62!

So, this week I shall be mostly working and trying to do some suitable exercise. I have booked a few yoga classes and I hope to get in another swim with my daughter. It's good for both of us. I also need to get down to the gym and get my act together there.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

Have a happy and safe week everyone.

A x

Walking On Sunshine

Hi again everyone.

I hope you've all had a good week and that this blog update finds you well. 

My week has involved a 2nd week off as school is still on holiday, a long overdue trip to see my daughter and my grandchildren (with  Halloween goodies in tow), a couple of trips to Hayling Island, the delight of actually becoming the owners of a beach hut, a planned trip to London with another daughter that I had to cancel as I was feeling poorly, the scattering of mother in laws ashes and the challenge of a 4km fun run that took place today. Crikey, I feel exhausted just reading that!

I had booked for Jack and I to take part in The Loseley a couple of months ago and, as it was a fun run, I decided that I would try and take part in it. My thinking was that 4km is a reasonable distance but not too far and the event was advertised as being suitable for families so there were bound to be people walking and jogging and just being happy to take part.

Now, on the Friday evening I had been working with Sam and had started to feel decidedly queasy shortly after I had settled him for the night. By the time I got home I felt rough. I felt sick, shaky and ached all over. I was also feeling hot one minute and cold the next. I fell into bed and had a sleepless night and, as a consequence, spent all of yesterday (Saturday) in bed. I decided that I would have to wait and see how I felt this morning (Sunday) before making any decisions about taking part in The Loseley today.

When I woke up I felt back to normal, the sun was shining and the sky was blue. I think that if it had been pouring with rain I may have made a different choice but I decided that it would be foolish to not at least turn up to the event and give it a go. I attempted to wake Jack up....never an easy thing to do at the best of times and certainly not any easier when he is nursing a hangover. When he finally rolled out of bed we got our things together and set off to Loseley House where the event was being staged.

The Loseley is arranged as a fundraiser for Chase Children's Hospice which is situated between Guildford and Godalming. The hospice is a wonderful place and I have been fortunate to work there. I have seen at first hand the tremendous job that the staff do and I have seen how much the children and their families benefit from the care and attention that they receive. My short spell of working at Chase made me realise how very lucky I am to have never had to use its services.

Anyway, Jack and I arrived at the venue, parked up and made our way to the reception area where we collected our numbers, our t-shirts and our timing devices. We went back to the car to sort ourselves out because it was chilly in the wind and we were feeling the cold. Pathetic really!! Then it was off to the start and we dutifully took part in the warm up which I quite enjoy but Jack doesn't. He's way too cool for warm ups obviously.

As we were both taking part in the same distance this time we set off together but that is as far as our joint running venture went. I know I am not advised to run anymore and Jack is a competitive person so we were 

soon separated and in our own musical headspace thanks to our playlists and our trusty i phones.

Despite my best efforts I found it impossible to not run. I promise I did try to walk but I just couldn't! However, I mixed up my light jogging with good spells of walking and I managed quite well. I took on all of the obstacles which included a cargo net, hay bales, muddy puddles, tree trunks and rubber tyres. I was overtaken many times by children and their parents but I just kept going. I'm sure the fact that it was sunny helped immensely and the atmosphere throughout was one of fun. Having said that, I was very relieved to see the finish signs.

I completed the course in a very average time of  33.34 and finished 152nd out of  223 so I didn't disgrace myself. Jack, of course, did really well. I don't know how he does it with his rubbish diet and his 'hectic' social life but he finished 4th in a time of 19.28. Just think how well he would do if he did some training or, at least, didn't run when he's hungover!

I met Jack back at the car and we set of for home, via Godalming, and got ready to go to Normandy cricket club where we had arranged to scatter Grandma's ashes alongside a bench that we have erected in her memory. It seemed very apt that the sun continued to shine while we carried out the proceedings. I like to think that Grandma would have been smiling if she had been able to see me trotting along earlier in the day and she would have been very proud that Jack did so well. I know that she would have been really  happy that all of her family were able to get together for a little while to remember her for the lovely wife, Mum and Grandma that she was.

Now, a few hours later, all is back to normal. Rosie is on her way back to Oxford with Harry, Jack is recovering, Russ is relaxing and I have a dog that needs a walk. My knee is feeling okay which is a fantastic

relief. Let's hope it still feels alright in the morning.

Until we meet again...

A xx