Thunder Fun!

Thunder Run 2013 - Race Report
The Harriers (just about) had two teams of seven runners and our favourite solo nutter Carla Jenkins. Some of us arrived at camp on Friday and were greeted by a wonderful sight, huge masses of colourful tents and feather flags of running clubs from all over Great Britain. The weather was scorching and the course nice and dry.
A BBQ and a few drinks set the evening ...off nicely with much tactical team talk over the flames, followed by a reasonably early night.
Race day morning arrived, it was clear and sunny, the runners in good spirits. So what better than a little local Parkrun to get our legs in the mood? Conkers Parkrun (8 miles from TR24) hosted so well and great marshalling. A not so surprising massive turnout of just under 400 runners! A nice gentle plod around was just what wee needed.
At the 11am pre race briefing this point we were warned that bad weather would be closing in later on in the evening. I think the words were something like ' during the storm we cant advise you to keep on running, ultimately its up to you' which made us chuckle! At noon our first runners went out - it was very warm indeed.

The first part of the course is nice and flat, then a sharp turn into the woods at about half a km leads into a sharp ascent which then comes out into some grass before returning to woods. At this point you find yourself running past the campsite - really good support so a nice little boost.
Its a bit undulating from here util about 5.5 km where you have aother hill climb before hitting 'Conti Hill' which is a sharp hill emblazoned with Continental Tyres advertising, apparently the fastest runner up this hill wins running shoes for his/her whole team. Around here there was also a water station.
Once you have run (hopefully) this hill you are lead into a very twisty technical trail through the woods, exposed tree trunks are the order of the day and you need your wits about you.
At about 8km you leave the woods and arrive on a lovely ridge which is a good photo opp spot, then a fast downhill and back through more campsite leading you too a very sharp hill at 9.5km, fine the first time round, not so amusing in subsequent laps.Coming into the finish on any lap was an emotional feeling, whether in the sun or in deep dark night.

As promised the weather turned dramatically in the late afternoon - from brilliant sunshine to apocalyptic thunder, lightening and rain, we carried on running getting soaked and the course was soon a quagmire of mud, hidden tree roots and slippery ascents.
The whole course is on trail, no tarmac and a few bricks on one part! It did change from a dusty leafy track into a muddy slippery watery mess and then into a sticky dirty nightmare where your shoes carried so much mud it was difficult to run and turning a corner took all the power you had not to go speeding into the nearest tree!

There was a small event village where you could get food (reasonably priced and good quality/selection) a massage (excellent service and cheap) Buffs, and other promo were available - pricey as expected.

Some of out tents flooded and were consigned to the skip. Noels large tent was the place to be for many of us through the night and im not sure that anybody slept at all on Saturday night, not that they really minded. Every runner came off the course smiling, day or night, rain or sun. The last laps at about 11am were fantastic as the finish line was full of spectators ans as Noel came in we all joined him over the finish line.
A wonderful weekend where teamwork was paramount and came naturally to all involved. Well done to all the Harriers involved in running and supporting.
Next year anyone?

Running in the heat

Last night was my first night back at 'club' and it was great to see everyone again after my rest period. We were all sweating before we started as it was officially the hottest day since records began, ever, or around 33 degrees. We set off at a steady pace, legs like lead and having a bit of a moan. I soon went into chatter mode catching up with everyones news which helped to distract me from the matter in hand. Sweat pouring off us we ran a very pretty route through Bromham and towards Clapham, after running through a field we appeared at a ford, we were straight in, the river up to mid thigh was invitingly cool. One of our club runners who was unable to run met us on the other side with cold water and sweets, it was love at first sight! (shes in the pale yellow top and her name is Caroline and shes my favourite person ever)

After the run i popped into Sainsburys for some veggies  - yup am still juicing and its great in this hot weather. Home and a reasonably early night, a good job really as i was rudely awoken by storms at 430am alike many others - i think there will be a large number of too-warm-grumpy-Brits today.
Wet out today but still very warm, i applied the 'man up' rule and got on my bike to commute despite weather warnings etc (get me!) I also forgot to pack a bra so am in my work clothes trying to hide a luminous pink sports bra today, rock n roll!
Tonight im doing a run with some newbies, looking forward to it and hope my enthusiasm for running doesnt put them off....
I also need to pack camping type stuff for this weekends adventure in Derbyshire.
Body is a bit grumpy due to onset of running, but nothing too bad just some general aching.

Call me Judy the Olympian

The weekend plans were already good,  but on Saturday afternoon they rocketed from good to EPIC, a brief chat with friend and fellow runner Eamon transpired that he was participating in the National Lottery Olympic Park Run on Sunday, immediately i went on the interweb and looked to see if there were any places up for grabs, the Runners World forum came good and a lady called Mary informed me that her mum Judy was not going to be running and offered her race number. Delighted i accepted and agreed to meet Mary at the event - as name transfers were not allowed i would run in the name of Judy and the time would not be on record for me, but no matter, i was more interested in running in the actual Olympic Stadium!

I met Eamon at Toddington Services at 630am on Sunday morning, off we zoomed to London. At this point i had read a bit about the event and discovered that the organisers wanted everyone to wear the blue t shirt with the National Lottery logo on if - bugger that! I was dressed in my running clubs yellow and black vest and wearing long red and white striped socks - i was in it to get noticed. On arrival and after a little bit of a kerfuffle i met Mary and the exchange was completed. It wanst long before the race had started, what a spectacle, 12500 runners chasing each other down on the 5 mile route, to be honest it was a bit like running round a building site but the last half mile made it all worth it, Chariots of Fire were playing, famous people were there (think Chris Hoy, Sporty Spice, Paula Radcliffe etc) i bounced along the track feeling quite emotional. All in all a great day, i think Judy will like her time (she is older than me ) and possible her pictures.

http://www6.marathon-photos.com/scripts/photo.py?event=Sports/GRUK/2013/National%20Lottery%20Anniversary%20Run&photo=NATJ2908&bib=13661

Lots of white wine and a big salad when i got home, and back on juice today to cancel the wine out!

This juicing lark is taking over Bedford, little did i know when i started that there was a marketing campaign about to start - now there are no juicers available anywhere! (There's me thinking i was a trendsetter n all)

　

Other activities included two reasonably long cycle rides and a nice 5 mile early run on Saturday morning. The really nice parts of the weekend involved a long walk and visit to Harrold Country park and another to Marston Vale Park. Oh and another wonderful sports massage, mustn't forget that.

 

This week will involve two club runs, Mon and Weds, a possible visit for tea from youngest child and an event called the Stevenage Relays on Thursday before i bounce along to Thunder Run on Friday

BOING thats what i say!

 

Slowly slowy frogs and bikes

Today i am full of beans a) ITs Friday b)Its sunny c) 149.2lbs this morn, am finally in the 140s - total loss around 16lbs. only 9 to go - although really could do with a 'meal' im bossing these juices. This time next week I will be heading to Derbyshire for the Thunder Run event, this will be great fun and I cant wait, im giving a lift to my tri friend (not in a sexual way) so a girlie road trip! Shes a bit of a nutter too, also I will be nice and slim for ex to see me looking fab *in your face (insert ex boyfriends name here) look what you coulda had* The downside is there will be beer and bad food.  Any coping mechanisms/food I can take to help me suggestions welcome. Naturally I cant take the juicer, how odd would that be? Standing in the middle of a cross country course making vegetable juices - nah, better not.
This weekend is panning out nicely with cycling swimming and running planned, yes running, I need to say it again running, ah that's better - and another fab massage tomorrow afternoon. 

Right, juice to make, work clothes to sort and hair to mess up. Laters taters xx

Powered by Juice

Been fairly busy since last i blogged lots of cycling, juicing, work and stuff.

Ive been doing this juicing lark for a couple of weeks now, its good stuff but not sure how sustainable it is. The idea is that you don't eat any solid food for a week - the only thing you consume is juiced fruit and vegetables, in fairly large quantities and herbal tea/water. A kind of detox/weight loss/pure raw vitamin injection idea. There is no alcohol, caffeine, sugar, carb, meat fish etc. Protein/fat is derived from avocado and there some live yogurt thrown in for a bit of calcium. As its only for a week at a time i thought it couldn't do any harm and i could do with shifting a few lbs - good for running and biking, and especially good in the summer when you spend most of your time walking around in less clothing. Its good to be less offensive to the eyeballs anyway. There's a ton of stuff on the internet about it, generally showing good results.

A week later im 12,8lbs lighter and a juicing diva/ I have it down to a fine art now, all ingredients prepped the night before, juicing and swift cleaning of the machine happens pre work and off i cycle to the office. I would like a T-shirt - Bop - Powered by juice.

At the end of week one i felt amazing, skin good, energy levels great and just generally feeling good about myself. On day 8 which happened to be a Wednesday i began juicing for breakfast and lunch with 'solid' food for tea each night - being fish or lean meat and salad or veg, food tasted soo good, any food and the key now is to remain healthy with my eating - that's the hard part.

Last night i cycled 30 miles with a friend, we sped through some beautiful south Bedfordshire villages chatting and laughing, it was wonderful and i cant wait to do it again. But can someone please tell me why its acceptable for a 50 something obese man to wear tight fitting lycra *eyeball bleach please* Im not exactly Nell McAndrew but there were a couple of shockers on the road last night.

Tomorrow i am going to attempt that running thing in around a local marina, this makes me both nervous and elated, the calf is officially on test. Three miles is the aim, if all ok this will be repeated on Friday and increased slightly on Sunday - perhaps 4-5. Only just over a week to the Thunder Run event and i am determined to run - at least one lap anyway.

Keep smiling

Bop

Ponds, Parks, Pools and painting

That's was officially a stonkingly good weekend for many reasons but the main ones are, spending some time with my granddaughter, hearing some promising news from my daughter, a bloody good sports massage, a fantastic bike ride and a pretty good 'food' weekend - meaning I didn't go overboard.
Millie (3 1/2) came over on Friday evening, by the time we had popped to the shop, had some tea and a bath the evening was over, my attempt at a bedtime story was so bad I thik I bored the poor child to sleep, but hey, don't knock it! gap in the market right there.
Saturday morning we were up bright and early and went off to wave at the Parkrunners before heading off to the local beach pool for  swim....well not exactly a swim, more of a play, but it was fun, after that I planned a small adventure - purely by accident I found, whilst surfing one evening that Biddenham has a village pond, its a little hidden but well looked after
http://biddenhamvillagepond.wordpress.com/
I got hold of a net and bucket and we were off, it took us a while to find it but we eventually got there and what a stunningly beautiful place it was;

After a while a lady with a King Charles spaniel arrived, she sat with us and we chatted, she was called Nikki and was very interesting...I told her about Parkrun, reckon she might turn up there one day. We left the secret pond and will definitely go back again.
After a damn good sports massage I had a quick spin on the bike to the LBS to sort some stuff out only to have m'lady knocked over by a fellow cyclist!! It physically hurt me to see her scratched, I was less angry and more upset. It was however an accident and I like to think myself a reasonable person, plus the chap was pretty apologetic - we ended up chatting about running!
Saturday night was spent chatting online to a friend who is currently going through some stuff and needs a little support, hes doing really well and im very proud of his progress so far.
Sunday morning was a bike ride with some people from running club, most of whom I knew vaguely. A great bunch and we did a nice paced 27 miles with a stop in the middle for drinks:

Then off home to paint the fence panels in the garden, such glamour!
A pretty good weekend, and the weather has been stunning.
This is more of a diary entry than a blog today but I did a few nice things and wanted to get them down.
My thought today is:
Don't go home from work and sit on a piece of furniture and stare at the tv till bedtime.
Remember, theres a world out there, go for a walk, go for a run, find your old bike in the garage and fix it up, call a friend, or just dance like a loon to a song you like on the radio. I promise you it will make you feel good. Money back guarantee.
Bop

massage and dippy eggs...

That's three days commuting on my bike to work in a row now, and because im an ever so slightly competitive person im now racing against myself every day - how daft, but i cant help it - 40 seconds off my best time this morning but i did arrive looking like some kind of sweating Medusa. And dont even get me started on Strava. The new steed has now been christened Merlot. - name chosen by my big sis - and very apt too but thats a whole nother story.

Friday always makes me feel excited, sort of a little 'tummy flutter' type thing happens, even if ive got nothing planned for the weekend, this has always been the case - am perfectly happy in my job and everything.... I suppose its just the freedom the weekend brings.

Last night on the cycle home it was warm and sunny so i made the decision to go for a swim (i know, lovely and sunny outside, lets go inside - strange woman) so a sped home, grabbed my cossie and a towel and dashed to the pool. I haven't been in our local pool for years and it hadn't change a bit, in which way i mean the whole place was in need of an overhaul, it was tired and grubby looking (a bit like me after Glastonbury, again thats a nother whole nother story) anyway, i had a job to do so in i went, 10 lengths passed ok, not fast as i only 'do' breaststroke, 10-20 were actually quite boring and 20-30 were as dull as dishwater, even the people spotting isnt all that because you can only see bobbing heads and the occasionally person making a dash for the changing areas. Not sure i want to repeat this exercise, not at Robinson anyway - are the other pools in Bedford any better? I suppose i could go to Oasis and hurl myself down the slide but its not exactly exercise per se. Dull dull dull,  its up there with going to the gym, but worse.

I shall be nanny tonight and some of tomorrow, spending time with my granddaughter Millie, I don't have her overnight very often so am looking forward to it. On the menu are a spot of pond dipping, perhaps a swim and some dippy eggs and soldiers.

The rest of the weekend will be spent hopefully mainly outside but i do have a few chores to do which involve using the car grr and my first 'sports' massage at a place in town, should help my injury and loosen me up a bit.

I could go on all day but im sneaking this blog in at work as i wont have time later on.

Time for a juice (and thats a nother nother nother story for another day)

Bop

Being disgusting and going native

On running, bike and living alone

I can't run, running is my life, i haven't run since Weds 3rd July and that was after 2 weeks of abstinence, this is all my own fault for getting completely carried away with the running thing (middle name is 'all or nothing') I was warned not to overtrain/over race and chose to ignore and so i broke my damn stupid calf (dsc)

Therefore phasers are now set to BIKE, Bike is good, bike is fast - however bike is much more expensive/dangerous/less sociable than RUN. Its a complicated life isnt it?

I have noticed that bike is a much more solitary sport, whereas running is a great way to connect with friends and have a good natter. As a result i am now feeling a little lonely, often i can get in from work and not speak to another human being until the next day...i need a plan to remedy this. Perhaps i can go and chat to the checkout staff at Sainsburys? No? Facetime is another option. My thoughts go out to the elderly people who live alone, crikey it must be days sometimes before they talk to anyone, this makes me sad. Last night i popped in and saw my sister, we had a natter, it was nice. Perhaps i should join some kind of bike club thing... im rambling again arent i?

Living alone is also ace, i will tell you why:

You put something down and its still there when you go back for it *note this also applies to mess

You can eat strange things at strange times

You can be disgusting - think cutting toenails in living room, not washing till lunchtime, not washing up, not hoovering.

You can sing loudly, and dance a bit without fear of being locked up

You can sleep star shaped

There are more upsides but i need to remember them.

In other news i have a running event on the weekend of 27th July, its called the Adidas Thunder Run and its a 24 hour 10k course you run in teams, there's camping and beer etc, theres lots of people that like running there - obviously. I am saving myself for this and hope that dsc will be at least well enough to do one lap - maybe more. This could be the big comeback providing the dsc behaves.

Good things

Todays good things are

Weight is best its been in a while

Ive decided to let my hair go native for a change, it works well with cycle commute and colleagues have been complimentary, its liberating and i feel a little hippyish.

Energy levels are good following recent juice diet (google Jason Vale)

Since Glastonbury im refreshing my love of music, old and new.

Todays not so good things

Im a bit lonely (see above) in the evenings sometimes

Have a lovely day - and i mean that, not like the Americans when they say 'Have a nice day'

Bop

On lycra and nuts

Today was my first commute, this means I needed to be organised, no mean feat for me - have you seen my house/hair/handbag?
Despite the above I was ready to roll at 8am, thought id leave nice and early because a) - not sure how long it would take b) - didn't want to bump into too many colleagues in the office dressed in not a lot of that lycra stuff sweating like a madwoman. So, off I zoomed on my new love, rucksack not too heavy, I totally bossed the downhill stretch of Bromham Road and grinning like a woman on some kind of mad juice diet or something.
Wow, its mad out there, cars and transits battling each other for space with cyclists hanging on in there. I stayed on the main roads today, although I will look at a friendlier route tomorrow. It does seem quite dangerous and you certainly need to have your wits about you.
Im liking it so far, a faint 'glow' by the time I got to work, soon remedied with babywipes and a roll on. Not sure it will be so favourable in the rain though.
In other news im back on solids after a week long juice diet, in a nutshell* a fair amount of weight lost and feeling pretty good.
Right, im off back out for a cycle
*this environment is not nut free

Its wheely gweat

This weekend was the first one in a while with nothing on the agenda. Due to damn stupid calf (dsc) I am currently on the injury bench. The good news was that my new speedy road bike was ready to collect from the local bike shop.  I bounced out of bed early on Saturday morning with the plan of walking to town, collecting bike and riding her home - fully aware that this would be my first ever 'clipped in' experience (Youtube was researched thoroughly on Friday for tips, except it was more fun to watch the fails than the successes) The very lovely chaps at the lbs were very helpful and fitted me to the frame, not literally you understand. Clumsily I leaned against a telegraph pole and clipped one foot in, in a few seconds I was off - scared wasn't the word, its like being padlocked in - theres a sense of loss of control and fear. And then I rode her, shes was like a machine, a sleek aluminium and carbon goddess gliding me down the A428, I was totally in love. Suffice to say I managed to get home without falling off.  Later in the afternoon I took a ride out to Kempston  happy to receive knowing nods from other road bikers - felt a bit special  - until I got to some traffic lights, forgot to unclip and totally stacked it into the kerb, once I checked the steed was ok I then had a good old laugh at myself (very important this bit) and off I went.
First day done and feeling quite pleased with myself.