![WE OWN THE NIGHT - CALLING ALL LADIES.
Do you feel like there needs to be a race just for the girl crews and fast females in the UK? A short and sharp route, perhaps, with a festival vibe? A 10k in London in Spring? Maybe an evening race, you know, to be a bit different, so we can make a ‘thing’ of it? A race where fashion and fitness unite and unicorns line the sides of the route*? A run with a party atmosphere?
It’s happening. Nike UK and Elle UK have teamed up to cater to girl crews and ladies in lycra who want all of the above. (*fashion and fitness will be present, the unicorns, however, will not be).
Of course I’m down to be involved. I’ve been looking for a small race to train for, to keep my legs going, but one with no pressure for speed so I can just enjoy it. I would never have dreamed of an evening race (my preferred time to run) that is as much about enjoying the atmosphere as enjoying the run itself. But yeah, that’s what’s happening. I still kind of can’t believe it and I’m really looking forward to it (I know, ME, looking forward to running, SO LOLZ).
Rewind to a fortnight ago and Elle and Nike put an evening of cocktails, smoothies, photo shoots and race sign ups to get the ball rolling. I was invited to be involved and the photo above is one that was taken of me on the evening.
True to form, I haven’t started training yet, but with a month to go myself and my mini girl crew featuring Bwalya and Eman are tackling the miles as of next week. We’re the [Unofficial But So Official] Basketball Wives of Hackney (all three of our boyfriends run the court and, um, all live in Hackney).
The race is Saturday the 18th of May. I am bringing my girls and vibez to the start line. See you THERE.
Sign up here for the WE OWN THE NIGHT 10K race.
Have a look at www.elleuk.com/beauty/running and their post for their top tips to train for a 10k (which has a photo of meeee!) ‘How To Run A 10K’.
If you’re signing up but are worried about training, Nike and Elle are running classes leading up to the race. The Nike+ Run Club is every Monday evening at Niketown London and the Nike Training Club class is every Wednesday evening in Hyde Park. Check out: @NikeUK @ElleUK @ElleUKRunning for times and information. The sessions are free so just show up and get involved - I will be!](http://24.media.tumblr.com/c5d3de76920682042b42cda2a742e8be/tumblr_mlin99Euac1r70v3wo1_500.jpg)
WE OWN THE NIGHT - CALLING ALL LADIES.
Do you feel like there needs to be a race just for the girl crews and fast females in the UK? A short and sharp route, perhaps, with a festival vibe? A 10k in London in Spring? Maybe an evening race, you know, to be a bit different, so we can make a ‘thing’ of it? A race where fashion and fitness unite and unicorns line the sides of the route*? A run with a party atmosphere?
It’s happening. Nike UK and Elle UK have teamed up to cater to girl crews and ladies in lycra who want all of the above. (*fashion and fitness will be present, the unicorns, however, will not be).
Of course I’m down to be involved. I’ve been looking for a small race to train for, to keep my legs going, but one with no pressure for speed so I can just enjoy it. I would never have dreamed of an evening race (my preferred time to run) that is as much about enjoying the atmosphere as enjoying the run itself. But yeah, that’s what’s happening. I still kind of can’t believe it and I’m really looking forward to it (I know, ME, looking forward to running, SO LOLZ).
Rewind to a fortnight ago and Elle and Nike put an evening of cocktails, smoothies, photo shoots and race sign ups to get the ball rolling. I was invited to be involved and the photo above is one that was taken of me on the evening.
True to form, I haven’t started training yet, but with a month to go myself and my mini girl crew featuring Bwalya and Eman are tackling the miles as of next week. We’re the [Unofficial But So Official] Basketball Wives of Hackney (all three of our boyfriends run the court and, um, all live in Hackney).
The race is Saturday the 18th of May. I am bringing my girls and vibez to the start line. See you THERE.
Sign up here for the WE OWN THE NIGHT 10K race.
Have a look at www.elleuk.com/beauty/running and their post for their top tips to train for a 10k (which has a photo of meeee!) ‘How To Run A 10K’.
If you’re signing up but are worried about training, Nike and Elle are running classes leading up to the race. The Nike+ Run Club is every Monday evening at Niketown London and the Nike Training Club class is every Wednesday evening in Hyde Park. Check out: @NikeUK @ElleUK @ElleUKRunning for times and information. The sessions are free so just show up and get involved - I will be!
Two week’s worth…
I feel like, having trained for a half marathon and now beginning my training for the next, I have now developed perhaps an inkling of an understanding of what these Olympic athletes have been through in the years of training to arrive on the start line in Stratford this year. The cycling and track and field events have caught my attention in particular and it has been nothing short of motivating watching other human beings break world records. At times I’ve never felt more patriotic or proud of the athletes that I support when watching heats, sprints and determined successes. My tear ducts have been very well exercised (it’s so bloody EMOTIONAL!) and I’ve spent hours in front of the TV or poaching wifi in restaurants and screaming at large screens in public places, watching the events in London.
I never thought I’d be this interested in sport, but watching Bolt jog 200 metres makes me want to head to the nearest track and start pumping out sprints. I just want to run really fast and WIN something, you know?!
I feel nothing short of GALVANISED.
I think it’s pretty special when, in your first attempt at a new competitive sport, you rank highly. My little brother, Chris (Count To Three), has entered 5 triathlons this summer FOR THE FUN OF IT. He kind of just signed up for loads, not expecting to be accepted, and then thought ‘ahh fuck it!’ when they all responded positively. His first ever (EVER!) was yesterday and he came home with the second fastest time in the 16-24 age group. Once again, the golden boy is putting me to shame. I need to step my game up! The final competition is the big one, at the end of summer. Chris is taking sponsorships for his charity for the London Triathlon on his blog (Count To Three), so if you’d like to support Baby Mei, you can and it will be much appreciated. I’m so proud right now! 😁
#RUNNINGSUCKS
Ok, so here’s the deal. I’m not running.
I’m not running because I can’t. Well, I CAN, but it really fucking hurts which is really fucking frustrating.
I had got to a stage where I could run a 10k on a Tuesday night at Run Dem and feel great about it. I mean, it would be hard and I’d have to push myself, but it’s 10k that I wouldn’t have been doing this time last year, so it #totallyfriggincounts. I’ve made so many new friends through running, made international connections and I’ve been building something that is essentially borne from running and now I’m on a time-out that seems to be lasting FOREVER.
Remember when I posted that I wasn’t running because my lower legs hurt? I decided then to take a few weeks off and rest to alleviate the stress on my legs. I had about two weeks of painful shins and sore calves when even stepping off a kerb hurt and stairs would make me sweat with the effort of walking down them (down is always worse than up with whatever this is), and then things started feeling better. I kept off the running though, just to make sure. I figured I’d wait out the month and start running at the beginning of June.
It got to a stage where I really missed running. I felt like I was missing out or being left out because I hadn’t laced up my trainers and worn Lycra for anything other than a fashion statement. I grabbed every opportunity to take a Barclay’s Bike because I wanted to feel like I was being productive. I dunno, I think I missed the adrenaline.
Anyway, I laced up running trainers for Ed Skrein’s video project and was filmed running through Shoreditch at the end of May. Other than the heat, my legs were making it really uncomfortable to keep running and I was glad it was only an hour in front of the camera. Any more than that and I would have melted into a crying, sweaty heap in front of everyone sitting in the sun at Boxpark.
I also did a couple of short bursts of running and jogging for photographs for Japan’s Corner Magazine which made me think that I either need to train to run in a more efficient manner (it’s likely that I’m doing something wrong) or I need to rest for a bit longer.
But then Sunday came around. I was chilling with John Law from the NY Bridge Runners, Jeggi, Denis and Rosie, watching the Queen’s Jubilee boat procession on tv and avoiding the crowds and the rain. Apparently we were all congregated to chill, eat and run. I was only aware of the first two activities but definitely wanted to hit Tarmac while Law was in town and a mini Run Dem sesh was in place at my house.
So we ran. 2.5 miles. Rosie was under strict Charlie Dark orders to do no running, so we grabbed a Boris bike so she could join in the fun.
Except it wasn’t a fun run. I usually love running with Jeggi, he’s probably the best company to have while you’re out on the street, but I didn’t enjoy it at all. I felt really unfit - no running for a month definitely took its toll on my lung capacity. My legs were screaming from the moment I moved at a faster pace than a walk. Every time I stopped, I would feel surges of pain shooting up my shins and my calves felt tense. I couldn’t relax to keep running so I was caught in a catch-22 where nothing could relieve the pain.
I took the next day off work and finally took the advice of so many people and really rested. It’s two days later and my legs still hurt. I’ve iced them, elevated them, massaged them and booked in to see a physio, but MAN I am scared she’s going to tell me something I don’t want to hear!
I’m sitting in the mezzanine in 1948 at the moment waiting for everyone to get back from tonight’s run. Totally bummed.
I know this is a complete 180 from last year’s attitude to exercise but…
NOT RUNNING SUCKS.
In which we have finished our very first half marathon.
Running stuff.
In two thirds of a year I have managed to accumulate enough running and training wear to make a full load of washing. This is quite a substantial amount of Lycra and DriFit.
And this now means that I don’t have to remove bits of my running uniform from the washing machine before putting the conditioner in for the rest of my laundry.
Does this make me a real ‘runner’ now?
In which we view ‘Perspective’ (20th March 2012)
20th March 2012:
If running has taught me anything, it is the value of perspective. I mean, I thought I had a pretty good grasp of this, but this ongoing development has solidified and enhanced my existing notions, undoubtedly for the better.
I have a habit of saying “PERSPECTIVE” in a joking tone when I realise how silly something is, but it’s not always a joke and sometimes you have to be a grown up and be serious.
In terms of running, my first experience of differing perspective was with the fact that I LOOK like I could easily run without much struggle, but the reality is I found it extremely uncomfortable up until about 3 weeks ago. So, to the external and internal viewpoints, things were seen quite differently.
My main issue with running and perspective is pace and timing. Again, I look like I can run well but the truth is I pretty much just jog, ambling along on 12 minute miles. I’m comfortable with that, but even then, at times, I’m pushed off the sofa in my comfort zone. Now, I’m very happy with my 12 minute miles, to the point that I’m ecstatic when I manage to run a 10-11 minute mile. I’ve not yet hit a 9-10 minute mile, but I’m not sure that I care. My perspective is that I’m happy with my pacing and I’m going to run a half marathon in 2 weeks’ time. My brother, before he started suffering from shin splints, was running 7.5 minute miles, and was working towards a sub-1.5 hour race in Berlin. I’m not looking to finish the race in sub-anything, or even work out splits to make sure each mile is completed in the right amount of time because my priority is just to FINISH. I’m not a racer, but I’m in for the long-haul. Hopefully, my brother, if he can’t face the pain of racing and finishing fast, will be happy to run with me. I doubt it, even his patience can’t be stretched to jog slowly for nearly 3 hours, but I’d rather he run slow now and save himself the injury and triumphantly smack down a triathlon at the end of this year.
Run Dem, with the help of Charlie, has brought to light several instances where perspective becomes a major theme. I have met some really great people through this community, all of whom have contributed towards my changing attitude and experience of running. Running is by no means an easy thing to do for some people, and because I have always struggled with it, and still continue to do so, it is very comforting to hear that you are not the only one not having fun. More importantly, it is particularly insightful, and refreshing to kick yourself out of that well of self-pity that you might be comfortable rolling around in, when you hear that there are runners within the group that have pulled themselves through remarkable and life-altering circumstances and are back on their feet and running, providing inspiration for others. I feel like I need a new word for ‘inspiration’ because it is in danger of becoming cliché, if it hasn’t already. But, regardless, at the moment, when you hear that you are sharing a bench with a woman who has pulled through cancer, has gone through chemotherapy and other stressful treatments, or a man who has been motionless for weeks due to an accident, you get a healthy, and very welcome, dose of perspective. There are stronger people than me who have experienced more unfortunate things than I have. Most often, I am not in a position to complain, and I do really appreciate everything and everyone that contributes to my life. There is sometimes absolutely nothing better than coming home to beaming parents, cracking jokes about your abysmal run. Times like this I remember friends who don’t have the same privilege and I can value the heartbreak that an individual is suffering. As humans, we aren’t always open to accept other’s plights, but perspective teaches me to never underestimate the weight of another person’s burden.
I have mentioned Candice on several occasions throughout this running journal thingy, but she is a very relevant person in my life in regards to my experiences of running. Not only have I run with her (behind her – she is an awesome pacer), but I have had the opportunity to follow her own progression, albeit only relatively recently in the last 4 or 5 months. She’s running a marathon on each continent, literally running the world. Candice is about to go and smash up the London Marathon in April, probably in batty riders, Raybans and lipstick. More fool you if you step in her way. She is a particularly motivating individual and I owe a lot of my own recent running achievements to her, Orsi and Bangs. These ladies, amongst others, have given me more much appreciated lessons on perspective over the last month or 2. If I could mend broken hearts and find you diamonds, physical and metaphorical, I’d do all that I could. Thank you.
FML
So, as I lie here on the carpet still sweating and breathing like a rhino, after 1.82miles of whiney running, my only thoughts are of the FML variety. I have under 3 weeks (THREE WEEKS?!!?!??!!!!) until I have to run the Berlin half marathon. I could only manage a mile before I had to walk because I could feel the Nutella I just ate before I set out creeping back up my throat. Note to self: don’t ever eat spoons of Nutella and drink lychee juice together again - they may taste like fatty kid heaven, but they will curdle and taste like bile. As I was running just now (at 11:45pm on a Monday night), my lower legs were in agony. They still ache now. I preferred it when my knees felt like they were constantly on the verge of dislocating. I have no idea why, and I sincerely hope they don’t hurt like that tomorrow at Run Dem. More to the point, I was really struggling. I was running at a considerably faster pace than my usual amble, but still, OUCH. I was really glad to touch base again and once more it looks like I’m back to hating running. How the EFF am I going to run 13.1 miles in 3 weeks time?!
Key change.
Why does running have to be so time-consuming? Whats up with that? It makes me wish that I had the capacity to be a sprinter because those short dashes just look like they’d be way more fun than pounding pavement for 3 hours.
Realistically, I’d have to train a whole lot harder and differently in order to be able to competently sprint, so I’m actually better off running this half marathon, but whatever. Hmmmmph.
What annoys me about long distance training is the amount of time that you need to devote to running in order to put your body through what it needs to experience before you turn up on race day. Especially if you’re as slow as I am.
At the moment, the furthest distance that I’ve successfully ran is just over 6 miles. I know I’ve also clocked a 7-miler recently, but I walked half of that so it doesn’t really count. It takes well over an hour to run 6 miles so I’m looking at a 2 hour and 45 minute run in Berlin. That’s so long. And I would really like to be able to run at least 90% of it. I know you can run a half marathon having only trained up to 6 miles and if Bangs can do it, then I’m sure I can too. Apparently, the adrenaline from a race is enough to carry you, but we’ll see. Also I’m pretty sure I could comfortably speed-walk 13.1 miles but that completely defeats the purpose of choosing to do a half marathon and that’s basically the equivalent of an afternoon of shopping anyway, non? I have to be able to run this race.
Cheering my brother and his friend Tim on as they ran the Silverstone half marathon has got me in the mood to run again. This urge to run has crept up on me slowly again and is largely due to Run Dem Crew (whatever hype you’ve heard, it’s true, it really is as good as it sounds) and the fact that race day is less than a month away. Hopefully I can clock up some more miles this week.
I got a session in with Barbara (running guru, haver of hot legs and general badass) yesterday, running laps round Victoria Park trying to put into practice the methods that Babs was teaching the Bangs on the Run girls and I. She reinforced what I learned from a barefoot runner several months ago, and I know it’s going to take a lot of getting used to in order to run comfortably in this way. The idea is to hold yourself upright, keeping strong through your core, lifting up, so to speak, but to lean forward as though there is something pulling at your chest, so that you ALMOST fall forward. Running like this means that you utilise your energy more efficiently as all you really need to do is lift your feet off the pavement because your body weight is already pulling you forward. You don’t even need to make large strides as this is wasting energy. It sounds really simple, and in theory it should be, but I found that it put more pressure on the muscles from my mid-thigh downwards and through my calves and shins. This is because of my underused muscles where I have been running inefficiently for months (I’d say ‘years’ but I have to be honest on this blog thingy). This is going to be a tough month of perfecting this before race day.
It’s Sunday, which, for most people, is long run day. I should have got 9 miles done today but instead I stood screaming from the stands at Silverstone circuit (any excuse) as my brother Chris smashed yet another half marathon in 1 hour 45 minutes and Tim zipped through his first ever race in 2 hours. Seriously proud of both of them. I’m going to try and get a minimum of 13 miles done this week.
This is going to take a considerable amount of willpower.
Blah.
Finally running with Dem dat Run.
Aside from the blah attitude to training as a whole, I’ve found one positive light in the last two weeks which has been Run Dem Crew. My motivation took a major slump, but my stamina can now at least take a mile and a bit, so I thought I should take up Charlie’s invitation from Summer last year lest it go stale and crumble into regret. Nervous doesn’t even begin to describe how I felt two Tuesdays ago as I walked into Nike’s 1948 in Shoreditch. Jumpy, nauseous, exhausted, delirious, terrified, excited and exhilarated fit the description much better. It’s like walking into a room where everyone is super-cool and really good at sports and everyone already knows each other, and you’re the new dorky kid who’s shit at PE. Oh, wait…
I was anticipating an excruciatingly embarrassing introduction to the whole crew from Charlie and I wasn’t disappointed. So aside from the fact that 175 people, fresh from their post-work dash to 1948, which made the building toasty to say the least, my blushing was enough to melt the Nike+ Fuelbands being trialled by some of the Run Dem Crew runners. (Side note: Nike+ Fuelbands look so OSSUM in real life!) It didn’t help my burning cheeks when Bangs also pointed out to the crowd that “Mei could really do with everyone’s support because she really, really hates running”. So now everyone knows me as the girl who hates running but still showed up to the running club where everybody loves running. FML.
I knew I wasn’t going to be able to cope in anything but the slowest group, so I put two hands up when Charlie asked who was running in tortoises, one for me and one for my stomach which I felt I was going to leave behind on the bench. I have never been so NERVOUS! But here’s why I love running with people. Candice straight away told me that she would run with me, slower than her usual pace, and Bangs leaned over and said she’d be right there with me too. That is LOVE. Both of these women are working towards different goals, but they still chose to amble along with me.
Denny, Mubi and Dom were there with words of encouragement and niceness. Elles, George and Rhalou were being really excited for me. Peigh was there being Peigh. Chaka was being chatty. And I was there trying not to throw up.
There were other newmans in my group. Janet was one of them, an old friend of Charlie’s, and I felt relieved knowing I wasn’t the only one who wouldn’t know my way or know how things run at Run Dem with dose dat run. We did a four mile loop from Shoreditch, passing Liverpool Street Station, running over London Bridge and along to Tower Bridge, over and back up to Liverpool Street then dashed back to 1948 to push ourselves right at the end. Absolutely brilliant. I kept a good pace and managed to get my running mojo to resurface. There is NOTHING like running in a group of people who like running, have experience in running and want you to like running too but aren’t overbearingly patronising. There is fresh perspective from everyone. The group runs steadily, slowing down to support those who aren’t having much fun, but still maintaining a good pace to keep momentum going.I didn’t really struggle as much as I thought I would. And, you know what? It is liberating to achieve new successes with your own personal running-demon beat-downs.
Post-run, I got some good advice on how to stretch properly from Mark and spent the next half an hour rolling around the floor, stretching my legs past their usual capacity while I waited for Denis to be ready to grab pancakes for dinner because it was Shrove Tuesday which means it is the law to eat pancakes, or else.
Two weeks in, and I can already vouch for the fact that there’s a lot about Run Dem Crew that makes it so enjoyable. There is a real sense of community where everyone looks after each other, making it quite a self-sufficient group. The benefit of its huge range of members being so (cool and) diverse and based in London is that there is literally at least one of every type of person you would ever need to meet within the group. If something needs doing, someone can always do or provide or knows someone that can. Plus everyone wants the group dynamic to work, so you can literally see people’s commitment. Charlie’s passion and energy is second to none and it’s motivating to be around that buzz.
The feeling is obviously addictive, because I went back for Run Dem run nombre dos last Tuesday. This time, the nerves weren’t so nervy, I wasn’t such a spaz and I was super happy with the four mile loop we cracked out again. I squeezed in two sprints with Janet and we both agreed we’re ready to try Slow Hares this week. Fleur hung back from the faster group she was running with after tripping over a broken lamppost (SORT IT OUT, HACKNEY COUNCIL) and I got a good chance to learn about her experiences of running half marathons (and stare at her beautiful face) as we ran the last two miles back to 1948. That run was my best yet, aside from all the leery drunk men (there were SO MANY! Why do they all assume that by yelling, “OI, DARLIN’, YOU DON’T NEED TA RUN, YOU’RE GORGEOUS AS YA ARE!” that we’re going to turn around, laugh and flirt girlishly and exclaim that we’d just LOVE to jump into bed with them?). I’m really glad I pushed myself to pick up the pace. I’m nervous about running in Slow Hares this week, but we’ll see how it goes. I’ve got a half marathon to run in less than a month (OMFG!) and I’ve got so much catching up to do.
- Run Dem Crew @rundemcrew
- Charlie Dark @DaddyDark
- Bangs @Bangsandabun
- Candice @CandiceBrownB
- Denis @denisyong
- Mubi @MUMBI_CT
- Dom @dmyrcr
- Elles @broke_grove
- Rhalou @rhalou
- George @wordsoparadise
- Peigh @PEIGH
- Chaka @Chakabars
- Mark @Chopbot
- Fleur @FleurDeGuerre
Sheiβe.
I think I need to learn how to swear in German because at the rate I’m going, I’m going to be touring Berlin city wheezing expletives and sobbing as I stumble around the half marathon race course.
I currently feel as though 13 miles isn’t very long, but that’s only because last Friday evening I hit out a good four-miler on my own and without much walking. Ratings to me.
Except I should really be comfortable on at least 8 or 9 miles right now. And that I am not. So I hereby give back those ratings that I so hastily bestowed upon myself. Soz.
I’ve been slacking a little bit (a lottle bit) lately. In fact, you could even say that I’ve fallen completely off the training plan. Sexy in the City Bootcamp training has been unattended for weeks now because of work, house-hunting commitments and last Wednesday I went to James’s funeral. Running has been ignored in favour of repaying my constant sleep debt. Sit ups and press ups have been done only in my dreams.
It’s not that I don’t care. I do. I just have more pressing issues and emotions at hand (urgh, I sound like such a girl). And then I’m so tired and stressed out that the last thing I want to do is wake up at the crack of shit to travel an hour and a half to go and do reverse lunges and be told that I’m doing my planks all wrong. I’ve also only recently realised that I hate the build up to running. It feels like a chore. I have to make sure I’ve eaten a huge meal at least an hour in advance and hydrated myself just enough that I won’t dehydrate too quickly or need to turn back half a mile in to sprint home to pee. I have to pull on both knee supports (tres glam, I know), climb into leggings, strap up in both sports bras (ladies, you need to take care of your assets, you know?) and layer up in DriFit and/or HeatTech and choose which windrunnner I’d like to skip (ha!) along in. Then there’s the pre-run stretching which, let’s face it, I never remember to do, and then finally, the most dreaded - The First Mile.
I now have four weeks left of training, in which I need to get up to at least 11 miles so that I know that I can stay on my feet, moving in a forward direction, for the (yet undisclosed) amount of time that it will take me to run/walk/run-walk/stumble 13.1 miles. FML x a baspillion.
Does anyone have any pre-race and mid-race food suggestions? I can’t run more than 4 miles on a bowl of porridge and, judging by my calculations, I’ve worked out that I’m going to need to pull an all-nighter and eat a bowl of meaty pasta every 2 hours just to have the energy to last the whole 13 miles in the morning.
“THERE’S NO SUBSTITUTE FOR HARD WORK”.
Inspiration.
I don’t want to be THAT muscley, but Scotty speaks the TRUTH! Scott and his twin brother Dean went to a school near mine and I’ve watched them over the years, training to become phenomenal boxers. They fight professionally in New York where they now live and I’m so proud of their success. I have so much respect for that level of commitment.
Look out for The Burrell Twins.
@bangbangburrell
@badnewzburrell
And then there were two…
For years now, I’ve joked about my singular ab. I’m a slim jim, partly thanks to an Azn frame (no hips, sob sob sob), but by no means toned. Where body fat collates and sits, there it sits on me. I’m a woman who likes to eat cake and drink copious amounts of tea, of course my stomach isn’t flat! But who gives a crap when you can craftily disguise your permanent “food baby” with men’s tshirts and slouchy clothes?!
The answer is that I can’t wear menswear every day for the rest of my life (but DAMN IT, I will try!) and Lycra doesn’t actually solve all problems like we thought it did. Also, after a while, people do actually ask you “why is your stomach like that when you’re not fat?”… Wow, blunt much?
ANYWAY… Ladies and gentleblahs, I am pleased to announce that my one ab has now got a friend. I now have two abs. Three, if you squint. But let’s not get lost in numbers. I have definition, and that’s all that matters.
Of course, this definition only shows in the top half of my abdominal muscles, the ones that are relatively easy to tone, because there are not so many (many, many) layers of cake and biscuits forming lovely, cushiony armour over them. Realistically, there is not a great deal to be celebrating here, but you know, every little thing counts when you’re starting from scratch. I’m just happy that all the sit ups and the planks are paying off.
I’ll come back when you can see four more and my belly button no longer looks as though you could lose a spoon in it.
Source: dedicationtolife
Wonky hinges.
I ran again this evening (sound the trumpets, YAY!). I was supposed to run last night and never got round to it (oh, anticlimax). Familiar story, huh?
I’ve had distraction after distraction this year so far. I need a holiday. In fact, I took a holiday from work this week to focus on house-hunting (I need to move in March), but I can’t find a house. I’m spending around 8 hours a day in front of a computer screen, which is melting my brain and by eye-cubes (see what I did there?!) and causing my knees to ache.
I’m only in my twenties. I don’t need my knees to be aching right now. ESPECIALLY when I’m training for a stupid half marathon. Tonight’s run hurt so much that this is the first time that I’m scared that I won’t be able to complete the race. I’m really angry with everything and myself. I can’t find anywhere to live, I’m crap at running and my knees hurt. Life friggin SUCKS. Ok, don’t worry about the house situation, I have one more solid day of searching, and I’ll find somewhere (CROSS YOUR FINGERS FOR ME PLEASE?!).
Earlier I ran a whoooooooole 1.02 miles (pah!) before I slowed to walk. Then I walked until I could be bothered to run again and managed about 100 metres before my right knee started to hurt. I walked-ran-walked-ran around a new route until I got home.
Today and yesterday, my left knee has been a bit weird, occasionally it will twinge and hurt, but mostly it’s just uncomfortable. Now, when I’m running, this continues to happen, but it also happens with my right knee, and to a much greater degree. I don’t get it. My right knee doesn’t really trouble me, except when I’m running.
Knee joints are like hinges and they should only really move in one way and only to a certain extent. (I have never notice how much I stand with my knees locked until recently. This habit needs to end). When I’m running, I’m doing the normal hingey movement (as one does), but it feels like someone’s pulling legs by my ankles out to the side which makes my knees ache. It’s SO ODD. I’m not even sure what to do to compensate. I feel the pain around and behind the knee cap in the squidgey bit of my knees and in parts of my lower legs. On my right leg, I can also feel something pulling from someway up the back of my thigh, round to the back of my knee on the inside. It’s a diagonal sort of pull. And I can feel another tugging sensation in my foot from somewhere under the arch, near the forefoot, to just below my achilles.
With a weird left knee and a wonky right knee, tonight’s run was a total of 4 miles, but probably only a total of 2.5 miles actual running. I saw 5 other people out running, including a woman, who looked like she was in her sixties, wearing a VEST. I know it was milder today than it has been for a while, but it is NOT vest weather.
Anyway, I included 2 sprints, including a really fast one right at the end though, so I kind of forgive myself. Nah, who am I kidding? I don’t think I’m doing very well at all. I struggled so much today. I have LESS THAN 6 WEEKS TO GO till race day.
I’m going to go away and panic now :(
