I didn’t get my run done because I’ve still got a twingey ankle after Sunday’s race. I’ve been resting it all week (apart from walking, of which a lot has been necessary), but if it’s still complaining on Saturday I’m just going to have to run through it, because I need to get back to the training plan now.
Geth didn’t come to Slimming World because he was still feeling unwell, so I went on my own, and I wish I hadn’t. I’ve had weeks and weeks where I’ve been on plan and barely made a dent in my Christmas weight gain. One bad eating week due to being away and I’ve put on five and a half pounds. I feel like I just can’t catch a break with it at the moment.
More crappy things contributing to my bad day included: (1) my prescription sunglasses frames snapping, which means I have to go and buy new ones; (2) forgetting an essential item on the shopping list, meaning I had to trek out to the big Sainsbury’s twice today; and (3) general stress and anxiety about what’s happening in Parliament.
At least Pilates class was semi-relaxing, when I wasn’t doing exercises that killed my post-race legs. Also, I finished some editing for a client, so I guess that’s…something?
Hoping for a better day tomorrow.
One of the few takes where my hair wasn’t being blown in my face. Jumper Carlo Colucci (vintage 1980s, bought at vintage fair 2017), leggings Primark (2018), trainers Reebok (2018).
Today’s earworm playlist:
Abba – Dancing Queen Squeeze – Up The Junction Jean McCarthy – I Own It REM – Bad Day
This nice duo of phone boxes were again found by Mum and Dad while out and about in Wigan. Lucky, too, because due to the dilapidated state of Wigan town centre, they don’t want to go there again!
Red phone boxes, Wallgate, Wigan, 10th December 2018.
Today has involved various bits of catching up after being away in Inverness. I had a bit of editing to do for a client, and got lots of tidying and admin done. Geth is feeling poorly – he seems to have caught a cold from the weather during Sunday’s race – and so the next few days will probably be quite low-key for both of us.
I also had my ukulele class for the first time in a few weeks – we had a double half term break due to some building works at the Sage Gateshead, so it was good to get back to it.
Not expecting a great result at Slimming World tomorrow after being away, but I have many quiet weeks stretching ahead of me to get back on plan and back into target range!
Arcadia – Election Day Men Without Hats – Safety Dance Ariana Grande – Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored The Beatles – We Can Work It Out Dire Straits – Romeo And Juliet The Dave Clark Five – Bits And Pieces Avicii – Hey Brother Fleetwood Mac – Dreams
About a week after trying the Fever Tree ginger ale, I found their ginger beer in the Holiday Inn bar in central Newcastle.
Fever Tree Ginger Beer.
This one’s much tastier than the ale, with a nice sweet ‘n’ sour tang. There’s a lot of spice in its bubbles, which means I can’t put my head near it without coughing when it’s freshly poured, but after a few minutes I can drink it without a problem. It just needs to ‘sit’ for a while!
I’m back in Newcastle after a few days in Inverness. Apart from some travel stress on Saturday due to missing a connection, Geth and I have had a really nice break, and it was good to spend some time in a city I hadn’t visited for a while.
It was also nice to watch the snowy Highlands whizz past during the train journey today!
Once we got home, I spent an hour or so this evening battling the complex and stressful online system for getting into the Blaydon Race. The website had a lot of problems due to the demand, but happily I’m in for the third year running!
It’s nice to be home, but I’ve got a busy few days ahead.
OOTD: just a selfie today as we got home late. Glasses Emporio Armani (2017), jumper Ellend (vintage 1980s, bought at vintage fair 2019).
Today’s earworm playlist:
Tiffany – I Think We’re Alone Now Swing Out Sister – Breakout Jason Donovan – When You Come Back To Me Deep Blue Something – Breakfast At Tiffany’s Squeeze – Up The Junction Lily Allen – LDN
Geth and I had an extra day in Inverness yesterday after Sunday’s half marathon, and thankfully it was much better weather than we’d had the day before! We went for a long walk into town so that our post-race legs wouldn’t get too stiff.
After a quick bit of breakfast in Costa (Geth didn’t feel adequately caffeinated by the tea provided in the hotel room), we headed along the river and onto the Ness Islands, which were really, really pretty in the sunshine. The tall pine trees and system of bridges reminded me of Channelwood in the first Myst game (if you played videogames in the ’90s you will know what I’m talking about!).
Wonder if there’s a lift inside one of these trees?
Bridges and trees! I’d love to go back in the summer.
Geth above the River Ness.
Once we got to the southern tip of the islands, we headed back the way we came and went up to Inverness Castle. We were too cheap to pay the entry fee to get the advertised views of the city, but we still got a good look out over the river and the centre of town.
It would have been nice to have that blue sky on the Sunday!
We finished with lunch at the Filling Station (a Scottish restaurant chain that we’ve both missed since moving to England!) – there may have been pizza, which will be logged soon.
Geth and I were both a bit tender after the Inverness half yesterday, so today we went for a long walk to make sure our legs didn’t stiffen up too much. I took lots of photos and will do a proper post about it tomorrow!
Other than that, we’ve just been eating a lot, so the aim is to get back on plan for the rest of the week. The calories you burn during a half marathon will only let you get away with so much!
OOTD: plenty of space for overeating in my too-big race t-shirt. Hoodie Sonar (2006), t-shirt Inverness Half Marathon (2019), leggings Primark (2018), socks unknown brand (2007), trainers Reebok (2013).
Today’s earworm playlist:
Queen – Somebody To Love Justin Timberlake and Chris Stapleton – Say Something Duran Duran – American Science Gala – Freed From Desire Anastasia – I’m Outta Love Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved Roxette – The Look Prince – Raspberry Beret Bananarama – Nathan Jones
And a bonus track that Geth was humming earlier:
Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton – Islands In The Stream
A bit of a diversion for today’s Music Video Monday, ’cause Bananarama have released a new single ahead of their upcoming album release next month, and it’s ace (by ‘it’s ace’, I of course mean ‘they still sound like they did in 1988’). Unlike today’s new artists, who tend to be very lazy about releasing videos on time, Bananarama dropped the video along with the song release on Friday.
It’s so aesthetically pleasing – lots of lying about on fancy-looking sofas – and I want pretty much everything that Sara and Keren are wearing. Hopefully a few more videos will show up once the album gets going!
Most of today was taken up with running the Inverness Half Marathon. It was freezing and wet in Inverness, and it took forever to get warm again after the run! At least it wasn’t snowing, which was my fear when Geth and I first booked to enter the race.
After a long hot shower, the rest of the day involved eating a lot and trying a lot of new booze alternatives, which I will review at some point!
A less active day tomorrow.
OOTD: post-race recovery outfit, with bonus TV in background because Geth didn’t want to move from his bed. Glasses Emporio Armani (2017), jumper Jac (vintage 1980s, bought at vintage fair 2018), leggings Primark (2018), socks RNLI (2016).
Today’s earworm playlist:
Arcadia – The Flame Geri Halliwell – Lift Me Up Duran Duran – Rio Irene Cara – Flashdance (What A Feeling) Justin Timberlake and Chris Stapleton – Say Something Terence Trent D’Arby – Sign Your Name
The Inverness half was not one I’d done before. It’s a long way to travel from Newcastle, and so it’s a bit out of my way. However, I’d first seen it advertised in the Edinburgh branch of Run 4 It a couple of years ago, and this year I needed to do a half in early March as part of my London Marathon training, so I thought it was a good opportunity to do a race a bit further afield.
Not to mention a race with a gorgeous medal! A new favourite among my collection.
The race started quite late in the day, at 12:30pm, so Geth and I were able to have a fairly leisurely morning before heading to the Inverness Sports Centre to collect our race numbers and get ourselves ready. It was a very cold day, so I appreciated that the organisers didn’t lead us out of the building and down to the start line until the race was nearly due to start! Of course, as soon as we walked out, it started to drizzle, when it had been dry all morning. I was hugely thankful I’d thought to wear a baseball cap, meaning that unlike during the Yorkshire 10 Mile last October, I was actually able to see through the rain, as my glasses were sheltered.
The course actually reminded me of the aforementioned Yorkshire 10 Mile in that only about 10% of it is in the centre of town – the rest is either surrounding countryside or suburbs. There were a lot of twists and turns, though, which kept things interesting, and the only tough-ish hill was over and done with by the five-mile marker.
What felt a bit strange was that they only closed one side of the roads to traffic, so we were running up one side of the road while cars whizzed down the other, and there were many points where the marshals had to act as lollipop men and women, holding up signs to stop cars so that runners could get through. The marshals and police were all brilliant, though, and this aspect of the race is clearly very well organised.
Unfortunately, the very last section of the race was a bit of a letdown – the course finished on the track at the Sports Centre, but the path leading up to the track entrance was absolutely rammed with people who’d already finished the race, which is a real pain when you’re trying to build up speed for the finish! The marshals at this point seemed a bit confused as well, and kept pointing us in the wrong direction.
Another disappointment was that by the time I finished, they’d run out of size small finisher t-shirts. At size 10 these days, I’m fairly average for a female runner, but even a small is usually a little big for me (because race finisher t-shirts are ‘unisex cut’, and as we all know, ‘unisex cut’ means ‘designed for men’, so a size small is designed to fit a slim man). I was stuck with a medium, which on me is a tent. Not one I expect I’ll be wearing often, unfortunately. It would have been nice if they’d used the system where your t-shirt size is marked on your race number and checked off at the end, so that everyone gets the size they ordered when they entered the race.
However, it was really nice to be able to go back into the Sports Centre for some food and a change of clothes before we headed off again. On the whole, it was a very friendly, pretty race, and if they ever invented a means of guaranteeing better weather, I’d be back like a shot! As it stands, though, I expect it’ll be a few years before I consider venturing so far north for a race again.
I didn’t get a PB – my PB from the Town Moor Half still stands – but I was really happy with my much steadier pacing, which shows that my treadmill pacing practice is starting to pay off.
