I went for a long sleep-inducing run in the sort-of storm today…
…and since then have just been chilling out on the sofa and eating a lot. 1000+ calorie burn for the win 😀 Geth tried out a new recipe for banana pancakes after I got home, which I think is going to be our new go-to for late post-run breakfast on Sundays.
No day job work scheduled tomorrow so I’m hoping for a productive day getting some admin done!
So much for Storm Ciara! It was really quite sunny at points on my run today.
Today’s earworm playlist:
Sidney Samson and Wizard Sleeve – ‘Riverside (Let’s Go!)’ Counting Crows – ‘Mr Jones’ Reef – ‘Place Your Hands’ The Midnight – ‘Memories’
I drove out to a parkrun I hadn’t done before this morning…
…but other than that, I’ve just been resting in preparation for a long run tomorrow. I’m meant to be doing thirteen miles, and Storm Ciara is meant to hit Newcastle at about 7am. We’ll see what happens. Hopefully I’ll manage to get it over and done with sooner rather than later!
The National Trust at Gibside is really lovely – I’d like to go back for non-parkrun purposes at some point.
Today’s earworm playlist:
Del Amitri – ‘Nothing Ever Happens’ Vangelis – ‘Chariots Of Fire’ Timecop1983 – ‘Tokyo’
I went for my long run this morning in the mizzly rain. Newcastle was super, super grey, and looked very wintery, and of course now that it’s February I’m getting a bit impatient for it NOT to be winter. Apparently most of the North American groundhogs predicted an early spring today, but I don’t think their forecasts apply to the British Isles. Not even mystical animal meteorologists can predict our weather.
The lake at Exhibition Park did look really beautiful, though, when I lapped it a few times to make up an extra mile. Lots of swans and ducks and geese all flapping away against the cold grey water. I might have appreciated it a little more in December, though, which is something to remember for later this year.
I’ve had a much-needed dozy afternoon and evening since the run. Hoping to be all refreshed and proactive tomorrow.
End of the OOTD: you’ve probably noticed that I’ve not been posting many OOTDs lately. This is partly because my 2018 target weight clothes shopping spree came to a natural end, and so I don’t have many new clothes to post about now. It’s also partly because as my running has become more of a focus over the last few months, I’ve tended towards comfy leggings/’80s jumper/no makeup days, and don’t really feel like posing for pictures. I’m hoping to remember to take more photos while I’m out on my runs over the next few weeks, as I feel the Newcastle scenery is a bit more interesting than my cosy post-run outfits right now!
Today’s earworm playlist:
Rei Kondoh – ‘Storm Clouds’ Bronski Beat – ‘Hit That Perfect Beat’ Duran Duran – ‘Falling Down’ Duran Duran – ‘Hungry Like The Wolf’ The Midnight – ‘Explorers’
Still battling various aspects of winter weather while running. High winds in Newcastle meant that this morning’s four-miler felt like a bit of a struggle! However, my overall pace was consistent with what I’ve been doing recently, which is great.
I did some day job work and admin this afternoon, and then headed out to poetry night this evening. It was good to get back into the habit of reading for a room again – I’d only missed one month, but November in some ways feels like ages ago now. I got some good comments on my poem, so am feeling motivated to keep writing over the next few weeks.
Other than that, will just be keeping fingers crossed for another good result on the scales at Slimming World tomorrow! Geth and I have been really good this week so here’s hoping…
Not an OOTD: the dark nights can be quite pretty, but I’m getting a bit sick of them now.
Today’s earworm playlist:
Duran Duran – ‘Tel Aviv [AIR Studio Version]’ Sugababes – ‘Hole In The Head’ The Midnight – ‘Explorers’
I had a REALLY good run this morning. Midweek middling distance, which is four miles at the moment, and I felt I was able to get a bit of speed up in the second half. Lovely mild morning for it too – really hoping we don’t revert to ice and snow during February and March.
It’s weigh-in eve so I’m making slow cooker curry (with neeps rather than tatties as Geth and I tend towards SP (low carb) meals on Tuesdays and Wednesdays). The house smells lovely as a result!
Slightly sleepy after my run, so while I am looking forward to ukulele class tonight, I’m also looking forward to getting home afterwards and curling up with some YouTube and videogames.
Not an OOTD: curry in the early stages of slow cooking. I promise you it smells better than it looks 😀
Today’s earworm playlist:
Revo – ‘Ship Upon The Open Skies’ Russ Abbot – ‘Atmosphere’ Lady Gaga – ‘Always Remember Us This Way’
While my job isn’t perfect (freelancing can be a bit stressful in terms of workload or lack of it), I always feel very lucky to be able to work from home. No time wasted commuting, a comfy work area that I create myself, and if I get an urgent email from a client first thing in the morning needing something back within the next half hour, I can shuffle downstairs in my pyjamas and get it done straight away before I get ready for the day. It really is the best setup for me.
(It’s probably the preferred setup for most people, which is why Geth works from home too whenever he doesn’t have any classes or meetings, as is the case today. It’s nice having the company, and I’ve learnt over the years to tune out the fact that he thinks out loud 🙂 )
Today has been another good productive day of running, day job work and admin. Looking forward to the same tomorrow, just with a longer midweek run and a bonus ukulele class.
Not an OOTD: besides, winter trees are nicer to look at from the comfort of home.
Today’s earworm playlist:
Monty Norman – ‘James Bond Theme’ Hiroki Morishita – ‘Duty’ Rei Kondoh – ‘Storm Clouds’ The Midnight – ‘Kick Drums And Red Wine’ Sidney Samson and Wizard Sleeve – ‘Riverside (Let’s Go)’ Vera van Heeringen – ‘Riverside House’
After having to shuffle runs about last weekend, today was my first proper Sunday long run of this marathon training season. It looked icy when Geth and I woke up this morning, but I couldn’t face trying to do seven miles on the treadmill, so I went out with the aim of treading carefully. As it happened, the roads were absolutely fine, and I had a really good steady run.
I’ve been a bit sleepy since then (body is still getting used to marathon training) so I’ve not really done much this afternoon! Looking forward to a bit of videogame time this evening again though.
Back to work tomorrow.
Not an OOTD: I also really need to get my new diary and wallet (both Christmas gifts) organised this week. I’ll feel a lot better once I have some more of my lists in order.
Today’s earworm playlist:
Hiroki Morishita – ‘Duty’ Koichi Sugiyama – ‘Unflinchable Courage’ The Boomtown Rats – ‘I Don’t Like Mondays’ The Wanted – ‘Walks Like Rihanna’ Duran Duran – ‘Hungry Like The Wolf’
Maybe it’s just what everyone does in the depths of January, but I find myself dreaming of hot climes and holidays at the moment. It’d be nice to run along sunny coastlines and through leafy forests instead of around the cold wet Newcastle suburbs like I did this morning! I’ll just have to be patient for a few months.
I’ve got all my work done for today, but it’s going to be another busy week next week. Looking forward to my weekend of running and hopefully some slightly drier weather.
Not an OOTD: a flashback to January 2013, on honeymoon in the Bahamas. I was four and a half stone heavier then and so unfit that I couldn’t even swim halfway across the pool without my lungs burning. I would absolutely love to be back there right now in my fitter, healthier state!
I had a good weather window for my run this morning – no ice, no rain – so the only annoyance en route were the endless roadworks at the nearby roundabout, which have circled back round to the point where they get in the way of my mile route again! It got stormy again this afternoon, so I’m glad I got some fresh air while it was still dry.
Have spent the rest of the day editing for clients and catching up with admin. Another quiet evening in tonight before my midweek run and ukulele class tomorrow.
Not an OOTD: also nice to receive a belated birthday present in the post today. No note to say whom it’s from but I have my suspicions!
Today’s earworm playlist:
Lady Gaga – ‘Always Remember Us This Way’ Cast of Mary Poppins – ‘Chim Chim Cheree’ B*Witched – ‘Blame It On The Weatherman’
I said last week after a slightly frustrating treadmill run that I would only use the treadmill on days when it’s too icy to go out, because running on the treadmill feels much faster and harder than doing the same pace on the roads, and that sort of goes against the ethos of the gentle ambling mile that I’m trying to do four days a week so that I don’t overexert myself. I expected I wouldn’t need to drag it out of the cupboard too often, as we seemed to be having a mild spell… but lo and behold, January weather has returned with a vengeance, and so out came the treadmill again this morning. Hopefully I’ll be back out on the roads tomorrow.
In addition to being icy, it’s been stormy and wet today, so I’m very glad that I’ve just been doing day job work in the house most of the day. Geth is out boardgaming, so I’ll be on my 3DS (and possibly my gaming PC later) this evening.
Not an OOTD: just been staying in with this cheerful sight instead of going out in the cold 🙂
Today’s earworm playlist:
Spice Girls – ‘Too Much’ Tomohito Nishiura – ‘Carnival Night’ Lightwood Games – ‘Link-A-Pix Theme’ Judy Garland and Lucille Bremer – ‘Meet Me In St Louis’ Tom Clelland – ‘The Present’ David Bowie – ‘Space Odyssey’
