Running – Page 99 – Spirit of Dee

Another successful Great North Saturday!

8 September 20188 September 2018 Dee Leave a comment

Great North Weekend properly got started today, much the same as it did last year, with a parkrun volunteering session. There were a lot of people volunteering due to the GNR, but luckily Geth, Ed, and I managed to snag the gate 2 spot, which meant we didn’t have to hang about for too long. Great atmosphere at parkrun though – it’s always good on Great North Weekend.

After parkrun, Geth and I went for breakfast at Costa, and then home to collect a few things before heading into town for the Pasta Party and the Great North CityGames.

We got off at Gateshead and headed for lunch at the Pasta Party first, as the queues just get worse throughout the day. As we’re both running this year, and I’m on my second year of membership, we had a ridiculous number (six) of pasta vouchers:

We then headed over the Millennium Bridge (bumping into Ed again halfway across!) to catch the CityGames long jump, where I took the obligatory blurry photos of Greg Rutherford and Jazmin Sawyers:

Greg Rutherford and Jazmin Sawyers — People that I usually just see on the TV!

It was Greg Rutherford’s last ever competitive long jump event, so it was pretty special to get to see him. We then went back to the Gateshead side of the Quayside to watch the sprint distance events from the seated area. Despite the rain, it was quite comfy!

Sadly the CityGames is moving to Stockton-on-Tees from next year, so it won’t be part of our Great North Weekend again for the foreseeable future. I’m guessing the Pasta Party will remain in Gateshead though.

A quiet evening in after that, with the BBC coverage of the CityGames, the Strictly Come Dancing launch show, some triathlon on iPlayer, and yet more pasta. I could not be any more carb-loaded after the last three days. Hopefully it will give me the requisite energy for tomorrow’s Great North Run!

OOTD 8th September 2018 — OOTD: rain? What rain? Glasses Emporio Armani (2017), hoodie Uneek Classic for Mesh (2016), t-shirt Puma for Great North 5K (2015).

Today’s earworm playlist:

Kim Wilde – You Came

And a bonus track that Geth was humming earlier:

Baltimora – Tarzan Boy

(A short list today, partly due to spending most of the day surrounded by actual music, but mainly because after Geth woke me up for the second time by loudly singing Tarzan Boy, that became my earworm for the rest of the day too!)

A should-be-regular Saturday

1 September 20181 September 2018 Dee Leave a comment

So parkrun this morning went something like:

Decided to run it really sedately so as not to do myself any injuries before the Great North Run next week
Realised about thirty seconds before the start that I hadn’t adjusted my watch’s display metrics after it crashed last week so the main display would still be stuck on current pace rather than distance so far
About 1km in, got fed up of running with jeffers (run/walkers), sped up a bit to escape them, and glanced at my watch to see my current pace was 5.47 mins per km
About 2km in, again looked at my watch and saw my current pace was 5.53 mins per km
Thought ‘I CAN DO THIS’ (i.e. hit elusive goal of sub-30)
Bombed it as hard as I could the rest of the run
Didn’t get sub-30, but was only one second slower than my previous PB (30:39 to the 30:38 of four weeks ago)

So I’m fairly happy with that, overall. All my issues with runner’s knee seem to have disappeared for the moment, so hopefully I’ll be okay for the GNR next week.

Also, I’ve set my watch up properly now. Pace giving me daft ideas is fine at parkrun, but not a good idea in a half marathon.

The rest of the day has been spent making lists, doing odd bits of housework/admin, watching the Now! ’80s channel and otherwise not really knowing what to do with myself. I’ve got a big list of stuff to start doing tomorrow, though.

I also made a really delicious new meal. I’ll make it again soon so that I can share the recipe.

OOTD 1st September 2018 — OOTD: post-parkrun comfort. Glasses Emporio Armani (2017), hoodie Logo (2007), t-shirt H&M (2018), belt H&M (2017), leggings Primark (2018), boots Carefree (2017).

Today’s earworm playlist (fairly short today ’cause I replaced it with actual music as soon as I was out of the shower after parkrun):

The Human League – (Keep Feeling) Fascination
Yazz – The Only Way Is Up
Bucks Fizz – My Camera Never Lies
George Ezra – Shotgun
Aretha Franklin – I Say A Little Prayer

parkrun tourism: Horton Park

26 August 20181 May 2019 Dee Leave a comment

As part of Infest day 3, Geth and I got up early and went to Horton Park parkrun – a nice convenient parkrun that’s only a twenty-minute walk away from the Jurys Inn, where we stay for the festival.

I did Horton Park for the first time last year, with friends Ruth and Mark (Geth was recovering from injury so didn’t join us). Ruth drove us last year, so the walking route wasn’t familiar to me, and Geth was having some trouble with Google Maps so it took us a while to find the parkrun and we only just made it in time for the run briefing. That’s why you leave in plenty of time when parkrun touristing!

Horton Park is quite a tough route. It’s a three-and-a-half-lap course, with four downhill stretches and three uphills, so not at all a PB opportunity. Still, I got 32:20, which is a big improvement on my 35:44 from last year, so I was very happy!

It’s also a very pretty course, and the multiple laps make it feel quite quick. Definitely my go-to parkrun now for whenever I’m at Infest.

Another running and writing day

19 August 201819 August 2018 Dee Leave a comment

I had a good long run this morning – 13k round Newcastle – but between that and yesterday’s parkrun, my legs are a bit tired now, so it’ll be good to have a rest day tomorrow.

I spent the rest of the day writing. I have several projects that I’m very excited about at the moment and I’m really looking forward to getting into the meat of them. I’m also already looking forward to this year’s NaNoWriMo – another reason I love autumn.

Back to work tomorrow – I’m working for a couple of new clients this week, so it should be interesting.

OOTD 19th August 2018 — OOTD: it’s cool enough for cosy autumn outfits now! T-shirt Cyberdog (early 2000s, thrifted from Geth), belt H&M (2017), leggings Primark (2018), boots Carefree (2017).

What is this ‘quiet weekend’ you speak of?

18 August 201818 August 2018 Dee Leave a comment

*blinks* What’s this? A couple of days where I don’t have to work, and my only appointment is parkrun? It’s been a while since I’ve had this experience.

I really enjoyed parkrun this morning. I wasn’t quite as fast as I have been recently, but I still got a respectable 31:30, my third best ever time. It was nice to catch up with a few people we hadn’t seen in a while, too.

After we got back, showered and breakfasted, Geth fell back into Final Fantasy XIII-2 while I got some novel writing done. Another thing that’s not happened since…actually, I can’t remember.

I do have another run to do tomorrow – and I should probably get some house stuff done, which is another project that’s looming ominously – but I’m hoping to have some writing time again as well. The inspiration is strong at the moment, and I need to make the most of it.

OOTD 18th August 2018 — OOTD: my fifth day in jeans in the space of a week! I’m really appreciating this cooler weather. T-shirt SF City Wear (2011), jeans Zara (2018), trainers Reebok (2018).

An unexpectedly quiet Friday

17 August 201817 August 2018 Dee Leave a comment

I was meant to go for a long run this morning and then come home and get on with some work to the sounds of Geth playing Final Fantasy XIII-2. Unfortunately, the first thing we discovered this morning was that we’d accidentally left all my essential running stuff in a drawer in Edinburgh at the weekend, so Geth had to get an emergency train up to Mum and Dad’s today and collect it.

As such, there was no run for me, and Geth did not have the quiet videogaming day he was planning. I will be cramming all my running into the weekend instead.

We’re now watching Disenchantment, the new Matt Groening cartoon on Netflix. I’m quite enjoying it!

OOTD 17th August 2018 — OOTD: quiet workday outfit. T-shirt Gildan for Stranger Things (2017), jeans Vivid (2018), shoes BHS (2016).

Back to dashing about

7 August 20187 August 2018 Dee Leave a comment

A day of getting out and about and getting stuff done!

I went for a long run this morning – it’s less than five weeks till the Great North Run now, so I have to get those in every week – and then Geth came home with a bottle of cava to celebrate some financial news. We had a glass and listened to the DJ set he’d mixed yesterday, and then headed off into town.

After picking up a few necessary bits and pieces in the shops, we went to the tailor to collect the smart clothes we’d put in on Friday. Geth’s suit needed a lot of taking in, and my bridesmaid dress needed the shoulders raised in order to sort the length out. They both look a lot better now!

A quick trip to the pub, and then home to listen to some more of the DJ set. I think we’ll both know it off by heart in a few days’ time.

OOTD 7th August 2018 — OOTD: running about town outfit. Blouse H&M (2018), skirt Gap (2007), trainers Reebok (2013).

I spoke too soon

4 August 20184 August 2018 Dee Leave a comment

After bombing it round Edinburgh parkrun last week for a PB, I was sure it would be months before I managed another one.

I got another one this morning. Whoops.

Today’s parkrun didn’t feel anywhere near as fast as last week – there were many stretches where I felt I was taking it easy. I still somehow managed a 30:38, a fourteen-second improvement on last week. Very happy!

I really feel like sub-30 might be on this year now. If I’ve not managed it by the second week of November, I will be making use of the Newcastle parkrun pacer week and attempting to keep up with the 30-minute pacer. The pacers at Newcastle tend to be a bit too fast so I’m not sure how I’d get on, but we’ll see! Sadly I’m doing races and/or otherwise engaged on all the intervening pacer weeks (Newcastle does one the second week of every month), so I will have to be patient.

Another quiet afternoon and evening working (and listening to Geth working out DJ stuff for a wedding disco playlist!).

OOTD 4th August 2018 — OOTD: super comfy hanging-around-the-house outfit that could have been easily dressed up if we’d decided to go out tonight (we didn’t). Bonus mirror selfie as Geth was busy DJing. Glasses Emporio Armani (2017), t-shirt modified Deviant/Fruit of the Loom (thrifted from Geth 2014, originally from the early 2000s), leggings Primark (2018), shoes La Redoute (2018).

parkrun tourism: Edinburgh

1 August 20181 August 2018 Dee Leave a comment

When Geth and I were in Scotland this weekend, we went out to Cramond on the Saturday morning to do Edinburgh parkrun.

I’m in Edinburgh fairly often for obvious reasons, and so I’ve done Edinburgh parkrun five times now – second in quantity only to Newcastle. It’s a lovely flat out-and-back course with a lollipop loop at the halfway point, and on a good day you get fairly spectacular views of the Firth of Forth. They also have an infamous ‘parkrun weather window’ – so although I’ve often been there on days when it’s been pissing with rain before or after the parkrun, it’s never rained during the parkrun itself!

This last weekend, the conditions were particularly good – not too hot, not too windy, could have been less crowded but it wasn’t too bad. I went out fairly fast, and I found I was able to keep it up. I knew I was doing well, ’cause I was knackered most of the way round – but it wasn’t until I got to the finishing straight and Geth was standing there shouting ‘PB is ON’ that I allowed myself to hope. I couldn’t pull off a sprint finish, ’cause I didn’t have the energy left, but I was able to speed up just enough to get a time of 30:52 – which is 54 seconds faster than my previous PB from April! I doubt I’ll beat that again for a while!

Looking forward to being back at Edinburgh parkrun around Christmas time.

parkrun tourism: Whitby

31 July 201831 July 2018 Dee Leave a comment

Canada part six…

On the Saturday in Toronto, Geth and I got up very early, and went to Ontario’s only parkrun, Whitby parkrun.

We walked for about forty-five minutes to get to the train station, bought tickets, spent another forty-five minutes on the train, and arrived in Whitby shortly after eight o’clock. It was at that point that Geth realised he couldn’t really remember how to get to the parkrun. I’m not leaving him in charge of directions in future!

After a bit of a saga involving asking lots of people at the train station and the nearby leisure centre for directions, we made it to the parkrun start line with just a few minutes to spare, and met a few other Brits who were also parkrun touristing.

The parkrun itself was a really nice route – a simple out-and-back course through a lovely quiet park with nice wide paths. There were only twenty-odd people taking part, and so Geth and I both came first in our age categories – something that I doubt will be repeated any time soon!

parkrun sprint finish — A rare running photo where I actually look like I’m running! Photo by Whitby parkrun.

I got my standard-for-now sub-33, which I was fine with considering I hadn’t run for two weeks. I’m really pleased to have done some international parkrun tourism at last!