Monday 20 August 2007

Day 222 - Monday equals Run Day






Actually I'm cheating (again) because I took these photos last Thursday! I went on a lovely run up Win Hill in the evening sunshine. I'm missing the sunshine so much that, when I had a choice of routes (at the signpost), I actually chose the uphill route because it would take me into the sunshine whereas the flatter router was in the shade.....I really miss the summer this year....sigh...
Anyway, I didn't have time to post them last week and it was so grey and cold and miserable today I thought it would cheer me up to have them on my blog! I did go out for a good run this evening though, just didn't take my camera due to the clouds! I'm not cheating that much!!



I had a really productive day today - did loads of chores and ticked masses of items off both my home list and my work list. They were mostly the sort of smallish task that gets left behind because they're fiddley and not really intrinsically important but they need to be done sometime! I had a full day of clearing up crap, in other words!!

The process of our buying the holiday cottage is finally coming to a conclusion - we've not really pushed it but it looks as though we should complete on Friday. I'm going to meet up with the sellers to have a chat about their accounts and customers before we do though - it's been hard to do that before as they've been abroad.

My productivity continued once I got home - I went out for my run and then, instead of showering and heading to the pub as I usually do on a Monday, I got stuck into doing some paperwork and clearing my wardrobe out. I've sorted the whole lot - a pile of size 14/16's to give to friends, a pile for the charity bag, a pile of the larger stuff for ebay and a few things left that still fit me!! I have kept a few of the size 14's which are not actually falling off me for gardening and slobbing round in and a few of the nicer items which I might try and have taken in but, apart from that, there is not much left! My work wardrobe is decidedly thin (if you'll pardon the pun) as the only 2 skirts I kept are very baggy!

My run was good - part way round I met my mate Kate running in the opposite direction so we stopped for a chat. We've set a running date for Friday night which will be good as I have trouble forcing myself out to run on Fridays and, if I go then, it'll leave more of the weekend free. Anyway, because we'd stopped, I was fresher when I got to a crossroads and therefore chose the longer route. It meant an absolute bugger of a hill - really long and steadily steep - but it made my run into a good solid 50 minutes at a really good pace. I was chuffed.

Amanda - I was thinking about what you said about breathing while jogging while I was out this evening. I'm not sure if it's of any use, but I worked out that I breathe in and out through my mouth and I tend to time the breaths with either 2 or 3 steps, depending on how fast I'm going. So, if I'm going fast, I'll breathe in for 2 steps and out for 2 steps. If I'm going more steadily, it's 3 in and 3 out. I always keep it even though so I'm in a rhythm with the strides and breaths and I never do uneven 2 in 3 out or anything like that - maybe that's what you need to focus on; slow rhythmic breathing to match your strides, then walk when you feel that you can't keep it up any more, then start up again when your breathing is back under control?? I don;t know if that is the "right" way to do it (if there is such a thing) as I've never had an issue with my breathing, it just seems to come naturally to me. Just a thought. Good luck.

I did something else that I've never done today too - I was idly thinking ahead to midweek footie game and how Jim and I always meet up at Pizza Hut. I was wondering what I should eat there as the non-pizza options on the menu aren't extensive. So I looked up with the menu on the internet and noticed a "Nutritional Values" button. I checked out all the various options and worked out that the Warm Chicken Salad is by far the best option! I might have guessed that the Chicken Caesar Salad or Chicken and Bacon Salad wouldn't have much different but, Boy, would I have been wrong?? A good 400 caories different and that's not even taking into account the massive gulf between the relative fat contents etc. So - PLANNING is King once again!

This diet must be changing me because I would NEVER have thought of doing something like that in the past and would have probably ended up, without the advance planning, either having a fatty "salad" or giving in entirely and going for a pizza!! Not going to do that now.

6 comments:

Amanda said...

Hi Lesley,

Thanks for the breathing tips, I'll definitely give that a go and hopefully it'll work for me too.

More fabulous pictures & yes, it did brighten up a dull, dreary & cold morning. I was watching Britain's Best View on Sunday and they were up in the Lake District for part of it. It really reminded me of your pics you post on here(I'm probably in the wrong area).

Looks like you'll have to be clothes shopping soon!!

Thanks again.

Amanda x

Peridot said...

Beautiful photos - of the countryside and of you! Both v scenic! Still in awe of the running thing....

love
Peridot x

Amy said...

I so love looking at all your beautiful pictures! I can't wait to visit your country some day.

You can definitely tell you're making a lifestyle change -- you prepared yourself for Pizza Hut! Smart!

. said...

Beautiful photographs as usual, I miss the summer too! I bought a camera before I went on holiday, treated myself to a good one as we were going away and I wanted to be able to capture the memories. Took hundreds so we've had a good time looking at them, Ste's always enjoyed taking pictures and I think he took thousands with his camera. I will get round to posting some some day!

You had a good day there, it's great to get all the little things done - you tend to leave them and they soon add up to way more than one normal kind of task.

Exciting news re your holiday cottage, that is moving on fast - are you all excited about it then?

I need to sort out clothes for Ebay, well have sorted them out, I just need to get round to photographing them and posting them up there, it just takes so much time - or it does in my head anyway.

You've really got your head round the whole healthy eating thing now, you're doing the best thing by getting organised and working out what you can/can't have in advance ..... just think of all those calories you've going to save :)

Cath
x

Mrs said...

Lovely pics. Well done for being so together!

Fingers crossed for a good WI!

Big kiss.

Mrs Lxxx

Unknown said...

The scenery is amazing! I wish my runs were out in the country like that! The best I can do is 1/2 urban setting, 1/2 forested trail. Ah well.

Congrats on resisting pizza, one of my major weaknesses!