Day 10 (x2) [updated]

Well, I feel thinner and I think I've lost weight although my scales seem a bit variable at the moment. I managed a swift 4 mile run yesterday lunchtime to compensate for missing training. The first half of the run was both predominantly uphill AND into the teeth of a biting and very strong headwind! It was bliss to turn around and float home! I was pleased to put the effort in and find that I'd managed to increase my speed to 10.5 minute miles from 11 minute miles!

If I am going to do this half marathon (I haven't put the form in yet - will decide today) I'll have to be constantly increasing the length of my runs every week from here on in. At the moment have been playing it rather safe.

Apart from that, food was okay. I slipped up in the petrol station on the way into Sheffield and bought a Lindor mini egg!! But it could have been worse. Not difficult to identify the trigger for that one - petrol stations are an ever present but also D and I had had just had "words"! Nothing serious or long-lasting but enough for me to just grab at chocolate as I passed. I suppose the good thing is that it was only a small piece of chocolate, in the past that might have been MUCH worse!

When D first arrvies back from the rig, we're always really pleased to see each other but within the first few days we usually snipe at each other. Sometimes the sniping creates bitterness and causes a hangover which last for days. We're trying really hard this time not to let little spats escalate or taint our time together and learn from past mistakes. I think it's a natural period of re-adjusting to each other. D is back in "my" house; he's tired, he's been used to bossing a team of blokes doing a really high pressure job; now he has only me to boss!!; I don't like being bossed (no shit Sherlock!); we haven't been able to talk properly for a month so all new issues arise; a combination of factors...

This though, like with CBT in LL, we're going to try to break the pattern and do things differently so as not to allow the inevitable readjusting to last for half his trip home! So far it seems to be working - what "words" we have had have been expressed and then forgotten (not something D is good at!!) and I'm doing my best not to be the martyr...

That can only help us get to the good times sooner!

This all sounds very clinical but when you live in a relationship of 4 week chunks it becomes easy to see patterns and not always easy to break out of them! For 4 weeks, I'm single and independent, then have to adjust to being accountable to D and for 4 weeks he's the boss of a big crew doing high-pressured work and he has to readjust to being a "partner" rather than a boss.

On happier subjects - the pups and Shelagh are well. We took them all to the vet for a check up yesterday morning and all is fine. Since then she has turned into the best Mum in the world! When we have to move the pups (which we do very sparingly) she can't bear to be parted from then and her eyes just shine with love for them. She's obsessed, shepherding them around the box, licking them, suckling them. It's lovely to see. She stayed in the box with them constantly from 11am yesterday until we brought them all downstairs to the living room and the fire and then again all night. I had to persuade her downstairs to go out for a wee and she would not go to the back door as too far from the pups! She is a gorgeous mother!!!

I have also been visiting human babies. My friend Kirsten the vet (who I rang for guidance during the whelping) turned out to be less than helpful as she was herself having her child, unfortunately nearly 5 weeks early! They're both fine though and I went to see them yesterday evening. He's only tiny but well and not in an incubator or anything. It made me quite broody for the first time. Think I'll have to get going on this babymaking idea. ...

Happy dieting and training everyone!

Update

I managed another swift 3 mile run this evening with Shelley. I can really feel the progress that I'm making now that I'm running consistently. Whereas Shelley was puffing and panting up the hill, I could have gone a fair bit faster. Shell is naturally a faster runner than me (long skinny legs see) so, at the end, once we were on the flat, she really upped the pace and I was still able to keep up! Great stuff.

So, that's decided it; I've filled in my Sheffield Half Marathon application form and will post it tomorrow. I will have to be going for the training big style to be ready by 27 April!