March 27th...real spring tomorrow night!

Info for the race for life came today and I have already reached my target sponsorship amount as a result of the giving of very generous people. My number is 1888! (no not 118 118!)

Also managed to set up interval running on the treadmill - very successful. Also greatly looking forward to a complete break from the 8th to the 19th April over Easter.

March 25th ...it's difficult!

This week I am finding focusing quite difficult - being at home on my own is probably the most difficult! However, I have done two 3 mile runs yesterday and today as well as doing the toning routine to my Sue Barnett tape as well. Running in the country is also really hard as there is nothing to distract me - like cars and traffic ad other people! I have to get over this and do the run - stick at it until it feels easier. It is more difficult because all the first half is uphill! So - I am going to stick at it. I have worked out as well how to re-programme the treadmill to do the intervals running - that is a relief 'cos when it rains I need to use that!!

Anyway - writing this has successfully distracted me from drifting out into the kitchen!!

i have registered for the Race for Life in Stamford on the 17th May.

March 21st - one week to summer time!

What a lovely day today - spent most of it outside in the garden getting the beds ready for planting and sowing the veges as well as keeping the dogs occupied. Yes I did say dogs - borrowing them for the weekend -or rather looking after them for Nick and Claire. Anyway - lost another pound this week so that's good - little by little. Just a few weeks to break the 12 stone barrier now. Also registered this week to run in the Race for Life at Burghley House on the 17th May. Been wanting to do it for ages now I can.

March 14th - Weigh Day and Reward Day

I am absolutely 'gobsmacked' as I have lost 2 and 3/4 pounds this week! Well under the first stone - now 12.4 from 13.5 and half. The running has been good and I have been working extrmemly hard - on my feet all the time. Had a real blip in the middle of the week as I was missing Geoff and home quite a lot and didn't manage to get to the gym in Sheffield so beat myself up about it. Then had chocolate on the way home from Manchester last night. One thing I have done this week though is to drink loads of water - fizzy mostly. I have not felt so dehydrated. in addition - 3 x30 min runs as well. So really pleased. I have been looking at a scarf on thr market for the last few weeks and so I bought it for myself - the pic is a bit awful but I had to reverse the camera on myself! Well ...I like it anyway!

Now going to spend the rest of thr afternoon in the garden,

Manchester Week 1

I only lost quarter of a pound last week but at least it is in the right direction still. Obviously ate too much - especially at the end of the week. This week is going well - I am in Manchester again for this week and next. I have not succumbed to the chips here like I did a couple of weeks ago!! But I am eating enough. Managed to resist Kentucky Fried chicken tonight - I had a really nice baked potato at the school which filled me up well. Tomorrow for breakfast I will have bacon and tomatoes - am off to Sheffield after school tomorrow and I'm looking forward tomusing the gym at the hotel. My pulled muscle has improved hugely and the groin strain from last week on the treadmill at home is almost gone as well. I had a really good run yesterday here which was very encouraging. Today I was very tired after the training so i was a bit slower - no problem though. I am feeling content with my progress and thank you especially to Phil for the encouragement. I am keeping to 1300 calories/day this week - quite hard!

Pre weigh day collywobbles!

Not hopeful - not looking forward and thinking not done too well this week in spite of the runs round Clapham Common....we shall see. Might be the minstrels I had on the train back from London tonight!

Edgeley Road Clapham - where I lived 1975-77

I lived at number 44 (could have been 41) in the top two floors of one of these town houses. The landlady lived on the ground floor. It cost £18 pounds a week!

Clapham March 5th and 6th

Whenever I come to Lambeth Academy and stay at the Windmill Pub it always makes me think back to my time here in Clapham. Running on Clapham Common tonight was just so 'normal' - I used to walk here so much as a student when I lived in Edgeley Road off the high road. Little did I think that 32 years later I would come back from time to time! Two years I lived here - two of the most mixed up of my whole life! Struggling with coming to terms with a bad relationship break up , losing my faith, being very ill and being bored with the course I was doing. All fun stuff!! Even dare I say it - in this pub when a whole group of us students from Furzedown came here and that night I started 'going out with' a lad who was Jewish! It was also at the same time that Grandpa came to see me to talk to me about my soul and how concerned he was for me - the beginning of my journey back to God. Well - looking back I can see God's hand on my life - an interesting journey - a loving and patient husband, three wonderful children and a career I have enjoyed even though there have been tough times. Tough times are what make us who we are more often than not and we never know how the carpet of life is going to unroll for us!
Might try and find a picture of Clapham Common!

Phil joins the fitness fanatics!

Well done to you PJ getting the gym thing sorted out! More power to your elbow as they say - enjoy your sessions.....

March 1st:- 2 months on...

Apologies to Phil in particular for not having kept you up to date!! Last weigh in was a bit 'suspect' - or maybe it was just that the scales didn't say what I wanted them to say!! I have been away in Manchester all week and even though I have done a 30 min run each evening after work I think that I may have been eating just over the odds. I had a salad with chicken breast each evening but also...wait for it... a SMALL bowl of wonderful - gorgeous chef made chips!! I also worked on writing up reports each evening and succumbed because of the boredom of it - to a pack of Kettle chips! ...big one. Anyway - I am down to 12 stone 7 so all in the same direction. I am feeling very focused and motivated and it is great feeling that I CAN and not be a slave to self. So that is only 2 pounds off the first stone off. For those who only understand pounds - thats 175 pounds. Will celebrate the first stone off....
Got two slight problems at the moment - one that when I was in Guildford a couple of weeks ago I did some weights and made the mistake of doing leg raises with too heavy a weight - and then developed a bit of a niggling stretch ache in my lower back so am making sure I warm up properly before running. Then in addition to this our treadmill has decided to give up on the manual settings do I will have to set a program and stick to it!!! Could prove a challenge!!