Day 7 - Still running

Today has been a bit tough. My knee is bad. It hurts. So really I should stop. I know. I should. But not yet. 

I so want to complete the challenge. I know lots of you are telling me to stop but it is in my head to finish and at least get beyond a week!!!! I honestly thought it would be my head to cave in first. Never thought it would be my stupid old body!!! Bloody knee!

I could give in and I may well have to but tonight I will attempt to run. I have official Mum-Taxi business and then I will give it a bash. I am talking round the block at the most!

Will let you know. 

EJMx

UPDATE: I went. It hurt. It is done. Run 7.

Miles so far in Jan: 19.6
Speed: Trying

Run 6 with the Chicks

So I tell them. My knee hurts. I may not last this run. I told them all that. My running pals. My friends. Yes, yes, yes, they were going to look after me. Make sure I get a nice little run. I would be OK! Blah Blah de Blah!

They were talking utter poppycock! 

5.1 miles!! We kept on running further and further away from home. Little monkeys!!

I was prepared though. I had braced myself - quite literally. So although I was not great, I did manage it and the knee held out. It is amazing what a running with friends can achieve. I have been struggling to get to two miles on my own and yet I managed a long old run! 

Now I just have to get up the stairs.

#sleepingonthesofa

EJMx

Total Miles in Jan: 18.6 

Speed: Never gonna happen

Day 5 - Ouchy

Managed 1.5miles today and could have done a little more but I have a sore knee.... I think my body is just in a state of shock and nothing serious. It is something that would usually give me an excuse not to run but I do not have that option. 

Managed a spot of Hertford sightseeing - Any excuse to stop!

So I went and got my sweat on today (despite my ickle mileage) having decided as it was going to be short I would try and run a little faster. So even though I haven't run far - I am knackered!!!!

What this whole exercise has done has  removed the decision making process. I do not have the battle with myself over whether I am going to run. I will run, the decision now is when and where. This time of year is a little limiting and I am already dreaming of lovely Spring days where I can go on pretty runs! Pretty runs with lovely bouncy forgiving ground beneath my feet. I am already thinking of Feb - perhaps a run every other day with a bike ride on the rest days....

No more paying out for gyms I do not use, or use enough. Just getting active and getting outdoors. Such fun!

EJMx

PS Lovely school run today with lots of smiles and encouragement! Thank you x

Total Miles in Jan - 13.5
Speed - Quite zippy today as mostly downhill and wanted to get it over with!

Run 4 - Squeezed in

No alarm. I was ready. I would not say I was excited but I knew what I had to do. Run.

The cold air took me a little by surprise (not sure why because it is Jan 4th) but I was a little unprepared and was soon wishing I had gloves, running headband and jacket. I was in vest and long sleeved thin running vest. Bit chilly!

I thought I would warm up. I didn't. Yes I got sweaty and a little warmer but I never really warmed up. My toes went numb and my fingers started to hurt they were so cold.

BUT - I quite enjoyed it. It was quiet out and the frost was so so pretty. 

I squeezed in the run before taking No 2 son to rugby and this is where the trouble starts. It is not so much the running that is a problem to squeeze in, it is the aftermarth!! Hair! Washing and drying hair!! Takes FOREVER! 

One added bonus to running before rugby is that I had turned myself into a little hot water bottle and I got through the first hour standing on the sidelines without feeling the chill! #brucey 

Back to normality tomorrow with the kids at school (not sure how we will cope with the early mornings!!) so I am hoping to find some sort of schedule for my runs. 4 down, 27 to go.

EJMx

Total Miles in January: 12

Speed: Great film with Keanu Reeves - second one was  bit rubbish though

Day 3 - Pain in the Knee

Alarm. Snooze

Alarm. Snooze

Alarm. Snooze

Alarm. I give in.

It is raining. My knee hurts. Not much, just a little bit. Enough to usually give me the excuse to stay in bed and give it a miss but this is Day 3.

So off I went. It was hard going today. Body was calling out to me saying: "Are you having a laugh?"

Well. No actually, I am not. Today was not funny. 

Now I am home I feel good about myself and a little smug that it is done with.

Only 2.5 miles today which yes I know is not that far but it included The Warren (little hill) leading into Port Hill which some might say (me when I was running it) is more of a mountain!

Day 3. Done

EJMx

Total miles in January: 9.5

Speed: Not yet

Good Day Sunshine!

As I went to sleep last night listening to the rain on the windows I was dreading the run on Day 2. That made it all the better when I woke to sunshine peeking through the blind!! It actually made me want to go. That and the sound of the kids already squabbling!

So I set off and I had said to Mr EJM I was going to do a quickie round the roads. Then the beautiful blue sky started calling to me to run free! So off I went without a real plan. My Playlist was making me giggle. I think I went overboard on the positivity when I made it last night. I started running to Don't Stop Believin' the uber cheesy Glee version. Then I got a giggle from the Wicked Cast singing Defying Gravity which my wobbly bits certainly are doing. You get the picture! It made me smile so that helped!

Just choosing my way as I went.

Today I did not care about any wobbly bits. Who cares - at least I am out there running. I also went into Pheobe mode (Friends) when running down a steep hill, I sort of lost any rhythm and my arms and legs were everywhere but for some reason I decided to carry and kept running like that for about 20 metres on the flat. No-one was around. Such fun!

It felt like miles. So much so that I doubted my Strava app and checked Google Maps to confirm it was only 3.5miles. Which it was. It felt like about 6!!! Honestly felt twice as far as yesterday.

It is really lovely out there today so grab some trainers, walking boots or wellies and just get out there. 

EJM x

January Running Total: 7 miles

Minute Miling: Beyond Slow but who cares!

Stopping to take a Photograph just to get a break: Lost Count! Amazing how pretty things can look when you just want to get a breather!!

NYD - RUN 1

So I was lying in bed this morning after not much sleep and I honestly could have cried! 

So this was my head....

Why on earth did I think of this? Why would I even want to run every day? WTF? I feel a cold coming. My chest is a bit tight. Is that my ear hurting, oh blimey I have an ear infection. Stay in bed. Ignore the world...

I eventually haul myself out of bed and a sharp pain shoots through my foot and the vague recollection of falling down a curb in heels sprang to mind. Ouch. That is it. Over before I have begun. Then I was thinking this is so unfair I was really looking forward to it and I have told the whole of EJM peeps about this challenge. Then I take another step and realise it is absa-bloody-lutely fine! Oh the drama!

Mr EJM despite a horrible cold insists he is coming with me on Run 1 and a good job he did as I needed all the help I could get! Now as many of you know I do not really drink but I did notice whilst running that perhaps I had on this occasion had one too many Prosecco.

So apart from feeling a little rough we got running and I was on fire for the first 0.8 miles running at 10 min miling and I felt fan-blooming-tastic. Like a runner. A proper runner. Luckily for me this was also down the main road so people saw me and probably thought - Wow! 

Then I got to the bottom of the hill and things got a little tougher. I started to notice my thighs were bouncing. Actually up and down. Luckily the lycra prevents any round of applause as they clap together but I did start to focus a little too hard on all things that were wobbling.

Then I told myself. It is NYD. You are out running and managed some hills and 3.5 miles so despite - dare I suggest such a thing - a slight hangover and being shattered I have made it through Run 1. 

30 to go!

EJMx

Then as a little brucey bonus when I got home I found out another featuure has been published over on We Heart Living. Jan 1 2015 and already it is a corking day! Have a good one peeps!