The last few days...

The last few days I have...

* Been tormented by the biggest house spider ever. I thought I was safe now, because we (not really we, as I definitely did not partake) had managed to kill 'Biggest House Spider No.1' about a week ago, but now there is another one, living in the same nook and it's out for revenge. It only seems to come out in the evening and during moments where I have momentarily let my guard down. An example of this would be whilst on the loo or in the shower...

* Run home from work a few times and been high-fived by a fellow runner. Yesterday's run was much more energetic than today's. My legs felt so stiff and achy after work. I really felt like I was plodding along very slowly. So, when an unidentified runner from my old club ran past in the opposite direction and enthusiastically high-fived me, it put a big grin on my face and made me dig that bit deeper. And camaraderie is the name of that run.

* Eaten lots of scrummy food. So, we decided to try the food at a pub that we always drive past but have never eaten at. I had a fairly unhealthy Caesar salad, with pan-fried salmon and mega amounts of Parmesan cheese - my favourite. It was delicious. We also ordered some chips that had been drizzled with truffle oil and sprinkled (not really the right word given the size of the parmesan shavings) with parmesan. Shaved parmesan would probably be more accurate. I felt like this balanced out the abundance of lettuce very nicely!

* Thought about entering lots of marathons. I get paid tomorrow, so this may well be realised. I want to up my game and do a few ones that I haven’t done before. I love a good goal and it will sure make me get out there and get in the miles.

* Nearly puked up after sniffing a protein shake. My Protein Oats and Whey is definitely the tastier shake. However, Maxi Nutrition Lean Definition offers more in terms of added nutrients and the amount of protein you get vs. calories. Having said that, it tastes disgusting mixed with water and smells terrible. That's why, upon sniffing the latter protein shake, post-run, I gagged. Downed it, but didn't enjoy it.

Protein

I've regularly taken whey protein for a while now. Sometimes I use it as a (lunch) snack/meal replacement, but more often than not I use it for recovery and to up my protein intake. Having tried some truly awful tasting and smelling protein shakes, I settled on MyProtein's Oats and Whey in Chocolate. However, since it was on offer, I have decided to go fancy and have been using MaxiNutrition Promax Lean (chocolate flavour). Now, I know it says to mix it with water, but it tastes horrible this way, so skimmed milk it is...I can get over the few extra calories and  at least I have added calcium :)

I even treated myself to a girly new shaker. But, I've spotted something that looks even better and I want one - PROMiXX Vortex Shaker .  Yep, I don't  need one, but it's so cool and mixes everything up so you never have lumpy protein shakes again...


In other news: It's so hot right now. Just not used to the heat in Britain, I guess. I went for a 5 mile run yesterday and I felt as if I'd run 50, my heart was beating so fast and the sweat was dripping off me. I remedied this with a swift recovery beer, of course.

New Year, new adventures.

So here we are in a new year. And I get to thinking about new adventures more than ever...despite the fact that I’m always looking for them anyway. Where will I travel this year? Where will I live and where will I work? I’m still working on these three questions and they all need answers. This is the year for stability. I need to find a place of my own to live and forge a proper career. However, I also really want to run new and more exciting things. This is quite hard without a stable income and car at the moment. I miss all of those obscure ‘out in the middle of nowhere’ marathons. I know I will get there, but I keep asking myself, ‘Are we there yet?’ Nope.

In the meantime I have occupied myself by still running home from work a lot. I never feel like doing it when I set off, but when I get into it, it always turns in to a great training run. As much as I miss having a car right now, I appreciate those moments. I appreciate the self-sufficiency of getting myself home using my own two legs and determination Yesterday I even picked up two pints of milk from the shop on my way back home. Adding a bit of weight to my rucksack varied the training and it was useful, because I needed that milk for my protein shakes ;-)

Shake it

I used to be one of those people that shrugged off protein shakes a little bit. I wasn’t the best milk lover in the world – I’m still not - and I didn’t like the taste or the smell. I reasoned that I could just go and eat some tuna or chicken and get some extra protein that way. Obviously, eating some extra protein is a really great idea, but it’s just a little inconvenient. I’m not likely to carry a chicken breast or leg around in my bag now, am I? (that thought/ mental image made me giggle a bit).

I’ve bought whey protein in the past and I’ve ended up trying it once or twice and then passing it off on relatives/ my brother. However, after years of trying to embrace the protein, I’ve finally found one that I actually like the taste of and isn’t the most expensive thing ever.

Myprotein is a pretty good website in terms of offers – I’m always getting emails with excellent deal codes. So, last week I decided to invest in a 2.5kg of ‘Total Oats and Whey’. It is what it sounds like, a mixture of whey protein and oats. I decided to go for ‘Chocolate Smooth’ flavour and I really like it.  I’ll have one in the morning and I’ll have one in the afternoon or evening or after a workout. I feel like I’m doing myself some good and I don’t feel like snacking at all. It’s not about bulking up, for me, as it would be for a guy hitting the gym and doing heavy weights. It’s about recovery and looking after my muscles and not getting injured and being the best I can be.

Getting back out there.

Choppy waters - kite surfer

Today, I’m getting back out there. I’m going to run my old favourite route and do my first run in 2 weeks. Obviously, my old route includes a long stretch of road leading  up to the Beachy Head Marathon start/ finish line and the first bit of my run takes me up that route. I guess I refuse to let what happened define me and destroy my love of this beautiful scenery. It’s mine and all the great runs that I have had there will never be erased.

Choppy sea and cliff edge

So, I might as well take this opportunity to create more lovely memories and runs up there. Slowly but surely, things are getting better. I feel motivated to find my next challenge, I feel energised to go after that job, to move back up North, to see what possibilities are out there.  If someone can’t see the magic of something, find someone who can. So, whilst I’ve not been running, I have read about running and I have plotted various run goals. I have also focused a lot of my core and mastered various ‘plank exercises’. I’ve embraced the protein shake and become a regular protein monster. I’ve also done a lot of arm exercises and swung my kettle bell around a fair bit. On the side, I have engaged in a little bit of retail therapy.

South Downs Way

Random piccies from today's meander (see above, across and below ;-) )

Stretching out...