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.

Snot Rocket

A rather snotty run home from work today. I have been battling a dreaded summer cold for the past week and it really has been annoying. It's one of those things where you want to go for a run, because you physically can go for a run, but you just feel really bunged up and can't breathe properly, so your run ends up feeling rubbish and you sound like Darth Vader's relative.

Anyway, determined not to wait for the bus home from work and probably catch even more germs (I miss having a car...), I decided I was going to run home regardless. The run home isn't too far, just under 5 miles. But, I decided to extend my run, because I figured that I was out there anyway and I didn't get in any running at the weekend because of the cold, so I ran a little further and did about 6.5 miles. Not too much further, but it all counts. So, it was a snotty run, but a good run. It always feels good to bank some miles for the week.

Made it home

Run home

On yesterday's run home from work I wondered whether I could fit anymore in my rucksack. I think the answer was probably 'not really'. But, I decided to pop to Tesco on the run back and picked up a random selection of milk, cheese triangles, an avocado and some blueberry yogurts nonetheless. Good workout. I was feeling super achy and sleepy after yesterday's run home from work. However, it's always good to know that you got a run in, when you know that you certainly wouldn't have dragged yourself out after work...

Below are some piccies of my sleepy face, trusty Kayanos, bursting-at-the-seams running rucksack and my trusty water bottle. I love this dinky bottle.

Running here, there and everywhere.

What do you do when you don't have a car? Well, if you're a runner, you guessed it! The pros of this are that it's a fantastic way to get in all sorts of varied training. Running to and from work with my inov8 rucksack adds a little extra weight to my run, so that mixes things up a bit. I also get in some ‘night running’, since I’ve been running back from work in the dark. Then there’s also running whilst tired, as I almost always feel after work. So, sleepy runs on little food double as good ultra training. 

Running from work also means that I don’t have to drag myself out of the door after work, as I’m killing two birds with one stone via running home. And it is pretty hard to drag yourself out of the door into the cold night air once you’ve settled down in the warmth of your living room. 

Finally, since I’m working a lot over Christmas, that’s a lot of festive training in the bag, which makes up for all that mince pie munching. This also puts a bit of a positive spin on working so much over Christmas, which isn’t the happiest prospect ever (Boo!). I guess the only major downsides to running to work are having hat hair (wearing a hat becomes necessary if the weather is bad, to avoid looking like I’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards...) and remembering to take my makeup with me ;-)