Saturday, 13 April 2013
New site address
The blog has moved - for all the lovely people reading, please head on over to envierose.com!
Sunday, 7 April 2013
A little wander over the moors
There are endless training plans for running 26.2 miles; endless resources for ways to build up the distance, manage your hydration and nutrition, kit and everything else.
But what about training for a 31 mile hike across the moors?
According to the organisers:
Granted, I'll be walking it. But with a notorious hill dubbed 'Green Mountain', streams and rivers to cross, stiles and boggy fields to navigate, it's not exactly a gentle Sunday stroll.
I've tried this event twice before. The first time, in 2010, my parents and I did the half distance. Not realising just how serious the event was, I turned up in a vest top and cardigan, with cheap trainers on my feet:
If it hadn't been dry that year, there's no way I would ever have made it to the end. Somehow, I did - and it was brilliant.
Last year, we decided to try the full distance. My parents had attempted it the year before, but severe weather conditions meant that they were stopped at the final checkpoint, with just 5 miles to go.
It was a bit grey and misty when we set off, but the skies cleared, and we enjoyed a little bit of sunshine as we passed the half-way point. We were in high spirits, and this time I was wearing sensible walking shoes, various layers, and had a waterproof coat in my rucksack (yes, I even had a rucksack that year). Unfortunately, the weather decided to shake things up a bit, and as we passed the checkpoint just before the FINAL checkpoint, the heavens opened. The volunteers asked if we wanted to get a lift back to the start, but being so close to the final checkpoint and those elusive five miles to the finish, we pushed on.
We soon realised that our waterproof jackets weren't waterproof. We shuffled along an endless road, visibility decreasing by the minute as the fog rolled in, a bitter wind pressing our wet clothes against us and making us shiver. My legs had never felt so stiff. We never made it to that final checkpoint; instead, one of the organisers' buses pulled up alongside us to pick us up, telling us that the event had once again been cancelled due to dangerous weather conditions.
Psychologically, it felt as difficult as I expect a marathon to feel towards the end - my whole body hurt, I was stiffening up, I was tired and miserable and wanted to give up. My legs ached for days afterwards. My parents had run Brighton a few months before, and agreed that both events were on a similar level.
But we refused to be defeated, and signed up once again to try the full distance. This summer, we're determined to get to the finish line - this time, with waterproof jackets that are actually waterproof.
And preferably, without the torrential rain, bitter wind, and crazy amounts of fog.
Third time lucky, right!?
But what about training for a 31 mile hike across the moors?
According to the organisers:
'This circular long distance walk, the Exmoor Perambulation, is a traditional walk dating back over 725 years. It's one of the most challenging walks in the Exmoor annual calendar and during the 31 miles of cross country walking you will be taking in breathtaking views and accessing parts of the National Park not normally open to the public. You will also be participating in a bit of history! Every June hundreds of people from around the country come together to tread the boundary of the old Royal Forest of Exmoor and pass through some unique areas of Exmoor not normally accessible to the public.'
Granted, I'll be walking it. But with a notorious hill dubbed 'Green Mountain', streams and rivers to cross, stiles and boggy fields to navigate, it's not exactly a gentle Sunday stroll.
I've tried this event twice before. The first time, in 2010, my parents and I did the half distance. Not realising just how serious the event was, I turned up in a vest top and cardigan, with cheap trainers on my feet:
Surrounded by serious and seasoned hikers, and completely unprepared.
Last year, we decided to try the full distance. My parents had attempted it the year before, but severe weather conditions meant that they were stopped at the final checkpoint, with just 5 miles to go.
It was a bit grey and misty when we set off, but the skies cleared, and we enjoyed a little bit of sunshine as we passed the half-way point. We were in high spirits, and this time I was wearing sensible walking shoes, various layers, and had a waterproof coat in my rucksack (yes, I even had a rucksack that year). Unfortunately, the weather decided to shake things up a bit, and as we passed the checkpoint just before the FINAL checkpoint, the heavens opened. The volunteers asked if we wanted to get a lift back to the start, but being so close to the final checkpoint and those elusive five miles to the finish, we pushed on.
We soon realised that our waterproof jackets weren't waterproof. We shuffled along an endless road, visibility decreasing by the minute as the fog rolled in, a bitter wind pressing our wet clothes against us and making us shiver. My legs had never felt so stiff. We never made it to that final checkpoint; instead, one of the organisers' buses pulled up alongside us to pick us up, telling us that the event had once again been cancelled due to dangerous weather conditions.
Psychologically, it felt as difficult as I expect a marathon to feel towards the end - my whole body hurt, I was stiffening up, I was tired and miserable and wanted to give up. My legs ached for days afterwards. My parents had run Brighton a few months before, and agreed that both events were on a similar level.
When the sun came out, the views on the moors were spectacular.
You can just make out a few teeny people on the bottom right of the left-hand image!
But we refused to be defeated, and signed up once again to try the full distance. This summer, we're determined to get to the finish line - this time, with waterproof jackets that are actually waterproof.
And preferably, without the torrential rain, bitter wind, and crazy amounts of fog.
Third time lucky, right!?
Saturday, 6 April 2013
Parkrun
This week hasn't been my healthiest week ever. Whilst I've only just started to work my way through my Easter chocolate, I've been doing a pretty good job of indulging in other ways!
For Mum's birthday (excuse #1), we went to an amazing Italian restaurant in Covent garden. I was forced by both parents to have a dessert, which they promised to help me with. (For future reference, 1 measly spoonful does NOT consitute as helping when the dessert in question is an icecream sundae as big as my face.)
For a friend's birthday, we went to TGI's. The meal itself was pretty unhealthy, but SOOO TASTY! I had the French Canadian burger, with bacon and melted brie, and it was the tastiest burger I've ever had! As it was for another birthday, it would've been rude not to have cake. And the cake was insane - a black forest gateau, pirate style - with chocolate chips and various bits of candy (I cringe at how American that sounds, but the cake was devised by an American, and that was how they worded it .. and it seems wrong to word it another way!)
Yesterday evening, my boyfriend and I had a rare evening together, and decided to have dinner at ASK. I discovered the tastiest salad EVER (in all honesty, it was more salmon than salad) which was about the healthiest I had been all week. For dessert, I might've indulged in a small mocha, and a chocolate and almond cake .. It was a teeny slice, but as before, I was left to eat all but a tiny spoonful of it myself.
To be fair, I've been cycling 12 miles a day all week, and I made it to the gym on Tuesday for a 40 minute run! Talking of running, today I went to my first ever (5k) parkrun. It was so good! The sun was shining, it was crisp and fresh, and 3 uphills meant plenty of downhill, too!
I took it easy, finishing in 35:49, as I've been slacking on my outdoor runs recently. My age group ranking was 41.32%, and I was the 38th female finisher; 121/138, overall. When they emailed me my result, I got really excited for a second:
'Congratulations on completing your 1st parkrun and your 1st at Guildford today. You finished in 121st place and were the 38th lady out of a field of 138 parkrunners and you came 1st in your age category SW20-24.'
.. Turns out, I was the only person in that particular age category. Boo!
I'm excited to make it a regular thing, and to work on getting my PB down to sub-30, and then hopefully sub-25!
I'll keep you updated :)
For Mum's birthday (excuse #1), we went to an amazing Italian restaurant in Covent garden. I was forced by both parents to have a dessert, which they promised to help me with. (For future reference, 1 measly spoonful does NOT consitute as helping when the dessert in question is an icecream sundae as big as my face.)
For a friend's birthday, we went to TGI's. The meal itself was pretty unhealthy, but SOOO TASTY! I had the French Canadian burger, with bacon and melted brie, and it was the tastiest burger I've ever had! As it was for another birthday, it would've been rude not to have cake. And the cake was insane - a black forest gateau, pirate style - with chocolate chips and various bits of candy (I cringe at how American that sounds, but the cake was devised by an American, and that was how they worded it .. and it seems wrong to word it another way!)
Yesterday evening, my boyfriend and I had a rare evening together, and decided to have dinner at ASK. I discovered the tastiest salad EVER (in all honesty, it was more salmon than salad) which was about the healthiest I had been all week. For dessert, I might've indulged in a small mocha, and a chocolate and almond cake .. It was a teeny slice, but as before, I was left to eat all but a tiny spoonful of it myself.
To be fair, I've been cycling 12 miles a day all week, and I made it to the gym on Tuesday for a 40 minute run! Talking of running, today I went to my first ever (5k) parkrun. It was so good! The sun was shining, it was crisp and fresh, and 3 uphills meant plenty of downhill, too!
I took it easy, finishing in 35:49, as I've been slacking on my outdoor runs recently. My age group ranking was 41.32%, and I was the 38th female finisher; 121/138, overall. When they emailed me my result, I got really excited for a second:
'Congratulations on completing your 1st parkrun and your 1st at Guildford today. You finished in 121st place and were the 38th lady out of a field of 138 parkrunners and you came 1st in your age category SW20-24.'
.. Turns out, I was the only person in that particular age category. Boo!
I'm excited to make it a regular thing, and to work on getting my PB down to sub-30, and then hopefully sub-25!
I'll keep you updated :)
Thursday, 4 April 2013
A person who rides a bicycle
I was talking yesterday about how I don't really
feel like a proper 'cyclist'. Then again, despite running 2 half marathons (one
not official) and a 16-miler (once), I don't feel much like a proper 'runner',
either.
I was curious to see what constitutes a cyclist,
or a runner, and so I looked up the terms in the Oxford English dictionary.
First, I checked 'runner', given that I've been
working on my running for the past year or so, compared to the last two days or
so for cycling - and this is what it said:
runner
Pronunciation: /ˈrʌnə/
noun
A person that runs, especially in a specified
way
A person who runs competitively as a sport or hobby
Then there was 'cyclist',
which said the following:
cyclist
Pronunciation: /ˈsʌɪklɪst/
noun
A person who rides a bicycle
So according to the Oxford English dictionary, I'm more of a cyclist than a runner. This is despite the fact that I've run regularly for a year or so, whilst I've only been cycling for 2 days. Then again, when I stop and think about it, maybe it is easier to be a cyclist. Most people who ride a bike don't do so competitively, whereas most people who run, run races. But then, if they're both sports, and both offer organised events and races, why should the definitions be different? Why can't a runner simply be 'a person who runs'? Is a runner simply 'a person who runs'? Running in races certainly hasn't made me feel more like a runner. Probably because I finished in the last half a dozen participants each time ..
Do I look the part? :D
I can't say that any of this has made me feel more like either one. Maybe I should do away with labels completely, and simply stick with: 'I run, and I cycle'.
I definitely don't intend to participate in any formal cycling events! Unless 'surviving a busy main road commute' counts ..
When did you start to consider yourself a runner or a cyclist? Why?
Wednesday, 3 April 2013
Discovering the joys of cycling
Yesterday I took my first steps - pedals? - into the land of the cycling commute. As I put on my helmet and manouvered the bike out of a very tiny flat, I wasn't feeling much like a proper cyclist:
In fact, I kind of felt like avoiding the humungous main roads and the tempermental drivers in their big, fast cars and getting the train. But I didn't! Probably because I had promised my friend that I would join her on the way in; though I think she expected me to be slightly tougher than I actually was am. Five minutes into our epic (ok, 6 mile) journey, we hit a REALLY BIG junction with traffic lights and cars coming from all directions. I tentatively asked her - with crossed fingers - if we were going to turn left. Unfortunately, we had to turn right. Driving on the left hand side of the road, this seemed somewhat problematic! Somehow, I survived being sandwiched between two lanes of traffic, although a pothole on the other side nearly wiped me out!
I've been quite pleasantly surprised at how considerate the drivers are around here; in the mornings, at least. I guess it's something in the coffee that turns them into maniacs come the evening. (I've seen first-hand just how much coffee real-life Surrey office workers get through in a day. It's insane. As is their evening driving. End.) On a related note, my boss has stopped asking me if I'm a robot - now he simply states it as an explanation for people that ask if I want a coffee, and look confused when I say no.
Well, from tomorrow morning I'm going to be a briiight, flourescent orange robot! High vis, yaaay! Because I bought this jacket:
It's awesome, and means that the city-workers-slash-boy-racers in their gorgeous and really fast but REALLY INCONVENIENT WHEN OVERTAKING YOU WHILST LEAVING BARELY AN INCH OF SPACE cars can no longer pretend not to see me. That goes for the Surrey tractors, too.
Yeah, I see you.
Bring it on!
I might not have been high vis, but I sure was well patterned!
(Yes, I dress like a 14 year old).
I've been quite pleasantly surprised at how considerate the drivers are around here; in the mornings, at least. I guess it's something in the coffee that turns them into maniacs come the evening. (I've seen first-hand just how much coffee real-life Surrey office workers get through in a day. It's insane. As is their evening driving. End.) On a related note, my boss has stopped asking me if I'm a robot - now he simply states it as an explanation for people that ask if I want a coffee, and look confused when I say no.
Well, from tomorrow morning I'm going to be a briiight, flourescent orange robot! High vis, yaaay! Because I bought this jacket:
Waterproof, windproof, stormproof and FAR TOO BRIGHT to do it justice in a photo. Win!
Also, it was reduced from £120 to £35. DOUBLE WIN!
It's awesome, and means that the city-workers-slash-boy-racers in their gorgeous and really fast but REALLY INCONVENIENT WHEN OVERTAKING YOU WHILST LEAVING BARELY AN INCH OF SPACE cars can no longer pretend not to see me. That goes for the Surrey tractors, too.
Yeah, I see you.
Bring it on!
Sunday, 31 March 2013
Happy Easter!
Yesterday, my boyfriend and I decided to make the most of the long Easter weekend and venture up to London for the day (ok, we hopped on the fast train to Waterloo and got there in 35 minutes). We had originally planned to skate around Hyde Park, but as the forecast predicted rain for the afternoon (which never materialised, besides a light 30-second shower) the skate shop couldn't let us rent any skates from them. Whilst my boyfriend has his own, short of buying a pair on the spot (I decided £140 was a bit steep for an impulse buy) skating was out for me!
We briefly considered renting a Boris Bike (the ugly Barclays bikes) but as we headed over to Hyde Park, the very light snow turned to heavy sleet, and we ducked into the Underground, instead.
We ended up in South Kensington, at the Natural History Museum. It was free to get in, and just big enough to spend the afternoon there, so we queued up. Luckily, it didn't take too long to get in, despite the crowds of tourists - though it was quite busy once we got inside! After standing around in the cold, the first thing we did was head to the cafe for a hot drink - and were luckily enough to nab a table almost immediately. The drinks were really tasty, and given that we were at a tourist spot in central London, the prices were really reasonable!
The Natural History Museum building is absolutely stunning!
The first area we checked out was the Blue Zone - i.e. loads of really awesome huuuge mammals, and skeletons of various ancestors (including a huge rhino-like mammal with two huge horns!) I was surprised at just how much there was to see, given it was free to get in. It took us quite a while to get round, but it worked out nicely as by the time we queued up to see the Dinosaurs Gallery, the waiting time had gone right down. We both agreed that this was the BEST bit:
Dinosaur skeletons, fossils, and an animatronic T-Rex - awesome!
Of course, we couldn't go home without taking a dinosaur with us - though this little guy wasn't quite as fierce as the ones in the gallery!
Teeny little cuddly T-Rex!
We stayed until closing, and then hopped back on the Underground and headed over to Oxford Circus and Carnaby Street. If you find yourself in the area, you have to check out Cha Cha Moon - they do the most amazing noodle dishes ever. This time, we started with prawn dumplings (sooo good) served with chilli and garlic sauce, and then I had the wonton soup. After the dumplings (which were pretty rich) the soup was quite light, and really hit the spot. The restaurant itself is really cool, with low atmospheric lighting and rows of wooden benches. Highly recommended!
Dumplings and wonton soup at Cha Cha Moon
As for Easter, I've somehow found myself with no chocolate today !! (I know, something's wrong with the world). Luckily, we picked up some M&S hot cross buns yesterday. We had apple and cinnamon ones last night, which have always been my favourite, but this year there's a new flavour to try - Belgian chocolate and orange:
A little taste of Easter!
They may not be Easter eggs, but they'll do for now. I guess I'll just have to eat extra chocolate tomorrow!
Happy Easter, everyone :)
Friday, 29 March 2013
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