3 Good Things

In the words of the infamous Ice Cube - Today was a Good Day.

Got up at 7am, ran 5 miles with my sister. It didn't rain, my legs didn't hurt and I felt ok. I even managed to hold a conversation for some of the way round. Admittedly we weren't running particularly fast. I need to do something about my breathing, as soon as I start to have to 'work' I begin to sound like Darth Vader. I have to really concentrate on keeping my shoulders relaxed or they end up somewhere round my ears (this isn't just a running issue, my shoulders instantly tighten up as soon as I'm stressed or uptight).

I got home & ticked the last of this week's sessions off my plan. 16 miles this week. Done by 7.50am on Saturday. Not bad.

Then it was time for the spa. After some winding roads & avoiding a few sheep, we arrived. This morning I sat in an outdoor hot tub looking at a perfect view of Win Hill. It felt like I was on holiday.

The lunch was amazing, I wasn't expecting such great food & was glad I'd done the 5 miles. I had:

Gazpacho.

Leek & herb sausages on basil mash.

Dark chocolate delice with a salted caramel centre.



After lunch I had a massage & a manicure. Perfect way to spend a day with my mum & sister.

My husband is out this evening, I've got the sofa to myself. I'm watching The Hollow Crown on the iplayer, eating leftover curry and drinking Redbush tea. And I'm really happy. Amazing what some sunshine, a hot tub & ticking things off a list can do.

Anyone for Ugali?

To continue on the theme of yesterday, I've been thinking about food today. People who know me will not be surprised.

A comment on Facebook this morning started me off, someone jokingly commented Not sure you should be posting pictures of trainers and starting sentences with 'What I eat " and that got me thinking that for a lot of people exercise and NOT eating are intrinsically linked. For me, there's nothing better than finishing a session at the gym or a run, coming home & eating my breakfast / lunch / dinner. It stops the guilt when I decide to have chips. Don't get me wrong, I'm as obsessed as the next 30 something year old woman when it comes to the size of my jeans. I've tried diets, for about a day. Exercise is the only thing that's ever made me any thinner.

I'm not meant to be running today, my legs hurt this morning when I got out of bed & I feel tired. 5 miles tomorrow. My sister (who was once on the cover of a running magazine) is visiting this weekend, we are taking our mum to a spa in the Peak District so I'd really like to get the 5 miles out of the way before relaxing. This means another early run. The Kenyans at the Iten training camp get up every day at 5am to run. They sometimes run three times a day. I feel like a hero if I manage more than 3 runs in a week. The Kenyans also eat a lot of vegetables with this stuff called ugali. So this afternoon I have made a vegetable curry. And I'll be eating it later with rice, chapatti and popadoms. But still no beer.



Not quite Ugali....