So Christmas has been and gone, I really hope everyone had a good one. Mine has been great regarding the kids, however it is has been tinged with much sadness.
We were in Kent for Christmas day itself with my sister, her husband and their 4 kids. However my sister and I are now back up in Newcastle for the next 24 hours so we can say our final goodbyes to my grandpa at Tynemouth Crematorium tomorrow. It is then straight back to kent so we are back in time to see the New year in and also celebrate her eldest sons 18th, which is a really scary thought as he is my godson!
On boxing day I received some very upsetting news, my friends husband lost his fight to cancer on Christmas day. I just want her to know that my thoughts and prayers are with her and her family, life really can be very cruel and unfair at the best of times. It has made me realise just how precious life is and we only have one chance in this world. So life should be lived to the full, with no regrets.
Finally regarding training..........ummmmmmm!!! Not great, but it is Christmas and the weather has been pretty rubbish. I have only managed 1 run in a week, oops! But it was a great run, after resting for that length of time I was flying, when not slipping on the ice. I felt like I could of run a marathon, which is reassuring as that is what I am going to have to do. I just won't concern myself quite yet about the 2.4 mile swim and the 112 miles on the bike that I must do first, before attempting my first ever marathon.
Tuesday 28 December 2010
Sunday 19 December 2010
Life can be crap!
I feel Numb.
Recently I have just seemed to have crap news. Today, December 17th in the early hours of the morning my grandpa passed away, I feel sick. It was only 4 weeks ago he had a huge heart attack and survived and seemed to be doing so well on the road to recovery. Tonight I had to break the news to the kids. I envy the way that at such a young age life can be so matter of fact. Jake has assured me that grandpa is now sitting with God and Jesus and granny is telling them all jokes, as she was a very good Joke teller; those were his words. I love the fact that we then sat there and Jake told me some jokes, they were terrible jokes, but he made me laugh.
And if that was not enough, before I got that call, I was sitting with a good friend who is going through hell with a terminally ill partner. Her whole life has been turned upside down in a couple of months, with nothing she can do to alter the outcome. As a friend I feel helpless trying to help her through such a difficult time, all I can offer her is a shoulder to cry on and a sympathetic ear and at this time of year it always seems even more unfair.
Anyway life must go on, so I am heading out tonight with my netball team, for our Christmas night out. Seriously thought about staying in, but decided to go out and if I turn into a weeping mess, I can always get a taxi. So I have my phone at the ready so hopefully photo's to follow.
Hey what can I say, great night out and what a HOT looking netball team, looking good girls! Well they certainly put a smile back on my face, I had an ace night.
Finally, back to the actual reason I am writing this blog, training. Had a good start to the week, managed both tri sessions, however 2nd session felt pretty poor this week. Just wasn't feeling focused at all, and my weekend session was definitely effected by too much alcohol on my Friday night out. However yet again I made my daughters early morning swim session, at this rate I could end up getting a name for myself on the pool side. Maybe I should learn to say no to drinking... nah that's just a silly idea, I love my boozy nights out, it's just the next day it goes horribly wrong (sometimes).
As if the week had not been bad enough, earlier on in the week I managed to put my back out again, it has been so frustrating. Anyway I put my SOS call into Jambo and he was only getting on a train to London, Arghhhh!
However tonight (Sunday) I have seen Jambo..... I think I have just been through a torture session. I am now known as the Screamer. I can handle a lot of pain but this was excruciating, my IT bands were knotted to the extreme. So Jambo first came at me with his hands, where I nearly hit the roof, so he opted for using a huge foam tube, and used it like a rolling pin up the side of my leg, owwwwwwwwwwww!! Next he found the problem with my back, owwwwwwwwwwwwww! again, upside I do feel better, but what a session. From now on I am seriously going to concentrate on trying to release my IT band on my own.
Recently I have just seemed to have crap news. Today, December 17th in the early hours of the morning my grandpa passed away, I feel sick. It was only 4 weeks ago he had a huge heart attack and survived and seemed to be doing so well on the road to recovery. Tonight I had to break the news to the kids. I envy the way that at such a young age life can be so matter of fact. Jake has assured me that grandpa is now sitting with God and Jesus and granny is telling them all jokes, as she was a very good Joke teller; those were his words. I love the fact that we then sat there and Jake told me some jokes, they were terrible jokes, but he made me laugh.
And if that was not enough, before I got that call, I was sitting with a good friend who is going through hell with a terminally ill partner. Her whole life has been turned upside down in a couple of months, with nothing she can do to alter the outcome. As a friend I feel helpless trying to help her through such a difficult time, all I can offer her is a shoulder to cry on and a sympathetic ear and at this time of year it always seems even more unfair.
Anyway life must go on, so I am heading out tonight with my netball team, for our Christmas night out. Seriously thought about staying in, but decided to go out and if I turn into a weeping mess, I can always get a taxi. So I have my phone at the ready so hopefully photo's to follow.
Hey what can I say, great night out and what a HOT looking netball team, looking good girls! Well they certainly put a smile back on my face, I had an ace night.
Finally, back to the actual reason I am writing this blog, training. Had a good start to the week, managed both tri sessions, however 2nd session felt pretty poor this week. Just wasn't feeling focused at all, and my weekend session was definitely effected by too much alcohol on my Friday night out. However yet again I made my daughters early morning swim session, at this rate I could end up getting a name for myself on the pool side. Maybe I should learn to say no to drinking... nah that's just a silly idea, I love my boozy nights out, it's just the next day it goes horribly wrong (sometimes).
As if the week had not been bad enough, earlier on in the week I managed to put my back out again, it has been so frustrating. Anyway I put my SOS call into Jambo and he was only getting on a train to London, Arghhhh!
However tonight (Sunday) I have seen Jambo..... I think I have just been through a torture session. I am now known as the Screamer. I can handle a lot of pain but this was excruciating, my IT bands were knotted to the extreme. So Jambo first came at me with his hands, where I nearly hit the roof, so he opted for using a huge foam tube, and used it like a rolling pin up the side of my leg, owwwwwwwwwwww!! Next he found the problem with my back, owwwwwwwwwwwwww! again, upside I do feel better, but what a session. From now on I am seriously going to concentrate on trying to release my IT band on my own.
Sunday 12 December 2010
Eaten alive
I really don't know what is happening to time at the moment, I just feel like someone has their finger on fast forward constantly.
This week I got my first training advice for my new coach, Woody. So I should be looking at between 6 - 8 hours training a week, concentrating on various areas. For my bike its all about low cadence and big gears and the swimming and the running, well I haven't got that far yet. Oh Loads of time.
I have managed 4 training sessions this week, one was particularly gruesome at tri club. However I think the reason I found it so hard was due to the effects from the previous weekend drink-athon. I have decided its not a good combination drinking then training even with a couple of days break between the two.
The rest of the week hasn't been that productive on the training front, due to other commitments. Friday night I had my eldest daughters Christmas swimming gala and we were in team Grease; great yet another reason to dress up, hooray!!
Somehow I had managed to volunteer myself for the parent race which was a IM relay with the kids. That really wasn't an issue, however when faced with a diving block which the kids told me to stand on, the whole prospect of the race changed. I really don't know when I last dived, let alone stood on a diving block, anyway not one to shy away from a challenge up I went. Apparently the dive was not beautiful or graceful at all, but who cares, I did it and swam the 50m, might I add minus the goggles, they had come off the minute I hit the water. So, pleased it was over and done with, I asked Polly what she thought, she answered "I don't know because I couldn't see, someone was in the way". I do wonder sometimes why I bother!
This weekend I have had my first experience of the 'Garra Rufa fish therapy Spa, awesome once you get over the initial shock of them eating your feet. Would definitely recommended it, however be warned it is extremely ticklish.
Finally a hilarious video has been drawn to my attention by a fellow member from the tri club, it is a classic and yet I feel it could be very true, if you want a laugh you have to watch it, especially if you are thinking or are doing an Ironman.
This week I got my first training advice for my new coach, Woody. So I should be looking at between 6 - 8 hours training a week, concentrating on various areas. For my bike its all about low cadence and big gears and the swimming and the running, well I haven't got that far yet. Oh Loads of time.
I have managed 4 training sessions this week, one was particularly gruesome at tri club. However I think the reason I found it so hard was due to the effects from the previous weekend drink-athon. I have decided its not a good combination drinking then training even with a couple of days break between the two.
The rest of the week hasn't been that productive on the training front, due to other commitments. Friday night I had my eldest daughters Christmas swimming gala and we were in team Grease; great yet another reason to dress up, hooray!!
Somehow I had managed to volunteer myself for the parent race which was a IM relay with the kids. That really wasn't an issue, however when faced with a diving block which the kids told me to stand on, the whole prospect of the race changed. I really don't know when I last dived, let alone stood on a diving block, anyway not one to shy away from a challenge up I went. Apparently the dive was not beautiful or graceful at all, but who cares, I did it and swam the 50m, might I add minus the goggles, they had come off the minute I hit the water. So, pleased it was over and done with, I asked Polly what she thought, she answered "I don't know because I couldn't see, someone was in the way". I do wonder sometimes why I bother!
This weekend I have had my first experience of the 'Garra Rufa fish therapy Spa, awesome once you get over the initial shock of them eating your feet. Would definitely recommended it, however be warned it is extremely ticklish.
Finally a hilarious video has been drawn to my attention by a fellow member from the tri club, it is a classic and yet I feel it could be very true, if you want a laugh you have to watch it, especially if you are thinking or are doing an Ironman.
Monday 6 December 2010
Breaking the Ice
So this week we have been hit really hard by the snow, it seems to be affecting everything.
On Monday we lost our telephone line, which also meant no internet. It has been awful not being able to go on line at home, and with no idea when BT are getting here, it could be a while till I do get back on the old net. Apparently our street has been classified as a health and safety hazard.
As if this was not bad enough the gym keeps shutting early, tri club was cancelled, the first of my nights out was been cancelled AHHH! However on the upside my kids school had its first closure due to the snow on Thursday, so dressed up and ready for action we hit the town moor or should I say cow hill. Managing to get the youngest taken care of, the twins and I had a great afternoon zooming down the hill; it was awesome, very refreshing.
So then the second night out was cancelled however this time I was not going to take no for an answer. A quick call round and with new friends to go out to play with I hit the town and 9 hours later with the urge of partying well and truly satisfied I crawled into bed. Four hours later and I was sitting on the poolside watching my eldest daughters first early morning swim session. Well what can I say except that it was an intense experience on such little sleep.
When I decided to write this blog I said I would be truthful on how everything is going, in all aspects of my life. Well this week things haven’t been great on the home front, it’s been brewing for a while to be honest. It is hard enough trying to juggle home life as it is with all the chores, work, kids activities and then somehow find time for each other (meaning spending time with my husband). When you want to train and the only available time to do this is the evenings due to all the other commitments and he is in the throes of running two relatively new businesses and doesn’t come home from work till 7.30pm every night which is when I go out to the Gym, tri club or netball, it kind of leaves little time for each other; not the best for a happy marriage.
So after a chat late one night which seems about the only available time to talk at the moment, from now on Thursday is declared as a night for us to spend time together (excluding the Thursday that my fixed netball match is on; I can’t help that), so whether we go out or stay in it shall be a night where we spend some quality time together. We do have the weekends of course but they tend to be full of kids parties and various other activities; nobody said this was going to be easy.
I think it is too easy sometimes to get absorbed in the things you have to do and the tasks ahead of you. The result is that you forget about the things that are around you that also need attention if a happy equilibrium is to be maintained.
Finally I want to share with you a piece of snow art I discovered on the back streets of Jesmond, I think it is brilliant, very creative and dare I say it very detailed. Enjoy the masterpiece.
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