June 2015 – Page 2 – Black and Tabby Runs

Juneathon Day 20. Delayed Parkrun

So I was intending to go to parkrun. I really was. But a brilliant meal out with my best friends that ended quite late put paid to that. I want to bed thinking “I’ll see what time I wake up…” and promptly woke up at ten to nine.

To give me some credit, I did feel guilty about it, so a little later I decided to do a delayed parkrun. This was over my own route, it had no marshals, I could happily forget my bar code, it wasn’t in a park but it WAS 5K. It’s down and back a small lane that can be busy during the week but I reckoned would be safe on a Saturday. As I set off, true to parkrun form I briefly thought I should have had a warm up, then I carried on anyway. I also suddenly remembered that last Juneathon I ran this route at the start and end to see if I could improve my time.

It was really hot and muggy and I remembered using that excuse last Juneathon on this route as well. The route has an enormous dip that you run down and up twice, once in each direction (I always use this as an excuse on this route – even when I’m on my bike). Anyway I stopped my Garmin at 3.11 miles and dripped the remaining short distance home. I was so sticky I am sure I left a slug trail behind me. Attractive.

On checking the data, I was delighted to see the following times and dates:-

29:40 June 1st 2014
27:10 June 30th 2014

26:37 20th June 2015

Go me! Looks like the “Killer Tuesday” sessions (as we affectionately call the club “Efforts” evening) are working.

On a slightly more relaxed note, here are some sleeping kittens. Anyone remember a song from the 70s by Terry Scott called “my brother” (pronounced bruver”). It has a classic lyric that is so apt for these bruvers: “I know he’s good when he’s asleep … But you don’t know what he’s dreaming about, do you?!”

Juneathon day 19. These Birkenstocks were made for walking

Might sound familiar, but today was spent sorting my car out and killing time shopping. Many hours spent in the lovely town of Swindon, walking for miles and looking half heartedly for things to at for a family wedding in August.

To make this an official Juneathon activity I wore my Garmin. Unfortunately the battery went flat after 1.1 miles. On my walk back to the garage I used Strava on my phone and measured 1.8 miles walking which included a stop for lunch and was whilst carrying 2 tonnes of shopping.

So over 3 miles walked (I walked more than I recorded so I rounded up), car all sorted and a new dress bought. Result.

Are you ready Birkenstocks? Start walking

Juneathon day 18. Definitely not a run streak

Warning – this post contains failure and pottering. And more than likely a feline or two. If that’s not your thing then look away now.

Right. The day started promisingly enough. Not running in the morning because I planned on going to the tough club run that evening. Lunch with my parents and daughter (very nice) and a quick trip to collect my son and do some shopping. Foccaccia bread in the oven and minestrone soup on the hob and my resolve was wavering. It was very warm still, I was tired and had a bit of a headache (more cat early morning shenanigans), and dinner smelt so good so … I didn’t go to running club. Sorry. I ate dinner with my children instead.

Watering new plants out in the garden later I thought I could still pop out for a little run, and if I had managed an unbroken ‘streak’ up to that point I would have done. However after the disaster of the weekend that streak was long gone and the pressure (and incentive) was off. Instead I had a lovely potter around the garden: some watering, a little weeding, a general check up on my new plants accompanied by older tabby boy. Then I went inside and played with the kittens. It was lovely, so I’m having pottering and kittening* as my Juneathon activities for today.

* Of course this is a real word, and it is definitely NOT slacking. Those kitties run damn fast!

Juneathon Day 17. An expensive day

As I plodded around 3 miles this morning feeling tired, I grimly reflected that maybe I had over compensated yesterday for my recent slackness. Or maybe having three cats bouncing around on the bed and hissing in the early hours might have made me feel a tad tired. Whatever it was, I was glad when I finished my 3 miles.

The rest of the day was spent getting my car sorted out. I left it at the garage and caught the train into Bath with my just-finished-GCSEs-and-needing-a-new-wardrobe-for-sixth-form daughter. The distance we walked around clothes shops would have counted as a Juneathon activity on its own. With the clothes she bought and the car’s bill from the garage it was an expensive day!

Juneathon Day 16. Making Up for Yesterday

After yesterday’s slack day I thought I’d better make up for it today. 4 miles with 2 hills was a good start to the day.

As I ran I was struck by how running was an activity of contrasts. I set off thinking what a lovely temperature it was – just warm without being hot. By the time I staggered back I was dripping and cursing the sun.

I ran through thigh high grass enjoying the cool, tickly feeling on my legs then thought “I must check I haven’t picked up a tick when I get home”.

I was overjoyed to be greeted by the kittens when I got home, and also Tibbs, the big tabby boy. There was a lovely moment of temporary truce as they all shared the kitchen, followed by a hiss frenzy as Nev cracked, and patted Tibbs’s twitching tail. Ah well, one day they’ll get along.

Update. I was so ashamed of Monday’s Juneathon I thought I’d better redeem myself. So as well as the morning’s run, I went to the Chippenham Wheelers Midsummer Bike Ride in the evening with husband and son. Husband shot off whilst me and son worked out how few laps we could legitimately do before we could stop for a snack. 3 was the answer we decided upon, so we stopped for the food of champions.
We did manage another 2 laps after that, but my son was tired so we headed home. In total we cycled 20 miles, which after my hilly morning run I was happy with.

Juneathon Day 15. Sliding

After such a good start to Juneathon, by the halfway point things are definitely sliding. I have no real excuse for today, no broken bones (thank heavens) or iffy cars (what a relief), just a bit of a much needed slack day after a hectic few weeks. I said I wouldn’t do it, but today’s Juneathon is a plank. *

Less boring is today’s kitten picture

* Update. I had intended to do my plank before bed, but come bedtime I lay down to do it and just rolled into bed (we currently have a mattress on the floor). My activity for the day will have to have been walking around the town centre with my parents-in-law. Sigh.

Juneathon Day 14. Poor Nephew

So after a late night at a big family party, I was planning a little trot later on in the day when our youngest visitors had headed home. All would be nice and peaceful, with just my parents-in-law staying. Just before lunchtime we took sis-in-law and her 3 children over to the next village to the cycling festival they were having. The children are full of energy (as young children are) and we thought they could have a go on their scooters, play in the ace playground and burn off some energy before having to sit in the car for a long trip home.

The plan was going well, they scootered in the school’s playground (have you ever seen a 3 year old bunny-hop on a scooter? Quite impressive. And scary!) Then we headed to the playground were 3 year old made a bee-line for the swings, and 6 & 8 year old headed to the zip line, with my son in attendance. A few minutes later, we saw a child fall from the zip wire and with a sickening jolt we realised that was my oldest nephew.

He was shocked and crying, but concious, so as his mum sat him down to give him a chance to recover, I suggested hissiblings ran races to amuse themselves. When middle child was bored of beating his little sister, I joined in and the three of us raced across the field, then I cheated and carried little sister on the return journey (being very careful not to trip and cause more injuries) and also to let big brother win (most important!). I then told him that although he was faster than me, I could carry on running for a very long time if I had to (just to make me feel better at being beaten!)

The end result was that my nephew has broken his arm and will need to be in a splint for 4 weeks. He’d been very brave, and we were all very relieved that he was going to be okay. Obviously at this point popping on my running stuff and heading off for some “me-time” didn’t seemed the right thing to do in the circumstances, so I’m going to take my “nephew & niece-race” as my Juneathon activity for the day.

And I still need to sort my poorly car out – but that’s for another day, and hopefully it won’t take so long it messes up another running day!

Oh and just to cheer us all up, cuddly kitten pic of the day:-

Juneathon Day 13. No parkrun but still…

After yesterday’s failure, and with a busy family party on the cards for today I knew I had to be organised to get my run in. I got up intending to go to parkrun, but then got side tracked providing breakfast for my young nephews and niece, and also for the cat and kittens. By the time that was done I was too late for parkrun. Curses.

I was tempted to just write the day off after yesterday’s failure, but after yesterday’s failure I knew it was more important than ever to get out. So after hearing “Let it go” for the umpteenth time I was driven into my lycra and out of the house.

5 miles before most of our house guests were up. Done!

Juneathon Day 12. End of the run streak

So my plan to run every day in June came to a staggering halt today. I’m blaming it on my car.

The day started with the two carpet fitters arriving (to finish putting in the new carpet) at the same time as the builder (to slice millimeters off the bottom of all our doors so that they will close on said new carpet). It continued with a feverish sorting out of rooms ready for the large amount of family that were coming to stay with us in a few short hours.

All was going according to plan, until I stated making up beds with fresh linen and discovered I had run out of double sheets. Checking the time I jumped in the car, confident I could still finish my jobs and pop out for a run. Then my car started misbehaving, so I had to limp back home, grab husband’s car and head out again.

By the time I made it back home, our guests had arrived and the window of opportunity for a run had closed. My run streak has therefore officially stalled, but Juneathon still lives as I’m counting the walk to the pub and back.

Juneathon Day 11. A down, an up, a phone call and a chat.

I finally caught up with a few other Juneathon blogs today, and one in particular made me think. Jogblog, (who with her other hat on is Ms Juneathon) wrote about 5 WAYS TO MAKE THE MOST OF JUNEATHON. She reminded me that Juneathon is meant to be fun, and that it’s good to interact with other ‘athoners on Facebook and Twitter. I’ll try and keep this in mind.

After another busy day I finally made it out for a short run. To make it worth my while putting the lycra on I decided to run down the hill and back up again. However after getting up the steep bit my phone rang, and I had a chat with my builder (who must have thought he’d phoned a heavy breather the way I was panting). I ran on, and then bumped into my neighbours who I needed to have a chat with. Finally I got back home. A short run turned into quite a slow one!

Kitten lesson of the day is how to sleep.

Even the big cat is getting in on it:-