Fresh Beginnings

Despite the horrible cold weather there are occasional days when it feels like Spring might just be around the corner. After our failed trip to Kew Gardens earlier in the month, the lovely man and I went again, this time on a day when the sun actually shone and the orchids weren't completely rammed with people. It was still absolutely freezing and the orchids were still very busy, but wandered around the quieter, further reaches of the gardens and had a lovely morning.

The Long week

I'm trying to be a bit structured with my training this year. I've notoriously always just winged things a bit, very much listening to my body. But now with my snazzy planner in hand I'm able to, well, plan things more. So I'm working on the traditional 4 week cycle - three weeks building in distance, one rest week. And I've just hit the rest week. This week consisted of a hard NTC workout, an insane 90 mins on the turbo trainer, a long (horrible) run on Sunday, and a 2km swim (made up of drills). I'm really feeling it today. Things ache and hurt, and I've woken up with a crick in my neck. Time for a rest before starting all over again.

The (horrible) run was to Kew Gardens. There's something of a curse when it comes to me running along the river to Richmond. A route that is doomed to end in pain and frustration (like the Richmond half marathon last year that saw me have a massive tantrum and then throw up everywhere at the end). I wore the wrong shoes - should've been trail but they give me blisters anything over 10km. I was running with a big rucksack containing my nice camera and change of clothes for the gardens, which weighed me down and made my shoulders ache. And I was still tired from the epic turbo session. I got killer stitches, blisters and couldn't have been more pleased that the route was 3km shorter than anticipated. But I stuck it out and got there in the end.

We sat and had breakfast at the hugely inefficient and always quite disappointing Orangery cafe, before heading to see the orchids. We walked in, took one look around at the massive crowds, and went home. I managed to snap this little guy posing in the entrance before we left.

Being members means we were able to write off a bad morning, and come back another day.

We spent the rest of the day sat on the sofa(bed) watching the rugby.

In other news, I've finished one half of my new pair of mittens. This got frogged once after I realised the large was going to be way too large, but I'm pleased with how it's turned out. I looooove the little thumb top!

Further sewing plans afoot, and I promise I will write a Linden review, as soon as the light improves enough for me to take some decent pictures!

Cloudy Day legwarmers, and proper training

In the past two weeks since I wrote last, a few things have happened. They break down quite nicely into categories. And since this is the 'knit and run' blog, I'll start with some knitting and running...

I finished my 'Some Cloudy Days' legwarmers. These absolutely flew off the needles, a very satisfying and quick knit. I've yet to wear them out properly but from the few times I've tried them on indoors they're very cosy indeed.

I had originally planned a shawlette/scarf with the remainder of the alpaca stash, but on the one time I've had to pull on my mittens I discovered the dreaded moths had got to them. Only one hole, but a terminal one. So the rest has been earmarked for some podster gloves (already well under way).








On the running front, I've actually been doing some!! I haven't run properly in months and months, and the last run of any distance was probably the ill-fated Richmond Half from Kew Gardens (lesson learnt - don't run a half marathon you haven't trained for after two days of weddings). My little trot down to the gym ( a downhill 3km) had been alarmingly hard work the first time I'd tried it. Fortunately my legs quickly seem to have remembered what running should feel like, and the next week the downhill jog felt a lot more comfortable.

So with the lovely fiance getting into the business end of his marathon training, we both used Sunday morning for our long runs, before crawling back into bed for an afternoon of lazy film watching. I did a tried and tested route - out to Bushy park and back along the river, a nice 12km. For the first time I tried running to heart rate. Not so much a zone, but just keeping a constant number where I felt comfortable. This kept my attention away from worrying about pace too much. A focused 175bpm and I felt surprisingly good. Yes my legs started to ache, and my trail shoes gave me blisters, and my waistband started to chafe but it was so good to feel like I was back doing some positive training.
I felt part of the Sunday Long Run club that I've been away from for so long. And I loved it.
Also turned out to be a not at all shabby 6:05/km pace.

Triathlon. I'm very much trying to keep an equal focus on all disciplines this year. And in time for my birthday my latest weapon in my training arsenal arrived - a turbo trainer. Bargain from sport pursuit, it's got 5 different magnetic resistance settings. I downloaded some encouragement from Chrissie Wellington and had my first home spin session last week - brilliant. Sweated buckets, destroyed my rear tyre, loved it.
Swimming-wise I've upgraded my swimplan account and have started to get back into regular 'workouts'. I'm still committed to putting a tumble turn at the end of each joined up length. Unfortunately my watch really doesn't have much luck at counting lengths (I hate to think how it would do with strokes or SWOLF stuff) and regularly comes out at least 400m short. But still, it all goes on strava.

I've also done some sewing, but I'm so proud of it I'll save it for another post. Clue - it involves my first encounter with knit fabrics....

Celebrating 3 years

It's (again) been a little while, and much has been happening. Two major themes today; sewing and running.

But since this is the knit and run blog I should probably fill in an update about what's on the needles. I've got a Lichen and Moss scarf that's gone into hibernation now that I'm confident I won't need it any time soon (well, as confident as I can be with British summer weather). There's a Liala that gave me a bit of a mental block before I worked out there was an error in the instructions - and being crochet and therefore not my most experienced yarny craft it took me a while to accept that I was indeed right and the pattern wrong. But this has also given way to the latest project; an Echo Flowers Shawl in a beautiful maroon colour (technically 'Loganberry') for a friend's wedding present.

As for sewing, my little brain is full of plans. Myself and the fiancé were out touristing this week (hooray annual leave!) and dropped into Foyles…where I bought a lovely little book called The Secrets of Sewing Lingerie. Instantly wanted to make it all. Started fairly simple and wanting something to celebrate our 3 year anniversary I made the 'Boudoir Blushes' camisole and french knickers. And I'm pretty darn pleased with how they turned out.

Marathon training begins

...this isn't a triumphant return to training. I've left it a bit too long and my fitness has plummeted. We've recently moved house, and while we're now actually local to Bushy park for our weekly parkruns, I don't have any familiar running routes. I've just started my Masters dissertation this week, and the day by day timetabling combined with some serious mental overworking has left me feeling pretty fatigued. Not to mention my commute into uni now totals an hour each way. And depending on the time of day costs up to £15 a day.
So, despite my careful planning in a newly designated training diary, I've only managed one Nike workout and an 8km run. 3 days after the workout my legs were still sore for the run, which should've been perfect - glorious morning sunshine, little rabbits and baby geese along the river.... but instead was an unpleasant slog.
Still, got to start somewhere. Like I've been saying to my study subjects when I stick their hand in ice water - the first bit's the worst.

Long runs

Yesterday I managed my longest long run ever. I ran 18km. It took me over 3 bridges along the Thames. The sun shone but wasn't too hot, lots of other runners smiled, and things felt good. "Maybe I can run a half marathon after all!" I found myself thinking. And then I hit 16km and my legs felt as though they no longer belonged to me. It felt as though the last 2km took an hour to complete, my sweaty despairing face desperately hoping it would be over soon. And hey, it was. I just had to keep plodding. The end always comes, sooner or later. Just keep plodding. I got home, sat in a cold bath and drank a protein shake and felt like a Propper Runner. I'm really starting to enjoy it all...

Listening to legs

So, I've finished week 5 of my marathon training programme. Sort of. It suddenly got very mile heavy, and I decided things would go very wrong if I tried to stick to it religiously. When I say 'I', what I really mean is 'my lovely boyfriend made it clear to me'. Personally I felt torn between wanting to follow a programme because 1) I'm new to this and don't really know what to do otherwise and 2) I really want to run well on Race Day. But since the lovely boyfriend HAS done it all before and did indeed run well on his Race Days, I listened to him about listening to my legs.

Climbing Mount Impossible...

Half marathon training. 2 weeks down, 13 to go. To paraphrase Dawkins and famous sporting brand, I feel I'm climbing Mount Impossible. At first thought, a half marathon seemed a ridiculous impossible idea, a huge towering rock face of endless running. But, on the other side of the mountain is the gently ascending path of 15 weeks training, the steady climb that will see me (hopefully) conquering the half marathon. Impossible is nothing.