Mission to get fit 2011 – Update 3

Update 3 starts on a downer :(

Last week I developed a niggley pain, one that I've felt before.  Although I've done my best to take things gradually -  I've not increased my speed and distance at the same time and not increased the length of my runs by more than 5 minutes each week, and yet this nagging shin pain has returned.  After getting shin splints on a couple of occasions (the first where I didn't know about such things and decided to run through it! d'oh) it's really not a road I want to go down again, I almost have a paranoia about it!  The first experience I had of them saw me hardly able to walk the 10 minute school run let alone run a 5k and I was pretty much out of running action for around 8 months!

Therefore, call it an excuse if you like, but last week was pretty much a total wash out regarding the running plan.  After a couple of runs early in the week the niggle was getting worse so I decided rather than ruining my chances of completing the 10k altogether I'd rest, ice and dose with ibuprofen to help alleviate the problem.  After rethinking my running plan I wonder if the problem has arisen, not from the quality of my running but from the fact I'm now trying to cram in 4 runs a week after generally only doing a couple here and there.  Hence, I've decided for the time being to reduce my training plan down to 3 runs per week with an extra one here and there if all is going well.  I may not be quite ready for the 10k in July but I will finish it, even if I have to walk some of the way!

So here goes (I will update through the week):

Week 3

Mon - Rest - Rest
Tues - 25 min, easy - 28 min, easy/mod
Weds - Rest - Rest
Thurs - 35 min, mod
Fri - Rest
Sat - 45 min long run
Sun - Rest

Mr G's BIG 4-0

It's now more than a week since the big 4-0 occurred in our household and it's been a rather long birthday celebration for the person involved.

[caption id="attachment_900" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Mr G with his balloon bouquet"][/caption]

'P' celebrated his 40th back on 2nd June and we wanted to make it a day he'd remember.  I'd been planning and buying for a couple of weeks, spending the afternoon the day before making a card and helping 'A' to make Pecan Squares.  The kids and I got up early to decorate the house with more than the usual number of banners and balloons with an added gesture of pictures of him as a child stuck, not only to the house, but also on various lampposts along the street :).  I'd ordered delivery of a balloon bouquet but this was unfortunately delivered before he'd descended the stairs.  It was therefore hidden in the front room until he was up and awake!

[caption id="attachment_904" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The house all decked out!"][/caption]

The kids bought him a fantastic Notts Forest shirt with 'Griffiths 40' on the back which he was chuffed to bits with and along with the usual line of clothes and nonsense I'd also bought him a voucher for white water rafting.  Believe me he was more than a little worried when he opened the envelope and read the words 'Are you prepared?' on the package.  As something a little different I made him up a basket of all the little things he likes such as fizzy cola bottles, Hoegaaden beer, Dr Pepper, Werthers and so on and even included a new tax disk holder seeing as his other one is on its last legs.  One of his gifts, a signed autograph of Derren Brown, was a little late but he loved it all the same.

After breakfast altogether in the kitchen (which made a nice change!) we headed off to Bridgnorth in Shropshire to spend the day walking along the river, moseying around the shops and generally chilling out.  We packed a picnic and were lucky enough to grab a bench by the river.  We caught the cliffside railway up to High Town which was a nice experience as I discovered that not only had the kids never been on this before, but neither had 'P'.  His day was topped off with a fab 'Star Wars' cake from Asda which was just ideal.

[caption id="attachment_902" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Cliff Railway - Bridgnorth"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_903" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="'P' on the bridge at Bridgnorth"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_901" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Lunch by the river"][/caption]

Both sets of parents came around on 5th for a spot of tea and then Saturday night saw us celebrating at the Lutley Oak where we just invited friends to share a few drinks with us.

[caption id="attachment_905" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Lutley Oak celebrations"][/caption]

To top off his 40th in style we're both off to Lake Como next week.  This was actually my main present to him as I'd been saving up for some time.  We thought it was an ideal time as 'A' is away with school anyway and 'S' is happy to spend a few days with his Nan and Grandma (and Arnold or course!).  We're both so looking forward to Italy as neither of us has been there before.  The pictures we've seen so far look amazing and I'm sure it won't disappoint.

All in all, Mr G has had one very extended birthday which I hope he has enjoyed.  Can't wait to report back in two weeks time with news and pics from our lovely break.

Mission to get fit 2011 - Update 2

Yes, i know it's been a while since my last fitness update but believe me a fair bit has happened!

I returned from our Florida holiday once again having lost all motivation for running.  As I've said before I only have to miss a couple of weeks and it's then so hard to get back into it.  Anyhow, I went out for the occasional plod around the local streets but decided I needed a goal to help get me motivated - it was time to look for another race.  Scouring events on the Runners World website I eventually decided to enter the Acorns Triple Run, in particular the 5k run.  At first even the prospect of this wasn't enough to get my bum into gear but as the event drew closer I knew I had to get myself moving and slowly began to increase the number of runs and distance per week.

I completed the Acorn's Spring Run on 29th May in around 33 - 34 mins (sorry not accurate as I couldn't stop gps in time!) which I was quite pleased with.  At the same event 'P' also completed the Acorn's Half Marathon.  Whilst standing there watching runners (of all shapes and sizes) finish that Half Marathon I decided it was time to kick the training up a notch - if they could do it, so could I!

I've now entered the Evesham Vale 10k on 10th July and also the Lichfield 10k on 11th September 2011.  I've begun a training program to help me achieve the distance, as although I have completed a 10k before, this was 2 years ago and I currently can't run for more than 40 mins without keeling over at the side of the road!  I'm also getting my breathing looked into as I'm having some real issues on that point, hopefully once this is sorted it should make things a bit easier at least.

I'm hoping that by blogging my training plan for each week along with my actual runs it will help keep me motivated.  Sometimes it's just so difficult to juggle life and fit in that 4 mile run at the end of the day.  You hereby have permission to kick me up the bum if I'm not meeting my weekly quota! :)

So here goes Week 1 of the new training plan has already be completed...........well kind of! Yes, I know, not a very good start but week 2 is so far going much better :).  I will update week 2 as the activities are completed so check back for my progress.

Week 1

Mon - Rest - Rest
Tues - 20 min run, moderate - 20 min run, mod
Weds - Rest - Rest
Thurs - 25 mins, moderate - None
Fri - 20 mins, easy - None
Sat - Rest - Rest
Sun - 35 mins long run - 35 mins 4.8k

(Training plan with actual activity in blue (or red if not completed))

Week 2

Mon - 25 min run, mod - 25 min mod, 2.38 miles
Tues - Rest - Rest
Weds - 30 min mod - 29.36 min mod, 2.74 miles
Thurs - 25 min easy - None
Fri - Rest - Rest
Sat - 40 min long run - None
Sun - Rest - Rest

A May update (including wine!)

So......half term begins! Phew!

Been a busy last few weeks.  'A' had her SAT's a couple of weeks ago but the least said about that the better - a lot of needless stress and pressure if you ask me!  She's now moved on to Sex Education (or 'THE' Education) as she calls it and rehearsals for the end of the term show, so much more interesting times all round :)

'S' is pleased that he's been offered the Options that he'd chosen and has been informed that they're all off to Drayton Manor Park at the end of term as a graduation reward from KS3 to KS4.

'P' and I had a lovely trip to The Three Choirs Vineyard on 13th May.  I actually bought 'P' the voucher for wine tasting and a two course lunch for his birthday last year and due to the fact that it will soon be his birthday this year we thought we'd best get moving.  The Vineyard itself did not disappoint, set in beautiful Gloucestershire countryside it really was idyllic.  Unfortunately, the sun decided not to play ball on this occasion and headed off behind the clouds about 5 minutes after our arrival never to be seen again....well till the next day.

[caption id="attachment_881" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Wine tasting time!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_882" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Wine tasting in the courtyard"][/caption]

We walked around on the short guided tour and then returned to the courtyard to sample our selection of wines.  Shortly after this we headed to the Vineyard Restaurant to enjoy our two course lunch.  We were seated at a lovely table with a scenic outlook over the many acres of vineyard.  Being midweek the whole place was very quiet but no less attention to detail was paid by the staff.  The food was absolutely delicious, one of the best meals we've had and the fact that it was washed down by one of our 'tasting' choices made it even more memorable.

[caption id="attachment_883" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Lunch at the Three Choirs"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_884" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Lunch in the Vineyard Restaurant"][/caption]

School choir now have one rehearsal left before there Summer Concert next month and for once they actually seem quite ready! Shocking, I know !  We think the song choices have helped this year, funky as it is, all inklings of High School Musical have gone with their replacements being the likes of Hans Christian Anderson and South Pacific - much more choir friendly songs!

The ladies choir performed there concert 'It's a Man's World' again last night on behalf of Halesbury Special School to help raise much needed funds and awareness about the school.  This went well and a fair number turned up to support which was nice.

So now, on the brink of June all thoughts in the Griffiths house turn to the imminent birthday on the year.  Yes, 'P's big 4-0 that's coming up next week!!! So while he rapidly tries to complete his final year's uni work all celebration plans are left firmly in our hands.  Brave, brave man ;)

[slideshow]

Silent Sunday

Gorjuss crafty creations

There were some lovely free backing papers with my last couple of card making magazines so had a go at a few new designs this afternoon.  Had a go at some new techniques using crushed paper circles to create flowers and inking paper edges to create a shabby chic effect.

My friend Emma bought me a lovely card for my birthday back in March from the Santoro's Gorjuss range.  I was really chuffed when I found some super decoupage packs in Hobbycraft in the same range and had a go at creating a couple of cards today.  Now looking forward to making more of these.

[slideshow]

Unforgettable Sea World

Yes, it's time for another holiday post as it's been a bit of a while since the last one.  I really am beginning to forget all the details now so thought I'd better get on and get them finished!

The second week of our holiday saw us visiting Sea World.  Now, I've read a lot of mixed reviews about Sea World both before and after our visit and I'm still on the fence about some of the issues raised.  Although the creatures appear to be treated well and also appear to enjoy their performances and interaction with humans I can't deny that I too feel it is cruel to hold them in captivity.  However, I also know that places such as Sea World offer us an opportunity to learn about and view these creatures that we would not get otherwise, this in turn helps to promote conservation efforts by building an interest in nature from a young age.  So, with my views out of the way onwards to our visit!



One thing I will mention that was very noticeable upon first entering the park is that, like Universal, staff are simply not as friendly and approachable as at the Disney parks.  There was still a much higher level of customer service than you would expect in the UK but I think after you visit Disney you just get spoilt!  The park itself is lovely, very well laid out, clean and areas are easy to find.  We decided to head to the 'Blue Horizons' show first as this was next on the schedule and we were near by.

If anyone was to ask me about the favourite part of our Florida holiday the 'Blue Horizons' show would have to be in the top 3 - it was simply astounding!  The show featured water performers, bottlenose dolphins, false killer whales, exotic birds, high divers, trapeze artists.......you name it!  The dolpins were just amazing performing flips and spirals out of the water and their interaction with the performers was just wonderful.  The show came to a dramatic conclusion with numerous dolphins jumping from the water simultaneously, exotic birds flying over the crowd and into the performance area and the lead performer being spun into the air on a high rope.  What with all this and the stirring original soundtrack played by the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, the whole spectacle is just spine tingling and I have to admit brought a tear to my eye.



There were many other great sites to enjoy at the park including the sea lions, stingray pool, turtle point, aquarium, penguins and of course the 'Believe' show in the Shamu Stadium.  We'd been warned in advance that the 'Shamu' show had lost a lot of it's pizazz due to the sad death of a trainer in February 2010.  Although it was still wonderful to see the Orca's in all there glory and the amazing feats they're capable of the show didn't come close to the marvel of 'Blue Horizons'.

'A' absolutely loved the 'Jewel of the Sea Aquarium'.  This was well laid out with loads of weird and wonderful sea creatures to see such as the 'leafy sea dragon' which we had lots of very blurred photo's of :).  There was also another opportunity to see the stingray's up close as you could actually watch them swimming overhead at one point.



Food was very nice I have to say.  We ate fish and chips at the 'Seafire Inn' and had a wonderful cheesecake for dessert.  Again, the whole place was very clean and well organised and food was pretty much cooked to order.

Our last trip of the day was the exhibit 'Wild Arctic' unfortunately this left us on a bit of a downer as for the first time that day we really did feel like the enclosures for the Polar Bear and Walrus were just too small and it was very sad to see them in these circumstances.  Our initial impression upon entering 'Wild Arctic' was that it had been really well thought out.  There was a drastic drop in temperature as you walked around and even a false arctic sky, it's just a shame that more thought wasn't put into the actual enclosures rather than the exhibit as a whole.

All in all, as I said at the beginning of this post, I have very mixed feelings and memories of the day.  One thing is for sure though, Sea World if nothing else is certainly unforgettable.