#FitnessFriday A mixed bag

Well my lack of running over recent weeks (due to weekends away and work) really showed when I ran the 10 k Race for Life on Sunday (full post). It was hot and even though my legs were willing my body wasn't and my 9 year old beat me by 21 minutes with a time of 53 minutes!! Wish I had his boundless energy - although he is still recovering bless him.

On Wednesday I was working at a school where the class do a daily mile by walking or running for 15 minutes around the playground. Having discovered this on a previous visit I remembered to wear a sports bra and take my running shoes... I was the only person who ran for the whole 15 minutes although two boys sprinted a lot of it and walked the rest. Such a great idea to give children a brain break and to help their fitness.

In the evening it was my son's fell running training night up on the Helm:

As an adult helper I don't run as much as the children but we do have to do some quite steep bits to get to where they are doing their training! My favourite bit is the run back down to the road:

This morning I just had to get out and run following the election result! It was just my mile route that I hadn't run since January but it meant I could go for the speed rather than go steady.. Have to say it was tough going and I wasn't anywhere near the pace I managed in mid October but it was a sub 10 minute mile which hasn't happened for a long time:

Think I was pleased with myself:

Tomorrow is my first parkrun April (I am shocked its been that long!) so lets see how I go over 5k as we celebrate a belated Christmas event! 

Reasons to be Cheerful: Caterpillars, Roses and Odd Socks #R2BC

It was great to read so many happy posts again and welcome some new linkers, hopefully some regulars will be back this week if their lives aren't so crazy! Here are my reasons this week:
1) Garden Surprises
Whilst weeding the garden I discovered that we had lots of Cinnabar moth caterpillars on the ragwort. Of course this means I daren't remove all of this invasive and poisonous plant but the moths are worth saving:

2) Roses

These are one of my favourite flowers and at the moment they are just looking stunning everywhere. This is one that belongs to a neighbour:

#CountryKids Preston Race For Life 10k

Today I drove down to Preston so that my son and I could take part in the Race for Life 10k event - as children aren't supposed to run over 5k too often it was an opportunity for him to test out his stamina!

My daughter brought her friend along to keep her company and assist in taking photos of the event in Avenham Park. We knew we were in the right place when we spotted all the pink:

Our arrival was timed to perfection as there weren't huge queues for the portaloos so we were very quickly ready to go:

Reasons to be Cheerful: School's Out for Summer! #R2BC

Thanks everyone for joining in last week as always I loved reading all the posts. Hopefully everyone is enjoying the weather even if it is a way too hot! Here are my reasons to be cheerful this week:

1) School's out for summer

The children and I all finished the school term on Friday. So nice to have 6 weeks of no school runs and only alarms for special days out! I do have to go in for one day during the time but that's not much in the scheme of things. We have so much to look forward to.

2) Seeing family and friends

One of the great things about living in a tourist spot is that people tend to pass through and stop to say hello! So far this week an old friend from my young free and single days took us all out for lunch as he headed home from Keswick.

Race for Life Lancaster 2014

Sunday was overcast but hot as my son and I headed to Lancaster University for our race for life. We knew we were in the right place with the sea of pink! It was a long walk from the car parking but we knew we were on the right track:

It was only when we turned the last corner we realised how popular this event was:

It was a buzzing atmosphere as we gathered for the warm up and the Cancer Slam dance:

Race for Life 2014

On Sunday I am running the Race for Life in Lancaster. This year for the first time I am doing it with my little boy - I only realised whilst taking part last year that younger boys (under 13) can take part. He was miffed when his big sister was allowed to run with me at Preston last year and I had told him he wasn't allowed. When I did my second event at Heaton Park he came to cheer me on but he wasn't really up to running the distance last year (nor was I!!).

So this year we have done a little bit of training - not that he is keen on non competitive running. He has also done the Grasmere Gallop with me although he hit a wall at 4km and struggled to keep going. The course is apparently partially hilly (not surprising when the university is on a hill), this should be a lot easier than the gallop which had a long ascent.

Of course this is all about raising money to fight cancer and my son is doing it for his Nanny that he never met. She died of cancer just before I married and so my children only know her through stories and photographs.

If you would like to sponsor us then please follow this link:

Teaching children to think of others

I am writing this whilst watching BBC Children in Need with my children. Since they have been at school this annual event has really helped them to think about those less fortunate than themselves. My daughter at 10 understands more than her 7 old brother, to him its all about wearing a onesie and buying cakes:

The key to getting children into raising money does seem to be putting fun into the event. My daughter will do things like paint nails and she has run the Race for Life with me 3 times in total:

With the disaster in the Philippines making the headlines on their news as well as the grown up news they have asked me to send a contribution. They know that people their have lost everything except the clothes on their backs. Compared to them we are incredibly well off so I have given what I can afford. 

Tomorrow my son and I are doing the Santa Dash in Kendal in aid of our local Cancer Care charity. It's only about a mile in total but its all about the festive fun and doing our little bit to help, if you want to help us then please click the button below:

How do you get your children to think of others?

Scottish Power's High 5 Challenge and the Race for Life #high5challenge

Having enjoyed running the Race for Life in Preston in June I was very excited to be asked by Scottish Power to run again yesterday in Manchester for their High 5 Challenge. They paid for my entry fee and have donated £200 towards my sponsorship. It was great this time to be involved with a team of bloggers from across the north west. We all arrived with our special blinged up High 5 gloves:

There was plenty to do in the Scottish Power tent including posting our own high 5 message on the wall:

My daughter and I took our turn at doing the Cancer Slam dance and I am waiting for the video to appear on Facebook! Hopefully I don't look too awful ;-) I didn't risk doing a high 5 jump before the race as I was already nursing an injured leg which I had to strap up for the race.

Update here is the video:

 

After what seemed like ages it was time for the warm up. I was with Chayz and Charlotte with the other mad runners. It was a really hot day and not a good one for running but we were all determined to do our best. After a minute's silence and a cancer roar the hooter went and we were off!

The route turned out to be pretty hilly which was a nightmare in the heat. Good job there were 4000 of us out on the course plus 1000s of supporters to cheers us on in the heat. I have to admit I walked up every hill but attempted to run the rest of it! I was never going to beat my previous time of 29 minutes though..

One of the best parts was the high 5 people at about 4.5 km in who encouraged us to keep on going:

  

They did lie about the fact that was the last uphill section though! Eventually the finish line came in sight and I just about managed to up my speed on the home straight to cross the finish at a proper run and a time of 37 minutes. It was a great relief to be handed my finishers medal and a bottle of water! 

It is always a fabulous atmosphere at these events and we stayed around for a little while longer to soak it up:

I am glad to once again have been given a chance to help raise much needed funds to fight cancer. Roll on 2014 when I will be out there again getting hot and sweaty for a good cause! Nickie and I are on the case to organise a massive blogger team at Preston race for life so watch this space... Here are the other fab blog posts by the lovely ladies in the challenge:

Reasons to be Cheerful: Blue Sky at Last #R2BC

Whilst Michelle is celebrating her imminent move to the Sunshine Coast of East Sussex here are my reasons to be cheerful this week:

1) Blue Sky

It's not been the best start to summer so having blue sky this afternoon brought a smile to my face:

Hopefully the start of a real summer...

2) My big boy

As I wrote on Tuesday my son is growing up fast and was enjoying outdoor adventures. This week he also tried rugby for the first time and scored a couple of tries!

3) My gorgeous girl

His big sister also went to rugby and loved it! She may be a chip off the old block and follow in my rugby playing footsteps. There are signs she is changing into a much more sophisticated young lady now:

Glad she appreciates my taste in music including a-Ha!

4) Running away

I was dead chuffed today to not only run non-stop from Staveley to Kendal but did it in 36 minutes. Think I'm really getting the stamina and fitness to run properly! It's looking like I'm running another Race for Life in Manchester this month thanks to Scottish Power. Really hope that this time I can run well under 30 minutes whilst raising more money to beat cancer. And of course its all helping the weight.

Why are you smiling?

Reasons to be cheerful Week 25 Feeling Fab!

Our lovely hostess Michelle is looking forward to some time to prepare for her new life in Sussex. Exciting times for her and her family! Nothing quite so exciting here but enough to be cheerful about:
1) Race for Life
As I wrote last week my daughter and I were doing the race for life in Preston at the weekend. A great chance to do something with just the pair of us. I've already written a full post about the day itself but here is a quick montage:

2) My big boy
I"m not sure whether its the influence of the older boys in his class or being in Beavers but he is starting to be much braver about things. On Sunday he had a good time tree climbing in the park near my parents' house:

He is still cracking through the Beast Quests books and we are now on book 8!
3) Running on the Dales Way
Today I felt it was worth trying out my still slightly sore calf on a run home from school. My route is half on the Dales Way which I join just before the railway line outside the village:

Then it follows close to the River Kent through fields and woodlands. Not only do I pass plenty of sheep and lambs but also get to glimpse herons and other birds around the river. Today as I reached the top of a steep stile (the interesting part of running the route!) I couldn't resist quickly capturing the view of the meadow ahead:

Hopefully this will inspire me to keep on running as its all helping my challenge to get healthy which I wrote about yesterday.

Race for Life: Preston 2013

Yesterday when we arrived at Moor Park for the Race Life 2013 the weather seemed ideal for running 5k as it was cool and overcast. The sea of pink was the only splash of colour:

There was a real buzz in the air as 2000 women and girls gathered together to raise over £100,000 for Cancer Research. We had a mini karaoke session with YMCA and I Will Survive belted out! Then we warmed up before doing the official Cancer Slam dance:

Then the army cadets helped us to line up as runners, walkers and joggers to head to the start line. My daughter as usual had herself right at the front I was further down the crowd. The hooter went and 2000 of us set off on the 5 km route around the park. At this point the sun came out which was fab for spectators but not for the runners..

It was a real mixture of people running of all ages and levels of fitness and in the walkers section there were plenty of buggies and people using walking sticks. But we all had one aim to help raise money to beat cancer. 

About a 1.5 km in I caught up with my daughter who was finding it tough going without any proper training. I was taking it fairly easily due to my calf muscle threatening to pull again but managed to alternate running and walking to protect it. It was a lovely feeling to be in the home straight and running towards the line with a sub 30 minute time! Then I had to wait a few minutes for my daughter to finish the race:

I love her face showing both a mixture of exhaustion and pride! She was very much in need of the restorative bottle of Aqua Pura we were all given:

She didn't even want to smile for our photo either:

We went to cheer some of the other finishers across the line. It was lovely to see people doing the event together as families and obviously supporting each other to get to the end. These were some of my favourite moments:

Then it was time to slowly make our way back across the park to the car with just time to pose for a photo or 2 on the way:

A lovely way to raise money and have fun at the same time! If you want to sponsor us our page is E and B Race for Life

We will be back!

Reasons to be cheerful week 24 Race for Life

This week Michelle has vlogged her reasons to be cheerful so you can see and hear her telling us all about it! As for me I'm not that brave so I will stick to words and photographs! For me this week it's all about the Race for Life with only a few days to go... Here are the reasons it is making me cheerful:

1) Raising money for research

The main point of the events are to raise much needed funds to find cures for cancer. Having lost family members to varying types of cancer and seeing others battling their own illness it's an important cause for me. My daughter has previously run in memory of the Nanny who died before she was born. This year her father is battling cancer so she is even keener to do her bit. No doubt she will be coming round hassling asking friends and family for sponsorship or sending them the link to our Just Giving page. So pleased to be doing our little bit to help!

2) Quality girl time

We don't often get a lot of time to just be the two of us girls so running the event is a chance to spend time together. I had hoped we would manage some training runs together but that hasn't happened! Her preparation has consisted of digging out as much pink from her wardrobe as possible.. We have both got the new t-shirts though hers is a wee bit big and mine is a cosy fit:

We don't often wear matching clothes but this is a special occasion! I will have to get someone to take photos of us together on the day.

3) The big team

There is a big team of Aqua Pura bloggers running or walking at events across the country. It's a great feeling to be part of such a large group of women and girls (some fighting cancer themselves) that are prepared to go out and get sweaty for such a wonderful cause. We are all writing about our own experiences and reasons for taking part which are all very different. Hopefully between us all we raise a lot of money to find cures for this dreadful illness.

Weigh in Wednesday Week 7

 

Don't Wednesday's come around quickly! Been such a busy week on exercise front that I didn't pay too much attention to my food.. I did my first trail race on Saturday which was mostly enjoyable! On Tuesday I did my best yet run home from the school run:

 

Create Maps or search from 80 million at MapMyRun

 

Unfortunately I couldn't bike back like last week as I couldn't find the shed key in time for work! All this running is making a real change to my body shape and I can feel and vaguely see that my abdominal muscles are seriously tightening up. I felt pretty good when I headed off to aerobics tonight:

 

Was a bit of surprise to still weigh the same! I am pretty sure I didn't consume vast amounts of food or drink huge volume of booze but oh well... The fact my body is visibly changing and I am getting compliments from all over makes me not worry about the scales and just use them as a back up tool.

I pulled a calf muscle at the start of glass so hope I am fit enough to run well in the race for life this Sunday. Aqua Pura have kindly paid for my daughter and I to run at Preston. They are one of the event sponsors so they have kicked off our fund raising with a £100 donation. If anyone would like to increase this then we have a Just Giving page. This will be our 3rd race for life as a team and our 3rd venue! The weather is looking rather damp so here is hoping we do ok and don't drown...

 

Shoulder to Shoulder and the Race for Life #S2S2D

It's my turn to host for Emma's blog hop whilst she is still unable to hug her family. She wants us to raise awareness of Race for Life to help in the fight against cancer. I am more than pleased to do so as this month my daughter and I will be taking part in our 3rd race for life thanks to Aqua Pura. 

We did our first race back in 2009 when my daughter was 6. This was to remember her Nanny Willoughby who died of cancer before my daughter was born. We did no training before heading off around Alexandra Park in Hastings and it turned out to be a hot day! My daughter got me jogging quite a lot of the way... surprised I survived the experience.

Two years ago we signed up to the Kendal event at the County Show ground. Again we did no training and my daughter shot off way too fast and then struggled to finish. We did manage to run the final stretch together though:

This time of course I have been training for running and have my first 10 k completed. So hopefully I should be able to run the course. I will just have to squeeze some training in for my daughter so that she doesn't burn out! She wants to do it again because this time her dad has cancer and she is doing everything she can to help find cures. His thyroid cancer has the potential to be hereditary too so hopefully neither of my children will have been passed the faulty gene.

If you haven't signed up yourself or are sponsoring anyone else then please add to our Just Giving page. Please remember that Emma and Sarah over at Mum of Three World are running the Race For Life in Cheltenham on Saturday 7th July. Please go across to Emma’s page here and Sarah’s page here to sponsor.  We are also arranging a collection for Emma in order to arrange an amazing surprise for her, so please email Vicky at vickywelton@hotmail.com if you would like to contribute. The wonderful blogger donating this will be announcing it soon.

In case you didn’t know, Emma is now at home but still can’t cuddle her lovely family but she is on count down to 5th June to cuddle her husband, Jon, next is her 6 year old daughter on 11th June and finally the one year old twins on, aptly, Fathers Day 16th June.

#TheGallery: Action

Get well soon Tara! Here are my action shots for this week's theme:

Swinging High:

Kicking Low: 

Running Fast:

Scooting Slow: