Day 24, groundhog day 2nd Feb or is it anyday in bloggerland?

I am starting to feel like a hamster on a wheel and my blogs have lost it, but then I look at my life and realise I have nothing to say as I am doing nothing! Moan one-why didn’t we get a decent amount of snow? I know we had some at the weekend but last night it snowed again and when I got up I squinted out of the window and wasn’t blinded by the white just another little sprinkle.
A busy day for me, up and out with Pongo in the cold, even walking pretty fast the wind was chilly on the face, so glad I ran last night. I could tell how cold it was as our favourite puddle had grown and frozen.

If not a mud bath an ice rink

From doggy walkies I went to the gym. As I haven’t been riding my bike to and from work for a number of reasons, too cold, too icy, too windy, too late, too lazy. I felt I should be biking more so today I did my weights programme then did 15km on the bike, which represents just one day’s journey to and from work and actually I was pretty quick but then no hills, traffic, traffic lights, balancing or wind in my face. Shower, hair dry and off to work. As I haven’t got much to say I thought I’d post a few views from the balcony at work!   

I would like to question if I can add a walk around Lakeside with Amber tonight but I feel the Chinese we had far exceeded any calories burnt by walking even adding another Pongo walk tonight. So day ends the same as the last few; watching Big Brother and hoping for snow tomorrow, but not so much that Jemma and Liam can’t get up to us tomorrow for the weekend.

Totals for today

Indoorbike,15km

Weights

Doggywalk x 2

Walk around lakeside and eating too much!

  

Day 23, Many plans but a run and swim.

What a day; I was all over the place, shall I/shan’t I, is it/isn’t it safe. Plan A, get up and run outside but it looks icy and I can’t be sure, I even sneaked in the back of the car in just my bathrobe while Mr T dropped junior Miss T for her college bus to assess the pavement situation before getting dressed in running or not running kit. Our drive looks lovely if a little over salted.

But as soon as you go onto the pavements it was skiddy ice and the temperature was still zero degrees so it wasn’t melting in a hurry, well the next hour or so.  

So it was plan B, swim this morning. I have a very limited attention span and I just can’t keep count of how many lengths I swim so I time a few lengths then divide by the elapsed time and get a pretty good idea of how far I have gone.

 I love that I have a super speedy breaststroke and can overtake people in the lane next to me doing their best crawl, thanks Cassie Patten (name drop from me and hope you are recovering well). Even though I was off to work I managed to sneak a quick steam and sauna in and then train to work. I was so impressed that the station had been gritted so well I even toyed with coming back later, oyster onto the platform and run back and forth over the bridge for an hour.

Plan C and D was as soon as I get in from work I will go running if it stays dry. I was sure the ice would melt but the weather said snow flurries so I had a long dog walk planned. Do you follow? OK so came out of work and it was dark and dry but hubby says he’ll ride the bike with me for company and away I run. Plan x, a nice 12km round trip to Lakeside, but I have to walk some areas as they needed to go in the microwave on defrost and I wobbled to stayed upright. After 2½ km I started to feel wetness on my face, not just cold wind but some snow fluffing about so we took the short route and came back towards home, still managed 6¼ km but again not a good speed. I need to thank the lovely hubby as his hands were frozen and he rode slightly ahead and pointed out ice, puddles, sludgy snow and even wheely bins to me.  

Am watching Celebrity Big Bro,I love you Ryland, after a home made yummy but smelly fish curry and some popcorn and white chocolate melted into it to make clumps, well didn’t lose any weight this week so sulking and stuffing! The lovely Kim lost an amazing 4½ lbs I am so happy as she hasn’t been able to do any exercise with her crook back and still had a great weight loss, are we wasting our time running, swimming, weights, gym, yoga when it’s all food related?

My best run hat

PS this is not a cow hat and I wore it tonight an no one moo-ed at me! Oh and the dog, Pongo loves Amber most, even if he’s asleep and she walks into the room his tail goes into over wagging, we had to admit it the pup loves Bambi best.

Today totals

Swimming 10 mins

Running, ^ and a bit km, including snow and ice jumping.

Look Jemma

So cold I saved a penguin  

Day 22, not much to say today so come on a fantasy row

No more fresh snow just icy and slippy, too slippy for me and my accident prone size 8½’s to go pounding the streets. I was up but our roads to the main road are still really iced up so I got a lift to the gym and started doing weights. I have a programme from way back, it was aimed for me preparing for a triathlon and had arms, mainly for swimming, legs and some abs. Although I have none planned for this year I still follow this programme as it keeps me firm(ish) well less wobbly. From the weights I went for a ten minutes change equipment cardio session, but I was chatting so plans were slightly changed and I biked for extra. I was very happy with my rowing today, I always try to bypass and probably only row once a week. I find it really hard on my knees but I do really enjoy a row and as I am a visual person I often row thinking I am ploughing down the Thames on the stretch which is familiar to me.

 In ten minutes I rowed 2.2km but in my mind I have left HMS Belfast, under Tower Bridge,

over the top of Rotherhithe tunnel, along and round the Isle of Dogs, yes ok the start of Eastenders, rowing over Blackwall Tunnel which my grandpa did something to help build or electrify it. I pull onto the 02

 to the right and the lovely Hotel we went to for my Birthday to the left, along through the flood barrier, planes landing at City airport to the left and Thamesmead to the right, in total about 10 km, but in Jacqui world I do all of that in 10 minutes at the gym.

 Went cross trainer and air bouncy cross trainer and hill walk. I even managed to fit 13 minutes of power plates and a cool down before I got a lift back.

Dog

 As I had work till 7pm I didn’t walk Pongo, who Mike has started calling Ermintrude or The Heifer, he’s not a cow, stop upsetting me  him.  

      

Cows 

Today totals

Rowing the East side of the Thames in 10 mins

Cardio in the gym, Biking, cross trainer, hill walk  1 hour

Power plates and  weights  30 mins

Day 212 or does it just seem like that?

Today’s blog is brought to you by Teenage heartthrobs of 1980’s courtesy of MTV, who made me even more unable to complete anything and kept drawing me back to the TV all afternoon, thanks MTV.

Today is Blue Monday. I am blue but not because of the day but because some kids said your dog looks like a cow. I have had many comments about having a Dalmatian, mainly nice, occasionally your dog’s got spots but always is his name Pongo? And yes he is Prince Charming (Adam and the Ants).

Look at him, he’s so not a cow, I put my hands over his ears, it’s like someone had “shot a poison arrow to my heart” (ABC). I am also blue today as I have the dentist tomorrow for a massive white filling and a huge hole in my pocket to go with pain and numbness, maybe I need a “blue hat for a blue day” (Nick Heyward).

Outdoor breakfast anyone?

Oh yes so when I woke up snow is still here, 

no more but no less and all glistening and pretty. Our roads were really icy and as I am a bit of a wimp Mike dropped me down the gym for a morning in “Paradise City” (Guns N Roses) and I was pretty much alone. The treadmill said “take on me“ (A-Ha) and there I stayed doing interval training with a few sustained 12½ km bursts, which is most excellent for me. I had a jolly bike ride and went for a distance of 15km and not bother about time and achieved “Gold” (Spandau Ballet). Still had time before I was being picked up so went for a few weights, some abs work on the ball and power plates. 

Tonight we went for a short walk but the snow has frozen and it was like we were “Dancing in the Dark” (Bruce Springsteen) from slipping about.

More sad news from my run buddy as she has stronger painkillers and another week of resting, so sad for us both as whenever I want to run she’s there and “I need you tonight” (INXS). We are parted for longer but don’t forget “I’m never gonna give you up” (Rick Astley) and sure we can sneak a coffee in or maybe a “red, red wine” (UB40).

So I think it’s time for me to say “wherever I lay my hat that’s my home “(Paul Young) and stop this nonsense blog.

Today totals

Running, treadmill   9km long boring

Biking 15km

Powerplate, ball, weights 25 mins

Watching MTV in-between doing 10 other things and losing the plot most of the afternoon

Good news from Devon 1 major

Day who cares: snow, at last I am not moaning, no really and truly honestly I am not moaning

Day 20

OOOOOOhhhw yes it snowed and snowed and snowed today.

I woke up at 8am and no more snow, had a wee, toyed with a run but went back to bed and woke up at 9.30 to see it was flurrying down and has continued all the day. This is me with a micro snowman on the way back from the pub.As a couple we stayed in bed, read the papers and then got up and did doggy walkies, short again as poor Pongo got his leg stuck in the back of the car somehow as he jumped out of the boot and only 3 legs came out and Mike (I was at work) had to sort him out and carry him home. Typically he was on the way back from the vets after having his jabs! He tried so hard to enjoy the snow but his leg just wouldn’t let him.   

Unfortunately as I went back to bed no outdoor running today, but we did see this unprepared chap, addidas tracksuit, no gloves no hat and trendy trainers. I now think he was just in a hurry to the shops.

I was very good and made a huge pot of lovely veggie soup and had the bread maker on for a healthy lunch so as you know I have plans and that was to go gym, running, some weights maybe a swim, home for dinner but like all great plans things changed to a second walk to Tesco’s for some Skittles to make a rainbow of sweets in the snow and a few cheesy bread rolls for the soup but we somehow wandered into the local, The Oak on the Green and there we stayed until Chelsea beat Arsenal and Man U and Spurs kicked off. 

On Endomondo we left home at 14,14 and arrived back 48 minutes later, in reality it had an hour and a half pause at the pub not the best Janathon day but  great watching the snow tumble-down.

pub window view

Will try really hard tomorrow to gym run and weights.

Totals for today

Excellent 10/10 for planning, enactment 0/12

3 hour walking, 2 spent in the pub

Bottle of pinot ½ but increasing

Tia Maria 2 and counting

Day 19 and today is a non-moaning day, ha ha tricked ya

First and most importantly why have Marks and Spencer not got a £10 dinner for 2 meal deal on this weekend, I may need to go into counselling as when I work on a Saturday part of the unspoken rules say I can be assured of a quality meal, dessert and wine when I get home but today it’s a touch and go Sainsbury meal and wine from the Christmas leftovers.

Second moan is the weather, yes again and how very British to talk about the weather but we have a complete and utter lack of snow, it even rained whilst I was at work this afternoon. This made me text Mike to send new instructions, get the bike ready for you and I’ll run as soon as I get in from work.  I didn’t get a morning run today; my bear running companions are both poorly, Mummy Bear has her bad back/leggy and Baby Bear has a cold and I was also a bit worried about the snow and ice at 6.30/7.00 am this morning so didn’t want to go alone. I was just so jealous when I saw 4 runners as I went into work. This means the whole day is spent thinking shall I/shan’t I go running. The actual plan was for Mike to pick me up and go to gym for a swim at 5.30 and after all the heartache of shall I, shan’t I, is it too cold, is it slippy we reverted to the original plan to swim. I was so glad we did as it was a really nice swim I forgot how good it was to just churn out length after length. It’s the only sport I did when I was at my biggest, gosh 7 and a bit stone ago. 

Photo is me dressed as a Walrus, but it was for charity

Mike and I trained by swimming with a triathlon group in a local open water lake and completed a mile in the Thames back in 2009. Swimming today as a pair and a little competition brings all the memories back. The swim did turn into a sauna, steam and Jacuzzi but I think we earnt it.

Third moan is why do trainers not fit my deformed bunion big toes and extra long 4^th toe? I have had 3 pairs of Asics that are all expertly measured by Sweat Shop to fit my gait and they have all given way and came apart and it looks like the same on my second pair of GT2160’s. What trainers can I get? I had Brookes and they were so-so, I just bloody like Asics best and although I did the half marathon in the Brookes they are all big and not as nice so I don’t wear them much now and they are 2012  specials.

That’s my finger as the netting given way on the seam

Left and right foot.

Didn’t even walk the dog, tonight lack of snow but Pongo has a limpy foot too. Had my Sainsbury dinner and now it’s flop time, been cold  all day at work with no one about so it was long and drab.

PS so glad I didn’t pay to do the Les Witton Dartford 10km tomorrow to run in the snow as Kent always get it much worse than we do.

Day 18 All this waiting and it’s a fluff of snow

I have been looking in envy all week at everyone else’s icy frolics and now I have some but it’s substandard and not really settled after flaking down all day. Well I say all day but actually I went out to the gym and there was nothing, -1 degrees on the car and a cloudy morning. Everyone has heeded the warning and the road was empty and so was the gym of sin.

One receptionist and a gym assistant and nobody else so I had a fast as you like weights session and a power plate wobble before going into a yoga class. 

Slightly panicked as I was alone on the mat at 9.00 thinking maybe it was cancelled and no one put a note up but like microwave popcorn cooking 10 people and the tutor all arrived within seconds. I have only been doing yoga since November and am unbalanced and not that good at technique but I always come away rested and taller so hopefully thinner! Each week I have got better and this week I was top at being an aeroplane, don’t think that’s a technical term but you lie on your front and put your arms out to the side and point your toes and rise up onto just your tummy and I have a pretty strong tummy under its fatty coating. I got a very well done and an excellent Jacqui which is the only time I’ve had a positive in said to me. 

I came out, no coat as I’d left it in the car, and it was snowing like real flaky snow, I was at last being snowed on and relieved to join the rest of the country and skipped to the car. Rushed in, told the dog walkies and Mum came too for a trot out in the snow. Snow not that great but had a chilly romp with the dog and got all the news. Rest of the day was spent doing nothingness, chores which included putting on the zaggora pants and sweating, eating,  and another snowy dog walk with Mike. All I can hope for is a massive snow fall tonight and not to have to go to work tomorrow.