New Running Shoes, New Start.

Today I bought myself some shiny new running shoes! Yes, I may be 50 and I may be carrying a few extra pounds, but I've come to the conclusion that I want to run again. My old London Marathon running shoes are split and tired and do my feet more harm than good, so I bit the bullet, sold one of the kids, and bought some brand new Brooks.

This year is my year of living well. And by that I mean living healthily and to the best of my ability. Part of that has been eating healthily - no bread, lots of fruit and veg, smaller portions - and part has been exercising. That has involved walking, yoga, swimming... and now... dadaaaaah.... running!!

I am not, before you get too excited, a runner. I am a jack of all sports, master of none. I started running about 15 years ago. Well, I say running... I actually started walking. I walked and then one day I started to jog, out of the blue, feeling a bit silly really. And then I ran a 5k and then some 10k's and then a couple of half marathons and then, eventually and really rather slowly, the London Marathon.

The marathon killed me. I trained, running 4 times a week for 8 months and ran that marathon with aching legs and a funny tummy. After it I had lost my joy, my running mojo. I had achieved a massive ambition, but doing it had left me tired and bored of pounding the streets. So I stopped and turned to other pursuits.

But, do you know what? The thought of never running again fills me with horror. I want to have that feeling again, of floating along, my mind working its way through the trials of the day, or just enjoying the countryside, people's gardens. I want to feel the rhythm again and the smug happiness when I get home and am all sweaty and tired, but happy that I've been out. There's no reason why I can't do it. I may be 50, but so what? 50 is the new 30 don't you know?!

I am going to take it easy. I am going to concentrate on enjoying my running. I have never been terribly fast or terribly pretty when I run. I resemble a slightly aged donkey as I jog along, but that's fine with me. Any embarrassment at being slow or shambling is long gone. In the world of runners and walkers the fact that you are out at all counts for a lot. Better to be attempting to run than to be reaching for another donut as you slump on the sofa.

I am hoping that my new shoes will look after my feet and in turn my knees and hips. I am hoping that after the initial difficulties, that always come when you start running again after a break, I will be able to enjoy it. I hope I will be able to reach the summer with stronger legs, heart and lungs and keep running beyond that.

All I have to do now is put my kit on, lace up my shoes and haul myself out there! I'll let you know how it goes...

Changing lifestyle & Walking to be Fit.

Over the years I have been fortunate to be pretty fit and healthy.I have tried my hand at various sports and although I've never been particularly brilliant at any of them I've not been awful either. My basic level of fitness has been good. Six years ago I ran the London Marathon and before that I was running four times a week in order to train. I've enjoyed playing football once a week, tennis, skiing.

Blimey! I sound like a complete sports freak!! But I'm not and as I say I have never been particularly brilliant at any of this. The main thing thing though, and the most important thing, was that I was getting out, trying my best and having fun. My heart, lungs and muscles were active, as was my mind.

Over the last couple of years my activity has slowed down, dropped off and has been replaced by ... well, basically by sitting on my fat backside eating crisps and drinking wine...

This has begun to worry me. I am 50 now and I don't want to turn into a big fat unhealthy couch potato. I find running harder these days because I end up with sore knees and hips and its just not as enjoyable as it used to be. So I have started to create a new regime of exercise. I have begun yoga classes once a week and plan to practise yoga at home too. I have also started adult ballet classes once a week.

But I have been wondering what else to do that will raise my heart rate, be enjoyable, but not pound my joints. I read a really interesting blog post from Morgan Prince today over at Shaking Away the Cobwebs. She was saying what I had been thinking. She goes out walking, makes time for a 30 minute walk each day and she has started yoga. She shared a great yoga video for beginners too. I read it and thought Yes! This is the way!

The thing is, we all are in such a rush these days. My Granny used to walk everywhere, even into her 80's and she was as fit as a fiddle. Now we want to get everywhere quickly. The journey is an inconvenient part of our day that we want over as quickly as possible. Even the times I have walked to work I have been worried about how long it has taken, how long it will take me to get home. Hurry, hurry, hurry.

So today I have decided to take a leaf out of Morgan's book and make time for myself. My walking will be 30 minutes to an hour of exercise, probably 3 or 4 times a week - sometimes more, sometimes less. And in that time I can take photos, fill my lungs with fresh air, think and get my heart working. I went out this morning ...

I had such a lovely walk and my heart rate went up, my muscles were working, my lungs were working. It felt great and I could wear my normal clothes. No changing into sports bra and running kit - just put on my walking boots and head out the door. I came back happy and full of beans. 

If I can keep doing this I will be walking about 6 to 10 miles a week as well as my ballet and yoga. And the walking is free, which is excellent! I am determined not to let my body go to seed and I want to invest in my future. I don't want to look at myself in 5 years time and think "God! What went wrong?!"

We only have one body and I have been lucky enough to be fit and healthy for the last 50 years. Now I need to make a conscious effort to try and be fit and healthy for the next 50!

Running, Swimming and Instagram ... !!!

Well hello everybody! It has been some time since my last post, but for those of you grieving my absence ... if any ... fear not. I have been out and about fulfilling my New Year's Resolutions and generally trying to make my life rather better.

I reached Christmas a blubbery version of my former self and decided that enough was enough. Since Christmas I have been running every other day, eating far less and I have really got into photography. Since I finished my Degree I have been in a kind of limbo, waiting for my next project and feeling a little bit without direction.

I have to tell you that I am loving my running. Don't get me wrong ... I have a very long way to go before I get back to full fitness, but I have seen a difference in my body and my fitness in the last month. I have gone from blubbering along, bursting out of my running trousers and having to stop to walk rather often ... to being able to run for much longer each time. And I feel comfortable. I went through a stage last year when I was very unhappy at work and I would get palpitations and I seriously worried that if I did much exercise I would keel over with a heart attack. Luckily this year is a whole new ball game and I am so happy with my job. All chest pains have gone and I feel great!!

So ... so far I have lost 6 pounds in the last month since Christmas and I aim to lose another 20 pounds. Its a big ask, but I hope that I can lead a healthy life from now on. I have been loving going out in the snow and following my nose. For the first time in about 5 years, since I ran the London Marathon, I am enjoying my runs rather than enduring them.

I have also discovered Instagram. My children are appalled, but I love it. For those of you who don't know, it is an app for your phone so you can take photos, edit them and share online. It is tickling my artistic bones at the moment and I am constantly taking photos. I love it!! You can see my photos if you look on my right hand tool bar and my user name, funnily enough, is @secrethousewife .

Instagram is a world of photos ... everything from really gorgeous shots to dreadful ones, but I love finding photographers from all over the world and seeing what they do each day. I follow people from all over the world - from the Klondike to the Lake District, from Italy to Australia ...

So that's what I'm up to ... running, swimming, eating healthily, photographing the world around me and I feel happy. I walked to work today through the snow and I can't wait to go running tomorrow, swimming on Wednesday. this new lifestyle might mean I don't blog quite as much, but I hope you will still come by and read when I do!!! Oh, and maybe you can join me with the photography? If you do then let me know you came from my blog ... xxx

Home movies of times gone by...

I am just in from a run.For those of you new to my ramblings I have been running on and off, but mostly on for the last 10 years... My goodness... is it really 10 years?? You would think that I might have got a bit better by now!! Anyway - my running blog is linked to down my right hand side bar. Having watched the London Marathon this weekend it brought back lots of happy memories.Right now... well, not exactly right now, but at this moment in time I am running a 2 mile circuit so the thought that I was once capable of running 26 miles is close to incredible!

I have been watching my old home movies over the last couple of days. I have never sat down to watch them before and I have to admit that as a family we are all addicted! To see my boys as little ones - playing, talking, having birthdays and Christmas, falling asleep in high chairs and dancing around our lounge - is just wonderful.

Part of me longs for them. I know that I have them now and I love them, but I wish I could just step into the tv and hold those little fellas in my arms again... If anything, watching them is making all of us very loving towards each other.I think we all appreciate how special those times were and, indeed, that the times we live in now are just as special.We want to savour every minute.My overall impression of our family life back then is, and this is wonderful, how very happy we look.Now that is better than winning the lottery.

Running in the sunshine...

I went for a run today.Yes, you can believe what you are reading... it was such a beautiful day that I rushed home from work, put on my running gear and off I went! I didn't go that far and I didn't run all the way, but I did run for the majority of it. It always amazes me how once you have been a 'runner' your body remembers how to do it - all the breathing and pacing and all that kind of thing.

After my week off the old diet last week I amazingly lost a pound so I am now back on the diet with more exercise thrown in.I just want to get back to my old figure and feel slim and healthy.I made a deal with my sister-in-law to run a 10k race in September, but really all I want to do is feel fit and enjoy my running.Now I have to be consistent. There is no use at all in going for one run every 2 months!!

I hear lots of women say that they could never run or that they find running boring. Well, its a state of mind and I have found over the years that running , once you get out there, is more about your strength of mind than anything else.You might not be able to run very far to begin with, but you just need to keep on plodding.Run a little further each time you go out, or a little faster. Set yourself goals - even if today's goal is just to get out and follow your nose, just to enjoy the scenery and rejoice in the fact that you can get out there at all.

I once received a comment from a man when I was training for the London Marathon. I had been moaning about this that and the other and his advice to me was simply to enjoy. He had suffered a serious knee injury and just wished he could run at all.I shall never forget that comment and it taught me a lot. Over the years as I have had this injury and that - never, thank goodness, too bad, but when I have not been able to run I have missed it and have understood how lucky most of us are to be able to get out there.

So, today was a glorious day and I got out there to run in the sunshine.How lucky am I ?

Introducing.... m'new blog!!!

I have been a busy girl... if you scroll down the page a wee bit you will see some new links to my other blogs. I have been writing a running blog for some time now as some of you will know so there is a picture link to that. I have also set up a new blog The Secret Gallery, so that I can store my drawings and paintings. I am never going to claim to be an artist, but I am enjoying drawing and painting and just wanted somewhere that I could put my stuff and share it with you!!


I am hoping that both my running and arting will take off through the Summer holidays...fingers crossed!!!

January 1st and all's well.......

How lovely to be in January. Today is the first day of being slim, fit and generally gorgeous. I went for a run in the January sunshine, huffing and puffing for 2 miles. My 5 mile race goal is in May. Then a Half Marathon in July. The first few weeks will be hardest and then, hopefully I will be back in the swing.

This year I hope will be better than last. I want to be a better person and the running will help. Even my boys say I'm nicer when I run. I just have to be strong and think of my goals. Part of me wonders if it is worth it. Will I ever really be properly fit ? Who am I trying to kid ? I want to run the 2008 London Marathon, and as I have applied for the last 5 years and not got in, this time when I apply I should. And if I am going to do this I have to do it well.

But I am short ( 5') plump ( 140+ pounds ) and not confident that I can do it. Maybe I can do it. I have to try.