Saturday, 12 April 2014

Signs I May Be A Tad Obsessed With My Marathon Training Plan....




  • My week and especially my weekends are arranged entirely around my walks and how I'll fit the necessary mileage into the hours I have.
  • I install not one but two Apps on my phone to track my mileage - best to get an average of two!
  • When, around 9 miles into a 12-miler and I realise I have dropped my phone, the first thought that pops into my head is not "Oh no! I may have just lost my fairly new, £200 phone with all my contacts!" but rather "Darn it! Now I won't know how far I've walked!" *
  • When I spy a load of police officers lined up on the pavement, their van parked across the road, my reaction is not "Hope nothing serious has happened!" but rather "Hope they are not going to mess up my planned 14-mile route!" **
  • I've committed to memory the mileage of all the paths in Central Park... just in case I can fit the odd 5 miles in-between the 10 miles per day we'll be walking all over The Big Apple next week!




........................
* This tale does have a happy ending... a lovely lady picked up my phone, checked my address book and phoned 'Home'. I was so impressed with her honesty and so pleased to be reunited with my phone that I bought her the biggest bouquet of flowers I could find on Mothering Sunday.

** There is also a happy ending to this tale... it turns out the police officers were in training, learning how to set up a road block - on a quiet road, much favoured by runners and walkers.


Sunday, 30 March 2014

A Walk In The Peak District

After basking in unseasonable warm (for Spring), sunny weather for almost two weeks, our luck ran out last weekend for our long-planned meet-up with friends for some walking in the Peak District.

In case you're wondering, the Peak District National Park is found here...


Not to be confused with The Lake District, which is further north!



Wind, rain, hail and then sleet hammered us from all directions most of the way! I didn't bother even taking my camera with, but I did get a few quick shots using my phone...



















A brief ray of light



It's lambing season!







Friendly donkey

Sunday, 16 March 2014

Still Here...

What's happening in the Life of Nat? Frankly, not a whole lot! When I'm not working, I'm walking... when I'm not walking, I'm working... you get the picture...

My marathon training is going to plan, helped immensely by the gorgeous Spring weather and lighter evenings that have brought beautiful sunsets, like these...






Photos taken with my phone camera

Sunday, 23 February 2014

One Step At A Time




Some of you may recall that one balmy night last May.... it was about 3 C with a gale force wind and rain.... I took part in the Half Moon Walk. The Half Moon Walk is a half-marathon, which takes place... you guessed it...  through the night. Participants power walk their way through the streets of London, wearing a decorated bra with the aim of raising funds and awareness for breast cancer charities.

Half marathon? 13 miles/21 kilometres? Insultingly easy!


This year, I'm going the Full Monty... no, not walking through the streets of London in just my altogether (I think that's illegal).. .but rather doing the Full Moon, the full 26 miles/ 42 kilometres. This is a whole new challenge!

My training plan officially kicked off last week, and I have three 3-milers and a 4-miler under my belt. I also did a quick 6-miler over the last weekend, just for good measure. I don't think it's a good plan to over train on the long walks, but a couple of extra short ones will hopefully go a long way to conditioning my legs for that Big Walk on the night of 10th May.  All in, if I follow the training plan to the letter, I will walk a total of 243 miles before the Big One of 26.2.

That's a fair bit of walking. Even for an ardent walker like me, that could get a tad boring. Especially as come rain or shine...and judging on the Great British Weather's past performance, there'll be a load more rain than shine... I've got to push myself to get out there and just keep walking.



So, as I always walk with music, my plan is put together the most amazing, inspiring training playlist for my ipod to keep me moving over the next 12 weeks. Here's what I have so far...yes, an eclectic selection...

Obviously, there's OMD's 'Walking On The Milky Way'; Aerosmith with 'Walk This Way'; Nancy Sinatra's 'These Boots Were Made For Walkin'; Katrina and The Waves 'Walking on Sunshine'; Dire Straits 'Walk of Life'; The Bangles 'Walk Like An Egyptian'; Green Day 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams (I Walk Alone)', The Proclaimers 'I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)', Martika's upbeat version of Carole King's 'I Feel The Earth Move', and The Police 'Every Breathe You Take (Every Step You Make)'.

Inspiration comes from Journey with 'Don't Stop Believin'; David Bowie's 'Heroes'; Kelly Clarkson's 'What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)' and Script with 'Hall of Fame'.

Then just for their upbeat tempo, there's Eurythmics 'Sweet Dreams'; Iggy Pop's 'Real Wild Child'; Abba's 'Gimme! Gimme! Gimme'; David Quetta's 'Titanium'; Guns N'Roses 'Paradise City'; the Bee Gees 'Stayin' Alive'; Enrique Iglesias with 'I Like It'; the Black Eyed Peas 'I Gotta Feeling'; Coldplay with 'Viva La Vida'; KT Tunstall's 'Black Horse and a Cherry Tree', and Emeli Sande with 'Next To Me', just to name a few.


Any suggestions?

The links should take you to the music videos but You Tube does have funny international restrictions.

Thursday, 13 February 2014

Water, Water Everywhere!

The UK is experiencing the wettest winter in over 250 years. Since the autumn, these isles have been swamped by unprecedented amounts of rain, and successive storms off the Atlantic have pounded the coastline with tidal waves and hurricane force winds.

My sympathies lie with all those living along the Cornwall, Devon and Dorset coasts, Wales, Somerset and the Thames Valley. Forced to flee from the rising waters.... their homes, farms and businesses flooded, their lives turned upside down. And there is no end in sight. More storms are on their way, more rain, more destruction.

So far, we've been OK here in Bedfordshire, although flood warnings are in place and the River Great Ouse that snakes through the centre of Bedford town is getting worrying high, as these photos from last weekend show....











There's definitely enough water for water sports!





The swans and ducks don't mind too much!


Photos taken with my phone camera

Saturday, 8 February 2014

Beach Therapy


If there is a heaven for me, I'm sure it has a beach attached to it 
Jimmy Buffett

































Thursday, 30 January 2014

Thailand - My Most Momentous, Memorable Moments




The whole trip was fabulous - I seriously did not want to leave! But if I could pick a few of the most memorable things, these would be.....


Stepping off the speedboat from Krabi, straight onto Phra-Ae (Long) Beach and being greeted by the lovely staff of the Layana Resort and Spa, Koh Lanta Yai, almost as soon as our feet hit the sand....



Gorgeous, gorgeous sunsets.... and sun-downers!...almost every evening.....




















The snake dropping by for a visit... quite literally... falling out of a tree and onto our beach umbrella!








My darling husband surprising me with a romantic, candlelit birthday dinner on the beach on our last night at the resort...










Officially old enough to be a Cougar!