I did it! I wrote about my Couch to 5k journey before - the programme builds you up very slowly to start with - but now things are getting serious (am I the only one who always sings that phrase? ...are you thinking about you - or us? probably showing my age there ;-) ).
I've never been a runner in my life - the only time I've been fit in the past is when working towards a cheerleading competition - and, to be honest, I used to watch runners and comment on how boring it looked, and wonder why on earth they would choose to do something so horrible. Then my 30th birthday was looming, and a holiday was coming and I realised I didn't want to just resort to saying 'Oh, I'm getting older' any more. I wanted to be up and running around with my boys, enjoying life. I know full well I will look back at photos of this time of my life and think Look, I was so young! I don't want to waste it! So I looked around for exercise that was free, easy to start and wouldn't take me away from my baby for too long. C25k was the winner!
Last night I ran (very slowly... well, jogged) for a full 20 minutes. Now, I'm not sure if any of you have tried running recently (aside from those people who are already super-fit reading), but I haven't done much for my fitness in years - since I was cheerleading at university. The first day of couch to 5k nearly killed me, I came home muscles aching and completely puffed out. I was also engergised from the exercise, but also a little demoralised - I'd only run for 8 minutes a minute at a time. I began to doubt that I would ever manage the programme. I know exactly what day that was - it was super Saturday of the olympics, and Jessica Ennis was just bringing home the heptathlon gold - what an inspiration our British athletes are to us all. I wasn't about to give up at the first hurdle.
Anyway, now the programme is really cranking up. the last run was two 8 minute jogs, and now I've done 2 minutes. From now I just have to run more and more each time until I am running the full 30 minutes. Then it will just be working on my speed and fitness and it will be time to keep it up through the weekend by particpating in my local Park Run. And you know what, I'm looking forward to it! To hark back to my cheerleading days - Bring It On!
Showing posts with label birthday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label birthday. Show all posts
Saturday, 8 September 2012
Thursday, 6 September 2012
Reasons to be Cheerful
This is my first R2BC post - thanks to Julie at Mama OWL for helping me out with this one!
There are always lots of reasons to be cheerful, but sometimes it is hard to remember and recognise them all, so I am really looking forward to doing a bit of reflection each week on what I am grateful for.
1. This week I have really realised what fantastic friends I have. To be honest, when I first moved away after university I felt pretty lonely and like I would never build up a friendship group again. Then I met some good friends through work, then I became pregnant with H and had H and met more friends that way, through Babycentre, NCT classes and baby groups, now I have made even more friends through work, and although I'm not the sort of person who is the centre of a big group of friends, I can honestly say that I have built some true friendships over the past few years. For the first time in a long time I have people I can call when I am down, and people who came out (despite difficult times of their own) to celebrate my birthday with myself and Harry. I'm so happy to have good, positive people around me who will support me through thick and thin.
2. Being 30 - now, I've been pretty sensitive about this one. I'm not keen on getting older to be honest. I regularly find myself sighing over my grey hairs and trying to figure out just how much that wrinkle has deepened in recent years, but... Actually, when I look at everything I have: wonderful husband; beautiful home (thanks to that wonderful husband); my two gorgeous boys, of course - and finally, my career (albeit on hold at the moment) I realise that I've not done too badly in those 30 years. Bring on the next 30!
3. The autumn is here! I feel this might be a bit cheaty, as my inaugural blog post was all about my excitement about autumn and new starts, but hello! Chilly days! Nights drawing in! Cozy cuddles on the sofa! Wellies and muddy puddles! Spicy baking! Hallow'een and... the build up to the big C! Who couldn't be cheerful about all that :-)
There are always lots of reasons to be cheerful, but sometimes it is hard to remember and recognise them all, so I am really looking forward to doing a bit of reflection each week on what I am grateful for.
1. This week I have really realised what fantastic friends I have. To be honest, when I first moved away after university I felt pretty lonely and like I would never build up a friendship group again. Then I met some good friends through work, then I became pregnant with H and had H and met more friends that way, through Babycentre, NCT classes and baby groups, now I have made even more friends through work, and although I'm not the sort of person who is the centre of a big group of friends, I can honestly say that I have built some true friendships over the past few years. For the first time in a long time I have people I can call when I am down, and people who came out (despite difficult times of their own) to celebrate my birthday with myself and Harry. I'm so happy to have good, positive people around me who will support me through thick and thin.
2. Being 30 - now, I've been pretty sensitive about this one. I'm not keen on getting older to be honest. I regularly find myself sighing over my grey hairs and trying to figure out just how much that wrinkle has deepened in recent years, but... Actually, when I look at everything I have: wonderful husband; beautiful home (thanks to that wonderful husband); my two gorgeous boys, of course - and finally, my career (albeit on hold at the moment) I realise that I've not done too badly in those 30 years. Bring on the next 30!
3. The autumn is here! I feel this might be a bit cheaty, as my inaugural blog post was all about my excitement about autumn and new starts, but hello! Chilly days! Nights drawing in! Cozy cuddles on the sofa! Wellies and muddy puddles! Spicy baking! Hallow'een and... the build up to the big C! Who couldn't be cheerful about all that :-)
Saturday, 1 September 2012
Noah's Ark Zoo Farm
Today we visited Noah's Ark Zoo Farm for my birthday treat. We were lucky enough to be given tickets by Ian's work colleague who got them from an internet deal so it was a cheap day out for us! If we'd been paying, Ian and I would have been £12.50 each and Harry £9.50, which I do think is a little steep for a 2 year old.
The farm is run by creationists, which has always put me off going in the past (and I did consider buying Harry one of those 'evolution' t shirts for the occasion!) but seeing as we had the tickets as a gift I thought we'd give it a go. They have a huge variety of animals at the farm from the largest - the rhinos, to the liveliest - the gibbons and the smallest - tiny little chicks. The farm covers a vast area which is equally great for the animals and a little tiring for small legs.
When we arrived we headed straight to one of the main draws, the big cats. They have Bengal Tigers and also some lions. They were fast asleep both times we visited, but you were certainly able to get up close and personal with them - the paws of the tiger seemed massive just a few feet away separated only by a pane of glass. It was good for Harry to be able to get so close, as there was no need to try to point out the animals from miles off. Their enclosure is pretty large though so I guess if you went at a more active time you might not be able to get quite so close.
Another major draw was the giraffes, and once again we got nice and close to them - they truly are very beautiful and graceful creatures! If they are inside you can go into the giraffe house and walk around a walkway level with their heads - they were out enjoying the sun today, but I thought this was a great idea. Harry loved the giraffes - although he was a bit concerned. The mummy and daddy had a 'baby' giraffe like Archie, but he couldn't see a 'Harry' giraffe!
When it was nearing time for lunch, and Archie was asking for a feed (or should I say demanding), we camped down by one of the play areas. There was a 'termite mound' play area with tunnels and slides and also a combine harvester climbing frame which was a big hit with our vehicle mad toddler! Unfortunately, under the termite mound in a little house Harry had a rather unfortunate accident with a muddy puddle and came out completely covered - and rather distraught as he had been studiously trying to avoid mess the whole time he was playing. Luckily, I had read on the website that they have a splash zone so had a clean change of clothes in the car to solve the problem.
Although full of 'zoo' animals, there is a definite 'farm' feel. The location is in the midst of rural fields (when we were trying to point our the reindeer to Harry, he spotted a distant John Deere tractor in a field *sigh*) and there are regular tractor rides throughout the day for an additional cost. This was a big hit with Harry who tells me his favourite part of the day was the tractor he climbed on on the way out!
All in all we had a great time, although the price would have been a bit steep for us for half a day (we are a little constricted by nap time as Harry got tired in the early afternoon - and it doesn't open until 10.30). For older kids there is a lot more to do though, a massive play area inside and out - with zipwires, deathslides and so on - as well as a barn where you can swing on ropes hung from the rafters and have a soft landing in piles of straw. We also found that the walk twice around the animals (to see if the big cats had woken up) was a little far for Harry's legs, so he was certainly tired by the end of the day. I think, therefore, it's more an attraction for those with older ones who can use more of the facilities - it would be a good idea for the attraction to either not charge for under 5s or at least have two different price points for kids that reflects the amount they can participate.
The farm is run by creationists, which has always put me off going in the past (and I did consider buying Harry one of those 'evolution' t shirts for the occasion!) but seeing as we had the tickets as a gift I thought we'd give it a go. They have a huge variety of animals at the farm from the largest - the rhinos, to the liveliest - the gibbons and the smallest - tiny little chicks. The farm covers a vast area which is equally great for the animals and a little tiring for small legs.
When we arrived we headed straight to one of the main draws, the big cats. They have Bengal Tigers and also some lions. They were fast asleep both times we visited, but you were certainly able to get up close and personal with them - the paws of the tiger seemed massive just a few feet away separated only by a pane of glass. It was good for Harry to be able to get so close, as there was no need to try to point out the animals from miles off. Their enclosure is pretty large though so I guess if you went at a more active time you might not be able to get quite so close.
Another major draw was the giraffes, and once again we got nice and close to them - they truly are very beautiful and graceful creatures! If they are inside you can go into the giraffe house and walk around a walkway level with their heads - they were out enjoying the sun today, but I thought this was a great idea. Harry loved the giraffes - although he was a bit concerned. The mummy and daddy had a 'baby' giraffe like Archie, but he couldn't see a 'Harry' giraffe!
When it was nearing time for lunch, and Archie was asking for a feed (or should I say demanding), we camped down by one of the play areas. There was a 'termite mound' play area with tunnels and slides and also a combine harvester climbing frame which was a big hit with our vehicle mad toddler! Unfortunately, under the termite mound in a little house Harry had a rather unfortunate accident with a muddy puddle and came out completely covered - and rather distraught as he had been studiously trying to avoid mess the whole time he was playing. Luckily, I had read on the website that they have a splash zone so had a clean change of clothes in the car to solve the problem.
Although full of 'zoo' animals, there is a definite 'farm' feel. The location is in the midst of rural fields (when we were trying to point our the reindeer to Harry, he spotted a distant John Deere tractor in a field *sigh*) and there are regular tractor rides throughout the day for an additional cost. This was a big hit with Harry who tells me his favourite part of the day was the tractor he climbed on on the way out!
All in all we had a great time, although the price would have been a bit steep for us for half a day (we are a little constricted by nap time as Harry got tired in the early afternoon - and it doesn't open until 10.30). For older kids there is a lot more to do though, a massive play area inside and out - with zipwires, deathslides and so on - as well as a barn where you can swing on ropes hung from the rafters and have a soft landing in piles of straw. We also found that the walk twice around the animals (to see if the big cats had woken up) was a little far for Harry's legs, so he was certainly tired by the end of the day. I think, therefore, it's more an attraction for those with older ones who can use more of the facilities - it would be a good idea for the attraction to either not charge for under 5s or at least have two different price points for kids that reflects the amount they can participate.
Friday, 31 August 2012
New Starts for Supersparks
There is a distinct autumnal chill in the air this morning, and it gives me such
a thrill of excitement. The day is bright and blue skied, and I am no longer bemoaning the
lack of summer - this is SO much better.
It reminds of the first day back at school with new bag, new pencil case and stationery - the feeling of a new start and hopes for the future. In fact, I am even a little bit jealous of those people going back to school for their own new starts - not that I want to miss out on my gorgeous baby of course. (Have to add here that I am not missing that feeling of sick dread at meeting new classes though).
It makes me think of autumn walks in the woods, Hallow'een and, ultimately, the lead up to Christmas (sorry to mention the C- word, but seriously, you've got to start thinking about shopping when you've got a big family!)
It makes me feel like getting out there to jog, ignoring my bumps and bruises from a nasty fall on my last outing, feeling the crisp air rush into my lungs, my hair bounce and my body stretch as I push myself a little further each time.
And best of all, it is making today a little softer - it's my 30th birthday and I was feeling a little bit sad about, you know, the age thing. But today everything feels better and brighter and happier - I feel so positive about the future, I'm on a journey to get healthier, and on an even bigger journey with my two gorgeous boys. Instead of feeling negative, I'm thinking that there's no better day for a new venture - the glass is definitely half full.
So, a touch of autumn is all it takes, apparently! Sorry, summer lovers!
It reminds of the first day back at school with new bag, new pencil case and stationery - the feeling of a new start and hopes for the future. In fact, I am even a little bit jealous of those people going back to school for their own new starts - not that I want to miss out on my gorgeous baby of course. (Have to add here that I am not missing that feeling of sick dread at meeting new classes though).
It makes me think of autumn walks in the woods, Hallow'een and, ultimately, the lead up to Christmas (sorry to mention the C- word, but seriously, you've got to start thinking about shopping when you've got a big family!)
It makes me feel like getting out there to jog, ignoring my bumps and bruises from a nasty fall on my last outing, feeling the crisp air rush into my lungs, my hair bounce and my body stretch as I push myself a little further each time.
And best of all, it is making today a little softer - it's my 30th birthday and I was feeling a little bit sad about, you know, the age thing. But today everything feels better and brighter and happier - I feel so positive about the future, I'm on a journey to get healthier, and on an even bigger journey with my two gorgeous boys. Instead of feeling negative, I'm thinking that there's no better day for a new venture - the glass is definitely half full.
So, a touch of autumn is all it takes, apparently! Sorry, summer lovers!
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