Forgive me Ju-ju for I have sinned.. 🙄😌

[limberlou]

I have been procrastinating a bit lately, I’m on week 4 of the Magic Plan ( again) and went out to do my 4k run on Friday last and found my self doing 5k instead. That was fine then I decided Sunday would be a good quiet day to do the 8k..... and ended up cutting it short at 4k due to tummy issues and hurrying home so Tuesday was going to be my 8k run and I must confess I have been bricking it. I’ve just not felt like running much further than 5 lately. My breathing has settled but my legs have been weary.

I set my alarm yesterday and then just clicked it off and slept on. I’d had a dreadful nights sleep Saturday and Sunday night and I more than made up for it with 10 hours sleep Monday night/ Tuesday morning. I obviously needed it so I consoled myself with making sure I was well hydrated and doing an hours Pilates to loosen up. This was lovely and relaxing until about 5 minutes before the end. I had my eyes closed and was gently rocking my knees one way and head the other / enjoying the cool down stretches and really in my own little world. I have the windows open when I do my Pilates because I always get hot and I could hear the gentle birdsong..... and then I heard a Miaow and a plop and I opened my eyes, turned my head to see a frog on the mat just behind my head. Thanks Roma!!! Well that was me done!! I got up and found my “frog pot” and cardboard( this happens a lot) and I popped the pot over Hoppy and slid the card underneath and took him back out to the pond. I think it’s the same one being recycled about twice a week lately.

Anyway so today was going to be my 8k!! I’d already seen that it was forecast for rain and I don’t mind a bit of rain running- keeps me cool but when my alarm went off I lay and procrastinated a bit more. I was giving myself pros and cons for running while I lay there.

- my legs ache

- just Jeff a bit then .. run 5mins/ walk 1??

- oh dunno

- maybe run 10/walk 1??

- maybe....

So I got up and out my gear on and headed downstairs , put my shoes on and then opened the curtains... it was chucking it down... bouncing back up again off my garden slabs so I sat down with my banana and thought “ I’ll have half a cup of coffee and see what it’s like then.,”. Well eventually it eased a bit and off I went. I wrapped my buff round my head to protect my headphones a bit. I lost one pair due to them getting soaked and never being quite the same after they dried out. Once I’m out there I’m ok -it’s just getting out the door!!!

So my plan was down to the Civic Centre, and run towards Ashford for 4 miles and then retrace my steps. I thought again about Jeffing and planned to run 5/walk 1..... big then realised I’d zoned out and been running for 11 minutes so then thought “ maybe 15? And then a minute walkjng?” But then again I just got in the zone and kept going. The gentle misty rain in my face was quite nice and the buff kept most of it ( and the sweat) out of my eyes and suddenly I was coming up to where I knew it was about 4k...( halfway between the stinky sewage works and the little small holding with Pygmy goats) and 3 things struck me.

1. I hadn’t run that far along there yet this year

2. I hadn’t seen the little goats this year...

3. I thought I could maybe run for 5k before I turned round????

This would mean I’d have 5k to get back home but if I bottled out at 8k I could always walk the last 2..... but I knew I wouldn’t do that really. So my 8k turned into an accidental 10k. It didn’t break any records.... I DID walk for a minute around 8k as I took a pic of a dear little bunny who was hopping about till he saw me and then froze in the grass verge hoping I couldn’t see him and the last 1-2k were a bit like hard work but I’d made my mind up by then.

So I was 1 min 30 slower than my PB but as I have been floundering a bit this year I’m happy with that!! It’s faster than I was expecting and I’m glad I did it.

I WILL go back to following the plan and build up to it again as I think I need the discipline but it’s good to go off piste once in a while.

[nowster Graduate10]

Any run is better than none!

[limberlou Graduate10]

Indeed

[Sybilw Graduate10]

That sounds a bit like my first 10k - I just kept going one day! Well done. 😁 Your description of the heavy rain sounds better in Scottish - “it’s fair stottin’!” You stott a ball so it’s just as you described this morning. We Scots have a lot of words to describe weather - and not much of it hot. 🤣

[limberlou Graduate10 in reply to Sybilw]

I’ve been trying to build back up to where I was before my nasty virus end of last year. I was running 10k at least once a week and at least 2 x5ks or further. And felt really fit and strong... then I went back to work for 4 months... back to air con and working with blokes who never wash their hands and that was it ... me with a 3 month flipping virus!!! Never again!!!

[Sybilw Graduate10]

Glad you’re on your way back up!

[limberlou Graduate10 in reply to Sybilw]

Me too!!

[Buddy34 Graduate10]

What a post limberlou. Love the frog landing on your mat🤣

Obviously a bit of a rest and some better sleep has paid off. Well done on your 10k.

😊🐱🐸🏃‍♀️

[limberlou Graduate10 in reply to Buddy34]

Thanks!! I did have to have a nap this afternoon with my lovely Loki, to recover, which was quite nice.

[ThisGirlNowRuns Graduate10]

Fabulous! Well done - bet you haven't stopped smiling (now you're back)

[limberlou Graduate10 in reply to ThisGirlNowRuns]

Yeah. I haven’t done much else apart from managing to dry a line full of washing, which was good, and napping with my cat. But at least I did my run today. 💪😁

[Fionamags Graduate10]

I can't stop thinking about that poor recycled frog.... Great to hear that you are back in 10k form - doesn't matter how long it took - you did it!!!

[limberlou Graduate10 in reply to Fionamags]

Both my young cats are very gentle with the frog. They bring it in with the whole frog in their mouth and just one leg dangling out.

[Fionamags Graduate10 in reply to limberlou]

🙈😂

[cheekychipmunks Graduate10]

Fantastic LL! Having a long run sneak up on you is the way to go, and that’s what you did!

All the wildlife! 🤣 I adore bunnies (lost my last one a few weeks ago 😢) and I love frogs too - not sure about one on my yoga mat though! 😳

Happy running, and keep up the awesome work. 🏃‍♀️🥰

[limberlou Graduate10 in reply to cheekychipmunks]

Thanks CC. It felt good to get that far again. I’ve done a couple this year now but nowhere near as easily as last year. I’m determined I will get back there again though.

I saw lots of bunnies last year when I was running earlier in the summer, but I’ve been going out later this year I’m afraid. Just could not get out of bed. But I’ve seen loads of squirrels this year - some of them even in the town. I even had one run across the roof of my greenhouse- either brave or foolhardy with my cats!!!

And my daughter quite often sees deer in the field at her boyfriends house . We are very lucky around here for wildlife. Soon be pheasant season too but not so lucky for them 😪

[cheekychipmunks Graduate10 in reply to limberlou]

Don’t talk to me about squirrels. 🐿 I love them, but we had a family living in our loft this spring and OMG the damage they did! 😱 One even took to leaping several meters between our house and annexe where my daughter, partner and grandson are living - the noise! 😅

[limberlou Graduate10 in reply to cheekychipmunks]

Oh no!! When my son worked at the wildlife park they had a lot of issues with squirrels- called them flying rats. One got in the Langars cage once looking for food to steal and they just tore it apart. Nasty!!

[Bluebirdrunner Graduate10]

Accidental 10k 😆... how brilliant is that😊🏅Well done Limberlou, great way to beat any gremlins....🌻xxx

[limberlou Graduate10 in reply to Bluebirdrunner]

Yup. I was pleased but really tired after. So much more tired this year after a run.

But I’ve had a “rest” day today. I’ve baked and made Yeast Cakes, coffee sponge cakes, jam tarts, cheese straws, quiches, an apple pie and 2 crumbles and a big batch of chilli.

Sat down with a well deserved cuppa now 🥵

[Bluebirdrunner Graduate10 in reply to limberlou]

ooh yum... xx