Overkill

I was unable to go swimming today as scheduled, as Steve wanted to go out this evening to have a drink with friends. I had nothing for lunch tomorrow either. So I had to take the double pushchair out for a run instead, with both children in it – the plan being to stop at the supermarket en route to buy food.

The weather was not great – as I was getting ready I noted it was raining outside. So I wrapped the children up extra warm, and headed off out.

Thankfully it stopped raining fairly soon and remained just cloudy instead. I intended to run a little further than the supermarket (around 3 miles away) then double back and go to the supermarket, then run home. By the time I reached the supermarket, I’d covered 5 miles. And at a not very impressive speed either – I think the first 5K was only 34 minutes – a full 6 minutes slower than the 5K race I did a few weeks ago, and probably a good 5 minutes slower than I’d be doing on a relaxed run as part of a 10K. That’s how much difference the double buggy makes – about 15% on my times, I would guess just under 2 minutes per mile on average. The total average for that 5 miles was 11:07 pace.

It doesn’t help that it’s also harder to push the buggy over rough gravelly track than it is on the smooth surfaces.. it seems to cost me a further 20-30 seconds per mile pace too. It didn’t help the right tyre was slightly deflated after we had it repaired the other day, so the pushchair veered to the right all the time. My right arm really hurts now!

So we went shopping in the supermarket, bought a little something to eat, ate the food, and decided to head off home. I decided I wanted to do at least 8 miles which meant I needed to run a little further, so I ran 0.75 miles further up the Thames path, and then back again.

Of course by this stage, the children were starting to get restless. B was thirsty and hungry and C wanted some bread. So I stopped to take a photo with my phone:

Children in the foreground

. I noticed the sun was considering setting, and realised I should really hurry up and get home as I had at least 2.5 miles to go!

I ran for another mile, but C was getting grumpy – she needed feeding (she’s still mostly breastfed) So I stopped at the side of the river, fished her out of the pushchair loaded up with shopping, and sat on the wet grass and fed her. A jogger ran past and smiled.. then pointed out the blimmin’ obvious: “That grass is wet! You don’t want to sit there!”. Evidently this was not a man experienced with what you need to do when a baby needs feeding. And anyway, I was already soaked from rain and sweat and was numb in my behind so I didn’t notice.. or care!

Another runner came up behind me as I started off again.. I let him run past. As I reached the end of the off-road bit, he looped back and passed me going the other way. Which is why I was bothered when after I had gone past the gates to the off-road bit I looked behind me and saw him following me again. When he noticed I had seen him he turned round and ran back the other way.. maybe because he saw other people around. Bloody weirdo. Of course at this point I had covered over 8 miles pushing the darned pushchair and could not go any faster even if I wanted to, so I was very glad he didn’t decide to be a nutter.

Not long after this, I got home, 9.07 miles covered in 102 minutes. The final 4 miles I had done at an average pace of 11:35 minute mile – 30 seconds a mile slower than my initial 5 miles. I was knackered, you bet. And the biggest challenge was left. I had to fold up the double buggy and get it in the car boot whilst getting the shopping and the children indoors without an Incident. Well, I managed it, not helped by a random car stopping as I was juggling the children and calling out something random at me in a language I didn’t know. And when I asked him again what he wanted, he repeated it. So I just ignored him and carried on carrying heavy B inside. He was still calling after me but I just shrugged and then he spotted another woman and said sorry to me, held his hands up, then engaged her in conversation instead, in a foreign language. And drove off.

I ate a ball of solid protein (well, 12g in 49g!) and now I am looking after the children on my own for the evening. They are running rings around me. I suspect running over a third of a marathon distance with a double pushchair, even if I did stop in the middle, was perhaps overdoing it a little. Oh well! I was bored, what can I say..

Time to Drag the Husband Out With Me

My husband Steve has often considered taking up jogging/running as a way of keeping fit.  Steve has an office job, eats the fat off his meat and hates rushing.  You’d think he’d be miles behind me, but no.  Steve, even at his most unfit, is probably still fitter than I am right now.  And is skinny as a rake and super strong with it, yet does nothing to encourage this besides eating reasonable healthy food most of the time.  He’s basically blessed with a good body!

Anyway, he agreed to come out with me.  So, he dug up a pair of old trousers with the bottoms cut off, his trainers (not proper running shoes) and a t-shirt and fetched the double pushchair out the boot of the car.  Unfortunately he also left the key in the lock of the front door on the *inside*, so as we were about to leave the house and had closed the door, he remembered this.  It seems we have a lock that means if the key is in it, you cannot unlock it from the outside no matter what you do.  Apparently this is a security measure although against what I have no idea.  Anyhow, cue around an hour of faffing about with letterboxes, sticks, Google, fence hopping and all sorts.  To cut a long story short, yes, we did manage to get back in through the locked back door but even though we’ve removed the method by which we could do this again, I’m not going to share it here so publicly all the same!!

I did two circuits of the park out back whilst I was waiting and discovered it was 0.31 miles or so round.  That’s kind of useful – 3 laps is almost a mile.  The downside is that it’s quite a dodgy park to be alone in at times,  even so close to home, so definitely not safe to run around in the dark.  Oh well.

Then we set off along my usual route along the river.  I pushed the pushchair at first, then we swapped halfway.  It was a stonking hot August afternoon, so we were sweating copiously and rather disappointingly my times were not very good at all.  Steve kept up with me quite cheerfully until around 2 miles when he started asking to stop.  So we kept going a little bit more to 2.7 miles before collapsing in a sweating heap.  Given he claims he’s never run that far in his life, didn’t have the proper gear (he has no blisters or chafing either) and pushed the double buggy with two children in for the last half, I think I can officially say he’s a bit of a jammy bastard.

We stopped and had some sandwiches, then walked a little further just to look around (I’d not run that far out before) then ran/walked the way back, stopping a few times including once to pick some elderberries!  I managed a couple more long runs leaving Steve behind with the pushchair – 0.5 miles (fast), 1 mile (average), a 0.75 mile average and finally I ran the last bit home and did another two laps of the park for a final mile.  I did the final mile with an 11 minute mile, which I was quite pleased with considering how far I had run already.

In total then, 7.5 miles, 6 of them jogging or running.  But at a disappointing pace mostly.

My ankle?  Still tender, but not getting any worse from running which is promising.  I now have a new ache in my left knee which I fear is from compensating for my ankle even though I didn’t notice I was at the time.

Will be taking a few days break now for sure!  Think I will drive to pick B up from nursery tomorrow..