I'm trying to get back into this blogging lark I really am.
More an 2 posts a month would be a start.
I've cooked for HH and Teech (again with the Orkney Fudge Cheesecake... too good, and too easy to not make... and a stoved chicken thing that was all potato, chicken and garlic goodness).
This was before it baked in the oven for about 75mins. The delightful shine is all buttery goodness.
I then tried to run off some of the chickeny goodness by doing a 5k the next morning. It was sans dog and therefore a little bit faster; think it was just under 30min - not bad considering the magnitude of the hill. This helped to aliviate my guilt, but not my hunger, as I headed out to dinner with Meeper and Ceegar. A really lovely night of chatting, drinking (if my hangover the next morning was anything to go by WOW were those gins strong). Good to all catch-up.
After starting the running with more conviction I've had the odd twinge in my back. It was well and truly buggered when I moved house in 2008, and then moving in 2010 didn't help it any. Not sitting awkwardly (which I do all the sodding time) and yoga seem to help... so I did some yoga.
It wasn't exactly 45min of torture, but it was clear that I haven't stretched out properly in quite some time. Will try and add it into what I laughably call a 'routine' with a little more regularity. I do like it though; dynamic ashtanga yoga has a lot going for it - even if my 'practice' is more about staying moving than it is about 'the breath'. Grrr
So after creaking my way through the post yoga days, and seeing Pickle for a lovely coffee and catch-up (Valvona & Crolla's coffee was lack luster to say the least, but the lemon polenta cake was delightful); I headed out to Granny Greens. (Or as I think of it - truly the best craft group there could ever be. People are friendly, chatty, and everyone just gets on with whatever they are making.) I took 2 extra balls of wool with me and was delighted to be half way through the last by the time I headed home. The wooly made for the chg is finished, just in time to take it to Amsterdam! It should have been a scarf, it is a small blanket... possibly the largest thing I have ever made. I only hope I can fit it in my small travel case.... or maybe I'll just have to wear it, and pack my scarf... Oh god, it's huge - migrant families could use it for shelter.
But, today, and here we get to what should be the backbone of my blog, I ***WENT TO THE GYM*** The gym, that is less than 5 min walk from my house, that I had yet to frequent. Well, I went. And I paid £6.90. It was not peak time. And if you want to shower it's another £1.30... I'm only glad I live so close.
The only negative is the cost. The place is pretty great with more machines than any other gym I've ever been in... and there's even a modicum of natural light, and plenty of water machines.
I tell a lie - there's another negative, the damn machines are in Kilometres. Pah. This did make me go faster though.
So, enough waffle onto the achievement portion of the post:
5 miles (count 'em) - in 46.22 (this averages at 9.16 a mile - much more like it). And I did genuinely feel like I could probably have made it to the 10k point. Always a good feeling. But as I haven't run as far as 5miles since APRIL 2010 (*red with shame*) it would have been seriously foolish to push it any further. I used the new and shiny (and dead comfy to run on) machine on HILL setting level 5. Not massive hills - only up to about 4% - but enough to make it a proper work out for the glutes. Other machine notes: nowhere to balance the ipod to actually watch anything, but a good little cubby if I wanted it to listen to stuff. Also a great water bottle holder. (Sometimes it's the simple things that make a difference.)
Then, and here I will bore you as I need to write it down as a log, I did some of the machines.
An incredible obliques and abs machine which is going to make me scream tomorrow morning as I roll over. Kneel on a pad, rotate your body to grasp the chest pad, hold yourself in place and do weighted lower body rotations.... did 3 sets of 12 for each side. First two sets on 35Kg, last set on 40Kg. Then 3 sets of 12 (weight 19??) on the lat pull down; and 3 sets of triceps dips holding a 6kg weight. So I didn't go mental with the gym work after the run, but I tried to work out the bits of me that get ignored (anything but the legs really). Think the new Ab machine might be a real favorite though.... oh so good, feeeel the burn.
Definitely time for bed. Lovely to feel so physically knackered... but makes my typing bad.
More an 2 posts a month would be a start.
I've cooked for HH and Teech (again with the Orkney Fudge Cheesecake... too good, and too easy to not make... and a stoved chicken thing that was all potato, chicken and garlic goodness).
This was before it baked in the oven for about 75mins. The delightful shine is all buttery goodness.I then tried to run off some of the chickeny goodness by doing a 5k the next morning. It was sans dog and therefore a little bit faster; think it was just under 30min - not bad considering the magnitude of the hill. This helped to aliviate my guilt, but not my hunger, as I headed out to dinner with Meeper and Ceegar. A really lovely night of chatting, drinking (if my hangover the next morning was anything to go by WOW were those gins strong). Good to all catch-up.
After starting the running with more conviction I've had the odd twinge in my back. It was well and truly buggered when I moved house in 2008, and then moving in 2010 didn't help it any. Not sitting awkwardly (which I do all the sodding time) and yoga seem to help... so I did some yoga.
It wasn't exactly 45min of torture, but it was clear that I haven't stretched out properly in quite some time. Will try and add it into what I laughably call a 'routine' with a little more regularity. I do like it though; dynamic ashtanga yoga has a lot going for it - even if my 'practice' is more about staying moving than it is about 'the breath'. Grrr
So after creaking my way through the post yoga days, and seeing Pickle for a lovely coffee and catch-up (Valvona & Crolla's coffee was lack luster to say the least, but the lemon polenta cake was delightful); I headed out to Granny Greens. (Or as I think of it - truly the best craft group there could ever be. People are friendly, chatty, and everyone just gets on with whatever they are making.) I took 2 extra balls of wool with me and was delighted to be half way through the last by the time I headed home. The wooly made for the chg is finished, just in time to take it to Amsterdam! It should have been a scarf, it is a small blanket... possibly the largest thing I have ever made. I only hope I can fit it in my small travel case.... or maybe I'll just have to wear it, and pack my scarf... Oh god, it's huge - migrant families could use it for shelter.
But, today, and here we get to what should be the backbone of my blog, I ***WENT TO THE GYM*** The gym, that is less than 5 min walk from my house, that I had yet to frequent. Well, I went. And I paid £6.90. It was not peak time. And if you want to shower it's another £1.30... I'm only glad I live so close.
The only negative is the cost. The place is pretty great with more machines than any other gym I've ever been in... and there's even a modicum of natural light, and plenty of water machines.
I tell a lie - there's another negative, the damn machines are in Kilometres. Pah. This did make me go faster though.
So, enough waffle onto the achievement portion of the post:
5 miles (count 'em) - in 46.22 (this averages at 9.16 a mile - much more like it). And I did genuinely feel like I could probably have made it to the 10k point. Always a good feeling. But as I haven't run as far as 5miles since APRIL 2010 (*red with shame*) it would have been seriously foolish to push it any further. I used the new and shiny (and dead comfy to run on) machine on HILL setting level 5. Not massive hills - only up to about 4% - but enough to make it a proper work out for the glutes. Other machine notes: nowhere to balance the ipod to actually watch anything, but a good little cubby if I wanted it to listen to stuff. Also a great water bottle holder. (Sometimes it's the simple things that make a difference.)
Then, and here I will bore you as I need to write it down as a log, I did some of the machines.
An incredible obliques and abs machine which is going to make me scream tomorrow morning as I roll over. Kneel on a pad, rotate your body to grasp the chest pad, hold yourself in place and do weighted lower body rotations.... did 3 sets of 12 for each side. First two sets on 35Kg, last set on 40Kg. Then 3 sets of 12 (weight 19??) on the lat pull down; and 3 sets of triceps dips holding a 6kg weight. So I didn't go mental with the gym work after the run, but I tried to work out the bits of me that get ignored (anything but the legs really). Think the new Ab machine might be a real favorite though.... oh so good, feeeel the burn.
Definitely time for bed. Lovely to feel so physically knackered... but makes my typing bad.
1 comment:
I've made that stoved chicken before - yum! Maybe I should do so again...
Good work (with the blogging and the exercise!) I wish I had your energy to do anything similar!!
;o)
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