Last 25 minute run done...now for 28!

I completed my last 25 minute run on Monday night, with my sister-in-law, Chrissie after the kids had gone to bed. Normally we have had a bit of interval walking throughout the workout and that has been our time for a natter, but now we've started doing nonstop running we've had to learn how to run and talk! (It would just be antisocial to run in silence after all!) I've never really been able to hold a conversation whilst running before, it takes up too much breath and energy, but we managed to talk for the full 25 minutes without collapsing...not bad hey?! It actually felt easier because we weren't concentrating on how far we'd run or how long we had left. Recovery time is also getting shorter and its after runs like that, that I'm encouraged to keep going, and that this challenge might actually be possible...?! Time will tell!

I'm thankful for my legs, so I thought I'd better use them!

I decided this year it was time to set myself a challenge, a hard one...one that people who know me might not think I could complete. Not just for myself, but I wanted to do something worthwhile in raising money for charity and I figured if I chose a hard challenge then people might be more willing to sponsor me.
So here it is...I think I better set the scene first before I tell you what I'm doing...
My history of running is well...0, apart from the compulsory bits of P.E that I couldn't avoid, and even then I was the one walking at the back and taking sneaky shortcuts through trees when it came to long distance around the school field...there were no shortcuts I didn't know about! I attempted to run for a train a couple of years ago, almost collapsed after 100m, if that, got shin splints trying to power walk because I couldn't run and missed my train, resulting in a very large taxi fare!
So to sum up...I am most certainly NOT a runner!
With that in mind, here is my charity challenge...
Complete the Cumbrian run in October... All 13 miles of it, preferably without walking!
I have been following the NHS 'couch to 5k' programme and have completed week 6. There are a few of us training together, some are aiming for the race for life and some for the Cumbrian run...none of us were runners before we started.
The plan started with 5 minute walking warm up, and then 1 minute run, 90 seconds walking, repeated 8 times and then 5 minute walk to cool down. If I am totally honest...I was willing the lady on the podcast to tell me I could walk each time and was genuinely dreading the thought of running for a full 5 minutes never mind 30 (which is how long you should be running for by the end of the 9 week programme)
Well as I mentioned earlier, I have just completed week 6 and am now running for 25 minutes with no walking in the middle! I went out with Fi this morning and although I have done two 25 minute runs before, I found it really hard, my legs were like lead and within the first 10 minutes I think I might have struggled to keep motivated without Fi running behind me! But we did it! I now feel like I can definitely achieve 5k...but that's not my challenge! I will be updating you as I try to make it through the rest of my training, a daunting thought. But for now, I will concentrate on the first sub-challenge and hopefully keep surprising myself :-)

New Creations

I recently went on a shopping spree to buy some materials for my new creations. I wrote a list of things I could make, got excited and hit the shops! The first thing that I have tried to tackle is the soft toy, baby block. I decided to have a go at making one for my nephew, Elijah, last year as a Christmas present. So I found a local upholstery place and

went in to enquire.

I wanted just a couple of cubes to start with, around 10cm squared. The guy in the shop very generously gave me two for free as a tester. So I set to work to make the personalized toy. Each side was to have a letter of his name and a different fabric. I made a few mistakes, and it was definitely a trial and error process. Eventually I came up with a fool proof system that would work every time, made the pattern piece to go with it and now, almost a year on, I have finally got round to making some more.

Unfortunately the shop I got the foam from last time, has gone. However, in an effort to continue to support local businesses, I have discovered another upholstery shop nearby, called B O'Hara Upholstery and have recently managed to buy 20 cubes of foam from them.

Great service there, as it is an unusual request, and I will hopefully be using them more often if my efforts pay off.

After buying a LOT of felt, I have several ideas for 'felt projects', as it is such an easy material to work with. The soft toy was one idea that I wanted to try with the felt. In the batch that I bought from local sewing shop, Superior Sewing, there were some smaller squares. These squares worked perfectly for the cubes, when quartered they had 1/2 cm seam allowance, which was just enough to work with. So with two squares of 6 different colours, I have made 8 blocks as you can see in the photo below. They are currently plain, but with the potential to be customised to have letters, numbers or pictures on them. I will post some more photos when I have some examples.

Sew...what's new?!

Since I got my dream job...then realised it wasn't at all my dream job and left...I've been in what feels a bit like 'no-man's land'. So the sewing machines have been fired up and I'm on a mission to make some things to sell!I've registered on Etsy and Misi (two websites that run kind of like ebay but are specifically for homemade items) so now I just need to get some stock together! So the next few posts will be about some of the things I've been making. I will try and remember to take lots of photos throughout the process and so you can see what goes on in my little world of sewing!

Things to do at some point in my life!

So we're coming to the end of our first winter season out in the French Alps. We've been here since the end of November and it has been an amazing experience. We've been out snowboarding an average of 5 days a week, sometimes more, sometimes less. The progression that we've both been through during the season has been incredible. Personally I could not have imagined that I would be doing the things I'm doing. I have gone from barely being able to make turns...to confidently coming down black runs, throwing myself off blue kickers, boxes...even been in the halfpipe AND enjoyed it (after my legs stopped shaking and my heart stopped pounding!) But it has to be said...this progression business is addictive. So much so that we're thinking about our options for coming back out next year even if it's just for a few months. But that's for a different blog altogether...

Now we're thinking about life after the season...getting back home to my lovely puppy who I have missed so much and can't wait to see again! (Thanks again Uncle G for kindly looking after our daft dog for so long!) However, I've been doing a lot of thinking about things I want to achieve in my life and I decided I should write a life goals list...so here it is. I don't expect anyone to read this, but it will act as a great reference in the future to see how much of it I have done!

In no particular order:

1. Learn French
2. Learn one other language (Italian/Spanish or something?)
3. Improve my clothes making skills
4. Learn how to make sewing patterns from scratch
5. Learn how to breakdance
6. Record a CD
7. Pass my BASI Level 1...maybe Level2 and become a Snowboard Instructor
8. Write a Childrens book
9. Create and sustain a Dance Co (probably Youth...but we'll see)
10. Raise a family :)

Well...that's it for now...I'll add more when I think of them...and tick off the ones I do...

Ciao x

Here's to new beginnings...

Well, I've tried several times to start this blogging thing and failed...I was gonna start with a write up of our anniversary roadtrip...but there was so much that happened, it became a looooooong and tedious task...so I'll stick with the scrap book and photos for that story.


So this is where I'm at right now...I've been working as an admin assistant at a primary school in Carlisle, covering maternity leave (which has now finished :( ) and LOVED it! Loved the people, loved the kids, loved the job...even the tedious photocopying didn't seem like a chore. I've never had that in a job before and it was a great experience. However, I was also running 3 after-school clubs at various places, plus afternoon sessions at another school in Penrith every Monday. On top of that I was doing up to 7 singing lessons a week in the evenings...which meant my days usually started with admin at 8.30am and finished with singing lessons at 8pm with everything else in between. Unsurprisingly...I got very tired and depressed, lost my patience with the kids I was teaching and dreaded every session/lesson I had to lead...which is rubbish cause this is what I wanted to do when I left uni!

So now the summer holidays are here and I've STOPPED!...and boy does it feel good!I thought I would want to lie in bed til midday and lounge around doing nothing...but I quite like getting out of bed knowing that I can choose what I do with my day. I've gone back to being the 1940s housewife I enjoyed being before all this craziness started! I'm baking bread, sewing things (if my machine stops breaking!) even tidying and not hating it! It's strange! Dan keeps telling me I'm allowed to have a lie in and do nothing...but for some reason...I don't want to. I feel good when I have a productive day doing the things that I want to do. How do we pay the bills I hear you say?...
Well we've yet to figure out our finances for the next few months, but I'm now printing clothing for anyone and everyone who wants it...so with a bit of promotion hopefully that'll bring in some work and as of September I'll be doing a few after-school clubs and some work at Longtown community centre too...so I think we'll be ok!
But more exciting than all that...we're definitely going and doing a full snowboarding season!!! Yay! CV's have been updated and sent to several chalet's in Morzine, France (our desired location) and the waiting game begins....I'll be updating soon hopefully with how it's all going!
But for now...I AM going to have a lazy day...after all...it is my birthday! :)