Student and Mummy...

After resting the poorly leg for about 3 weeks, I thought it felt ok to run on. I've been able to hop on it for about a week with relatively little pain - being almost 30 I would expect some pain!
So off I went to a branch of Sweatshop on Saturday to get my running shoes that I've recently been fitted with checked and.........they are too small added with the fact that from looking at my feet the assistant could see that I overpronate.
So my neutral running shoes are no good.
£75 later and a pair of shoes that are fitted to perfection I exit the shop full of excitement for my next run.

Sunday afternoon sees my next run, I mentioned to Giles that my leg had been having a few twinges while coming downstairs but not to be put off, out we went. In fairness the run was resonably ok. I managed 10 walk 1 minute run 1 minute reps.
Once I got home though the legs started aching.......and yesterday and today I've been walking like a cripple. The left leg is totally muscular pain which is a direct result of my having to haul a fairly hefty amount of weight coupled with insufficient stretching after the run.
The right leg however is the same pain that I had before (the possible stress fracture).
I called the doctors today and nothing showed up on the x-ray, not that I'm suprised.

I'll have to see how it goes......so looks like no more running for a while

Two weeks time I'll be 30........7th June.

I don't feel 30, I feel the same as I did at 20 - all be it a little more tired but I think 2 children account for that, not age.

So what have I actually achieved in 30 years?

A gorgoeous daughter.
A very handsome son.
A fab husband, who I've been with for 15 of those 30 years.
We own our own very lovely home!
ummmm.............
I passed my driving test first time.....
I've travelled to some lovely places in the world, Brazil, Barbados, St Lucia, Florida, Spain, Fuerteventura and of course Scotland and Wales - although I wouldn't classify them in the same league as the others!
I've flown the entire way home from Barbados in the cockpit.
I've been in the Williams VIP tent at the British Grand Prix.
I've broken my leg.
I've had my appendix removed.
I used to ride a motorbike.
I finally plucked up the courage to re enter education.

............so lots done already, but so much more to do in the next 30 years.....

Last night we were watching London Tonight and they had a feature on the Tate Modern - they've just re hung lots of exhibits and had a bit of a makeover.....anyhow, we are all sitting there watching and a painting was shown in a camera shot.

Grace said, very matter of factly.......

"Andy Warhol painted that - it's the queen"

So I think we are going to be off to the Tate Modern. I think she'd enjoy it.

Anyhow, I'm feeling much better after my down day last week. Saturday night we had a party for my Mums 50th, at my house.
I was quite worried as the weather was so rubbish - we had about 25 people coming and I was hoping that we could go in the garden but it wasn't to be. We all fitted in the house nicely though.
Mum and I spent most of the day Saturday getting the food ready. It was nice dressing up, I bought a new outfit

My leg is feeling pretty good, I'm hoping maybe next week I'll be able to run on it again - fingers crossed.

So all's well at the moment

As the title suggests, I'm really fed up at the moment.

The doctors appointment for my leg resulted in being told it could well be a stress fracture.

I went and had an x-ray yesterday morning, the radiographer said she couldn't see anything obvious but stress fractures often don't show up until a few weeks after the injury, and until new bone is starting to form.
The consultant will look at the x-ray and write a report to my G.P, that will take 2 WEEKS!
I don't think I'll be any closer to finding out the problem then though so I won't hold my breathe.
Looks like runnings out for a couple of months at least.
The doctor has also referred me back to the skin specialist about my acne. His idea not mine I hasten to add.
He seems to think that a course of Roaccutane ( a vitamin A derived drug that inhibits the production of sebum) may be the way to go - I'm not too sure, I was offered this once before but declined. The side effects can be monstrous and the effect on an unborn child can be devastating. At the time we were thinking about having Thomas so it wouldn't have been any good.
Now though my family is complete, so perhaps it is the way to go, it potentially offers a total cure from this ugly affliction.
I'll have to wait until I've spoken to the specialist and see what they advise.

A very down beat entry today, I've got lots of work to do for my latest Biology assignment, the house is a tip, I keep shouting at the kids, Giles and I had a huge row yesterday, I'm really tired and basically feel totally fed up - I think I need a holiday

....that I hang my head in shame, address my G.P and ask that the struggling NHS sort out my VERY poorly leg.

Yes the leg that I have previously mention that has thwarted my running progress.

Or is that the running that has caused my bad leg?

Who knows.....

I was changing Thomas's nappy a week and a half ago and moved akwardly while kneeling down. I hobbled for a while and it eased. I then went running and it hurt again.

I rested for a day.

I then went running again and it was very painful - enough to abandon the run and shamefully hobble home, pretending that it didn't actually hurt as much as it did, while passing people I had passed only 15 minutes previously bounding along smugly.

I rested it for a week, and it's still very painful to bear weight on.

I have an appointment for 6.30, my G.P will be tired and in I will go with an injury that is completely self inflicted...........

Wish me luck

This is poached from forum I look into - it's very true!!!

Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are getting weak?

Why do banks charge a fee on "insufficient funds" when they know there is not enough?

Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?

Why doesn't glue stick to the bottle?

Why do they use sterilized needles for death by lethal injection?

Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?

Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you throw a revolver at him?

Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?

Whose idea was it to put an "S" in the word "lisp"?

If people evolved from apes, why are there still apes?

Why is it that no matter what color bubble bath you use the bubbles are always white?

Is there ever a day that mattresses are not on sale?

Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?

Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance?

Why is it that no plastic bag will open from the end on your first try?

How do those dead bugs get into those enclosed light fixtures?

When we are in the supermarket and someone rams our ankle with a shopping cart then apologizes for doing so, why do we say, "It's all right?" Well, it isn't all right, so why don't we say, "That hurt, you stupid idiot?"

Why is it that whenever you attempt to catch something that's falling off the table you always manage to knock something else over?

In winter why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when we complained about the heat?

How come you never hear father-in-law jokes?

And my FAVORITE......
The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four persons is suffering from some sort of mental illness. Think of your three best friends -- if they're okay, then it's you.

I *should* be doing my Biology assignment

Well I'm still not running.......

My leg is still very sore, and to top it all off I've got an enormous blister on my foot. That's what happens when you wear new shoes on a boiling hot day.

Thursday morning I went swimming, I actually got out of bed early and got to the pool at 6.20am. It felt great, although Thursday evening I was exhausted. I'll be going Wed and Thurs this week.

We've had a nice weekend, Grace, Tom and I went out this afternoon for a long walk along the river. Thankfully the rain stayed away so we made the most of it. Tom was mesmerised by the lock, and I was explaining to Grace why they use locks. She's like a sponge soaking up every piece of information that you give her.

Ahh well not much else to say this evening!

Yep I'm bored.

On days like this it's so frustrating having to be sat in this office.
There's tons I could be doing at home. I could be;

1. Admiring my seeds - Yes I have actually managed to grow something from scratch. I have Californian poppies, Petunias, Lobelia, Sweet Peas, Marigolds, and a few others I can't remember the names of...

2. Cleaning my bathroom - the hand prints are actually grime on the sink, not a funky new pattern.

3. Writing up my biology experiments - I have learned from experience that experiments should be written up as soon as possible, or you forget what you did. This is further complicated by not actually knowing why you were doing it....

4. Reading my book.........

5. Having a sleep on the sofa.....mmm!

6. Revising for my Maths test that I have on 30th June

7. Doing my Algebra homework.....ok maybe not, but it does have to be done by Friday....double

So lots of things I could have been doing. Mind you looking at most of the things on that list, perhaps I'm glad that I'm sitting on my bum surfing useless sites on the net.........

Oh one other thing, Mums in Spain she went last night. She's just text me to say that it's cloudy and cold there. I thought I'd cheer her up so I text her back saying it's lovely here and not to worry she's got 2 days of rain there tomorrow and Friday then Sat is meant to be nice

Well the running started brilliantly, it was very hard going and i was very suprised by how little I could do.

Initially I was doing 10 lots of run 1 minute and walk 1 and a half. This went well.
I've been very careful to get proper running shoes and make sure that I warm up and cool down and stretch after each session.

Low and behold after Saturdays run I had a niggley aching in my right shin. Gradually it got worse and Saturday night I could hardly bear any weight on the leg without being in agony.
Sunday morning it seemed to have eased and it was a rest day so no running anyway. As the day wore on it seemed to be hurting more and more, until sunday evening again it was pretty sore to bear weight.

Monday I toyed with the idea of not running but the leg felt a bit better so stupidly off I went, I managed 4 lots of run 2 minutes walk 1 minute before having to stop and limp home

Yeah I know own stupid fault......!

I think from looking on the runners word websight and posting on the injury forum it sounds like shin splints - exactly the right symptoms.

To say I'm peeved is the understatement of the week, so probably no more running for at least a couple of weeks until it's healed. Then when I start again I'm sticking to grass for the forseeable future.
Hopefully if I take it easy it should be ok any more probs and I'll be off to the doctors

I feel a complete idiot.

I'll have to stick to cycling for a while.

I just thought I'd add a couple of pics of the garden.

It's not quite finished yet just a few odd jobs left to do, the windo frames of the garage need replacing and painting, and we need to get some beach stones to put round the edge of the patio.

It's looking great and the grass is taking really well, I think the kids should be able to go on it soon.

Yep, I've started running.

Well kind of.

I decided that dieting wasn't going to work and I need to get fit and probably lose about a stone and a half. Parking and striding for the Golden Boot challenge (A month long event held by lot's of local school to get the children to school by any means other than car. We obviously can't walk as we live to far away and I have to get straight to work after, so we park and stride.) has made me realise how unfit I am.

So I've decided to start running.

I've looked on the web and got some great tips on how to start, I've been to the local sport shop and the very helpful assistant helped me pick suitable running shoes. The type of shoes you wear is important to help prevent injury apparantly.
Although learning the best way to lace them etc seem all too confusing!
Then off to the bra shop for a sports bra - again very important.

So once I was kitted out I embarked on my first attempt and OMG...........

I brisk walked for 5 minutes to warm up, then went into a walk one minute run one minute, repeating each 10 times. Running for one minute doesn't sound a lot but it's amazing how hard it is.
I went round the local park and must admit to feeling slightly nervous about people looking at me!! Mind you that kind of helped keep up the momentum
Once I'd done that I walked again to cool down then did some stretches that I'd learned at the gym last year. We had to do them after coming off the treadmill.
I think I'll try where possible to run in the park as road running is very hard on your legs, and it's hard to concentrate on the traffic while fighting for breath.
So my aim at the moment is to be able to run for 30 minutes without stopping and I have a 10 week programme to follow, so fingers crossed.

The lawn is down and looking good although the hosepipe ban is making watering rather difficult - we'll need about 21 watering cans full tonight I think

College is going well, study Skills is finished so I only have to go in at 7.30 on a Wednesday evening now which is nice. Final maths exam is on 30th June and I'm dreading it. I just want it over now though aswell, so roll on 30th June........

The kids are both well, Grace is home today as the schools closed for polling.

And I'm getting my hair cut this afternoon

Life's good.