Back from holiday already?

First week back from holiday and already it feels as if I hadn't gone at all!

The holiday was brilliant, it was different and I was active quite alot on the first week in Bulgaria because I did skiing. I could feel my thighs and calf muscles working. Thank god I didn't get any injuries! Although at times, it was a close shave. At one point my sister and I collided and my brother (who is much more advanced) had to sort our tangle out - I remember him shouting at us not to move or one of us would break a foot.

Whilst in Bulgaria I read Paula Radcliffe's autobiography which was really good. It made me want to go out running myself, but the conditions made it impossible as it would have been far to slippery with all the ice and snow.

If anyone needs any motivation, Paula Radcliffe's autobiography is the book to read. It really made me want to run as hard as I could. If only I'd been on the Island when I read it?

I did however make time for a 1 hour 30 minute walk with my parents through the forest which was really pretty. I did this because I was going to see an orphanage in the afternoon where my sponsored child lives and therefore didn't have time to ski in the morning. The walk wasn't very fast though, I was wearing snow boots with about 4 layers of clothes on.

Later on in the week we also walked to a restaurant which was half an hour away. But other than skiing, that was as far as the exercise went.

I spent the second week in one of my best friends parents house in Tenerife. This week was nice to relax after skiing and I appreciated the sun a lot more after coming from such a cold country. By this point though, I was itching to run again and there was a lovely promenade which was very popular for runners and walkers. I managed to fit in 2 runs, both 1 hours 30 minutes long. Back home I would normally struggle to go out for that long but because the scenery was so nice and different, I thoroughly enjoyed it and could have happily ran for longer. I did notice, however, that I was running much slower than usual but that was because their were steep inclines as well as the heat.

Some people would think I'm mad to want to run whilst on holiday but I can't sit still and have to be active or I become really restless.

My friend and I actually did cover a fair few miles everyday walking to place to place. Some days, we walked up to 2 hours, although, it felt very slow, some times, uncomfortably slow so it probably wasn't beneficial. (Although, we weren't out training, we were having a strol) It might have helped keeping the legs ticking over?

I returned back to the Island Sunday night and although I would have liked to get back into normal routine on Monday I thought I better not. I had some catching up to do with my family and friends.

Tuesday, however, I planned to go out for a walk which I was looking forward to because I hadn't been on a brisk walk in a while. I managed to walk just over 2 hours before dance class.

On Wednesday I went to Nobles Park and found a circuit about 500 meters long. I ran this circuit as fast as possible 5 times with a 2 and a half minute break between each set. My legs felt very heavy during this training session and I struggled. I didn't feel as fast as usual. Maybe because I've had a break from hard training sessions from being on holiday?

I've just got back from a 2 hour and 30 minute walk. I met up with a friend called Jenny who I met through another friend. I found out that she too does the Parish each year and we decided to meet up and go for a walk together. I really enjoyed the walk, it went so fast I couldn't believe it when I looked at my watch. We were perhaps walking a tad slower than what I would have done if I was on my own but the point is, I really enjoyed her company and I'm sure it's done me good.

One thing I have found out since coming back to the Island is the route and distance for the Fire Station Challenge event has completely changed. Apparently the route is only 30 miles and the walk starts in Peel and ends in Ramsey. I am actually very disapointed in this because the old route which covers 50 miles would have been a great test to how I would feel come Parish walk day. I was hoping that this years firestation challenge would prove easier because of all the training I've put in which I hahn't previously done. 30 miles will still be excellant training but I would be lieing if I said I wasn't disappointed.

On the plus side, I have just entered for the Isle of Man Walking Festivel which takes place on the second week of May. You walk about 20 miles a day for 5 days in a row and you walk around the Isle of Man following the way of the gull sign posts. Everyone meets at the Villa Marina and a bus takes us back to the villa marina at the end of the day. On top of walking 20 miles, I might add an extra 4 miles byt walking to and from the Villa! The event costs £60 and I've had to take time off work. For me, this works really well, because it will get me out walking reasonably long distances whilst having company. It will also give me some confidence for the Parish as it is only a Month before hand.