Feeling good!

I've really enjoyed my first week on the Island since coming back from holiday. I've done exercise 6 days on the trot so far and I feel really good for it. At the moment I feel really fit and healthy and when I feel like that it makes me want to do even more exercise because I enjoy it so much.

Yesterday, I met my friends in town so I walked there and back like I usually do. However, this time I decided to wear these weights that you wrap around your ankles. Each weight is half a stone, so in total, I was 1 stone heavier. As usual, my friends thought I was mad but why not make the most of it?

Whilst I was walking home, I really wanted to go out running, I remember picking up the pace so that I would be home quicker and therefore be running sooner. Also, I didn't have much time because I was going to a friends house later that night. As soon as I got home, I ran up the stairs to ask mum whether she wanted to come with me -I didn't care what speed I went, I just wanted to run. As it turned out, mum did want to join me, but I wouldn't have minded either way. I was going to run regardless - I'd made up my mind a while ago.

Mum and I ran a different route to usual. We ran to Onchan and through a countryside road and back home. We ran for 1 hour but the pace was easy, I didn't feel tired at the end. Whilst running with mum, I'll say something along the line of "you set the pace, I'm scared of going to fast." Mum jokingly gets annoyed because she hates the fact that I can chose to have a hard run and a rest run like this one was for me.

Whilst running, I saw a group of walkers and one of them recognised me and shouted across that they love my blog. To be honest, I'm doing the blog more for myself, but if people are enjoying reading it, then that's fantastic. I've had a couple of people I don't know approach me and say really nice things about my blog and wishing me luck and I think that's really nice.

After the Parish I intend to run a Marathon. I'm planning to apply for the London Marathon, for the 4th time, I if I don't get in again, I'll do a different Marathon, perhaps Paris or maybe a country I haven't been to yet? I joke to mum that I'll get a sub 4 first time, something that mum has always wanted to do but not quite reached it. Mum must have done over 20 marathons and her personal best is 4 hours 3 minutes.

Today, I met a few people at the Snaefell Bungalow and went for a run in the hills. I say run, although we also walked a lot of it! The route we did is the same race that is taking place next Saturday at 2pm. It involves running up Snaefell itself. To be honest, I'm rubbish at fell running. I have no sense of direction, I am guaranteed to get lost, if on my own and I have no idea how to read a map or use a compass. We did the route to practise for next Saturday's race. But I still think I'd get lost-even on a clear day, like today. I was given loads of tips like-head to that tree (etc) but I found it difficult to head to objects in the distance whilst running because I have to look at the ground all the time and concentrate, as to not fall over or twist an ankle.
Also, I'm honestly useless at running down hill. In fact, I can't do it, I might as well walk, it might possibly be quicker?! (It probably doesn't help the fact that I haven't got any fell running shoes, I just used my ordinary road running shoes). I much prefer to run up hill than down hill, although it's physically harder, at least I have the will power to keep going. I noticed, that out of the group I was with a tended to lead the uphills but tailed behind in the down hills.

I haven't got the guts to throw myself down a hill. I know your supposed to relax but I tried this and actually did fall over a couple of times and scared myself. Although, when I was younger, my brothers and sister used to race each other up and down Snaefell from the bungalow. We even had a stopwatch and recorded our times and tried to beat it. I can't ever remember being scared of the down hill part and I think I did used to throw myself down it. But I think your less scared as a child and I my competitiveness probably took over.

I almost forgot to mention, I'm in the middle of making some homemade energy bars. (We haven't got any raw eggs in the house so I need to wait until mum goes shopping later today to finish them off. I'll eat them on my walks this week. I want to test how successful they are (as in, will they actually stick together or will the oats crumble apart and make it hard to eat?) I hope it does work because I want to make a load for the Parish Walk day.

At the moment, every time I go for a walk, I always try and eat something, despite the relatively short distance (8-10 miles) I want to get my body used to eating whilst moving, something I've never enjoyed doing. I usually force it down me. Something I'm not looking forward too. I'm hoping that if I at least eat one thing every time I walk, this might change?

Bring on next week!