Swimathon

I will be swimming 50 lengths for the Swimathon

follow the link to sponsor me for Marie Curie

Thanks

Untitled, a photo by *jennyb* on Flickr.

Marvellous Monday

Ok so i'm not a regular blogger, I just don't have the time or the stamina of amazing bloggers like Katie, but she always brightens my day & her blog makes me smile - even all the way across the pond here in England.

So i thought as i do have this blog set up still i could use it for a marvellous monday, when i get the chance.  So i'm joining in:

My Monday has been marvellous because:

1. It's the Queen's Jubilee Bank Holiday Weekend which means a day off of work today - and tomorrow too!  (however i am then doing over time wednesday, thursday & friday which means working 8-1 as well as my normal 1 to 6.30pm)
2. I went to Tesco supermarket on the way home from the gym for a couple of things...and ended up spending £20, but mainly on fruit that had been reduced in price due to the use by date - so i made myself a little fruit salad.  Its been in the fridge 3 hours now & i have resisted it so far and have just had a strawberry & banana smoothie with some of the rest of the fruit, so doubt i will touch it now until after dinner - which will be a smoked fish (reduced counter again!) salad.

I think i lost count of how many different fruits are in there.....um....

1. Strawberry
2. Mango
3. Pineapple
4. Kiwi
5. Banana
6. Melon
7. Sharon Fruit
8. Grapefruit
9. Pear
10. Peach
11. Apricot
12. Blueberry
13. Nectarine

I think that all of them..... Pink ladies don't go in fruit salads though - they are devoured straight from the fridge - or the shop, often whilst driving, because i just can't wait until i get home!!

I'm not sure i will be able to keep up with Katie every week, because normally i don't see her posts until after i get home in the evening due to the time difference & thats normally 10pm when i finish at the gym.  But hopefully i will find something marvellous about next monday too.

Running for Riot: More Prizes! (and other photos)

Running for Riot: More Prizes! (and other photos): A 2 beautiful handmade felt brooches (other colours available) from The Delightful Dinosaur Company A Pair of Large Body Pump Gloves (go...

Running for Riot: Prize Draw

Running for Riot: Prize Draw: Have you seen the list of prizes from local businesses so far??!! If you sponsor me you could be in with a chance to win one of them!! £1...

Running for Riot: An update in photos (and words actually too)

Running for Riot: An update in photos (and words actually too): It is still very busy, and the new job is certainly taking up more time that i think i realised it would.  Any how here is a quick update.  ...

Fundraiser profile page - BT MyDonate

I'm running the Brighton Marathon again this year! This time i'm raising money for Bambers Green Riding for the Disabled.

you can read all about my training & extra fundraising events at the link below!

Fundraiser profile page - BT MyDonate

Please sponsor me if you can, and share my page with family and friends.

Thank you.

Fundraiser profile page - BT MyDonate

Fundraiser profile page - BT MyDonate

My 2012 Marathon!

This time for Bambers Green Group Riding for the Disabled.

Please take a look.

although 1000 is not enough space to write updates so i think i will be setting up a blog too!

Brighton Marathon 2011

I've been building to this day for so long & as usual with these things, its been and gone in the blink of an eye. It seems like it never happen, other than when i try and get up off of the sofa after sitting down for a while.

The weekend started as we left home at 10:45am, heading to Brighton with a stop at Nymnan's National Trust garden for a spot of lunch and a brief stroll to admire the magnolias & rhododendrons.

 We continued our journey in the early afternoon & were doing fine until we reached the Brighton side of the South Downs and from then on we crawled up to the roundabout & junctions for the A27.  I was starting to give up on getting to the expo, but we decided to try taking the A27 towards Worthing to the next junction and then drop down into Brighton from the Hove end & along the seafront. Again all was going well until we reached the seafront, the Brighton Centre was almost in sight, yet we were sat still, so i got out and walked.

The main reason I wanted to go to the Expo was to find the Rock Tape stand & turns out it was worth the traffic, as after a ten minute wait i had my shins taped up by a lovely lady & even better - she had purple tape!

So onto the day itself.  I got up & sorted my self out, enjoying a peanut butter & banana wholemeal sandwich for breakfast, taping each of my toes up with extra long Elastoplast plasters & smothering my face & arms in sun tan lotion.  David dropped Mum & I off a street above Preston Park and we wandered into the park just after half 7.  We had no trouble in getting there at all. The Park slowly started to fill up & i too heed of the advice that i had picked up from various places, including the Runners World Forum, of keeping off of your feet if you can.

Mum needed to escape Preston Park before the start, as for the first 2 miles the loop goes right around the outside of the park, so at 8.30am i took my fleece off, close up my kit bag & took it to the lorry and said good bye to Mum. I had decided to kill time i would join the queue for the loo, hoping i would reach it before i was supposed to be in the corral & thinking that by the time i got there i might actually need to go! The plan worked & by 8.50am i was lined up, ready to go.

When i got to my Grandparent's on Saturday i found a little good luck charm, made my Nan with my sponsorship money, so i decided i would give him a piggy back all the way around.

The start appeared to run very smoothly - nothing like the half hour delays I'd heard of for 2010 because within 14 minutes (according to my chip time) i was across the start line & my 1st marathon had begun!

I felt quite good at the start, made sure not to get caught up & carried away at too fast of a pace, running the first mile in about 10 minutes and the 2nd in about the same.  By mile 3 i had caught up with the 5 hour pacer, Robin (they had official Pacers from Clif Bar) and decided that i would stick with her and her gang, and push on later if i was able. Initially i was hoping to get under 5 hours, but after a comfortable 11 miles i started to feel pain and not where i first expecting to feel it. My main worry coming into this was my shins, I'd struggled so much since i started training & even in the last few classes & runs but for the whole 26.2 miles i honestly didn't feel a thing! I think i will certainly be trying the Rocktape again! I have heard through other who ran on Saturday & used the tape that they were pleased with the results from it too.

Any way back to mile 12 & the pain in my right foot. Every time it hit the pavement the pain level soared, i slowed to a walk by the water station which eased the pain & as much as i felt like i wanted to stop, deep down i knew i couldn't & wouldn't.  My longest training run was 9 miles, so i kind of knew after that point that anything could happen. My next goal was mile 15, where my support team (Mum, David & Nan) were - only 3 miles away. I ran through the half way point which i was rather glad to see even if i had lost sight of Robin and her balloons and from there to the bottom of Grand Avenue (mile 15) developed a run/walk  strategy of no particular time pattern. I was trying to walk a minute then run as much as i could but the running times got shorter & shorter i think. Knowing my family was at the top of Grand Avenue, i was determined for them to see me running, so i made sure i ran from the bottom to the top, fighting back the tears & grabbing Mum for a hug, muttering an expletive in her ear about the pain before getting on with the job in hand. I have heard since from a runner's world member that all she wanted was her mummy around that point - and she's 51 yrs old! Its not a very flattering photo but this certainly shows a very unhappy face.

After a loo stop, to try & see if that would make me feel any better, even if i didn't really need to go & 3 more miles of run/walk, 8 or so Clif shot blox at more water, at the top of Grand Avenue i started to run back towards my support team. By this time i had chest pain which i believe to be my upper abdominals cramping, but i certainly wasn't going to let that on to mum, I'd given her enough to worry about the first time! I did genuinely feel better mentally, even if it meant i was still doing a run/walk pace.

After a quick hug i left them with the remark "See you at the finish line!" Again although it was a walk/run, it didn't matter so long at  crossed the finish line, but of course that wasn't quite good enough for me, so i set my self a new target. I decided i was not going to be passed by the 5 hr 30 pacer, and kept going but also kept an eye over my shoulder every now & then, watching for those red & white balloons! As i entered the power station stretch i ended up walking along side a lady called Yvonne. We discussed our race so far, our aches and pains etc. I told her my plan about tagging onto the 5 hr 30 pacer group and as we were talking i realised they had passed up! So i started to catch up asking Yvonne if she wanted to join me, which she did. So we joined Sharon & her group. I love American people, they are so enthusiastic. Sharon, like Robin, was full of great advice along the way although we did almost lose her to a speed bump around the power station loop! The pace for this group was roughly 5 minute run & 1 minute walk, although it felt like the minutes kept getting shorter! The more i ran, the more my feet started to burn & generally hurt, but i was not letting go of this pace group. The crowds picked up towards the finish, Mum, Nan & David apparently had quite a struggle to get towards the finish.

As we reached the last couple of mile Sharon said she wouldn't be offended if we walked a faster finish and pushed on for the finish, which is what i did. With about a mile to go, i decided i wanted under 5 hours 30 and picked up the pace & amazing felt stronger than ever - its all in the mind.  As i reached about 400m i heard "Jennifer!" so i turned to look.....

With my head held high i finished with an official chip time of 5 hours 27 minutes and 10 seconds.
From there i collected my medal, avoided the blankets (i felt i was far too hot for that personally), got my timing chip taken off, was handed a goody bag (nothing hugely exciting in there, although the andrex wipes came in handy as my face was so salty!) & a t-shirt before collecting my kit bag & heading for the Charity tent.

The charity tent (again although nothing hugely exciting) was at least a seat for us all & some shade plus it meant i could meet my support team without crowds. First job was to take my shoes off & get some air to my feet, then i got changed into my swimming shorts/costume behind a spare space blanket and we headed for the beach.  The water was icy but quite nice on the burning feet, i didn't feel like my legs needed it at the time, but a couple of days later now i think i should have been braver and gone a little deeper, but i really hate swimming in water where i can't see what is around me in the water. I munched on my bread pudding, from the bakery that i had waiting for me in my kit bag. I would like to say i enjoyed it, but i think i just ate without thought. I'd already devoured the banana they gave us by that point and the Clif Bar in the goody bag didn't last very long either.
The sea was great until a wave caught me off balance and i lost grip of my flips flops with me feet! i thought they were lost forever - like i say i don't feel confident venturing too deep in the sea even though i know I'm a strong swimmer - but they floated back just within my reach. Which i was very glad about, because the pebbles were rather painful on feet that were already very bruised.

After a dry off & another interesting (& very skilled) change under a space blanket held down by stones it was time to head home to Nan's for a bit of dinner before the journey back home here.
Even as we were leaving the beach though some people were still finishing, mainly those in costumes or carrying something, like a tiger....

Over all, a great day, despite my melt down in the middle. I went from the loo queue to the corral within minutes and from where i lined up it took only 14 minutes to cross the start line, which isn't bad with 8000 people, mainly in front of me. The water stations were well organised & there seemed to be plenty there, as with the powerade although i didn't take that at every station and only had a few sips when i did.  It just felt a bit hot for something sweet. I wouldn't have minded some Clif shot blox at mile 12, i tried them in training & quite liked them - however they had run out!!!! (this is really my only complaint of the whole day) i did manage to get plenty at mile 18, i think i got given 6 and then a member of the public was handing out some a bit further on, so i had a couple more.  There were jelly babies, wine gum, jelly beans - every jelly sweet possible being handed out & it was quite cute with some of the little kids feeling important handing them out & holding their hands out for a high five. I did given a few high fives to little ones, it was so cute it really cheered me up. And the finish area seemed to go smoothly too.







Thank you all for your sponsorship. As i write this now i have raised a total of £2024.60 which is something i never thought possible.  I am taking a walk into town today to pay in a cheque i didn't get a chance to before the day, and I'm hoping the stroll will loosen me up. A trip to the gym is in order too, although only to use the Power plate for a massage & if i can take the pain, roll my muscles out on the foam roller.

The only question now is do i sign up for next year? I might leave it a while before i decide yet, there's still a bit of time.

Jenny Bridger is fundraising for Cystic Fibrosis Trust

Jenny Bridger is fundraising for Cystic Fibrosis Trust

Raising Money

I would love to know how to get marathon sponsors when i have no friends to ask in person (feels rude to ask people i don't know that well), little family (with regular contact), no social life & no work collegues. 

£300?  i'll be lucky.

Started as a run, ended as a walk.

Managed to run 3 miles non-stop, but then my legs could run no more. So i walk..and kept walking - until i reached home...... 5.2 miles later. Total 8.2 miles.

treadmill vs road running

completed a 5k run on the treadmill monday - furthest i've ever run in one go. part of me feel like it was cheating but then i didn't pause at all (as i would to cross roads etc if outdoors). anyway i completed it. Maybe by doing it on the treadmill first proves to me i can do it and then i should go out and do it outdoors.

5km is still only 3.1miles though.

lots of new runners at the gym club last night which i didn't mind because it meant a gentle run and a few extra pauses while the girls caught up. still only about 2.5 miles in total though.

no running today due to number of gym classes and the fact i have no time this afternoon.

and still no decision on the trainers front. although the girl (sports therapist) i did see at a running shop yesterday thought that what i'd been told with regards to my gait was a load of rubbish, so it looks like another treadmill test. I feel i should trust the sports therapist more than the young lad who couldn't get the camera to work (turned out to be a loose connection!).

Knees & Hips

No running since running club on tuesday. No energy, knees & hips causing stupid amounts of pain and frankly no motivation.

I did feel a spark of something when i was in brighton on thursday, as we were driving and on the bus along the marathon route, but then i came home did 2 classes at the gym friday morning, which again caused more pain than i would have hoped for. Attempting lunges was more painful than normal, i doubt if i even dipped more than an inch!

Not looking good. But there's 9 months to go still............

Running Blogger

I think i should start using this blog to keep track of my running training.

I've taken this weekend off.

Yesterday's driving and maths/brain activity has seemingly exhausted me, so i've given running a bit of a rest for the bank holiday. My mind/mood isn't really up for it either, so better to break and start again on tuesday.

Friday i managed to complete a 5.4 mile route in about an hour. The average of 5.4 mph is explained by going about the first 2 miles at jogging pace and then getting halfway up a hill and giving up. Despite doing 2.5 miles constant jogging with the running club last tuesday, my route at home has about double the incline! Anyway another mile of 1 min jog 1 min walk then increase the jog time by a minute each time until i reached the halfway mark.

I had a good stretch at the halfway barrier when i took a quick video on my new PURPLE Ipod nano, which i will upload when i get round to it. I then jogged a little more, walked a little more and jogged the last bit of about 1.4 miles all the way to my front door.

My route are measured using this website i found freemaptools

i'm contemplating doing either a 5km or 10km race for life in july before the family holiday. A 5km might not be enough of a challenge given that the first bit i jogged completely on friday was 3.4km, so i'm sure i could do a 5km on 4th July, so maybe i should push myself for the 10km?

Brighton Marathon 2011

That's it. I'm signed up. It's official. All i need to do now is be able to run 26.2 miles. despite being able to do 2 hours of vigorous exercise classes constantly, running is completely different.

Currently i can run about 1 mile in one go - and when i say run - i mean jog!! But i will do it - if it kills me!

Baci quotes

A few christmases ago a friend introduced me to some wonderful litte chocolates which had quotes on a slip of paper inside the wrapper. I was clearing out a draw today when i came across a pile of them, so i thought i'd share them.

"There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved." George Sand.

"The only gift is a portion of thyself." Ralph Waldo Emerson.

"Music is love in search of a word." Sidney Lumier.

"Love comforteth like sunshine after rain." Shakespeare.

"I like not only to be loved, but to be told that i am loved." George Elliot.

"Real friendship can be enjoyed in silence." Anon.

"Hold a true friend with both your hands." Nigerian Proverb.

"At the touch of love everyone becomes a poet." Plato.

"When you really want love you will find it waiting for you." Oscar Wilde.

Belated 2nd Birthday & My First Award

My Calendar on my laptop did remind me of my 2nd blog birthday but things have been a bumpy with the mental health and depression this last week. So for the 2nd October (i think) happy blogversary to The World of Me - Jennyb!

So what prompted me to get those sad fingers typing?

I was given my first ever blog award - Kreativ Blogger.

Ok i'd better go through the official blog award procedure, before i ramble off in another direction.....

1. Thank the person who gave this to you .... Thank you very much to Rebecca

2. Copy the logo and place it in your blog .... I'm going to put it in the side bar too

3. Link the person who nominated you .... A superb & informative blog that everyone should read! - Life as a Mum to 2 children with Cystic Fibrosis

4. Name 7 things about yourself that no one would really know ....

1. When i was born i had to wear a green knitted hat because i was cold.


2. I talk to my plants (a lot!)


3. I have 2 tattoos


4. I've never broken a bone in my body


5. I can't knit


6. I don't have any cousins because my one (paternal) uncle is still (and always will be i think)single and my (maternal) aunt, Susan, and uncle, David, both passed away around the age i am now, of cystic fibrosis.


7. I used to have handwriting lessons as a child - and i hated it so much i cried!

5. Nominate seven 'Kreativ Bloggers.' .... i don't follow too many blogs so i might not reach seven.

1. Tales of Jenny - by my good friend Jenny, who crochets funky things. She made me a carrot and raddish!!


2. Siren Voices - Spencer's creativity is in his writing, although the posts are based on true stories, its the way he writes them that really captures your imagination


3. Worthless Words - Laura shows her creativity in her meals as she fights her way courageously against an eating disorder.


4. RePlayGround - is a fab blog on recycling and creativity

6. Post links to the seven blogs you nominate ... (see above)

7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know you nominated them .... must do that now before i forget

Update in Photos - August 25th

Ok, so these are not in the order i wanted them to be in really - so enjoy some randomly ordered photos of the last month!




This is all the onions, now strung up in the garage. Apart from a few that i'm taking down to Sussex for Nan & Grandpa, and a few little ones that were too small to string.








This is how my tomatilloes should look (and apparently Nan's do look something like this) This photo and the next were taken at RHS Hyde Hall in Essex. If you go between 10am and 11am on the saturdays when they have a farmers market (not sure which week of the month that is) then you can get in for free for that first hour.





Theirs were grown ourdoors & were much bushier than mine. I'm not giving up hope yet though, mine still seem to be growing - no thanks to the cucumbers which have taken over the greenhouse. I'm taking on of those to Sussex too, although that is in exchange for one of Nan's round yellow cucumbers, as mine didn't stand a chance against my other more advanced plants.





Found this critter on the rubbish bin in the kitchen. We haven't seen any of the swarms here, and as much as i like ladybirds, i'm not sure i'd like them in those vast numbers that they've had in norfolk & suffolk.



This is my first white cabbage of the year. There are another couple in the garden this size. Its made about 4 or 5 batch of coleslaw so far and theres enough for another couple still yet!


These are my number one enemy! According to a collegue, the newspapers said that due to the weather they had bred twice this year! No wonder there are so many about. There for i feel even less guilty and more justified to dispose of them. The weapons of choice include an electric bug bat - the stun and stamp method, fly and wasp spray & jam jar traps. There is a deterant method i heard someone text in to the BBC yesterday & that is to blow up a brown paper bag, tie the neck with a piece of string and hang in up. The wasps then think it is another wasps nest and won't invade another nests' territory.

For some reason the purple haze carrots don't seem to have grown as well as the others, the white, yellow and orange seem to be bigger. I think i prefer the flavour of the yellow out of all of them, they taste sweeter to me.

This was some of the onions before they were strung, its been a gradual process.

This was possibly the longest runner bean we had this year, measuring a total of 14 inches. not sure it would be good enough for any competitions.

This was my first Kohl Rabi, which have learnt it quite nice cut as crudites and eaten with a cool tomato salsa (not homemade although we have got 3 selfset tomato plants which all have fruit, albeit still green at the moment right now, but mum spotted the neighbour has blight so they might have to be ripened indoors!)


Now a few photos from a day by the seaside at Southwold in Suffolk that mum and i enjoyed together.

Of course i've been in the kitchen! And now i'm enjoying eating my products too!
Jam i have discovered is not a strong skill, possibly from lack of practice, but it is far too stressful!

This was plum jam made with plums from work, i think i ended up making just over 30 jars of it! No more plum jam for me this year! I just had real trouble getting it to set despite following all the tricks of the trade i googled.

This is my Strawberry wine that is now brewing in the garage. It is an old recipe of my late uncle, who i never got to meet. I found it in mum's old recipe folder when i was looking for zucchini bread recipe (no photos, i at that already but it didn't turn out looking too great, bit stodgy - should have drained the pineapple, but i like my cake stodgy!). The wine is due to be bottled on the 20th september, so we shall have to wait and see. something else i got a bit too stressed over.
On a day off work, i filled my time by making those who were still working out in the fields some oaty banana mini muffins! devoured by all, and with compliments. In fact sam has asked me since when i'm cooking/baking next, sadly i don't think i have time before he goes back to poland in a couple of days time.

And something else i made and took to work - guilt free (almost) baked blackberry cheesecake, made with cottage cheese & fat free yogurt. I had so many blackberries from work that were just going to be chucked that i made 3 of them!

And tomorrow i'm taking in 5 cucumbers as they are getting out of control.

Garden Update 22nd July