Any brand new runners out there?

EB - I'll be there at fetch support point too

And at the purple mobs weekend in june

I'm ok, thanks.  Still check in daily but don't always feel like contributing!!!   Had to today though.  Was shocked at your news.  Have the kids moved into your parents' too?  

 I'm still running, been doing a "maintenance" over the winter but have been stepping up a gear the last couple of weeks.  Improving my times but not my distance yet.  Still only managing 5K!  But hoping to change that as I get fitter.  My son is at pre-school two sessions a week so I'm using that time to get out for a run, so I have no excuse to get out at least  twice a week!

You sound like you're going great guns!   Well done. 

H Keith so what team number are you in? I'm in 3 Look forward to meeting you there and at the running w/end as well

 Jo no the kids have stayed at home that's the worst thing about it but my litle girl comes every friday till monday  and hopefully when i move out of my mums both the girls will come to me i think my son will want to stay with his dad tho and at 15 he is entitled to amke up his own mind.My girls are 16 and 12 so the 16 year old won't be long in leaving home any way.

 Is your son settling ok at pre-school now Jo?Keep up the good work with your running getting out regularly is the key that's why i joined a club for to force me out the door.

 I'll keep in touch and try and come on here every day to at least see what you guys are up to.Right i'm off to make my pasta for my tea

I'm gonna be there too Keith, it'll be a mini thread get together!  I'm team 7

Hi Jo, good to see you're still keeping tabs on us!!  And don't say 'only' 5k.  That's 5k more than I can do at the moment (still on the slow road back from injury, but at least I'm doing some running now)

team 4 for me

dont forget martin is running london and will be passing us

tempted to go run a 5k on the sat morning

hi everyone

soz for not being around much lately - at college and so hardly doing much at all except studying, sleeping and eating! have to get my self in gear with running tho - not doing no where near enough!!

EB - wow well done on all the races u have entered. did u get ur new trail shoes?? glad u get to see ur youngest every weekend - that must make a huge difference!! and tell us more bout this new bloke!!

jen - glad to hear the ankle still behaving!! and squeeze sound good - nowt wrong with some 80s cheese!!

jo - great to see u! sounds like ur running coming along really well! keep at it girl!

cathy - sorry to hear u have had toothache - thats never good! well done for getting out on ur wee run - i cant even manage that at the mo (hangs head in shame!)

big hi to Em, keith, andy and everyone i have no doubt missed!

will try and pop on sooner rather than later but if im not around before weekend good luck to everyone who is racing and enjoy those training runs for everyone else!!

Oi G, Squeeze aren't cheese (ooh I'm a poet and didn't know it!)  They're part of my yoof, you cheeky young whippersnapper you!!!

And Cathyk - didn't mean to ignore you - missed your post.  hope the tooth infection has cleared up, know how painful that can be.

Did the Edinburgh Half Marathon on Sunday 1h 56... well pleased.

next one for me is in two weeks Edinburgh Arthurs seat 5k.

fab time Andy

hi everyone

wow its quiet in here lately!!

def well done on your time andy that is fab going!

EB - how's things with you? looking forward to supporting everone at the marathon?

Jen - how's the ankle coming along??

cathy - where you been lately?

mart - good luck for the marathon - just enjoy it and dont worry bout time - just get round it!!!

jo - hi if your lurking!

big hi to everyone else - hope everyone's running is going well!! ive been very bad with running lately what with exams etc but really going to try and get back out there regularly again!!

take care guys!

Hi G - hope the studying's going well, when are your exams?  Take some time out and come to fetchpoint on FLM day - be good to meet up.

Ankle is doing well, the actual bone problem at best will remain as is, but is more likely to deteriorate if I don't look after it.  The tendons are pretty much healed, but still a little weak, so still building up the running slowly.  Up to 6 mins now - that's broken up with walking though (should be at 8, but missed a sesh last week) Have a follow up at the docs this Thursday, think he'll give me the ok to start on the next stage of rehab which is more jumping/hopping/skipping type of exercises, so just a few more weeks should see me fit.  Am now resigned to the fact the my running is likely to be limited to 2 x 30 min sessions per week, but that's better than no running which is what he told me before.

Happy Easter all, don't overdo it with the choccie eggs!!

Home at last
Woohoo home at last.

Went to work Tuesday and was asked/volunteered to go to Lithuania with someone as they required two people to go for 'safety reasons'. Only got back home a few hours ago so all i've done is ring parents, stick cat out into the rapidly vanishing little snow flurry (well its time she saw snow) and knock up some dinner. A nice spot of Knorr chicken tonight low fat mushroom sauce with my chcken and a Uncle Bens mushroom rice microwave jobbie.

I went to Lithuania as it was a follow up on some safety auditing from earlier this year and as i do do the odd safety related thing in the lab i was a ideal candidate, plus it gives me a chance to do some non lab work. Never really had time to do anything much there espcially as it was a relativly remote place we were at.

Still it did allow me to make use of my thermal top being its not very warm over there

Now i'm back i missed out on the things i wanted to do over the weekend but oh well i'm sure they can wait ;) Well ok they cant so i best list them here to get them down.

To Do List
1) Ring Kwik Fit and grumble about car insurance quote (espcailly as go compare have them down as £100 cheaper than what they said in the letter and have already taken payment for)
2) Get two new front tyres on the car before some copper insists i change them (borderline slicks currently  )
3) Sort my books out so Granny can have some on loan to read
4) Sort out front tyre on bike being it has gone flat already from when i pumped it up a hour ago
5) Sort through bills etc
6) Book physio appointment
7) Depending on what physio says figure out a longer term runing plan

That will do for now i think dont want to exhaust myself now

Right the injury well erm i can still feel pain now and then when walking and even occasionally when sat down does shin spints do this?? Physio visit will sort this out hopefully anyway. If i mention all the injuries and niggles i've had in the 18 months or so i've been running (yes 18 months is about right was around aug/sept 2006 i started) it would help right? I wonder if i can back date my injuries on here too so i can keep track.

As for Paris at the moment i suspect it'll be a definate no to running it espcially as i aint ran since silverstone 2 weeks ago and that wasn't pain free. Still go over mind being its all paid for etc.

hi guys

sorry to hear bout ur injury keith - when did that happen?? and how many things did u complete on yor to do list??

ankle sounds like it coming along well jen - like you said 2 x30 min sessions are far better than what u were originally told!

have passed all my exams to date but still have about another 12 to go sob!! all finished may 15th and im counting down!!! unfortunately im not going to be able to pop down to flm as i have exams the next day which im going to be cramming like crazy for but will def be timing revision breaks around the tv coverage!!

so how many easter eggs did everyone get?? i got 3 and im ashamed to say most of those are now gone!!!

hope everyone doing ok! spk soon

no easter eggs which is handy as i'd of eaten them one after the other if i had them

dig get 2 creme eggs on the way home today mind, they were 20p each tbh

i picked up the injury back in mid feb on the trail plus weekend and have only ran twice since, one was a treadmill/outdoor combi which didn't hurt the other was silverstone half which did hurt until i slowed down to a suitable pace

as for the list thats for tomorrow so none is done yet can book physio from work and will visit kwik fit after work sorting those two though

Hi peeps *waves*   Well i've done it (my first race that is) a 10k in 56.59 not too bad considering we were running into a headwind from mile 4 which got pretty cheeky by mile 5 as well.I finished strongly and if the truth was known i could have probs gone faster in the last 1/2 mile but i was worried about having enough energy left for the finish.Timing is something i need to work on i think but i will get there.my next race isn't till may and the pier to pier race (7.5 miles) then 10 days later i'm doing garburn eeeek What was i thinking of when i got the race number for that????? i have a few other races planned for a fter that as well.

i'm down south at the minute and i'm planning on running on the south downs tomo going out soon to do a 5 miler,it's a little damp down here tho  

Pleased to hear you passed your exams G fingers crossed for the rest of them hun you'll be fine tho  

Jen 2x 30 min runs a week is fab compared to nothing girl and you can cross train inbetween don't forget you'l be fit again in no time  

Wow andy well done on your hm that was a fab time  

Keith hope your injury gets better quickly

right time to get ready for a run must dash hi to everyone i've missed out hope you are all doing well try and get back soon and do another catch up

EB xx

wow well done on ur race time EB - that's fab! did u enjoy the race and the atmosphere?? it seems like yonk since i have done a race - tho to be fair it also yonks since i done any proper running!!! cant wait to get back to normal in may and have time again to start clocking up the miles!

keith - how is ur injury?

mart - u looking forward to the marathon?

jen - hope the ankle still behaving and allowing u to run and cross train!!

big hi to everyone else out there!

Still suffering from my injury perhaps wont know until i test it but see below for more details

Paris soon woohoo
Dear lord not blogged for a week how lazy.

On the plus side my list of things to do from erm last mondays blog is shorter

To Do List
1) Ring Kwik Fit and grumble about car insurance quote (espcailly as go compare have them down as £100 cheaper than what they said in the letter and have already taken payment for)
2) Get two new front tyres on the car before some copper insists i change them (borderline slicks currently )
3) Sort my books out so Granny can have some on loan to read
4) Sort out front tyre on bike being it has gone flat already from when i pumped it up a hour ago
5) Sort through bills etc
6) Book physio appointment
7) Depending on what physio says figure out a longer term runing plan

Off that i have done 1 and 5

2 is waiting until i have money and so is 6 despite being one that needs doing. 7 is tied to 6.

The bike tyre is strange as i pumped it up and dunked it in a bucket of water but saw no lesak yet it was flat by morning. Will have to take the wheel off the bike and get the inner tube loose and into a full sink sumberging the entire thing to see if i can see a leak, guessing its a small one or its sol old the seam is leaking.

Books are sort of sorted in that i've cleared space for them and have them ready to be sorted and stacked on the shelf as well as sticking some in a box for granny which she'll get tomorrow when i call in.

Still some work to do there then but it will have to wait until i get back from Paris. I'll be getting the car tyres done next week being i'll be driving to london the following weekend. Not that i have decided where to park yet.

Physio stuff well erm until i have some cash i cant afford to go but if i'm lucky i might get hold of some funds shortly so i can at least book an appointment (could do it anyway i suppose and make it after payday).

Looking forward to Paris even if i'm unable to run it, meeting more fetchies and being a more or less one man fetch support group. Reminds me best print a ropute map off and then figiure out where suitable spots are. This is assuming the weather is ok offcourse as i'm damned if i'm standing out in the wet rain to get a cold ;) espcially if i'm possibly about to resume running (see below)

Works been busy as per usual but nothing too bad. Not overly bothered as the last 2 weeks have been 4 day weeks due to bank holidays and this week is another 4 day week then next week is only 3 days of work.

On the leg front twas pissing down monday night when i was going home from work so i legged it to the car (parking is a frigging nightmare at work when on a evening shift as there is a need for at least a dozen more spaces) and never felt anything, admittedly this wasn't even 100 metres but its still a good sign.

If i have the time i might get some short slow runs in to see how it feels. I have a nice 1.6 mile loop that i can use for this which will prevent me going to far too soon hopefully. Be nice just to run again tbh even if it is slow and short. Plus it'll start accumulating mileage again as last time i checked i was 300 odd miles behind schedule to reach my target of 2000 this year. That will now be changed down to 1000 probably until i know things are going well then i might move it back upwards towards 1500 but will see later on.

I haven't been here for ages, just completed my first 5k

Around 39 minutes, was too emotional to remember what the clock said.  I only started run/walking in January in readiness for this morning and have been unable to constantly run for more than 3 minutes at a time, due to having a mid February wobble and not going out as often as I should have.

Today was glorious, it had been snowing and all the fields were white and looked like postcards, lovely.  I wrapped up warm and had a great time and the crying bit took me completely by surprise.

And I've lost 18 pounds in weight and raised £166 in sponsorship money 

Thanks for reading and helping me along, I have followed this thread and even though I probably won't do marathons or half marathons I have changed my lifestyle to the extent that I want to exercise in some way.

Well done Andy - sounds like a fantastic run! I'm hoping to run my first 5k at the end of May, so this was nice and inspirational for a beginner like me. 

Good luck with your race Lisa, I think the key is to enjoy the day and just concentrate on your own pace and not on anyone elses.