Laralife

Art Madness

2008-11-19T13:42:00.002Z

We're compiling a list of about 160 of our favourites from the 2700 postcards on show at the RCA Secret exhibition so that we stand a chance of buying something we actually like when Saturday morning comes around. Apparently people start arriving at about 4am to get an early space in the queue. 50 people are let in (having won places in a raffle) between 7 and 8, but after that it's first come first served. Hence the list of 160; it's hardly likely that your favourites will still be on the list will it, after 150-or-so people have been in and claimed their 4 postcards each?

I'm torn between thinking it's all a great big scam, and liking the concept of art (albeit tiny weeny bits of it) being accessible to all. £40 isn't very much for a postcard-sized bit of art by someone like Quentin Blake is it? Having been to the exhibition, though, it's clear that the good stuff has been padded out by a whole load of SH1T. I'm astonished at what some people pass as 'art'. Drawings of poo, for example. Or a postcard covered in rows of first class stamps. A reduced-size business letter (nothing added). Ridiculous. Even worse is the standard of some of the drawings/paintings. I'd have been embarassed to do some of them myself, but I suppose the simple fact of being an RCA student lends a certain credence, real or imagined.

It's quite an interesting exercise but I expect I'll be a little disappointed if all our 4 turn out to be work by students. Although that said, it'll be interesting to then watch to see if those students become anything talented in the future. You can never tell with art students ... believe me - I know!! Anyway - I have to assume that there will be enough serious art followers to have researched which pieces have been done by renowned artists, and to get to the door early enough to ensure they snap them all up. I am expecting to choose from the worst of the rest!

Meanwhile I am back to training this week. I confess I still have a slightly snotty nose, but I'm training anyway and trying to keep the level low enough not to make things worse. Not at spin last night though (my first after 3 weeks off) which kept my pulse well over 80% throughout. Much too manic, but still worth the pain.

I only really have one 'race' to do before the end of the year, which is a half marathon near Bedford on the 14th. I'd like to break 1:50 but given my apalling consistency since mid-September I think I'll be lucky to break 2:00. Will just have to see how I feel when the day comes around.

Went to Charlotte's second hen night on Saturday evening, which was very nice. Drinks at the Gore Hotel (plush and sophisticated), followed by food at the rather more boisterous Big Easy where the food was good and the entertainment was excellent, with a 2-man band performing renditions of such 80s hits as Tainted Love. Drank too much, slept too little and got up to do a 2.5-hour training session with some loops of Richmond Park on the bike followed by a short run in Hyde Park. Then local friend Sarah's 6th party with Jody (Miles and Roj joined us at the end, as we lingered for more cake and the men talked 'finance'). Good weekend, though the negative side of so many kids parties is that Roj and I never get to see each other as one of us has to chaperone each child to each venue. I swear we've barely spoken a word to each other the entire 2 previous weekends.

Not much planned for the weekend ahead, apart from a road-racing intro (women only) at the Hillingdon road circuit on Sunday which I would be looking forward to more if I felt like I was in half-decent shape. And the aforementioned early morning queueing experience at the RCA.

It's Christmas season though. Jody is a shepherd (costume needed by Friday); Miles (surprise surprise) is 'the largest Christmas tree', and I've already been getting promotional emails from shops saying "If you still have any Christmas gifts to buy then shop here with 50% off ...". Goodness. Still have gifts to buy? Haven't begun to even think about it yet.

Parties and Fairies

2008-11-13T20:49:00.002Z

We are in the midst of party season. Jody had 2 last weekend, Miles 1; and Jody has another 3 this weekend. That's 6 presents bought and wrapped. Oh no it isn't ... because I like to leave the wrapping - along with the creation of individual message in birthday card - to the minute before we're due to leave. Classic inefficient behaviour. Needs adjustment.

I have been working this week on a little web project which I received several moons ago via my sister in law. While it's cool to do some web stuff, it's far from the leading edge and has hung over me for twice as many months as it should have. It's quite remarkable that I got around to it at all, given my lack of time and motivation and the miniscule friends-and-family budget I offered to do it on. I now wait anxiously to see whether it's what was wanted, and get ready to either be done with it or return sheepishly to the drawing board, procrastinating for another couple of months. Sigh.

Jody lost another tooth this week. We had a different tooth fairy visit this time, who thought that £1 was more suitable recompense (the last fairy was apparently stingy with her 50p). Perhaps it was because there was evidence of a real tooth this time, under the pillow, rather than a note to explain that it had accidentally ended up in Jody's tummy.

Jody also met Santa today as a school outing. Roj was 'asked permission' at the school gate. Like he would have said no and faced her wrath.

I have been training this week, but only in 30 minute stints. I think its testament to my recovery or lack thereof that I am absolutely exhausted. My eyes are stinging. I find myself so incredibly unmotivated to do these part-time sessions too, such that today's 30 minute turbo is still hanging over my head at nearly 9pm. I want long nasty sessions that are physically and mentally demanding. Also I want good sleep. I don't know if the two things are related (lack of training and abysmal sleep). Something's going wrong because I'm waking a lot in the night, unable to get comfortable, hot, and unrefreshed in the morning. Which helps with just about nothing.

I had a catch-up with Miles's nursery this week. I've been marginally worried at his lack of enthusiasm at the prospect of entering the establishment. He makes like a limpet from about 50 yards and refuses to even say hello to the teachers. He is a little fellow who needs much affirmation and encouragement and - above all - time to become comfortable in a new situation though, and I've ended up believing that it's solely that which is the problem. There was apparently a large influx of new students into his class in September, plus one new teacher, which probably added to his feeling so unsettled. I was therefore very glad to hear untainted glowing praise from his teacher; he is mature and intelligent, sociable and determined. He follows through on tasks until he has mastered them (and then autonomously moves onto something new). Though sometimes he can be loud, it isn't through wanting to be disruptive, but just because he doesn't seem to understand the strength of his own voice. He is sensitive and helpful and extremely observant of his environment. All these things I know of him at home, but as this is the first proper feedback I've had from a rank outsider, I am pleased as punch that my own views (those of a biased mother of course) have been affirmed. His teacher loves him. And that says a lot. Or maybe she's just angling for a generous end-of-term present. In which case she's taken the right approach!

Unfortunately the meeting ran so far over time (I didn't have the heart to halt her stream of praise!), that I left 15 minutes later than I needed to, resulting in me arriving - flustered - at a closed door at Jody's school. Luckily her teacher soon emerged and didn't frown at me too much (I observed I was not the only one either, in the ensuing 5 minutes) while she summoned Jody from collage work above. Jody said lots of students were still there and the teacher - in conversation with another parent - said it was fine to be so much as half an hour late as long as they know in advance. If only I'd known that beforehand it might have been fewer years that got shaved from the end of my life as I raced belligerent through London traffic.

Two recent comments from Miles are worth noting: The first was during discussion in the car with Jody about her 'art projects' at school. "I do art at nursery," pipes up Miles ... "With a hammer!"

And the second is just his name for one of their current favourite deserts, which I want never to forget (though I'm not certain of the spelling!): "Mummy, can we have some mango sorebabe?!"

And now I must go and sit on the turbo and pretend I'm into it. Or raid the cupboard for another shortbread. Perhaps one necessitates the other ... but which?

New York Catch Up

2008-11-05T17:04:00.004Z

It's all a bit frustrating, returning from NYC after an incredible time and 4 nights which had the potential for utter overindulgence and hangovers, but which I kept wilfully moderate in order to save myself the hiatus of recovery ... only to find that I contracted the stomach bug that was going around some of the group (started by small children of course - though not mine, on this occasion) and that I felt for most of the week like I'd consumed half a bottle of tequila the night before. What's fair about that?

On the bright side of course, I didn't get the bug - unlike some - while I was out in the Big Apple, and because of aforementioned moderation found I was able to capitalise on my time in what was confirmed for me as one of the most amazing places in the world. Stunning.

I spent a bit too much money, but a 4 day hen weekend in NYC was never going to be cheap. I did try and take advantage of cheaper prices to buy some jeans and stuff, but felt ok about that, since I've had a USD bank account since living there 5 years ago, which has remained dormant for poor exchange rate reasons. In retrospect I'm thinking I should have left some of the stuff on the shelves and brought the cash over to convert. I always feel like this when I buy several things in a short period though, no matter how functional and pre-planned it was. I guess I'll get over it once I unpack and distribute the various goodies. Instead of hoarding them in their tissue paper like packages of guilty evidence.

Aside from the overwhelming nausea and flu-like symptoms, I have a very strong glowing feeling from the trip. There was very little that was negative (and what there was could probably be attributed to eccentricity or personal taste), and it was even better to hang out with the group of hens than I anticipated. We partook in some extremely entertaining activities and during the rest of the time I managed to cement non-hen-related friendships, and meander in a daze through Manhattan, falling in love with it all over again. I partly expected some of my adulation to have been imagined, but when I first saw those distinctive brownstones and the vibrancy of the city picked out in crisp autumnal sunshine, I knew it was not.

Heralding the return in BA first class is not a bad way to enter into a city of dreams (it was an AirMiles thing, I promise)! Although I felt rather uncomfortable at the level of service bestowed upon me (and more uncomfortable seeing the level of jerkery exercised by those familiar with it), it certainly lent luxury and indulgence to what is otherwise a long and boring trip. Despite privilege being thrown at me, the entertainment system broke down halfway through Baby Mama (possibly a good thing, although I don't like skipping out on films even when they're very bad) and I was too excited to get to sleep, despite comfortable horizontal sleeping position and darkened cabin. Then eventually at dusk, we were approaching JFK and I couldn't take my eyes off that skyline; so new and vibrant and old and familiar at the same time.

Then there was the Sienna Miller experience; I was keeping my eyes peeled (surreptitiously of course) for celebs in first class, but couldn't see beyond the burly businessmen. Then at the luggage carousel I turned to my left to the diminutive blonde in scraggy jeans standing next to me, intending to pass some comment about the tanoy announcements, when I realised it was none other than Miss Miller herself. I might have known; nobody intentionally looks that scruffy unless studiously designed to balance star status. It was all the more weird since a couple of hours earlier I had been watching her playing Dylan Thomas's wife in The Edge of Love.

After succumbing to the taxi temptation (one cannot fly First, dahling, and then get the train) I arrived at my hosts' a little later than anticipated, but still had time for a brief 20 mins of introduction and freshen-up before heading out to meet Yi Shun and Peter at Otto. I felt so liberated walking up 5th on my own, with my own adult pre-arranged rendez-vous, not having had to arrange childcare nor worry about staying out too late. And so exciting to see faces of old and new friends to share stories with and glasses of wine and interesting appetisers. Yi Shun was already tipsy, but is such a charming and gregarious drunk that it didn't matter; and it was great to meet Peter in the flesh; my second ever online friendship made real.

I headed back at 11 (four o'clock a.m UK time), to coincide with the expected arrival of the other girls at the apartment (did I mention the apartment? - Glorious Greenwich Village haven overlooking Washington Square, enormous living/entertaining space, lush interior; sheer perfection), but while dozing off on the sofa I thought my best bet was probably to retire to bed so that I could feel human in the morning. I woke briefly on their arrival near midnight - wonderful to see them - but quickly dozed off again and prepared myself for the customary sub-human hour at which Brits - with their jetlag - awake on the first morning in town.

Only 6:30am wasn't as bad as it could have been and was ample time to sit with Bams over tea, luxuriating in a slow morning and the thought of the entertainment to come. And just enough time to go for a run down the West Side Highway cycle path all the way to Battery Park, feeling the emotion of nostalgia at the sight of simple things like the pier supports in the Hudson, and the view from the north of Battery Park City bulging out over the river. I stopped for a second right at the end of Manhattan to let myself absorb my location, and then returned more directly at the side of the West Side Highway, this time right next to that eerie hole which hasn't changed a bit in the last 6 years, where the World Trade Centres used to tower. It brought it all back of course, and I can't imagine anyone traversing that chasm - even those who do it on a daily basis - who can look across and not remember minutely how that day panned out for them.

And then I was back at the apartment, showering, breakfasting and getting ready to meet the rest of the group at a local diner for coffee and French toast. So good to see everyone in one place, and meet the 3 beautiful 18-month olds who were part of the group (children are so much more beautiful when you have no responsibility to deal with their tantrums!) And then followed a somewhat frustrating shopping trip on West Broadway and Spring Street when I couldn't find my jeans shop, and couldn't contact the girls to meet up with them again (I dread to think how much my next mobile phone bill will be, with all the lost connections and answer phone charges). Made better by a leisurely sojourn in Crate & Barrel buying small bijoux for neighbourhood friends.

And then it was time to hurry up to the Upper West Side (via nostalgia in the form of a familiar subway ride!) to meet Jen and her boys, and what a delight that was with the boys so intelligent and playing so nicely together and so accepting of the stranger in their home. No shouting, no friction, just happy intelligent play so that I could just sit there on the sofa and chat to Jen and hear about how number 3 is going to appear - in a few weeks and hopefully in less dramatic style than Edward, who appeared before the midwife did, and forced Jen to make use of 3-year-old Ethan to get the baby breathing, after having had its cord wrapped around its neck. Good to see an old friend and hear her stories. And looking amazing too, with only 6 weeks to go. Made me wish I could do that on a more regular basis. Reminded me - as if I needed it - that NY is also the people, isn't it?

And then later - after a brief dinner - it was the weirdness which was 'Hunkomania', my first (and last, hopefully) experience of a strip club. Not my cup of tea, and not the cup of tea of most of the party either (which led to a little friction later). The less said about it the better I think, except to say that we made our way out of there as soon as was politely possible. To a rather seedy bar where someone thought it sensible to order a round of tequila slammers, which I took as a strong cue for my exit, returning with my host to her apartment and to prepare myself for an early start the next day.

I couldn't think of anything better on a Saturday morning than to be running up from Washington Square to Central Park with Yi Shun, only she was feeling grotty and left me at 60th, rather than joining me for a loop. And time restrictions meant that I needed to cut my full loop down to two thirds, which was good in a way because I could go around the reservoir; evocative in its own right from many previous loops and from constant movie featuring. And I ran all the way back via Broadway, taking in the sights and sounds of Times Square and Herald Square and all the different characters of all the districts down to Greenwich Village again. For H&H bagels for breakfast (which I'd picked up warm near Jen's the evening before) and a quick shower before rushing up to East 60th and Lexington to meet Yi Shun again for a long and leisurely coffee - the best kind and so rare a treat nowadays when I'm usually limited by the patience of whichever child is in attendance. And I could have stayed chatting with her all day, over large mugs of steaming cappuccino, only we both had other plans for the afternoon.

So off I went to Bloomingdales to finally buy my jeans and a handful of other things before returning to the apartment to meet the others - who'd barely budged the entire day, taking it slowly and sleeping off the previous night (some more than others). And I was foot-sore and tired too by then, and couldn't think of anything better than a night in front of a DVD. With some popcorn maybe. But we all got motivated and got ready for our 'glam' evening of canapés and drinks at the home of the host of the other half of the group in Tribeca, where we relaxed and chatted and looked out of the enormous penthouse windows north to the whole of midtown and beyond, which was Manhattan from a very different perspective, looking vast and expansive in all directions.

And then finally we went out to a Cuban restaurant with live music for a fairly low-key but delectable meal, with fewer shenanigans and far less abundant alcohol. Enjoyable, in a relaxing kinda way, and clearly a long time since we could manage more than one night out in a row! ...

I took Sunday off from running, having done 8 days straight by then. And wandered down to Tribeca with Bams for our brunch rendez-vous at Bubby's (where I saw Dan Seaman, bizarrely). After faffing around with queues and party-sizes for over an hour (while my stomach lining digested itself) we were all finally present and let in to eat to a brunch which was well worth the wait; free-flowing coffee and delicious fresh orange juice washing down eggs benedict, sourdough toast, pancakes, patatas bravas and anything else that took our fancy. Ample rejuvenation from the previous nights, certainly.

The party split up after that and I took the opportunity in the gorgeous autumn sunshine to meander up Broadway, taking in the atmosphere. I visited Kate's Paperie - one of my favourite shops from living there, and the MoMA store which always has something innovative to suck you in. And before long it was time to meet JenG and DaveR on East 9th Street where we over-indulged in ridiculous chocolate from Max Brenner as I was regaled with fears and stories of American politics and life in general. A great couple hour catch-up which, again, could have done with being longer.

Original hen plans were for some blatant Times Square tourism and a trip up the Empire State at dark, but due to various illnesses starting to develop (yes - aforementioned puke bug) and other priorities, the girls climbed the heights while I was over-dosing on chocolate, and half the group had already retired to the comfort of home and necessary childcare by the time I returned to our Greenwich Village base. But as I walked in the door, champagne was flowing amidst the remaining stalwarts and plans were afoot to go to a nearby Mexican restaurant for frozen margueritas (ok - that plan was hatched later) and dinner. Although we had to send all the food back to the kitchen for being cold, it was a very enjoyable evening and all but Charlotte were inspired to head on to Marie's Crisis, an ostensibly tacky Broadway hits piano bar. On first sight it appeared a pretty seedy establishment with sticky surfaces and tenuously-labelled spirits, but we soon warmed to the atmosphere in the small bar room as the regulars belted out Broadway hit after Broadway hit. Luckily quantity seemed more important than quality as the 4 of us chorally-challenged girls joined the fray. There were a host of very colourful characters there, all enjoying the scene and accepting of anyone who was willing to do the same. I've rarely spent such an entertaining evening and resolve to learn every word of every musical hit in the case of ever returning. Which is doubtful, fortunately for everyone else!

And then it was Monday already. Couldn't believe that we were leaving later that day. Already a surreal feeling was sinking in. I ran in the morning (having woken at silly o'clock and decided to capitalise) - back down the West Side Highway cycle path for a final view of the park in which I spent many a lunch hour. It was crisp and I was running strong and there's something about the taste of the cold air on that side of the island which made me see how Forrest Gump felt; I could have just carried on.

The sickness was already choosing its targets in the group when I returned (masquerading as the most gruesome kind of hangover), so a meagre group wandered up to the fashion district for a short stint (me trying to find a bag in Macy's). After coffee rejuvenation, we split up until lunch when the few of us with a burger urge met up in Tribeca for a burger the way that only Americans know how; juicy and tasty and 3 times as big as necessary. It seemed sad, then, that this was the last supper, but before long we were thanking our amazing hosts and jumping in a taxi to get back to Newark and (me) settling down into my ridiculously comfortable accommodation.

Where I slept almost without disturbance until 40 minutes out of Heathrow (so that's the reason you pay millions of pounds for a fully reclining seat then) and woke to coffee and cereal and fresh fruit and pastries and almost anything else I could think of (I could have had the beef main course from the night before, if I'd have felt the urge!) I hoarded all the first class goodies (while nonchalantly pretending that I travel first class all the time, of course), and rushed off the (slightly delayed) flight, hoping to make my rendez-vous with my dad in Birmingham on time to transfer Miles back into my eager care.

And it was only much later in the day that my stomach started showing signs of the dreaded bug, so that I could barely manage half of dinner and spent the entire night not sleeping (that's all I needed!) and getting up and down wondering whether I was going to see contents of my stomach again. Which I didn't, but woke with a pounding head and flu symptoms as well as the nasty stomach, so the only real option was to get Roj to take Jody to school, switch on the TV for Miles, and doze in bed all day long (minus short puke break). It took a full week to recover properly; 4 days hardly eating and then a couple more when I felt nauseous at every mouthful. And finally when the stomach bug disappeared, it became apparent that I have a new cold. Hooray. So I've now taken 9 days off training which is ridiculous because I've only had a couple of good weeks of training since early September. Joke athlete, me.

It's been a bit surreal looking back at the NY trip. It was truly amazing and although I spent a lot of time wishing I could just stay there forever, I know it would be a different kettle of fish with children. I loved the group I was with, and catching up with people outside of that group. And the feeling of running those familiar paths was so inspiring. But at the same time it ws good to get back home. I missed the kids like crazy and couldn't wait to pick them up and feel their skin again and hear about their own adventures while I was away. And it was lovely to get back into my own bed again, even though I did it with fever.

And since then I've been struggling to get back to the routine. Term started for Miles this Tuesday, so we're truly back to normal. I spent a long time clearing up the flat and running errands and there's still plenty more to do. I've been to the Science Museum and the playground and with the family we've done the Aquarium and the Eye. I even made Jody a costume for her UN Day celebration day; a Royal Guardsman's coat, because there was nothing suitable to buy and I fancied a craft project (that inevitably took me into the small hours to finish!)

So I can't say I'm rejuvenated after being away (a maximum of 5 hours sleep per night for 5 nights in a row will do that for you!), but in spirit I feel good and once I've shifted these bugs I'm looking forward to get back to training and maybe start some new little projects which I've been inspired to do. Maybe.

So all that remains is to say thank you - sincerely - to my parents for looking after Miles while I was away (he was full of his bonfire-making and grass-cutting experiences, and his delight at receiving a combine harvester from his great grandmother, as well as explaining to me in the train the difference between a grassy and a ploughed field (anyone would think that they're trying to take the City out of the Boy!)). And to Roj who did his usual sterling job (which he loves!) of entertaining Jody, and carried it on when I returned, playing the patient nurse a bit as well! What would I do without such amazing family?

OK. That's it. Essay over. I promise only normal-size posts for a while!

Health Returns

2008-10-21T15:40:00.000+01:00

How is it getting so long between posts?

I'm finally better (I think)! I can't wait to get stuck into proper training. This pratting around that I've been doing the last few weeks does my head in. If I'm going to train ... like most things I try and do ... I wanna do it properly!

Mind you, my 'key' session on Sunday was mind-numbing; I can't get my head around laps of Richmond Park on a bike. I really like to be going somewhere if I'm cycling, and preferably somewhere hilly. Doing loops - even when you add an extra rep of the hill each time - makes me feel hamsterish. But I was glad to complete the session and glad it wasn't completely rained off, although I did have a bout of shivering in my bike-to-run transition and nearly couldn't face that final 45 minutes. Only it's fun to face the final 45 minutes when it's your last.

This weekend of course, I won't be doing any 'key' sessions because I'll be running around Central Park with Yi Shun instead. Which is an amazing thought. Though it looks like I might have to take my raincoat. I have no idea how I'm going to feel about returning to New York after nearly 5 years away. I have very strong feelings for that city and I wonder if they'll all come flooding back straight away. I think the hen weekend will be a lot of fun but I'm also looking forward to just wandering around a bit, with no agenda. Feeling that atmosphere again. Great. And catching up with some of the few people I knew when I lived there who haven't moved away like us.

Lots to do in the meantime though. Just general things to organise in my absence. And it's Jody's half term which means that getting things done can be a bit of a challenge. We spent most of this morning in the children's department of H&M on Regent Street buying clothes for her, most of which are the wrong size. The last thing I needed was a[nother] returns trip ... but she needs some warmer clothes. Grr.

Energy Expenditure

2008-10-15T19:55:00.004+01:00

What can I say? Seems like my health is fluctuating between 'just about ok to train' and 'not at all well enough to train'. Perhaps the training is contributing to this condition but as usual, I'm in denial. Did half my scheduled plan yesterday but decided not to risk spin, and then this morning felt bad enough to skip my 70min run as well, much to my chagrin. And I have a nasty headache today which is making me squirm in front of the light from the computer screen. All I want to do is crawl into bed and dream I'm in Chariots of Fire. But it's not happening because I'm required to build lego garages.

I enjoyed the weekend. Sabine jokes that if I'm not racing I'm going to a wedding and vice versa. I can't think I've been to that many weddings (or races, for that matter), but I'm not going to contest such a glitzy, if erroneous, lifestyle. Probably my machinations over what to wear [to weddings] consume many a coffee morning outside of those immediately preceding the date!

Anyway this Saturday there was a wedding - or a celebration at the least - of my cousin James's marriage to Vanessa in Australia earlier in the year. It was a very enjoyable and characterful soirée in a hotel near Manchester with too much booze (thanks to Roj's limoncello brainchild and the free bar), too much dancing (any dancing is too much for me, given that I'm not very good at it ... unlike my brother and cousins who are all exemplary. I tried to get Roj dancing to make me look good (about the only person who can achieve this - sorry Roj!) but failed at that too (obviously not enough limoncello had passed his lips at that stage), with the net result that I just had to brazen it out on the dance floor and pretend I didn't think I looked like a demented octopus. Ah well.)

Thanks to energetic entertainment and lemony liqueur, I suffered horrible alcohol-induced insomnia on Saturday night and woke just after 5am. Having gone to sleep sometime after 1, this was seriously detrimental and I spent Sunday feeling rather sub-human. I put things to rights on the turbo trainer later, after our return to London, by sticking out a monumental 3-hour hills session with the help of the Cloverfield DVD (hmmm), and lots of applicable iTunes. I also did the requisite 30 min runs both before and after the turbo session to simulate the upcoming Ballbuster Duathlon, and considering the abysmal preparation the night before and my lingering lurgy, thought I did quite well to finish at all (albeit at 9pm).

On Monday I thought if I could do that sort of session on the back of that sort of party, the rest of the week's schedule would be easy as pie, but it has proven itself otherwise and I have now admitted defeat. Hopefully I'll re-start on Friday with a view to being able to complete Sunday's key workout (another duathlon simulation, but this time I'm intent on doing the bike leg outdoors, for my sanity more than anything). Otherwise the Ballbuster is looking in serious doubt.

The childcare arrangements on Saturday night were wonderful - thanks enormously to both Nana and Milly. In advance of the weekend I didn't really know if Nana would be overwhelmed with horse-related tasks in their new equine therapy centre, so I didn't want to assume that she could handle both kids - who can be a handful and a half at the best of times. So on a whim I asked my good friend Milly - based in Shrewsbury - whether she'd be prepared to take on Jody for 24 hours while we were away. And she actually said yes! It worked superbly (from my perspective anyway!) Both kids felt utterly pampered and weren't too much to handle (notwithstanding the unusual 6am start from Jody on Sunday morning). Jody was absolutely devastated to say goodbye to Milly's cat when we picked her up on Sunday morning, but otherwise clearly glowing from the experience and perfectly comfortable in what was actually her first ever non-family sleepover. When it came down to it, Taylored Equestrian wasn't too busy and Nana could easily have had both kids, but with a new company like that it's so difficult to judge in advance. Miles had been easy enough to cope with - as he is - and only gave Nana a fright in the night when she couldn't find him after he'd rolled off and under his bed!

Both kids are now inventing copious scenarios involving 'sleepovers'. A new era has begun!

This week has been very 'normal' but I can't believe that next week is Jody's half term already - it feels like only last week she was starting the new school year. I have catch-ups of one sort or another with both schools in the next few days which will explain how each kid is doing (I'm already getting very good feedback from Jody's teacher though, so I'm confident that she is happy and comfortable despite occasional whingeing to the contrary). Miles I'm not so sure about, since he really is very insistent on his dislike from the moment he realises it's a nursery day (which usually happens halfway through breakfast) until the moment he realises there's no option as I'm manhandling him down the steps to his classroom. Just another reason to feel like a bad mother; I'm getting used to them!

The good thing about half term approaching is that the trip to New York comes with it, yet I've organised nothing whatsoever other than a tenuous run with Yi Shun (tenuous because I don't think I can complete 3 hours of running), a quick couple of drinks at The Algonquin on arrival, and the pre-arranged hen activities (not to be disclosed online, of course). Having said that, knowing how hard these girls party, and knowing how at odds that is with my current lifestyle, I'm likely to fade to nothing by halfway through the trip!

Gems this week: Coffee and a quick catch-up with Alex, long-time University comrade; A long babysat night tomorrow after the cheese and wine evening at Jody's school, leading potentially to a sojourn at the cinema or a relaxed supper with Roj; Another cinema night on Friday, but French and cultural this time (rare treat with mum friends), in front of Il y a longtemps que je t'aime; And New York. Only a week away. Woohoo.

Still Ill

2008-10-08T21:30:00.003+01:00

I can't shake this lurgy. Despite many days resting (and going insane with boredom) and a reasonably low resting pulse, the gunk won't remove itself from my chest. It doesn't help that my modest attempts at a return to training are thwarted by - this morning - my gym turning me away from swimming. Only they didn't do that at the desk, but allowed me to proceed to the changing room, change into swimsuit, hat and goggles; shower, and present myself at the poolside. Thanks for that. Cold, wet, angry and seeking a refund. Grr.

The best part of the resting [over the weekend] was that I got to spend nearly the entire day with Milly on Saturday talking very important stuff. Initially I had planned a leisurely morning - first dropping off the carseats for her sister's twins and then lounging around with coffee in hand - but it extended to a lovely lunch at Rococo in Shrewsbury and a bit of casual shopping which meant I didn't get back to my parents until 3pm.

But Miles is not Jody (Jody was in London with Roj, enjoying Kensington parties with multiple entertainers (her) and free-flowing Dom Perignon (him)), and therefore all was well and calm when I returned to the roost. And I spent some nice time relaxing with my folks, albeit wondering why I couldn't take advantage of the gorgeous landscape around them. I took my running kit with me but don't know why I bothered. Recovery is still not in sight.

Another sojourn north-west this weekend, to celebrate the wedding of my eldest maternal cousin James to his longtime girlfriend earlier this year in Australia. Lots of family there and also birthdays to celebrate ... but what to wear!?

I'm desperately hoping that by Sunday this stubborn lurgy will have vanished in time for me to do my first key workout of the new training schedule. Lots of duathlon simulations to prepare me for the trials of the Ballbuster in early November. If I'm better early enough to do sufficient training, that is.

I'm sounding like a stuck record again.

Congratulations to Sam and Adam for becoming parents in the last few hours. Looking forward to details.

Big and Appley

2008-10-03T14:34:00.002+01:00

I'm going to New York. Did you hear that? I'm going to NEW YORK! My friend Charlotte has had the genius idea of conducting her hen weekend in that fabulous city and invited me along. There will be 8 of us or so, some taking young chicks (but not me!) in New York for 4 days. I can't even speak for how excited I am about it all. But it's not til the end of October so I'm sure I'll find a way of speaking between now and then ... in case you hoped I wouldn't!

Plenty of logistics to work out, therefore, with childcare and who does what when in my absence. But none of it is insurmountable. I just need to figure out whether I can really go for 4 days or need to cut it down to 3. I hope the former, obviously; one doesn't go that far across the Atlantic to a place once loves so very much without aiming for the maximum.

In less positive but somewhat more predictable news, my cold seems to be exercising squatters' rights, so it's unlikely I'll be able to do the Autumn Epic this Sunday. I'm in that borderline state where I could do it - but suffer - or I could be wise and ease back into proper training next week. I really want to do it but I'm forcing myself to be wise. My coach (very wise) has advised me against it, and the book I'm currently reading (also wise, and on recommendation from my wise coach), says you shouldn't attempt any race unless you feel 100%. Which means Sunday is a definite no-no for me, unless something miraculous happens between now and then.

I am, however, still going up to Shropshire in order to spend 48 hours with my folks and see Milly and pass on our obsolete baby carseats for the use of her sister's twins. Which will involve some chat and good coffee, with any luck. This will go some way to compensating me for another race missed. Also: Mental note not to sign up for October races next year because the start of the school year means much swappage of viruses; it's stupid of me not to know that already.

It's going to rain on Sunday. Which wouldn't in itself cause me to ditch the sportive but makes me feel somewhat better about it. After all if it was a gorgeous sunny crisp October day I can think of nothing I'd rather be doing than cycling in some good hills. But if it's cold and soaking wet ... well ... the wish-list might be redefined.

Sumptious September Sun Days

2008-09-29T16:33:00.004+01:00

The weekend didn't go to plan, but was enjoyable all the same, in no small part because the weather was splendiferous. We didn't make it to the cinema at all on Friday night, since the neighbour's recital went on for much longer than we anticipated, but it was an enjoyable enough evening with plenty of eccentric people to make it entertaining. And certainly no shortage of fine booze, since the neighbour is as much a buff of wine and champagne as she is of piano. I'm not a huge fan of piano music, but it was certainly impressive to be in a sitting room along with some worldwide prize-winning talent. How fingers move that quickly is anybody's guess.

Sadly on Saturday morning - though I set my alarm to make it to the Legs of Steel cyclo-sportive - my resting pulse was still more than 5 above normal and I felt it would be foolish to embark on the ride. I knew I was going to find it difficult to hold back the tempo if I made it to the start line, and I've been told to take it easy so I switched my alarm off and pined for good health. I should have appreciated the resultant lie-in (til just before 7am) but Friday night was disrupted every couple of hours and those last two were no different. I awoke feeling unrefreshed, lethargic, and probably hungover; unwilling to face the day.

But Roj reckoned we should take Jody out to Hillingdon for another morning with the Slipstreamers, and as it was promising to be beautiful weather, it seemed a good idea. Only they were running a club championship time-trial event on the circuit which Jody and a handful of others were not part of, and so she spent the entire 2.5 hours doing drills in an area the size of a swimming pool, instead of doing circuit races of the 1-mile course as we expected. She had fun enough (excepting a few moments of zero confidence), but Roj and I found it a bit boring hanging around. Miles did a few reps of the footpath on his Islabike, practicing his pedal skills, but I think the 20 minutes in the playground before we left was probably the highlight for everyone.

In the afternoon I took advantage of the unexpected free time to visit my favourite hair stylist Gary Ingham who moved last year from Trevor Sorbie to set up his own salon in Hampstead, and who I drag myself to about once every 10 months.

And then I tried and failed to stay awake in front of Be Kind Rewind, but it turns out I didn't miss much and benefited much more from 9+ hours of sleep.

Sunday we spent meandering around Hyde Park with kids on bikes - one of our favourite weekend activities. It was amazing to be out in t-shirts at the end of September but also obvious that leaves are starting to turn and that it won't be long before autumn sets in for good. Miles took a big tumble off his bike and had to be carried and snuggled for 20 minutes before he got the confidence to get back on the saddle; the Cornetto probably helped! Magnanimous Jody wanted to give money to the guy chilling out with his acoustic guitar in the middle of Hyde Park and didn't really understand that he might have been there for fun, not profit.

I'm feeling a bit better now. The cold hasn't gone but it's not as noticeable and I don't seem to be suffering too much from my return to the training schedule this morning. A bit spooky running around the back of Regent's Park at 06:15 today though, in total darkness with no street lights; I think they've got the dawn synchronisation a bit off kilter. I'm determined that my resting pulse is going to be back to normal tonight so I can continue; I've got a really cool 100-mile sportive (the Autumn Epic) coming up in mid-Wales next Sunday and I want to be able to give it my all. Looking forward to heading up to Shropshire - albeit without Roj who is playing the dedicated father (a role he does very well) and taking Jody to a friend's party in London on Sunday while I take Miles to my parents' for a bit of TLC. Also looking forward to see a bit of Milly on Saturday morning for our first catch-up for a while. Should be a lovely weekend providing it stays dryish and my cold vanishes properly.

Ooooh and, before that, the dishwasher engineer is due out tomorrow (disrupting my training programme - grr) to finally fix the damn machine that's been out of action for the past 6 weeks. Just as I thought it was going into competition with Dave's car!

I'll Just Train Regardless!

2008-09-26T12:50:00.003+01:00

Went training this morning. Not convinced that I'm better but my resting pulse is obviously having an argument with the stuff that's clogging up my throat and my nose. Didn't feel too exhausted on the run though so perhaps my pulse is gaining the upper hand. Or perhaps a half-hour run doesn't give me the chance to feel exhausted. Just hope I haven't perpetuated the cold, from one day of premature training. Certainly feels ambitious to only take 3 days off for a virus, but that's because I'm more used to taking 3 weeks (after at least one week of training in denial, usually). Hmm.

The pool workout was fun. Used my H2o headset last week and it was a) uncomfortable and b) impossible to hear through (poor fit). Needs adjustment so I didn't bother with it today and I felt much better not having to faff around with it all the time. The novelty factor surrounding doing measured pieces in the pool rather than just steady state swimming endures and until it wears off I think I'm just going to enjoy splashy semi-silence.

Tomorrow I've got a short cyclo-sportive in the Surrey Hills which I'm treating as a training ride rather than a flat-out session. Unfortunately it means another early start (was up before 5:30 this morning) after a late night. Tonight we've been invited to listen to the virtuoso students of the piano teachers downstairs doing a practice performance in our neighbour's house. A very unusual chance for an evening of culture which we are following up (because it's not worth getting a babysitter for only 2 hours) with a not-so-cultural trip to the cinema. Luckily the universal panning of Righteous Kill has persuaded us to go and see The Duchess which gets a marginally better write-up. Keira Knightley makes my skin crawl but a review on the radio the other day said that even non-fans will appreciate her acting in this one. I'll reserve judgement until later.

I've had a certain level of success in the 3 mornings I've been forced off training this week. I found a pair of black boots which I love (hooray). So much the better after waiting 3 years to get them! And I've listed 9 items on eBay, none of which are going to earn us more than £15 (hardly worth the effort, one might say). The eBay cesspit is reducing but I'm inevitably procrastinating with the worst of the items; the kiddie chairs that require a good clean-up, the second-hand bike parts and the random electrical goods. So difficult to list honestly. I much prefer selling new labelled stuff where you get exactly what you see (yes I occasionally buy things on impulse and months later come to regret - and sell them at a vastly reduced price!)

Jody's enthusiasm for reading and spelling knows no bounds. She's pestering me to let her do her homework not vice versa. She had 3 books to read last night and stormed through each of them with barely any help, sounding out words like 'couldn't' without a second thought. And then proceeded to re-read them all in the car on the way to school. She's also keen to practice her spelling list (she gets tested on 10 words every Wednesday) as much as possible, potentially because everyone else has been encouraged to write as nicely as Jody, so she reports! I hope the enthusiasm continues as the work gets harder. It's lovely to see how awareness of reading increases - there are little moments of enlightenment each time she works out a new word. It's a whole world of discovery.

Neglected to mention 2 star-spotting events last week: Trinny Woodall having a fag break off Knightsbridge and then - rather more momentously - Tilda Swinton, totally undisguised, wandering down Baker Street.

Virus Begone

2008-09-23T09:55:00.002+01:00

I've been instructed to take time off rather than train on a cold. Hence the bored blog update on a Tuesday morning while my head is in the gym doing lengths and weights. Tuesdays are my heaviest days though, and I'm tired at the end of them even when I haven't got a cold. So it's wise to err on the side of caution. Wise and boring.

In a minute I'm going to drag myself off to the supermarket, because if there's one thing that can alleviate the boredom of not training, it's doing the weekly grocery shop. I can already see that I'm going to have to go via the shoe shop to see if I can find a pair of black boots (the same pair I've been looking for for two winters in a row). Did you hear that? Winter. Just around the corner already. Can you believe it?

Miles cycled to nursery today on his pedals. Of course he needed the full width of the pavement to accommodate his wiggling, but I remember Jody doing the same thing. It'll pass. He's very proud of his achievement and for now it's an easy way to curtail the shyness at nursery in the morning; "Go and tell so-and-so how you got to school this morning Miles."

There's nothing for it but to start on the epic eBay trail again. We have a whole corner of random stuff in the spare bedroom which is saleable to a greater or lesser extent. Not including a similar amount in the loft. Maybe if I look at it as the money for my new black boots, it'll be motivation. For now it's just a mountainous pile of mess to wade through. Lovely.

Must go and make myself hot lemon and honey. Grrr.

Sunshine and Toilets

2008-09-22T09:44:00.004+01:00

What a gorgeous weekend. The best weather all year and it comes in the middle of September! Is the weather hoping we'll go into winter with good memories of the British summer because of a good send-off? Maybe we'll forget August's deluges after all.

I even wore a skirt on Saturday. This is unheard-of for me. I'm usually a strictly jeans and t-shirts type of gal. But there's something about skirt/boot season that appeals.

I've finally caught my first full-blown bug of the season. Inevitable after the kids have been at school a couple of weeks, and this one has been lurking in Miles for quite some time. Nasty throat and snottiness. So far I'm sticking with the training plan; I'm still doing such easy work that it doesn't feel like I'm stressing my body out too much by carrying on. I'm awaiting a decision from my coach but no reply yet. Hope he's not peeved with last week's issue, which for me has completely resolved. Time is a great healer and I know that the issues only stemmed from misinterpretation of questions. We've all been there though haven't we? - It's pretty easy to come to the wrong conclusion when you can't hear tone of voice. Perhaps I should pick up the phone more after all (although I'd have to ask for his number).

I've now got my gym set up in the loft! So far it just consists of a turbo trainer for my Thursday sessions, and a big (but quiet) fan to create airflow. I might get some weights too but for now I'm willing to fork out for a once-weekly session at the gym as it's a bit depressing to think of holing myself up in the loft too often. I enjoyed Thursday's bike time-trial though. And am encouraged by my results too. I wonder how accurate a turbo computer can be. Hmm.

We took our training to Richmond Park yesterday, as we've done a few times before. I cycled over in the morning and completed my workout with some loops and 16 ascents of the hill (it's not a big hill!) I then took over the kids on their bikes while Roj ran a loop, before we all basked in the sun with some paninis from the café at Roehampton Gate. Miles has graduated to Jody's old Islabike with pedals. He's been riding it pedal-less like a Like-a-bike for a month or so, and now he's accustomed to the feel of it, he's been happy to attempt the pedals. He got the technique straight away, and although he still wanted the reassurance of a hand on his shoulder at times, he was mostly perfectly happy to potter along the bike path in the park. Progress indeed. Meanwhile Jody is gaining in confidence on her bike, to the extent that we need to ask her to slow down sometimes. It was a bit fraught on Sunday since she hasn't gripped the rules of the road completely so at one point we had a near-collision with someone coming the other way who clearly had no kids of her own and was therefore very aggressive as Jody strayed into her path. I wonder if either of her dogs had done the same thing, whether she'd have been as apologetic as she obviously expected 5-year-old Jody to be.

After lunch we lingered around Ham and Richmond with the express purpose of exploring the area a little, and getting a feel for where we might like to continue our housing search. Ham was residential and sleepy; Richmond Hill was glamorous and stunning. On looking at house prices in the latter though, you're looking at 2 or 3 million for a house of 4 or 5 bedrooms so something tells me we might have to settle for something somewhat further afield! The exercise was useful though, and has helped formulate our ideas for what to look for. It's quite exciting to think that we might be moving again in another couple of years and this time to somewhere more permanent. I love where we live but it is a compromise, and one that we're not really willing to accept for more than a year or so.

As well as Miles on pedals, we've had other breakthroughs with the kids this weekend. We've stopped taking Jody to the loo when we go to bed and for the last 3 nights she's kept the bed dry. Lifting her out of the top bunk has been a bit of a trial but the only way we can guarantee she'd have a wee when she needed one. Now we're handing the responsibility over to her, so here's hoping it works out. In a similar vein we have finally worked out a way to get Miles to do his poos in the toilet too. Excuse me for being too visceral with the kids' bodily functions, but for as long as he's been able to wee on the toilet, he's still done all his poos in his nappy while asleep. We tried every method of coercion from bribery to persuasion, all unsuccessful. But for a while now I've had a pretty elaborate Playmobil rescue vehicle kit comprising a helicopter and speedboat. It's been hiding in a box in the loft and on Friday I got it down and showed it to Miles as a last ditch attempt to get him to use the toilet. "If you can do 3 poos in the toilet," I said, "You can have this toy." Well he spent the whole of dinner time with eyes popping out of his head at the prospect of such an amazing toy, and straight afterwards went to the toilet and did his stuff. And since then he's managed to repeat the experience almost without fail and become excited (rather than intimidated) by the prospect. I may be a little premature on both counts but for now, I'm very excited indeed that the kids are making such progress.

Not much planned for this week; more training of course, and hopefully recovery from this bug. A short cyclo-sportive planned for Saturday (to do as a training session rather than a race), but nothing else of note. Except the mending of my dishwasher, hopefully. I even had to buy rubber gloves at the weekend, so that my skin would stop cracking!

Email Misunderstanding

2008-09-17T17:20:00.003+01:00

I've been having a discussion with my coach these last few days over email (our preferred mode of communication). It began with me questioning - for curiosity's sake and because I like to have as much evidence as possible to support any theory - the universality of running at a high cadence, which is a technique he's proposed I work on. I wondered simply whether it's likely for two people of wildly differing physiques - say a 6' 4" man weighing 13 stone versus a 5' 8" man weighing 10 - to be able to maintain the same cadence and go the same speed? In my mind it's going to be a whole lot easier for the lighter man to run at a higher cadence, and there are so many arguments in running circles of the validity of losing weight to increase speed, that I thought this might be a reasonable line of questioning.

2 days later I feel like a defeatist neurotic pessimist who has serious hang-ups about her size. How did that happen?

I have never seen my height (and, by association, my weight) as a disadvantage in sport. In fact quite often I see it as the opposite. Certainly in cycling I tend to think of it as advantageous to be relatively light weight for the length of levers. And while in running I probably don't have the ideal physique, I know tall (and relatively heavy) friends who buck the trend. I have certainly never looked at myself in the mirror and thought "Oh you're so disadvantaged - you look nothing like an athlete - give up now!"

I'm not a fast runner, and I've been running for about 10 years now so I ought to know! But I'm not horrendously slow either and know I can maintain a decent pace over quite a long distance. I've always wanted to get a bit faster and never really thought to examine my technique so intensely, but I'm looking forward to the potential over the next year of shaving seconds - minutes hopefully - off my personal bests. To which end I am extremely willing - excited in fact - to pursue any technical improvement I possibly can, cadence included.

But my coach has ended up associating the size question with some kind of inner issue, and going beyond a simple pep-talk and instead criticising my negative attitude and telling me that athletes only ever look for the positive in what they do. This too, I beg to differ with. Athletes are normal people after all, prone to disillusionment and anxiety as much as the next person. Strength of mind and positivism are not synonymous. I resent the implication that you cannot be an athlete and a realist (realism by nature involving a little pessimism and scepticism, in my view). And that you have to spend hours in front of the mirror practicing the sort of inane self-foolery that makes my skin crawl: "You can win the London Marathon; You are the most beautiful person in the Universe." That approach is not for me: Whether athlete or not, I am the same person. I might be prone to self disbelief, but I also like to prove myself wrong. Self belief and confidence don't come - for me - through 'talking it up'; only through hard work and proven results. I will never deny my sceptical side because it's part of who I am. Goodness. Only egotistical optimists need apply? Bollocks to that.

Obviously the discussion - though staying polite - has got way off track and I'm now aiming to leave well alone rather than go on making things worse, since each placatory email I send seems to exacerbate the issue. Roj thinks I should maybe leave the psyche out of the coaching relationship and talk to other friends about that; that I should question less what my coach says. And I think he's got a point; certainly if my questions are going to be subject to such misunderstanding. Maybe I should pick up the phone and talk it through with him, but something tells me it might be better to let him have the last word and just shrug it off. Which is taking some work, as you can see!

In other news of failure, my dishwasher is still broken. The part won't arrive until the end of next week so I guess I'm looking at the middle of the following week to get it working again. A month after the breakdown I'm getting bored of washing up.

However, the weekend was very enjoyable. I had a stressful day on Friday managing a host of assorted things in a small timeframe, not least of which was organising cards and presents for the two kiddie parties that afternoon. The first was a school friend of Jody's at Gambado in Chelsea - our first visit and very enlightening. About as close to an indoor fairground as you can possibly get (dodgems, merry-go-rounds and an enormous soft-play area, as well as juice bars, cafe and party tea areas). Since there was a public session going on at the same time, it was easy enough to hang around with Miles too, and let him have fun instead of rushing him out of child nirvana. And I even met a couple of new mums who were fun to talk to while I indulged in delicious home-made chocolate cake.

The next party was a neighbourhood low-key affair with tea and banana bread. Very relaxing. In fact so relaxing it was very difficult to drag myself away in time to meet my parents at the doorstep as they were arriving in a taxi at nearly 7pm, Roj having already brought Golden Hind fish and chips home for all 6 of us.

(The only thing that went seriously wrong on Friday in fact, was food. My food. Friday's training session has to take place before breakfast since I look after Miles all of the rest of the day, but I didn't have time to come home and eat afterwards, and needed to go to Watirose before toddler group in the morning, hence leaving a proper breakfast (apart from a banana and a tracker) until about 9:45am (4 hours after getting up). I didn't have any time for lunch at all, and ended up eating a muffin and a juice at Gambado at about 3pm. And then the salt grinder decided to unscrew and empty itself over my entire dinner in the evening (luckily ¾ eaten already). I felt utterly jinxed! (Food is very important to me).)

On Saturday we abandoned the kids to their grandparents and set off to beautiful Wiltshire for Nick and Abbie's wedding (congratulations indeed) which was very beautiful and lovely. The couple looked beyond happy, and it was very nice catching up with a handful of friends from ye olde days, as well as some new ones (although there were a couple too many "And what do you do? Oh you're a mum? ... Well isn't the weather nice!" moments for my liking). The weather was nice though, with a rare sighting of the British sun at the reception venue, so that we were able to bask in the heat and appreciate the views while snaffling up our champagne and canapés! Not bad!

However dinner was over by 9:15 and we were already yawning our heads off (because we're pathetic party people!) and not looking forward to two more hours of disco (we don't really do disco!) before the bus departed back to Marlborough. So we ducked out early via a taxi and made ourselves comfortable in the rather over-priced Castle and Ball. Only we were lying in a room directly over the bar which was open til 1am and although Roj had clearly drunk enough white wine to pass out in oblivion, it took me a good couple of hours to doze off, during which time I managed to twist my knee and make the rest of the night uncomfortable too.

And then the alarm was going off at silly o'clock (6am) and it was time to drive back to London for the real reason for our early departure from the wedding reception - Roj's 9am entry in the London Duathlon. In glorious sunshine once again, fortunately or I'd have been a very reluctant supporter. I did the obligatory cheering thing and chatted to a friend we bumped into who was also doing the race, and nearly missed Roj on his first bike loop (too busy practicing my panning techniques!) And then I was waiting for him to go past again ... and waiting and waiting and he just didn't materialise. So I started to think of all the things that could have gone wrong; paramedics on the hill; blowouts; pass-outs; who knew what was going on? So I meandered back to the transition area where I finally saw him sheepishly walking his damaged steed back with a DNF (did not finish). He'd got a puncture towards the end of the first lap and unfortunately been rather heavy-handed with the CO2 while fixing it, causing a dramatic and unfixable blow-out. Poor Roj - hasn't had much success with his racing season so far.

So we packed up and headed back to relieve my mum from her babysitting duties (the kids had been good enough, it seems), and to have lunch and for me to complete my 2-hour cycle session in Regent's Park (snore). But it was nice weather and, tired after a few late nights (I also went out for dinner with Rose last week, which was very lovely indeed and incorporated the very best mushroom risotto I've ever had - at Carluccio's St. Christopher's Place), I was quite happy really to just twiddle the pedals - focusing on a higher cadence than I'm used to - and concentrate on nothing more than avoiding pedestrians.

My mum was around on Monday too (my dad was in Belgium on business), which was great. We took Jody to school and I did my characteristic blitzing of the flat for my cleaning girl on Monday afternoon, and then we kept out from under her feet in the very best possibly way; by taking Miles to lunch at the Wallace Collection which we discovered is rather a hidden jewel amongst the Marylebone crush of patisseries and restaurants; a beautiful calm spacious restaurant inhabiting the entire inner courtyard at the museum, with delicious French cuisine (of varying complexity) and excellent service. We passed a lovely couple of hours there, glad that Miles was complicit, and were quite surprised in the end that it was already time to fetch Jody by the time we finished. A rare but well-deserved period of calm and indulgence that, I hope, might be repeated.

My parents left on Tuesday morning and I have since been intermittently struggling with the instructions for my turbo trainer which I need to set up by tomorrow for my 20-minute time trial. I've also had a 400m swim time trial this week, amongst other sessions, as well as a bit of a struggle with this run cadence thing (I feel like a cartoon character when I do it - blurry legs and all - and don't seem to be able to rate above 85 no matter how hard I try unless I cheat on the downhills!) Lots of work to do then, but the new schedule is still novel enough to be interesting. I can see I'll soon have to wear my iPod in the pool though; the water sessions are going to get tedious methinks.

Freedom Returns

2008-09-10T13:32:00.002+01:00

Miles is back at nursery! Summer is officially over! I can't deny a sense of relief that for 3 mornings at least, I'm liberated from the relentless joys of child entertainment. I can let my guilt appease about resorting to lego for the millionth time, or sneaking in a quick blog update while Miles potters about. I can go to the toilet without being investigated; I can go outside without packing a bag of snacks and bottles of water; I can give playgrounds a wide berth; I can train!

For a moment on Monday I thought their colds would cause at-home days this week, but already the symptoms are nearly gone and for the most part, Roj and I have managed to avoid it. They've both been tired, but that's more down to school and nursery than any lingering virus. When I picked her up on Monday, Jody said her day had been "perfect" and her teacher said "She's been great today!" What more affirmation do we need?

And Miles has enjoyed his return to nursery too, although getting him to go into the classroom is like prising a limpet from a rock with a leaf. As we approach the front door he sticks his head into the crook of my knee, wraps his arms around my thigh, and refuses to budge until we hit on the right incentive. Yesterday it was showing Miss Annum his new shoes; today it was asking him to think about what he'd want in his lunch sandwiches.

I am now on day 3 of my exciting new schedule. I can't complain at day 1 because it was a rest day, although that's already more than I would have scheduled for myself, since I also had Sunday off. Yesterday was slightly heftier, with a 1-hour swim that took 1hr 25mins to complete, a half-hour weights circuit, and the usual spin session in the evening (by which time I was seriously flagging). Fortunately I discovered after my swim that my pool is 30 metres not 25, which explains the time it took to complete the sets. I shall be carefully dividing the distance of each set into 30 (more complicated when the pool is restricted to ⅔ or ½ by school swimming, as it often is), in order to calculate how many lengths I should be doing in each set. I'll say this for a structured session though; that 1 hour 25 can pass in the blink of an eye. It's so different from just ploughing up and down endlessly. And I didn't even have my iPod on.

And then this morning - long run day - I did a whopping 30 minute aerobic run (including warm up, cool down and stretch). It was pretty hard finding a loop short enough; even one lap of Regent's Park takes around 35 to complete. But how refreshing to go out knowing that you have such a short workout to do, and that it has been planned that way for optimal results. I would never plan a half-hour workout, unless it was on the back of another one, so it's great to know that it actually works.

I'm so excited about my schedule. I have the Excel file permanently open on my desktop and keep going back to it to look at what I should next be doing. I get one month at a time, so I can't plan ahead too far, but it's interesting to see the variance in volume from week to week when my own schedule would have had me doing approximately the same each week (through laziness and ignorance - I know it's ineffective!) I can't tell you what a relief it is to have the whole thing out of my hands. I can't wait to see progress. I do, however, have a fortnight of testing ahead of me; next week a 400m swim time trial and a 20 min turbo time trial, and then a MAF Test the following week, which will assess my aerobic efficiency. I just hope my turbo trainer turns up from Wiggle before next week, so that I can have it all set up in the loft in time. Turbo training in the attic-gym ... what a delight!

Meanwhile I notice that Lance Armstrong has announced his return to pro cycling next year. Part of me thinks this is an amazing and admirable thing to do; it's true that it will undoubtedly help raise the profile of his fight against cancer, which he cites as his primary objective. And goodness, if he's successful it will certainly be one in the eye for all those people who put an age-limit on successful athletic careers. But I wonder how much of it is just that he is bored with his Hollywood playboy lifestyle. Once a cyclist always a cyclist. I'm sure he will yearn forever for the thrill of the race and the victory. I just hope for his sake that he will be successful because otherwise he'll look a bit like a Paul McCartney ... ageing, past his prime, desperate ...

On the bright side it might add a bit of spice to the Tour de France that has otherwise been sadly lacking these last few years, eclipsed by a slurry of drug-related accusations and suspensions. There must be plenty a pro cyclist out there rubbing his hands together and looking forward to the 2009 season, when they might at last gain access to a chink in the Armstrong armour. Time will tell I suppose, but 2009 will certainly be one to watch.

You are a Vitruvian!

2008-09-07T09:27:00.007+01:00

Phew! The race is over. I had only partially realised how much the prospect of a middle distance tri had been hanging over my head through the summer. Next year I must remember not to sign up for anything long in August or September because a summer holiday of playdates and occasional early morning workouts just doesn't cut it.

I drove up to Whitwell in Rutland (a tiny little single-pub hamlet on the lakeside twinned with ... wait for it ... Paris!) on Friday afternoon, leaving the kids with a babysitter to fill the gap until Roj could get home from work. It was a relief to get in the car and finally start moving, after having the weekend loom for so long, but I fell victim - as predicted - to northbound commuter traffic on the A1 (and congestion caused by Burghley Horse Trials) so it took me 3.5 hours to drive the 98 miles. It was raining too and the forecast was for severe weather in the East Midlands on Saturday so I had to consider whether to rack my bike and leave it outside overnight on Friday, or get up early and set up transition in the morning.

In the end I chose the latter, since I would have to take my box of transition gear in the morning anyway, and all athletes had to be present for a race briefing at 6am. It would give me time, anyway, to solve the dilemna of the rain-sensitive power hub race wheels versus the impermeable winter training wheels (and their new tyres).

Just after 7pm I met up with a group of other Serpies who I knew to varying extents, for dinner at The Noel in Whitwell. The dinner was very nice but we had to wait about 1.5 hours for it, which for 6 or 7 people anticipating an early start did not go down too well.

Dinner over, I gave a lift down to the race venue campsite to a couple of girls and then drove back the 6 miles or so to my B&B where I organised my transition box, mixed my carbohydrate drink and laid out all the gear I would need in the morning.

The night passed remarkably well, and I only woke once to pee at 1am, grateful that I still had a few hours before the alarm would wake me rudely. And wake me rudely it did at 4:12am giving me just enough time for a bowl of cereal and to get dressed, pack up and arrive at Rutland Water just after 5am.

It was dark and cold and miserable but at least it wasn't raining yet, and I decided to risk it with my HED wheels. Even if we got some drizzle, I knew my PowerTap hub wouldn't mind; I just didn't want to be cycling through puddles with it.

Transition shut at 6am, so I had to have everything set up and my wetsuit on by then, padding around on cold muddy ground for another hour before the women's wave finally set off at 7:10. I was shivering by then, but one of the Serpie supporters was kind enough to lend me his jacket for 10 minutes to take the edge off.

And then it was time to get in the murky weedy water ready for the swim start. I sunk down to my neck, taking big inbreaths as the icy water trickled into my wetsuit, willing myself to stay calm for the swim. And then the whistle was blowing and we were off on the triangular 2-lap course, all 180 of us women and verteran men combined. I started off weakly, unable to find the determination to swim through the people ahead of me, facing my normal warm-up deep-water fears and trying to focus solely on the orange buoy ahead. But it became more and more choppy as we swam further into the lake and I took two right-hand breaths in succession which resulted in a mouthful of lake water and no air, causing me to choke and splutter and have to stop and tread water until I could get my brain and my breathing under control. I finally set off again, slowly and cautiously, focusing only on trying to get into some kind of rhythm. And around the furthest buoy things started to improve; the field was thinning out and the water grew calmer as we neared the shore. So that by the second lap (separated by a 30 yard run) I felt strong and confident and started to go past people and feel that I was making headway. And in the end, my 44:38 minute swim time, though slow, was good enough under the circumstances, and I resolved to make up some lost time on the bike.

The bike course was two laps of a mildly undulating loop with a small hilly section called the 'Rutland Ripple' in the first third. Much of it was on main roads with heavy traffic, and in some places there was a headwind to contend with, but in general it was fast and flat, and perfectly suited to using tribars. I pushed fairly hard, always bearing in mind the half marathon to contend with afterwards, but was pleased enough with my 18.3mph average over the 56 mile course.

And the run wasn't hanging over my head like a noose, as it was on the UK 70.3 in June; I was actually looking forward to the flat course and seeing how fast I could do it when I didn't have injury recovery to bear in mind. But in the event I think I hadn't taken on enough fuel on the bike (1.25 litres of carbo drink, a Tracker and a banana), or maybe I was just exhausted by then, because I couldn't get my pulse to go up above about 152bpm for the duration and I felt very pace-limited to a steady plod. The course, too, was something to contend with; it was flat, but it was also very very boring. It was 2 out-and-back legs along the lakeside, meaning that you at least got to see which of your teammates were thrashing you and how in pain they were. But there was no getting away from the sheer distance involved and the relentless nature of doing the same course so many times. And at times there was a significant sidewind to contend with, and some grass-turned-quagmire to slither along. I stopped at every feedstation (3 on each of the 4 legs) to take on water and at the halfway point for an energy gel, and in the future I'd like to work on my fueling/hydrating strategy to minimise those stops (perhaps by carrying a small Camelbak with me). And then on the final leg, I hooked up with another guy going about my pace and we exchanged triathlon anecdotes occasionally, helping the final half hour go quicker. And finally we were rounding the last corner and I was happy as larry, crossing the finish line (to an excitable tannoy anouncement of "Number 895: YOU ARE A VITRUVIAN!") in 5:35:23 with a 1:58:something half marathon (though the results sheet has it as 2:00:40 incorporating my bike/run transition time).

I was pleased with my time, which puts me 13th of 34 in my age-group and 48th out of 133 women. It was hard - I'm certainly aching now, but I'm pleased to think I put in a reasonably strong steady effort for the duration, with nothing but the first swim lap - and perhaps my transition times - to lament. It was a fast flat course (with a strong field, there for the National Middle Distance Triathlon championship), so I'd have expected a big improvement on the UK Half Ironman results, but to beat my time there by 1 hour 5 minutes is better than I anticipated, and to get a time so far under my aim of 6 hours is cause for celebration.

And even better; it's over now! The next thing to focus on is my brand new coached training schedule which starts tomorrow with - hooray - a rest day! I'm really looking forward to get stuck into the sessions and seeing improvements, particularly in long-distance stamina. I have a sportive a month away and The Ballbuster 2 months away. The latter is hard and intimidating but I've done it before and I know it's well within my capabilities. And there's no outdoor swimming until next year. What a shame!

Training Diary 1-7 September
M: Off
T: Swim 45 mins
    Run to spin 15 mins
    Spin 55 mins
    Run from spin 18 mins
W: Off
T: Run 40 mins with 8x1 min efforts + 1 min rest between
F: Swim 30 mins
S: Vitruvian Middle Distance Triathlon
    439th out of 699 finishers
    48th of 133 women (106th on swim, 26th on bike, 60th on run)
    13th of 34 F35-39
    Swim: 44:38
    Bike (incl. 1st transition): 2:50:04
    Run (incl. 2nd transition): 2.00.40
    Total: 5:35:23
S: Off

Total: 9 hrs

Adrenalin Negativity

2008-09-04T11:20:00.002+01:00

Adrenalin is starting to flow. I know this because I don't want to do the Vitruvian in the slightest, and that always happens 24-48 hours before an event; my brain just starts to deny the reality ahead and give me multiple reasons to ditch. I could barely motivate myself to go for a run this morning, and when I came back I just crawled back under the duvet and willed the day to postpone its start. The urge to hibernate is strong!

The weather's not looking too good for Saturday; light showers to constant rain depending on which forecast you believe. I've not done a triathlon in rain before (only very occasional showers) so I don't know whether to pack my raincoat nor how I'm going to stay warm. And I don't know whether to use my aero wheels with the power hub which dislikes a dunking, or my heavier winter training wheels. I don't know how long it's going to take me to drive up to Rutland on a Friday afternoon either. I'm delighted that the race is on a Saturday so I can spend the rest of the weekend relaxing (hibernating, preferably), but it does mean braving the north-bound commuter traffic. Yeurgh. Too many variables.

It seems that I am already successfully filling up all of my weekends between now and Christmas. How did that happen? I've signed up for a couple of sessions at Hillingdon Cycle Circuit: Women-only coaching and training sessions for the joys of road-racing which I'm really looking forward to given that I bought my BCF race license this year and failed once again (I did the same thing optimistically about 10 years ago) to use it. I don't know whether I'll ever get into cycle road racing but it's something that has always appealed and might well come into play in a year or so after the current goals are over.

Meanwhile I'm wondering when I'm going to receive my official training schedule. Obviously I don't need it until Sunday given that training proper doesn't start til Monday but it would be nice to receive it in advance to give me something to obsessively mull over. Other than iTunes playlists which have finally started to resolve this week; 5 hours of 'sports' tunes installed and ready on my Shuffle. It's only a shame that the H2O iSH2 headphones are way too big for my ears. I might be able to jam them in with some help from my swimming cap, but at the moment it seems unlikely that they'll stay in position during an hour of front crawl. It's also strange that the design doesn't allow for a change in headphones. Knowing from experience just how vulnerable that device-to-headphone connection can be, I'd have expected a unit to allow a headphone upgrade at a future date, but on the iSH2 it appears that the headphones are completely built in. I'm kicking myself really, for not just plumping for the iS2 which does exactly that and would work better in other scenarios. I hate things which only have one application. Bad choice. My fault. Grr.

In kiddie news, I've finally ditched Miles's afternoon sleep. He's recently been awake well into the late evening after a daytime nap, and although he's been surreptitious about it; quietly playing with his cars in the bottom bunk, I felt that it's a sure sign he was getting too much shuteye. But we're in that adaptation phase where he's spending quite a lot of the day tired and lethargic, napping for 15 minutes in the car, and getting a bit tetchy late in the day. I'm a bit gutted to abandon that reliable 1-1.5 hours of free time every afternoon myself, but as his nursery starts again next week I know I'll feel better when I have my 3 mornings back. And if, in the meantime, he needs a quick spontaneous snooze, I'll be happy to accommodate him on an ad hoc basis!

I noticed this morning at breakfast that Jody has cut herself a fringe. Her hair doesn't grow much at the best of times but I definitely saw a new little wedge on the left hand side which is shorter than before. I had to ask several times before she'd admit to it (she has a habit of instantaneous denial, probably stemming from my habit of instantaneous accusation!), but it seems she's been adventurous with the scissors at school. Whether the teachers didn't notice (I hardly think that's likely, since there must have been a chunk of hair adorning the table), or didn't deem it necessary to tell me, I don't know. I've asked her not to do it again. I'm sure it's a rite of passage of some sort.

She's also trying to bargain with me. It's something she's very familiar with as we use it on a minute-by-minute basis, but to finally hear it coming back to you; "If you don't read me another story then I won't go to bed," or "I'll put my shoes on if you let me take my bike to the park," is both amusing and worrying. Awake to the techniques of manipulation. Where will it lead?

School is upping her workload. A reading book every night instead of once a week, and a word list resulting in a once weekly spelling test. I know it was bound to happen but the last thing I feel like doing at the end of her day is forcing her to do yet more schoolwork when she's exhausted and just wants to chill out. More grounds for conflict, no doubt.

My dishwasher has ceased to operate so in the week that apparently needs to pass before the engineer drags himself out here, I'm returning to grassroots with the washing up bowl. Amazing how much time modern technology saves you; we run a programme once a day overnight, but doing it old-style means I'm washing up 3, maybe 4 times a day (otherwise my bijou kitchen gets overrun with grotties). And I'm needing to allow a complete hour of clearing up and organising before I can make it into bed, which I learnt to my cost yesterday when I started to clear up at 9:30 and didn't get to bed til after 10:30. Not good when I'm looking at a very early start on Saturday.

Life Cleaning

2008-08-31T20:49:00.004+01:00

There's been a bit of sorting going on this weekend, chief of which has been the countless boxes of crap in our loft. We've had the dubious privilege of always having loft-space, parental surplus storage, and occasionally even some volume at the Big Yellow Storage Company, none of which have encouraged us to get rid of things. Added to which I am a self-confessed hoarder, finding it very difficult indeed to throw away correspondence (most of which is luckily electronic these days - of which more later), kiddie drawings, old notebooks and art materials, a plethora of sports equipment for who knows what activity, and boxes upon boxes of books. We've recently had to rearrange a lot of our loft boxes to allow roofers to come in and insulate up there, as part of our building's roof renovation project, but now that's done, we're looking to free up the central area of our 3-part loft-space in order to - maybe - make room for a turbo trainer (eurgh), so we've spent a couple of hours over the weekend carefully moving, cataloguing and organising our surplus belongings.

It felt good to do it, to an extent, but lingering in the back of my mind is the realisation that I still have numerous boxes of random belongings to sort through and - probably - discard. It may be largely pointless and of little value but this is the trail of my history. What's left when we throw everything away? New furniture from BO Concept? Big wow.

In other sorting news, I finally reduced my email inbox from over 1200 to around 16. I always aimed to keep my current correspondence 'above the fold', but once it slips it slithers and slides to insurmountability. It surprised me that a mere morning was enough to deal with it though. And now I feel brusque and efficient, as if no mercy will be spared to complete appointed tasks.

I only had time to reduce the email burden because my planned Surrey Hills cycle ride became a commute to Kensington High Street whereupon I was overcome by torrential rain and thunderstorms. Having trusted the weather forecasts which predicted torrents in the mid-afternoon, and minimally refused to pack my raincoat, I was left with little option but to return home wet-bummed and bedraggled and resort to a run in Regent's Park.

From which I returned to mounting panic at the absence of Roj and the kids who'd gone to Ikea to return our pine flat pack (how dare we!) and neglected to take a phone. I expected them back within 1.5 hours so when they didn't return after 3 I started pacing the sitting room and staring out of the window, as if the very act would summon them into my sight. Needless to say their mission had gone predictably awry causing them to have to visit two Ikeas (what a pleasure!) and return nearly 4 hours later. Big sigh breathed in relief; imagination checked.

After investigation, I discovered that Friday's dead person on Marylebone High Street was Geoffrey Perkins, former BBC head of comedy. Contrary to the word on the street, he had not been pushed by an abusive female into the path of an oncoming truck, but, only slightly less distastefully, collapsed in the grip of a heart attack or similar, into the road whereupon he was run over. Still the stuff of soap opera and highly disturbing for a Friday morning, even though I only witnessed the event after the investigative tent had been erected and the majority of the street closed off. But really ... what a way to go.

This week is my last before Miles goes back to nursery and the last before my second middle-distance triathlon attempt of the year. This one I'm taking far less seriously (I've only averaged about 6 hours a week this summer holiday), but my back is not preventing me from proper training as it was in June (though it still hasn't completely recovered). I'm hoping to finish in around 6 hours but as that's a figure I've simply plucked out of mid air, I could be wildly and outrageously wrong. At this point I couldn't care less; the Vitruvian is merely a small hurdle to overcome before the real training begins. And bring it on!

Training Diary 25-31 August
M: Serpentine swim: 52 mins
T: Run to spin 15 mins
Spin 60 mins
Run from spin: 18 mins
W: Pool swim: 40 mins
T: Off
F: Run 1 lap Regent's Park (tired so curtailed route): 36 mins
S: Run to Serpentine lido: 14 mins
Serpentine swim: 42 mins
S: Run 2 laps Regent's Park: 57 mins

Total: 5hrs 34 mins

Training Soon To Take Over My World

2008-08-28T10:10:00.001+01:00

My new provisional training plan has arrived. It's supposed to give me an idea of how my week is going to be structured and highlight any potential problems before the full plan gets written and delivered. The thing that strikes me straight away is that I'm starting off with much shorter workouts - half an hour at times - which makes for more frequent occurrence. Previously I'd deem a half hour workout not worth the effort; after all you have to do the same amount of changing/showering/stretching for a half hour run as for one lasting an hour. Even though I'm starting on only 8.5 hours per week, the frequency makes it appear much more because I'm fitting in 10 sessions. On my own programme I'd fit 8.5 hours into about 6 sessions. Hmmm.

However I'm very willing to see how it goes on this new scheme, aware that it won't be long either, before the sessions start lengthening. I'm open to the possibility that shorter more frequent workouts will exhaust my body far less and keep my propensity to injury and illness at bay. I will just have to get used to the feeling that I'm constantly showering/changing etc.

The 2 x 1 hour swim workouts don't look too appealing. I know they'll be broken down with drills but my current boredom threshold in a pool is about 40 minutes. I'm going to have to dig deep for motivation and invest in a waterproof mp3 player. Which reminds me I need to sort out my iTunes playlists sometime soon.

The best thing about the schedule is that my day off falls on a Saturday instead of a Monday, which means that my family will benefit from my presence (assuming they do prefer me to be around!), rather than feeling that I'm constantly off training. In the future they may have to sacrifice another evening (I already do spin on Tuesday evenings, and will continue to do so), for the privilege, but for now I'm enthusiastically aiming to get up super-early on Friday to fit in two sessions before breakfast to avoid that. Breakfast? I won't have time for breakfast!

I'm excited about having the guesswork removed from my training. I'm looking forward to not having to think about it. So easy to check your timetable and just do the work specified. Funnily enough it's not too different in structure to my own programme though, apart from the shorter more frequent sessions. It'll be very interesting to see how it works out ... the November Ballbuster being my first acid test.

Jody is at school. Things have already changed. There's a slightly calmer atmosphere in the house for a start! But Miles is at a loose end without her and I'm not helping by using this time to run errands. If it wasn't drizzling I might be more dedicated to his entertainment but Ikea beckons.

I have just been contacted through Facebook by an old school friend. So bizarre to see somebody in photos who you haven't known since you were a teenager. She looks like an older version of the same person, which I suppose we all are. And she seems to be doing very well in her home and professional life, which is great. Speaking to peers about what they're doing always makes me feel inadequate though; I wonder what I could be doing if I'd taken a slightly different path, or what I might have achieved if I'd worked on some of that so-called potential. I'm not unhappy with my life because my kids are everything and I feel it's right just now, to dedicate myself to their upbringing. But beyond that, I certainly don't think I've challenged myself yet and I'd like to find a way to do so. There's time in the future I suppose, but I'm one of those impatient people who wants everything right now.

2008-08-26T15:09:00.004+01:00

Monaco was lovely. In fact I eat all prior apprehensive words. It was a very laid-back few days with much foraying into neighbouring bays for swimming (albeit with jellyfish), snorkelling (Jody's new favourite sport), fishing (Roj was the heroic fisherman who landed a 3 inch sardine), eating (thanks to Jill's delicious picnic making, even while being rocked by significant swell), and lounging (me).

We also made characteristic forays into town each evening, for much delicious food, wine and people-watching; and on one night, an amusing Beach Boys impersonation evening. I found myself ravenous at the normal hour for eating (9ish) and consumed at least 10 times more than everyone else. I also found myself seriously flagging on the 3rd night of post-midnight wakefulness. I could have done with a couple of siestas but the timetable didn't really allow it and we had to be watchful with the kids during the day.

I suppose my main error was to be stubborn about training each morning rather than taking it easy and getting up when the kids did. But it was so lovely to do seaside runs and a little swimming. I even managed a silly 1:45hr run on day 2 up to the nearby town of La Turbie; only 5 miles to get there, but 1500 ft of ascent until the 1 hour mark, when I decided to return for breakfast. Good leg-testing.

It was just gorgeous to hang out in sunshine. One of my favourite parts of each day was the 20 minutes I took with the second part of breakfast; black coffee and croissants fetched fresh each morning, awful magazines, and just feeling good after a hard training session and enjoying the relaxation on deck of being baked in Mediterranean sun. It made me want to decamp; not to Monaco but to somewhere you can eat breakfast outside every day of the summer, warm in shorts and vest. Gorgeous.

The kids had a wonderful time. They were on land for a total of about half an hour for the entire 3.5 day trip! The boat was not as much of a death-trap as I anticipated and we only had one incident where Miles slipped into the water but held onto the pontoon and the boat so did not submerge. Roj was on immediate hand to fish him out and we only had to deal with a little ensuing shock. It served as a reminder that these things could happen quickly and easily, but danger was averted and the rest of our stay passed without incident.

Grandad and Jill were fantastic hosts and went out of their ways to entertain the kids and ensure we were comfortable and replete. Such a contrast from last year's journey with killer bacterial infections and hospital stress, from which Grandad seems thankfully recovered.

We had a super-quick return into City Airport in the evening on Sunday; much more sensible than the convoluted Heathrow/Gatwick routes. And then had the pleasure of one more holiday day before the return to normality. Of course we had to spend most of it running new term errands like buying school shoes on the King's Road (brown shoes are hard to find) and doing a supermarket run, but I got enough time during the day to get out to the Serpentine to swim with Emily. Only it was all a bit of a washout because I'm such a crappy swimmer. I'm in a much worse position than last year because of a distinct lack of summertime swimming (my 2 diligent weeks in Egypt are already too far away). I could barely do a single length of the Serpentine lido without getting myself out of breath and panicking because of it. Em was very patient with me and gave me some good tips but I got more and more frustrated as time wore on and ended up being convinced that the Vitruvian swim leg is way out of reach. Suddenly Julian's plan to get me swimming all through winter seems like a very good plan. And a new wetsuit that doesn't make me feel like I'm being strangled maybe.

I had an introductory meeting at Jody's school this morning. It was just an acclimatisation exercise which I had to do without the kids (thanks hugely to Rose for allowing me to nanny-crash), but made me feel more at ease about the routine going forward (always helpful to know exactly where to take your child in the morning!) Not sure Jody's particularly aware that school starts again tomorrow, but I'm sure she'll sink herself into it perfectly well and enjoy catching up with her friends.

I've still got 2 weeks at home with Miles before he starts back at nursery but in general I feel quite refreshed after summer. It's easier somehow, to deal with the summer holiday routine than the constant pressures of term time with ever-present deadlines. I've enjoyed catching up with friends and doing playdates and although the weather's been crappy, we've been outside quite a lot. Also nice to go abroad right at the beginning and right at the end of summer, to relax in sunshine and appreciate a bit of time away. But I'm ready to get back to the routine now, and excited about my new year of training which will commence after the Vitruvian on the 8th.

Of course the Vitruvian is a bit of a hurdle in itself, but I'm just trying to look beyond it and not worry too much. My plan will be to take it steady and not do anything silly. And if I finish the course happy and exhausted then job done.

Training Diary 18-24 August
M: Off
T: Run to spin 15 mins
    Spin 60 mins
W: Run 2 laps Regent's Park. 59 mins.
T: Off
F: Hilly run in Monaco 1:28
    Swim: 11 mins (jellyfish stings curtailed session)
S: Very hilly Monaco run to La Turbie; 1500ft ascent: 1h 46m
    Sea swim: 22 mins
S: Run in Monaco: 42 mins
    Sea swim: 23 mins

Total: 7 hrs 6 mins