Helly's Hopefuly Not Too Humdrum Thoughts

Downhill all the way....if only!

2005-08-14T18:24:00.000+01:00

Today I ran the Forth Bridge 10k, my first race of that distance and the first time I've done an event that wasn't for charity. And it was bl**dy marvellous!!

I was expecting a tough run, as the course was described as "hilly", so I was predicting myself a time of 65-70 mins. So I was very pleased indeed to run it in 59 min 35 sec. My fastest ever race-pace. There were some really tough hills, and the bridge is waaaay steeper than it looks when you drive over it, but there were also some brilliant downhill sections, and the views were great.

I ran alongside one of my pals the whole way, and I think that really helped keep me going. We even managed a fabulous sprint finish, although I was slightly miffed that my parents were both too busy taking photograps to congratulate me when I first crossed the finish line.

But it's given me just the confidence boost I need before the Great North Run, which is 5 weeks today. In fact, I'm rather looking forward to it now...

Cute sleeping cats

2005-08-07T14:16:00.000+01:00

Cute sleeping cats
Originally uploaded by HellyBelly.

All curled up together looking like two peas in a pod.

Running again

2005-08-02T19:36:00.000+01:00

One thing that's been keeping me busy since I got back from my hols has been running. Along with some of my friends from the GUT running thread, I'm doing the Great North Run on the 18th September.

It's not my first half-marathon, but if/when I finish it, I'll see it as a huge achievement because I spent quite a few months last year not being able to run at all, and being very worried that I'd not be able to run again at all because of an injury. However, thanks to the wonders of the NHS physiotherapists at my local hospital, I'm back on the road again.

I'm doing the GNR in aid of MIND, a charity which aims to provide support for those with mental health problems. One of their campaigns is that physical exercise is good for your mental health, and I'd certainly agree with that, although I do sometimes doubt my own sanity in signing up for another half-marathon!

Seriously though, I've suffered with depression in the past, and exercise certainly helped me to get on the road to recovery, so I'm happy to be able to support a charity with such a worthwhile aim.

If anyone would like to sponsor me (and I know it's kind of cheeky to ask, but maybe someone will) you can do so online, and anonymously if you wish, here:
http://www.justgiving.com/helendoestheGNR
Any contributions will be very gratefuly received and will go to support the vital service that MIND provide.

Friendships

2005-08-02T19:25:00.000+01:00

I seem to have been neglecting my poor blog recently. My main excuse is that I've been on holiday, but I've also been being terribly lazy and not doing terribly much of anything.

I had an interesting lunch today with one of my best friends. We were discussing my continuing single status and she said something that made me realise she understands me much better than I'd given her credit for, as a "smug married". I told her about a date I'd been on a couple of weeks ago, at which there was just no spark, and she said "It must be very tiring doing the dating thing", and I realised she was right.

There's nothing more exhausting (well, obviously there are some things, but for the current purposes, stick with it) than making small talk with yet another person you've not met before, trying to work out if you fancy them, and if you do, do they fancy you. Trying to be as witty and funny, interesting and generally sparkling as you possibly can be. And I realised I just can't be bothered with it for the moment.

I miss having someone to share things with, but not enough to make me want to approach dating with too much energy.

It made me realise how lucky I am to have some very good friends, two of whom I saw when I was on holiday, who I've known for years, and with whom conversation just flows effortlessly. There are few things more relaxing than a good chat with a great friend.

It's done!

2005-06-19T17:25:00.000+01:00

Finished shower
Originally uploaded by HellyBelly.

...well, very nearly. A few final things to do, but nothing unfinished to be seen in this picture, which comes to you by popular demand...thank you, PrincessD.

Beautiful Phoebe

2005-06-19T17:11:00.000+01:00

Beautiful Phoebe
Originally uploaded by HellyBelly.

Phoebe enjoying her favourite hobby - sunbathing on the sofa

Peony

2005-06-19T17:07:00.000+01:00

peony
Originally uploaded by HellyBelly.

I've been rather tied up with DIY recently, so I've neglected my blog somewhat. To make up for it, here's a lovely peony from my garden.

Getting there

2005-06-08T21:08:00.000+01:00

new panel
Originally uploaded by HellyBelly.

And this is what it now looks like, with a lovely new non-rotten wood panel.

Tomorrow, I'll finally be sticking up the first tile. Hurrah!

What's behind?

2005-06-08T21:07:00.000+01:00

What's behind
Originally uploaded by HellyBelly.

I finally managed to get the rotten wooden panel removed tonight. I was kind of worried I'd find all sorts of beasties and more rot behind it, but there was nothing but shower pipes.

Part of me is kind of disappointed not to find something more interesting.

Shower disaster?

2005-06-07T21:51:00.000+01:00

shower disaster
Originally uploaded by HellyBelly.

I've needed to get my shower re-tiled for absolutely ages. Now I've done a bit of tiling before, so I finally decided that the quickest and cheapest way to do it is to do it myself.

So far, I've spent one afternoon and three evenings taking off the old tiles, removing rotten wood panelling and preparing the surfaces. I've not even stuck on one single tile yet!

This is what it currently looks like. Well actually this is what it looked like last night. Tonight it doesn't actually look like I've done much more, although I spent several hours working on it.

Hopefuly I'll get to the satisfying bit soon: actually sticking on the tiles. I do hope I'm not going to regret doing it myself.

Persephone

2005-06-03T19:55:00.000+01:00

In Greek mythology, Persephone was a beautiful goddess who was loved by everyone but who was kidnapped by Hades, god of the underworld, and forced to marry him. All rather gloomy.

But Persephone is also the name of my favourite publishers, Persephone Books, who publish what could broadly be described as "forgotten" books for women, which are largely written by women, and which are wonderful, interesting and inspiring.

http://www.persephonebooks.co.uk/index.htm

Their books offer a fascinating insight into women's lives in the 19th and 20th Centuries, both through fiction and non-fiction offerings. The first Persephone book I read was "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day", recommended by my friends on the Sparkly thread, and since then I've been working my way through their catalogue.

I'm currently reading "A Woman's Place", a history of the role of women in the 20th Century, and it's wonderfully interesting. I've got one more waiting on my "things to read" shelf ("The Making of a Marchioness" by Frances Hodgson Burnett) and then it'll be time to spend a happy half-hour or so deciding which I'll order next.

As well as their books being great reads, they are also the most beautiful books on my bookshelf. They're bound in pale dove-grey, with end-papers which are taken from contemporary fabric designs.

I just wanted to rave about them, I promise I don't work for them or anything, I just love their books and their philosophy.

Busy...busy...busy....

2005-06-01T20:10:00.000+01:00

I seem to have been neglecting my blog recently and I don't really have much to say today either. I've been very busy and yet I don't seem to have actually achieved very much.

I think it's because I need a holiday. I'm having even more trouble than usual in getting out of bed in the morning, and I'm achieving practically nothing at work. I keep telling myself it'll be fine once I get back from my holidays next month, but I'm not entirely sure that's realistic.

Still, can't complain, at least I'm sleeping well for a change, even if I'm sleeping a little too well at times.

Sorry, this has been a rubbish post, I'm not very inspired to do anything much at the moment it seems!

Sparkly Clothes Audit

2005-05-30T18:43:00.000+01:00

I had a bit of a clear-out over the weekend and found loads of clothes I'd forgotten about owning. I found a couple of pairs of trousers that I thought didn't fit but do, lots of things that are too far gone even to go to the charity shop that are going straight in the bin, and lots of things that still have plenty of wear left, but I know I'll never wear them again.

So I've followed the example of the lovely Sulizhen (http://sulizhen.blogspot.com/) and posted below details of things that are still wearable, just not by me - mostly because I used to wear very short skirts that I'd not get away with these days.

If anything takes your fancy, leave me a message and I'll send out a sparkly clothes parcel.

Misc1

2005-05-30T18:39:00.000+01:00

Misc1
Originally uploaded by HellyBelly.

GONE Left: denim trench-coat, size 14, H&M GONE

Right (top): green vest, size 12, New Look

GONE Right (bottom): white off-shoulder, knot-front top, size 10, Kookai (quite short, which is why I don't wear it) GONE

Tops

2005-05-30T18:24:00.000+01:00

Tops
Originally uploaded by HellyBelly.

Left (top): silver chinese print, size 12, Oasis.

GONE Left (bottom): purple corset, size 12, TopShop. GONE

Right (top): purple vest top with cut-out back & sequined applique flower, size 12, Oasis.

GONE Right (bottom): stripey knit vest top, size 10, Karen Millen. GONE

Misc2

2005-05-30T18:21:00.000+01:00

Misc2
Originally uploaded by HellyBelly.

Left: black velvet jeans, size 10-12, Benetton.

Right (top): black heavy crepe wrap skirt, above knee-length, size 10-12, Gap.

GONE Right (bottom): black beach-wrap, silky fabric with silver, Indian style embroidery, Accessorize (never used) GONE

I CAN do it!

2005-05-22T20:02:00.000+01:00

I'm now officially* in training for the Great North Run. After a month of thinking to myself "Well, I don't have to do it", thus not really having much motivation for training because of having a mental getout clause, I've sent off the form to accept my charity place so I am doing it. Definately.

Partly, this is inspired by seeing my friend C last night. We ran the Exeter Half-Marathon together last year, and in a few weeks time she's going to be running the Edinburgh Marathon. Talking with her was just what I needed: she provided motivation and just the "you can do it" kick up the a*se I needed.

So this evening I went out for a 4 mile run, which was actually really good. And it felt good to put those first 4 miles into my training log as well.

* Well, I've made myself a training timetable/log

Snow on Creise

2005-05-16T13:03:00.000+01:00

Snow on Creise
Originally uploaded by HellyBelly.

Even though the weather yesterday was gorgeous and warm, we still found some snow on the top.

Climb ev'ry mountain

2005-05-16T12:56:00.000+01:00

Me towards Bidean nam Bian
Originally uploaded by HellyBelly.

I had a brilliant day out hillwalking yesterday in Glen Coe, so here's a picture of me up a hill, with gorgeous scenery in the background. Behind me, you can see the River Etive, the south end of Buachaille Etive Mor and, just covered in cloud, Bidean nam Bian.

Glen Coe is one of my favourite places for hillwalking, and the views yesterday were incredible.

Little things, BIG hassle

2005-05-10T19:49:00.000+01:00

How come doing the smallest of jobs seems to take the longest time? I had a new kitchen installed waaaaaay back in January, nearly 4 months ago now. Within the first month, I had all the old wallpaper stripped off, walls sanded and prepared, painting done, and the new blind ordered (which may not sound like a big job, but it required a 120 mile round trip to my nearest John Lewis, twice, because they messed up the order first time round). All of these were major jobs which were very time-consuming, and all done when I was also snowed under with work.

However, it's taken since then to get all the teeny finishing off jobs done. Last week, my Dad and I finally put up the new blind. On Sunday, I at last got round to ordering the new lino for the floor. And today I put the kitchen clock back up. And I still have to put the edging strip on the breakfast bar, but I think I'll save that for another day.

Decisions....decisions....

2005-05-06T21:27:00.000+01:00

Well, I broached the subject of my idea for a dramatic career change with my parents this evening, and was very pleasantly surprised by their positive reaction. It feels good to have talked about it with someone, and even just saying out loud what I want to do makes me feel more like I can actually do it.

My plan is to apply for medical school as a graduate entrant. Medicine is originally what I wanted to do when I was at school, but I was never very confident in my own academic abilities, and I decided I wasn't clever enough. Even when I got straight A's in my exams, I wasn't sure I was clever enough, and went off to university to do something else entirely, followed by a PhD. I've thought about medicine on and off over the years, but now I've decided to go for it.

It's a huge decision, because it means giving up the career I've worked very hard to establish over the last 10 years, but I don't particularly enjoy that career and I certainly don't want to be doing it for the next 30-odd years until I retire.

So my mum and dad are supporting my decision, and now it's down to me to actually make it happen. Scary stuff, but life's too short not to go for it.

Big decisions

2005-05-05T18:50:00.000+01:00

Well, I'm slightly cheerier today, but still pondering how to improve my enjoyment of life. One of the problems (amongest many), is that I just don't enjoy my work enough for it to be the major focus of my life, which it currently is.

Now I've got the career I've basically been working towards for the last 10 years, I've discovered it's not really what I actually want to be doing. So I'm starting to think about a career change, to one which I've thought about on and off for years. When I was applying to university, I didn't think I was clever enough, when I graduated, I didn't think I'd be able to afford it and then my current career got going and I went along with the flow.

But now I've discovered that I could actually afford it, and I'm certainly clever enough. So I think I'm going to seriously investigate a change of direction.

Scary stuff! My hand's shaking just writing this stuff down. And I dread to think what my colleagues and parents would say if I actually did it.

Down in the dumps

2005-05-04T20:25:00.000+01:00

I'm having real trouble with my mood today. The last few months have been really tough, and I've been feeling very up and down since Christmas really. But for the last month or so I feel like I've been on a total emotional rollercoaster, and today seems to be one of the real lows.

I'm just kind of sick of the way my life seems to be going, I suppose. Although I've got lots of good things in my life: good friends, a good job, nice house & car, I can afford to travel and I always seem to be off doing something or other, it just doesn't seem enough any more.

The basic problem, if I'm honest, is that all my friends are settling down, getting married and starting families, and I've not even come close to doing any of these things. And that's what I really want. I can pretend to myself that I'm happy being on my own, doing my own thing and working away but really I'm not. I want to be able to plan for the future with someone I love and who loves me, but I just can't seem to find someone.

My lovely friends keep telling me "it'll happen when you least expect it" (if I had a pound for every time I'd heard that, I'd have paid off my credit card debts ages ago...), that I've just been unlucky not to have met someone or that the men I have met just haven't been good enough for me. It gets difficult to believe after a while though.

I may have good friends, a nice house and hobbies I enjoy, but I just want to be able to share the good things I have in my life with someone who really matters to me.

And really rather than someone who gets a mention in their college alumnus magazine for getting a great job, I'd rather be someone who gets a mention for getting married or having a baby.

Hopefuly things'll seem brighter in the morning and tomorrow I'll be back to posting pictures of cakes and cats for your amusement and entertainment. Apologies for being so self-indulgent and self-pitying.

Hmmmm

2005-05-04T18:23:00.000+01:00

I got home from work this evening to find a copy of my college alumnus magazine. Flicking through, I discovered that I've received a mention for getting my job (which actually happened two years ago, but whatever) and it's kind of p*ssed me off. It certainly wasn't me who told them I'd got it, and I've no idea who did, but it's not the kind of thing I'd ever do.

I think I'm slightly annoyed that I've been made to look like the kind of person who boasts about their new job in their college alumnus magazine. But it kind of bothers me that I'm irritated by such a trivial thing. I'm in a weird mood this evening, I guess.

I'm in trouble now!

2005-05-03T18:55:00.000+01:00

Well, I got my place in the Great North Run. So it looks like I'm going to be doing an awful lot of running over the next 18 weeks and 5 days.

Which can only be a good thing, hopefuly!

I'm doing it in aid of Mind, a charity which works to improve quality of life for people experiencing mental health problems. They're very keen on promoting the idea that exercising is one way to help improve one's mental wellbeing. Certainly this has worked for me, I find running extremely therapeutic and found it very hard when I was unable to run due to injury. So for me, as both a runner and a psychologist, it's an excellent charity to support.

Can't buy me love...or happiness for that matter

2005-04-29T19:19:00.000+01:00

I've been doing rather a lot of shopping recently. Some of it has been on things I really need - like food and cat litter - but a lot of it has been on rather frivolous things - like eyeshadow, expensive underwear and shoes.

Mainly, this has been because I've been feeling pretty down for the last few months, and I keep thinking "I'll cheer myself up with a few treats". I think "my life will be complete if only I have x, y or z".

But really, it doesn't cheer me up at all. I really need to get a grip on this, and start doing more of the things that really make me happy. Otherwise I'll have awhole load of more problems when the credit card bills start adding up.

Two birds, one stone

2005-04-25T19:04:00.000+01:00

Having spent most of last week in a stinkingly bad mood, my mood appears to have lifted somewhat this week. Amazing, since it's only Monday and usually I loathe Mondays, even though ER is on and I can lust after the adorable Goran.

Anyway, I put this improvement down to the most successful form of therapy I have ever discovered - Spring Cleaning Therapy (although it can be done at any time of the year). I spent most of yesterday cleaning the house from top to bottom. Not just ordinary cleaning, either. I washed the paintwork in the hall that was covered in mud from my riding boots, I cleaned the minging stuff off the dish drainer and polished the sink, scraped the burnt on bits off the hob and I even took the covers off the sofa for the first time in nearly 2 years and put them through the washing machine. With some good music on (Madonna: Immaculate Collection, mostly) to sing along with, time flew by.

It was all very satisfying indeed, and not only did it make me feel chirpy for the first time in days by stopping me brooding, now my house is also sparkly clean into the bargain.

Although I do still have to iron the sofa covers, and somehow doing that's not therapeutic at all...

Honey-bee cake

2005-04-24T18:01:00.000+01:00

Honey-bee cake
Originally uploaded by HellyBelly.

Not much to say today, so here's a picture of a lovely honey & chocolate cake I made this week.

Mmmmm....cake....

Who needs enemies?

2005-04-21T18:19:00.000+01:00

Why is it that my friends keep insisting my life would be sorted if only I'd follow their patently ridiculous advice? I spent last night round at a friend's place defending myself against all her suggestions for things to do that would improve my life massively.

Only it turned into a "what's wrong with Helly" session: apparently I'm stubborn and not actually prepared to change; I'm far too independent so I couldn't possibly have a successful relationship with a man because wanting my own space/time is not what men want; it's ridiculous that I don't want to get a life coach; and I'm misguided in believing that any man would want me to behave like anything other than a 1950s housewife. The list goes on, but you get the jist...

So it's undone all the good work of my "Fabulous Me!" post from earlier in the week. Bah!

With friends like mine, who needs enemies?

Mysteries of the universe

2005-04-19T18:59:00.000+01:00

I've done something potentially rather stupid today...I've applied for a Great North Run place, to run for Mind. It's 5 months away, which is ages, and I'm going to build up to it slowly. But I'm not telling anyone I'm doing it yet because of all the trouble I had after I did my first half-marathon. I'm sure they'll all tell me it's too much, but my logic is that it'll be a good incentive to work hard on my physio in order to keep my knee in good working order.

So I'm just back from another 3 mile run, which was good, and my knee's not too bad. I had a look on the Runner's World website today, and got some different illiotibial band stretches to try, as the main problem is ITBS.

It's weird, my initial knee problem was pain behind my kneecap, which now seems to have been sorted by physio, but while I was laid-off from running because of that, I developed ITBS. The ITBS hurts whether I run or not, and I think it's better when I do run, probably because I stretch properly afterwards. But I've got no idea why it suddenly flared up when I wasn't running at all. Very odd, but this gives me justification for keeping going with the running.

I'm going to keep up the stretches, and I'm seeing the physio again tomorrow for some ultrasound and something called "frictioning", which sounds very painful.

Whether I manage the GNR or not, it's good to be running again, and that's a big deal for me.

I am woman, hear me roar! (Part 2)

2005-04-18T20:04:00.000+01:00

In fact, now I've been thinking about this for the last hour or so, the more annoyed I am with myself for having such a low opinion of myself. So I'm going to list the things about myself that are actually pretty good. I hope this doesn't seem too much like blowing my own trumpet, it's more because I figure if I list some of the positive things about myself, I might be more inclined to believe them.

So, I am:
a good cook
intelligent
tall and slim and blonde - shallow I know, but important anyway
a good listener
a loyal friend
good at DIY
a good teacher
sarcastic, but some people find this funny

I can:
ride a horse
apply eyeliner
run a half-marathon
climb a mountain
play the flute
dance in 4 inch stiletto heels

I'm happy to travel all over the place on my own, I'm comfortable with my own company and I have no problem going to the cinema on my own or eating dinner alone, just watching the world go by.

I have good friends all over the country from all phases of my life, from those I met at primary school when I was 8, through university friends, to my newest sparkly internet friends. And that really is what I'm most proud of. And surely this fact in itself should give me confidence in myself as someone with qood qualities.

I really must stop being so down on myself. And apologies for the somewhat self-indulgent nature of this post!

I am woman, hear me roar!

2005-04-18T19:41:00.000+01:00

Why is it that women (and really I mean me in particular) find it so hard to see in ourselves the qualities that our friends see in us. We find it so much easier to believe all the negative things we think about ourselves when we're at our lowest, to let our confidence be dented by even the slightest knock (real or imagined), than to believe in ourselves and the qualities we undoubtedly possess.

I know lots of fantastic women (and here I don't just mean me) who are intelligent, caring, witty, funny, compassionate and gorgeous. And most of us seem to find it easier to recognise these things in others than to see them in ourselves, no matter how often our friends reassure us that we too possess all these qualities, and despite all evidence to the contrary.

Why are we so much our own worst enemies? And here I do mean me, but I suspect there are quite a few other women out there who are the same.

Sunday best

2005-04-17T17:42:00.000+01:00

I went for a run this afternoon, despite being exhausted from not sleeping properly and then doing lots of work in the garden this morning. But it was brilliant, much better than earlier in the week when I was much more in the mood for it.

I did one of my old favourite routes that gives me a great view of the beach, which has very impressive surf at the moment because it's so windy here, and I really got a sense that I'm starting to get fit again.

It's hard not to compare my current level of fitness with how I was this time last year, 2 weeks before I ran my half-marathon. 3 miles then was just a warm up, 3 miles now is an achievement. But that's what I did today, and I need to compare myself with how unfit I was a month or so ago and recognise how far I've come in the time since I started running again.

Patience...

2005-04-16T21:45:00.000+01:00

So, I met a really nice guy last night, who is a friend-of-a-friend and we seemed to hit it off rather. Lots of flirty chat, lots of dancing and a little bit of kissing.

We swapped phone numbers, and talked vaguely about going out sometime next week, so I'm crossing my fingers that he'll call. My inital feeling is why shouldn't I just call him, seeing as I'd like to see him again? In these enlightened times of equality, why shouldn't I do the chasing, rather than sitting around waiting to be asked out?

I spoke with my friend though, and she thinks that men like to do the chasing themselves, and told me there's nothing I can do but sit and wait to be called. So apparently I need to be patient. It goes against my usual pattern of dating behaviour, plus I'm not the world's most patient person. But at the same time my usual approach isn't all that successful, so maybe it's time to try a new tactic?

So I've decided to give it a go, let him do the running. I suppose it'd be nice to be pursued for a change. We shall see...

Fergus looking cute

2005-04-13T20:00:00.000+01:00

Fergus looking cute
Originally uploaded by HellyBelly.

I don't really have much to say tonight, so here's a picture of lovely Fergus instead of my ramblings.

What a wuss

2005-04-12T18:42:00.000+01:00

I've got a papercut on my finger and it really, really hurts. I'm in agony! Do you reckon that's a good enough reason to leave the huge stack of washing up I need to do for another night?

Rites of passage

2005-04-12T18:06:00.000+01:00

Someone on the sparkly thread today said something along the lines that we're not viewed as being grown-up women until we've got our own families.

This echoed something I was just mulling over this morning on the way to work. I've often felt that I don't get treated as a "proper" adult because I've missed out on most of the major rites of passage so far, and there's no sign of this changing any time soon. I'm not married, have never lived with a boyfriend and I don't have any children, although many of my friends have gone through these milestones.

In the last few years, I've been to more weddings than I can count (noteabe was the year when I went to 7 weddings, and last summer during which I went to 4 - and all in my own right, none as someone else's "plus-one"), and now people have started inviting me to their baby's christenings.

I've often felt slightly sad that I'm missing out on these things, those occasions when society really recognises that we're adults, and feel that other people still treat me as someone's child, rather than as an adult (example: being invited to go with my parents to my brother's girlfriend's family - who I'd never even met before - for Christmas last year).

However, now I've started thinking that this feeling maybe reflects more how I see myself than how I am actually perceived by other people. Maybe if I start acting more like an adult, people will treat me as one.

Running or s*x?

2005-04-11T20:10:00.000+01:00

I went for a run tonight, and although while I was out there it was pretty unpleasant because it's blowing a gale here, now I'm back I feel great. I love to run so much.

My ex-boyfriend recently asked me which I'd chose if I could only ever either have sex, or go running - a variation on the old booze or sex choice. Without doubt,I'd have to chose running and give up sex (and that's no reflection on his performance in bed either!). It makes me feel so good, helps me to relax and unwind. Although some of those benefits certainly also come from good sex, I think running wins narrowly because it's one of the few things I do entirely for my own benefit.

The snag is that the more I run, the sexier I feel, so I'd never really be able to go without one or the other for too long. Thank goodness I don't really have to chose!

Loch Brandy

2005-04-10T17:19:00.000+01:00

Loch Brandy
Originally uploaded by HellyBelly.

I love this place, it's in Glen Clova near Dundee. I had a brilliant, but very hungover, day's walking there earlier this spring. Got my feet itchy for hillwalking again.

Old friends

2005-04-10T14:28:00.000+01:00

I spent last night catching up with two of my very good friends from student days. I'd not seen either of them for months, and it was just like old times, brilliant fun. I really miss them.

Why does it get so much harder to make good friends as you get older, and to keep up with the ones you've already got?

I suppose, 5 or 6 years ago, most of the people I knew were at similar places in our lives: studying, struggling to survive on practically no money, but still managing to go to the pub every night, ignoring the housework and engaging in random snogs and having rubbish love-lives. Now my peers are all doing different things. Some are still students, some are married and have babies, some aren't, some have very responsible jobs and none of us go to the pub every night. There's no longer that common bond of being young and (reasonably) free of responsibility that once tied us together as a group.

Everyone's paths seem to be diverging, I suppose that's the way it goes. It makes me think I need to work harder to keep up with my friends and to maintain our bonds, despite how different our lives are now.

Racing for Life

2005-04-08T19:45:00.000+01:00

I first got into running about 3 years ago, when I rashly signed up to do a Race for Life, for Cancer Research UK. I surprised myself by really enjoying running, and I've done it every year since, although last year I walked it rather than running. I also did my half-marathon in aid of CR:UK.

It's my favourite charity because so many members of my family have suffered from cancer. My gran, great-aunt, and aunt all died of various forms of cancer. Another aunt has survived breast cancer and my mum had cancer of the endometrium. That's quite a lot of people considering I don't have a huge family.

The Race for Life is great, and I'd encourage anyone to sign up for one this year. A brilliant atmosphere, doesn't matter whether you run or walk and in a good cause. I've just signed up for this years' one, on the 19th June, and I'm really looking forward to it.

http://www.raceforlife.org/

A good day today

2005-04-08T19:42:00.000+01:00

So I went for a run this evening, although I didn't really feel like it when I got home from work. To start with it was horrible, couldn't catch my breath and it just wasn't fun. But gradually, I started to enjoy myself, and feel like I could keep going forever.

It was a beautiful evening, and I managed to run almost the whole of my two and a half mile route. I've been building up my sessions from mostly walking, with a wee bit of running, gradually doing more running and less walking. Today I ran the furthest I've run in nearly a year, and it was great.

Scrap that idea

2005-04-08T19:29:00.000+01:00

Apparently I'm not going to the pub, I'm going to the cinema, which gives me more time to think of what to say...here goes...

I guess the main reason I've started this blog is to use it as a training log for my running. I'm just getting back into running after a 9 month lay-off, and I'm finding it frustrating. So I figured that it might be a good idea to keep track of my progress so I can look back over the good days when I have bad days.

About a year ago I ran a half-marathon, my first after several years of running just to keep fit. I absolutely loved it, and got a wee bit obsessed, but unfortunately I also injured my knee. It's taken me all this time to get a diagnosis and for it to start getting better.

I've seen: 4 physiotherapists (all of whom thought I had different problems); 3 orthapaedic consulants (one of whom thought I should just forget about ever running again and become a couch-potato - I don't think so!) and 2 GPs. I've had several x-rays and an MRI scan, been prescribed anti-inflamatories (which didn't work) and told to take daily ibuprofen (which did work, but gave me stomach ache).

Finally, I saw a fabulous orthopaedic consulant who specialised in sports medicine, and it seems that because of being knock-knee-ed, I'm suffering from illiotibial band syndrome and anterior knee pain. I'm now working really hard on my physio exercises, and gently starting running again. Which leads me to this blog...

Oooh...what shall I say?

2005-04-08T19:16:00.000+01:00

I've finally succumbed and decided to start a blog, inspired by my sparkly friends on the GU talk website. Now I've got it, I'm not quite sure what to do with it, but I'm sure I'll think of something.

I'll start with a few things about myself. I live in Scotland, as I have done for most of my life, and I hope never to live anywhere else. I live in a particularly lovely town on the east coast, with a fab beach, which I'm very fond of.

Things I like: cats, mountains, running (more of that later, I suspect), watching trashy TV, horses, GUTalk, Green & Black's Cherry Chocolate

Off out to the pub now, so perhaps some alcohol will inspire me to write some more