Getting reckless, fitness style

Aloha! Happy Saturday! Unfortunately I won't be lazing about in bed for long as I have to get up and go to work to run a pond dipping family day on the reserve. Keep your fingers crossed no one falls in!

I'd decided to start up my Fitness Friday link up again, so I can keep a track of what I'm up to now the weather is improving (looks out at grey skies, laughs wryly). I am such a bad workout logger, as I will only share what I've done if I think my week looks vaguely impressive.This low down is in no way indicative of the past few months! I missed the boat a bit this week with posting this, but here's what I have been getting on.

Saturday: 3.4k run. I had a busy old day today, what with a 3.4k dog walk in the morning, a ton of shopping and then the impromptu run. But it got me back on track.

Sunday: 1hr Zumba. Yay Zumba. It never gets old. It's my favourite way to work out and always makes me feel good.

Monday: 1hr Zumba. I went for the double.

Tuesday: 50mins Powerhoop. I need to do a proper post about my new thang- hooping. It's a great toning workout.

Wednesday: 2.7 mile run. I'm trying to think in miles, not km. I went down the canal straight from work and it was pretty nice to try a new route. I'm trying to get into the habit of going out before I get home, since I find once I am back the motivation swiftly declines.

Thursday: 3.4 mile run. This was  a bit of a killer. My legs were tired from yesterday, and I kept getting pins and needles in my foot. Really annoying, I hope it was a one off.

Friday: Rest. Needed to give my legs a break. Stretched them well by running around after 61 children on the reserve.

So today I am going to run again and see how it goes, my legs still feel a little achey, but I am hoping if I keep it up I will get back into the groove.

Because...

I signed up for a half marathon!

In four weeks time!

Aaaaah crap!

source
(easier said than done!)

Last week my friend said she's signed up for it, but could only run about 5 miles (though I bet she's better than she says she is!) and I was all like 'ooh I am a rubbish runner I shall definitely sign up!' then on my birthday on Tuesday I was having a 'I am old and have achieved nowt' crisis, so signed up online at work. Having barely run since January, and even then my longest distance being 10k. Which wasn't the easiest.

I don't have a game plan yet. I just want to keep up the running in the lead up to the race, stretch, not worry about my time, and break it down mentally into 2 and a bit 10ks. Like a 10k is a doddle for me. Yuh....no.

Who knows how I'll do. And, the course is undulating. Oh deary me. The good thing about this is it is motivating me to work out, as I had become so slack and lazy over the winter. No excuses now, or I will die when the race comes around in a month.

Any advice?

xxx

What the hell is on my bedside table?

After the unbridled success of What the hell is in my handbag? I have decided to follow it up with a candid look at what rubbish I have accumulated next to my bed.

Let's see.

A clock. Good for telling the time and shit.
Moisturiser. Handy for impromptu moisturising when watching Made in Chelsea on Iplayer.
Perfume. Fantasy by Britney Spears. It smells like creme caramel, OK?

Books. Booksbooksbooks. These are the ones that haven't yet migrated to the big shelf in the other room. Currently reading Eighty Days Yellow. Enjoying it far more than 50 Shades of Grey. But then, I enjoy most things more that 50 Shades of Grey.
Colouring pencils. As good a place to keep them as any.
Glasses. These are fake cheapo glasses that I purchased to see how I'd look in glasses. Now I wear them if I am reading something intelligent so I feel smarter. Please don't tell anyone how lame I am.
Face cream. So I put it on before I go to sleep. This one is a night cream from Botanics at Boots.
Scissors. For chopping. What, I don't know.
Cleansing oil. I put this here because I thought I could use it with just cotton wool, turns out it needs to be washed off with water. Should move it to by a sink, really.

A rabbit light. Whoa, startled rabbit!
A Ragu pasta sauce jar with a ribbon tied around. Ragu jars are surprisingly attractive once all the tomato is thoroughly removed, who knew? I had some flowers in this a while ago, now it's wistfully waiting for more.

Mooooore books.
DVDs. Water for Elephands (ooh, forgot I had this) and the 30 Day Shred. The Shred lives in my laptop, so if I should inexplicably feel inclined to do it, it's easily accessible before I have time to change my mind.
Various cosmetics. Coconut oil, Charles Worthington hair mask, air tonic I never use, Boots face serum, nail varnish, a decrepit Lush body bar that I still have because it smells nice, and a nearly-used-up Benefit eye cream.
An assortment of chargers and cables.
Vits and mins. Silica from Holland and Barratt and hair, skin and nails tablets from Tesco. So I remember to take them every morning.
All stored in a handy plastic lid.

Startled rabbit. From another angle. I do not have two rabbits (sadly).

A unicorn sprinkle shaker. Because sometimes you just need one.

A glass of water. For health and late night thirst missions.

Things not pictured, but that often find their way there: my phone (for waking up), my car keys, pens, paper, magazines, other books, empty coffee cups, full coffee cups, plates, and empty peanut butter jars from oats-in-a-jar breakfasts. 

What the hell is on your bedside table?

xxx

TK Maxx comes up trumps

I do enjoy a browse of TK Maxx, but I mainly look at the homewares and beauty products with an eye for some cheap gubbins. It can be hit and miss, as I'm sure any shopper there will know, but you can also get some proper bargains. 

So I was in there on Saturday doing a casual browse of the hair products, but nothing caught my eye (OK, a ton of things did, but I can't justify a salon-sized bottle of Tigi shampoo, cheap or not, when I so much stuff to use up at home). On my way out I saw these workout leggings.

haha weird legs

I'd had my eye on a pair like this from the H&M sportswear range (and blogged about it) but they were all sold out, so I pounced on these. 20 quid, thank you very much. They're so comfy, have a flattering waistband and a cool pattern. Love.

Then, goshdarnit, on the way to the changing room I saw a rail of David & Goliath tops. I've blogged my approval of this brand before, and had just the other day been browsing their website and contemplating a purchase, so for £7.99 each as opposed to £20 I couldn't say no.

I picked up this top by Brat & Suzie as an afterthought, but when I tried it on fell for it as well. The colour flatters a tan (or my sunburn, ahem) and it has a picture of a raccoon on a bike. What's not to like? Thisun cost me £9.99 down from £28. Brat & Suzie is another brand I have admired so I'm really pleased with this find. 

I hit up Primark, as you do. I bought quite a lot of stuff but returned most of it, just keeping the PJ trousers, a plain black tee and some accessories. Primark have some well-cut plain tees in at the mo with roll sleeves, which I like.

I indulged in some tat from the children's department, and had to have this butterfly chap. 

You'll notice I snuck in a shampoo buy. I went on a recommendation from Katie at Talk Less, Say More. I figure that if a non-beauty blogger goes out of their way to say they like something like this, it must be a sincere review. I've tried the shampoo once and I like it. How's that for a detailed review?

Check out my pretty floral duvet cover. That's a Primark buy too, £9, from a few weeks ago. 

Got any good swag recently?

xxx

Don't blog any day in May

I feel like the beginning of the month of May has been an unintentional protest against the often forced and therefore sometimes dull blog challenge 'Blog every day in May'. Several things have caused blogging to be less than easy for me, these being my USB keyboard mysteriously stopping working and my camera mysteriously stopping connecting to the laptop. Blogging can be a bit of a faff at the best of times, especially if you're as disorganised as fuck like me.

I am also unable to comment on other blogs, or type much at all really. So I am sorry to all the blogs I read and love every day but have been unable to comment on.

Anyway.

May is my birthday month (so many other awesome people I know are born in May) and it also holds two Bank Holidays, so it's a treat all round. Last weekend I went down to Chichester for some BBQ, drinking and frisbee.

Small Dog was clearly devastated I was leaving.

She could not come on account of the SUPER CUTE RABBITS.

It was a celebration of not one, but two cakes. My face on a cake! How incredible is it? And it looks like me. I tasted so good.

This cake was swamped in ganache.

We consumed a lot o meat and Pimms.

And played some comedic drinking games with the help of my good friend potato rum, all the way from the Czech Republic.

That evening we went out for a few classy drinks. Yes. I'm sure we did.

Bank Holiday Monday was IMMENSE. Look at that there sky. Thank you, Gods of the Bank Holiday.

The day was spent in the park playing Ultimate Frisbee, which reminded me how much I need to incorporate some sprinting into my runs. If you want a cracking workout, play Ultimate Frisbee.

We then sat out in the garden eating the remains of the cake. And I got ridiculously sunburnt. The whole time I was sat out there I felt fine, then once we got in we all succumbed one by one to the horrible red burn. So now I have stupid white strap marks and a big red patch on my chest like a bib. At least it's a reminded of the nice weather, as I look out at a mediocre rain shower now.

I got some nice treats also, which was really unexpected and nice.

A unicorn sprinkle shaker. My life is complete.

So I've spent the rest of this week wistfully wishing I was out in the park chucking a frisbee about, wincing at my sunburn and getting back On It at work (the school trips to the reserve are in full swing).

How y'all doing? I am not a rude, antisocial blog reader, I promise. Technology is against me.

xxx

What the hell is in my handbag?

First of all, hambag. Aha. When I was little I thought handbags were actually called hambags.

 

So many bloggers do 'what's in my handbag' posts, and they are always all ridiculously neat. Really, guys? Where are the squashed Hobnobs, old Tesco receipts and eye shadows with the lids off? Or am I just a ropey old handbag ruiner? I am a ropey old handbag ruiner, yes, no questions asked. On the outside, my bag looks nice and unassuming.

 

I got this bag from Warehouse ages ago and it's still going strong.

Let's look inside.

Aah, hello big load of crap.

It's a lot better than it has been. Accidents have included my 20p Primark highlighter crumbling over everything, lunches exploding regularly and, most recently, Hairy Dog weeing up the side. It did not go in the bag. I cleaned it thoroughly. But still. Thus is my life.

A closer investigation.

Here we have:

Diary. So very very organised and grown up and a valid member of society. No pen there to actually write in it, but no matter.
Water bottle. Scuffed and dented, but a water bottle nonetheless.
Body spray. No stinkyness for me.
Purse. I love this big boy I got from Primark yonks ago. Still doing a sterling job. I won't do a 'what's in my purse' spinoff, unless you like seeing 48 thousand useless old cards.
Palmers hand cream. To help me fight the battle of the dry hands. Smells like chocolate.
Garnier BB cream. On its last legs so I relegated it to the handbag of doom to finish off its days doing emergency touch ups.
Phone. £7.50 from Orange. You won't be finding no apps on this.
Pain killers. To kill pain. Kill dat dere pain.
A decorated matchbox. What, you don't have one in your bag??? Living life on the edge. Not a day goes by when I don't need this...
Sleek lip balm. I never use this.
10p. Ooh 10p!
A hairband. Thou shalt always have a hairband. If I don't have one on my wrist, hair or nearby my world implodes.
17 nude eyeshadow trio. In case I should suddenly need an eye repair job.
2x eyeliners. As above. Eyeliner tends to cock up the most, and there's nothing worse than cocked up eyeliner.
Vaseline. The reason I never use the Sleek one.
Rubbish. Aah, my priceless litter collection. Including 3x Babybel wrappers (wax and red seethrough paper), 2 cheesestring wrappers, a Nakd bar wrapper (pecan pie, yum), a Galaxy Caramel Celebration wrapper and a Tesco receipt. The handbag bin: for when the bin in the office is just 3 meters too far away.

What's in your bag? Be honest now...

xxx