February Fitness

So, with Janathon over and done I expected to drift back into a pattern of spending time with a nice comfy sofa. Whilst it was going to be optimistic to think I could continue the pattern of exercising every day (particulary since Stellian had a girly long weekend booked in), I didn't revert to the sloth I have been in the past.

On Runningfreeonline, I joined the 2013 miles in 2013 group. I realise this might be a bridge to far, but it might be doable. 2013/12 months = 167.75 miles per month and I had already done 236 in January and so was nearly 69 miles in credit. Unfortunately, despite doing some degree of exercise most days, this surplus had been severely reduced by the end of the month, so I might need to work a little harder in the future. On the bright side, the weather has to start getting warmer soon and February has fewer days than January, so less time to be able to exercise.

How am I going to achieve this? Well first of all, Stellian drew my attention to parkrun.org.uk which organises a 5k run in parks all around the country on a Saturday morning. I signed up to this almost as soon as she sent me the link, with Walsall Arboretum set as my home run. The good thing about ParkRun is that there's no fee or obligation and you can attend any run at any scheduled meeting around the country. All you need is your personalised bar code so they can record your time. This is just as well as the first weekend after I registered, we were visiting my in-laws in Liverpool.

Suprisingly, I dragged myself out of the house around 8:15am to drive the other side of the city to take part in my first race. When I arrived, it didn't look like there were going to be that many people there, but as the start time drew close, all of a sudden there were more and more runners there so I didn't feel out of place. My official time for the 5k was 27 minutes 32. Which I thought was quite good bearing in mind my sole aim was to keep it under the half hour mark. OK so it placed me 93rd out of 138 runners and it gives me something to improve upon as well. Despite it trying to snow during the run, it did remind me that it's nicer to get somewhere rather than stare at a wall on a treadmill (even if the gym is warmer).

The other challenge I've set myself (and so has Stellian) is to Swim 5km. This is a part of the Swimathon event in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care. The last month has really reminded me how much I love swimming, although the furthest I've gone recently is a little over 3km. I would like to try and complete the distance in under 2 hours, so we'll see how close I get. If you feel inclined to sponsor me, you can do so here.

You may (or may not) therefore be wondering how I've done at losing weight this month. Well, on 31/1/13, my weight was 201.25 lbs and now, the Biggest Loser scales say...

It may not seem much, but it puts my BMI at 26.2 and ever closer to a healthy weight.


February Breakdown:

Walking: 8.88 miles in 2h 23m 42
Running: 20.15 miles in 3h 40m 36
Cycling: 65.61 miles in 3h 21m 57
Cross Trainer (Elliptical): 8.82 in 1h 26m 58
Rowing: 1.24 miles in 0h 9m 23
Swimming: 10.13 miles in 6h 45m 54

Total: 114.91 miles in 17h 51m 30

Year to Date
Distance: 350.91 miles
Remaining: 1,662.09 miles

Half Term Happenings

Half term has come round surprisingly quickly this year. What with the disrupted routine at school due to the snow and ice, it's probably come at the right time for them to have a week off to try and reset themselves next week.

With their balloons.

The only problem with half term is trying to find something to entertain the kids without spending a small fortune. I started off by thinking that I could take them to see Wreck It Ralph at the cinema, but closer investgation revealed that it was going to cost the best part of £20 for the three of us and that's before you start including drinks and food.

Fortunately, I then had a facebook update from the council telling me what they had going on, so I think I've found some activities that will keep them happy for a bit. However, this was about 9.15am and only two of us were dressed, so a quick hurry-up later and we were out the door and looking for Hamstead Library in Great Barr, where the kids went to Ron Popple's Magic and Balloon show.


I had two activities planned for Tuesday, but despite being fine when she woke up, around 9am, G declared that her neck was aching and this pretty much ruled out the activity I had planned for her. By lunchtime she was feeling better, so in the afternoon, we headed out to the Oak House in West Bromwich, where they were having a Pirate Day.

The kids managed to pick up some more balloons, this time in the form of pirate swords and we completed a treasure hunt around the building before heading out to the pirate ship play area at the back. It was the first time I'd been to Oak House and there really wasn't a lot to occupy us for any more than an hour, but it seemed an interesting place. All S wanted to do was run around and fiddle with everything, which meant that I couldn't investigate anything in detail. Still, the kids had fun and came away with a chocolate coin and a finger puppet as their reward for completing the treasure hunt.

Climbing the rigging

Ideal for "Titanic" fans

In the crow's nest

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even the small pool at Smethwick is huge!

The plan for Wednesday morning was the rescheduled plan for Tuesday morning. This was only an activity that G could do, but I knew it was one she'd enjoy and so for the first time, she played Water Polo. There were only five children either side and it looked like she was the only one playing for the first time, but she had a huge grin on her face all the way through, which was fantastic to see.

In the afternoon, I had another surprise in store for the children as I had found that one of the local libraries was running a Moshi Monsters Quiz. The kids have been obsessed with these things for ages and I still have no real idea what they are, but they seem to know enough for them both to come third in the quiz! G managed to win the resulting tie-breaker to win a small prize, which she was chuffed about.


The following day was quiet day for Daddy whilst the kids used their energy at the local soft play area and in the afternoon it was movie time courtesy of BT Vision, which included Madagascar 3 (Circus... Afro...) and when Friday came, it was time to decamp to Liverpool to see the Grandparents. For the first time, the trainset came out and the children loved playing with that after the adults had spent some time playing with it setting it up (cough).

All in all, it was an enjoyable half-term, which went past far too quickly!