This Xmas is nearly killing me. I don't have any time left to breath and still haven't even completed the horror called xmas shopping. The shop is busy like in hell and on top of that we did this tree decoration job with surprising deadlines. I worked all night through on that super cute London bus road garland(check my art blog for details).
At least I managed to attend karate on Wednesday and on Thursday I went climbing even though I was facing an all night bus building session. Yesterday, on Sunday, I ran through parks between my seasonal duties of gingerbread baking and gift hunting. The weather has gone milder again which meant lots of mud. Then today I panicked when faced with realities of the Christmas season. I do not have any more time left for running until next year! So I went for a late night run and ran pretty fast again. I'm quite sad of not been able to run for such a long time but I guess I can make it up with some winter sports when I get to Finland next week. And to be honest; fuck this mild weather, I need real winter with ice and snow!
After two weeks of feeling miserable I'm finally getting myself back together. I detest illness. It's the stupidest invention on Earth. Can I just choose never to be ill again? My whiskey drinking habits are obviously not helping and for the first time ever in my life I have decided to make a New Year's resolution. I HATE our stupid culture that starts showing Weight Watchers adverts right after we finished our Xmas dinners but for one time only I have to give in. This marathon will not happen if I continue enjoying whiskey this much! So I will promise to drastically cut down drinking and start a real training routine on a New Year. Wow
Today I went running and I ran fast! Faster than ever before(12km per hour to be precise). Maybe it was the long break from running or the super chilly weather that made me do it but it was amazing! I loved every moment of it and this bizarre thought came to me: I might actually like the actual act of running.
Yesterday I was a superhuman by the way. I cycled that horrible hill home in hangover, wearing a pencil skirt and a way too hot winter jacket whilst carrying two small xmas trees, xmas decorations, pots and pans and other kitchen utensils, some clothes and art materials.
It's first of December and I went to a marathon training day. Christmassy indeed. I was rather worried about the whole thing as I had the most horrible week being stupidly ill. It's my last day popping antibiotics. But then again I would have been very pissed off if I would have missed this as well on a top of everything else I missed this week. Above is my very grown up wallet suffocating in a plastic bag meanwhile I was outside running with other marathon trainees. It was a crisp and very cold day, actually very nice for running. It was bit weird running in a big group but soon I got talking to fellow runners and it wasn't bad at all. We did a light jog through Regent's Park to a running track where they made us to do THRESHOLD training. I'v never heard that word before but basically it means running bit faster than is totally comfortable for short periods of time. They asked us to go in two groups according to what we though we could handle: four times four minute sprints or three minute ones. I obviously went to the hardcore group which made me realise that I really do think differently to other women. It was me, all the guys and just few women in our group and the pathetic group was, well all women. I think it's just a mindset what's different not the actual ability. Women tend to underestimate their capabilities whereas men do the opposite. I was bit annoyed by this. C'mon girls where's your attitude! So turns out I'm competitive. They did say not to compete with others but I might have secretly done a bit of competing. I'm proud of hanging in the front half of the group all way through.
There was a Christmas tree..
I tried to take notes when they lectured on all sorts of things. When it came to sports injuries it was all way too medical for me. I had no clue what they were talking about for the most of the time.
Overall it was an useful experience. I defiantly learned some basic rules about training. The thing that amused me was that we were meant to consider ourselves as athletes. I see myself as Usain Bolt now. Oh yeah.
Last Friday I finally tested my professional winter running equipment. Looks like I'm sponsored by Karrimor. Either the equipment failed or my body just had enough of me wanting too much from it but bit after the run it just shut down. Well, I went to bed and thought nothing of it until the next morning. I had promised to go climbing as soon as the climbing centre opens. I felt shit but went climbing anyways. There was some sort of big happening going on. We didn't participate on any of the competitions such as SPEED CLIMBING. We took all the freebies though. Below are the freebies. I will leave them visibly somewhere in my room so anyone who visits will get a very false picture of me as super serious action woman. The truth is that I am far from action person or desired superhero. Today I got finally ill for real. The whiskey drinking on Saturday night might have not helped me after all. Bugger
Natures forces were punishing me for my partying lifestyle today. The wind was RIDICULOUS! I tried my best to cycle to Science Museum but I swear I was moving more backwards than forwards. Luckily the way back was a piece of cake since this time wind was on my side. Should have built wings. Anyways, back home I was buzzing so much that I decided to do some running as well. When running wind doesn't really bother that much. I felt energetic and pushed myself up the hills to Highgate TWICE. My body graves for these kind of nice adrenaline rushes but I'v been burning the candle from all the possible ends lately. Partying, partying and partying and training and working lots just doesn't happen all at ones. I'm not stupid, I know this very well. But I'm a new single person and it's the party season and... I will do something very obvious and do a New Year's resolution: will cut down partying A LOT. I'v been always annoyed by New Year's resolutions but I think one is needed this time around. Otherwise this girl is going to end up in a hospital rather than running a bloody marathon. Yesterday should have been a warning example. After spending whole day in horrible hungover I went to karate and I was SHITTIER than SHIT! My brain didn't work at all and I felt annoyed, frustrated and angry. Yep.
Rubbishly I only managed to run ones in the last week and that was yesterday. Well at least I finally managed to move all my shit and now it's all in a nice pile in the corner of our living room. Guys won't mind... On Wednesday I did karate, of course. Big bloke who also happens to be a brown belt bruised my arms pretty well. I did put on a good fight! On Thursday I got stupidly drunk, on Friday I suffered and on Saturday we went climbing again. It pays to go bit more regularly. We finally managed to progress to the next level of difficulty!
Yesterday was a sunny and brisk day. Brilliant for a good run. Also brilliant for a nice walk around Hampstead Heath. This bird animal was in one of the ponds. I don't understand what's going on with it's wings!
What a weekend! At times(like today morning) it was so shitty that I really wished to be like this super girl and not a grown up woman in a middle of a stupid relationship mess. Life was so simple as a eight year old! Maybe if I just sew a super costume and put it on, it would take away all these pointless grown up problems? It's so stupid idea that it might just work.
Yesterday at least I did some serious sport stuff. In the morning I went trough those boring sit ups and press ups etc. and then ran around muddy parks. What really is great about my new home is that I'm close to my favourite parks again: Queen's Wood, Alexandra Palace and Highgate Wood. Later on yesterday I met my friend Satu for a wall climbing session. We were both pretty tired and even more hysterical than normally. We have a standard level of hysteria every time. Wall climbing is not to be taken too seriously... But yeah, this time we finished early and headed to the pub for some recovery drinks.
