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Day 19 - sunset run

Lovely to watch the sun go down over Morden Park. Best thing about this Janathon has been using the park on a regular basis. Cant believe we have got to day 19 all ready!

Day 17 & 18

On Tuesday was a frantic dash to squeeze a 15 min run in between school and choir. Was feeling a bit knackered after busy day at school and a 4 mile walk!

Tonight (Wed) was much more fun. Went with Carole for a 34 min run on a rather undulating route. Really struggled on the uphill bits! Wore far too many layers and was uncomfortably hot.

Day 16

22 min run with my pal Carole. After work, pre dinner run. Over the halfway mark!


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Day 15

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Day 14 - frosty morning run

Morden Park looked lovely this morning in the mist with frost on the ground. Added extra bit to my normal route.

Day 12 & 13

Had a great run on Thursday evening. Mybe it was because I was in a good mood because I'd finished school for the week but I felt able to run for ages. I did 31 minutes and enjoyed most of it.

Today I ran for 21 minutes but not nearly as happily as yesterday!

Day 11

Today at school I learned a new song

"Why move so fast,
Make each moment a lifetime.
Stop and look around you,
Sieze the day!"

This is my new mantra for running! BTW the "move so fast" represents my frazzled brain - not my running speed! I am going to try and stay in the moment and not constantly look ahead!

Listen here

Busiest day ever - day 10

I was madly worrying that I wouldnt be able to squeeze a run in today. Ive got a horrible head cold which means I wake up coughing and spluttering through out the night. I ended up working til about 1am last night so had little sleep. I had planned to run at 6am but felt like a zombie so postponed. I was frantically busy all day and so had to wait l. I had a meeting after school and an appointment at choir shortly after. I decided to cut my losses and go for a 12 minute run whilst dinner was in the oven. Kids were incredulous that I had actually been since it was so short and accused me of hanging about by the bins. Felt ridiculously pride in the fact that even on such a busy day I managed to get my trainers on and run.

Got lots more work to do so probably will have another late night. Will I be up and out for tomorrows 6am run?

Day 9 - Pleasant jog with Carole

Early evening running tonight with some company. 21 minutes. It never ceases to amaze me how much running is all in the mind. You would think it was the feet and legs but my biggest enemy is my negativity. Started off very sluggish and desperate to stop. Once we were up to 15 mins I suddenly felt much more positive and able to run for further.

Day 8 - the morning after ...

One effect of this daily running is that it has cut down on the amount of alcohol I am drinking. Not that I roll around drunk every evening you understand but I like a glass of wine with my meal and the odd nightcap. I have cut out the nightcap and having wine every day. Last night I hadn't planned to have a drink but ended up having a couple of glasses of wine and stayed up til 2am. This meant I felt a little fragile this morning. I had intended to run before The Archers, but instead waited til it had finished before I ventured out. It was surprisingly okay. My motivation to get out was very low and I had to grit my teeth to force myself out. However I felt really jubilant that I had done it and much more awake when I returned.

The observer came with a CD about mindful exercise - from some org called headspace I think. plan to investigate this further. Tomorrow will be an evening run with the lovely Carole!

1 week completed! 24 days to go

One of the things that this janathon challenge has brought home to me is how much I am always rushing ahead to the next thing. Even before todays run was over I was planning where to go tomorrow and fretting about how I was going to manage on Monday. Then I realised I was making it more of a chore than it needs to be. It is actually really pleasant to be out in the park jogging along listening to my music. And that brings me to another point - I simply must sort out my playlists. I ran last week listening to all the music/songs I am teaching the kids at school. If I put my iphone on shuffle I end up with endless recorder pieces. Anyone got any good suggestions for music to run to? I did once once try running whilst listening to The Archers but it made me run even slower than ever.

Today I managed 20 minutes running.

I am thrilled with these gloves Andrew got me - warm fingers and I can fast forward the tracks!

Day 6 - running in daylight

Had a lay in today and have been able to run in the sunshine. I much prefer running off road but it simply isn't possible due to work commitments most days.

I ran for 20 minutes today through Morden Park listening to songs I plan to teach in singing assembly.

Day 5

Another early one today. Whilst on my run I bumped into 2 friends, both out walking their dogs before work. I'm wondering what time the sun actually rises? Tomorrow I'm not at work in the morning so am hoping to go later at 7.30am so I can run off road.

Was very grateful to Helen for leaving such positive comments yesterday. Must remember to pay it back by leaving comments on some one else's Janathon blog.

The pedometer on my iphone completely failed to work today. Might have a look around to see if I can download an easier one or even learn to use the one I've already downloaded!

Day 4 - early morning

Was up and out by 6.45am this morning. The only problem was I hadn't anticipated quite how dark it would be. I skirted around Morden Park looking for some dog walkers but all was pitch black so I reluctantly stuck to the road.

i managed to get past the 5 min barrier - probably as I was preoccupied with the route. Am now running for 16 minutes but still getting overtaken by fast walkers :-)

Day 3 - evening run

Ran tonight with Carole. Felt a bit guilty about slowing her down so much but we had a pleasant 16 min run together. Because it was dark Carole was not so keen to run in the park so we stuck to the streets.
Although I am managing the run I have a terrible wobble after 5 mins when I always want to stop. I had to walk briefly but then managed to run the rest.
Not sure when to go tomorrow - 6.30am or after school?

Day 2 - Janathon

What have I done? I spent the first few minutes of this mornings run in a swirl of negative thoughts telling my self I'd never be able to keep this up every day for a month. Thankfully by the time I got to 5 minutes these negative thoughts were replaced by the relief of being able to walk for a minute.

I bought the "Get Running" app for my iphone as I wanted someone else to work out a programme for me. However I haven't quite found the right level to start out. Today I ran for 5 mins, walked for 1.5 mins then ran for 3 mins, walked 1 min then ran 5mins.

Of course my run is someone else's slow jog but I am not going to worry about time, for the time being. So this weeks objective then is to run for 15 mins every day.

Tomorrow I am back to school and not sure If I can be up & out for 6am if I want to get the run done before school. Still - let's not start fretting about tomorrow yet. I am pleased I managed run 2 comfortably and even enjoyed it as the park looked so lovely in the sunshine. I need to find a way to shut up the negative voice in my head that is telling me it is such a tiny achievement I may as well not bother.

Janathon - Day 1

Well I managed a 15 minute run in the rain today. I was able to run for 5 minutes before taking a minute and a half walking break. It has been years since I last run. I'm slow and unfit. Heres hoping another 30 days of gentle jogs will see me picking up speed and increasing the distance covered.

Take a look at the Janathon site for more details.