Tub’s County Show Write Up

Brace yourself, it’s a long one.  There are pictures though.

Yesterday was one of my favourite days of the year.  This year, it was even sweeter as it was my first day off (excepting Bank Holidays and weekends) since Christmas.

I love the County Show.  I love the build up to it, the reminder that I live in an amazing part of the country, and that at heart I am a country girl, even though I dabble in thoughts of moving to a bigger city.  I also love that it is a day that I get to spend with my mum.  I hold dear the time I get to spend with my family and spending the day out with mum is one of the highlights of my year.

Life didn’t go quite according to plan in the morning.  I thought I’d set myself up for the day with a bowl of porridge.  No porridge.  This virtually never happens.  Ok, Plan B – scan bran (Slimming World super-tough cardboard-like Ryvita to non-Slimming Worlders) with cottage cheese and peanut butter (not together – that’s just plain wrong).  I’d never tried scan bran before.  It’s like chewing, well, the unchewable.  Mum appeared just as I finished the second biscuit (there were another two that I was meant to eat, but had jaw ache so couldn’t).  We caught the bus to Westpoint and started our wander.

First stop, the alpacas.  The problem with the County Show is that I get all “animal broody”.  I would have a farm if I could.  Don’t get me wrong, I couldn’t be a farmer, but I’d just like that land to house the animals I’d love to own.  Alpacas are one of these animals.  I mean, just look at that face…

Plus, you could spin their fleece and make stuff out of it.  I’m allergic to sheep wool, but alpaca wool doesn’t seem to be an issue.  From the alpacas, we wandered down (via the RAC stand, a dog treat company and the Guide Dogs for the Blind stand) to the game area (game of the animal variety).  I love the birds of prey, I find them fascinating.  I caught a picture of these beauties (don’t worry, no dogs were hurt in the making of this stand).

Then it was on to the heavy horses.  I used to ride, and ride well.  I’m currently too heavy to get back into the saddle, but it doesn’t stop me day dreaming about starting riding again, or one day owning my own horse.  I adore the gentle giants that are heavy horses, and I’m always amazed by their ability to pull such huge weights.

I was especially impressed by the horse on the right, Charlie.  This was Charlie’s first show, and hasn’t long been broken by the sounds of it.  He got a little twitchy when he was bored, but otherwise was impeccably behaved.

So, that would be an addition to my fantasy farm.  I lie, I’d probably have a whole stable of various breeds/classes of horses.  After wishlisting my stable, and looking at some of the classic motorbikes…

… It  was coffee time, followed by a visit to the mohair and angora tent.  Add sheep and goats to my farm.  I have always loved goats.  No idea why, but even now I think they’re great.

At this point we were getting quite hungry, so we made our way to the food tent.  We went there via the Young Farmers tent, in the hope of seeing my godfather’s son for a catch up.  As it happened, we bumped into him in the food tent, shortly after purchasing our bread for lunch.  I had a wonderfully fragrant and equally as delicious spelt bread with red onion, rosemary and feta, while mum opted for a cheese and onion spelt bread.  Pudding was a spelt fruit bread.

The savoury breads were accompanied by a small bag of cheese bits.  Mum’s was washed down with a pint of Old Moggy (a real ale from Teignworthy Brewery).  I don’t much like real ale, so stuck to my squash.  Unfortunately the rain started as we were eating, but it didn’t dampen spirits – rain is usual fare for the County Show, and we were prepared.

After lunch, we went back to the food tent and completed a couple of laps, purchasing bits and bobs along the way.  I bought all of the things for my Foodie Penpal this month – all independent business.  One great discovery I made was Tea’s Me.  Aside from loving the play on words, I really like spearmint tea.  I was introduced to it when I had my first “proper” job.  Apparently spearmint tea has a whole host of benefits.  Twinings do a camomile and spearmint tea, but I find it is too camomiley, not enough mint.  After a quick swig of a tester at the stand, this spearmint and green tea is the perfect blend.  I don’t like green tea on its own, but you can’t taste it in this.  For £3.50, it’s a real bargain.

When the rain became a little too persistent, we sought shelter in the BBC tent, where live bands were playing, waiting the weather out until it was dry enough to go to the main arena.  In the waiting area, the South Devon Hunt (well, the Hunt Master and hounds) were getting ready.  I was really surprised by how friendly the hounds were.   Not that I expected them to be vicious, but they’re working dogs, not pets.  The other thing I was surprised about was that they hunt with hawks still.  I’d add dogs into the mix on my imaginary farm, along with a hunter or two.

That concluded our mum/daughter day out, revelling in all things Devonian.  I was glad it was a rest day, as my legs are stiff.  However, before I disappear to get on with my weekend, I would just like to share a non-scale victory.  This time last year, at the show, I arrived home with an incredibly sore back, knees and ankles, and that was with a lot of sitting down throughout the day.  This time round, nearly 3 stone lighter, I have sore knees from slow walking, but no other maladies to complain of.

Time is flying by this week!

I can’t believe it is Thursday already – time really does seem to be galloping along this week.

Tuesday – my run went well, I was quite pleased with my running time as it is slowly getting more and more with each run.  Weigh in went ok too.  I gained half a pound, but I’m not too miffed.  Hormonal factors may play a part, but in all honesty, it’s likely to be the cake consumption on Monday (birthday in the office, never good for testing my willpower).  I also received my RoadID wristband.  Monica at Run Eat Repeat was talking about safety in a recent post, and it got me thinking about my safety too.  Thankfully I live in a nice part of the world and sinister goings on are less of a risk in comparison to our local council’s inability to maintain pavements (broken ankle?  Maybe.  Mugging?  Unlikely).  Either way, I now have identification on my run, just in case.  I got the purple one of these:

Just as a quick thought actually, I was really pleased with this – the band is really smooth and comfortable, it does up like a man’s watch and feels secure but light.  I was also impressed by the speed of delivery – from Kentucky in the States to Devon in the UK, it took about a week and a half – that’s quicker than some internal mail.

Wednesday – back on plan, following a strict talking to (delivered by me, to me) regarding the fact that lots of exercise/running does not mean that I can eat what I like, in whatever quantity I like.  I went to a law conference at Dartington Hall (gorgeous venue – high vaulted ceilings, huge arched windows, massive fireplaces), and ate very little as all that was on offer was curly stale sandwiches (mmm… yummy…. blurgh).  I should have gone out for a run, but decided against it (for hunger reasons) and watched Spartacus: War of the Damned instead.  I have to admit, I’m a little disappointed by this series of Spartacus.  It’s gone a little bit too much into the anti-hero territory for my personal liking.  Also, I am not a fan of Crixus with a beard, and Nevia has turned into a little witch.

That brings us to Thursday.  It’s technically my Friday today, as I have finally got a day off.  This is my first holiday since Christmas, and it couldn’t have come too soon.  Sadly, it is just one day I am off, but I have a week off soon.  It’s kettlebells tonight, and already I’m not feeling it, so I will have to have another stern word if I don’t scrape myself up later.

Tomorrow involves much mooching around with Mummy Tub, as we head off to the County Show.  Food/beer tent, here we come!  (Yes, yes, I know – moderation in the food tent).

A PB Long Run

So, how was your weekend?  Good?  Great!  Mine was great too!  I PB’d, not once, but twice.  Ok, technically one isn’t exactly a normal PB, but I’m counting it. 

My long run, which I completed yesterday, called for a 3.5 mile run.  PB #1 was that I have never ever run 3.5 miles.  To say I was pleased was an understatement (though it is really only in the dawn of a new day that I can fully appreciate it).  PB #2 came in the form of a new time for a 5k.  I’d like to take a moment to recap.  I have entered three Race for Life 5ks in the past, but all have measured short of 5k, but seem accurate to 3miles.  My best time was my 2009 Winchester event, in which I clocked 41 minutes for 4.87km.  Not a true 5k, but I’ll take it.  Last night, as M dropped me off so I could run home, I set my Garmin to shout at 5k.  I got 38:24.  For me, that’s AMAZING!  I wasn’t feeling well in the run, and am carrying about 2.5 stone more than my 2009 attempt, so I am chuffed.

I’ve also had a look on the parkrun results for Killerton, and see that I would be at the back, but I wouldn’t be alone.  I’m trying to work out if I have anything on this weekend (and also trying to think of another way there that doesn’t involve getting stuck in county show traffic), as I could go.

The run itself wasn’t particularly pleasant.  M and I had stopped off for fish and chips at Darts Farm for lunch on the way home from mother-in-law’s.  It was probably the nicest fish I have ever had (battered anyway).  I thought I’d left plenty of time between eating and running (3.5 hours), but as soon as I started, I could feel the meal threatening to make a reappearance.  Thankfully it didn’t, though I felt nauseous for most of the run, and haven’t been so glad to get home for a long time. 

Tonight, the plan calls for a stretch and strength evening, which I shall call Zumba Tone.  It’s been ages since I went, but given that it is the boss’s birthday this week, and she’s bought in my body weight in cake, it hasn’t been a successful slimming day.  I’ll have to work extra hard tonight.

Well, hope you all had a great weekend too!   TTFN.

Cross Training Saturday

Firstly – thank you to those who commented on my last post, which was, upon reading it in the cold light of (the) day (after), it came across as a very whiny post.  It wasn’t really intended to be like that, but hey ho.

Today was a cross training day.  I headed out to the park with my friend to have an urban gym session.  Last week, we didn’t walk all the way up to the car park at the top.  Today, we made that mistake.  Right at the top was a PT boot camp scary circuits instructor screaming at  instructing his Saturday morning class.  He is completely, 100%, a drill sergeant.  His physique definitely looked ex-Marine.  We tried to walk past quickly, but he spotted us.  He then invited us to join them.  Graciously, we declined (last week, they had to jump up onto a bench, several times, with their arms folded, run around the park about 20 times and all manner of other things, and that was just the snippets we saw!).  He did stalk us around the park though, making sure one of us was doing something while the other was on a machine.  In the back of my head though, I was thinking “yes, one day, I will join you”.  Just not while I weigh about 3 times what the average participant does.

After my shower and some food, I mooched around town and spoke to a man about a new phone.  I am unsure what exactly it is that I want from my phone, and I have a while to upgrade, so I will wait it out I think.  We also shopped at the new greengrocers again.  They had strawberries this time.  I’ve just washed them off and stuck them in the fridge with half a punnet of grapes, ready for me to snack on when I want them.  The other thing I did, which I am trying following my Slimming World group’s recommendation, was to freeze washed grapes.  Apparently they are really good, though I am not too convinced right now.

We’re off to mother-in-law’s in a bit, as she is making moussaka (she rocks cooking moussaka).  I then have a Spartacus marathon planned tomorrow, as M has very kindly bought me War of the Damned.  Oh yeah, and a run tomorrow.  My long run.  I’m actually quite looking forward to it, as it will be my first ever run longer than 5k (it’s a 3.5 mile run), so not only will I be going further than a Tub has ever gone before, but I’ll also have a good idea of my 5k time.  I’ve just got to think of a suitable route – not one full of people who walk 5 abreast and won’t squish in for me, therefore forcing me onto the road.

When does it get easier?

Another two miles pegged last night.  I ran round the local park and along the path next to the railway line.  I’ve finally worked out how to use the alarms on my Garmin, so it buzzed loudly when I got to my two mile marker.  I have not been so relieved to hear an alarm for a long time.  As I was walking home, I got thinking – when does this get easier?

I know this is all relative.  I can run for a lot longer, a lot faster than when I first started out.  My very first run was 1.94 miles, at a 16:23 minute mile.  Ok I’m hardly up to Mo Farah standards of quick, but I ran 2 miles today at a 12:01 minute mile.  That was with walk break in both runs.  Frustratingly, I seem to be struggling to run for 30 minutes straight.  I’m heading out too quickly and tiring myself.  Also, I’m now running on pavements where I have to stop to cross the road, and have started incorporating hills.  Unsurprisingly I am able to run downhill for much longer than run up.  That’s to be expected I guess.  Bulk is gravity’s friend and vice versa.

I remember going out for the first time on 25^th January and being so pleased with myself for being able to complete Week 1 Run 1.  I also remember it feeling pretty difficult (though the weather didn’t help).  I couldn’t have run at the speed I run at now for longer than 30 seconds.  When I take walk breaks now, I am able to recover within a minute and get going again. 

However, it isn’t easy.  Please, someone, tell me it does get easier?!

I’m mostly back on plan today, with my syns much closer to where they should be (still 21, so not amazing, but comparatively much better than they were).  For some strange reason, I have had a mad craving for cereal bars today.  This can be a difficult thing for me to handle, as I do love cereal bars.  I had also a moment with a Mr Kipling Lemon Slice.  I am feeling better for it already though, so I’ll be saying goodbye to the 1.5lbs I put on this week.

Tonight’s cross training consists of spinning.  I’m hoping for Pendulum – Slam to be one of the tracks (high resistance with short sprints).  I’m also looking forward to seeing N, as I haven’t seen her for a week and a half or so, and we’ve both been busy so it’ll be nice to have a natter.

Mexican, Wedding, Birthday, Gain

Friday night, we headed out after work for out monthly Supper Club.  Supper Club originated nearly two years ago after a mutual friend and work colleague was unceremoniously let go, and to say good bye, we all headed out for an Indian.   From there, we have tried to get out once a month to meet up and eat good food in our own eclectic company.  We hadn’t managed to get out properly since the Olympics’ opening ceremony last July for one reason and another, but we made it out this month.  My food choices weren’t exactly Slimming World friendly – I shared a starter of nachos, followed by a BBQ pulled pork tortilla salad.  It was beautiful, though I ended up feeling very full.  Not as full as a friend though, who took on the Hank Starvin’ challenge – two 6oz beef burgers, bacon, a chicken breast in a bun, 3 corn on the cobs, a load of chips and slaw.  It took him over two hours to eat it, but he managed.  If anyone is ever in the Newton Abbot area and is looking for a good Mexican, I really do recommend the Rio Grande.

Saturday I’ve already covered (here), and part of Sunday.  I managed my long run, relatively easily, though it never fails to amaze me the amount of people who just refuse to walk single file (if they’re already 2/3 abreast) and force me on to the road.  I am going to have to rethink the time of my long runs.  I really don’t want to endure the traffic.  Sunday afternoon, we headed up to Maunsel House for M’s cousin’s wedding.  The bride looked stunning, the venue was gorgeous, the weather was perfect.  The vows seemed entirely perfunctory, and I didn’t much like the registrar man – he was uncharismatic.  There was, of course, the obligatory family bicker (though not in earshot of the married couple thankfully), and BLOODY PEACOCKS!  Blasted things.  I wasn’t even protected by ducks this time.

Originally, we were meant to be staying in this quaint little cottage, but I am a creature of home comforts and like my own bed too much.  As it turned out, we wouldn’t have been able to have a lie in anyway due to the departure time.

Never (recently) have I eaten so much bread!  It was high tea for the main reception breakfast bit, with a hog roast later in the evening.  We left the happy couple at around 10:15pm when the army friends of M’s cousin started getting a bit rowdy, and picking up the guns displayed on the walls. 

Monday morning broke, and I suddenly became unable to get out of bed.  The workout on Saturday had the unfortunate side effect of working abdominal muscles that had laid dormant since my first kettlebells session.  It’s surprising how much you use your tummy muscles.

It was Mummy Tub’s birthday, and given the weather was so gorgeous…

… we had a BBQ in my parents’ back garden.  It was lovely, as my sister was also home for a bit.  The dog enjoyed having the whole pack around, and enjoyed scouting for dropped food even more so. 

Even the cat graced us with her presence, lolling around in the grass, attempting to catch the occasional butterfly (or just staring at the strange person trying to take a photo of her).

Lunch was great, more bread, but Mum had very kindly bought some special Slimming World friendly sausages, and made burgers for us.  Very tasty!  All accompanied with a salad – there’s something about eating salad in the garden on a lovely sunny day.

After mooching around Go Outdoors with the family and then a bite of tea, we headed home, ready to start the working week. 

Tuesday rolled around too quickly, and with it, my run and weigh in.  I ran the same route as last week, just over 2.5miles in 32 minutes, I thought that was quite good for me, as the route is the hilly route.  I had a small calf twinge about half way through, which I think was more hill based than running.   I was late for my Slimming World group, and it turned out I had put on 1.5lbs, so I’m back up to the 16 stone bracket.  Ah well!  It’s not every week that you go out with friends, go to a wedding and celebrate a birthday!

Sunday Long Run

I’ve mapped out my long run, calculating it to be just over 3 miles.  That is considered my long run on Week 1 of the Hal Higdon plan.  It is comforting to know that I have run nearly that distance this week, but also at the end of Couch to 5k.  I’ve decided not to introduce hills into this run, and I’ll be doing a familiar route along the beach.  I’m mentally gearing up to the herds of grockles (read: Devonian for tourists), and this may not be the easiest run I ever do for this factor alone (dodging people always seems to take a fair amount of effort).  I’ll have a look at some other local routes when I have the time to do so.

Yesterday was a cross (training) day.  As I had gone out for dinner (and ate far, far too much) on Friday, I didn’t get the allocated 30 minutes of cross in, so I bolted it on to yesterday’s workout (40 minutes cross).  I met my friend from Slimming World in the local park, which has an urban gym for anyone and everyone to use.  She’s used all of the equipment before, so I was shown the ropes.  Some of the machines/props I couldn’t use – hurdles (I am paranoid about falling over and smacking my teeth out on the next hurdle, even though I was assured I’d have to be travelling at some speed to do that), so I did a round of squats, stepping over the hurdles, then lunges, then star jumps.  The star jumps were annoying, as my trousers kept falling down.  I also couldn’t do a pull up.  I can live with that.  An hour and a half later, we were done, having put the world to rights, Helen getting poohed on by a seagull, and me getting slobbered on by a friendly Retriever.

Post-shower, M and I headed in to town, met friends for lunch, then mooched around for a bit.  There’s a new greengrocers just opened, and I got a huge amount of fruit and veg for less than £10.  I was very impressed.

After decanting the haul, we headed off to the library.  I haven’t been to our local library for many years, so signed myself up for a library card then moved towards the health section.  The lady who does my nails/waxing etc recommended the Dukan diet.  She was really pushing it, saying how well it had worked for her.  I will freely admit that I am very sceptical about anything that cuts out major food groups for periods of time, and then says you can have “celebration meals” twice a week (of whatever food you want) later.  I am not thinking of abandoning the Slimming World ship, but I just fancied seeing what it was all about.  To no avail though – the library didn’t have the book there anyway.  Instead, I picked up a book on yoga.  Reading the Moving Muncher’s recent post on meditation, I have thought that I need to work more yoga into my schedule, but I’m not able to make the local class (as it clashes with my Slimming World group).  This book (Everyone Try Yoga) is pretty good, has some familiar sequences that I think I can pick up again with relative ease.

Today, aside from my run, is filled with M’s cousin’s wedding.  I am not terribly excited about going, as I haven’t seen them for over 3 and a half year, it has seemed a bit of a cock up and encompasses some of my own personal wedding dos and don’ts (do make sure you put the right time on the invite, and do let people know if it’s changed other than relying on one person to tell one side of the family; don’t ask for sterling – foreign currency for honeymoon, yes.  Sterling, no.  Don’t uninvite family at the last minute – it’s poor form).  However, I’m sure it will be a lovely day (the weather’s certainly good for it), and it will be nice to catch up with some of the family that we don’t see all that often.

Finally, I’m sure you’ll be relieved to hear that, after my spray tan, I have returned to a normal colour, and look lightly tanned now.  Much exfoliation has happened to achieve this look.  I also owe some slimming statistics for April but I’ve lost my tape measure, so I’ll be hunting for that too…  Cue a photo and stats update.