Brilliant yellow

I took better pictures today but the sheer brightness of this buttercup seemed very appropriate for the simply gorgeous weather today. I have done a pleasing combination of useful, nice chores and sitting on the beach. And loads of laundry.

I have been looking back at all I have written about my recent running adventures and I thought it would be useful to write a summary. This is useful for me only, because I realise now I really like looking back on my journal and remembering how things were, please feel free to ignore the rest....

9 weeks ago I started to with a Couch to 5k app. It was a 9 week program, bad bits first:

1. actually their aim is to get you to be able to run for 30 minutes. I can now run for 30 minutes but in my amble, this is 3.5k
2. I have hurt my knee. Not through running but I had "a fall" ( as they call it after you are in your 30s) This has interrupted me somewhat as it is bloody painful when I touch it and when I go up stairs and I worry about making it worse. I haven't been running for 6 days now and I have entered that 5k race in 5 weeks time
3. I appear to have lost not a single pound in weight from all this sodding running, this surprised me. I thought going from running 1 min to 30 would have some kind of weight loss associated with it. This is hugely disappointing.
4. I have been unable to achieve that running people where those (swishy ponytail types) just run mindlessly. I know mindfulness is the in thing at the moment, I wish I could run without it.


The (really) good bits:

1. I can run for 30 minutes. I have never done this in my life.
2. I can run for 3.5 k. This is (obviously) also a first.
3. I have started something, stuck to it and finished it. I do this rarely in most aspects of my life. I have a wealth of unfinished projects stretching back for years.
4. I am definitely going to do that bloody race. I reckon at the very worst I will be able to run the majority of it. I might even tell people how to sponsor me soon.

In summary, I am quite proud of myself I think. Several people have already had to tell me this before I can actually realise that this whole thing has actually been quite successful in most places.