May Review & the long Bank Holiday weekend

May Review

All in all May was a quiet phase 'on the move' wise, madness in other respects, but that's for another time maybe. Running wise I ticked over after a couple of very light weeks after the marathon exertions. In fact most of the month training wise could be summed up in that same sentence. I don't have numbers on the month but I reckon something like 12 miles running a week.

I now believe I will run another marathon, but for now I have my target is set on the best possible half-marathon time I can muster this autumn. Training started this week, and dreaded 'speed-work' gets included from next :-S

Thanks to some genuine ambitions for our allotment this year I have been pretty busy, digging, planting, watering and so on on our patch too. With the weather being so very hot in the UK of late some session have been pretty heavy work - good outdoor training! The only form of competition in May came from a family pumpkin growing contest, which we hope will be followed by a pumpkin carving contest in the autumn :-)

Cycling has re-entered my 'on the move' portfolio, thanks to commuting with the kids to nursery / work to save a few pennies (well it works out at more than a few). It has been fantastic though it is clear that my bike needs some tender lovin' care as the gears are not terribly happy with the abuse I given them this last week or so.

So May was good for moving, let's see what June brings...

The long Bank Holiday weekend - 'on the move'

In the true style (if indeed there is a style) of 'on the move', a long weekend is ahead with quite a few things planned to make and do over the Bank Holiday Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee celebration weekend. Four days off!

There will be running with my training buddy, a long run where we will undoubtedly set the world to rights. A family bike ride to test out the new chariot for the kids commute (so potential one of us gets to try and take both to nursery on any given day!?!?). Family swimming - more lessons for the kids, and more bad singing by me in the parent and toddler session (I am certain my son will disown me one session soon, hahaha!). On top of that still more work at the allotment as I have seedlings to put out into the big bad allotment, bean wig-wams to erect, and lots of digging to do.

Of course along with all that, and having helped put up the bunting, we are all out in our street for a Jubilee street party. We are looking forward to a fun day out with the neighbours, and lots of red, white and blue cakes (I will not eat too many.... honest!).

Busy on the move

Image: Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Here we enjoyed a four day holiday weekend, and got really busy on the move. None of the movement was sports based thanks to a chest infection, but there was a lot of D.I.Y. and gardening done. Okay, so I was hardly working out gym style, however I was working hard. Moving heavy bags, digging, wheel-barrowing, fixing, constructing, power washing, and so on. As a result the back garden looks great and I feel like I ran something of a weekend long endurance race.

As a happy bonus, my weight is following a nice gently downwards trend over the last couple of weeks. All moving is as always, good moving. The sunshine over the last week, or so, certainly made my efforts largely more enjoyable. Hope to get some running and sports done before I have a week away in the U.S. with work.

Strim-tastic

These and other great post titles can be yours with the "on the move" blog :oP

Spent yesterday afternoon on our allotment, strimming tidying and marking out planned veg beds... nice day for putting up an old sun shade you find in the back of your patch - it looked like a storm victim but it worked and was a nice bright colour - our greyhound was loving crashing out near it but was enjoying the spring sun too much to actually lie under it! We had a few allotment visitors each with a tale or two, or indeed three, oh okay four!! Time well spent, though much digging is promised next time... I shall call that adapted weight training!?!

On the training front, rowed a mixed eight in the morning, I had a side of the boat change that did for my tired body, thus while it was a good row I hurt a fair bit during and after. More hard training ahead, including a devised training plan... given the man with the plan is a former decathlete I am a little scared - though probably in a good way - I think?

Overcast, mild, breezy - days getting longer, yippee!

Saturday double row session fun

Today we did two back to back bursts on the Bay, doing race pieces against other crews in other boat formats... I have to confess that through the hard work I could feel the confidence returning after a winter of musical seats it was really very nice to have two sessions back to back on the same boat in the same seat in the same crew. I know that I'll have to work very hard to keep that seat, and that further changes and combinations are inevitable but today did my spirits the power of good.

On other fronts, the days are getting longer, and tomorrow is our first full day 'playing' on our allotment... been looking forward to it for days. We have a plan and loads of lovely seeds to try out ;o) We have a ground anchor for the dog to come and enjoy the fun. Will no doubt blog all about it soon enough, hehe!!!

Sunny, moderate wind, cool but a calmer than many of late.

Cropping a treat

The fruits of our garden labours have begun to crop a treat. Here is just one of several small bowls of cherry tomatoes.

We have also been enjoying strawberries, herbs, chili peppers, and lettuce. Soon to come are sweet corn, carrots, pears, courgettes, water melons, and artichokes.