Hello there!With 3 days to go until the Sport Relief run, I am ill. Not so ill that I can take time off work, but ill enough that when I drag myself home again all I want to do is sleep. I'm horrendously tired.
Now I've got that disclaimer out of the way (i.e. please don't judge any spelling errors or hideously poor phrasing - it's not my fault, I'm poorly and tired), I'm going to go through my four main goals and see what progress has been made.
Become a "Responsible Adult"
Although I haven't been able to actually do anything for this yet, I have been planning. I've discussed with my Mum how much she can comfortably lend us towards a house and tried to work out how quickly we'll be able to repay her. I have looked on auto trader to see how much cars are and just how ugly I'm willing to go to get a cheap price. I've also found a few websites with tips on how to check second-hand cars are okay and not stolen.
Become a runner
A big part of running for me is keeping my lungs as healthy as possible. I went to the North West Lung Centre on Monday for a check up and got very good news. My lung function has gone up slightly from last time, which means it has been improving for a whole year. I've also managed to avoid chest infections for a whole year, which is amazing when I think of the year before when I was ill about 50% of the time. I'm slightly concerned that I have a chesty cough at the moment but I'll wait and see how it progresses.
This morning I felt knackered but I knew that today was my last opportunity to run before the day of the race (where I'll be running 3 miles). So I put my eenie weenie teenie weenie running top on (that may as well have the words "Look at my fat belly" written across it) and my Asda shorts and I got on the treadmill. This may sound bizarre, but I've discovered that I can run for much longer when I imagine there's someone with me. Over the past few weeks I have found that Rich Fulcher works best. :-) He's very loud and he makes me laugh and it turns out he's an excellent running coach. So I got through 2.5 miles with lots of walking but did manage 5 minutes of running at one point.
Do Things that Scare me
If we count different cheeses as different foods, I have tried 5 new foods since the challenge began - way more than I had planned. This morning I ate a pear. Pears look a bit more rotten and dirty than shiny apples, so I've always been a bit put off by them, but my Mum loves them so I thought they can't be that bad. The texture was odd, a bit like a peach (which freak me out for being so hairy) but the taste wasn't too dissimilar to an apple. I ate most of it anyway, as I was starving after running.
Other than food, I haven't done many scary things. I've been pondering going to a stand-up comedy gig as I've never been to one before. I used to argue (with myself) that it was a bad idea because laughter brings on coughing, which brings on phlegm, which makes people disgusted. But seeing as my lungs have been behaving so well recently, that's very unlikely to happen. And I know that Mark is slightly anxious (but still optimistic) about his shows not selling, so I'm pondering going to see Mark's gig. I'm not sure where I'll be living yet though. I'll look at the dates anyway - that's a start.
Strive to Learn
Well, I've read 3 of the books on my list since the challenge started and technically I've read a non-fiction, but it was Rich Fulcher's "Tiny Acts of Rebellion", which never set out to teach anyone anything. :-) Yesterday, my mammoth copy of Ulysses arrived, and after perusing the explanatory notes, I realised that I don't understand what the hell they're going on about, so I may ignore them. I think I'll do a separate blog for Ulysses, so I can keep commenting on chapters and get help when I'm stuck. It seems funny to be "stuck" on a book at the age of 25. I don't think I've ever been stuck before, not even as a kid.
TV wise, I seem to be fixated on parenting programmes. 'Really' seems to have bought up lots so I tend to turn to channel 267 most days. I've also been watching 'One born every minute', which is harrowing. I'm not planning on giving birth unless adoption fails but I'd like to be there for my sister in the future and hopefully I won't faint or be sick.
So, some progress but could do better. This weekend falls into the running category and the fear category. I have never run 3 miles outside. Apparently it will be raining and windy, and there may well be people I know there. I need to stop being so negative and cheer the hell up. :-)
And in non-TYSIC related news, I put pink streaks in my hair to match my purple dress that I'm wearing for my sister's wedding. Clearly I wash my hair too often because it's fading too quickly and is very unlikely to last until April 1st. I like it though. Even if it does make me look 15.
Good luck with the Run on Sunday - I recently started jogging (under duress) and was surprised by how much I did't hate it.
ReplyDeleteI'm put off by pears as well - I only eat them when disguised in something like a fruit salad :)
Definitely go to a stand-up gig though - my favourite kind of night out!