Here's my last run, 10.5 miles along the canals of Birmingham :-)
Sunday Run 280811
Monday, 29 August 2011
Sunday, 28 August 2011
Time Travel
As this weekend saw the return of Doctor Who (series 6, part 2, BBC1) in the UK, it seems only fitting that my next post should focus on my fascination with time travel.
As soon as I mention DW & time travel people immediately jump to the conclusion that I'm a huge Sci-Fi fan... I'm not. For me it's not about spaceships, planets & futuristic silver outfits (sorry if I'm being equally stereotypical!), my interest is less about the technology, more about the experience.
Of course, I'm not naive enough to believe time travel is actually possible... Although that said, if any of you beg to differ I will happily listen to your view with a very open mind - seeing the technological advances that have occurred so far in my lifetime, they are a great indicator of why one should 'never say never'...
I'm not sure exactly when time travel became a subject that intrigued me, I was a fan of DW before it took a long break from our TV screens - series 6 might indicate it's a relatively new television programme but it is actually the longest running science fiction television show in the world! It originally ran from 1963 to 1989 and was then relaunched in 2005 - but in all honesty I think as a child I was too busy being in awe of 'The Doctor' or scared by the many aliens to place much emphasis on the TARDIS travelling through time.
I believe 'Goodnight Sweetheart' should take the credit. It was UK sitcom that ran for 6 series, again on BBC1 - the lead character accidently discovered a time portal which allowed him to travel between the 1990's & the 1940's. 'Gary' ended up leading a double life having 2 wives - surprisingly though, he was always more content in wartime Britain with all it's rationing & poverty than modern day Britain with all it's convenience and luxury... Since then I have always leaned towards television series and movies with a time related theme - give me those over a RomCom any day!
Interestingly, the concept of time travel for me is about heading to the past, never the future. I have always loved history & genealogy & find graveyards absolutely fascinating! (Okay, so this is where I start to weird you out!) The past has such an awesome story to tell & shapes each & everyone of us, whereas the future has no bearing on us yet, whether you believe it is pre-determined or shaped by our own actions - unless of course we actually get this time travel malarky nailed!
For me it wouldn't be about going back with the winning lotto numbers, football results etc... It would be about experiencing how it used to be, getting a taste of the hardship, the luxury, the expectations of the time. Wearing the traditional dress of each period, witnessing Britain before it became a concrete jungle, seeing the Roman roads being laid, the canal network being built. It would be about speaking to my ancestors, without whom I wouldn't be here today.
I'm under no illusion, the idea of heading back to the past and having such experiences is a romantic notion. I have no doubt I'd find the slums stomach churning, the constrains of a well heeled life depressing & probably, most disturbing of all, my ancestors would not be who I thought they were. But hey, it's good to dream... Right?
As soon as I mention DW & time travel people immediately jump to the conclusion that I'm a huge Sci-Fi fan... I'm not. For me it's not about spaceships, planets & futuristic silver outfits (sorry if I'm being equally stereotypical!), my interest is less about the technology, more about the experience.
Of course, I'm not naive enough to believe time travel is actually possible... Although that said, if any of you beg to differ I will happily listen to your view with a very open mind - seeing the technological advances that have occurred so far in my lifetime, they are a great indicator of why one should 'never say never'...
I'm not sure exactly when time travel became a subject that intrigued me, I was a fan of DW before it took a long break from our TV screens - series 6 might indicate it's a relatively new television programme but it is actually the longest running science fiction television show in the world! It originally ran from 1963 to 1989 and was then relaunched in 2005 - but in all honesty I think as a child I was too busy being in awe of 'The Doctor' or scared by the many aliens to place much emphasis on the TARDIS travelling through time.
I believe 'Goodnight Sweetheart' should take the credit. It was UK sitcom that ran for 6 series, again on BBC1 - the lead character accidently discovered a time portal which allowed him to travel between the 1990's & the 1940's. 'Gary' ended up leading a double life having 2 wives - surprisingly though, he was always more content in wartime Britain with all it's rationing & poverty than modern day Britain with all it's convenience and luxury... Since then I have always leaned towards television series and movies with a time related theme - give me those over a RomCom any day!
Interestingly, the concept of time travel for me is about heading to the past, never the future. I have always loved history & genealogy & find graveyards absolutely fascinating! (Okay, so this is where I start to weird you out!) The past has such an awesome story to tell & shapes each & everyone of us, whereas the future has no bearing on us yet, whether you believe it is pre-determined or shaped by our own actions - unless of course we actually get this time travel malarky nailed!
For me it wouldn't be about going back with the winning lotto numbers, football results etc... It would be about experiencing how it used to be, getting a taste of the hardship, the luxury, the expectations of the time. Wearing the traditional dress of each period, witnessing Britain before it became a concrete jungle, seeing the Roman roads being laid, the canal network being built. It would be about speaking to my ancestors, without whom I wouldn't be here today.
I'm under no illusion, the idea of heading back to the past and having such experiences is a romantic notion. I have no doubt I'd find the slums stomach churning, the constrains of a well heeled life depressing & probably, most disturbing of all, my ancestors would not be who I thought they were. But hey, it's good to dream... Right?
Wednesday, 24 August 2011
Running
Running is a huge part of my life. I already know this but I hadn't realised just how much others perceived me as a 'runner' until recently... I posted a question on FB asking 'If a song played everytime I walked into a room, what would it be?', the majority of responses were of a running theme!
Given this (& the fact I shall frequently bore you with training session details, upcoming races etc...), it seems only natural that I cover this topic sooner rather than later.
So, how did I get in to running & why am I still running?
I had always been a 'gym bunny' but with the focus largely on classes - namely Body Pump (weights to music), Body Combat (based on mixed martial arts) & Boxing Circuits. As much as I loved to watch the London Marathon or Great North Run on television the idea of running myself never really entered my head... Still, I guess doing 6+ classes a week never left me that much time to consider it!
In October 2008 I started experiencing pain in my right elbow, by February 2009 this pain was acute so I was referred to the hospital for x-rays & diagnosed with 'Golfers Elbow' - similar to the more widely known 'Tennis Elbow' but located on the inner arm.
This not only meant changing many of my day to day tasks from right hand to left hand (harder than one would think!) but I also had to greatly reduce the number of gym classes I was doing & the level at which I was participating - sheer frustration and desperation led me to the treadmill.... I had to do something to keep in shape & it would only be for a few weeks/months right?
WRONG!
In time the tendons healed and I could resume my regular routine but the running bug had already bitten... I went back to a few classes per week but always made time to run on the treadmill & started entering a few local races, I will never ever forget the emotionally charged moment when I crossed the line of my very first race - I didn't know whether to whoop, cry, squeal, vomit or collapse from the headiness of it all... One thing was for sure though, there was no going back, this was my new life :-)
The treadmill got traded for pounding the pavements & roads on lighter evenings & weekends, more races were ran & now I'd take more than an idle passing interest in running events. 19th September 2010 saw the 30th Great North Run - as usual it was televised & having never ran a half marathon at this point I was in awe of the runners but made a promise to myself that I would do it one day - maybe in 3 or 4 years?
Then in November 2010 I lost my voice... Laryngitis became Chronic Laryngitis & then my vocal chords stopped working completely. I stopped training for a while until I had the all clear from the hospital that it wasn't anything 'bad'. What I didn't realise then was that my voice would be gone for a whole 6 months!
During this time my work became harder (for those of you who don't know, I work in sales), my usually hectic social life took an absolute nose dive & even participating in gym classes became too much of a chore. Running though, was something I could do, something that kept me sane, something that kept me company when it felt, at times, like I was shut off from the rest of the world.
I ran more often, for longer, I entered a Half Marathon with only 5 weeks to train for it - I'd never ran that distance before but I knew with perseverance I could reach that goal... I did it :-)
I have taken part in 5 races so far this year and after my 4th race decided that finishing was no longer the goal - I had proved I could do that so now it was time to pick up the pace & join a running club.
I've been running with Birchfield Harriers for a few months now & the level of coaching and expertise I get from them sees me up my game week in, week out. I get to run through the most beautful parkland, woodland and along some stunning canals - all places I would never have dared venture as a solo female runner. It's hard work but no matter how tough the session, I always leave feeling like I could take on the world - Runners high I guess!
The 31st Great North Run takes place on the 18th September 2011 - I am fortunate enough to have secured a place, have my race number and will be running it! :-)
So there you go, overused arm tendons led me to running, underused vocal chords led me to dramatically increase and fully appreciate my running - I guess every cloud really does have a silver lining ;-)
Given this (& the fact I shall frequently bore you with training session details, upcoming races etc...), it seems only natural that I cover this topic sooner rather than later.
So, how did I get in to running & why am I still running?
I had always been a 'gym bunny' but with the focus largely on classes - namely Body Pump (weights to music), Body Combat (based on mixed martial arts) & Boxing Circuits. As much as I loved to watch the London Marathon or Great North Run on television the idea of running myself never really entered my head... Still, I guess doing 6+ classes a week never left me that much time to consider it!
In October 2008 I started experiencing pain in my right elbow, by February 2009 this pain was acute so I was referred to the hospital for x-rays & diagnosed with 'Golfers Elbow' - similar to the more widely known 'Tennis Elbow' but located on the inner arm.
This not only meant changing many of my day to day tasks from right hand to left hand (harder than one would think!) but I also had to greatly reduce the number of gym classes I was doing & the level at which I was participating - sheer frustration and desperation led me to the treadmill.... I had to do something to keep in shape & it would only be for a few weeks/months right?
WRONG!
In time the tendons healed and I could resume my regular routine but the running bug had already bitten... I went back to a few classes per week but always made time to run on the treadmill & started entering a few local races, I will never ever forget the emotionally charged moment when I crossed the line of my very first race - I didn't know whether to whoop, cry, squeal, vomit or collapse from the headiness of it all... One thing was for sure though, there was no going back, this was my new life :-)
The treadmill got traded for pounding the pavements & roads on lighter evenings & weekends, more races were ran & now I'd take more than an idle passing interest in running events. 19th September 2010 saw the 30th Great North Run - as usual it was televised & having never ran a half marathon at this point I was in awe of the runners but made a promise to myself that I would do it one day - maybe in 3 or 4 years?
Then in November 2010 I lost my voice... Laryngitis became Chronic Laryngitis & then my vocal chords stopped working completely. I stopped training for a while until I had the all clear from the hospital that it wasn't anything 'bad'. What I didn't realise then was that my voice would be gone for a whole 6 months!
During this time my work became harder (for those of you who don't know, I work in sales), my usually hectic social life took an absolute nose dive & even participating in gym classes became too much of a chore. Running though, was something I could do, something that kept me sane, something that kept me company when it felt, at times, like I was shut off from the rest of the world.
I ran more often, for longer, I entered a Half Marathon with only 5 weeks to train for it - I'd never ran that distance before but I knew with perseverance I could reach that goal... I did it :-)
I have taken part in 5 races so far this year and after my 4th race decided that finishing was no longer the goal - I had proved I could do that so now it was time to pick up the pace & join a running club.
I've been running with Birchfield Harriers for a few months now & the level of coaching and expertise I get from them sees me up my game week in, week out. I get to run through the most beautful parkland, woodland and along some stunning canals - all places I would never have dared venture as a solo female runner. It's hard work but no matter how tough the session, I always leave feeling like I could take on the world - Runners high I guess!
The 31st Great North Run takes place on the 18th September 2011 - I am fortunate enough to have secured a place, have my race number and will be running it! :-)
So there you go, overused arm tendons led me to running, underused vocal chords led me to dramatically increase and fully appreciate my running - I guess every cloud really does have a silver lining ;-)
Saturday, 20 August 2011
Time to blog?
So, here I am, joining the world of blogging!
That might not seem so strange to many of you, the fact that you're reading this most likely shows that you find blogging to be a common place activity... Those who know me personally however will wonder why, when I already complain about not having enough hours in the day, I would start a blog!
Well, to be honest I'm not sure either... I guess it's about creating extra 'me' time - after all, if I can make time to work, run, socialise and maintain a home then surely I can squeeze a bit of time in there that's soley for me too!
This weekend is my first completely free weekend in months (since March to be exact) and as such I was relishing the prospect of having two whole days during which I could lay in, catch up on reading and TV viewing, do a spot of pampering and totally relax... Haha, as if! Today has been all about catching up on the larger chores and home maintenance projects that don't get done as part of the everyday cleaning and have been neglected because my weekends have been so busy... That said, it has been satisfying to get these overdue tasks completed and at the end of the day they all need doing sometime.
So, I guess this is where the blog comes in - the sun has set, the tools and other associated paraphernalia have been put away and now this is 'me' time. A time to reflect upon my day, to write about the things I'm looking forward to and I suppose to ramble about stuff that will either excite, bore or prove indifferent :-)
Oh, and just for the record, I love having a stupidly hectic life, I would not have it any other way - I am however looking forward to taking time out where possible to sit back and fully appreciate it all :-)
My name is Sarah, if you have not only found my page but read this through to the end and think you may possibly want to read more, follow me!
That might not seem so strange to many of you, the fact that you're reading this most likely shows that you find blogging to be a common place activity... Those who know me personally however will wonder why, when I already complain about not having enough hours in the day, I would start a blog!
Well, to be honest I'm not sure either... I guess it's about creating extra 'me' time - after all, if I can make time to work, run, socialise and maintain a home then surely I can squeeze a bit of time in there that's soley for me too!
This weekend is my first completely free weekend in months (since March to be exact) and as such I was relishing the prospect of having two whole days during which I could lay in, catch up on reading and TV viewing, do a spot of pampering and totally relax... Haha, as if! Today has been all about catching up on the larger chores and home maintenance projects that don't get done as part of the everyday cleaning and have been neglected because my weekends have been so busy... That said, it has been satisfying to get these overdue tasks completed and at the end of the day they all need doing sometime.
So, I guess this is where the blog comes in - the sun has set, the tools and other associated paraphernalia have been put away and now this is 'me' time. A time to reflect upon my day, to write about the things I'm looking forward to and I suppose to ramble about stuff that will either excite, bore or prove indifferent :-)
Oh, and just for the record, I love having a stupidly hectic life, I would not have it any other way - I am however looking forward to taking time out where possible to sit back and fully appreciate it all :-)
My name is Sarah, if you have not only found my page but read this through to the end and think you may possibly want to read more, follow me!
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