tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42411483576463538862024-02-08T00:12:41.166+00:00Past the PromenadeFaith, Fitness and FoodSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297608890149325967noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241148357646353886.post-67886156367196744732017-11-20T00:03:00.001+00:002017-11-20T00:03:49.912+00:00Sad about Blue Planet?So this weekend has been a good one for raising awareness of plastic pollution, with <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04tjbtx" target="_blank">Blue Planet II</a> showing just how harmful our use of plastic is, and the news that the government are considering a tax on <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-42033760" target="_blank">'takeaway' plastic</a>.<br />
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I've got 5 tips on how you can reduce your plastic immediately, but they're at the end of this post! Feel free to scroll right down and get to the action points!<br />
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It's also my 3rd weekend of the plastic free month, and it's been a week and a half since I last blogged- mostly because I haven't had a tremendous amount to say!<br />
I know that sounds bizarre- when I was prepping for the month I felt like the choice to avoid plastic was going to become quite all encompassing. Don't get me wrong- it's been quite a journey with a lot of changes to make but 90% of them were in that first week! Since then it's been pretty business as usual- it's just that 'usual' looks a bit different to how it used to!<br />
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Day to day I've found my groove- my water bottle, reuseable cup, knife fork and spoon are with me almost all the time, as are a couple of reuseable bags that fold up tiny (I have 2 IKEA ones I got in my stocking a few years ago) and a tupperware in the car. I've learned the fun way that one of my reuseable cups doesn't hold enough for a 'regular' costa/starbucks machine in a petrol station (cue a coffee flood) so that cup's become the back-up choice!<br />
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Food-wise, my habits have also 'stabilised' into a reasonable routine- the veg box comes fortnightly on Thursdays, the fruit and veg shop or the Mediterranean store fill in any produce gaps. Meat (on the one occasion I ate it) came in my own tupperware from the butcher, and Tom made my day by arriving a week ago with a whole<a href="http://www.snowdoniacheese.co.uk/cheese/black-bomber/" target="_blank"> black bomber</a> cheese in wax. I'm finding food shopping for day-to-day 'sustenance' (veggies, pulses etc) much easier than when I decide there's a specific recipe I want to make. It took 3 shops for me to get everything I needed to cook a girlie brunch last weekend, and when we made dumplings earlier in the week, some of the ingredients were nigh on impossible to find (dumpling wrappers?!). This is one of the elements that I'd be glad to see the back of in November as I do really love to cook a couple of recipes a week! Eggs butter flour and sugar are all fine so there's been plenty of baking!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">brunch ingredients courtesy of the milkman, the butcher, the greengrocer and Tesco!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">homemade coleslaw is becoming a lunch staple</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First request for the butcher to use a tupperware. He couldn't have cared less!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have a new found appreciation for my local greengrocer. (I use my own bags)</td></tr>
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However, it's also been a good fortnight of planning and cooking from scratch, I've made biscuits, bread and yoghurt, and it was real pleasure to be cooking for day-to-day use rather than as a 'one off treat'. It's definitely made me more mindful of consumption- knowing that if I eat all the biscuits means I'll be making another batch definitely helps keeps the brakes on!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1t9clqYkiNh7VyZM2mWyvQiP3VShA-st0OpvBhryCME4xBHgjcuebDQxH6wlsOIvVB7j3XX3g4KzNdSGAjCPc6ZiTU4KPuOn4wFgywWzEL6JBJXzCrRjZbCW8UCBc0-9UtqY5BmoAJozJ/s1600/biscuits.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1t9clqYkiNh7VyZM2mWyvQiP3VShA-st0OpvBhryCME4xBHgjcuebDQxH6wlsOIvVB7j3XX3g4KzNdSGAjCPc6ZiTU4KPuOn4wFgywWzEL6JBJXzCrRjZbCW8UCBc0-9UtqY5BmoAJozJ/s320/biscuits.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this mix made 60 biscuits so I've frozen them in batches</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">homemade yoghurt step 1</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">homemade yoghurt step 2</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQc2ccXvP__WdajusUKJJ68weK2dByUjKZWAduZSeqnIixhJzp_H1lFhl5sx6aLOAgcPBqKLaXPAlNZM02Uduh7sGDL2SMkIQIXXG6VYozH5AMEouF7LDSUlqwOHsnJfMUPEoN3f_BfOiT/s1600/yog+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQc2ccXvP__WdajusUKJJ68weK2dByUjKZWAduZSeqnIixhJzp_H1lFhl5sx6aLOAgcPBqKLaXPAlNZM02Uduh7sGDL2SMkIQIXXG6VYozH5AMEouF7LDSUlqwOHsnJfMUPEoN3f_BfOiT/s320/yog+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">straining the yoghurt to make it thicker and more 'greek yoghurt' style.</td></tr>
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<br />It's also been nice seeing how much I can get in 'normal' shops- tins of pulses and veg (haven't opened a plastic-lined one yet), paper-wrapped chocolate as a treat (I love the Divine chocolate caramel bar) and the occasional bottle of IPA/ gin and fevertree tonic.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHCwOx4kSQaQdi7F-SrPyK0CpYbgW6nJ2uSsjtbOmTI7w3hijuIi4iPTfnaaQIT0m-YRVfB7599VCHbil7ITEzk8afgFkl70JInQy7NTZH-4cojnGuZVAvGuBXM_zodPNy5CAsRdtTvvgB/s1600/divine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHCwOx4kSQaQdi7F-SrPyK0CpYbgW6nJ2uSsjtbOmTI7w3hijuIi4iPTfnaaQIT0m-YRVfB7599VCHbil7ITEzk8afgFkl70JInQy7NTZH-4cojnGuZVAvGuBXM_zodPNy5CAsRdtTvvgB/s320/divine.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pyjamas and chocolate: plastic free bliss!</td></tr>
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<br />From a beauty-routine point of view, I finally ditched my super blunt, last plastic disposable razor and switched to a safety razor. It was <b>scary</b> and I may have googled for about half an hour before finally attempting to shave my legs in the bath! 8 cuts on my ankles later and I think I've cracked my technique- changing the blades regularly is definitely a key element of that! Now to work out how to safely recycle the used, blunt blades! I'm going to get to the end of the weird, 1950s-esque stinky man-smell shaving stick that came with my blades and then swap to <a href="http://www.southseabathinghut.co.uk/product/shaving-soap-mint-overboard-shaving-brush/" target="_blank">this</a> from Southsea Bathing Hut. They were at the Stansted House Christmas fair today and have a whole lot of plastic free goodies that I'm excited to try out as time goes on.<br />
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The fly in the ointment this week was definitely a work trip to Nottingham. It was my first trip away from home without my car, and I was gone for 3 days. I had to really think about packing carefully- having necessities but not loading myself like a pack horse! I ended up taking my lunchbox, plastic (I know... but I did already own it!) reuseable coffee cup, and my water bottle. Nonetheless, it was <b>tough</b> going. Firstly- there's nowhere to fill waterbottles. I don't know if WH Smiths etc are paying train stations to keep hot-taps only in toilets but I had to ration my 1l bottle from Nottingham to Southsea. In the end I gave up and drank G&T in a tin (not complaining!) but obviously that's not a solution to the wider problem. Similarly, I'd brought hummus and veg sticks for the trip up, and we were fed well at the hotel, but for the journey back, other than McDonalds (without straw, lids, or sauces) fruit or chocolate wrapped in foil, there was very little to eat at the station. Hats off to Pumpkin cafe for selling their cakes etc in paper bags, they kept me going! However- there's little to no segregated recycling in stations so it's either send the paper bag to landfill or bring it back home and recycle it! Combine that with all biscuits at the conference being individually plastic wrapped and by Thursday we were dealing with a very tired and over-thought Sarah! I was glad to be back home and back into my own routine.<br />
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The biggest thing I'm realising from this month is how much convenience feeds into our reliance on plastic. Whilst I can easily bring my coffee cup/water bottle (it's just a matter of new habits)- reducing my reliance on prepacked sandwiches, salads or snacks has been much harder whilst working a full-time job. I've ended up 'eating in' in super market cafes on a few occasions just to avoid the plastic packaging for lunch options in the chiller- but the best option is definitely making a pack up- I just need to stay organised now the 'grab a sandwich' opt-out is no longer an option.<br />
Similarly I was gutted at the Stansted Christmas Fayre today at how many of the food carts used plastic or polystyrene packaging/cutlery rather than cardboard or something biodegradable. I still haven't found the courage to give them my own tupperware and ask them to fill it so Lucy and I bailed and went to the cafe instead! It was delicious and no packaging in sight.<br />
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<u>Plastic that has snuck in this week has been:</u><br />
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<li>2 straws- I keep forgetting that in pubs I have to say 'no straw' or they'll give me one automatically! It's really frustrating as straws are a)mostly useless unless you're infirm, elderly or incapable of reapplying your lipstick, and b)a HUGE contributor to ocean plastic fields.</li>
<li>Meds: I had already left my prescription medication out due to medical need but I went down with a horrid cold in Nottingham and had to buy cold and flu rememdy and a box of tissues that had a plastic seal. Again not having the car or many options meant I had to take the tissues available to me!</li>
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I'm realising that the chances are a lot of the changes I've made for November are likely to be sticking around once this month is up. Additionally, I'd been having tummy problems for a few months (since July/August time) and because I've had to cut out pretty much all processed food, my stomach has been <b>great</b> all month! I've had wheat, sugar, chocolate, alcohol but everything has been cooked from scratch and it seems to be agreeing with me! Happy days.<br />
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Coming up in the next week:<br />
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<li>I need to buy more cheese- time to brave the supermarket and try and get them to fill my tupperware. Cheese and Cheers on Osborne Road have been lovely but they are<span> </span><b>not</b> cheap.</li>
<li>Bokashi bin #1 is full and ready to go ferment for a fortnight. I need to work out where I'll put it and get started on #2.</li>
<li>I'm running out of washing up liquid and my attempt at <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=soap+nuts?tag=googhydr-21&hvadid=229528375826&hvpos=1t1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7978580738076120221&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007093&hvtargid=aud-374882580413:kwd-361310205997&ref=pd_sl_8iwtyje9a2_e" target="_blank">soap nuts</a> as laundry detergent has been a funky-smelling, stinky, abject disaster. I'm going to try<span> </span><a href="https://www.splosh.com/" target="_blank">splosh</a> this week and see how their products go!</li>
</ul>
My journey to trying plastic free took time, thought and prayer but I'm aware that a lot of my friends have contacted me since watching Blue Planet this evening to say it's really made them think about their plastic consumption. If you want to cut down on plastic but 'plastic free' sounds far too far, firstly- I hear you- I thought the same thing initially, and secondly- start small!<br />
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Here are my 5 ways to start reducing plastic consumption <b>today</b>! Feel free to share this graphic:<br />
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As ever- thanks for lovely messages, articles shared with me and support across social media! You guys rock and are keeping me focussed as we pass the half way mark of this mad challenge!</div>
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<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297608890149325967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241148357646353886.post-90465251261165315752017-11-07T14:48:00.000+00:002017-11-07T14:48:54.766+00:00Week 1We're a week in, and I'm infinitely happier today having sourced chocolate and milk for my tea. Funny how it's the little things that make life feel 'normal'!<br />
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Turns out: this plastic-free malarky requires <b>organisation</b>- not one of the adjectives you often find connected to my name unless it's preceded by 'Sarah would benefit greatly from an increased level of...'<br />
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Nevertheless, I'd thought I was quite prepared, I'd spent most of the previous week getting ready! I'd bought a <a href="https://evengreener.com/composting/food-waste/kitchen/" target="_blank">bokashi bin</a>, sewn enough produce bags that I could take most of Lidl home in them, and improved my indoor recycling bins to hold more and be easier to empty when full.<br />
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On halloween, I braved my fear of masks and headed into Southampton to <a href="http://www.riceup.co.uk/" target="_blank">Rice Up</a> to get some staples in bulk. The fact I was popping into Southampton on the way home from Bournemouth just to get some basic storecupboard essentials suddenly seemed insane and I began to freak out about just what exactly I'd signed up to do!<br />
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Rice Up were great- weighing my homemade bags before I filled them and again once full. I stocked up on rice, risotto rice, orzo (the only pasta they had) and bombay mix (I'm quite a snacker!). Learning point #1- work out how your reusable bags relate to your containers at home! I eyeballed it and ended up with an extortionate amount of risotto rice- and far more Orzo than the bag would have suggested it held!<br />
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Anyway- cupboards duly stocked, I was off on my way to Northumberland for a couple of days with my parents. I wouldn't have chosen to road trip on my very first day of plastic free but hey- needs must and I don't get to see Mum and Dad very often, so off we went!<br />
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I packed a 'survival kit' to get me through a few days away from home: reuseable cup, reuseable water bottle, pyrex dish, produce bags, bees wrap, homemade granola bars, bombay mix and a load of veg left from the last veg box that I didn't want to waste. Never did I dream I'd become the person packing 2 beetroot and a cabbage for an 8 hour drive but, when needs must!<br />
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The trip itself was absolutely fine- most service stations have somewhere where you can eat in rather than take away, and we even managed snacks for the journey!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All Krispy Kreme bags have a little plastic window as do the boxes, so we just took them in the greaseproof paper.</td></tr>
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I'm realising very quickly that I prefer filling my cup in the Costa self-service machines to having to give it in at the counter if it's already had one coffee in it that day (so looks 'dirty'.) Social awkwardness is definitely something I'm gonna have to work on over the course of this month (as our delightful trip to the fishmarket later this week showed us!)<br />
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Coffee and snacks procured, it was up to Amble for a few days. This little town was plastic free HEAVEN (until 5pm when all the independent shops closed!) They had a selection of little pods round the harbour, and there was a cheese one who happily sold my mum and dad a selection of cheeses wrapped in paper. The Northumberland fish hatchery is there and has a fishmonger, and the local newsagent had glass bottles of milk (something I tried to no avail to find upon my return to Portsmouth on Sunday night when I realised the milkman wasn't coming til Tuesday and I had no milk! Sad, sad, uncaffinated times ensued). Also good options for veg, but as I'd seen fit to haul half the veg output of Wayside Organics to Northumberland with me, we didn't need any more!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amble Harbour Pods (<a href="http://www.theambler.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/pods.jpg" target="_blank">photo credit</a>)</td></tr>
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Dad cooked on the first night- due to no garlic being available except in a net we ended up using garlic granules from a jar! We cooked on the second night, having headed to the fish market that morning to get something nice to cook. I optimistically took my glass pyrex dish with me, (it's about 25cm square) and a selection of bees wrap to put the fish in.<br />
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I catagorically under estimated how big fish are!! I don't own anything (other than maybe a wok) big enough to fit a gutted-but-unfilleted sea bass/bream/large mackrel in. So the squid went in the pyrex and the fish man offered to find paper to wrap the fish. Except then the mid morning rush arrived and he couldn't find any paper. Cue an excruciatingly awkward 3 minutes (felt like 3 days) where I was biting down the desire to say 'never mind' and get it vac wrapped in plastic like everyone else. I even contemplated just carrying the bare fish back to the holiday cottage just to make the awkwardness stop! Needless to say, they found the paper eventually and we were off with a nice package of fish for tea.<br />
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I stupidly presumed we'd be able to get some sort of oil in a glass bottle, even if I had to cough for local cold pressed rapeseed or something else equally gourmet and exciting. Unfortunately, the Co-op was pretty much useless (a pattern I'm seeing in co-ops down here too.) We decided to cook the calamari in lard- a first! This was just one of the many times where my food ethics (less meat) clashed with my eco ethics (less plastic) but as lard is a byproduct of the meat industry I decided for November it was the lesser of 2 evils.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">yummy! (not)</td></tr>
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Almost every fruit and vegetable in the shop was wrapped in plastic of some description. It's so frustrating- especially when you compare it (for example) to the Mediterranean store I use a lot in Portsmouth where absolutely all the fresh produce is loose:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW45ctpUKJ67taWQRneNeQGXo1vq1TjwZdvtgp4gklLlPqPR1wLxfjom-SVHzdyrl-iyDq1JZr_tsZcjRqQP3CgtO5766x7Pvz5X82qbVn7yqMYjhOriFvSGEpY3y4xVbDZ9STL744CI8E/s1600/IMG_5408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW45ctpUKJ67taWQRneNeQGXo1vq1TjwZdvtgp4gklLlPqPR1wLxfjom-SVHzdyrl-iyDq1JZr_tsZcjRqQP3CgtO5766x7Pvz5X82qbVn7yqMYjhOriFvSGEpY3y4xVbDZ9STL744CI8E/s320/IMG_5408.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coop</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mediterranean Food Store</td></tr>
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We headed home and cooked. The lard went according to plan, and we had a really great dinner of fish and potatoes. I'm not sure I'd cook with lard again, but it served its purpose on this occasion.<br />
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Cosmetics-wise, my lush tins of soap, solid shampoo and conditioner were great for travel.The only quibbles I have is that the eczema on my back seems to be waking back up (although that may be from it being November and cold, rather than the change in products), and that the bars need to dry open in their tins or go all gloopy and sticky which makes showering then packing them straight away a no-no. All-in all though, I don't look like I've been pulled through a hedge backwards or smell too bad, so all seems OK on that front.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">purple one is my night-time soap (lavender) the blue one is for when I've done a hard workout (I like to reward myself with a 'treat' shower- weird I know. Tin back right is shampoo, and the bar at the front is conditioner.</td></tr>
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<br />We then spent a night in a hotel where EVERYTHING was plastic wrapped- even down to the disposable plastic water glasses! I just don't get it. Are we so scared of other human beings and contact with them that everything we use has to be single-use disposable? I drank from a mug (non plastic wrapped) ate the snacks we'd packed and soon we were headed back to Pompey (via a Starbucks drive-thru who made my coffee in a disposable cup, emptied it into my reusable cup and chucked the disposable one away: I kid you not!!)<br />
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We arrived home and almost immediately I realised I had no milk. Argh! Suddenly the inconvenient aspects of the challenge were back front and centre. I dealt with this by going to the pub and drinking G&T (both from glass bottles!) It was time to try plastic free in real life!<br />
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My uncaffinated Monday got off to a terrible start when I turned up for training 24 hours early! I then couldn't find cheese for the dinner I wanted to cook and ended up in a proper; "why am I even doing this?!" gloom. However, a lovely evening and a delicious beetroot risotto later and I was counting down the minutes til the milkman arrived with my milk (and therefore- my access to tea and coffee!)<br />
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I'm working from home today so have made a couple of loaves of bread and a big batch of coleslaw to keep me going. The veg box (and next round of milk) is due Thursday, the bokashi bin is gradually filling up and I am loving not having to empty the 'normal' bin! I think I'm slowly finding my way- one meal/dilemma at a time.<br />
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<b><u>Musings:</u></b><br />
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This project is <b>awkward. </b>It's socially awkward (especially fish/cheese/meat/coffee buying), it's tricky having to plan so far in advance and really monitor what I've got in and what I'm going to need,. However- even in the one week I've been going so far, I've found it's also been a very mindful, intentional way to live. I was SO excited for my orange juice this morning, and am drinking it very slowly, a glass a day until the next bottle can be delivered. It feels like real treat and something to be savoured, and I think that's because I can't go running out to the shop for more if I decide to neck it all in one go. Similarly- I'm wasting less food because it's such a hassle to come by (and dispose of)- I'm eating my bread to the very last, stale slice (toasted) and am 'mindlessly' snacking much less as I know I have to find or make any snack myself from scratch.<br />
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Also- a few people are loving pointing out inconsistencies and errors in my plastic-free-ness (blatently not a real word) be that linings of tins, the fact I'm still using up fresh food that's left from October but was bought in plastic and so forth. I'm loving the discussion this month is causing on all my social media channels- feel free to challenge me, ask stuff and send links (thanks to everyone who sent me <a href="https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews/videos/10155953914506108/" target="_blank">this one</a> for example). I am <b>never </b>going to be perfect at this stuff- I barely even recycled until September of this year and am on a <b>huge </b>learning curve. If this is causing you to think about how I could reduce my plastic even further (and believe me- I'm thinking about this a lot too)- can I challenge you to turn the focus onto yourself, and see if there's anywhere in your life you could cut down on single use plastics? Even if it's just in your beauty routine or how you buy bread- the difference in waste getting sent to landfill over time would be huge!<br />
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Thanks for reading and being so supportive! Onto week 2 we go...</div>
Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297608890149325967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241148357646353886.post-80175542698589310712017-10-29T19:35:00.000+00:002017-10-29T19:35:01.627+00:00A new project...Sorry for yet another large lapse in posting!<br />
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As you probably figured from earlier blogs, 2016 was a year of huge change for me and I've continued to grow, stretch and change as a result well into 2017. I still see my amazing therapist, and have been working hard to make sense of a whole lot of stuff- some of which may make it's way here and a lot of which won't!<br />
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The headlines are that I am divorced, still living in Southsea, still running, cooking, going to church and living a brilliant, full life- it's just very different to how my 2015 life was!<br />
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Anyway- as part of my making sense of things, I've been spending quite a lot of time putting my faith under the microscope, exploring my values, my understanding of my faith and how it shapes my day to day life.<br />
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One of the key things that I've always believed to be very important about how I personally live my faith has been action: that is to say, not just talking about it but getting off my bottom and doing something about it! Love Buckland, homeless outreach, the fact I work for a charity combatting educational deprivation are all part and parcel of how I have/do express how much I believe God cares for each and every person on this planet.<br />
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However, I've been becoming more and more aware over the past few months that I can't continue to separate my love for people from care for the world they inhabit.<br />
The beautiful world we live in has been my solace, my place to get head space and clarity as I walk,run, swim and pray over the past year, and I've realised I need to step up in the care I take of it- or more particularly the little bit of it that comes into my very small sphere of influence.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil6U_z5XUpZR8msLnesEcFCbXu44uTUBg56_pWG2c3K9j90-bOF3kE6ptEqc-BcLczGgg3I4YxnmXYQtZ2rTaGYveHpzSSmbs0gbd3IAP1BK5K-bG4PiE0z97zwECoOkmRSdIxDz4ByrYr/s1600/Untitled+design+%25282%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil6U_z5XUpZR8msLnesEcFCbXu44uTUBg56_pWG2c3K9j90-bOF3kE6ptEqc-BcLczGgg3I4YxnmXYQtZ2rTaGYveHpzSSmbs0gbd3IAP1BK5K-bG4PiE0z97zwECoOkmRSdIxDz4ByrYr/s640/Untitled+design+%25282%2529.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just some of the beautiful spaces I've explored this year</td></tr>
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The effects of climate change and rampant consumption in our world are so heavily weighted toward the poorest, with much of the damage being done by the wealthier economies. This injustice both saddens and angers me- further driving my desire to do whatever I can to help.<br />
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I moved to eating very little meat (I describe myself as <a href="https://theflexitarian.co.uk/the-flexitarian-diet/" target="_blank">flexitarian</a>- sounds pretentious but is actually a pretty good description) in January of this year. I do eat some meat but it's a)very rarely and b)free range or wild. I have no issue with the concept of eating meat- it's the industrialisation of meat production that saddens me. I started getting a veg box in September, and really increased the amount of foraged/local foods in my diet (making a LOT of jam and chutney).<br />
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Whilst pressing apples for a first attempt at homebrewed cider, I got chatting to the lady who runs <a href="https://abundanceportsmouth.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Abundance Portsmouth</a> whilst we chopped and prepped 70kg of apples. (Turns out- takes a while! Next year I'm definitely pre-chopping!) We got onto the topic of food and packaging, and she mentioned she lives as plastic-free as possible. My mind was BOGGLED! Plastic free?! I genuinely couldn't fathom it. The poor woman was then subjected to a random tirade of questions over the next 10 minutes... "What about milk?!" (She uses a milkman) "How do you get dried goods like pasta?" (local food-buying coop). Despite initially thinking she was mad, the thought stuck in my head over the next few days. I suddenly became hyper aware of just how much single use plastic I was using in my day to day life- take away coffee cups, pre-packaged fruit, pasta, rice and lentil bags- I was like a one woman waste production unit!<br />
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The Cathedral (where I worship) have an annual theme and this year we've been looking at <a href="https://www.portsmouthcathedral.org.uk/all-things-bright-and-beautiful-1/" target="_blank">'all things bright and beautiful'</a> (not the cheesy hymn!) exploring our stewardship of the earth. Canon Peter preached a few weeks ago and in his sermon mentioned that fish caught at sea now more often than not have ingested plastic, there are giant plastic fields in oceans all over the world (the one off California is bigger than the UK!) and plastic fibres are being found at every point of the maritime food chain. More info on plastic pollution can be found <a href="http://plastic-pollution.org/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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My conscience was stirred, so I decided to act. The idea of 'plastic free November' was born! A month seemed like a manageable amount of time to try and aim for- and October was going to be far too soon to get sorted- so November it was! The reason I've decided to go 'cold turkey' as such is not to maintain that lifestyle indefinitely (although- let's see how it goes! Who knows?!) but for a month to cut all plastic purchases out in order to see where I can really cut down my environmental impact, where there's a simple or easy work-around and where I may struggle more. (The lady I was talking to at Abundance mentioned how difficult for example it can be to get Tofu/vegan products without plastic- so we'll see how that goes).<br />
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This is a lifestyle experiment, rather than a unbreakable set of rules, so I'm going to do my utmost to live without buying any new plastic, and creating as little waste (and plastic waste in particular) as possible.<br />
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So how's the month going to work?<br />
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1:Buy no plastic. This includes: food packaging, clothing, home products- anything made of plastic basically!<br />
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2: Use what you already have. If I already own it (tupper ware, mixing bowls, phone charger) I'll use it- unless it breaks/runs out during November in which case I will have to replace it with a plastic-free option. Exceptions to this are clingfilm and freezer bags which are banned from Nov 1st. (Binary I know but hey- I'm making the rules!) I have purposefully <b>not</b> stocked up in advance of Nov 1st- so my grocery/lifestyle shopping needs will remain the same.<br />
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3. Reduce Waste: Whilst I'm not being <a href="https://www.goingzerowaste.com/" target="_blank">zero waste</a> (although there's obviously a lot of overlap), I'm going to be following the 3 Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) as much as possible- so for example although McDonalds packaging is all cardboard, it seems somewhat against the spirit of this month to eat it for every meal. I've invested in an indoor compost Bokashi bin for the house, and plan to reuse and recyle as much as I realistically can.<br />
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I am aware of how odd and inconvenient this decision must seem: however it is convenience that seems to have brought us to a society so wholly dependent on plastic (plastic wrapped, pre-peeled oranges, anyone?!) so it seems valid to purposefully inconvenience myself for a month to challenge that dominant narrative, get more in touch with where my purchases are coming from and what will happen to them after I've finished them, and get altogether more intentional about whether my money is being used to help or harm this beautiful world I'm lucky enough to live in!<br />
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So.... watch this space! We're 2 days off and I've got to go finish sewing some produce bags from an old duvet cover! #livingthedream<br />
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<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297608890149325967noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241148357646353886.post-54268167969976419852017-03-05T20:11:00.000+00:002017-03-05T20:20:48.882+00:00AshIt was Ash Wednesday this week.<br />
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Now to my (many and wonderful) free church friends, Ash Wednesday may not even be on the radar as a date to remember, let alone observe with liturgies or services.<br />
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However, my faith has taken a beautifully scenic route from Methodism, through Catholic school, high and low Anglican churches at uni to the fab Family Church in Portsmouth where I'm now well and truly planted.<br />
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I have fond memories of Ash Wednesday mass at school, lining up with the rest of my form for a big smudge of last year's palm crosses on my forehead- an hour out of lessons and a good marker for the start of the Lenten season of fasting.<br />
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I have done some successful (and some less successful) lent fasts in my time. Some motivated by earthly factors (fasting chocolate, crisps and biscuits definitely was more about my waistline than about Jesus!), some with great results in my walk with God (the social media fast has always been a winner) and some that just made me ridiculously angry and difficult to be around (cheese in my final year of Uni- I'm looking at you! Sorry Jo, Anna, Dave and Alice- I now know that cheese and I are lifelong partners and should never, ever be parted).<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In all seriousness though- that was about as deep as Lent got for me. I'd crack into a lent devotional- sometimes fast, sometimes not, and enjoy the changing seasons and the approach of Easter- my favourite festival in the Christian calendar.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This year, it's been different. (Understatement of the <b>century</b>!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The verse I've been standing on since everything fell apart in September last year is Isaiah 61:3 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">" <span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">to comfort</span><span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-18846C" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-18846C" title="See cross-reference C">C</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">all who mourn,</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span class="text Isa-61-3" id="en-NIV-18847" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: block; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; left: -4.4em; line-height: 22px; position: absolute; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">3 </span><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span>and provide for those who grieve in Zion—</span></span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;" /><span class="text Isa-61-3" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; position: relative;">to <b>bestow on them a crown<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-18847E" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-18847E" title="See cross-reference E">E</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> of beauty</b></span><b><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;" /></b><span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"><b> </b></span><span class="text Isa-61-3" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><b>instead of ashes</b>,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-18847F" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-18847F" title="See cross-reference F">F</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span></span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;" /><span class="text Isa-61-3" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; position: relative;">the oil<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-18847G" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-18847G" title="See cross-reference G">G</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> of joy</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;" /><span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Isa-61-3" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">instead of mourning,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-18847H" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-18847H" title="See cross-reference H">H</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span></span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;" /><span class="text Isa-61-3" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; position: relative;">and a garment of praise</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;" /><span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Isa-61-3" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">instead of a spirit of despair.</span></span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;" /><span class="text Isa-61-3" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; position: relative;">They will be called oaks of righteousness,</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;" /><span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Isa-61-3" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">a planting<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-18847I" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-18847I" title="See cross-reference I">I</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> of the <span class="small-caps" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-numeric: normal;">Lord</span></span></span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;" /><span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Isa-61-3" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">for the display of his splendor." (Isaiah 61:2-3, emphasis mine)</span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ash has been something I've thought about and prayed over a lot more in these last few months- if I'm believing for something beautiful to come out of ashes- then I need to understand and comprehend what this 'ash' is.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I read this beautiful blessing for Ash Wednesday this week, and it puts it into words better than I can:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Blessing the Dust</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A Blessing for Ash Wednesday</span></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">All those days</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">you felt like dust,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">like dirt,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">as if all you had to do</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">was turn your face</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">toward the wind</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">and be scattered</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">to the four corners</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">or swept away</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">by the smallest breath</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">as insubstantial—</span></div>
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">did you not know</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">what the Holy One</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">can do with dust?</span></div>
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is the day</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">we freely say</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">we are scorched.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is the hour</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">we are marked</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">by what has made it</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">through the burning.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is the moment</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">we ask for the blessing</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">that lives within</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">the ancient ashes,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">that makes its home</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">inside the soil of</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">this sacred earth.</span></div>
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So let us be marked</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">not for sorrow.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And let us be marked</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">not for shame.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Let us be marked</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">not for false humility</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">or for thinking</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">we are less</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">than we are</span></div>
</span><br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">but for claiming</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">what God can do</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">within the dust,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">within the dirt,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">within the stuff</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">of which the world</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">is made</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">and the stars that blaze</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">in our bones</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">and the galaxies that spiral</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">inside the smudge</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">we bear.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://paintedprayerbook.com/2016/02/08/ash-wednesday-a-blessing-in-the-ashes/" target="_blank">—Jan Richardson</a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://paintedprayerbook.com/2016/02/08/ash-wednesday-a-blessing-in-the-ashes/" target="_blank">from Circle of Grace</a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<br />
The stanza that really resonated with me this week was:<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"This is the hour</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">we are marked</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">by what has made it</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: start;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">through the burning."</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It is so easy to feel that there is nothing left of my old life- that everything was destroyed and went down in flames (the helplessness to act or do anything to stop a fire is part of why I feel so drawn to this concept of ash), but that is not the case. I have been left with ashes, and I know the One who spoke the universe into existence from nothing. He can and will make something beautiful from these ashes: I just need to wait and see what that something is.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">With these thoughts churning in my belly, I felt really drawn to mark Ash Wednesday this year- something I haven't done since Uni. I saw that the Cathedral had a liturgy for Ash Wednesday 5.30-6.30 which fitted perfectly before a friend's birthday party just across the road at Gunwharf. So, in the name of spiritual development and taking risks, I took myself off to what turned out to be a lovely communion service including 'imposition of ashes' (sounds like they hold you down and force ashes onto your head but I promise the reality is much more genteel and british than the verb suggests!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The vicar preached a really great message on fasting, but one part stood out to me in particular. She spoke about the purpose of a fast being to create an absence in your life which draws and recentres your attention back to God and His goodness- new, novel spaces in which He can move. She ran through the usual list of things you may want to fast, then said that anyone ill, suffering or grieving is already in an unchosen lenten season- which may have been going on for far longer than 40 days. I had never thought of my current life season as an 'unchosen lent' but the thought really resonated with me. There is a lot missing from my life at the moment- I may not have chosen to give things up but their absence is felt nonetheless.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
I really feel a comfort and peace about choosing, in this Lenten time, to hold those absences, those spaces, up to God and letting them point me back to Him and His goodness. It's so tempting to fill them- to take the lack and the grief away and to stay busy busy busy- but this Lent, my plan is to rest in my lack and in my 'gaps' and to let God move in them- even when it hurts.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
In other, less holy news, I highly recommend a fringe for all 'stealth ashing' you may wish to conduct! I merrily chilled with friends for the rest of the evening with a big ashy smudge on my face and noone was any the wiser!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No Ash - Ash</td></tr>
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Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297608890149325967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241148357646353886.post-27394137304663759652017-02-25T20:37:00.000+00:002017-02-25T20:37:36.873+00:00F wordsSorry for the punny title (#sorrynotsorry) but I've just returned from a 5 hour drive to Kent and back, and I've been chewing a few things over in my mind!<br />
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Fear is something I've been well acquainted with for most of my life. I'd hazard a guess that my parents would have described me as an 'anxious child' on many an occasion. Panic attacks and 'phobias' were a fairly regular occurrence of bedtime and my thought processes from around age 9 or 10 until I was 20 or so. It didn't help that I am a perpetual and exceptionally prolific over-thinker: something I've learned about myself over time is that anxiety seems to be the consequence of not keeping my brain suitably occupied- it will turn on itself as it were and find anything at all to worry about: money, relationships, nuclear armageddon, Trump etc. Even as a committed Christian and fairly well 'adulting' young professional, anxiety has always been my Achille's heel- before presentations, performance management or even just robust conversations with colleagues I've often had to fight hard and long to avoid falling into the 'panic pit'.</div>
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The thing underpinning any of the fears relating to myself was usually either a fear of death or a fear of failure. Death took care of itself as my faith grew and I gained an understanding of where I believe I'm going... but the fear of failure in the here and now wasn't going anywhere, and was really affecting my life.<br />
My fear of failure had actually served me quite well in my life so far: As and A*s at GCSE and A level, merits and distinctions in music exams, first class honours degree- unfortunately the material gains it gave me was always balanced with the emotional pressure I was putting myself under.<br />
I was perfectly functional and successful in my day to day life- getting promoted at work, leading ministries at church and blessed with a great friendship group- but ticking away under it all like a time bomb was my fear of failing at it- at my job, at being a friend, at leading.<br />
My fear of failure was so extreme that at times it almost kept me in situations that were counterproductive, and nigh on dangerous (in terms of emotions and stress levels) as I refused to stop doing things and be labelled a 'failure'.<br />
Then, last September, my entire life collapsed in on itself, or so it felt at the time. As the dust has settled, and the air has cleared, I realised my whole life didn't collapse- but one, key, central, load bearing pillar of it is no longer in place and as a result some serious restructuring has had to take place.<br />
I had to face my fear. For one of the first times in my life- the worst had actually happened. It was over my head and outside my control but I had failed at something (in terms that something that had once worked now no longer did)- and the consequences were showing all over my life for the world and his dog to see.<br />
But: (starting a paragraph with a conjunction. Uh oh teacher fail!) My life didn't end. My friends didn't run. God was still God and He still loved me. My heart was still beating, my participants at work still needed me and slowly I realised that I was surviving this failure, and, as time moved on, not just surviving but thriving.<br />
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This in turn lead me into my 3rd F word! Freedom. Now I've conquered this fear of failure, I've never felt so free. Now I don't feel the need to be great at things, there's so much more that I can enjoy trying and exploring without fear. Ceramics has been FULL of failures, (last week's best one was slicing straight through a plate that had been air-drying nicely for a week and was about to be fired). <span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm relearning skills I haven't used since I was in school, playing more music, singing more songs, learning drums and signing up for crazy long walks (120km with a bestie in April) and mad running challenges (there's a half marathon in my future at some point this spring- still working out when!). I'm able to write honestly about how I feel (like I am doing here) because I'm not worried if the people reading this think I've failed or not. I feel like I'm finally beginning to understand what Jesus was talking about in John 10:10 "<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; text-align: justify;">The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." I have not been killed or destroyed- I am living my life and living it abundantly.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; text-align: justify;">There are a few more 'F' words that are helping me;</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span>
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<span style="color: #001320;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff;">The primary thing that has kept me walking through this season of rubble and dust is faith that this is not my destination: it's just a particularly messy and odd part of the journey. As a Christian, I believe that God's plans for me are good- and that what I'm currently walking is not what He planned or chose for me. However- He makes beauty from ashes (Isaiah 61:3) and I'm excited to see how He can make something this messy beautiful!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #001320;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff;">I am not kidding when I say I have the BEST family and friends. They laugh with me, cry with me, run with me and eat with me on a weekly if not daily basis. They have hosted me, dragged my butt to therapy, prayed with me, encouraged me, read me the riot act when I'm down in the dumps and cheered my every step along this new path. Even if I never had another penny- I'd still be rich indeed from the amazing people I get to do life with! (Soppy burst over!)</span></span></div>
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When the anxiety rears it's head, a decent run or swim is always a great way to shut it back up. I'm a ridiculously slow runner (and swimmer)- so theoretically a 'failure' in that regard- but running and swimming is such a win for me I couldn't care less about how far or fast I go. Combined with my other 'fs', fitness is a key way for me to look after myself both physically and mentally.<br />
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So- I'm guessing none of these were the F words expected from the title! Living life free, vulnerable and honest about where I'm at is still a new thing for me- but here's to the journey! Onwards and upwards.<br />
<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297608890149325967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241148357646353886.post-84348645962728264532017-02-02T22:30:00.001+00:002017-02-02T22:30:14.662+00:00Self Care (Unforced Rhythms of Grace)Sorry for another huge hiatus!<br />
A lot has happened and changed in my world since I last blogged.<br />
Man V Horse went well- and that's all I'm really willing to say about the past 6 months on a forum as public as this: those of you who know me in real life may know more, those who don't, don't need to worry about it!<br />
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Anyway, in honour of Talk for Change day today, I thought it was time to come out of my self-imposed blogging pause and talk about something I've been learning a LOT about in the past 6 months: self care.<br />
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Now, ironically, this has formed a big part of my work in the past 18 months, I work with my trainees a lot around managing their own well being for resilience, handling stress effectively and achieving a strong work life balance.<br />
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However, I've never been good at practicing what I preach, and lived most of the past 10 years or so at approx 110 miles an hour, flooring it from when I woke up in the morning (often around 5.45) until I fell back into bed around 11,often working at 2 jobs in the course of a day.<br />
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Circumstances last autumn caused me to stop, reassess my life, and make some radical changes in how I viewed and looked after myself.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matthew 11:28-30 MSG</td></tr>
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I realised that I needed to take the 'real rest' described in Matthew 11. I was great at showing grace to others, but absolutely <b>terrible</b> at showing it to myself. I was my own task master, critic and worst enemy- and I needed to learn to live 'freely and lightly' as Jesus describes here. I ended up in therapy with a great therapist, and her refrain for the first few months was 'Sarah, you need to be your own best friend!'<br />
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Well, I was clueless about how to do that- so in the hope that it helps someone else- here's how I've gone about re-organising and restructuring my life to ensure that I am living these 'unforced rhythms of grace' and loving myself as well as I aim to love others!<br />
In my head, I've split what I do into caring for myself Mind, Body and Spirit. Obviously some of my activities help with more than one but hey, we've got to start somewhere and a badly organised blog is better than no blog at all!<br />
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<b>Mind:</b><br />
1) Therapy. Everyone should go to therapy! I have the most wonderful, Christian Gestalt therapist. She is a hard taskmaster but a great woman and she has been of tremendous help of late.<br />
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2) Morning Pages. I can't do mindfulness- I think too much! Seriously- it's not for lack of trying. Enter <a href="http://juliacameronlive.com/basic-tools/morning-pages/" target="_blank">morning pages</a>. 3 pages of A4, longhand, every morning by hand. Sounds crazy right! Well, in 4 months of practicing morning pages I've discovered that there is no bad day or gloom you wake up in that can't be at least processed, understood or somehow helped by 3 sides of writing. It clears my mind, centres my thinking, clears the way for my creativity and gets me ready for the day. I never would have dreamed I'd be able to find 30 mins (ish) per morning to do this- but now wouldn't be without it! Don't knock it til you've tried it.<br />
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3) Making. Ceramics, crochet, sewing, reupholstery, writing- you name it, I'm happier if I'm making it. Taking time to keep a scrapbook, record ideas and projects as they come to me, and leaving enough space in my schedule to go to ceramics once a week and get some making done at the weekend definitely keeps me balanced.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFSa1FVGoBRKRRhuLFCtH7m-UyPIP-xUx4QfZraY_3xIfuYqLL3Dw0-9DKSbX_U9W7j6LZWrZqHSctB3A-cH2vHof_sANAbtP8O3tOdrG83QPv8C5lgwa-2va194nA9GUFlckG9oDz6rvl/s1600/ceramics+collage.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFSa1FVGoBRKRRhuLFCtH7m-UyPIP-xUx4QfZraY_3xIfuYqLL3Dw0-9DKSbX_U9W7j6LZWrZqHSctB3A-cH2vHof_sANAbtP8O3tOdrG83QPv8C5lgwa-2va194nA9GUFlckG9oDz6rvl/s640/ceramics+collage.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">some of this course's ceramics</td></tr>
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4) Treacle. Yep-officially a mad cat lady! Just a little 'chat' and cuddle with this naughty one is enough to put a smile on my face.</div>
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<b>Body:</b><br />
1) Exercise. On a bad day, even just a walk will do! Ideally, running/swimming/lifting weights is something I really enjoy. A decent long run outside with my girlies can put the world to rights! Call it endorphins, but the world really is a better place once you've been for a good run!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ZLydFmEszaJakP-rvhwA6n-0EHY1gcYN9Y-AJo8kEoVFeaiNJ0JhKPfr4Sf-XqtDxwDxtKQDRLkkYLfh92vl5A0pheZxw-qc0mXj_Jzox8kiLDTZttcmYf4attQNbALy_3zobIG8y2HJ/s1600/sunrise.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ZLydFmEszaJakP-rvhwA6n-0EHY1gcYN9Y-AJo8kEoVFeaiNJ0JhKPfr4Sf-XqtDxwDxtKQDRLkkYLfh92vl5A0pheZxw-qc0mXj_Jzox8kiLDTZttcmYf4attQNbALy_3zobIG8y2HJ/s1600/sunrise.png" /></a></div>
2) Face care. I've used simple facewipes for years, but decided it was time to show my skin some love. I now have a lovely, organic, pampering face care routine from Liz Earle- it's like a little treat to myself each time I do my face morning and evening. I especially love their night time oil- smells divine!<br />
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3) Night time tea. <a href="https://www.pukkaherbs.com/pukka-products/pukka-teas/night-time-new/" target="_blank">This one</a> in particular. A cupful whilst I do my devotionals is always a good start to a decent nights sleep<br />
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4) Socks. Silly I know, but a soft, cuddly pair of bedsocks is an utter winner for making me feel all cosy and relaxed! I've got quite the collection!<br />
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5) Vegetables. When I plan what I eat, and make sure that most of each meal is veg, I feel way better in myself. Also, I'm one of those odd people who genuinely just loves vegetables! Any veg, any way- delicious.<br />
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<b>Spirit:</b><br />
Last but most definitely the most important! How can I go about resting and caring for my spirit?<br />
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1) Prioritising my devotional time. In previous attacks of depression and/or anxiety, this has been one of the very first things to go. This time round, that wasn't an option! I've moved my devo time to the evening (never been a great morning person!). I read the HTB bible in a year on the bible app, you can get it <a href="https://www.bibleinoneyear.org/">here</a>. I like that the devotionals are a really good length and can point things out to me that I'd not notice for myself, especially on a down or stressed day.<br />
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2) Journalling. My evening journalling is also super-important 'Sarah and God' time to process everything that's happened that day. I always write down 3 things I'm thankful for, to try and keep some perspective on life! Reading back through my journal is a great way to see how far I've come and how much good is in my life, even if it doesn't always feel that way!<br />
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3) Words- particularly scripture but also poetry and great quotes. Words have always been my <a href="http://www.5lovelanguages.com/" target="_blank">love language</a>, so I've put key thoughts and verses in different places around the house to keep me positive and plugged in! I found a lot of these on pinterest.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Postcards and Words around the house</td></tr>
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4) Worship: Playing piano,singing, listening to music are all a great way to calm my soul and focus on God and His goodness- whatever my day is like.<br />
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5) Community. My friends rock my world. Whether it's meeting weekly at 7am for a bible study and prayer time, or hanging out watching amazon prime or the Christmas 24 channel- my friends have lifted me up, cried with me and loved on me incredibly over the past few months. It's been a journey to get vulnerable enough with them to hang out even when I'm just napping in the corner, or feeling poop. I find my strength in my community and I wouldn't be without them. (Same goes for my wonderful family but they're further away for napping purposes)<br />
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6) Church- sounds simple, but it isn't! On a bad day I know well how tempting it is to hide in the house and not go anywhere. A massive part of caring for myself is forcing myself to get out and mingle with other people who love me, care for me and are praying for me. My church have been truly like family to me in the last few months- I LOVE them!<br />
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So there you have it- a little glimpse into how I look after myself and keep my mental health and well being a priority! None of the above are non-negotiable- of course I have days where I do few/none of them, but as principles for how I can better steward myself- as part of God's amazing creation- they are pretty good for the time being!<br />
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<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297608890149325967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241148357646353886.post-71291533057130782272016-05-31T17:11:00.000+01:002016-05-31T17:11:11.408+01:00A Nutty New ChallengeSorry for the gap in posting!<br />
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The doctors have got me on a great new combination of medication which has got the shingles completely controlled- as you may have noticed from my recent posts on Facebook and Twitter!<br />
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In February, myself and 2 of my best friends applied to be Team Whole Earth 2016.<br />
We didn't really know much about <a href="http://wholeearthfoods.com/natures-wonder-fuel/our-events/">Whole Earth Man V Horse</a>, but the offer of a Spa day and a personal trainer to get me over the post-shingles slump was too good to turn down, so we pinged in an application and forgot all about it!<br />
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I was heading out for a run in late February and got a call from a number I didn't recognise; usually I don't answer at all (too many PPI callers) but for some reason I picked up. I'm thrilled I did, as it was Abbie calling on behalf of Whole Earth, letting us know that we were down to the final 2 teams.<br />
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Suddenly the prospect of running through the Brecon Beacons was real- and I hadn't run more than once or twice since October-December's run of shingles!<br />
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A week or so later, and we got the email letting us know that we were successful and had been chosen as Team Whole Earth 2016! Cue <b>giant</b> panic at my end!<br />
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Ever since I started running, I've done my utmost to avoid running near anyone faster than me/who knows about running! The only exceptions were Great South and the triathlon, but the idea of having a trainer, or even joining a running club filled me with fear. (Hangover from the days of PE lessons!)<br />
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The first part of our Team Whole Earth experience was a fitness assessment with one of our 2 endurance coaches, Martin Yelling (his wife, Liz is our other coach.) Their website is <a href="http://yellingperformance.com/">here</a>. I was so, so nervous coming to the assessment, even more so than going to Great South! I was scared I'd lost too much fitness and Martin would be panicking that I wouldn't get fit enough to handle Man V Horse!<br />
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I needn't have worried. Martin and Liz are possibly the nicest, most encouraging people I have met in my life! We ran our fastest mile (mine was 8.49) and chatted through our fitness background, and goals for the race (survival is my #1!) They then used this info to make our training plans.<br />
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We also met our fab nutritionist <a href="http://www.srnutrition.co.uk/">Charlotte Stirling-Reed</a>, who talked through our diet and eating habits with us, before drawing up a bespoke nutrition plan for each of us.<br />
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On 23rd March we headed to London for the press launch, a very surreal day of exercise and peanut butter in Hyde Park! Our hours of posing, interviewing and another really great workout (with Liz not Martin that time) became this rather snazzy video:</div>
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After all the excitement of the launch, it's now been a slow and steady slog working through our training plan and getting ready for race day on 11th June! Ironically this has coincided with my busiest time at work, with lots of overnight stays and residentials, as well as 2 weekends away.</div>
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That said, I've weirdly enjoyed taking my running stuff and getting out and about exploring- as well as my usual stomping grounds of Southsea and QE country park, I've been running in Marrakesh, through Primrose Hill and along the Regents Canal in London (running past the zoo was cooler than the mansions en route!), Parkrun in Sheffield, round Sunningdale Park in Ascot, and along the canal towpath in Leeds! My strategy for running in a new city seems to be to head for the canal- it's worked so far!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sheffield, Marrakesh , London and Leeds</td></tr>
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It's also been a huge learning curve getting confident on hills and trails- I remember running through the Braidburn park near my parent's house in Edinburgh and making a 5k route which avoided both any hills and any grass/non tarmac surfaces! Hill reps have been an essential yet challenging element of this- luckily Lauren and Helen are always up for a quick set of hills and we definitely cheer each other on as we plod away up and down. (Except for Helen who is still cheering but definitely not plodding- the girl is quick!). We even went out on a 7 mile trail run with Martin, something I'd never, ever have imagined myself voluntarily doing a few months ago! Except for falling down the hill right at the very end, it was great, and Martin did a great job of boosting our confidence and giving us each a few pointers for the rest of our training.</div>
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It's 2 weeks to go, and I'm actually feeling alright! We had a group 8 mile trail run with Liz on Monday, something that would have seemed impossible 8 weeks ago but actually it was a really fun, enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours!<br />
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Life has eased up slightly so I'll endeavour to keep you all better updated on our Man V Horse training. I've also got a couple of recipes I've tried out with my years supply of super-yummy peanut butter- watch this space!<br />
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Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297608890149325967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241148357646353886.post-5768129912101905222016-01-20T20:30:00.000+00:002016-05-14T12:40:41.854+01:00Run! When you can't run, walk! When you can't walk... crochet?!Sorry for another gap! I've been entertaining myself with Christmas, round 5 of shingles, a ear infection and a sinus infection. Living the dream!<br />
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I had a fabulous break over Christmas this year- it was great to spend a nice big chunk of time with my family, Jon's family and our friends down here on the South Coast.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Treacle settling in under the tree at my Mum and Dad's house</td></tr>
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I'd asked for predominantly fitness related gifts this year, including a new Sweaty Betty sports bra (my old one was giving me crazy eczema all down my back!), blue tooth head phones, and a lovely shiny set of kettle bells.<br />
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Unfortunately, my body had other ideas and all of the above are still sat, in their packaging, collecting dust in my living room. As shingles gave way to infections, I ended up back at the GP and have been put on strict 'rest and recuperate' instructions whilst we wait for the 10 tubes of blood they took from me to come back and, hopefully, shed some light on what on earth is going on!<br />
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Happily, lots of my friends have been very busy popping out babies, so I've had plenty of opportunities for cute crochet projects whilst resting!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lovey comfort blanket for the newly arrived Emily</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A hat for new baby Ciara and head bands for her two gorgeous big sisters</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Comfort blanket for Cam (the whale rattles! I was disproportionally proud of myself for that.)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bootees and a hat for Matthew</td></tr>
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Over the past few days, the sun has come out and I've been out and about walking every day. I may not be running yet but I'm determined not to sit on my backside and wait for this bug to sort itself!<div>
The weather and the sea have rewarded me for bundling up and braving the cold:</div>
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I've really enjoyed taking it slower and stopping to enjoy the beautiful sunrises. (Not too slow though- it's minus 1!)<br />
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It's quite frustrating knowing how hard I was training to start Tri at this point last year, however I know I've come from being far less fit than this in the past, and if the doctors are saying rest, rest I must.<br />
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Now who else has got a baby on the way? I need another crochet project!!</div>
Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297608890149325967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241148357646353886.post-52359133358061223892015-12-12T15:37:00.003+00:002016-05-14T12:40:41.851+01:00Shingle Bells, Shingle Bells, Shingles all the way...As you may have gathered from the title (apologies for the pun- got to find my giggles somewhere!!) the last gap in posting was due to yet another bout of shingles- that's 4 in 2 years and 3 since April!<br />
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Bleargh.<br />
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The annoying yet good news, is that after a full immunology work up, it seems that the recurring shingles is 'just' due to how run down and stressed I was over my last few years in the classroom. It seems prolonged stress and insane working days will take their toll, whether you want them to or not!<br />
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After round 3 in October, I was determined to be back out and running as soon as possible- so headed out for a 5 miler about a 2 weeks after the rash had gone. Bad, bad plan! Within 24 hours the rash was back and shingles round 4 was in progress.<br />
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I've listened to the doctor this time, have taken some time to let the new medication kick in, and headed out today for my first run since the last bout. It was so, SO frustrating to be back to run-walking 4k after the great south and triathlon last year, but if it prevents a 5th episode of shingles, run-walk it is! I'm heading for a swim tomorrow (hopefully) and taking baby steps to get back into my routine!<br />
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However, those of you who know me will know that I am not one to sit around idle, so I decided to fill the increased amount of sofa-time with a new hobby- Crochet!<br />
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I've always knitted, but wanted to be able to make a blanket for our sofa, and couldn't work out how to find knitting needles big enough!<br />
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A few balls of chunky wool from B&M and a giant crochet hook later, and I was away.<br />
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Unfortunately, I hadn't accounted for my ridiculously short attention span, so the blanket is still very much a work in progress, with a little bit being done here and there.<br />
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Alongside, I've been really enjoying making some smaller projects, like this hat:<br />
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With Christmas coming, I decided to spend the sofa time making something to add to our stash of christmas decorations; enter the most addictive and wonderful crochet blog- <a href="http://www.attic24.typepad.com/">attic 24</a>.<br />
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In one of my rambles around Pinterest, I came across Lucy's beautiful winter wreath:<br />
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p<a href="http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/2015/03/winter-wreath-ta-dah-1.html">ic from Lucy at attic24</a></div>
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I was inspired! Something to make, full of little bits and bobs, which suited my short attention span perfectly.</div>
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I'm not a pink and purple person, so I took her design and played with the colours and design a little bit to match it better to our Christmas decorations.</div>
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I crocheted evenings and train journeys for about 3 weeks to make my wreath. This thing took a LOT of bits and bobs to make:</div>
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Weirdly, I found doing all the stripes for the wreath more annoying than the 32 leaves, or 18 little balls- evidence yet again of my appalling ability to do any one thing for longer than 5 minutes!</div>
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I was so chuffed to find a tub of tiny polystyrene toadstools for £1 whilst stocking-filler shopping at Tiger- 7 of these babies ended up on my wreath.</div>
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Once it was all done, it was time to pin all of the components in place. </div>
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I took a break for a couple of days, then took time last night to sew everything into place. A lot of crochet fans I know hate the sewing up stage, I found it weirdly satisfying. Better than making the wreath background anyway!!</div>
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So, without further ado- here's my surviving-shingles-with-my-sanity-intact Christmas Wreath!</div>
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I am over the moon with it! I love the warm colours, the cheeky little robin in the middle and the sparkly snowflakes. Hopefully this will become a family heirloom for many Christmases to come.</div>
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So less running has made for more crochet- here's hoping for plenty of time, and health, for both over this festive season!</div>
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<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297608890149325967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241148357646353886.post-48838774672369397222015-10-03T12:28:00.004+01:002015-10-03T12:29:32.064+01:00Slowing Down (reluctantly!)Long time no see!<br />
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It's been a hectic few months down here past the promenade.<br />
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I've changed job, Jon's finished his masters and started his new job(s) and it's been all change, all round.<br />
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To add to the fun, I've been having a frustrating battle post shingles to get back to the fitness I was at before the pesky virus entered my world.<br />
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Long story short, I've had to scale my training right back and take it very slowly, as I've picked up a few other bugs in my post-viral state and the doctor has said to chill out and take my time rather than jumping straight back in and flooring it immediately!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">plenty of opportunities to cuddle Treacle- less opportunities than I'd hoped for to compete!</span></div>
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To say I was gutted to miss everything I'd planned for the 2nd half of the year's racing is an understatement- I marshalled at June's triathlon with every intention of being in September's; a summer of new job, no routine and fatigue hitting after exercise and September's tri joined the growing list of 'races I missed because of ***** shingles!'<br />
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That said, I've learned so much about myself and my relationship with exercise by being forced to slow it down.<br />
-My garmin has been gathering dust on my dressing table- I've been out running for the pure joy of running and being outside with no reference to pace or time.<br />
- I've learned that a 1 mile run after a bug can be as big an achievement and give as huge an endorphin boost as a 10 mile run when you're well.<br />
-I've been loving helping one of my besties get into running, and working through various bits of C25K with her.<br />
- I've realised that it isn't training for an event, or beating a PB, or going further/harder/faster than I've ever gone before that gets me out and moving. It's the solitude, the freedom to go wherever my feet take me, the feeling that my body is doing what it was made to do and will thank me for moving a bit quicker, and knowing that I'm staying strong by exercising that makes it worth an early start or a rainy run!<br />
- picking blackberries or wrapping up and getting out for a walk is still better than sitting in the house on your bum- it's not triathlon-or-nothing when it comes to exercise (this one has taken some work!!)<br />
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I've got a few posts saved on here; some great recipes I've adapted over the summer, my bizarre experience marshalling the baby triathlete kiddos in June and a few inspiring ladies- it's time to get back on it with blogging and keep sharing what we're up to- whether that's a triathlon or a autumn walk around the headland.<br />
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Watch this space!Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297608890149325967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241148357646353886.post-30615381809667825012015-06-17T21:55:00.000+01:002015-06-17T21:56:30.490+01:00Working it Out WednesdaySo here goes with an idea which has been bouncing around my brain for a while!<br />
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We live in a connected world, rife with social media which I firmly believe can be used for good or ill.</div>
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A year ago, I was spending a fair amount of time online, whilst poorly and very stressed. Facebook was showing me that, while I was on the sofa, some of my friends were out and about, active, and making some far healthier choices than I was!<br />
I had no idea where to start on my journey into fitness, let alone how to fit it into my life, or if women 'like me' even were out there exercising amongst the hundreds of fit-freaks I imagined to be powering up and down the promenade.</div>
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So- working it out Wednesday is my contribution!<br />
Each Wednesday, I'm going to interview a different lady who has inspired me on my journey into fitness. Some are hard-core, running ultra marathons or pursuing qualifications within fitness. Some are like me- committed plodders who love how exercise makes them feel! There are single ladies, married ladies, ladies with kids and ladies without. Some have faith, some don't, some I've never asked so wouldn't know! All of them are amazing, and were key inspiration to me in starting and continuing exercising regularly.<br />
I've asked the questions that were on my mind when I was starting out on this path- if there are any other questions you can think of- stick them in the comments and I'm sure they'll be willing to start a conversation!</div>
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So, without further ado- grab a coffee, settle down on the sofa and let me introduce Amy!</div>
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Amy is a lady who I've known, by association since I started dating Jon. She's also married to a Marine- who's still serving in the RM Band Service. We've not seen each other much in real life, but her couch to 5k journey was one of the biggest motivating factors in getting my bottom off the sofa and out of the door. Last year, she posted this picture:</div>
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I'd just finished C25k, and it made me realise that maybe, just maybe, I could manage a triathlon one day! </div>
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Enough from me- let's hear from Amy and how she makes it all work for her:</div>
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<b>Tell us a bit about yourself:</b></div>
My name is Amy Rushton, I am 31, married to Jon who is in the Royal Marines Band and mum to Evan 7 and Lucas 3. We live in Emsworth in Hampshire. A long time ago I was also in the Royal Marines Band and enjoyed sport but a series of health issues put an end to that!<br />
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<b>What sports do you like to do in your free time, and how did you get into it in the first place?</b><br />
When I decided I wanted to get fitter I was 4 stone heavier than I am now. I'd had 4 knee operations and my joints weren't coping with all that weight, so I started walking. Initially it was to the shops, round the block etc but soon I was upping the distances. I started walking 5 miles most nights and frequently spent whole Saturdays on 20 mile+ walks. This alone helped me lose 2 stone. Once I had lost a bit of weight I decided to try running, which I hadn't done properly since leaving the Marines 14 years before! I found it VERY hard! But I stuck at it and coupled with some cycling I soon saw improvement. Now I frequently run 5km, enjoy parkrun, and cycle distances of around 40km.<br />
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<b>What drew you to the sport?</b><br />
I was drawn to running after seeing a good friend of mine go from a non runner to completing the Thames Path Challenge (100km in 24 hours). She achieved so many amazing things and as I watched her progress I was inspired to try myself. <i>(See- we're all secret fitness fan girls really! -Sarah)</i><br />
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<b>Was it easy getting started? Did you start alone or have company?</b></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">When I first started I was incredibly self conscious so I ran alone and at night so no one would see me. I found it so very difficult but I discovered perseverance I never knew I had. Once I started seeing improvements I was hooked. I prefer to run alone, a combination of still being self conscious of my running ability and enjoying the time alone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>What's your biggest achievement in your fitness to date?</b></span></div>
To date my biggest fitness achievement is competing the Great South Run in Oct 2014. I'm especially proud of that since I fractured my foot in 3 places half way and still managed to finish! <i>(Madness! -S)</i><br />
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<b>Are you working toward a goal at the moment? If so, what?</b></div>
At the moment I am training for an event I am doing with my online running club Thunder Runners. We are all competing at the Adidas Thunder Run at the end of July, which is a 24 hour endurance race where a team of 8 take turns to run 10km laps. I think I'm down for 3 laps! This is easily my biggest challenge to date, especially as I'm battling persistent niggles in my lower legs. I am really looking forward to it though!<br />
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<b>Let's be real- working out takes time! How do you fit it in? What's your weekly schedule like?</b><br />
Training does take time, something as a military wife and mum to 2 sons with autism, I don't get a lot of! I tend to run at night once the boys are in bed or squeeze a run in as the kids eat tea. I try to keep weekends for family time where I can so I run early in the morning or go to parkrun. When my husband was in Edinburgh for 6 weeks with the Royal Marines I took to putting the boys to bed and then running up and down my 80m street until I had reached 5km! I had a baby monitor with me so I could hear them and always could see my front door so I was happy that they were safe, and I did that almost every night. My neighbours thought I was crazy.<br />
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<b>If you could say one thing to someone sat on the sofa, considering starting a fitness programme, what would it be?</b><br />
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Be sensible, Start slowly, Dream big! I overdid it off the bat and hurt myself as I didn't know that I'm a severe overpronator. Consider getting a gait analysis and start with a Couch to 5KM app to get you started. Trust me, if I can do this, you can do this!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6CHhyFRhXEisEzjm4zjUnVgNHHVAxn9tqQbdkQBWqTXSnPO5IFnj-egLyQEKFSTlGij8VamXSe2utgsRIZNgS2IOU_vCFHMpzhSWGY6AjfZU5mhQrc33EvYhjrj7RixdWKEu1KG5dqNJU/s1600/11414558_10155662265700514_1018337754_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6CHhyFRhXEisEzjm4zjUnVgNHHVAxn9tqQbdkQBWqTXSnPO5IFnj-egLyQEKFSTlGij8VamXSe2utgsRIZNgS2IOU_vCFHMpzhSWGY6AjfZU5mhQrc33EvYhjrj7RixdWKEu1KG5dqNJU/s320/11414558_10155662265700514_1018337754_n.jpg" width="234" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amy before she started</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0yHwTLmACnhiHNPTCWY1_NuUlLG5lP2jDS1r-JrizCaxnAJFbrtyV0TId8ywBU6EGYq8OEHyNp3KKTTlPZU9zBkzdINEqNFNeWOIrfWHOPDuoJsobMFJilkBb1S-hd2MC2eqV5DWPl96u/s1600/11355589_10155662266065514_48319183_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0yHwTLmACnhiHNPTCWY1_NuUlLG5lP2jDS1r-JrizCaxnAJFbrtyV0TId8ywBU6EGYq8OEHyNp3KKTTlPZU9zBkzdINEqNFNeWOIrfWHOPDuoJsobMFJilkBb1S-hd2MC2eqV5DWPl96u/s320/11355589_10155662266065514_48319183_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Race for Life Pretty Muddy, June 2014</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Ut7lZzaJ0Ai58xX6op6Yg5idhGx0gHkehJLVGXxupoqhDgefjdKhx5i-hADbswJR2t6sYdoZwGp_bYfq4H-YXpTsrzgpSOvHmpoVu_8jTYLP1dJIANdgkzR_SzHIw4kON9J-iO4HW-M7/s1600/11349915_10155662266795514_2067957822_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Ut7lZzaJ0Ai58xX6op6Yg5idhGx0gHkehJLVGXxupoqhDgefjdKhx5i-hADbswJR2t6sYdoZwGp_bYfq4H-YXpTsrzgpSOvHmpoVu_8jTYLP1dJIANdgkzR_SzHIw4kON9J-iO4HW-M7/s320/11349915_10155662266795514_2067957822_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the Mo-Run November 2014 (complete with broken leg!)</td></tr>
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See- one inspiring lady right?! I couldn't agree more with so much of what Amy says- if we can do it- so can you! Her commitment to getting out and exercising is amazing- you should see her map my runs for the 5ks outside her house- it's like a very cross toddler went mad with a crayon in a very small area! Thank you Amy so much for taking the time to answer my questions.</div>
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I'm blessed with a very inspirational friendship group, so stay tuned for another working it out Wednesday with another fab friend next week.</div>
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Any questions- bring them to the comments!</div>
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Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297608890149325967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241148357646353886.post-54601114174718975402015-06-08T20:27:00.001+01:002015-06-08T20:27:55.211+01:00baja(ish) fish tacosAs I'm stuck at home, waiting for this rash to sort itself, I've slept a tonne, read a few books and enjoyed having time to cook dinner for myself and Jon.<br />
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Fiddling with this recipe has been on my to-do list for months, ever since Jon and I had dinner at <a href="http://www.wahaca.co.uk/menu/food/" target="_blank">Wahaca</a> in March and I had these delicious fish tacos:<br />
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Crispy fish, crunchy, citrusy slaw and creamy crema- it was absolutely delicious despite my nerves about the impending job interview I was facing the next day.<br />
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Life's been pretty hectic since, but to celebrate being well enough to return to work tomorrow, I decided to finally have a crack at making my own version- which actually turned out far better than I was expecting!<br />
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So, without further ado- here's my recipe for <b>homemade fish tacos</b>: (serves 2-3)<br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
2 large fillets of white fish. (I used Basa- it's sustainably caught and very reasonable if you buy it frozen)<br />
1 egg<br />
2 tbsp plain flour<br />
1 avocado<br />
1/4 white cabbage<br />
1 red onion<br />
2 tbsp garlic mayo (I used homemade olive oil mayo, mixed with 1/2 clove of crushed garlic)<br />
3 tbsp sour cream<br />
a big bunch of coriander<br />
1 lime<br />
1tsp cayenne pepper<br />
1 sachet <a href="http://www.discoveryfoodsdirect.com/crispy-crumb-coating-73-p.asp" target="_blank">discovery crispy coating </a>(or polenta- I just find this quick and easy!)<br />
1 large tortilla per person (I like multigrain to up the fibre).<br />
2tbsp sunflower oil<br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
The cooking part of this is incredibly quick- so I prepped all the trimmings first then cooked the fish so that we could eat it whilst it was hot and crispy.<br />
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<b>Slaw:</b><br />
Grate the white cabbage on the coarse side of a grater or in a food processor. (I'd food process but I've lost the spindle for mine! Must order a new one!)<br />
Finely chop the red onion and mix 3/4 in with the grated cabbage.<br />
Juice 1/2 the line into the bowl, and scrape the little limey citrus bits (that stick out of the lime when you squeeze it) off with a sharp knife and stir through the mix with salt and pepper to taste.<br />
Take a big handful of coriander, chop and stir through the mixture.<br />
That's the slaw done- zingy, crunchy and fat free!!<br />
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<b>Lazy Guacamole:</b><br />
Dice the avocado (I score mine in the skin then scoop the whole lot out with a big spoon!) Mash lightly with a fork, then stir in the other 1/4 red onion, 1 tsp chopped coriander and a sprinkle of cayenne to taste. It's not really guacamole but it's tasty!<br />
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<b>Crema:</b><br />
Mix the garlic mayo, the other 1/2 of the lime's juce and the sour cream together in a bowl. Stir well and add chopped coriander to taste (there is quite a lot of coriander going on in this so bear that in mind! I had about 1tsp coriander in the crema.)<br />
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<b>Fish:</b><br />
Cut the fish into 1.5 inch cubes. Try to keep the bits similarly sized, so that they cook in an equal amount of time. Put your flour on one saucer, your beaten egg on another and your crumbs on another. Roll your fish in flour, then egg, then crumbs and lie on a plate ready to fry. Repeat until all the fish is prepped. (I find it easiest to do 4 bits at a time, using my fingers for the flour and egg, and a fork to cover with crumbs and move onto the plate.) Heat the sunflower oil in a frying pan, then fry the fish in batches until golden brown and crispy. I'd imagine you could bake the fish in the oven if you were feeling super health conscious! Cooking the fish really doesn't take long, a minute or so on each side tops. You don't want to over cook it!<br />
Remove from the pan onto a piece of kitchen towel, then serve!<br />
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I chopped the tortillas into 4 so that they better resembled the little soft tacos I enjoyed so much at Wahaca. Microwave them for 30 seconds so they're soft and pliable.<br />
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To serve, I just put all the different components on the table and let us tuck in!<br />
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Beginning to end, this recipe takes about 20 minutes to cook- it's healthy, fresh and tasty- why not give it a try?!<br />
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<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297608890149325967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241148357646353886.post-56866373964551738082015-06-06T12:26:00.003+01:002015-06-06T12:26:51.257+01:00Saturday Summer SaladsWell it's been a fairly crazy week!<br />
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Shingles hit, and I've been sleeping around 16-18 hours a day. Craziness! Even at my poorliest with ME, if I'd slept all day I struggled to sleep all night, but shingles has pulled my power plug out, well and truly, and I just can't get enough sleep!<br />
That said, my school have been insanely supportive, they've rallied round and covered everything so I've been off without worrying and able to be unconscious most of the day!<br />
In good news, the antivirals seem to be working and the rash has stopped spreading, and the odd, burning, electrocution-y pain is less frequent, even if there's still more of it than I'd like!<br />
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As I've been asleep all week, I've only been enjoying the gorgeous blue skies and sunny weather from my vantage point curled up on the sofa, but yesterday I decided to celebrate the sunshine, even if I'm indoors, and make a scrummy summer salad!<br />
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Salad for me has always been one of those things that I love to have out, but never replicated in a way that I actually wanted to tuck into at home! It always seemed to end up being the same salad veg (lettuce, cucumber, cherry tomatoes), some kind of super healthy protein (fish/chicken) and feeling hungry again within 2 hours. Salad in a restaurant was usually accompanied by chips!<br />
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When I started paleo last year, I knew that to make it a goer through the summer, I needed to change my viewpoint (and 'recipe bank') of salads- and over the course of the summer, I discovered a whole repertoire of easy, delicious and <b>interesting</b> salads that even Jon enjoys eating!<br />
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In doing so, I found a few things that I needed each time to make a salad go from boring to blooming irresistable!<br />
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1: <b>Fat.</b> Yep; you read that right! One of the most eye opening things I discovered whilst eating paleo is that your body needs good fat- and you can still lose weight if you eat it- so long as you're not padding out the rest of your diet with processed foods, sugar and refined carbs.<br />
Fat for me takes salad from penitence to treat- and also triggers the satiety receptors in your head making you feel fuller and satisfied faster. Some good fats that I love to add to my salads are:<br />
-Avocados.<br />
-Nuts (toasted or raw- try pecans, walnuts, peanuts, macadamias)<br />
-Homemade, olive oil mayo (<a href="http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2010/06/03/the-secret-to-homemade-mayo-patience/" target="_blank">This recipe</a> is bulletproof- I've made it at least 10 times and it's never failed)<br />
-Olives<br />
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2: <b>Protein. </b>Not just for decorative purposes- a fist sized portion per person. Protein is such a key to staying full, controlling blood sugar and building/repairing muscle- don't skimp here! Obviously if you're using a fatty protein like chorizo or cheese, you may want less added fat from the fats section.<br />
- Meat- Chicken, Chorizo, ready cut bacon lardons if you're in a rush (Lidl do a great beech smoked packet). Try roasting off a whole pan of chicken drumsticks at the weekend and using them through the week for lunches. Ham, parma ham, charcuterie.<br />
-Fish- smoked salmon, prawns (both really easy and quick, if a bit expensive) squid, trout. I'm not a huge fan of white fish on salad- all a bit too healthy! - maybe one day I'll change my mind!<br />
-Cheese- crumbly goats cheese, feta, applewood smoked, cheddar, parmesan. Experiement with grating, finely grating, crumbling and cubing to get maximum cheesey flavour for minimum cheese!<br />
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3. <b>Veggies.</b> I have a confession to make: I detest iceberg lettuce. As in, cannot stand the stuff! I'd not be sad if it was wiped from planet earth tomorrow! That said, there's still loads that I love putting in salads to keep them interesting:<br />
-Leaves: Spinach, watercress and rocket is my go-to bagged salad- tonnes of flavour and super easy. Cos lettuce and mini cos are crunchy and tasty if you've got a bit longer. Raddichio is tasty but bitter so go easy- same with endive.<br />
-Fruit: I love fruit in salads- especially if you've got a salty or very savoury element like cheese or cured meat. Crisp apples, pears, raisins, melon, orange segments- all scrummy and one of your 5 a day!<br />
-Veg: Veggies as well as leaves make for variety and taste; I love frozen, pre grilled mediterranean veggies- oven cook them and stir them in- easy and tasty! Mushrooms, grilled/poached asparagus tips, hot or cold peas, petit pois or french beans, grated carrot, grated cabbage (red or white)- the list could go on and on!<br />
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4. <b>Dressing. </b>For me this is where it can all go terribly, terribly wrong! Sometimes, if a salad's got a mixture of all of the above, it doesn't even need a dressing! That said, a sparser, simpler salad can go from dull to delicious with a good dressing. Remember dressing can count for your 'fat' as well if you're going for a mayo or oil heavy dressing:<br />
Zingy- Lemon/Lime/Orange juice. Balsamic/White Wine/Cider/Champagne Vinegar. Buttermilk<br />
Creamy: Mayo/Yoghurt/Sour Cream based dressings<br />
Oils: Olive, rapeseed, walnut, sesame, tahini (obviously not an oil but tasty!)<br />
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5. <b>Garnish. </b>Add the final flavour punch you need to balance everything else in the salad; I love:<br />
-finely chopped shallots/red onion<br />
-herbs- dill for fish/ a scandinavian vibe on anything! Coriander for an asian/mexican flavour, Parsley goes with anything!<br />
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6. <b>Carbs. </b>Especially in summer when you're having salad as a main meal!<br />
-New potatoes, sweet potatoes, beetroot, roasted butternut squash,<br />
-Pasta, wholewheat pasta, quinoa, rice, wild rice, noodles<br />
-fresh bread, wraps, croutons<br />
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7. <b>Temperature.</b> Obviously not an ingredient, but can go a long way toward making a salad taste more interesting (and less like it's been in a tesco chiller cabinet for the last 2 days!) try;<br />
-frying bacon lardons and leftover cooked chicken and scattering on top<br />
-roasting baby new potatoes, chopping roughly and stirring through<br />
-roasting aubergine, courgette and peppers and adding to a mediterranean salad.<br />
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I've found that trying to get a good balance of these 7 things has saved me spending loads trying to cook exact salad recipes, but also means that I'm not stuck eating a plate of iceberg lettuce and cold chicken (eurgh!)<br />
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That said- here's a yummy salad we had yesterday to celebrate summer!<br />
<br />Watermelon, fish and cheese may sound like an odd combo, but the hot prawns, cold, crisp watermelon and salty, creamy cheese are a really delicious, summery combination!<br />
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<b>Watermelon, Prawn and Goats Cheese Salad.</b><br />
<b>Serves 2-3 as a main, more as a side.</b><br />
Ingredients:<br />
1/2 a bag of spinach, rocket and watercress salad<br />
3 thick slices of watermelon<br />
1/2 a pack soft goats cheese (approx 75g)<br />
20 prawns (we bought ours in a bulk freezer pack at Lidl when they were on offer. Even 10 prawns would increase the protein and still be delicious)<br />
handful of fresh parsley<br />
2 cloves of garlic<br />
Salt & Pepper<br />
Flatbread (to serve)<br />
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Empty the salad into a big bowl. Chop the watermelon into big cubes, and mix through.<br />
Crumble the cheese into fingernail size bits and scatter across the salad.<br />
-at this point, just this salad by itself is really refreshing and a great side for a BBQ or lunch!-<br />
Put a glug of olive oil into a pan, chop the garlic and fry for 30 seconds.<br />
Add the prawns (still frozen if needs be!)<br />
Stir around until prawns are heated through, add the parsley, salt and pepper and keep stirring.<br />
Once the parsley is wilted, pour the prawns onto the salad.<br />Serve with side plates, a finger bowl and flatbread to wipe up and creamy cheesey bits stuck to the plates.<br />
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In an ideal world, I'd have used shelled prawns for this to make eating it easier. That said, these were on an insanely good special offer and due to shingles tiredness I couldn't be bothered to peel them first. It was still really tasty!<br />
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<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297608890149325967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241148357646353886.post-32696539011271931092015-06-03T11:55:00.002+01:002015-06-03T11:55:29.923+01:00A spanner named shinglesThere's a spanner in the works for operation triathlon, and it's name is Shingles!<br />
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As you may have noticed, things have been a little quiet over here past the promenade! My apologies. We are in the middle of a truly mad time of year for all Year 2 and Year 6 teachers- it's SATS season and all of my non-essential life activities (blogging, preparing interesting meals rather than grazing the fridge, sleeping before midnight) have ceased in a flurry of moderation prep and drawing up class lists for next year. The kids haven't noticed anything different though, which, in my opinion, is exactly how it should be! Happy kiddos= happy teacher.<br />
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I guess, with hindsight, I was burning the candle at both ends (and in the middle!!) and went down with a bug at the start of half term. A lot of work came home with me for the holiday, and I kept on with my training plan, admittedly doing far less than I'd planned to, as I felt under the weather for most of the break.<br />
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I started sleeping badly, and my skin began to flare up (usually a sign my immune system isn't doing it's thing), and on Monday night I found myself at the out of hours doctor for 2 hours, waiting to be told that, for the second time in 2 years, I've managed to get shingles. Same side as last time, but going up and down my back, with pain in my ear, shoulder neck and arm.<br />
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"Take it easy and rest" is the doctor's advice, which doesn't sit well with someone who's been training hard for a triathlon since January, and that triathlon is in 12 days. As in, 288 hours. I'm not allowed to swim until the rash has gone, and, despite catching it really early this time, currently the rash is spreading rather than retreating.<br />
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Gutted is an understatement- but I'm trying my best to hold it all really lightly, rest and let my body do it's thing. I'm taking the huge antiviral tablets 5x a day, cracking the pain killers and even taking a bit of time off work as the pain has made me so tired and irritable I'm not much use to anyone.<br />
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Even if the rash clears, I need to get my head around the fact that I'll be 3 weeks behind my ideal training schedule (due to busyness before half-term, illness in half term and shingles now) if I do make it to the starting line.<br />
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However, I've been praying for perspective (and for the shingles to go away!!) and I've realised that actually this particular triathlon isn't the be-all and end-all. A 3 week (or longer) dip in a lifetime of health and fitness isn't a huge deal. I'll encounter other dips in the future, for other reasons, and the key thing is that I don't let them derail my determination and the enjoyment I get from training.<br />
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All of my hard work will be used and pay off on a triathlon this summer, even if it's not on the 14th of June. The stress-busting benefits and health impact that training since last May has had on me can't be taken away by a bug now, even one as sore and annoying as shingles. Worst case scenario that I miss it- I get even longer to work on my sea swimming and to get along to the transition trainings that Portsmouth Triathletes run. I'll still be there cheering my awesome training buddies as they chase their goal.<br />
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I'm off to curl up under a blanket, eat a tonne of fruit and veg and rest this virus out of my system!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsZicDLpm7KNLqS46TovWGlA8iKg89NJh4ZLTMmgrqW_BRGyVoPIH_EY8k_eszes-qDYUsYathtZI-ezC-1CDPbwM04L5msjwP0d2oec_vIJVTLkkPXqB6TY7hyphenhyphen7PkRkx-i3KnZtpogDv3/s1600/image+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsZicDLpm7KNLqS46TovWGlA8iKg89NJh4ZLTMmgrqW_BRGyVoPIH_EY8k_eszes-qDYUsYathtZI-ezC-1CDPbwM04L5msjwP0d2oec_vIJVTLkkPXqB6TY7hyphenhyphen7PkRkx-i3KnZtpogDv3/s320/image+%25281%2529.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">nurse Treacle is in business</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeDlmucU2XqeuN_ZJe5JQtnX9S1oAhUvD9yIYt-JjJZip_yDHoQU-3iE3Lbv0ryQTWMSI-CuIZaI4iN_Icr215TI-9Y2t8P_T1vhAO_30iwoGfc3ui7zDhlAR1JupS4GIboETaXOe_s0y7/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeDlmucU2XqeuN_ZJe5JQtnX9S1oAhUvD9yIYt-JjJZip_yDHoQU-3iE3Lbv0ryQTWMSI-CuIZaI4iN_Icr215TI-9Y2t8P_T1vhAO_30iwoGfc3ui7zDhlAR1JupS4GIboETaXOe_s0y7/s320/image.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">living electric blanket</td></tr>
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Any home remedies for shingles pain- share them in the comments and I will love you forever!<br />
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Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297608890149325967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241148357646353886.post-42481629301220205762015-05-11T22:48:00.000+01:002015-05-11T22:54:49.905+01:00What Happened?<span style="font-family: inherit;">Whilst trying to ignore the burning in my legs on a recent (frustratingly slow) 20k training cycle, my mind was wandering. As usual, it eventually found it's way to work, which in my case is the wonderful and wacky world of teaching; little people are my area of expertise and I teach some of the littler ones in our system.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I have the pleasure and privilege of watching (and helping) these awesome kiddos acquire the skills that most of us take for granted; reading, writing, counting, throwing, catching- the list goes on!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">My class are getting ready to leave me in July, and I've had a lot of them for 2 years- from age 5-7. We've gone from huge, scrawling letter shapes to (mostly) sensibly sized, joined up, legible handwriting. Counting to 10 has increased to 100, 1000 in 1s, then 2s, then 5s.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.childrens-mathematics.net/graphics/fig_05_john.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.childrens-mathematics.net/graphics/fig_05_john.jpg" height="320" width="274" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emergent writing- a language all of it's own and different for each and every child!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">You get the picture!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">However, they haven't made that progress without an absolutely phenomenal amount of personal effort and resilience! I teach children who have written illegibly day after day for months, yet every day will come into school with a smile on their face, ready to have their thousandth try at the same skill. They don't get disheartened or mardy, they just pick themselves up and have another go; over and over again! Their excitement and pride when they finally crack it (whatever 'it' was) is a joy to behold- scraps of paper photocopied to flap, with sticky fingers, in Mum or Dad's face at home time, team points in the jar, and a real, shared sense of celebration and pride amongst the whole class.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When does this go wrong? Where does it all stop? Why are adults so blinking learning-averse?!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Simple- fear.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Until I started running a year ago, I genuinely don't think I'd started learning something new (from scratch) for over 10 years (except for a brief dalliance with Samba drumming when I lived in Germany. I was too weak to hold most of the drums and didn't enjoy the finger blisters so stopped!) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I wasn't even particularly good at making the most of skills I already had;</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I was a grade 8 flautist, but wouldn't join any local orchestras or music groups for fear of embarrassing myself with how much I'd forgotten or lost in technique.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I have a German degree (and family!) but was too scared to go to Kaffeeklatsch or conversation groups in case my grammar let me down.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I spent 5 years learning to sail and did all my RYA qualifications, but was too scared to go on a refresher course (despite living on the South Coast) in case the instructors laughed at me for how much I'd forgotten.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Paranoid much?!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">My kids at school have blessed my socks off by showing me- graciously- what learning should look like: going in with little skill, an open mind and a barrel load of enthusiasm, picking yourself up each time you don't quite get it, and supporting your friends (and not-quite friends) in whatever they're trying to learn. The one thing they haven't learnt yet, is how to be scared of getting it wrong- and I am going to put that moment off for them for as long as I possibly can.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Running (and triathlon) has been a watershed for me in that respect; it's the first time I've consciously gone out to do something I <b>know</b> I will be terrible at (to start with, and quite possibly to end with too!). I've had to increase the distance, the speed, the intensity incrementally and learn to pick myself up each time I fail. I've huffed and puffed along the sea front, being over taken by every Tom Dick and Harry, and learnt to still feel pride in the time <b>I've</b> run, or the distance <b>I've</b> covered; regardless of what everyone else is doing. I did my first triathlon knowing there was a hefty chance that I was going to come last and doing it anyway.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I went surfing for my birthday last year- trying something new (and physical) as a result of my newfound, emerging confidence!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I hope, desperately, that the resilience and 'have-a-go' attitude of my little Starfishes doesn't get bashed and beaten out of them by a system that values numbers and letters over personalities, attitudes and human qualities.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
Equally, I hope that, as a product of that <span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 21px;">über focussed, academic system, I will continue to learn to try new things, take risks, put my ego on the back burner and have a go for the sake of trying and living each day to it's maximum potential!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21px;">My list of things to try keeps getting longer- BSL classes, re-learning Spanish, Stand Up Paddleboarding (after the train wreck that was surfing last year!) and swing dance, to name just a few!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21px;">You name it, nowadays I'm up for having a go; and for that I am eternally grateful to the 24 little people who challenged me to listen to my own teaching and rhetoric and "just have a go!"</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21px;"><br />What do you want to learn?</span></div>
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Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297608890149325967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241148357646353886.post-23095015072382796702015-04-27T22:34:00.000+01:002015-04-27T22:34:17.203+01:00You never know until you Tri...Well if there was ever a sentence I thought would never be typed by me, it's this one, but; Yesterday I did my first ever Triathlon!<br />
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<i>Health warning; this is potentially a very over detailed account of my first Triathlon. However, I found reading about other people's experiences quite handy in prepping for my Tri so I'm just going to stick it all in. </i><br />
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I've been planning to do the Portsmouth Try a Tri in June since January (New Year's Resolution gone mad!) but had been falling into a real lull in my training, unsure what to do to progress or where my strengths/weaknesses were.<br />
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Cue a random facebook post on the Portsmouth Triathletes group (who I've been stalking since Feb but am too chicken to actually join!) advertising the David Lloyd Sprint Triathlon- 400m pool swim, 20k cycle and 5k run.<br />
The pool swim element made this a very appealing first event, as the try a tri is an 750m open water swim but otherwise identical in terms of distance, so cutting my teeth on a less fish-infested, current-riddled body of water sounded like a plan!<br />
I signed up 3 weeks ago on a whim and proceeded to freak out.<br />
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My training up until that point had consisted of teaching myself to swim once a week, spin followed by a 5k on the treadmill on Tuesdays and a run at the weekend (with a few resistance/weights sessions thrown in when time allowed).<br />
I upped the swimming to twice a week, went on a few Easter Holiday bike rides, accidentally took a whole week off training in Copenhagen (more on that amazing trip to come!) and suddenly it was Saturday and the triathlon was tomorrow!<br />
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Tri lesson no. 1: "novice friendly" does not mean the same as "there will be lots of novices". Pulling into the car park outside David Lloyd at 6am, we were greeted by the scary sight of lots of very muscly men, unloading bikes from their vans/cars which probably cost more than our car, if not our house! We went in to registration and everyone was already milling around, chatting and prepping for the race. I freaked OUT and just wanted to run away and hide in the car! My inner PE-hating teenager was back, with a vengeance!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfLh0thi-_eJJdwGPR4yMoZhqpYyGOhox3lmvfOlQLaEqw4vx6jnnM-GCLeWaHAefHWRvkEUV5haRA1w-D_1d1eHB74JiKN_GP_H6-erV7F4lK1QsNNejS3gU4UM6WYfrkRP2Gd4Lr4DC/s1600/11149397_10152804969827555_6145266399441393535_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfLh0thi-_eJJdwGPR4yMoZhqpYyGOhox3lmvfOlQLaEqw4vx6jnnM-GCLeWaHAefHWRvkEUV5haRA1w-D_1d1eHB74JiKN_GP_H6-erV7F4lK1QsNNejS3gU4UM6WYfrkRP2Gd4Lr4DC/s1600/11149397_10152804969827555_6145266399441393535_n.jpg" height="320" width="181" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note the eminently more chilled and well-trained triathletes chilling behind me!</td></tr>
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I filled out my medical questionnaire, got inked up with my race number (right arm and left calf) and headed out to rack my bike. We were seeded into 4 waves by our predicted swim time and our novice-ness. I was number 102- 1 for the novice wave and number 02 for speed of swimming (01 being the slowest...). On reflection, telling them I thought it would take me 25 minutes to swim 400m didn't help- turns out yesterday it took me 11. Oops!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWb8HiuRS8VoOTm35vSwyaHUJwwAU4pW3UY6PUbExsB460Mxvv3OKIvD92vpBXrsFmXuTh0M1A89fb9DgcRk7M_UDcbUGWrx5acF69sR3pVx-MxZbG3GwZcm6oGQKlZz6upcd8jmcI3rpL/s1600/11182081_10152804969787555_4223426770010496580_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWb8HiuRS8VoOTm35vSwyaHUJwwAU4pW3UY6PUbExsB460Mxvv3OKIvD92vpBXrsFmXuTh0M1A89fb9DgcRk7M_UDcbUGWrx5acF69sR3pVx-MxZbG3GwZcm6oGQKlZz6upcd8jmcI3rpL/s1600/11182081_10152804969787555_4223426770010496580_n.jpg" height="181" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bike racked and transition mat (towel) set up ready</td></tr>
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Before I knew it, it was 7am and time for race briefing, which due to my panic went completely over my head. I was relying completely on following whoever was in front of me. In briefing I met a couple of novices, one who had run 20+ marathons and the other who'd attended multiple training sessions for novices with Portsmouth Triathletes! (At this point I was cursing my antisocial sport tendencies and deep rooted hatred of doing exercise near other people, especially if they're better at it than me! My secret facebook stalking of Portsmouth Triathletes was eminently less useful than actually manning up and going to their training sessions!)<br />
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Regardless, it was too late to panic and we lined up at the start of the pool for the swim leg.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirGrkodCEBxyj_YaXK3MKsgZxqHKlp18yE_010Ngq7UAPAIye-zYvyYBKT3RuMxQHPIuVxP2MZ_ITGvLHVaCmhakdFxyKNd8zTYWfkn9GylMxyq8T7G72DIC0TTH2nprekn1L25VS-0GzR/s1600/11156184_10152805003142555_4666231312725702348_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirGrkodCEBxyj_YaXK3MKsgZxqHKlp18yE_010Ngq7UAPAIye-zYvyYBKT3RuMxQHPIuVxP2MZ_ITGvLHVaCmhakdFxyKNd8zTYWfkn9GylMxyq8T7G72DIC0TTH2nprekn1L25VS-0GzR/s1600/11156184_10152805003142555_4666231312725702348_n.jpg" height="320" width="181" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clearly I need to work on my triathlete power stance! (or get a float!)</td></tr>
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I think I'd under estimated the effect panic would have on my breathing; but we were only 3 to a lane and 2 lengths in I'd found my groove and was merrily front crawling up and down. We overtook at the end of lanes (something I'd been worrying about) and touched the person in front's leg when we wanted to pass at the next turn. I started to get a stitch around length 10 (despite a 4.30am breakfast!) but by length 13 it was gone and I made it to length 16 without mishap, although I was the second last out of the pool!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglq-6h1tclG9a7TdUYzoHR8sc6tg9wh-KRHdfaddx7FQkEJTqfUI0YRJIJ02iG9R34HOx-Q4-Rx-StQtzt7g_k3pZ4-a0CH_ZQ3XMZTNUXlMAoZNAjezFQBks2evGpeylpsRpYCC0LzRGk/s1600/11178302_10152805003082555_4726131498787741622_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglq-6h1tclG9a7TdUYzoHR8sc6tg9wh-KRHdfaddx7FQkEJTqfUI0YRJIJ02iG9R34HOx-Q4-Rx-StQtzt7g_k3pZ4-a0CH_ZQ3XMZTNUXlMAoZNAjezFQBks2evGpeylpsRpYCC0LzRGk/s1600/11178302_10152805003082555_4726131498787741622_n.jpg" height="181" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm in the pink hat</td></tr>
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It was time for my first transition and I ran out of the fire exit and across the cold car park! Luckily the sports bra that came with the Trisuit worked it's magic and I definitely experienced less cold-induced embarrassment in the chest region than a lot of the other female triathletes!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMfoTcjQOLElGFLUJwYzztAXhj0jzpCHWpDenyG2r2ntqnBZut4rmJmoYRv0HRROaExe4MVmcVlVhtD4ZJYr4v9Uj0PvkP8rdFR6UAoTr6v7zex7XpciP1pYSdrd_5kJyRUELsRJZ9GXPO/s1600/11173356_10152805020937555_8268370455838587542_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMfoTcjQOLElGFLUJwYzztAXhj0jzpCHWpDenyG2r2ntqnBZut4rmJmoYRv0HRROaExe4MVmcVlVhtD4ZJYr4v9Uj0PvkP8rdFR6UAoTr6v7zex7XpciP1pYSdrd_5kJyRUELsRJZ9GXPO/s1600/11173356_10152805020937555_8268370455838587542_n.jpg" height="320" width="181" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Out for a casual jog in a swim suit and bare feet...</td></tr>
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I'd practiced this transition multiple times the day before, without once taking into account the fact that, on the day, I'd be soaking wet! I'd laid out my long-sleeved top for the cycle, already tucked into my windproof jacket. In my living room I was getting pretty fast at putting both on at the same time!<br />
The same could not be said for yesterday! The long sleeved top ruched up on top of my boobs, the sleeve holes got stuck at my elbows and 8 inches+ of sleeve was hanging out the end of the jacket. The lycra covered my whole face and the hood of the jacket got stuck up, and I was entirely incapable of freeing myself!! After flapping around transition like some kind of stranded bird for what felt like an hour but was probably about 10 seconds, the lovely marshal came and tried to rescue me! I ended up having to re dress myself to remedy the messed up layers.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM8vfaBHdMXkPNpy66KxAqxMmlt4sKZNkS7sywm_Di55LEoEWBlsOfmhro6asqFb9EvfaEIzE0t3AKrbJFWD9-z9u-RIq0u_nInUA7ubiAtKpK5zl0KPaKm1n3q_ehi92dJ3YVd39DjQtQ/s1600/11178526_10152808176042555_688059044_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM8vfaBHdMXkPNpy66KxAqxMmlt4sKZNkS7sywm_Di55LEoEWBlsOfmhro6asqFb9EvfaEIzE0t3AKrbJFWD9-z9u-RIq0u_nInUA7ubiAtKpK5zl0KPaKm1n3q_ehi92dJ3YVd39DjQtQ/s1600/11178526_10152808176042555_688059044_n.jpg" height="200" width="113" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">marshal to the rescue!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKKw9uTKgMijaDfohIuQiuQBBM23u4lqPt8HmYrkXn5lMU5-fck2J1UwJPKQE5i0eGZWPzDzbG20w2pE5Rm4YBTasIueElzYqaxUrIZPXzsbH3ic0p3E8JARRTWm9t1WOCe6iBBmZyHZcE/s1600/10423304_10152805021002555_7636867267666997957_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKKw9uTKgMijaDfohIuQiuQBBM23u4lqPt8HmYrkXn5lMU5-fck2J1UwJPKQE5i0eGZWPzDzbG20w2pE5Rm4YBTasIueElzYqaxUrIZPXzsbH3ic0p3E8JARRTWm9t1WOCe6iBBmZyHZcE/s1600/10423304_10152805021002555_7636867267666997957_n.jpg" height="200" width="113" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">redressing myself after the clothing fail</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirnRRxQ_BS7JgSRSzoov-ueJA1Jbknu5_yYt355Z0LUR2wgf_iYTHRxhm01dXbuL5T-GiDo3PLs6kqdZBFtokcZ9nNfgaXCkZ5wl30YTUMC4GGar_j8dhAIOUXD4dZZvdeRhXi-rZKp0zy/s1600/11156345_10152805021092555_6046891627806100277_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirnRRxQ_BS7JgSRSzoov-ueJA1Jbknu5_yYt355Z0LUR2wgf_iYTHRxhm01dXbuL5T-GiDo3PLs6kqdZBFtokcZ9nNfgaXCkZ5wl30YTUMC4GGar_j8dhAIOUXD4dZZvdeRhXi-rZKp0zy/s1600/11156345_10152805021092555_6046891627806100277_n.jpg" height="200" width="113" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">finally made it!</td></tr>
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Embarassed but dressed, I pushed my bike up to the mount line and headed out for 5 laps of Port Solent. The cycle was the discipline I'd definitely prepared least for. My logic was if I can't swim, I drown; If I can't run, I have to walk but I already know I can ride a bike, so what's the worst that can happen?!<br />
Bad, bad logic! Turns out, there's a lot of technique to riding a bike fast and I don't really have any of it! A first step is going to be learning what on earth is going on with my gears as I'm pretty sure I did the first 4 laps in entirely the wrong gear. Once I realised and changed gear, I picked up my pace and really enjoyed the final lap.<br />
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My second transition into the run was a lot faster- jacket off and off I went!<br />
I haven't felt many things as unpleasant as trying to run on legs which have just cycled 20k! They felt like steel marshmallows and I had no idea how I'd get through the next 5k, especially without my beloved running playlist (no headphones or music at all!)<br />
<br />
However, I plodded on and soon realised I was actually running my fastest ever 5k- my first mile was 9.48 (I'm usually around 10.15).<br />
Hoping to finish the 5k sub 30 minutes gave me a new goal to aim for and I knuckled down to the run. I found the lap element really demoralising- running to the finish line to then run away and do another lap made me want to cry, but, due to the phased waves of triathletes there were lots of incredible cyclists and great runners to watch on the run which kept me distracted from my sore legs! I was far too hot by this point, so broke the one rule I'd set myself of never running in just the trisuit in public, and left my top with Jon.<br />
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I was over taken in my last lap by 2 runners from the 4th wave (elite) and both of them slowed down to encourage me and cheer me on! It was just a little thing but it really perked me up and gave me the boost I needed to head to the finish line, and use every last ounce of energy for a sprint finish.<br />
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In 1 hour 31 minutes I was done and over the finish line! Exhasuted was probably my main emotion but over the course of the day I felt so chuffed that I pushed a boundary and tried something that, a year ago, I never would have dreamt was possible!<br />
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So: 5 things I learned at my first triathlon<br />
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1. Someone will always run/swim/cycle faster than you, have better kit than you or a more exciting bike than you. Who cares? Crack along and do what you came to do- prove to yourself that you CAN do it and ignore the distractions.<br />
2. Triathletes are actually a really friendly, kind, welcoming bunch of people. Put your high-school prejudice on a back-burner and go in with an open mind. These are not the cliquey, horrible top-set PE people of Year 10. Everyone I met was amazing, to the point I may actually join Portsmouth Triathletes (eek!)<br />
3. Spin followed by a run is not adequate prep for how hard a cycle-run transition is. I need to cycle a LOT more!<br />
4. Never shave your legs on the morning of a triathlon. Chlorine+rain+sweat+permanent marker=Oooooow (still- 48 hours later!)<br />
5. 3rd from last is still not last, even if one of the people you beat was dressed as a gorilla!<br />
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June 14th- here I come!Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297608890149325967noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241148357646353886.post-1113238340815419432015-04-19T17:06:00.003+01:002015-04-19T17:30:39.659+01:00Numbers<div>
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Weight.<br />
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It's a loaded word isn't it?! Discussions about weight seem to have an ability to polarise opinion and offend like no other conversation can, especially in this online sphere.</div>
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As numbers go, weight is a number everyone seems to know about themselves, (along with their postcode and phone number) yet are infinitely less willing to share with others. Any corner shop or doctor's surgery is rammed with glossy magazines stacked with the latest fad diet formula to lose 10 pounds by next Tuesday.</div>
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It's a headspace I bought into, wholeheartedly for my entire adult life (until very recently!) Seeing the numbers drop= success, good Sarah, permission to feel attractive; seeing the numbers rise= failure, bad Sarah, what a heffer etc. I've tried Atkins, Slimming World, Weight Watchers- all great programmes and all entirely fixated on WEIGHT.</div>
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Except those numbers had no way of knowing or relating to what else was going on in my life at the time. 2 1/2 years in a wheelchair? Your weight may well rise. Beating on yourself and feeling like a failure is not a headspace conducive to recovery or health. Depressed or having an emotionally rough time? Factor in a weight gain and make yourself feel even worse about yourself! How about an amazing, sunny holiday? Eat what you like, come back heavier and guilt trip yourself- undoing all the relaxation and calm of the previous week.</div>
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I started my journey into fitness and healthy living with a huge weight focus- I wanted to see those numbers drop so that I would know that it was 'working'. Amazingly (although it did my head in at the time) the Whole30 programme forbids you from weighing yourself for the whole 30 days that you follow the regime- forcing you to focus on how you're feeling, your health, energy levels, skin, sleep quality and mood. The first few days of eating avocados, nuts, coconut oil, olive oil etc without being able to weigh in and 'check' if it was working or not really freaked me out! However, after 30 days I felt incredible- and was measuring my health and 'success' in a far more holistic way than just a number on a scale. When I then weighed myself, as it turned out, I'd lost a stone- the worries about eating so much fat were totally unfounded.<br />
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That 30 days kickstarted my journey into a healthy lifestyle, and I now measure my health in a huge range of ways, how I feel, how healthy/ill I've been, the amount of weight I can lift, the distance I can run/swim/cycle/walk, how hard I can jump around in praise and worship at church without getting out of breath, how fast I can run in a game of duck duck goose with the kiddos at work without breaking a sweat, and how many chips I can eat without that horrible little voice in my head telling me they are bad, will make me fat, are 'naughty' or 'wrong'. I've also learned that I can change shape drastically without changing weight (due to muscle building or starting a new type of exercise) and that hormones or neglecting my hydration can wreck havoc on the numbers on the scale on one day, without having any lasting impact on my weight.<br />
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So here are some numbers that tell far more of my story- some from the past, some from the present, some are set and some are changing but every single one of them are infinitely more important to me than any number on a scale:<br />
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1 husband, 2 amazing parents and 2 wonderful parent-in-laws<br />
1 naughty kitten and 1 slightly better behaved guineapig<br />
2 brothers and 13 brothers- and sisters-in-law<br />
5 awesome, hyper little nieces and nephews<br />
2 BAs, 1 PGCE and almost 1 Masters between me and the boy<br />
8+ jobs between us in the last 3 years<br />
1 illness in the last year (requiring 4 days off work- Norovirus (yuk!)) In previous years I've often jumped from bug to bug throughout the winter without ever really feeling 'healthy'.<br />
Kicked shingles with no time off within 14 days<br />
I can run 10 miles in under 2 hours<br />
I can swim 1k<br />
I can cycle at least 20k (haven't tried further yet)<br />
2 Triathlons booked for this summer<br />
1 10k race booked for May<br />
151 children in my class since I started teaching<br />
Over 250 kids reached through our community kids club since it began<br />
I've lived in 3 countries since I was 18<br />
2 years using a wheelchair<br />
I can speak/read 3 languages<br />
1 cross+ 4 nails= my worth being defined by something far, far bigger than anything in this list!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiY4Y0ywL61OyZCd4IyJHGfvxFWbewX_Bc9TwyonJCEOWSGnA2ukxapurJTAQypGp7aSz3fbYsHXofkyx5-qKDDzw5rSYQE1flbh1y8RKu8Y0RPvQA34AFUyGNKCPquJs1B-fFqd0e6WQR/s1600/numbers+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiY4Y0ywL61OyZCd4IyJHGfvxFWbewX_Bc9TwyonJCEOWSGnA2ukxapurJTAQypGp7aSz3fbYsHXofkyx5-qKDDzw5rSYQE1flbh1y8RKu8Y0RPvQA34AFUyGNKCPquJs1B-fFqd0e6WQR/s1600/numbers+collage.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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Focussing your view of your health and fitness on just your weight will only limit, frustrate and demotivate you! Be brave- set goals for yourself based on something other than your weight- a new sport, a new distance, a new race or a new PB and watch how your relationship with your body, exercise and food changes!<br />
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Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297608890149325967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241148357646353886.post-45209457779793448222015-04-09T17:29:00.001+01:002015-04-09T18:12:48.243+01:00The Tri-Suit...This Tuesday, just before lunch, I found myself in the changing room of the new <a href="http://www.pearlizumi.co.uk/latest/pearl-izumi-to-open-factory-store-at-gunwharf-quays-portsmouth/" target="_blank">Pearl Izumi</a> store in Gunwharf Quays, trying to contort and squeeze myself into the most lycra I have ever voluntarily put onto my body- a trisuit! For me, a perpetually 'bigger' girl, and proud exercise avoider for most of my adult life, standing in all-in-one spandex in front of a fluorescent lit floor-to-ceiling mirror threw me into a bizarre 'what the heck am I doing here, in this ridiculous suit' moment, causing me to pause and take stock of the past 12 months, and the various factors which had led to that particular point, and that particular changing room!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.triuk.com/media/product-images/pearl-izumi/13211404_4DU.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.triuk.com/media/product-images/pearl-izumi/13211404_4DU.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My shiny and oh-so-spandex trisuit</td></tr>
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A year ago, I was tired, stressed and overweight. (Obese, if you ask the lovely people who make the BMI!) A history of being in bottom set for PE, punctuated by a run in with ME/CFS for over half my teenage years, as well as some pesky hypermobile joints, meant that I could barely run for a bus, although I could hold my own in a sailing dinghy! I lost some of the weight around age 18, but Uni, marriage, starting work and holding down some pretty insane working hours for the last 4 years had watched it creep back on and I was back at the biggest I'd ever been.<br />
Something had to change, and change it did! Exactly a year ago this week, the hubs and I embarked on our first <a href="http://whole30.com/whole30-program-rules/" target="_blank">Whole30</a> and ate clean for a month (punctuated by a lovely bout of shingles!) 30 days later and shingles beaten in record time, I wanted to continue to make healthier lifestyle choices, so embarked on the <a href="http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/c25k/pages/couch-to-5k.aspx" target="_blank">couch25k</a> programme. 8 weeks of mostly eating clean, and running 3x a week later, and, to my amazement, I could run 5k without stopping once!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjOD6nIJj0AYMHDgnUNsygnkR1vjmyCbrf0doXUipmRGPHTMCAGk-sQLBgB4c2QNdgGPQ4bm4G2IumvFu_u2ziF3TBMPZjuB3lL5lRQz1OzykgOaBxXrvvDpFNJZccIi3g4HYGNBYLUlT2/s1600/first+ever+5k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjOD6nIJj0AYMHDgnUNsygnkR1vjmyCbrf0doXUipmRGPHTMCAGk-sQLBgB4c2QNdgGPQ4bm4G2IumvFu_u2ziF3TBMPZjuB3lL5lRQz1OzykgOaBxXrvvDpFNJZccIi3g4HYGNBYLUlT2/s1600/first+ever+5k.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Straight after running my first ever 5k- in 25 degree heat!</td></tr>
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A few weeks post 5k and I realised that without a goal, I wasn't going to keep in my new routine for long (I kept stopping when my feet hurt!!). I searched for a 5k race, and, in all of my searching kept coming across the Great South Run. 10 miles! If anything, I'm stubborn and once the idea of running the Great South took hold, I just couldn't shift it! So, in August I downloaded this fab <a href="http://www.bupa.co.uk/health-information/directory/r/running-programme-10miles" target="_blank">beginner-10 mile running plan</a> on the advice of a great friend and ultra-marathon runner who seems to think one can do anything, as long as one sticks to the training plan!<br />
12 weeks of training later and it was GSR day. God had my back and it was a cool bright day for my first ever race; 1.52 later and it was all over! (Particular thanks to a lovely friend Emma who bumped into me at the 6 mile mark and ran with me through my toughest half mile!)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid_Yxn-Ruc_RVOymbaM5B6PvuzheCvYXNqj-IaFUlS3BTUF9iY2MAQQiYdev8CzkIkw4SfN_RzgOU4YqsbrtSqXtw0hzN5cYLST2pn-PHy9Rur5gacNtkQyGLrCS_bl-YmMckKjOMTSSKH/s1600/GSR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid_Yxn-Ruc_RVOymbaM5B6PvuzheCvYXNqj-IaFUlS3BTUF9iY2MAQQiYdev8CzkIkw4SfN_RzgOU4YqsbrtSqXtw0hzN5cYLST2pn-PHy9Rur5gacNtkQyGLrCS_bl-YmMckKjOMTSSKH/s1600/GSR.jpg" height="320" width="181" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post Great South Run</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My hypermobility has gifted me with a knee which is flaky at best, and has dislocated a couple of times. In the run up to the GSR, it had really begun to pickle and it was only with the help of a <a href="http://www.portsolent.com/fitnessspa/three-sixty-health-and-performance/" target="_blank">great physio</a> that my knee and I made it to the finish line!<br />
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It became clear that further distance running could prove expensive and problematic for the gammy knee and I, so I needed to find another way to meet my new-found enjoyment for endurance sport!</div>
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I started cross training at the gym while I pondered my options- my newfound confidence from running carried me into classes which I'd never have dared to even peek through the door at 3 months previously.</div>
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At Christmas, I decided to bite the bullet and head into the next challenge- Triathlon. 2/3 disciplines are low impact- excellent for the gammy knee and still letting me get my running fix in! I started swimming and going to spin to prepare for the <a href="http://www.visitportsmouth.co.uk/whats-on/portsmouth-triathlon-try-a-tri-p1122531" target="_blank">Portsmouth try a tri in June</a>, as well as keeping the running going. This routine, combined with my faith, great friends and wonderful family actually carried me through a pretty rough patch this winter, giving me something to clear my head and a lovely endorphin kick afterwards!</div>
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I'd started to lose the momentum in my training as June is still pretty far away; luckily I found out on Monday that David Lloyd (the gym where I'd gone for physio) are running a Sprint Tri on April 26th. Even better, it's a pool swim (far less scary than the Solent!). So; I signed up- leading me to a suddenly urgent need for a tri-suit, and that scary changing room in Gunwharf!</div>
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1 year, 4 stone down and 1 trisuit later- I'm kitted out and ready to rock and roll!</div>
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I'm hoping to use this blog to continue to document my journey into health and fitness, and my training for the triathlon. I'll probably include a few food-y and travel posts (2 other massive passions of mine). My faith is a huge part of my story so expect it to also be making an appearance!</div>
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Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297608890149325967noreply@blogger.com2