Texas In Teal

I love living in Texas and am always inspired by the flag flying proudly everywhere. That inspired me to create a range of cushion covers to bring a bit of Texas pride into your home! Texas in Teal is the latest addition to this range ... more colour options are available in the shop. 

Please take a minute to visit the Etsy store and take a look around! 

Plus you can follow my new facebook page for updates 

Welcome to Schnizzler!

I'd like to introduce you all to Schnizzler, my new shop selling handmade bags, accessories and jewelry!

Only a few pairs of earrings are currently available in my Etsy shop but there will soon be more items available such as makeup brush wraps, makeup bags, phone/iPad/kindle cosies as well as gorgeous handbags and messenger bags. I'm also able to custom make the products to your specification if you see a fabric that you love but not in the product you'd like!

 Here is an example of the super sweet pleated shoulder bag

And an awesome makeup bag for all your girly needs!








Be sure to check out the super handy waist wraps which are perfect for gardeners/painters or anyone that has a habit of putting their phone down somewhere when they're working on their projects!
They're available in full width and half width, with a choice to add a zipper for extra security if you're carrying money or cards with you (sorry this isn't the best pic but you get the idea!). Some half width ones are hanging to the right hand side of the picture below.

You can see many of the products on offer in this snap shot of my market stall from the weekend and all of the products with measurements and clear photos will be online within the next week or so.

Feel free to contact me on shona@schnizzler.us if you would like details of any of the products or a custom design for you or as a gift. Please also take a moment to pop by the online store and favourite it so that you receive notifications as new products are added.

Thank you!

Throwing Caution To The Wind (Beaumont Half Marathon Race Summary)

Saturday was RACE DAY!!

From the moment I started packing my case on Friday I was a big bundle of nervous energy! I didn't know if I was excited, afraid, nervous or just plain scared of getting injured again (my last venture into a half marathon race ended up in serious injury and a lot of hopping). I also had no idea what time I was going to aim for and was feeling a bit lost. Even though I didn't want to put time pressure on myself I still thought I should have a rough idea of pace as a target.

I LOVE the marathon/half marathon in Beaumont, TX. It's small enough so that it's not a crowded race and they don't have to start you in corals but it's exceptionally well organised with an abundance of water stations along the way. I set off tucked in behind the 2 hour pacer as I knew that was a pace I'm usually comfortable with - not too fast, not too slow. Conditions were good (except for the mean head wind in the second half!) so I figured I could run with them for a while and see how I felt and could always drop back if I didn't feel good.

As it happened the pace felt great. However the group fell slightly off pace a few miles in and about the same time that they picked up the pace to catch up, I had to stop due to pain in the knee that I have IT band problems with. Luckily just adjusting my knee brace and doing a few stretches was enough to make me feel like I could carry on without discomfort. From that point on I mostly ran alone with a couple of stops to stretch out my knee when it started to ache. I had no idea how I was doing other than that I could see the 2 hour group not too far in the distance and wasn't caught up by the 2.10 group.

Source

Somehow I still had a sprint in me at the end and my final Garmin time was 2 hours and 3 minutes. I'm really happy with how the race went. I'm a bit like the tin man today (left knee pain and right hip pain are not a good combination!) but I'm feeling pretty proud of myself! I raised over $2000 for MND/ALS charities, got over my fear of half marathon related injury and proved to myself that I've bounced back after the illness and operations I had at the end of 2013.

If anything it's got me thinking... if I can do a 2.03 untrained.... what time can I get if I can keep healthy for a full training plan??!! Watch this space: I have a feeling I'm going to feel the need to find out!

A Taste of England

Last week Paul and I were given a lovely wedding gift that was made up of proper English goodies that I couldn't help but take a photo of to show off!

 

It's daft which English food I miss that I can't buy in Texas except for in speciality stores (at a price too). I'm saving one of the cans of beans for making a good English breakfast for Paul and I on Christmas Day. Unfortunately the chocolate biscuits have no chance of lasting that long!

 

Wedding planning with a difference...

I have to admit that since announcing our engagement on here last December I've kept pretty quiet about the whole wedding thing. Paul and I submitted our application to the embassy back in September 2012 and since then I haven't written about the process so as not to curse it! However last week I became the proud owner of my very own visa which allows me to enter the United States to marry Paul. AT LAST!!

So now exciting changes are about to happen as soon I'll fly to Texas and we can arrange our wedding. I feel surprisingly confident and calm about it all considering that we're getting married in about 5 weeks time and have no venue, date or anything else planned. We've been apart for such a long time that the show and flamboyance that people can get so fixated on doesn't come into it. The focus for us is not the entertainment of everyone else but the fact that we will be together again and all our hard work and patience has paid off. I have confidence that we'll find just the right place for the two of us. Most important of all we will be together again and able to say our 'I do's'.

I CAN'T WAIT!!!

Missing Someone

Is it possible to stay healthy on a road trip?

I'm really excited that in a couple of weeks I'm going to get to travel with Paul and his band while they go on tour for a week around Texas. I love to travel and see new places, their music is awesome and they're a great group of guys so I'm looking forward to it.

However there is one aspect of travel over here which I find more difficult than anywhere else in the world. I've travelled quite a lot. I even gave up my job once to go backpacking for a year so I find it surprising that this element of travel still causes me problems.... food and staying healthy on the road.

When I was a backpacker I was younger and I didn't really care what I ate. My body just seemed to deal with everything... though in reality I think I was quite a few lbs heavier in those days too (probably something to do with not caring about what I ate!). In the last couple of years since I started running I've been much healthier. I'm more aware of what I'm putting in my body and often I physically react badly to an unhealthy meal.
In England I have a fairly good grasp on how to stay healthy when I'm away from home but America is totally different. It is the world of fast food, drive thrus and junk food that is guaranteed to make me feel (and look) like a slug.

Although I've learned which are the 'healthier' options on several fast food menus and learned that Subway is my friend, I'm interested to know what you do to stay healthy on the road.
Which is your favourite energy or cereal bar that is fairly balanced nutritionally? I'm a monster if I don't eat for a long stretch of time so I'm hoping these will save me from dashing to the sweet isle when we stop for petrol! I'm also still not running due to my knee so I'm keeping a keen eye on my relatively small calorie intake (boo)
What do you do to avoid eating from fast food restaurants for breakfast, lunch and dinner when on the road for a week? I should clarify I don't think I'm going to be able to chill food or have ice packs for a cooler as I don't know the facilities in each hotel we'll be staying at. If there is anything I can get before I go (online or in Walmart) that would be preferable. Any suggestions for fresher food along the way they could do with being from places like Walgreens rather than dragging the band off to the supermarket while I do a shop ;)
If you have any ideas I appreciate ALL the help and advice you can give.
Thank you

Rock 'N' Roll Dallas Half Marathon

Despite it only being 2 weeks since the marathon, I had another race yesterday! I've not been able to put in a lot of training as my muscles were fatigued but I did get a few 4-5k runs in just to loosen up. I knew that I had trained hard for the marathon so was not too worried about cramming in miles and focussed more on recovery. By the end of last week I was feeling good and was confident I'd be ok to run the race. I really wanted to run one of the Rock n Roll series and it was a good excuse to go to Dallas for a long weekend so I was excited about the trip
We set off on Friday with a car full of puppies, bikes and supplies... again! Luckily Paul's sister lives in Dallas and was kind enough to let us stay at her house for the weekend

On Saturday we went to race expo to pick up my packet and number. It was great to get to look around the exhibition with all the gadgets, clothes, nutrition and latest in running technology... a dream for a running geek like me plus lots of freebies! We spent a while at the expo before spending the rest of the day sightseeing and relaxing.

It was only when we were getting a map of the city and advice on where to park that it hit me how early we were going to have to be up for the race. It didn't start until 8am (which isn't early compared to some) but unlike every other race I've been in, the start line wasn't at the same place as the finish. We would have to make our way to the finish line at Fair Park, which is about 40 minutes drive from Josie's house, then get a shuttle bus to the start line in downtown Dallas. 'No problem' you might think... until you add another 14000 people who plan to do exactly the same thing! We were advised to arrive at Fair Park at about 6am as they reckoned after that traffic would be really bad and there'd be queues for the shuttle. I got up at 4am. 4AM!!! so that I could eat and be ready to leave at 5. The traffic wasn't as bad as we'd expected and we got there a little before 6... but even then there was a steady stream of people making their way to the bus. I was thankful we'd been early as by the time I got on the bus at about 6.15 we set off to see that the roads into the fairground were ridiculously busy and the queues were huge.

Downtown Dallas before the start was beautiful. I sat on a step watching the sun rise at 7am as the crowds built around me. I wish I had my phone with me to take some photos as it was so pretty but I didn't want to run with it so hadn't taken it with me to the start line. As soon as the sun come up the chill was out of the air and I could tell it was going to be another great day (I was really thankful at that point that I'd remembered to put sun block on before I left the house!)

The start line was right by a beautiful area called Pioneer Plaza where I'd visited while sightseeing on Saturday. Unfortunately watching the world go by on a step near a line of bright blue portaloos was probably the highlight of my morning... well almost. I got off to a great start... there's nothing quite like being in the middle of a crowd full of people racing to make you feel good. I was feeling comfortable and relaxed even though I was running at a decent pace, reaching the 10k mark in 54 minutes. If I'd been able to carry on at that pace I would have been close to a personal best.
So far so good eh? However just as I was reaching 10k something started to go wrong with my left knee. Soon after that the pain was getting worse and I had to do something I've never done in a half marathon... I had to walk. Not only did I have to walk, I was having to stop, so when I saw the medic tent at around 13k I asked them for help. They taped above and below my knee pretty tight and I hopped along for a while longer. I was still struggling and kept having to stop because of the pain from moving but that would just make it hurt more. I was offered a lift to the finish line from police officers who could see I was hurt but I was determined not to quit. I stopped at another medic tent and got my knee fully bandaged to see if that worked better. I also iced it for a few minutes before setting off again.
I was finding the race incredibly difficult but people are awesome! Spectators and other racers made me smile so much with their encouragement and support. Also a couple of runners stopped or slowed to check on me which was so thoughtful when I know they had their own goals to focus on. Having a band every mile around the course didn't have as much of an affect on the race as I thought it would as you can only hear them for a minute or two before you pass but it was still great to hear some live music! It was also great to see some more of Dallas, although I think I would have taken more in if I'd not been so focussed on my knee.
Somehow my stubborness prevailed (I knew it would be a good thing one of these days!!)... I was not going to give up however much my knee hurt so I managed to get a bit of a walk/hop going and got myself through the last few miles and over the finish line! The medics once again grabbed hold of me and took me in to wrap ice around my knee before I could collect my medal and find Paul.

There was live music at the finish line and just thousands of runners and supporters just enjoying the day which was awesome. I was so disappointed with how my race had gone, I had to take some time and console myself with a free beer and ice-cream before feeling well enough for a photo.
I'm not going to lie, this race sucked for me. I have never felt like crying during a race before but yesterday I really could have! Not even at my lowest part of the marathon did I feel anywhere near that bad.
My ambitious side felt like I'd really let myself and others down but now I'm getting over the initial disappointment I'm realising that perhaps I haven't. The difference is that instead of being proud of an awesome finish time, I should be proud that, despite everything, I didn't quit!

I always thought my marathon medal would be the one to remind me that I'm stronger and tougher than I give myself credit for... but in reality I think it's going to be this one!

The Gusher Marathon

I can't believe how quickly this week is flying!... the race was on Saturday and it's now Tuesday, but between travelling, recovery, day to day life and not feeling well, somehow time has got away with me.

I set off on Friday afternoon, packed up with all my essentials (several clothing options, sport beans, forgoodness shakes, puppies and Paul) and headed to Beaumont. 

It couldn't have been a worse evening to travel, the rain was pouring like crazy. Once we got to Beaumont we had to go to the supermarket to pick up some things I needed for dinner and breakfast, and we also needed to go to packet pickup in the city centre for my race number and timing chip. 

I have never got so wet running in and out of buildings and I was starting to get nervous about the forecast for Saturday morning.  I had been checking weather underground all week and storms had been forecast until the last minute.

Somehow, despite this forecast, a little miracle happened and Saturday was clear all day 

As expected I got a rubbish night sleep on Friday as I was full of nerves, excitement and anticipation. I got up at 5 to get some breakfast and we got there just in enough time for a photo of me looking nervous and to get to the start.

The first loop was great as there were plenty of people to run and pace with and lots of supporters along the route. I finished the first half in 2.03.31 then started on the loneliest 13.1 miles of my running life so far! 

Initially I was feeling strong after the first half as I headed out onto the MLK freeway. It's such a long stretch and the wind was picking up which started making life a little more difficult. When I got into the town centre it was so much quieter than the first loop. Many of the supporters had called it a day as it wasn't worth hanging around for the more occasional marathon runners. Local businesses were closed because the roads were closed so it was dead as a dodo! I had a few guys behind me and a couple up ahead but there were definitely not crowds of runners encouraging you to push along. That's where the mind games began. The urge to walk was overwhelming sometimes and the pain in my quads started to wear me down.

Running back up the long stretch of MLK (somehow into the wind again!) was the hardest part for me. I had never run over 20 miles so this stretch was pushing me physically and mentally. On the positive side, running down the middle of 6 lanes of motorway all to yourself is pretty awesome!

The run up to this marathon had been far from perfect. I had been sick for the 2 weeks prior to the race, worst of all that I was so ill I didn't eat a thing on Monday or Tuesday. I spent the rest of the week trying to get some food in me and make an attempt at carb loading. I was still struggling with pain on the day of the race and had to make a couple of stops but I was determined not to give in... I had trained for too long to not finish the race!
Somehow I surprised myself and finished in a gun time of 4.26.09 and chip time of 4.25.40. I was 4th in my age group which I'm so pleased with considering it was my first marathon... then I realised if I had been just a couple of months older I would have been 1st in my age group... FIRST!!!! HOW AWESOME IS THAT??!!

I'm so pleased to have run a full 26.2 miles and feel a great sense of pride and accomplishment. I trained hard for this and know that it paid off. My legs hate me right now... I couldn't get up the steps to the house which was just silly... followed by cuddling the dog on the floor and getting stuck down there, which was even sillier!

However today I'm starting to move a little better and I don't regret it for a moment... it was totally worth the aches and pains!

Between you and me I'm already planning my next one....

Paughco & Kanika

Last week the weather started to show signs of spring. I was surprised how hot the sun is here in February, it struggles to be that warm on a midsummers day in England! We thought we'd make the most of the early break in the weather and took Paughco and Kiki down to the lake for some exercise. We had such a fantastic time with them and got some awesome pictures...

These puppies are awesome, I'm so lucky to have such beautiful dogs both here in Texas and back in England. I'm already looking forward to our next trip to the lake and I think these pups are too!

Ever wonder if you've watched too many home improvement shows??

All this fair weather has got me excited about being outside again this week. I love to sit out and read and I get a lot of beautiful weather to enjoy here in Texas. Paul has a sweet swing at the end of the porch that I often relax on while he is tinkering with engines or working on garden. Plus we enjoy sitting out in the evening and enjoying a drink, playing some cards or listening to Paul play his guitar. However over time the outdoors take their toll on the furniture. For some reason I got all giddy this week and decided I wanted to do a little bit of work outside! 

So we took the swing down from it's rusting chains.... it's difficult to see here but the wood was rough and the varnish had worn off most of it  

 and we took the table which was also feeling a little bit sorry for itself...

A little bit of sanding and varnish...

and a can of spray paint later...

We had ourselves a lovely good-as-new swing and table. It's hard to capture in a photo but they look great!

Not only did we save ourselves money by not just buying new stuff, Paul and I had a great time doing it and got to enjoy a beautiful day outside!

Battling my Brain

Running hasn't always been easy for me. I only started a couple of years ago and the initial difficulties were in the physical pain, from injured knees to general fitness issues that manifested in aching limbs and fiery lungs. However I persevered and grew stronger physically and since then my regular training runs have been (fairly) easy... until now.

For a long time running was the thing that helped me deal with challenges and gave me time to think. But right now everything is going my way in life and I'm happy....
....and for some reason this seems to be making my running more difficult. I have nothing to fight though, nothing is making me so angry that I need to sprint through it and conquer my mind with burning lungs and heavy legs. On long runs I used to plan things and think through conversations and strategies. I'd think about friendships that were in turmoil and go through my options of saving them or letting them go. Basically the reason I started running was that I had a lot to think about.

I'm thankful that my life has settled down a lot since then, but it left my head with a lot less to contemplate. During that time the 2011 challenge became part of my mentality, something to strive towards and focus on. As a result my weekly running target was always a set total but I could regularly do more, and that in itself was a positive influence on my life.
This year however I'm in marathon training and I've never done anything like it. The requirements of the plan I chose are steep to say the least and, although I don't think I chose a particularly difficult plan, the km/week requirement makes my 2011 challenge seem like a walk in the park! Not being able to keep up with the plan in itself is having a negative affect on my mindset.
Then there's the 'Long Slow Run'..... Oh my word!!!

The long slow run has increased through the course of my training, however as it turns out, it's not the distance that's doing me in right now. I started off my LSRs in the company of the Sweatshop running club on a Sunday morning by running to them, with them, and then back home to make up the distance I needed. Then I started running with Lou who is a great running partner! She runs long distance, naturally on a negative split (which is awesome), and is great company all the way. But now, here I am in hilly Texas which feels like a million miles away from Lou and our random adventures along the flat city streets, muddy riverside trails and the York-Selby cycle path.

The long run is becoming a nemesis that has started to get the better me. Without the company of fellow runners it is becoming increasingly difficult, especially as (in order to stay safe) my route is either 2 or 3 loops of the same road, and the same big hills again and again. I seem to be talking myself out of everything and losing confidence, often within the first few miles and it's as if the foundations I've built aren't even there right now.
However part of me understands that these runs are supposed to challenge me, and no-one ever said this was going to be easy! On the day I'm hoping that the race environment will keep me going and that I'll be distracted by other runners and spectators, but I need to be ready to run the distance alone. These training runs are designed to prepare me. They will challenge me to be strong both physically and mentally, and to be able to do the distance without encouragement from spectators, friends or family.
The challenge now is both to be strong, and to grow stronger...