At Least One Half Crazy!

It's taken my almost a week to post this update but I've got here finally! Last Sunday I did my first 13.1 mile run of the year as part of my Half Crazy challenge to run 13 half marathons in 2013.

I hadn't originally planned to go that far for two reasons: Firstly it's been snowing making conditions a bit tricky and secondly I was wearing my Cascadias for the first time so thought a shorter run might be wise while I get used to them. But it's hard to stop me and Lou from getting giddy so 13.1 it was! We set off on the trails to make the most of the pretty scenery. It was a great route over open fields, through woods, over little bridges, past frozen lakes and by rushing water. Thank goodness for my trail shoes as I have no doubt I'd have fallen on my arse in my adrenalines!

Despite the gorgeous and varied scenery, it was by far the hardest 13 miles I've run in a long time! I think the churned up mud that had frozen and then been covered in snow made such an unstable footing that I was constantly fighting to keep my balance and not go over on my ankles. Add into that a few hills and hey presto... ouch!

It was totally worth the effort though and I'm happy that Lou and I could keep each other going and encourage each other to do the full 13.1, especially when there was a short cut that would have got us home in 10!

We made sure we rewarded our efforts with a hot cup of tea and some cake afterwards along with cuddles from all of these sweet puppies!! And who can resist puppy cuddles?!

Especially 5 week old puppies... 

All in all it can't have been that terrible as I've arranged to run with her again in the morning! Wish me luck!!

Great Times

Finally there was a (slight) break forecast in the horrible weather yesterday so Paul and I decided to take advantage of it and took two of our black labs to the beach (I only have a 4 seater car and not boot so taking all three was out of the question!).

The forecast was for a slight chance of rain all day but I did start to wonder if we'd been a bit ambitious when it rained the whole way to Filey. However we timed it perfectly. We got there at low tide and the sun even came out!

Millie and Holly absolutely loved it and tore around after the toy, each other and plenty of other dogs too. We walked the full length of Filey brigg and then had a Paul adventure with a bit of rock climbing. The pups surprised me with how agile they were navigating boulders, especially as Holly is a short arse and Millie is commonly referred to as 'fat bum' in our house.

After thoroughly wearing out the hounds (and ourselves) we headed back towards home, stopping of course for a traditional fish n chips in the car just as it started pouring again.

Altogether, a wonderful day!

 

Awww puppy!!!

I just couldn't resist a quick post to introduce you to Betsy... my friend's 9 week old black labrador puppy

She is so beautiful and cheeky. She's gained her confidence even since I first saw her on Monday and is now into absolutely everything! 

So that's my puppy fix for today, I'll definitely be sure to post more pics as she grows into an awesome gundog! ♥

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!

Galveston Mardi Gras Half Marathon

I'm REALLY excited about this weekend! My first half-marathon of the year is on Sunday in Galveston, Texas.
I'm starting to get that pre-race giddyness where I'm constantly thinking about what I'll need and what time I'm going to be able to run. I'm a little anxious though as my marathon training has really slowed down my pace so that I'm able to run 20 miles or more on a regular basis.
SOMEHOW (I really don't know how!) I managed to run my last half in Bridlington in 1:54:24 which is a 5.25/km (8.44/mile) pace. (EEK!!!!) I plan to set my Garmin Virtual Partner to that pace so that I'd know if I was heading anywhere near a PB, but I know that's a pretty tricky target for me right now.
Basically above all else I'm going to have fun and enjoy the race. My focus this year is the marathon on 10th March and I'd rather run this slower and be ready for it rather than going into the marathon unprepared.
Here's a copy of the race route, running right along Galveston beach front is going to be amazing as it's one of my favourite places to be!

We've had a little change of plan this evening as puppy-sitting was proving a bit tricky. We've changed our hotel reservations to a place that accepts dogs and we're going to take them with us!..YEY PUPPY ROAD TRIP!!
Plus that's going to free us up to attend a Super Bowl party on Sunday night... when in Rome and all that!

The best way to spend a day!

Yesterday I had THE best day because it was filled with simple joy and happiness. Paul and I went out to Boykin Springs. We thought it might be pretty muddy after the recent rain so instead of mountain biking there we took the puppies :) I don't even have a lot to say about the day as these pictures show how happy the dogs are and how much fun they (and we) had!