tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86652934250840010812024-03-12T23:15:56.867+00:00booktrunkStephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854028986866622902noreply@blogger.comBlogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8665293425084001081.post-36447555718810749442019-01-30T21:30:00.001+00:002019-01-30T21:30:22.106+00:00Naim NAC 272I love my Naim nac272 but I always have the urge to try something else musically, so i’m Going to change to a 252 if I can afford it. A few pics of my 272.<br />
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Excuse the lint on the last one, just from the dry cloth used to wipe it.<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854028986866622902noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8665293425084001081.post-53179382882948974152018-04-23T19:50:00.002+01:002018-04-23T19:50:56.382+01:00Mavic Air. Don’t repeat my mistake 😂So. I treated myself to a Mavic Air drone.<br />
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I now have one piece of advice for you....... DO NOT FLY IT OVER WATER AND AROU D TREES WHEN YOU DONT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING.<br />
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Yes, second day of flying trees, pond....Drone lost underwater in a few feet deep reeds. OHHHHH POOP.<br />
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bye bye expensive drone.Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854028986866622902noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8665293425084001081.post-68793905643286973472018-02-16T21:47:00.001+00:002018-02-16T22:21:17.943+00:00Doctor Who - TARDIS TattooSoooo....<br />
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What did you get for Xmas. I got lots and lots of books, basically I added loads to my abebooks basket and OH got them for me.<br />
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The other treat was........ I got myself a tattoo. Don’t ask about the haircut, I had it seriously short for Xmas party.<br />
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So I had it done at <a href="http://loughboroughtattoo.com/" target="_blank">Mannequins Loughborough</a> it was done by Adam.This is their Facebook page. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mannequinstattoostudio/?fref=ts" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/mannequinstattoostudio/?fref=ts</a><br />
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So how did it feel having it done, well I cannot lie the first two hours were a breeze, after that it started getting a little ouchy, and I squirmed around a bit in the seat, but hey, it was worth it. I love it. ❤️<br />
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Whaddya think?<br />
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Part way though.<br />
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Getting there....<br />
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Just after.<br />
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A couple of days later<br />
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<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854028986866622902noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8665293425084001081.post-35387347553523821632016-05-17T18:27:00.002+01:002016-05-17T18:27:49.451+01:00Plodding alongwell.. How is my running going...<br />
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The answer is badly. I plodded around London Marathon, and Milton Keynes 8 days later.<br />
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I've torn the cartilage in my left knee and just plod along with it so everything is very, very slow but I keep on plodding. I need to get a lot more long runs in. But, hey that's life.<br />
<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854028986866622902noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8665293425084001081.post-44023981838392115352016-03-01T12:55:00.002+00:002016-03-01T12:55:30.919+00:00Running so far in 2016So how has 2016 gone so far.<br />
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Well bearing in mind the adage that you should never compare yourself to other runners, as the only person I'm running for or against is myself, I am pretty happy so far.<br />
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January 127 Miles<br />
February 138.5 Miles<br />
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That's not a bad start to the year. It's all very flat and very, very slow mileage running to a low heart rate as per MAF base training but it's going ok.<br />
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I might not be fast but at least at least speed i can keep running through little niggles and annoyances.<br />
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Still looking forward to April / May with:-<br />
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London Marathon<br />
Milton Keynes Marathon<br />
Hardcastle 24<br />
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All three events are within a two week window!! EEEEEEK.<br />
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I'm doing this to raise money for Guide Dogs, to hopefully help out a lot of people.<br />
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<a href="https://www.justgiving.com/stephaniegelder/" target="_blank">Guide Dogs Charity Link</a>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854028986866622902noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8665293425084001081.post-67204386529031050202016-01-27T22:57:00.001+00:002016-01-27T22:57:08.329+00:00Milton Keynes Marathon 2016Well how is my training going I hear you ask :)<br />
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Ok, I don't really hear anything..... The voices aren't really there saying run more!!<br />
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So it's however many weeks until the early May bank holiday. My last long training run 8 days before the marathon is The London Marathon :)<br />
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How has my training been this year? Well... I had a cold so didn't run over the new year started on about the 4th of Jan, and for the first three weeks this year I managed just over 50km each week. I've done a bit more now and am over 169km for the month. I'm hoping to get over 192km for the month, which is 120 miles. That is actually more than any month in 2015 thanks to my crappy knee. Which whilst it still isn't perfect it's good enough. I need to rest it for a day after long runs, but can do 2 or 3 5 or so miles days in a row without needing to rest it.<br />
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My mediate cruciate ligament is what I think is buggered, spent a lot of physio to no avail last year, have an appointment at the Doctors soon, to see if he can refer me to someone else,to take a look at it.<br />
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So hopefully a good year of plodding ahead.Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854028986866622902noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8665293425084001081.post-22182562809662690362015-11-04T02:10:00.000+00:002015-11-04T02:10:23.770+00:00Ultra Races in 2016 So far my inglorious ultra running has included 13 hours of a 24hour race, 3 runs over 50m but nothing longer than 92km.<br />
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So I now have signed up for 4 ultra races in 2016.<br />
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Hardmoors 55 - March 16th<br />
Hardcastle 24hours - May (my second time at this event)<br />
Lakeland100 (105m) - July<br />
Ladybower50 - September (my third time at this event)<br />
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I'm currently trying to do my training at low heart rates and will keep this up u till the new year, and then I'll decide if I am going to change up to some different sort of plan. I know I have to start putting some hill training in somewhere. I might combine this with my long weekend runs.<br />
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So no idea how it will go, but I'll try my best.<br />
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I'm thinking of trying to stick a marathon in each month that I don't have an ultra as just a long training run.Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854028986866622902noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8665293425084001081.post-38465434718959016892015-10-30T01:16:00.003+00:002015-10-30T01:48:36.197+00:00Running.Well, this year has been bloody hard work not to put to fine a point on it.<br />
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Screwing up my knee ligament MCL in January meant the whole year has been a struggle. I would have probably been better off asking 20-12 weeks off completely and then starting again, instead of my ad hoc training which ended up just hurting the knee more I guess.<br />
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I've ran around 650 miles this year as a result of my on, off training. I know we still have a couple of months to go, but last year I did 1255 miles in the year.<br />
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Oh, I have somehow managed to plod to the end of Leicester marathon last Sunday, very slow, over 5 hours, but hey I got there. I've only done two 10 mile or longer runs in the last four months. But, now I've survived the marathon it's time to get my arse back into gear.<br />
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So now it's going to be quite low mileage but keeping healthy and being able to put in consistent miles week in, week out.<br />
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What is next.... Well amazingly I won a place as an ambassador to the Milton Keynes marathon. So I have an insane three weeks at the end of April.<br />
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My last long training run for MK will be the London Marathon, then MK Marsthon and then 4 days later, Hardcastle 24, where I really want to just keep walking/running for the whole 24 hours, it's a bitch of a 5km looped course :)<br />
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So I'll be posting at least a monthly update on my training for MK and these other events.<br />
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I'm putting in this insane effort, to try to raise money for Guide Dogs. Because they have always struck me as suck a sensible helping charity, that are trying to make life easier for lots of people.<br />
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<a href="https://www.justgiving.com/stephaniegelder/" target="_blank">https://www.justgiving.com/stephaniegelder/</a><br />
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Good luck with your own training and don't hesitate to shout if you have any questions about Milton Keynes.<br />
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I'm on Twitter as <a href="https://twitter.com/booktrunk" target="_blank">@booktrunk</a> and on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/stephanie.gelder.7" target="_blank">Facebook</a><br />
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StephStephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854028986866622902noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8665293425084001081.post-47474542718053754742015-08-21T01:11:00.002+01:002015-08-21T01:14:14.022+01:00Running injuriesso how well or badly do you cope with running injuries.<br />
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I quite often have little niggles, but plod on with them. But, this year has been pretty much a running disaster.<br />
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I picked up a knee injury a whole 2 miles into the Spine Challenger in January, and limped another 10 miles and that was that, I managed to plod out a short ultra in May Hardcadtle 24, but my knee wasn't great, and since then it's got worse, I've even resorted to a physio, that was good, but also broke my only good knee when he went to see how flexible I am :) oops!'<br />
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Anyway, at the end of July I took a big decision, and I'm not running at all in August, I already feel fat, bloated, and lazy :) like taper madness but worse :) I did purchase a turbo trainer, and I'm using that 3 or 4 times a week between 30 and 70 minutes at a time. Trying not to use it any more because the knee doesn't hurt doing it, but don't want to overdo it.<br />
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I have no idea how my knee will be it's certainly a lot happier, can walk or even run up a coup,e of flights of stairs pain free, but walking up and down them all day at work and it still begins to slightly ache at the end of the day, so I might actually need to take longer off, which is a really scary idea.<br />
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Have all sorts of thoughts going through my head, including getting a treadmill as that should be gentler on the knees and do some training on that when back, but I don't really know what I'm going to do. I need a plan so that I can come back sensibly.<br />
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I was hoping to run 1500 miles this year, and due to this damn knee I've barely managed 500 miles so far. Oh well,ci guess I need to be patient and see how it goes.<br />
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Still not even 100% sure what it is, MCL tear, or <span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-image: none; border: 0px; color: #252525; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', Arial, 'Liberation Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Pes anserinus</span><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', Arial, 'Liberation Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px;"> tendonitis. I think it started as a tear, and now just constantly irritated.</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', Arial, 'Liberation Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px;"><br /></span>
<span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', Arial, 'Liberation Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px;">So nothing exciting to report. </span><br />
<span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', Arial, 'Liberation Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px;"><br /></span>
<span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', Arial, 'Liberation Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px;">I have a nice shiny new pair of trainers, Asics Gel Nimbus to slip into when I start back, and I also have a real urge to buy a pair of Inov-8 Ultra 290s </span>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854028986866622902noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8665293425084001081.post-71793557603674330382015-05-22T01:51:00.000+01:002015-05-22T13:44:14.836+01:00Hardcastle 24<a href="http://www.hardcastle24.co.uk/">http://www.hardcastle24.co.uk/</a><br />
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WOW!</div>
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I entered this a few months ago as it sounded fun, I didn't really know what to expect, but for my £70 I got free camping from Friday afternoon if I wanted it (for myself, my OH, and our dog) until we finished on Sunday, a barbecue on the Friday evening and of course my entrance to the 24 hour race.<br />
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It was my first 24 hour race, and will not be my last. In fact I've already decided I have to go back next year to do more laps.<br />
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I was a bit lazy when it came to course prep, and did zero prep on what the 5km (ish) lap involved, I just knew it was not flat and so a bit more fun than running around a dull flat loop.... Well it certainly wasn't dull. It had a couple of very easy runnable sections, and a couple of hills that were fun, ok, one of them was a complete and utter bitch! I need to go back there to take some pics of the course. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hardcastle-24/651387718213410?ref=ts&fref=ts">(Facebook Group for the race) </a>Anyway (after a crap few months with barely any training due to an annoying knee) I managed to plod around 12 laps before my left calf just became a lump and didn't want to know about hills anymore.<br />
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I have to say it was one of the most pleasurable runs I've ever done. The organisers were really friendly, and everyone was so cheerful, also, the fact there were teams competing as well as individuals meant there was always someone hanging around at the start of each lap to say hi to as you plodded around. I just had such a great time and loved it.<br />
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Timing was via a chip, so no having to mess around marking how many laps you had done. Oh, I forgot, in the evening they had a barbecue, and so had hot burgers, n bits of chicken breast for you to grab at the end of your lap. The food on offer was all tasty and in plentiful supply, nearly all of us had our own box full of bits we could nibble on at the end of our laps.<br />
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I struggle to review races, I went, I ran, and that's it, but seriously it just felt so friendly and relaxed, I loved it. I am so looking forward to going back next year to do a few more laps.<br />
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<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854028986866622902noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8665293425084001081.post-70816355656196970312015-05-22T01:09:00.002+01:002015-05-22T01:19:29.951+01:00Running - what do you wear?It's funny because I was thinking I don't really care what I wear when running, but then I had a think and realised I was telling myself a lie. I do have favourites and they change over time, and I guess depending on my mood and sometimes I think on how confident I am feeling.<br />
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OK easy ones first. </div>
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Running Bra: Shock Absorber Ultimate Run Bra. Job done :-)</div>
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Trainers: Road/Light Trail - ASICS Gel-Nimbus. </div>
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Gnarlier Trail - Salamon speedcross3 and Salomon hiking boots / shoes.</div>
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Socks: Short Runs - karrimor dirt cheap socks.</div>
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Long Runs - injinji 5 toe liner socks with merino wool socks over top.</div>
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Tops: Inov8 short and long sleeved tops.</div>
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Shorts: Salomon Skorts or Ronhill Cargo Shorts.</div>
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Leggings: OMM Leggings or Asics plain leggings.</div>
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Waterproofs: Paramo, OMM, Haglofs.<br />
Watch: Garmin Fenix 3. (I'm a geek, I work in IT and love gadgets).</div>
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Packs: OMM 6l waist bag, Salomon 12l s-lab, Nathan Vaporcloud 11l, Raidlight 20l, OMM 32l</div>
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Yes I have lots of other stuff lying around including Ronhill tops that I liked, until I found the inov8 ones were just a more comfortable cut, and some technical shirts from races, they are quite fun to wear in training as they bring back good memories.</div>
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So as of May 2015 this is my list of my favourite running gear. Do you have any special favourites?</div>
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Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854028986866622902noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8665293425084001081.post-69032555559141384812014-10-26T17:51:00.001+00:002014-10-26T17:52:24.162+00:00Winter 100 - 2014 well......<br />
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The centurion Winter 100. My first crack at 100 miles, wih the best training.... Ok hang on back up a bit... I have actually had a really shite cold including a few days fever that I've mentioned in my last blog post.<br />
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So ok, I felt like crap, and decided to just plod along and see how it went. I'd spent my money on the entrance fee so decided to give it a go.<br />
<br />
So at 10 am I started off with everyone else plodding along near the back, and. Well.... I survived a whole 20km (around 12.5m) before dropping out at the first checkpoint. Three hours to stagger that far, coughing up loads of phlegm, I just had no energy and couldn't have gone much further. Whilst I sat down waiting for my OH to pick me up I started shivering uncontrollably and it took me half an hour to be able to relax.<br />
<br />
So all in all, an incredibly piss poor first attempt at 100 miles, I would say I've learnt lots of lessons, but in reality, i've learnt just the one thing. When stuffed with a chest cold don't be bloody stupid and try to run 100 miles. I could have. Maybe plodded out a marathon, but frankly I was stupid and would have been better off curled up in bed for the day.<br />
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Centurion themselves were fantastic, and I look forward to going back to another of their events in the next year or so.<br />
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<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854028986866622902noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8665293425084001081.post-26755289421877166102014-10-15T01:33:00.001+01:002014-10-15T01:33:49.652+01:00Colds suckI hate having a cold, it's been dragging on for over 20 days, so no running and I'm going to be running my first 100m race, with 0 runs in the last two weeks.<br />
<br />
At least I was going well up to then, a marathon the last Sunday in September, and a ultra 51m the Sunday before.<br />
<br />
I need to not think about speed, that's irrelevant if I get timed out so be it, I just need to keep on plodding. Well I'll be back on here next week to say how it went. What worked and what didn't.<br />
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<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854028986866622902noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8665293425084001081.post-36784592630887562182014-10-05T00:21:00.001+01:002014-10-05T00:51:11.563+01:00TrainersWhilst I am actually in the right mood and doing some posts, I have been asked what trainers I wear.<br />
It's not a very exciting question.<br />
<br />
For roads and dry summery trails I wear <a href="http://www.asics.co.uk/Shop/Running/GEL-NIMBUS-16/p/0010219784.3697" target="_blank">Asics Gel-Nimbus 16</a><br />
For long trail and road in good conditions I sometimes wear <a href="http://www.hokaoneone.eu/en/hokaeurope.htmlwomens-trail/stinson-atr/20109039.html" target="_blank">Hoka Stinson Trail</a><br />
For muddy and rough off road conditions I wear <a href="http://www.salomon.com/uk/product/speedcross-3-w.html" target="_blank">Salomon Speedcross 3</a><br />
<br />
Out of the three trainers that I wear the least convincing of them are the Hoka's some swear blind by them for distance runs, but personally I struggle with them and seem to get a lot of rubbing around my big toe when wearing them. So I'm thinking of still taking them in my drop bag for my first attempt at a 100 mile race, but ensuring I have a lot of tape on my big toes before I wear them.<br />
<br />
The Nimbus are a bit heavy and big, but they just do the job, they work, I can plod along happily in them and don't seem to pick up many injuries what more do you want :-)<br />
<br />
The Speedcross 3 are great for tougher off road conditions and in mud. Not cheap but good.<br />
<br />
Those that are after a cheap pair of trail shoes to chew up mud look at <a href="http://www.startfitness.co.uk/more-mile-cheviot-2-mens-trail-running-shoes-more-mile-cheviot-2-mens.html" target="_blank">More Mile - Cheviot 2</a> these are way cheaper, and are great in mud, but personally I find them a bit uncomfy when running on a flat road, but they are so cheap they are worth a punt on as your first pair of trail shoes if you need a pair.<br />
<br />
Well that's about it for trainers, yeah I'm crap at giving detailed explanations so I'll never get any freebies :-)<br />
<br />
EDIT: So as I'm unlikely to buy another pair of Hokas when they fall apart if I buy another pair of padded Ultra trail what would I go for? The answer is I am not sure the three main contenders at the moment are:- <a href="http://www.inov-8.com/new/global/Product-View-RaceUltra-290-Purple-Teal-Womens-AW14.html?L=26&A=Trail&G=Female" target="_blank">Inov8 290</a> , <a href="http://www.newbalance.co.uk/Leadville-1210/WT1210,en_GB,pd.html?dwvar_WT1210_color=Black_with_Silver_and_Red&start=9&cgid=20100" target="_blank">New Balance Leadville 1210</a> , <a href="http://www.skechers.co.uk/style/13916/skechers-gorun-ultra-lt/bbk" target="_blank">Skechers GoRun Ultra</a> with I think the inov8 being the favourite at the moment, but this is only based on other reviews and what I've read not tried any of the 3.<br />
<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854028986866622902noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8665293425084001081.post-37823046964910724952014-10-04T23:07:00.001+01:002014-10-05T00:00:52.413+01:00Montane Ultra events in 2015<a href="http://www.montane.co.uk/ultra-events" target="_blank">Montane Ultra Events</a><br />
<br />
Ok, so my plans for 2015 revolve around two events.<br />
<br />
In January I am running <a href="http://thespinerace.com/spine-challenger/" target="_blank">The Spine Ultra</a><br />
In July I am running <a href="http://lakeland100.com/" target="_blank">Lakeland 100</a><br />
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I didn't really spot until today that these are the two big UK events in the Montane UK Ultra events list. The other events are the 5 <a href="http://www.trail26.com/" target="_blank">Trail 26</a> races, that take place throughout the year, so I'm tempted to sign up for them to just get the full house of the Montane events.Although it's not really the full house if I do complete them, because I'm doing the 'baby' Spine Challenger not the full Pennine Way.<br />
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<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854028986866622902noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8665293425084001081.post-23861474947043430132014-10-04T22:58:00.000+01:002014-10-04T22:58:05.025+01:00Neutral shoesWell in my last post around 8 weeks ago I said that I had gait analysis for the first time, and amazingly it came out saying I'm neutral, so I switched to Neutral shoes, I tried Brooks expensive neutral shoes but jus didn't get on with them a bit tight across the top of the foot.<br />
<br />
So I went back to my old faithful brand Asics, so I went for Nimbus 26, and no aches and pains so far in my legs so it seems to have worked going neutral, amazingly I've got over 250 miles on the new shoes already. Including Ladybower 50 and Loch Ness Marathon the week after.<br />
<br />
So good to go at the moment.Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854028986866622902noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8665293425084001081.post-52096450264023029942014-08-17T17:38:00.002+01:002014-08-17T17:38:52.522+01:00Gait Analysis<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Haha so been running nearly 2.5 years,and have been getting trainers for over pronation, and getting ones for more pronation each time. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">So first times had my gait analysed today.... The results.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Perfectly neutral on left foot, and very, very small over pronation not worth worrying about on the right foot. So the recommendation, neutral shoes, ooops, when compared to what I've been doing. </span></div>
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Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854028986866622902noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8665293425084001081.post-3891714099929256832014-08-15T16:36:00.001+01:002014-08-15T16:36:44.081+01:00The Spine Challenger 2015 - Starting to feel it....<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"> I should be asleep, instead I'm buzzing and all excited after re-reading another article about <a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=139587836128920" href="https://www.facebook.com/TheSpineRace">The Spine</a> Challenger. It's 2 A.M. on the 15th of August, and I am wide awake and buzzing with excitement about something that will not be happening until the 10th of January next year.<br /> <br />
This article on last years Spine mentioned a top 10 list of runners to look out for in the
build up to the 2014 race. I'm thinking this year with 200 of us
starting out, with 125 doing the full spine and 75 of us doing the
challenger, that if there was a bookie taking odds I'd be in the 'top 10
most l<span class="text_exposed_show">ikely to be the first DNF'. I can assure everyone that I'm out to prove these fictional bookies wrong <br /> <br /> I have a desk job, my scary moments come when I have to press a button and hope that nothing goes bang
my scariest decisions are down to choices where I don't want to cost my
company money. Frankly some of these are quite fun adrenaline filled
minutes, but, doing The Spine Challenger is just so different to my
normal life, that's what makes it so special, and exciting. <br /> <br /> I
am going to be out of my comfort zone from the start to the finish,
reading about how Nick Mead felt when faced with having to slog up
pen-y-ghent in the dark when exhausted (I'm also probably going to take
12 hours longer to get there). It's scary but also liberating, it's
almost the inner cave woman wanting to come out and roar. To scream back
against all our modern comforts that I really love <br /> <br /> I'm honestly sh****g myself about this race! but in a good way! that will help me to hopefully prepare correctly. <br /> <br />
There are all sorts of reasons not to challenge yourself, not to take
yourself out of your comfort zone. But, when you do it's bloody awesome
knowing what you can do. <br /> <br /> I was talking this month to someone
who doesn't see me often and he still remembers large me, and he wasn't
sure if I was me, or someone else, (that makes sense to me), anyway...
Back to my ramble....<br /> <br /> Why am I doing The Spine? Because it's
there and I want to do something that when I'm a boring old fart I can
look back on and say I gave that my best shot, irrespective of how it
turns out. Completely and utterly selfish reasons <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-running-blog/2014/feb/25/spine-race-ultra-dnf-did-not-finish-how-cope#start-of-comments" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank"><span>http://www.theguardian.com/</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span><span>lifeandstyle/the-running-blog/</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span><span>2014/feb/25/</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span><span>spine-race-ultra-dnf-did-not-fi</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span><span>nish-how-cope#start-of-comment</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span>s</a></span></span>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854028986866622902noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8665293425084001081.post-48004111235707394942014-05-22T16:03:00.000+01:002014-05-22T16:03:25.321+01:00Ultra RunningI guess I have sort of developed into the beginnings of a very slow ultra runner.<br />
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Yes I've only done one, but hey one 50 mile run is more than quite a lot of people.<br />
<br />
I'm now 30 days away from my second Ultra. The Wall, a 69 mile jaunt with a few yards going along the side of Hardians Wall.<br />
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I've somehow, ok I now how!! Signed up for The Ridgeway Challenge 86 miles in August, Ladybower 50 mile, and Loch Ness marathon in September, The Winter100 in October, my first 100 miler, i'm crapping myself with nerves already.<br />
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Then in January my biggest challenge to date, and possibly my biggest challenge ever. The Spine Challenger even the first 108 miles of the Pennine Way in January... It's going to be a little bit of a challenge.<br />
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Training, well i always feel that i've never done enough. In 2012 I lost 6 stone, and started running for the first time since school. Now i've run a total of around 1850/1900 miles. I've done 580 or so miles so far this year.<br />
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I'm not very quick and seem to be getting slower that's because i'm upping my total milage so I hope that after a few months of this a bit of speed, not a lot but a little bit will creep back in when i'm more used to running the distance.<br />
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Well we shall see.Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854028986866622902noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8665293425084001081.post-61819198387950869982014-01-04T20:17:00.001+00:002014-01-04T20:17:46.611+00:00Hello 2014Well I got a little carried away with this running lark.<br />
I completed 1 marathon in 2012, 2 marathons and 1 50 mile ultra in 2013.<br />
For 2014 so far I have signed up for 3 marathons ( Milton Keynes, Loch Ness and Snowdonia) and 3 Ultra marathons (The Wall 69 Miles, The Ridgeway Challenge 86 Miles, and LadyBower 50 Miles).<br />
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I've also had a fun Xmas holiday reading 7 Agatha Christie Poirot novels.<br />
<br />
So reading, and running are pretty much my plans up to the end of October. What are you up to?<br />
<br />
Steph xStephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854028986866622902noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8665293425084001081.post-41173942617158799892013-11-01T11:09:00.001+00:002013-11-01T11:09:09.539+00:00Ladybower 50 mile Ultra Marathon<div>
I completely forgot to say that in September I did something that was great fun that I thought I would never be able to do. I ran, ok well ran / walked / staggered around a 50 mile Ultra Marathon.<br />
<br />
It's the Ladybower 50, there is a website, and facebook group just search for "Ladybower 50" for the event. I've signed up for it again next year, the cost a whole £31.50 which seems to be a bargain to me.<br />
<br />
It was a great day. I thought that I had prepared reasonably well, and in truth I was woefully under prepared, but just kept on plodding around and got there in 11 hours 54 minutes. Yes I had a big walking section where i was struggling a lot but I did it :)<br />
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The course is around Ladybower reservoir which includes 2 of the dams that were used for practise runs for the WW2 Dam Buster raids. You start off doing a 5 mile loop around the bottom of the reservoir and then you continue around for 3 laps which are each just over 15 miles. I think it's actually something like 50.9 miles long but that doesn't have quite the same ring as the Ladybower 50. If you get there early enough, and I just managed to, you can park in the same lay by where the race starts, which makes it dead easy for refuelling and getting yourself organised at the end of each lap. So I found i could literally just stop at the car and sit on the boot sorting myself out at the end of each lap.<br />
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The organisation is great, and simple, opposite the start you come to a place where you can go left or right, you go left at 5 miles back to the start then for the three other 15 miles laps you go right, so they had a marshall here, and a water butt, and water at the start line, (oh and cake if you were quick enough but I was slowwwww). So it's a nice simple course you don't need a map or anything like that, you have some sections on roads, and some on trail, it includes a set of steps to run down and up each lap to add to the fun Basically it's fantastic.<br />
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They also have options to run a 20 miles, and a 35 mile version. So you skip one or two full laps. The starts were staggered very 15 minutes, or might have been 30 minutes apart, with those of us doing the 50 miles going off first. <br />
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Now onto my race specifically. Lets begin by making it clear I finished there is a 13 hour time limit and I was the last finisher in 11 hours 54 minutes, I was 2 minutes behind a couple of other finishers. At the start line there were 48 of us, and I was the 39th and final finisher. So a bit of me keeps thinking darn I was last, but over time that's going down and the I finished a 50 mile ultra marathon n under 12 hours side is taking over :) I made mistakes, and things didn't go great but I got there.<br />
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My biggest mistake was that I had some home-made flapjacks that were just to rich.I knew they were a little rich but didn't worry, so I had a plan, run the first 5 miles without any water, or food so I had some drink and food before the beginning, then after the 5 mile loop i'd grab my omm waist pack with water in, and packed with food and go from there. I also had a cheap rucksack with a camelbak style water pack in it ready to go if I decided i wanted to wear that but i had struggled with it a bit in training as it made me really hot and sweaty.<br />
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This is a link to my very very slow Garmin track showing me getting around the course. <br />
<a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/380109328">Garmn Connect - Route </a><br />
<br />
So I drunk some water, eat a really rich flapjack and started off. The 5 miles went great perfect pace for what I wanted.... Just chilled, Got back round the loop grabbed my waist bag, and set off again, as soon as I tried to drink or eat though something weird happened I felt really sick, I just wanted to throw up. So I didn't drink for an hour and just kept plodding along, and of course typical it was a boiling September day around 19-20 it was toasty. So tried drinking and was sick, tried eating just a nibble and felt awful... So gave up. pace wise i was plodding along fine, but starting to feel crap. So completed that 15 miles lap, so 20 down 30 more to go, felt crap but assumed it would pass, at the car at the 20 mile mark, i decided to change to my rucksack maybe i'd be able to drink the plain water in that easier, took that and more food and set off again. had a 5 minute mess around deciding on the pack etc... but set off as soon as i could, so off i went and nope still could not eat or drink. So by 25 miles i was feeling awful. I had at this point come across a bloke who was feeling the same. I think he gave up at this point and just crossed back over to the start. I was only a few minutes or possibly even still on time with my plan at this stage, but the next 10 miles back to the start was hell. I haven't really hit the wall before in a marathon, but because i was hardly eating and drinking i think i hit it, I certainly hit an emotional wall at this point. I struggled like hell from here to 35 miles, the one and only bit of food that i could eat was a pepperami, so whoever had suggested I take some was a life saver. I didn't have much but the bit i had kept me going. At about 30-32 miles I remember I was crying i had people saying well done, nearly at the end but i had a lap more to go!! and also I felt I was going so slow that I wouldn't be within the time limits to do the last lap, in fact I was praying they would say nope you are to slow. Then a weird thing happened around 33 miles, a couple of people overtook me, and I was thinking hang on, they just lapped me and must be about to finish, well only one or two at most others have done that.... taking that into account maybe i;m actually not quite as slow as I think. So I gritted my teeth and kept plodding / walking as fast as i could to 35ish end of lap.<br />
<br />
So... I got there I went straight past the car to sign in, and they said 8:05? I thought they were going to say 9:30 or something so they were happy for me to continue if I felt I could. So I went back to the car sat on the boot and saw that I'd opened a can of diet coke last time around but couldn't drink it. Heck i could not drink anything so what the heck lets try flat warm diet coke. ... Err it seemed wonderful!! I drunk the whole can straight down and it was almost magical it felt like it lined my stomach It was bloody amazing. I cannot describe what that can of diet coke did for me... Basically it was my saviour.<br />
<br />
I then proved just how stupid I am and that maybe i was a little tired... I emptied and refilled my water bladder, and thought ooops spilt some as the bottom of the rucksack felt soaked, stuffed some of every sort of food i had in the car into the pack, eat a banana that felt great thanks to the coke, and set off... thinking eeek i'm getting soaked i must have spilt more water then I thought into the pack.<br />
<br />
by the time i'd gone a half a mile i'd realised I somehow hadn't poured the water into the bladder... I had poured it straight into my rucksack so for the next mile i basically had all the water just comng out the bottom 1.5l of it just pouring down my bum and legs, totally soaking my trainers, socks etc... I was heavy legged had no water and was soaked, but it was great for cooling me down. So I kept going to 40 miles (the point opposite the start on the other side of the reservoir which has the water butt, and it was still there phew!! with some plastic cups so i filled my bladder a cup at a time from the waterbutt poured a little over my head and carried on. 10 miles to go I now had water, and could drink it, and food... I was actually starting to feel good.<br />
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It was getting dark for the last few miles and they sent out a car to check on us stragglers. they first met me with about 6k to go and then again with a couple of k to go and they said I was flying between those two points which helped make me feel good for the last little slog. that last 10 miles I actually felt good, i could eat and drink and i was running way better then from 25-35 which was utter torture. Getting to the finish line in the dark with a few car headlights to show the way was amazing :) What a day.<br />
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At the 35 mile mark. I was over half an hour behind the group of two that I ended up finishing 2 minutes behind, the last lap was great. 1-20 was great. 20-35 was pure hell.<br />
<br />
But it is amazing how friendly everyone is out there, you all want to help each other out, but even knowing that when you are struggling it does feel so lonely in the last few miles it was getting dark and I was alone and hadn't seen another human for a couple of hours it really screws with your mind. I really believe that ultra running or in my case staggering is more in the mind then in the physical body. I've signed up to go back next year, and I would love to beat 11 hours next year, but we shall see. Whatever happens I know that i'm really looking forward to a great day out and meeting new friends again.<br />
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Oh this sums up how great Ultra runners are. The winner who lapped me easily an took around 7:30-7:45 to finish, was there at the line cheering and encouraging me over the line when I finished. <br />
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Thanks everyone that was a completely amazing day.<br />
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There is a 13 hour cut off for the race, so even though I struggled a lot I still had just over an hours time left. <br />
<br />
If you want to do something like this, here is a plan that you don't necessarily need to follow but it's a good starting to point, and gives you pointers, <a href="http://www.trailrunevents.com/ul/schedule-50m.asp" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.trailrunevents.com/ul/schedule-50m.asp</a> one of the key things that I didn't do anywhere near enough is back to back runs so a long run on a Saturday followed by another medium to long run on the Sunday, i need to do this a lot more in preparation for next years attempt. I am also doing the Wall which is Carlisle to Newcastle in 1 day which is 69 miles, so yikes I had better start doing some training soon :)<br />
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Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854028986866622902noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8665293425084001081.post-23203838539608310212013-10-28T10:03:00.001+00:002013-10-28T10:03:16.660+00:00LifeRunning seems to have taken over a lot of my spare time lately.<br />
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But I now have a quiet month or two a lull before the storm. Three or so gentle runs a week until the new year, when I give myself a serious telling off and then start up my plans for marathons and ultras, which will keep me going until October, and then until the new year I can cut down a lot again and recharge the batteries.<br />
<br />
So i'm hoping to do a lot more reading through the next couple of months as i've been sadly lacking in reading this year. I've only read about 25 books, which is a ridiculously low amount for me.<br />
<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854028986866622902noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8665293425084001081.post-59026711422501258302013-01-08T18:19:00.001+00:002013-01-08T18:19:42.138+00:00Quiet dayLife.....<br />
<br />
Sometimes in life you have very quiet days, if you are trying to post a bit each day then you have to find something creative to say, well the truth is that I've had a dead quiet day. <br />
<br />
I got up, went to work, came home for lunch (soup), back to work. Now home again!! <br />
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I've had a nice soak in the bath, taken some boob pics for a forum I'm on, dried my hair n waiting for dinner to cook.<br />
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Not had a chance to read, tweet etc... Just siting here now writing this post.<br />
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What am I doing tonight, well going to watch an episode of Haven, or Twin Peaks. Try to get into a book at some point.<br />
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Oh, diet well I've had a few good days this week first week back on the diet after a xmas and the odd bad day. Only used 6WW ProPoints for lunch, and that's it. Homemade fish n chips will be 13/14 points so only 19/20 used for the day, so think I can cheat and have a pudding as well. But, hey we shall see.<br />
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So this is my not very exciting life!! I would love to come up with something more exciting, but hey that's life!! <br />
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Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854028986866622902noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8665293425084001081.post-31621731845417628142013-01-07T20:25:00.001+00:002013-01-07T20:25:43.910+00:00BooksI'm having a bit of a nightmare with my reading at the moment. <br />
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I just cannot get through a book, very frustrating and I just cannot get a book completed. I reckon I need to go back to basics and pick out an old favourite and bury myself in that. <br />
<br />
The book I am currently loving, but it's actually a factual book that is awesome. <br />
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The book is:- Tales from the Coop: The joy of ex-battery hens. I have ex-battery hens and they are the most adorable things in the world each with their own personalities. This is a lovely book full of fun and cute stories about hens and their owners... If you have hens, but this book it's fantastic.<br />
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Books that I'm reading and stuck on.<br />
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Fantasy: Wards of Faerie by Terry Brooks<br />
Sci-Fi: The Hydrogen Sonata<br />
Crime: between novels. Enjoyed my last couple of novels which were by David Hewson and Maria Hannah<br />
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If nyone has any ideas how to get through a bit of a book reading slump I'd love to hear your ideas.Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854028986866622902noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8665293425084001081.post-82253473951942474392013-01-06T19:53:00.001+00:002013-01-06T22:26:27.421+00:00Boobs!! n stuffSo.....<br />
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Six and a bit weeks since I had my breast augmentation ("boob job"). To be precise I had 340cc CUI Implants put in under the first layer of chest muscles.<br />
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I was in a bit more pain / discomfort then I wanted for the first 18-21 days, but after that I have been fine.<br />
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So I'm very happy with the results, when I said about it most people were assuming they would look huge, but that wasn't what I wanted. I just wanted to look 'average' rather then being very self conscious about feeling flat.<br />
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I know people say why have it done, but it's simple I just feel so much more feminine. Yes, it's stupid that having boobs make any difference to me, but it does. I just have bags more confidence, I can go in a changing room and not feel embarrassed in front of everyone else. It has nothing to do with wanting to look good for a partner or any rubbish like that it's all about me.<br />
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What do they look like :-) ahh the million dollar question, the answer is bloody brilliant ;) I've gone from 36AA/A and living permanently in very padded bras To a comfortable 36D. Not to large so they don't really get in the way when running. I have spent a fortune on lots of bras which is a bit daft as they do still to seem to be changing size slightly but we will just have to wait and see what they look like. It's funny when you have them done you want them to look perfect from day 1, but that doesn't happen and frankly it can take six months or longer for them to settle down. Especially if you have the implants below the muscle, as you are waiting for the muscles to fully relax so that the implants move around a bit , relax and settle into their final position. Like most people i have one (my left) which has relaxed and dropped more into it's final position compared to my right boob which is still a bit sticky out and proud. <br />
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The first of the two pictures below shows my left scar at six weeks and the second is as you can see me in a bra, yes I am completely over the moon with excitement at the results and I think they will only get better when they settle down.<br />
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I forgot to mention where I had it done. It was done privately but to save costs it was done as a day patient in a NHS Hospital, so not the luxury some patients have, and I have a shorter aftercare program, but as at least one company accidentally made themselves bankrupt rather than having to pay for aftercare I just decided to go for it this way, everything went perfectly. The company I went through were http://www.mydreambreast.co.uk/ and my surgeon was Mr Walid Samra who was fantastic.<br />
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<div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-JFGflRSfEFQ/UOnv8BH-uiI/AAAAAAAAAYw/L6XyV4xRSns/s640/blogger-image--1079160743.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-JFGflRSfEFQ/UOnv8BH-uiI/AAAAAAAAAYw/L6XyV4xRSns/s640/blogger-image--1079160743.jpg" /></a></div>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02854028986866622902noreply@blogger.com0