Wednesday 27 February 2013

Race Report - The Terminator

A sufficient number of days have passed since Sunday’s race that I now feel up to the task of writing about it.  Plus the organisers have posted their results so further procrastination is clearly not an option.

First challenge of the day was deciding what to wear; suffice to say it was cold, bitterly so in fact.  I heard tell of the fact that there was river crossings and to expect high levels of shin-deep mud.  I was torn between full length running tights and capri style but opted for the full length in the end (and was glad I did as up on the ridges the wind seemed to find itself getting into all sorts of places it shouldn’t have).  Top half was a long-sleeved running top under my club’s vest.  This was the first time I had worn my club’s strip and it was actually really nice; the club had a good turnout at the event with 7 of us in all and it was great to feel part of a group.  It was also great hearing the marshals shouting encouragement aimed specifically at me as in ‘Come on Calne, you’re doing well’ and ‘Keep it up Calne, not much further to go’ and other cheery comments along much the same lines.   The fact that the ‘not much further to go’ was clearly a white lie did not detract from the fact that she had managed to single me out from the crowd.
I got to the venue bright and early (over an hour before the start) to be confronted by several hundred runners already there.  Varying levels of nervousness amongst the contestants presented themselves (some of the portaloos were already a ‘no go’ zone) although much bonhomie and back slapping was also evident.  Most of my club colleagues were there and debating what to wear; clearly the hot-topic of the day.  Much incredulity ensued  that I was not intending to wear a thermal top, buff, hat or gloves but honestly, we were about to tackle 12 miles of energy sapping off-road course with four steep climbs thrown in for good measure, I didn’t feel that wrapping up like Nanook Of The North was a viable option.  In fairness I was bloody freezing waiting for the off but I felt my long term strategy was sound and I have to say it proved so.  Apart from after the third hill where my hands started to freeze ever so slightly, the rest of me was toasty warm for the vast majority of the course.
The start was its usual confusion of where to stand in comparison to other runners and as there was no pacers it made it even more of an ordeal but I plumped for what appeared to be the middle of the pack.  And then we were off.  The first part of the course was along quiet roads which led on to the canal which in turn led onto fields.  The fact that it was so bitterly cold meant that the ground temperature hadn’t risen above zero degrees so the expected levels of mud did not materialise; having said that, some of the fields (especially the gateways) with two hundred or so runners going through before me were pretty churned up by the time I got to them.  In fact I nearly crashed into a lady in front of me who carried on running when her trainer didn’t, stuck in the mud as it was.  She came to a sudden halt, not fully appreciating the fact that she had two hundred or so runners behind her.  I do wonder what happened to her; we were less than three miles into the race by this point so I don’t know whether she bravely put her shoe back on over her rather muddy sock or gave up.  I like to believe it was the former however I have a feeling the latter option was more likely as she looked distinctly fed up (not to mention rather shocked and with a very muddy foot). 

My game plan, such as it was, was to track my club colleague as we have a very similar pace and I was hoping she would tow me along in her wake.  It turned out to be a good plan as it gave me a focus and meant that I wasn’t tempted to slow down on the trickier, muddier sections.  In turn, she knew I was right behind her (my heavy breathing and sniffing gave the game away) so she felt pressurised into keeping up a good pace.  It’s hard deciding an appropriate pace in a race you have not done before; flat races are much easier but knowing that I faced several hills I was reluctant to set off too fast and burn out.  My only ambition was to beat her if possible and my plan was to stick with her and then overtake at some point towards the latter half of the course.
The first few miles were actually quite pleasant, slightly more up than down but nothing to write home about.  We managed to keep up a reasonable pace (especially along the canal) although the going underfoot across the fields was somewhat challenging; the semi-frozen status of the ground along with the deep ruts and tractor tyre-marks meant risking twisted ankles so concentration was the order of the day.  Around mile five the first test presented itself; an uphill climb along a narrow gully with tree roots and loose rocks thrown in for good measure.  Due to the narrowness of the gully overtaking was not an option so I was glad that I was already in front of my friend although she was hot on my heels.  It was a relentless climb and my brain was making ‘please walk’ suggestions but I managed to ignore it and make it to the top; to be confronted with having to climb up the side of the bank that formed the gully and into a field.  This climb was so steep that the organisers had provided ropes in order to assist with the hauling up thereof!  Hauling completed, we were then faced with the first hill.  Short and sharp it was nonetheless a real energy sapper and a sign of worse things yet to come.  The only compensation with the uphill was the following downhill and I was determined to make the most of them.  Usually I am not great at down hills, I find myself putting on the brakes but before the race I had stern words with myself that I should attempt to run down any hills as fast as possible to make up for time lost.  It was the right plan as I managed to overtake several people who didn’t overtake me back.  First hill over and done with and the second hill loomed large which was equally as high as the first.  It was somewhat daunting standing at the bottom of it and looking up at all the other runners in front of me snaking their way up.  The issue with the hills, in addition to their length and height, was the going.  It was not a straightforward grassy field, but in some areas ridges had been cut into the hillside so it was akin to climbing a very steep set of stairs.  The other, more annoying, aspect was that the track was really only one person wide so if the person in front was not going as fast as you would like, you didn’t really have any overtaking options, unless you were happy to forge your own route which was extremely hard going and didn't really gain you that much.  Needless to say nobody was actually running up the hill, it was too steep for that, but I was determined to power walk them as much as possible and it turns out I’m pretty good at it.  I found that my preferred method was to take the biggest stride possible even if it meant a slight pause before  taking the next step; this I found was still quicker than the baby steps option I saw others using.  Second hill dispensed with and then a nice downhill although going very rutted so care had to be taken.  Third hill was another long, steep climb tackled with my new found power walking skill but the down hill for this one was extremely annoying.  We spent a bit of time running along a ridge with a very steep slope to the right hand side; again the track was only one person wide with no hope of overtaking (unless you were prepared to risk life and limb).  Thankfully the people in front of me were keeping up a good pace so this was not a problem.  However, as we started to descend, it became irritating.  People in front were slowing down and going far slower than I would have liked (I knew that my friend was behind me but likely to be catching up and I was determined not to let this happen).  By now there was a bit of overtaking room but this involved running through very deep, rutted grass with all the associated hazards that brings.  I did manage to get past a few people but the energy expended was almost not worth it; it did piss me off the looks I got when overtaking but really, have the courtesy to move over people.  Finally made it to the bottom, checked behind me and was horrified to see that my friend was now no more than 50 feet behind.  This definitely spurred me on. The track now sloped ever so slightly up hill and the effort I expended on overtaking people was just starting to show, I even had to do a few strides of power walking just to get my breath back.  However, with friend hot on my heels I willed myself onwards and started running again until I got to a bottle neck caused by runners waiting to take turns climbing over a stile.  It's amazing just how long I had to wait and I only had five runners in front of me.  Several times I felt the urge to shout out 'For crying out loud, just climb over the effing thing' until finally it was my turn to get over it.  I nearly slipped.  I then felt ever so slightly embarrassed when I seemed to take ages getting from one side to the other. Guess that's Karma for you; it's a bitch alright.  Not long after the stile crossing we were faced with the final challenge; another brutal hill.  This was not as tall as the other three but still exceptionally steep and at one point I almost fell as gravity and tiredness wanted to defy the direction I was trying to take.  Almost as bad as the uphill on this one was the downhill; so steep was it that you were forced to crab down sideways, running was not even an option.  I'm not sure if the photo conveys just how steep it was but the route was from where the hay bales are, up the left side of the horse, across the top of his back and down again past his tail.  Was I ever glad that this was the final effort and now only another two miles to go.  I checked with the runner behind me (one thing I have found on races is that other runners always seem a bit surprised when you speak to them) that the going was flat to the end and upon confirmation that it was I did my very best to speed up.  I had seen my friend still attempting the up as I was coming down so I had managed to build up a lead on her thank god but certainly not enough to be able to kick back and relax.  The final twist in the tail was the route being diverted through a ford so rather than going over the bridge, you were forced to wade through knee-deep fast flowing water.  As you can imagine this was rather bracing but, in a slightly masochistic way, surprisingly enjoyable.  With only half a mile to go my energy was draining fast and it was only with firmly gritted teeth that I was able to run all the way to the finish line.  So knackered was I that a few people did manage to overtake me on the long run in which was disappointing however I did manage to finish in front of my friend; I was very happy about that.  My stats:
Time: 2:01:41
Position = 279 out of 573 (32nd female out of 142)
Category Position: 15th out of 63
I am actually pretty chuffed by my results.  I was hoping to squeeze in under two hours and if I hadn't been held up on a couple of the climbs I may just have done it but I'm happy to walk away with 2 hours 1 minute for my first attempt.
Again not sure if this conveys the steepness, but you can see how the first five miles lull you into a false sense of security and then how thick and fast the elevations come after that:

 

Monday 25 February 2013

Run 2013 in 2013 .... Update Two

Well I survived yesterday's Terminator, safe to say it was Beautiful but Brutal.  I'm not feeling up to writing a race report today and the race organisers haven't updated their results page as yet so that's a good enough excuse for me to put it off for another day or two.

However, in what seems to be the blink of an eye another four weeks of the year have passed so it's now time for another update on my plan to run 2013 miles in 2013.  Okay, without further ado:

Target 2 (1st Jan - 25th Feb): 309.69

Actual Mileage: 311.12

Balance: +1.43
 
Woohoo, I'm still ever so slightly up on what I should be but the gap is narrowing.  Guess it's time to pull my socks up and get going.  Trouble is I am likely to have a low mileage week as this weekend, which would normally be my two longest runs of the week, I will be in Weymouth on Saturday (recovering from Friday night's Super Supper Club) and I have a 10k race planned for Sunday.  I will however hopefully be making up for my lack of mileage by the fact that I have a 30-mile night run planned with the running club next week.  Eek. 

Saturday 23 February 2013

Weekly Catch Up

Sorry for the radio silence this week, things have been a bit hectic at home but not much has actually happened that is worth updating you on.  Tuesday I did a 8.5 mile run in the morning which is longer than I would normally do before work but was in preparation for the fact that on Wednesday I was setting off to Derby at 05:30 hours to attend a two-day workshop and I wasn't sure when I would get the chance to run again.  Wednesday found me cossetted in a rather gorgeous hire car; a Volvo XC60 (look at the vision of loveliness above).  It was less than 6 months old and definitely top of the range as it had all the electric bells and whistles you could possibly ever dream of not to mention a lovely leather interior.  It was worth going all the way to Derby just for the pleasure of driving it.  The ying to the yang however was that, unlike some of the other attendees who were staying in a rather posh hotel, I had to make do with the local Travelodge.  So luxurious was the car in comparison to the hotel room that I almost opted to sleep in that!  It was a sad moment when I had to hand the keys back on the Friday.
 
I did take my running gear with me and was very pleased that I got the chance to run on both days.  The Travelodge was on the banks of a river and a pleasant mile run towards town along the footpath deposited me in a small park with a path around the edge.  The path was just over half a mile long so 8 laps and a run back to the hotel meant I was able to complete 10k without having to run along unfamiliar roads in the dark.  Despite having got up at 04:30 hours and completed an intense workshop all day my run was surprisingly effective and I was less than two minutes from a PB.  It's such a long time since I have run in road trainers and indeed on a tarmac path that I had forgotten how much easier it is in comparison with running off-road.  Thursday's workshop started at 09:30 hours so I took advantage of a small lie-in and then re-ran the previous evening's course.  Clearly eating a curry at 21:30 hours the night before is not great preparation for a morning run and I was 3 1/2 minutes slower over exactly the same route!  
 
Friday was a rest day and this morning I ran a very leisurely 7.5 miles as tomorrow it's The Terminator.  I see that they are forecasting freezing weather for tomorrow so the river crossing(s) are going to be a right laugh, not.  Anyone have a welding kit handy, I think the brass monkeys are going to need it.
 
Race report tomorrow or as soon as I get a chance to thaw out.     

Saturday 16 February 2013

The Best Laid Plans and All That (Take 2)

So the idea for today's post was to try and photograph my run ..... again.  The day dawned bright and clear, albeit with a very slight ground mist so I was hopeful that all would go according to plan.  Here we go:

Half a mile from home and crossing the green
 
On to the canal
 
Past the marina
 
The best thing about running this time of the morning: witnessing
the beautiful sunrises


About to leave the canal via the swing-bridge
up ahead


To be confronted by mud once again and heading for the
hills in the distance


Hills getting closer
 
And another muddy track leading to the top of the hill
 
About to leave the track and head on to the Wansdyke
(it's hard to tell but it's the darker green line going across from
the right about halfway down photo)


On the Wansdyke - you can see the ridge more clearly
now and the steep slope each side


Look!  There in the distance, it's our old friends the Twin
Towers ... all roads may lead to Rome but around here seemingly
all tracks lead to the Twin Towers.  And that is where we are heading
today too .... notice the rather ominous cloud gathering


The Twin Towers are now on my right and this track leads
back towards Devizes.  I would have taken more scenic shots
but as you can probably tell, I am now in the thick cloud that was
gathering at the top of the hill
 
A few miles further on and we have left the rather attractive
grass track and are now on a hardcore track with just a few
puddles to try and avoid


Making our way to the copse at the top of the hill.  Can't see it?
Yep, neither could I; I'm glad this was not the first time I had
attempted this part of the run


The entrance to the copse. At this point I was on the top of Roundway
Hill and the fog / low cloud (or whatever it was) was unbelievably thick.
It's amazing how quickly it descended, I can now appreciate how people
can become disoriented especially when not familiar with an area.
If my plans had gone according to plan then having gone through the copse I
was going to take a lovely photo of a bird's eye view across Devizes.
Clearly that didn't happen.


Two miles or so later and back on the canal for the final
stretch home
 
And so ended today's run.  It was definitely a run of two halves and I am sorry that I wasn't able to share more scenic photos with you.  So 12 miles in total today, tomorrow it's hill sessions.  Oh goody.    

Wednesday 13 February 2013

A Day of Mixed Tidings

Well today's trip to the kitchen shop was an utter disappointment.  It's a great shop, full of lovely (and mostly highly expensive) things but nothing that caught my eye.  However, a quick trawl on eBay this evening and I have this gorgeous pair of items winging their way to me:

  
 
So now that just leaves a utensil pot, a kitchen towel holder and a soap dispenser in bright colours to find ....... which is actually a lot harder to do than it sounds.  I shall resume my quest tomorrow.


Tuesday 12 February 2013

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

Whilst the decorating has been completed in the dining room and kitchen, there is still all the finishing touches that need doing.  One of these is deciding what is going to go up on our lovely, newly painted walls.  I have deliberately kept everything very neutral paint-wise, the woodwork is white and the walls are Dulux White Cotton which, in fairness, is pretty much white.  The furniture in the dining room is oak, the kitchen units are beech (or something along those lines) and the floor coverings are brown carpet in dining room and terracotta tile effect lino in the kitchen.  My idea is to inject colour into the rooms by using accessories; all very Homes & Garden. 

Dining Room
So far in the dining room I have three Poole pottery vases displayed on the cabinet and purple curtains up at the window and french doors.  One wall (the one above the computer desk) has been reserved for displaying my running trophies (well, certificates and medals!)  This leaves one long wall spare and I am torn as to what to display on it.  I have decided to go with a multi-part canvas in shades of purple (this is going to be my 'accent' colour for this room) but I am torn between these two:



The colour of the curtains is reflected better in the picture of the poppy however I prefer the vibrancy of the orchid.  I am usually a very decisive person (although don't always make the best decisions) but I am really at a loss which one to plump for.  At this rate I may just be going with the 'Heads, Tails' option and tossing a coin.

Kitchen
As mentioned, the kitchen units are a beech colour, the worktop a mottled grey / brown and the walls are tiled with those mini tiles that come on sheets (tesserae?) in a brownish / greyish pattern.  Again, everything very neutral and although I don't like storing items on the worktops, the few items that we do have on there are just blending into the background.  Well, that is until I bought these lovely babies at the weekend:


I absolutely adore them, they just look so damned gorgeous and really stand out against the rather drab background; oh, they are pretty darned good at cutting too!  So I am now on a quest to replace the few items I do have on display with some funky colours.  Tomorrow I am off to visit a rather splendid kitchen shop in my home town where I hope to be bringing back armfuls of loveliness to display.  Credit card, get ready to flex.

Sunday 10 February 2013

That Was The Weekend That Was

Well yesterday's run was a muddy, wet 12 miles.  All relatively flat (6 of the miles along the canal path) but the going was horrid especially on the canal.  I really don't understand why it gets so churned up as the further I run along it the less boats I come across and in all the times I have run it I have only ever come across one or two people.  Needless to say with the weather yesterday I didn't come across anybody! 

Today I ran with Calne Running Club as I usually do on one of my weekend days.  The plan was to run 20 miles but the going and the weather was so horrendous that the majority of us bailed out just after the halfway point and ended up covering 17 miles.  Despite the weather and the going underfoot I felt surprisingly strong today and spent most of the time up in front so that was a nice boost.  However, one of our gang was very slow and so we kept having to stop to allow him to catch up.  This is normally never a problem and is one of the conventions of running in a group in that everyone waits for everyone else or, alternatively, runs on ahead and then runs back to the group if they are wanting to do a tougher run.  Most of the time it's nice to have a quick pit stop, especially on a longer run however today it was just a miserable experience.  The route was very exposed and so there was never a good place to rest and wait; I honestly don't think I have ever been as cold running as I got today.  I couldn't face any more towards the end so I said my goodbyes and ran on ahead to get back to my car and home as quickly as possible.  Even falling over and sliding on my bum for about 10 feet because I was running too fast downhill did not tempt me to slow down.  By the time I got back to my car I was shivering uncontrollably and I wasn't able to put my nice dry coat on as I had to sit on it due to the volume of mud on my derriere!  I don't know how I drove the 8 miles home as I couldn't feel my hands or feet by this point.  A long hot shower and several cups of coffee later, I just about felt human again.

Wet and bedraggled and with another 7 miles to go!

Wednesday 6 February 2013

Hello? [Knock, Knock] Anybody Still There?

Sorry for the radio silence but I have been busy visiting the parents on Sunday (spent longer driving there than I did on the actual visit but that's a whole other story).  The rest of the week has been spent tidying up the house following the decorating taking place at the weekend.  It's quite hard to fathom how dust just gets every-bloody-where no matter how hard you try to prevent it.  The kitchen looked like a builder's skip so a deep clean was called for.  This included emptying out all the cupboards of course, what a bloody job.  I have to say though after a whole night spent on it it fair gleamed.  Last night was the dining room's turn to get a good clean, new curtains hung, etc etc and now that looks lovely too.  Tonight I was meant to be cleaning the conservatory (my God, you would not believe how far the dust travelled) but quite honestly I really can't be arsed.  So night off tonight and tomorrow and will tackle the conservatory on Friday when OH is at work.

On other fronts I have been running this week, 8.5 miles yesterday and 7.2 miles today.  I am getting a bit tired of running in the dark (and the wind); Spring where the bloody hell are you?  I have noticed the nights starting to get a lot lighter which, whilst nice, is no bloody good to me when I run at 6am.  Bah humbug.

Saturday 2 February 2013

The Best Laid Plans and All That

Today I had planned a 15 mile run which I intended to take nice and steady: the ideal opportunity to take some photos I thought to myself.  Now, I haven't run this particular route as a route before, however I have run all the different elements of it on other runs so I thought I would put them all together.  Go me.  Or not as the case may be.  It all started off innocently enough, left home around 6.30am and headed straight to the canal:


This was meant to be a scenic photo of the
canal (to my right).  Maybe 6.40am was a tad early
to be taking scenic photographs.
 
So down the side of the canal, across a boggy field and then up the hill towards Roundway.  Still too dark to take photos by this point however I had a cunning plan; more cunning than a cunning fox who holds a degree in cunningness.  My route up Roundway is not very far from the route down which I intended to take on my way back so I thought I would photograph this part of the route later on.  You wouldn't have known it was taken out of sequence.  See, I told you it was a cunning plan.  So, up Roundway, across the top and then up a bit more to be confronted with this track:
 

Lovely bit of mud that, classic consistency.  Oh, and Rommel
trying to get in on the act.
 
So having picked my way round that lot (no easy feat let me tell you) I then set off across the ridge towards the twin towers:
 

There they are, look in the distance, can you see them?  The two
radio masts just to the left of the clump of trees on the hill? (You may want
to click on the photo to enlarge).
 
Of course it's not a straight route to get to them, oh no that would be far too easy, so they are about 4 miles away from where I am now.  Plodding on, through a barn full of cows (well, not through the barn itself of course, that would be silly, however I wish I had gone through the barn, reckon my shoes would have come out cleaner than trying to skirt around it through the heady mixture of muck, mud and silage that was the track at this point).  Part of the route goes down the side of a golf course:
 

The golf course.  What do you mean it looks just like a field?  There,
can't you see the little red flag to the left of the photo?  This footpath
skirts the edge of the course but there is one that goes right
through the middle of it.  I always feel like I'm taking my life
in my hands running that one so I try to avoid it.
 
A bit further on, across the road and heading up towards the twin towers.  This track also leads (eventually) to Cherhill Monument:
 

A view towards Calne.  To the right of the photo you can just
make out Cherhill Monument on the top of the hill (again, you may
wish to enlarge for clarity).  I have run this route many times, bloody hell
it looks a long way.  Probably because it is.
 
So everything is still going swimmingly at this point and I'm heading up towards the twin towers which, by the calculations I made on my map last night, mark my halfway point:

Made it!
 
Past the towers and I am on a track known as Wansdyke.  Everything is still going according to plan, I am confident of my route (although, in fairness, it's hard to go wrong when you are following an earthworks) but, unbeknown to me, my run is soon to turn to worms.  All too soon in fact.  Leaving the Wansdyke, it is at this point that it all goes horribly wrong.  I come to a track and, without a moment's hesitation I branch to the left and carry on.  And on.  And on.  And on.  Now, bearing in mind that I mentioned earlier about having run all the elements of the route before, you think after the first mile or so that I would be questioning why I didn't recognise the route I was on.  Yes, you'd think that wouldn't you?  But no, like a bloody fool I just kept going and going.  And going.  I eventually came to a road and it was only at this point that I questioned myself about where I was as I was definitely not where I was expecting to be.  I was completely disorientated and, more to the point, my Garmin had just clocked up 10 miles.  I would like to take this opportunity to reassure you Dear Reader that I was not lost; I know I was not lost because when I looked behind me I could still see the twin towers.  Three miles or so away, but I could still see them.  And it was a this point that realisation sank in.  The route I should have taken, the one that would have led me back towards the golf club, skirted the clump of trees that were not far from the twin towers.  The clump of trees that I could see now, three miles or so away from where I was.  With sinking heart I took the only sensible option open to me and turned round and headed back towards the twin towers.  I have now learnt, to my cost, that there is nothing more soul destroying than having to retrace your steps on a run; made even more soul destroying when retracing your steps also means running back up the hill that you have just run down.  I was also on a tight time schedule as I promised Other Half I would be back by 9.30am as he wanted to make a start on the kitchen today so I had to be there to look after Boys One and Two.  Well, it was now 8.40am and with another 9 miles or so to run I took the only other course open to me; I rang Other Half and asked him to come and pick me up.  We agreed to meet at the golf course (I was confident I could make my way back there!) and that is what we did.  I clocked up exactly 13 miles running past the club house and there ended my run.  Ignominiously. 

Friday 1 February 2013

Weekend Plans

The plan for the weekend is to get the kitchen decorated; I knew decorating the dining room was a big mistake!  The trouble is once you decorate one room, it makes the rest of them look even shabbier than they did before (and believe me, some of our rooms are very shabby).  So on Sunday I’m taking me and the boys off down to my Mum’s in Devon whilst Other Half tackles the nightmare walls in the kitchen.  The kitchen is built into an extension of the house that used to be a store room or something along those lines.  Our current dining room was actually a kitchen / diner but the previous owner decided to move the kitchen into the extension which was a great idea and has made a huge difference to the house.  BUT, you think that having gone to all the trouble of moving the plumbing and gas, fitting new kitchen cupboards, installing a range, replacing the existing flat corrugated roof with a sloping tiled roof and putting down a new floor that perhaps, just perhaps, he would have hired a professional plasterer to skim the walls?  Clearly not.  Maybe he had run out of money by this point but the walls look as though they have been plastered by a hung-over monkey using the back of a teaspoon.  So Sunday will mostly be Other Half filling and sanding the walls which is why the rest of us are taking off for the day as the volume of dust this creates is unbelievable.  Unfortunately there is no door between the kitchen and dining room, the plan is to hang a curtain in the gap to try and reduce the volume of mess but dust seems to find its way around the house regardless of what steps you take.  Hopefully the kitchen will be finished by next weekend and the plan is to move on to the front room by the end of February and then, with the exception of the hallway, the whole ground floor will be decorated.  Hurrah, that means I will have achieved one of my aims for 2013 by March with any luck.     

But, where there is an upside there is a downside (karma and all that) and my plan to lose a stone is going nowhere fast.  I am really struggling to get focused and get motivated; it’s only a bloody stone for God’s sake.  So, January was ‘no alcohol’ month (successfully completed) and I am going to make February ‘no/ low carb’ month as I know that by cutting carbs out as much as possible I should lose the weight pretty easily.  To help keep me focused, I am going to go to Slimming World on Monday 25 February and I hope to be back to my target weight by then; otherwise I will have to hand over £5 for the privilege of being told I’m getting fat once more.  Once I am back to my target weight I am going to start going to Slimming World more regularly (at least monthly) as I am convinced that one of the reasons for falling off the wagon is not having to face the shame of the weekly weigh-in.  So I have an action plan in place, just have to stick to it now.