Monday 26 March 2012

A week of fun and sun!

The weather recently has been AMAZING! The kids think it's summer and so do the flowers. Unfortunately the reservoirs are extremely low and we really need some rain, and it does seem wrong to be wearing sunglasses and t-shirts for my runs already. But I'm still going to make the most of it!

I love running when it's warm and sunny, but it can be tougher than milder temperatures. I found that out when I did the marathon in 2010 and couldn't drink enough water no matter how many bottles I picked up. I was reminded again on Friday when I ran 7 miles on a lovely sunny afternoon. It felt great to be out without my gloves or jacket and wearing sunglasses, a t-shirt and shorts instead. The route was mostly on a cycle path and there was no shade really. The (comparative) heat definitely slowed me down and made the run tougher, but I really enjoyed it.

Away from running, it's been lovely to take the kids to the park after school and go for wanders along the seafront. Everything seems better when the sun is shining!

On Sunday we did our Sports Relief Mile. At a local running track there were 3 races through the morning, of 1, 3 and 6 miles, but we were just doing the mile. When we arrived there were a lot of familes there, as well as people in fancy dress, and a very few serious runners. It was clear that this was much more of a fun run than a race - it wasn't timed, the distance was approximate, and the faster runners had to lap huge groups of walkers in the inside lanes!
















It was great fun. We were laughing and talking with other familes and the atmosphere was really relaxed and friendly. We ran almost all of the 4 laps of the track, apart from a bit when Emma fell over and we stopped to check she was ok, and a time later on when she said she was tired so I carried her for a while and then she went on Pete's shoulders! Luckily in this race, she couldn't get disqualified!

We encouraged the kids to sprint for the finish line and they got a cheer from spectators when they did. I was proud of them for carrying on and not complaining at all despite a stitch (Robbie) and falling (Emma).

















After the race we were all given some water and a small medal. Then it was straight off to Rugby club for Robbie - it was a sporty day for him!





















I didn't include that mile in my weekly total, as it probably took about 15 minutes, i.e. around walking pace. But I ran 4 other times, making 18.5 miles, and I did 1 bike ride of 11 miles. The good weather is continuing for the moment, but will probably cool down later this week. It seems fair - it is only March after all.


5 comments:

  1. It has been unseasonably warm and dry here, too...I love it, but we do need the moisture badly. Glad you're out enjoying the sunshine Mother Nature's providing :).

    ReplyDelete
  2. Those little munchkins are adorable! Thanks to my brother in law who lives in Leeds, I actually know what "fancy dress" is and have witnessed it live. (we don't use that term here and usually only do "fancy dress" on Halloween, which is lame on our part.)
    Looks like a great day in the sun.

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a great day out with the kids! And yes, the weather has been awesome - I sure hope it lasts!

    ReplyDelete
  4. It's so great that your kids are getting to be active with you. And it's so nice to hear that your weather's been so good. I'll try to send some of our rain your way - we've had enough.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Events like that with the kids are great. I always love it when my family can experience something fun around running. Enjoy the good weather!

    ReplyDelete