Karen writes: Still settling in

I miss trying to fit running into my life.   Actually, I don’t really miss trying to fit running in, but there is definitely a strange feeling space in my days at the moment which isn't quite filled up by sitting on the spin bike or the strength training I am doing right now.  Especially I notice that I don’t have to organise myself so rigorously around things like childcare, or think during the day about the types of food which will allow me to run later on.   For example, I don’t have to worry about having a suitable lunch (cream soups/spice/meat didn’t work), a snack can be less sensible in the afternoon, and where once I would have to have had light cereal or a protein drink for dinner (so I had some energy without my insides wanting to rebel on my evening run), I can now eat what I cook for the children at dinnertime.  Much better for my headspace I can tell you, it's pretty depressing to have weetbix when the children had something nice on a cold winter evening!  So, it is a lot easier, for now.  I am sure however it will get tougher again when I am trying to fit a cycle AND a run in when the next programme kicks in.

As far as the current programme goes, tonight I did the required 70 minutes on the spin bike, oh it is so tedious!  Perhaps it will become a habit (I hope).    I still haven’t had a swim this week, I have another cold which makes me ask myself what my body is trying to tell me (apart from the fact that the most efficient sharers of bugs are the smaller members of the whanau).  I really want to be fully well by Sunday though, the Tepuru runners have got a terrific sounding challenge through the Whitford forest, that will be a great test of how well my legs have recovered from the marathon which was a WHOLE month ago.