Trying new things

I mentioned in a previous post that I was starting yoga last week. I was cautious as it's not fast paced like my usual exercise and I really didn't know what to expect. I'm not at all flexible but I'd been told by friends to just go at my own pace and see how it went. 

I was a little apprehensive about turning up as I'm not usually one for trying new things and meeting new people. I got there in plenty of time to get my mat and pick a spot, there's always that feeling when attending a course for the first time that you're taking someone else's place. Luckily the ladies who were already there were lovely and told me the best place to go.

Our instructor, Fiona, is a really wonderful lady, so chilled out, exactly as I expected. She put on some quiet background music and began with some gentle movements. With each move she gave us ways to make it harder or easier depending on our flexibility and experience. I was actually really proud of myself for being able to get into a lot more of the positions than I thought I would. 
After an hour Fiona finished with some meditation work which was just amazing, completely zoned me out and made me so relaxed. 

That night I had such a good nights sleep and I've signed up for another class this week.

My next 'first' in recent weeks was a spin class. Simon is a massive fan of spin classes and as I'm constantly complaining that his legs are better than mine I thought I'd give this a go. 

I went along and really just thought it would be pedalling fast on a bike. The instructor Chelsea was great, she made she we were all safely on our bikes before switching on the party lights and turning off the real likes, an odd sort of disco but lots of fun. Also great when you start sweating as no one can see how awful you look.

She started us off slowly and increased and decreased the intensity along with some great music to really motivate and push us. Within 5 minutes I was sweating buckets and looking at the clock wondering when it would end - this was a beginners class!
The whole session was done out of the saddle so needless to say my legs were killing by the end of the 40 minutes. She then finished with a warm down and stretching session which I was really grateful for when I woke up the following morning! 

I loved every moment of the class and felt great after. Again I've signed up to another class next week. 

With all these new experiences, it just goes to show that running really isn't my be all and end all! 

Holidays are coming

Simon and I have been talking about a holiday for a little while. Neither of us have been away on a 'sunshine break' for a long time so we thought we'd go away later in the year. 

Both of us have booked the last week in September off work and decided to go from there. Our only criteria is that it's sunny (not too hot as I'm not good in the heat), reasonably quiet and all inclusive. We thought it best to go somewhere in Europe as it's only for a week so best not to spend your entire week travelling. 

We started looking through the usual sites, Thomson, Thomas Cook, Travelzoo and couldn't find anything suitable. Any hotels we did find had really awful reviews on Trip Advisor so it turned us off. We found a really great package on Travelzoo for a week in Malta with lots of upgrades but when we went to book it were told we couldn't have the upgrades and the price was the same! Not as advertised. 

Every lunchtime at work for the past week or so I've spent trawling travel sites to find our holiday. I've taken advise from Sam, Gemma & Alex as they're all well travelled friends and then I've gone off looking at various locations. 

On this search, which by the way continues as I type, I've learnt a number of things I wanted to share with you:

1) Everyone has something to moan about - TripAdvisor is a great tool but nothing is going to be everyone's cup of tea. People moan about the silliest of things "...no English food on the menu..." - you're in a Spanish resort! 

2) Extras - it's all very well looking at holiday prices but I've been shocked at the amount of extras you have to pay out for. No longer do you get baggage or transfers included. 

3) The photos on travel sites really aren't like those in reality. Looking at some of the hotels on travel sites then seeing them in peoples holiday snaps is an eye-opener. 

4) Know your distances - 5km to the nearest beach is quite far if you're a beach fanatic but they really don't look that far when the travel companies add photos of the 'local' beach. 

5) Be careful not to get caught up in deals - sometimes it's cheaper to just look for what you actually want that get into added extras and glamorous sales pitches. 

After remembering I have a rewards discount with Natwest travel, we have now booked our holidays through them with the whole process taking a matter of minutes. We're off to sunny Majorca to a quiet little hotel where we can spend the week relaxing in the sun. Phew what a drama! 

I'd love to hear about your experiences booking holidays and any tips! 

A spot of Afternoon Tea

Last month my very good friend Caroline and myself went to London for a 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' themed Afternoon Tea. I had booked this as a treat for Caroline's birthday and we'd both been looking forward to it for quite some time. 

The tea was booked for 2pm so we'd both starved ourselves all day to ensure enough room to try everything. 

Upon arrival at One Aldwych we were shown to our very comfortable seats in the lounge area of the hotel. As it was a special treat we both selected the Champagne Cocktail Charlie menu. The staff at the hotel were second to none, polite and interactive with all their customers.
When booking the table I'd mentioned that I had a nut allergy - a lot of restaurants don't give this a second thought - but this hotel was an exception. They had a note of the allergy and checked in with me about the details. The chef had arranged for an alternative to the only item on the menu containing nuts which was really thoughtful. 

Our cocktails arrived to our surprise in a in a smoking tea pot, this was then poured into mini Martini glasses with plenty more of the cocktail left in the pot for a few more glasses each!! Neither of us had seen anything like this before so it really did start the experience in a fantastic way. 

After a short while our savoury items where brought out to us on a small platter, we had a variety of sandwiches to try and warm quiches/pastries which were all divine. Our waitress offered to bring us more of our favourites but we both wanted to save room for the cakes and chocolate treats - we were glad we did.

Next up was an amazing array of warm scones with homemade jams, brioche, candy floss, mango cheesecake, chocolate milk and as you can see from the photo lots more sweet treats. The chef had prepared me some fruit skewers instead of the truffle chocolate that Caroline enjoyed. 

Every element of the tea was cooked to perfection and had so much thought into it. 

Throughout the tea we enjoyed some freshly brewed flavoured teas which were also delicious - although it took a while for both of us to get the hang of straining the tea leaves! 

We were again offered more of our favourites but by this time we were both full and couldn't eat another bite. We were at the hotel for around 2 hours which for an afternoon tea is quite good. 

Both of us had such a wonderful afternoon and would definitely go back. In fact, we're already talking about our next afternoon tea adventure! 

Body Art

You may recall back in July last year I wrote about a tattoo that I really liked the look of and I wanted to signify my strength at coming through some challenging times. 

<Read the previous article>

Well two weeks ago I finally got around to having that tattoo done. 

The design changed slightly from the original but the meaning remains and I now have a constant reminder of the strength that I have and will continue to have. 

The lovely Hayleigh at Lady Pirates in Leigh-on-sea inked this one for me and I just love it. Every now an then I catch a look of it in the mirror and it's there to just tell me, 'I done good, I got through it, I'm still smiling, what amazing support I have around me'. 

What do you think? 

Climbing the O2

For my sisters birthday I brought her a voucher to climb the o2, she'd been saying for a while that she wanted to climb it. When it came to booking her trip, myself, Simon and my sisters fiancé Ash decided to join E-J on the climb so booked ourselves tickets. 

At £33 per person (with discounts available for o2 customers), we all hoped it'd be a amazing and we weren't disappointed. 

When we arrived about 15 minutes before our climb the weather was pretty grim so they delayed us for a short while for the rain to pass. We then made our way, with around 10 others, into a briefing room where they played us a comical information and safety video. 
All the staff at the climb centre were really great, all good fun and friendly. After watching the video we made our way into a giant changing room and got kitted out with our climb suits, shoes and harnesses. The staff checked all of our equipment and tightened us all up. 
We then made our way to the bottom of the o2 to begin the climb. 

We all had photos taken by the official o2 photographer (which are available to purchase at the end). Our guide then attached us onto the safety ropes and off we went. The walkway was a lot steeper than any of us thought so you really need your energy for an experience like this.

It took around 20 minutes to climb to the top and we were all pretty tired when we got there but the views were amazing and we all quickly recovered. 

There are some amazing views of London from the top of the o2 which I didn't expect. The guides are available to take photos and talk to you about the sights. They asked little quizzes asking us where landmarks were which made the trip all the more interesting. 
We saw The Shard, Canary Wharf, Greenwich park and many more of London's iconic buildings. 
There was plenty of time to take photos and lucky for the us the sun came out at the top so we had some clear views. 

We stayed at the top for about 30 minutes before we then started our decent to the bottom. EJ led the way and it was quite a trip, again it's a lot steeper than you think it'll be looking from the bottom. We all very slowly made our way to the bottom where we then de-kitted and made our way to the souvenir shop. 

Overall the whole experience lasted around 90 minutes and from beginning to end was well arranged, fun and definitely something we'll never forget. 

*You can find more information about climbing the o2 here.* 

What next?

It's been really difficult thinking of something to write on this blog. 

The running has pretty much run it's course, I can't seem to get back into it. I didn't end up running the Southend Half Marathon, it seemed like too much of a task and I wasn't at all prepared for it. 
I was talking to a colleague at the weekend about why I've stopped running and he suggested I'd reached my challenge so what else. He is so right, my challenge wasn't just the marathon but raising the money for charity so now that's done, it's odd to think about running being motivating. 

I have joined the local gym which I'm going to 2/3 times a week and I've got back into swimming so I'm keeping myself generally fit still. I start a weekly yoga class tomorrow which a friend recommended to help me chill out a little. I'm really looking forward to that. 

On the health front, things are looking up and becoming clearer. I've been back to the hospital for another scan this week and they are keeping a very close eye on me which reassuring. I'll know more about next steps at my next scan in 2 months but in the meantime, I'm trying to eat healthy and keep well. 

I'm wondering what to talk about on this blog next so I'm planning a bit of a revamp. This is going to more of a general musings rather than running, running and more running!! 

Now I need to find a new challenge...