So this week I got more balance in terms of not thinking it was a good idea to do cardio 4 days in a row, but I didn’t manage to do any yoga. I will get there. And my steps weren’t very even, although I did walk more on the days I didn’t run (and one low-step day had a spin class) and I did reach my 70,000 total by the end of the week. So positive really. Oh, and I got horribly lost in the DARK one day.
Monday – Went to the Monday spin class to try that out. A bit better for timing, in that it starts at 6.30 not 6.45 although it tailed off more gently as the teacher was doing her next class at 7.30. It was a great one, though – Maria again, the older woman, and we got a good full body workout – plus I understood some of the moves a bit better.
3,340 steps however about 1,000 of them showed up during spin and I have checked a spin class equals about 9,000 steps.
Tuesday – I ran to my friend Ali’s house to collect some cheese she’d bought for me (I eat Eatlean low-fat cheddar and usually order for a few of us direct from the manufacturer, however I was out of sync with the others, so I asked Ali to get me one block in her online supermarket order). This should have been a simple four-mile run over there plus something on the way back, however, I got to one decision point and just chose plain WRONG. Twice. In the dark.

So I was running from the bottom of the picture, went left instead of straight on, went back on myself, turned myself right around and went right, till I was set on my way back the way I’d come again, straight ahead and rejoined the correct road. Sigh.
I asked a man in a bus company jacket the way (and might have announced “my cousin’s a bus driver, too” and the kind Portuguese man set me right. Worst of all, I had turned tracking on Google Maps on so Matthew could keep an eye on where I was, and I was worrying he’d be panicking (he wasn’t looking at it, it turns out). I did finally get to Ali’s and she took this pic of me, a bit weird in her sitting room in all my gear (I’m loving my chest light, by the way).
I decided to run back THE WAY I KNEW and get the bus, however the bus was going to be 16 minutes so I ran along the bus route for a bit so as not to get cold. I ended up doing 6.7 miles, which was further than I thought I’d get! I did have to race to keep up with the bus schedule towards the end.
6.7 miles, 12:14 mins per mile. 15,466 steps
Wednesday – I didn’t get to yoga. I was waiting in for a delivery of fancy French soaps (well, not fancy, very low number of ingredients and including Savon de Marseille and Savon d’Alep – great for both my problem skin and all the scrapes and chafes of running). I did walk some amount of miles, probably because I went to a gig locally in the evening and walked up there to meet my friend Sarah for a curry first.

Ollie, Liz and Sarah at The Men They Couldn’t Hang. Fun fact: I met both of them on the first day of university in 1989 and Ollie is a big runner, too, which neither of us would have predicted at the time.
4,413 steps
Thursday – I met Jenny for an early one and although I was a bit sleep-deprived due to the gig, we had a nice run out on our usual route. I took a photo of this road name because I’d been talking about it with Sarah the night before – we had a friend who had a house here when we were students in the second year. This also shows a very typical red and blue brick wall and a lovely fine old Edwardian house.
5.4 miles, 12:55 mins per mile. 12,999 steps
Friday – No yoga as I just had too much work. I walked to Lidl the long way around to buy oats (they sell them packaged in a paper bag) and felt good I’d even got this many steps in plus 8+ hours of work and some housework!
5,756 steps
Saturday – My main long run was today although I’ve split it over two days because I was supposed to be officiating at a cross-country event today but it was cancelled due to flooding. I’d arranged to do 7-8 miles and then meet Jenny tomorrow for some more, so that’s what I stuck with. I met Trudie, Mary Ellen and Ruth at the end of my road and we did the 5.5 mile canal route I’d done with Claire the other week, picking up Caroline on the way. You wouldn’t think that building was on a main arterial road out of England’s second city, would you?
Here are the other Ladies, doing … something
Trudie has thankfully got over her fall from last week (she says thank you for the kind thoughts) and we didn’t have to climb through so much of the fallen tree this time (see photo of it with Claire last week)!
Most of us finished back on my road but I ran with Caroline back to her house then wiggled my way around the side streets to make my run up to 8 miles. We had a trip up the high street and then walked the mile there and back to a friend’s house in the afternoon, all upping my step count nicely!
8 miles, 13:00 mins per mile. 26,822 steps
Sunday – It turned out when we met that Jenny and I both almost messaged the other to cancel, but we met early and ran/walked, with the run to and from our meeting and parting spots I ran longer than I’d been expected for a good for me weekly total. Accountability in action. It was nice to be out without the traffic and the park was pretty, although I somehow couldn’t get myself motivated to fish my phone out of the back pocket of my hi-viz tabard.
5.4 miles, 14:11 mins per mile. 14,078 Steps (as of 18:00)
Weekly total 25.5 miles. Total this year 918.3 (I need 916.66 at the end of this month to be on track for my 1,000 miles in a year total; I am still 16 miles down on last year). Total weekly steps 82,874 though could have been more evenly spread through the week.
The Weekly Run Down is run by two wonderful running women and joined by lots of other inspirational women. Kim’s weekly wrap is here and Deborah’s is here.
Nov 17, 2019 @ 19:51:49
Looks so lovely there with the fall foliage! I’m glad you were found–it’s so scary to be disoriented, especially in the dark!
No yoga for me this week either. Now that my exam is done, I have more time and I plan to remedy the yoga situation this week. As long as I am healed from my fall, that is!
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Nov 18, 2019 @ 07:04:20
How are you doing from the fall? Hope we both get to do some yoga this week! And yes, it was scary, esp how I got completely turned around at one point.
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Nov 17, 2019 @ 19:59:46
YOU got a lot of running done this week! Great job! That is freaky about your little jaunt in the dark…glad you found your way to your destination, and then back home 😉
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Nov 18, 2019 @ 07:04:52
Yes. I was pleased I have got back up pretty well to 24-25 miles a week now as that really suits me.
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Nov 17, 2019 @ 20:00:38
Goodness! You and Ali and the cheese keeps recurring on here! :DDD Seriously, though, glad you got un-lost – very scary to be where you shouldn’t be in the wintry dark! =:o
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Nov 18, 2019 @ 07:06:49
It’s a complex logistical operation getting cheese to and from one another! Although she doesn’t eat it any more now she’s vegan, but is often there when it’s passed to Gill. I was really scared and also annoyed with myself but I can see where I went wrong for next time.
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Nov 17, 2019 @ 20:13:32
I find the running part of your blog very inspiring. I will return to regular exercise soon. I will! (Spent the weekend with my 87 year old mum who does yoga and walking).
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Nov 18, 2019 @ 07:08:11
Ah, thank you, that’s nice to know – I always wonder about my booky readers and my running readers and how much they overlap on the opposite posts. And I hope I show a kind of normal, not special, runner’s life, which is sometimes more relatable than the super-speedy people who do loads of races! Hope you get into something and well done to your mum!
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Nov 17, 2019 @ 20:36:20
Lots of running for you this week! Glad you found your way on your run.
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Nov 18, 2019 @ 07:08:40
I like getting around 25 in a week so I’m glad I’m doing that more regularly again now, even with the nights drawing in.
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Nov 17, 2019 @ 21:38:44
You’re doing such a great job of closing in on your mileage goal for the year! It still looks so lovely and fall-like there. Getting lost in the dark does not sound fun at all. Glad it all worked out okay in the end and good for you for keeping your wits about you!
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Nov 18, 2019 @ 07:10:08
It’s nice to think I have a month’s worth of running and a month and a bit to do it in, though I would like to catch up with Last Year Me (I had a cold at the end of last year so might do it right at the end of December!). It was a bit of a wintry sun on Saturday but is still just about hanging on to autumn, certainly some lovely tree colours still. My maple has shed most of its leave, though.
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Nov 17, 2019 @ 23:20:44
Nice job on the workouts this week! The canal is such a nice backdrop for your runs.
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Nov 18, 2019 @ 07:10:39
Thank you and yes, we’re so lucky to have it. I haven’t been running on the canals for long, though, as always used to be a bit scared I’d somehow fall in!
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Nov 18, 2019 @ 01:02:35
Getting lost is always frightening, but can’t even imagine how frightening it would be in the dark! Glad you’re ok.
Sorry that the tree isn’t completely removed yet!
Still it sounds like a good week.
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Nov 18, 2019 @ 07:11:35
Yes, it wasn’t the best fun and I was also cross with myself as I should know this area well. The tree is OK now as the most important thing is that you can now continue along the path rather than getting into the awful muddy bit to the side. So it might stay like that for a bit and that’s OK.
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Nov 18, 2019 @ 12:00:50
Just some bonus stretching getting under/around it, eh? I guess we’re lucky. They rarely stay on paths that long around here. Unless one comes down in Winter maybe, because then the majority of paths are not cleared (not fun doing multiple loops trying to get miles in!).
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Nov 18, 2019 @ 12:06:58
Yup! We can now just step across it and the higher one is high enough for us all to walk under, so just taller people would have to duck a little. I’m guessing they will do further work but have done the minimum necessary to make it safer for more people in the interim.
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Nov 18, 2019 @ 03:22:32
I’m worn out just reading about all the running and spin class etc. Do you never stop? A bit like the Duracell bunny i think. 😁 loved rhe outfit with the chest light. For a moment i thought it was a wetsuit and scuba gear. I may need new glasses though…..
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Nov 18, 2019 @ 07:13:22
Well lycra can look like neoprene and the hat is a funny one! I am a sensible exerciser, I can assure you – I didn’t do anything but walking on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and I don’t usually run 4 x a week, but 3. I was missing some yoga, though. I work from home so don’t have a commute, so have plenty of time for it, and it keeps me reasonably physically and mentally well so all good (and funnily enough, the more I run, the more I read, as when I’m training for a marathon, I have a lot of early nights!).
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Nov 18, 2019 @ 15:26:48
More than once I’ve checked a map at an intersection and gone the wrong way anyway! Usually on a trail, but still. Glad you got un-lost.
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Nov 18, 2019 @ 16:28:14
Thank you, that makes me feel better! I should have got my phone out and had a look at Google Maps but I was a bit unnerved!
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Nov 18, 2019 @ 21:58:03
Well done on your miles this week! You’re getting closer to your goal.
It’s a terrible feeling to get disoriented like that – especially when it’s dark out! So glad you were able to work it.
I love how everything still looks pretty and “fall-like”. Unfortunately, everything here has turned drab pretty fast as Mother Nature seems to have decided to cut our fall short this year.
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Nov 19, 2019 @ 06:37:16
Thank you! And yes, all thanks to a Portuguese bus driver! It’s starting to get a little bit bare here in places. My acer is certainly looking awful, with about 1/4 of its leaves left!
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Nov 20, 2019 @ 17:02:45
how many times have I gotten lost when I was sure I knew which way to go??? Ugh. Glad you got home safe though. Matthew SHOULD have said he was worried sick 😉 oh well.
looks like a good week though – do you feel – physically – that you missed yoga?
glad Claire’s all right now.
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Nov 20, 2019 @ 17:15:31
Well yes, but at least he wasn’t fretting as he saw a little dot running in circles on the map … And yes, I certainly felt physically that I missed yoga when I went back to it today!!!
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Nov 21, 2019 @ 03:30:23
Minion Liz! That’s a great photo. And so glad you finally got there.
Re: spinning and steps. Do you use your garmin for daily steps? I think there’s a way to input the spinning. I still use my fitbit for general steps as the garmin is too big for full time wear so I’ve been known to snap it to the pedal.
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Nov 25, 2019 @ 20:46:16
I use the Garmin – I have a 35 and it’s not too chunky. It doesn’t measure steps properly in spin but I can work out an alternative count – I’m still trying to get 70,000 of its counted steps in per week now.
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Nov 24, 2019 @ 22:26:12
Liz, love the running update as always! Not sure if this is wishful thinking but I feel like our lives are pretty similar in some ways – the reading, the exercise with friends (though I do it with tennis), the blogging… so grateful to have a kindred spirit in the blogosphere. As another commenter mentioned your dedication is wonderful. Hope you’re doing well both physically and mentally. (:
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Nov 25, 2019 @ 20:45:08
I can see similarities, certainly. Most importantly, we both try to be the change we want to see in the world, and try to do good in the world. I wish I played more tennis but no one I know really plays! I am glad to have you in my blogosphere life, too. Not too bad here, thanks – we’ve had a holiday and I’ve been delighted to find the Spanish I’ve been learning from an app actually works in real life in Spain!
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