Hull 10k for EDS Support Group

Hello Guys, I've not blogged recently because I've had nothing interesting to tell you about but now I do! Today was the Hull 10k and I had yet another brilliant weekend in Hull - I turned up at my dad's work, having not seen him for 5 years and we had the best couple of days. I also saw friends and my hero and sister Emma but the absolute best bit was finishing the Hull 10k and a couple of my friends being there and most importantly Emma there to see and celebrate :o) It was so hard for her to get there and I know she'll be suffering tonight and undoubtedly tomorrow for it but she was there and it made all the agonising, sweaty, heat-stroke ridden sleep-deprived (3 1/2 hours...that'll teach me to hang out with friends before an event) steps around Hull totally worth it. I even got a bit choked up before I started, and every time I was dying to walk I'd think of Emma and the few times I did walk I silently apologised to her in my head - in the end I came 1981 of 5000, which is fairly respectable considering it was a heat wave and I started right at the back :o) I'll know next time to wriggle right to the front. What a day. I still can't get my photos on here until next weekend when I finally mission back South to see the bf, but I'll definitely get them on then (something to look forward to).
In other news, still holding out on the No Sugar Challenge - Day 26 now and it's a bit irritating when you're starving hungry, sugar is just what you crave.
My other day counter is the one counting down to going home from L'town - Day 20 today if you're following :o) No time at all :o)
The photo on this post I took this afternoon of the Humber Bridge: this bridge makes me squeal because it's the first real big sight of Hull, but there's so much more to this structure. When it was built, in 1981 (that's right, same number as what I came in the race), it was the world's longest suspension bridge - and remained so for 17 years. It has anchors weighing almost half a million tonnes and the cable is 30,000 miles long (which, to put that into context for you, could almost wrap around the world twice). The cabling is being replaced currently, by a local company from Barton-on-Humber (you can see the little units on the cable). I've walked halfway over the Humber Bridge (it's a mile and a quarter long) and that thing MOVES, so I can't imagine working on the cables! Those guys are heroes.
Over and Out!

Day 20 and Day 26

(Me and C in the K this weekend)

So I have two counters going at the moment: the No Sugar Challenge counting up (Day 20 of 30 today and the maltesers are in sight) and Day 26 of 30 counting down to finishing the first year of college (a delectable if minscule raise is in sight).
The No Sugar challenge was really difficult at the Aquarium, there were loads of sweets around and it was one of those special occasions where normally you'd be allowed a treat. Then yesterday, mooching around not doing much was another time you fancy a nibble of something just for the taste - but I got through the weekend, eating fruit when I really needed it. My bf sent me a link to an article online about how our sweet tooth is to encourage us to eat fruit for the Vitamin C - it was interesting, I have Vit C tablets and I wonder if this is why I haven't struggled as much as I thought I might.
The countdown to finishing college isn't going badly at all apart from that I am very conscious that I've not really done much work and my team doesn't seem to be doing very well. Each block we have a different team leader and this one I thought would naturally be very good as he commands a lot of respect but he doesn't seem to have taken the role on at all. Perhaps I should pick myself up and get on with study and stop being so lazy!
I think tonight I will make a workout for the boys (all those times seeing me all sweaty and knackered has guilted them) and then go for a run, before my online date with the bf to watch The Mentalist :o) - since we live apart for the next 26 days, we meet for little online dates to watch programmes we watch together, together, cute eh?

what are you waiting for, a certain shade of green?

My first weekend in L'town and I had fun (I am considering the weekend over already as today is a write-off, with only studying and taxi'ing the boys to Asda on the cards). Yesterday me and C had a really fun day: we went to the Aquarium and saw the divers feeding the fish in the shark tank and took lots of photos (none of which I can show you as I don't have a USB cable for the digital camera with me). On the night we went to the K and even though none of C's friends were about to come with us we still had a really fun night :o) C is my friend I met back home about 7 years ago when he was there for uni, we knew each other from rock nights and rather fortunately we kept in touch so when I started coming to his hometown for college he rather cooly took on the task of showing me the city and meeting me for weekends :) I love old friends.
It was a good night, a couple of very attractive boys (children) tried staring at me obviously for ages which made me laugh and pray they didn't come and try to chat me up and force me to tell them I'm 10 years older than them haha. One guy scooped me up around my waist and told me I was the most beautiful girl and then said have a good night and disappeared as quickly as he appeared, leaving me shouting thanks at his back - I love that spirit in rock clubs; the people are the best. We also saw a chicken fillet on the floor and C said somewhere in here there's a very drunk girl with a very wonky chest haha, oh dear.
Now I need to crack on with work and make sure I don't waste today as I've another full week and then off to Hull for a visit and the Hull 10k - exciting weekend ahead!

Flamin' Tea Towels, Spank!

So the other day I was cooking my dinner (which involved warming up an amazing sausage and lentil meal the bf's mum made me and boiling sweet potato to make mash); I had just finished on the hob and was mishing up the sp with a fork and I thought I could smell something burning and I turn around to see a tea towel someone had hung off the extractor fan had fallen onto the hob (which was off, but boiling hot) and was smouldering with serious smoke pluming off it. I grabbed it quickly and my first sensible instinct, to plunge it into the manky dish water, was overriden by my second, irrational instinct which said to get it to the window as the smoke was really noxious. So i flailed past my bewildered housemates and half hung it out the window. For a couple of silent moments we all stared at the towel as the additional oxygen fed the embers and caused flames to lick up. Suddenly J started forward and flipped the whole tea towel out the window: we all became hysterical. It was now a sun for the tiny animals living in the grass, flames licking in the wind and even more awful smelly smoke. We enjoyed the hysteria after a near-miss of a flame-grilled death, until we clocked the security man coming over, when we promptly legged it to our prospective rooms.
That was yesterday, I offered to replace Spank's tea towel but he said it was OK. Today G somehow locked himself out of his room and after 20 minutes of a maintenance man trying to get into Gary's room, jiggling the lock, he admitted defeat and the human tank that is Spank was brought in to kick the door down. G has had to move his stuff into Spank's room over the weekend whilst Spank's at home.
It's all excitement and drama here at AP. I am in good spirits as H, our teacher, rather generously let us all leave at half 1 today (friday) rather than at 5pm so it meant everyone could leave early and I could do a workout - I missed yesterday's because I was up until 2am doing a maths homework test thing. You wouldn't know I was 26 would you? I'm living an 18 year old life (going out tomorrow night in beachwear fancy dress to a rock night, as you do. No pole dancing this time though but I can't promise not to try the surf machine). I can't prove it, but I'm really not having a mid-twenties crisis, this is just where my life has took me, although I have to say, I am enjoying it. I went to see Robin Hood with D, G, Dolph, Spank and T in the week and I wore shorts and a hoodie with my little shoulder pouch bag thing and the boys said I was turning heads everywhere and 2 cars nearly crashed - it was so funny, I never saw anything (maybe they were having me on) but as my 17 year old friend G said, whilst you've got it (thanks, G: I think you mean if you've got it).
In training for the Hull 10k I went for a 9pm run after cinema (before dinner too...don't ever take me as the way to do it) for a quick 4 miler and man it felt so good. I plan to run again this weekend hopefully around 6 or 7 miles then another mid-week short run then it'll be the big event!
Speaking of EDS, I woke up this week and hobbled awkwardly into the shower (no time is wasted in a morning for me - it's upright and showering within a minute). By the time I was walking to college my hip was achey like a bruise: this isn't especially unusual until I realised this is unusual - just not to me. It's not normal to pop a joint out and have half a day (I'm intensely lucky it's not that bad for me) being a bit bruised and uncomfortable. Actually that's not entirely truthful, it's sore today. Anyway, yeh. Smacked in the face with reality a little bit but apparently I am super lucky I have a strong core which makes it not so bad for me (at least I choose to believe I have some control) and to that end, I have just received my door frame pull up bar for my workouts! It's brilliant :o)
Tonight I am going to do some project work and get an early one because tomorrow is my day of C-adventures :o)

scouseland

Sorry it has been a few days since I wrote a blog, I've not had a great deal to write about. Today I just wanted to tell you about the past few days and update you on my sugar challenge.
I am in the north for 5 weeks for a college block my work send me on so it's pretty dull here (unless you want to know what it's like living with teenage boys - trust me on this, you don't) but when I see my scousefriend Chris this weekend I'll hopefully have much more exciting adventures to tell you about. We might be going to The Krazyhouse this weekend for a Beach themed party (why didn't I pack my bikini when going up north in May? Clearly it would be needed...) and maybe the aquarium during the day since I have the car with me too :o)
On the 28th April I started a No Sugar Challenge (inspired by Zuzana on bodyrock.tv) and now I am on Day 15 of 30 and I feel fine. To be honest, I think if I get to 30 days, I am going to try to keep going and see how long I can last. I am really quite surprised by my own willpower, I would've thought it would be much harder.
Oooh! I just saw the new Gorillaz song and the video has Bruce Willis in: is it just me or does he not just get more attractive as he gets older? I am looking forward to Die Hard 5 :o)

my bum has never felt so big

So I am back in the 'pool. The photo today is from my adventures here last block (hopefully this time will be less eventful!) The drive wasn't too bad; the traffic was pretty slow a couple of times and the head cold made it a bit of a slog but a man in a Megane made it fun because we were chasing each other around the traffic.
I just thought I'd tell you a funny thing I did: at my sister's house yesterday I went to the loo and I didn't realise they had one of those seats for the little baby girls and I didn't lift it up so I ended up sat on a baby toilet seat. My bum has never felt so big.

Day 11 and the snot has cometh

Well today was always going to be tiring but I woke up today with a sore throat and by the afternoon I had a full-blown head cold. The big shop in tescos hurt more than my bank balance (although I do enjoy getting food - I horde food like a squirrel, the bf always makes fun of me for it)and then it was a drive across to attend a wild party (my nieces' 4th birthday). I was barely awake driving there and cut a deal with the bf: he'd drive home if he could listen to the twenty20 cricket.
I'll tell you what, I had been finding this no-sugar challenge too easy until today; never go to a birthday party shunning sugar - it's worse than chinese water torture. The heavy head didn't improve matters either, I fully felt sorry for myself and couldn't ease the pain with a cupcake. I always eat junk when I'm ill; it's how I get better and this is the third time in so many days I've needed self-pity-sugar (as I'm coming to think of it) and haven't caved. The real test starts tomorrow when I will arrive in another city for college and have to stay 5 weeks with a little convenient shop filled to the roof with handy little treats about 30 seconds from the privacy of my bedroom - ideal for hidden munchings guilt-free. GAH! It's going to be hell.
I have tried to prepare: I've got rice cakes (polystyrene), fruit, lots of books to read. I am taking a TV, despite my resolution returning home after the last stint swearing blind I won't bother taking one again (3 floors up with a TV is not easy to move on your own).
I think it's time for bed. I am trying very hard not to think about missing the bf: you haven't seen him yet so I've attached this photo of him emerging, bond-like, from the sea in the South of France last summer...who needs sugar?