The home of English Rugby!!

What a day... you know I am not even going to write anything... the pictures say it all!!

Brilliant day.... Mum, Dad, Terry, Jo P, Vikki, Pete, Scott.... fun fun times!

2nd week of November 3 weeks til party time!

So onto this week.... This week at work was due to be quieter thankfully - its been a bit busy of late and whilst I have enjoyed it I have noticed my hours creeping up which isn't quite right!! So this week was a gentle reminder to myself to keep my work life balance!

Monday I went for supper with Kerrin and had a lovely catch up and a really deep and emotional chat - the type you do with really good friends!  He was off to do the 3 peaks this weekend unsupported... amazing adventure and so Kerrin! And they achieved it... awesome!!

Tuesday was spinning as always with the lovely Mark... I LOVE these sessions... such fun and a great great way to start the day although 3pm I was shattered... managed to sort myself out for Pilates and then Sally and Sarah came over for supper which luckily my new crockpot/slow cooker cooked whilst I was at work - I do love the smell of coming home to the smell of dinner!!! 

Wednesday Vikki and I bailed on running club and went off for our own run basically we wanted to chat and not be interuppted!!! Cheeky we know but when a chat is needed its needed!!  We went into the great park which was dark, really dark.... until this car with its full beam disturbed us... and then proceeded to tell us off for being in the park after dark... Ooooops slapped wrists by one of the Queen;s men!! Naughty us!!  After our run, Pete came over for supper - it was great to catch up and chat about life and love and all inbetween!!  Please note that is the 3rd meal I have cooked in a week.... impressed?!?!

Thursday was swim night... it was easier this week although still tough.... knuckles not quite so close to the ground!!

And finally it was the weekend.... ahhh bliss!!  Time to head to Ailsa's for a glass of champagne to celebrate her Birthday which was lovely - a really nice evening!!  I stayed over and so we had breakfast together and then she was having a special day with Franco and I headed to the spa to meet Lucy, Layla and Kay!!  The spa was nice, but the quiet room was the best bit... it was a room with 8 beds and duvets in it - we all crawled into a bed and slept... nice!!!!  Then it was off to the mud room... basically 4 girls smothered themselves in mud and then went into a sauna... too funny!!! As you can imagine the boys liked this story!!

Lucy didn't fancy going home and losing her relaxed state so escaped to mine... couple of bottles of wine later and our we had thoroughly retoxed after our detox!!  I also managed to miss the bike ride this morning... worth it though!!

So this last couple of weeks have been great girl time.... I am very lucky!!! (and there is no but at the end of that statement!!)

Week 1 of November..... 4 weeks til party time!

So having taken the first of my forward steps I met up with Ailsa in London and we went to the Wildlife photography of the year exhibition at the National History Museum... WOW what an impressive building that is and what incredible photographs we saw.... it made me want to run home and start snapping... but instead we went for steak and red wine and a download!!

Saturday it was time for a shop - only slightly curbed by the fact that CycleLife called and said my bike was broken and needed £300 worth of new gear shifters on it.... ouch!!!!!  But love my bike so had to fix it!!

After a great day with Ailsa, Hazel arrived... glass of vino or a few and a lovely Thai dinner and another great download!!!

Oh and how can I forget my chat with Sophie soon to be IronWoman..... If there is one person that inspires me on a physical level its Soph... I love hearing her tails about her training , the highs and the lows and I cannot wait til my Birthday because Sophie will be receiving an ironman medal!!  Thanks Soph for telling me how the grass isn;t always greener!!

I tell you there are people that just know you and these three really do..... it was great to REALLY talk!! I feel like seeing the therapist just opened the floodgates and told me it was ok to say things like - I'm lonely and that whilst I love doing all this crazy fitness i would swap it in a heartbeat!! 

So another week over and onto the next.... and now its November.... that just feels a bit silly in itself quite frankly!!

Having had a couple of weeks of not much exercise this week I went balls out....
Tuesday morning spinning, Tuesday evening pilates and swimming, Wednesday night run, Thursday night pilates and big boys swimming, Friday night spinning!

So lets just pause and talk about the big boys swimming.... Normally I am in the second from top lane.... for this class I am in the second from bottom... the guy in my lane is a 'crap swimmer' apparently... but he still nearly qualified for Kona... ie the hardest ironman event in the world.... two of the guys in the next lane up came in the top 5 in the worlds!!  Ummmm yep these guys are really big boys!!!  So the warm up was 16lengths... then we had to do 400m in 9mins and this was meant to include a rest time so you were ready on the 9mins to go again and then again and then do an 800m relay.... oh and then the cool down....

OMG I did it... well all bar the last 100 in the last 400 and the cool down.... but i tell you my knuckles were dragging along the floor afterwards!!  I did love it though!!!  And yep I will be going next year!!

The weekend was lovely lovely.... Friday night we went out after spinning - can I just tell you just in case you didn't know that rehydrating on red wine after spinning is a very clever way to get drunk FAST!!! Ouch sore head on Saturday!!  But didn't really have time for that because I had tons of chores to do and all before the England vs All Blacks game at 2.30!! 

Ahhh i love rugby... girls.... did you see the legs on those All Blacks btw - the tattoos some of them had phwoooooarrrrrr!!!!

Sunday was an AWESOME day!! It started off with a bike ride!  Oh my goodness it all just came together... not sure if it was the knowledge that I had just spent a lot of money on my bike and so I better well enjoy it, or the fact that I had had so much fun in Barcelona, or that I've been doing a lot of spinning and loving that or a combo of the 3 but whatever it was a gorgeous gorgeous crisp aka cold November morning and teh sun was shining and I just got why biking is such a great sport especially when doing it with friends and just having a giggle!!!

After lunch it was home to change and then out for a Birthday lunch for Jennie who lives next door... we met at 12.30 and 2.5hours later I think there was our first moment of silence - oh yeah that was because we parted company.  My goodness can we chat!!!  Absolutely BRILLIANT lunch... both of us had our horrible years in 2005 and have been on our journey ever since and have funnily enough taken similar steps forward in the last few months...  interesting!!! 

Quote from Jennie... "Rejection is God's way of protecting us"

I like that!! ALOT!!

After lunch with Jennie, Mum came to visit... we walked, we talked, we shared a beer with Mark, we cooked roast chicken and we talked a bit more... oh and we put up a picture...

Getting ready for my Birthday party... 1920's theme!!

So all in all a lovely weekend with a lot of loveliness going on!!

Taking a step forward for me!!

So there was the melt down pre Boston and then there was a long plane ride and then there was some action....

When I was in Boston I saw a therapist... and it really helped me! I know its not very British but I totally believe that just as you go to the physio to fix your leg you can go to a therapist to fix your head and heart!   In Boston my therapist really helped and she did say that I might want to see someone back in the UK because moving from the USA to the UK is a big move and I may feel the need to have someone to talk to about it all.

You know what - she was right... Like I said in my last posting - my life is great, I love seeing my old friends and my family, and I also love spending time with the new people in my life!  Life is good!  But there is a but....

I would love to meet someone, I would love to be in love and be loved and I would really love to be a Mum!  But there is something stopping me and I think its me!  So having got a recommendation from someone I called them and made an appointment for the Friday when I got back from Boston.

With some trepidation off I went.... and I think I walked out 100lbs lighter.  I hadn't realised how much I needed to talk, how much I had to say and how much I just needed the time for me.

This is absolutely no reflection on my amazing friends and family whom I can and do talk to... and who listen and question and hug and love me and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart becuase I would be in a much worse place were it not for you.... but sometimes having someone else to talk to is really very useful.  This lady is qualified to look for the things I am saying / not saying / to probe on things that I skim over, laugh at in a funny laugh that isn;t really a laugh...

So my journey has begun....  I have taken a positive step forward and I feel SO much better for it!  I am taking more time for me, finding time to be quiet and let my brain go where it wants to go... and not immediately stepping in and changing the course of where its going by doing something else!!

We will see where the journey takes me.... I know already its going to be interesting!!

The rest of October!

So having had a great time in Barcelona it was back to the real world... I had my team over from the US for the week and ended up having a busy week with work but I did squeeze in a visit to a very special 9 year old!!

Emily's Birthday coincided with a celebration to renew the Brownie promise at 20.10 on the 20th day of the 10th month of 2010.... Brownies is 100 years old.  It was adorable to go and watch Em on this special day.  Lucy and I even remembered the words to the promise too! Impressive given that we were in the brownies... a long time ago!!

Emily with Grandad - they share the same Birthday!


Friday night was fun... one of the lovely Evo girls Jo and I are thinking along the same lines... 2011 is going to be the year of a 70.3!!  So we spent the evening discussing where we are going to do this....
After a lot of discussion and back and forth Provence has it!  25th September 2011 will be a 1.4mile swim.... a 56mile bike ride.... and then a 13mile run!!  What am I thinking??

I'm excited - what a fantastic place to go to do this... and doing it with Jo will be great and a lot of laughter because she is just a bundle of laughter!!!

So after that discussion it was time to pour another glass of wine and talk about life and love again with lots of laughter!

I have to say there are a lot of people that I have met in Windsor, from Jennie next door to Kit, Jo, Vikki even getting to know Sally B again after a long time and I am very lucky to have so many new girlfriends in my life all of whom are really gorgeous, fun, life loving women!  And then there are the boys.... Mark, Pete, James, Kerrin - they are all great great guys who I love spending time with and when I do I laugh so much and get the added bonus of hugs too.

So Saturday....  Sally G and I went to the spa!  What a treat!!!  Sally left Matt at home with Charlotte and we went off to the spa for a few hours and then had lunch and a big catch up!!  Ok I know I am gushing but....How lovely to be able to meet friends so easily these day! Talking of doing that in the evening I went over to Pete and Emma's.... nearly via the river... damn sat nav does it not know when a forge turns into a river..... quivk about turn had to be made!!  Anyway... different kind of catch up given that we spent the night talking about skiing and bikes... but lovely lovely nonetheless!!

I was planning to stay at P&E's but Terry had asked if him, Kate, Dan and Hannah could come and stay after a night in London.. so I got home and spent a couple of hours chatting to them! So cool to catch up with them!  Just as Hannah and Dan were leaving Mum and Dad arrived.....

Yep my weekend was busy!!  Really nice to spend the day with my family though and we had a great walk out to Dorney lake so i could show them where the Olympic rowing will be held in 2012 - gorgeous walk.

Ok.... so they are they highs but I did say I would speak of the lows... and I hit a big one on that Sunday night - I just wound myself up into a right state... I have this dream of being able to sit on my sofa and just say Wow my life is blessed look at all the people I have in my life and all the wonderful things I am able to do... and I want to say that without there being a BUT at the end of the sentance....

And because I can't do that I don't like sitting on my sofa... I don't like spending time with Jo thinking.... in fact I will avoid it at all costs and I know its not good for me!  Things came to a head, there were lots of tears... and in the end a phonecall to Mum who said - I knew something wasn't right... I then breathed a sigh of relief and started talking!  Another relief!!

So its time to spend a bit more time with Jo and with Mum too!

She says as she flew out to Boston.... Landed Monday night flew home Thursday night... the work thing I didn't really get but I got a lot done!  I saw Denice and Padma and had a lovely (but too short!) catch up with both of them.... always good for my health!!  And yet again I wondered at how I managed to live there for so long living the life I did!!

So all in all October was another great month!!  And now we are into November....  Where is this year going??

Barcelona

Barcelona.....  What a fun weekend!!

The week before Barcelona I was sick... there was a lot of sofa time and over analysis and then there was the fun of getting the bike into the box!  Everyone had warned me that this was going to be easier said than done... and it was! Thank goodness for friends with know how and strength - because even if I'd had the know how there's no way I could've got my pedals off - Kerrin had to hammer them off!!

Scott had similar issues... so much so that he was at my house at 4am Friday morning looking for a hammer! Only in Evo!!  So 4am start, 5am pickup by Dan and Vikki and 7am flight.... 10am in Barcelona in the warm sunshine!!! We checked into the hotel, had lunch and then it was time to get the bikes out of the boxes!

It was too funny! Mine went together quite easily - although did forget to tighten the wheels up - noticed that a couple of hours later - when on the bike... ooops!  Vikki's bike thought.... nightmare!!  To get it into the box Dan had taken deralier off.... not a great move when he wasn't there to put it back together.... and we were!!  There was a lot of grease.... everywhere.... but in the end we called Kit... and then we called Simon!

Eventually we were on the bikes having a leisurely ride around the hills of Barcelona dashing through rush hour traffic!!  Quite amusing!! Random Chinese tourists clearly thought we were rather amusing so insisted on having hundreds of photos taken with us!! Hysterical!

Post bike ride  all home safely and bikes functioning a bit better!! Yep wheels fully secured!!  Time for dinner and a drink or 3!  The thing I love about Team Evo is that they really do love socialising as much as they love to train and race!  We had a brilliant night in a fantastic restaurant with lovely food and inspiring chats and a lot of laughs!!  But by midnight the 4am start had caught up with us and it was home to bed!

Saturday morning was a late start... really late and then really lazy! Breakfast and then eventually a practice sea swim and then a bit of a shop before a nap and then a pasta dinner in town near Las Ramblas!  And yet again an early night - wake up call was set for 6am... race day was looming!!

Vikki and I were sharing a room - which was a giggle but bless her Vikki was really stressed. She was doing the sprint race and I the olympic so we had different start times and I felt bad leaving Vikki but knew she was going to rock the race and do really well.  If anything I think Vikki's nerves helped me to stay calm!  I went to the race start with Kevin, Mark and Helen and I felt calm and excited and just totally up for a fun day!

Luckily race day was dry, warm and a calm sea (last year was full on surfable waves on race day!!) so we racked our bikes, laid out our kit for an easy transition, pulled on our wetsuits did a final wee stop... (interesting lack of girls in the race - you can always tell by the toilet queues hey!) and headed to the beach!  Race time!!

I LOVED the race!  I laughed and smiled the whole way round... well maybe there were a few grimases but overall I really enjoyed it!  The swim was the usual ruk at the start and around the turn around buoys but I just kept calm and carried on.  Having no idea of what to expect from this distance I was determined to enjoy it and see how it felt and not stress too much!

I came out of transition, changed into bike gear and ran through to the bike start (that was a long way!) and then the fun started!!  I am not the Bike's biggest fan if I am honest... but I LOVED this bike ride!!  Everyone said that the drafting would be fun... i didn't realise how much fun!!  I tagged along with a few cute bottoms and suddenly realised that I was going 5mph faster tucked in there than i was on my own!  Brilliant!!  1043 had a cute bottom but eventually he was too fast for me sadly but then there was another guy who came along and we played tag for a while before I told him he needed to go faster and stop making me go in the front... so we had a chat for a while! He was cute!

Coming off the bike I met Kev and we had a great laugh both in hyper mood saying how much fun it was!  Then it was into the run!  Kev told me to go ahead and at every passing point all I heard was Go Shoesy!!! Shoesy is my Evo nickname... long story started by Mark when I couldn't get my trainers on at the pool one day!

So I crossed the line and felt BRILL!! We thought my time was pretty good - I didn't realise how good!  2hours 26mins!  I was first lady home for Evo beating some brilliant girls who I have huge respect for!  I later found out that I was 13th lady home out of the whole event!  Happy days!!

Here are the photos!

Once everyone else came in we had a team photo and then it was time to go and cheer on Vikki and Steph!  They both did brilliantly and Vikki romped home in a fantastic time of 1.20 and came 12th lady home!  Its fair to say there was a lot of screaming and jumping about at that news!!

Post race it was time to do what Team Evo does second best... celebrate!!  Back to Friday night's restaurant where they had sofa's to chill on so we did for hours.... all the while drinking and eating!! Perfect!!

Here are kit and Jo in relaxed state after brilliant races!!

Monday morning.... time to pack up bikes (its easier the second time!) and then we went on a bus tour.... and had lunch!!  The pictures say it all!!

Team Evo! (well some of us... others had left already sadly!)

Pretty fountain - much prettier from the bus than when running past it... that was a grimace moment!

Vikki and Kev!

Kit!

Kev, Mark, Scott

Helen, Kit, Jo - Monday lunchtime sunshine!! Love holidays!

Well deserved beers!!