Our first few days in the UK have been characterised by one word.
Snow.
We have loads of the stuff…plus ice and temperatures well below freezing by night and often by day as well. It is seriously cold here. We were one of the last planes to land unaffected at Heathrow, and the drive home, just a hundred miles, were slow and precarious. We are supposed to be in Yorkshire today, but I didn’t want to risk four hours’ driving in the snow and ice on what now feels like the ‘wrong side of the road’.
This is what has been happening since we landed.
If you’ve ever had a British bacon sandwich, your saliva glands will be working overtime right now.
SnowDude!
SO much snow…
Now I thought I was one of those girls who would run in anything.
Rain? Check.
Snow? Check. One of my favourite ever runs was through deep fresh snow in Harrogate in Yorkshire.
But ice and the risk of ice? Nope.
As such, I’ve not run since we got here…instead I’ve spent the past four days eating too much of my mum’s lovely cooking and soaking up my parents’ company. Which is wonderful and I’m not annoyed about it, but I am a little frustrated about losing the fitness I was starting to regain. I am itching to run, but no let-up is forecast in the weather for a few days, if not a week.
So it was time for alternative measures. Jillian Michaels.
I had heard great things about JM’s 30 day shred, so I gave it a go, accompanied by my little co-worker-outer. I thought it would be tougher than it was, but I do think that basically means I wasn’t trying hard enough!! There I was, using two tins of cat food as weights, wearing my dad’s boxer shorts and my sleep socks. It was kind of hilarious.
Jillian and her girls
Photo by the Dude as distraction from sitting on me.
Photo by the Dude
Stretching out his arms at the end
At the end, I felt better. It was a good work out and it made me feel a little stupid that I hadn’t done it every day since I’d been here – it’s easy to fit 20 minutes into a day!! And tomorrow, I suspect my muscles will be telling me about it! My left quad is already a little shaky!
Cathryn
Love the photo of the dude stretching — he looks so serious!!
Definitely have heard that those are serious workouts. And my mouth salivated at the sandwich, and I’ve never even had one. I think the bread is calling my name after two weeks without it.
Bread IS good, I’d miss it so much, although I know it’s not particularly nutritious!! I had more bacon today…I’m on a bacon roll.
I love the little guy’s hat in the snow picture. So cute! I am the same way. I will run in snow but not ice. The fear of breaking a hip (what am I fifty) or a knee cap or something due to a fall haunts me. I am clumsy so really it is a matter of time. Awesome that you did the Jillian DVD. It is hard to stay motivated when visiting family. I always just want to hang out with them not go off somewhere and work up a sweat.
I think it’s not worth risking it with ice…if we slipped and broke/hurt something, it would set everything back a long way – and it would be a shocker for every-day life!