Who wants to rub my feet?

Nobody, that's who. Nobody I don't have to pay by the hour that is. I am SORE, tired, HEAVY of leg and just generally wiped out and I would love someone to beat this feeling out of my legs and feet with a really good deep tissue massage. So much so that I've made an appointment but it's more than a week and a half away, only time I could manage between kids, kids and kids! 

I have done 66 miles in the last 7 days. It's more than I should have but due to missing Monday and Tuesday last week (sore foot) I did more on Thursday and Friday than I was scheduled to and then this week I have been following last weeks schedule so I could get in some much begged for miles! By the time Sunday comes it will be 91 miles in 9 days and then some more weeks of higher milage before Ten for Texas in 4 weeks.

It's all good though, I know it's nothing compared to what some of you out there are doing but I am just embarking on my own high milage journey and am very glad to have Coach Doug to keep me reigned in. My biggest fear is getting hurt. 

Running is way more than PR's for me, it gives me my only freedom and 'me time' from being a mother and wife. I get to be Vicky for a while each day and that's become a very important element in my day. So I do as I'm told and demonstrate patience knowing that the really big miles are in my not to distant future! 

As well as lots of easy miles and a couple of threshold days a week I have been trying to get more consistent with my core work for the last few weeks. I have even ventured onto a machine or two at the Y and have to say I am beginning to notice a difference already. I don't think I'll ever feel comfortable enough to wear a short crop top whilst running but I would LOVE to. Its so hot here and the less clothing the better but stomach flab and a tendency to feel a bit self conscious means I'm always covered up! Of course vanity is not my sole reason for wanting to get more serious about core work, I believe it will help my running too. I have been planking for ages now but have always felt more burn in my shoulders and arms than core area. A slight adjustment of my feet (I just moved them back a bit further and got right up on top of my toes) has resulted in me feeling it where I'm supposed to. 

I do 4 different exercise and 2 sets of each, I just want to add one or two more to the routine and I'll be happy. I do these every time I run on the treadmill at the Y so 5 days a week at the moment. I'd like to fit them into my weekend too maybe when I get home from my runs although I'm not sure my kids will allow this to happen. 

It's been all about starting school for us at the moment. Ramsay started Kindergarten, Beth is now going 3 days (8:30-1pm) and I even started Harry for a day! He just turned 2 and is way younger than when I started my other two kids. I'm sure he'll hold it against me for the rest of my life :s He goes on a Wednesday to the same school as Beth and for the same time. I have been in so many minds about whether I was doing the right thing or not and when it came to dropping him off I was a mess. When he realized I was leaving he tried to get out the room and then cried his eyes out for a while (yes I was hiding round the corner peeking and listening and feeling my heart break). I was so close to going and getting him, I did it with Beth, put her in for an hour and then went and broke her out of there! But I made myself give it one day, just to see how I felt. I have been needing a break for quite a while now and felt I owed it to myself. 

So I left (after calling my hubbie from the car in the car park and crying about how I thought I might be damaging our baby boy somehow by abandoning like this!) Then I went to the Y for my threshold 6 miles at 6:30 pace (8 total 1w/u, 1w/d) nothing like a bit of threshold to help take your mind off your troubles. 

Then I went home and I felt......fantastic. Really fantastic. I didn't feel guilty, it felt so freeing to be in my house ALONE! That has NEVER happened before! It was so quiet and I put my feet up and watched movie........Of course I never did that, I cleaned the bathrooms, folded the laundry and put it away, cleaned and tidied some more, ate my lunch ON MY OWN and didn't have to make any for anyone else! Then I went and picked them up and he was happy and came bounding out of the room without a care in the world. I think he's going to be ok ;)

Back to running. I am, as always desperate to race. As I mentioned it's only 4 weeks until Ten for Texas and I'd like a good one, after all the disappointing 5ks over the summer I feel I'm owed. I've never raced 10 miles before but I love that kind of distance, you can really sink your teeth into a 10 and fight with it in a way I can't with a marathon (well not yet anyway). If I get a cool day I know I can pull off something good, if it's hot and steamy I'm *******! 

I also want to go back to Scotland next summer and do the Dundee marathon which is in July. I grew up in the area and my dad ran it when I was about 6. I begged and begged to go with him on his training runs and he always said 'no, it's too far, you wont manage' etc etc etc. Even at age 6 that was like throwing fuel on a fire, it made me so determined to show him and thus began my early running career. It would be pretty special to go home and win it.

 This is what 3 kids going to school in the morning looks like!

I'm not sure conservative could be used when describing how my kids dress....

Made in Oz, born in Texas but still a Scotsman!  

He's kind of used to being told what to do, school will be a breeze.