Exactly one month ago today I was running a marathon, if I hadn’t been there I would find this hard to believe because today I struggle to get my head around running anything more than 5k.
I struggled with an injury during training, it started about a month before the marathon date so pretty much at the height of my long runs (no surprise there) which with the help of a sports massage I managed to keep at bay for the first half of the marathon, the second, well I practiced mind over matter and to a certain degree it worked because I got round, it was a struggle, it hurt, it hurt a hell of a lot but at the end I felt immensely proud and full of achievement. Ever since that day my injury has been niggling away, I use the term injury very loosely as it is essentially a tight ITB and Piriformis and reduced my 4 weekly runs to a measly once a week 5k at run club. Due to sheer stubbornness I have refused to miss run club, it is my sanity and my way of convincing myself that I can still run and I will get back to running more regularly. Along with my once weekly run I have been massaging my ITB a LOT and also using the dreaded ROLLER. This is absolute agony, I swear it hurts more than the pain after my 3 C-Sections, it makes me groan, scream and even at times swear profusely but I think my perseverance has come to fruition as yesterday walking to pickup my eldest daughter from school I noticed that my leg wasn’t hurting, not even slightly niggling, YAY, all the pain has been worth it (hopefully), so tonight I am off to run club, Tuesdays are speed sessions and this evening is hill sprints in our local woods, it is an absolute pig of a hill but I will be running without pain DOUBLE YAY!
Before the easter holidays I saw a footstool on Pinterest that I absolutely fell in love with, I researched and found out it was a crochet pattern, now I am the type of person that loves a challenge and will pursue that challenge sometimes obsessively, and I have to say that my crochet journey has been very much like this. I taught myself to crochet in one day (not brilliantly I will admit but I’ve had enough practice now that I think I can say I’m at intermediate level) and literally cannot stop, I’ve started a blanket, I’ve made a shrug, coasters, wash cloths, candle jar covers and even a clutch bag along with the pouffe which was my initial project, maybe I will write a separate post about this. I am crocheting at every opportunity and keep trawling Pinterest and Ravelry to find new ideas and patterns to add to my wish list.
I find crochet extremely healing for my mind and spirit, I’m prone to episodes of anxiety and depression and this seems to help with that, I wish I had found it years ago but for some reason I thought it was an old persons pastime, well if it is then I am happy to embrace being an old person! My husband seems to find it amusing that I now happily sit with my hook and yarn of an evening working away on one project or another whilst we watch our various programs or sit chatting.
My latest project is a Bunny comforter for a friends baby, she posted on Facebook asking if anyone could make one and I jumped at the chance. I ordered the yarn from the Wool Warehouse at the weekend and today it arrived – Happy Yarn Day! This is the first time I’ve ordered from Wool Warehouse and I have to say I am really impressed, I placed my order late Saturday night so the delivery was super quick. I opened my parcel and inside the yarn was nestling inside a beautiful organza bag, lovely! I am using Stylecraft Special DK in 4 colours: Pale Rose, Lavender, Silver and Cream.
I’ve not used Stylecraft Yarn before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect but it is beautifully soft and squishy and the colours are lovely, perfect for a baby comforter. I will keep you updated on my progress and hopefully have a few pictures to post along the way.