Author: Pippa @ Pip in Motion

Well hello there folks! How is everyone? It’s that time of the week again – so settle in with a nice cuppa tea and let’s catch up, shall we?

What’s been going on

I’m moving house next week! And then immediately going on holiday! So there’s some good and some slightly stressful. To be honest I’m not quite there yet when it comes to looking forward to my holiday, but once the  move is done, I’ll be able to get excited.

Exercise

Errr. It’s been going okay, I guess? I mean I pulled a muscle and all, and I’ve been crazy busy – but it’s been okay,  I think. Here’s what I managed to get done last week:

• Monday: Weights, pull-ups, calisthenics type things and then half an hour of cardio
• Tuesday: Half an hour of cardio, some calisthenics moves & abs
• Wednesday: Half an hour of cardio, some calisthenics moves & abs
• Thursday: Rest day  – I pulled my lat from doing too many pull-ups. Oops.
• Friday: 30 minutes running – yay!
• Saturday: Rest day!
• Sunday: Rest day – rather reluctantly this time, as I seem to be coming down with something.

 

Running

I managed a whole thirty minutes running this week (!) – not ideal. I would love to be able to run more, but with one thing and another it’s just not happening. I pulled my shoulder/rib/waist, plus now I think i’m on the brink of coming down with something. And with a house move and a holiday on the horizon, I’m not risking getting sick! In other news, it’s looking like I won’t be running Vilnius Half Marathon in September. Some days I can barely walk when I get up in the morning, and so training for a big goal race is just not feasible right now. It’s a huge shame, but also I was kind of prepared for it right from the start. You live and learn.

Everything Else

As mentioned in my last post, things have been tricky recently with a big Family Situation. I’m going to be sharing more on my coping strategies and self-care soon, but let’s just say I’m making a much bigger effort to take care of myself as opposed to just trying to be strong for everyone else. The motto of the story: I’m not okay. But that’s okay.

 

So that’s all from me!

 

What’s been going on with you?

 

Lots of love,

 

Pippa

Well guys, it;s been a hot minute since I posted. After the big reveal of all the drama that’s been going on in my life, I kind of fell into an unmotivated slump. I’m not going to lie, the past year has been really tough on me, and honestly sometimes I just don’t have the sheer force of will to actually write a blog post. But despite all that whinging, here I am. Let’s jump into things!

 

What’s been going on

It’s been a busy few weeks in the office what with various colleagues being away – it’s holiday season after all! I’ve just about been coping with it all, as well s trying to enjoy the best of what London has to offer in the summer time. I’m also moving house at the end of August! It’s a good move for me, but packing up and hauling ass halfway across London is never going to be a fun time. I went home to visit my Mum and Grandma last weekend, and spent some quality time with my dog Shadow, also known as the light of my freakin’ life right now. 

Exercise

About two weeks ago I had a particularly stressful time of things – it was busy at work, plus t I was in the depths of a horrific family argument which was really getting me down. And so, I ran. I ran every day for about a week, which seemed completely miraculous at the time, and far too good to be true. And of course, it was too good to be true. I ended up with a very swollen ankle around the sight of the original rupture, as well as a really sore foot – an aggravation of the severe bone bruising I sustained when I injured myself. Nonetheless, it was good while it lasted.

As a result of all that ankle drama, last week I stuck to cross training at the gym – a combination of the elliptical and spinning. It wasn’t as fun as the treadmill, but frankly I’m just glad I got it done. Feet still very sore and muscles still very tight,  so I think it’s time for a yoga class.

 

Running

As you may be able to tell, me and running had a bit of a thing a few weeks ago. It was predominantly a stress thing, but it felt so good to just hit the treadmill for half an hour every day, no matter what. Needless to say, I’m paying the price for it now with a very swollen ankle and very sore feet. But you live and learn.

Everything else

My mood has been really quite low recently, on account of the family divorce. It’s just complicated, and there are so many dynamics and emotions and arguments. I’m trying to focus on the positive, but I think I also need to allow myself the time to feel sad, as opposed to being strong for everyone else. So I’m taking a day off work for myself.

How is everyone? How is your running going?

 

Lots of love,

Pippa

Well hello there, folks. Fancy meeting you here. If you’re reading this, then you’ve probably become accustomed to my weekly Comeback Chronicles, which detail my return to running, sport and fitness after falling and breaking my ankle in December last year.

 

However this week’s post is going to be slightly different, for two reasons. Firstly, I’ve been sick all week. Like, sick as a dog. Some Summer flu that’s been doing the rounds. Cue a week spent (mostly) in bed watching (mostly) House of Cards on Netflix. Secondly and as a consequence of this, I’ve taken a whole week off sport, running, fitness… you name it. That’s left me with plenty of time to think. And in case you were wondering, I hate spending time alone with my thoughts.

 

I’ve come to realise, perhaps more so than normally, that running really is a form of therapy for me. It sounds silly, but that rush of endorphins and movement of limbs really acts as a way for me to process whatever it is that’s going on for me at any given time. And currently, that’s quite a lot. I haven’t spoken about it before on here, but I’ve been having a really tough year. One morning in January, my Dad sat my Mum down and told her in no uncertain terms that he was leaving her. And then, just like that, he left. The divorce papers were signed by April, and finalised in June. And just like that, my family broke apart.

 

I’m not meaning to sound overdramatic here. But it’s just that your family unit is something you take for granted, and no matter how bad things get in your own life, your family is usually there in the background, ticking along as usual. Having that unit taken away from you is like having the ground fall away from under your feet. What was once a certainty is now a tangled mess, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

 

I bring this up because this is a time in my life where I really need to be able to run. When a situation is making you unhappy, there’s usually something to be done about it. But in this case, it’s simply a case of processing and accepting a whole host of changes, and letting it sink in. It’s like a loss, and in that sense I really need to be able to process. I don’t have a goal at the moment, and I could really use something to throw myself into. If it weren’t for my injury, I would almost certainly be training for a marathon right now. But alas, it wasn’t meant to be.

 

I feel like I need to recalibrate. I need a new goal – something to throw myself into entirely. A marathon is out of the question, but I need something to aim towards in the midst of all the chaos.

Well hello there! Coming to you live from a very hot and sweaty London! I’ve been pretty crap at blogging, but keeping on top of my weekly checkins definitely helps me to focus on my goals and appreciate how far I’ve come. Whilst I may sound a tad dejected, in all honesty things are still pretty good here, and I’m trying to learn to be grateful for everything I have and the incremental improvements I’ve made. So here goes!

What’s been going on

Thankfully after a crazy week the week before, things have been much quieter and more manageable at work this week. In other news, we’ve had the #greatbritishheatwave round 2 which has left us all feeling slightly hot and sticky. Apparently the UK just can’t do Summer well! In other news, it was my Mum’s birthday this weekend so we had a huge weekend of indulgence and activity – which I’m definitely recovering from!

Fitness

It’s been a good week of workouts, although sadly I haven’t made it to the gym in the mornings – just after work. But nonetheless, a workout is a workout. I’m getting to the stage where all the trainers at my gym know me, which makes me a little self conscious! But anyways, here are the workouts I managed to do this week:

• Monday: Rest day
• Tuesday: A 30 minute run, some abs & pull up practice
• Wednesday: 30 minutes cardio, abs & inversions
• Thursday: 30 mintes cardio, abs & pull up practice
• Friday: Rest day!
• Saturday: A 30 minute run and some pull up practice
• Sunday: Rest day! Just a nice walk around the park.

In the absence of real running and a concrete goal to work towards (the half marathon in September may not happen), I’m focusing on strength gains, and one of my goals for 2017 was to be able to do a pull-up. I’d say I’m about half way there, and have doubled down on my dedication after a month or so of slacking earlier on in the year. One day!

Running

I managed to get in two runs this weekend, but neither were particularly eventful. I’m still sticking to the treadmill out of caution, and honestly even a 30 minute run has my ankle sore and swollen for at least a day. When I first broke my ankle I was told that I’d be back to my normal running schedule by June at the latest, but honestly I feel like I’ve barely made any progress. With a half marathon coming up in September, I’m feeling really dejected about the whole thing. Running was supposed to be my sport, but at the moment it’s just not there for me.

Everything else

The emotional side of things has been fairly good, although Mum’s birthday brought up a lot of emotions about the Family Drama that’s been going on. We’re all just trying to do our best, but honestly it’s pretty knackering trying to carry on as normal when things are really difficult for us all. That being said, I think I’m probably just tired, hot and cranky as I write this – and I’m sure I’ll have a better outlook tomorrow! Might be time for a pamper night…

 

How’s everyone doing? 

How do you cope with an injury setting you back?

 

Lots of love,

 

Pippa

Oh hey folks, fancy seeing you here! I know i’ve been a little absent on the whole blogging scene recently, but thought I’d catch you up on my progress on The Comeback Chronicles! Honestly, the ankle is so minimally painful at the moment that it doesn’t feel like it merits its own series… but nonetheless, here we go!

 

What’s been going on

It’s been very busy at work recently, with multiple projects coming to a head, and quite a few late nights at the office! That’s meant I’ve had to be much easier on myself when it comes to fitness – it just seems cruel to force yourself out of bed at six in the morning when you know the day ahead is going to be crazy enough as it is! I was pretty exhausted at the end of the week and so this past weekend was just spent in bed watching TV.

Fitness

Like I said, last week was a bit crazy all things considered, so it was a case of keeping the fitness ticking over wherever possible. This is how my week of workouts shaped up:

• Monday: Rest day
• Tuesday: Rest day (I just didn’t have time to go workout…)
• Wednesday: 30 minutes cardio, pull ups & abs
• Thursday: Late night run on the treadmill, to unwind after a late one!
• Friday: 30 minutes cardio, pull ups, inversions & abs
• Saturday: A big one: Cardio, kettlebell & sandbag circuits, pull ups, inversions & abs!
• Sunday: Another big one: a run, weights, abs, pull ups & inversions!

I have to admit I was less than enthusiastic about my weekend workouts, but once I got there and cranked up the music, I managed to muster up the energy and get shit done. I have to say I actually enjoyed the weekend workouts, as I had plenty of time to play around and experiment with different exercises and styles of training.

Running

Two runs this week, which is definitely better than nothing! The first was on Thursday night after a long day at work, which was great for decompressing and relieving stress. Then on Sunday, I had a 30 minute treadmill run just to get my body used to it. I feel like I’m going through the motions at the moment, but I’m hoping that I start to see some improvement in both the physical and mental sides of running. I’m going to sign up to some events soon. I guess sometimes you just have to stick with it through the rough patches… right?

Everything else

Like I said, it’s just been a case of self-care this past week. I’ve been watching some great series such as House of Cards and The Handmaid’s Tale, as well as reading some really interesting and thought-provoking books. I’ve also made it a priority to spend time unwinding with friends – as someone who’s naturally quite introverted, I have to remind myself that connecting with friends is definitely something worth investing time in.

 

 

Aaaaand that’s a wrap!

How was your week last week? 

Are you training for anything at the moment?

 

Lots of love,

 

Pippa