Blog Post Twelve
15th - 19th June
15th June
Recovery run after first day in new position for the GIG Cymru - I am now part of the NHS Wales IT and Projects Innovation Team. I am really proud to be part of this team with our first project being to set up antibody testing for all staff in the health board and 2000 teachers to be completed by 1st July.
I’m working with lovely people, but the usual first day issues - so I took out my IT frustrations (as in no access, no email, no ID card, no desk, no office and no computer ready for 4 days) by running a remarkably quick recovery run. If it continues this way I will be running under 15min 5k’s!!!
Time Distance Elevation 34m 26s 3.23 mi 112.53 ft
16th June
A lunchtime run in the middle of another day with the lovely people at CTM Healthboard and Public Health Wales. For those worried whether I am safe - I have my own plastic bubble of an office station which no one else is allowed in, we are in an unused field hospital for day to day work if we want to go to the office, in the main I work mainly from home and when I do go in to the Hospitals I have full face shield and surgical mask, so am safe and it’s really good to be back amongst people. It’s chaotic but such a motivating work environment. I have missed working in health and social care more than I realised. I have now moved from what was meant to be bank admin to project leader to project manager and we started serology testing 100 teachers - soon to be 1000 per day in each site. Next project - serology in care homes. Time Distance Elevation 43m 45s 4.05 mi 69.22 ft
June 18, 2020, 03:46 PM
1 mile warm up 1 mile tempo 1 mile cool down Running with sciatica is hard - can’t wait for the osteopath to open!! Combined appointments in London and wrapping up a planned business to run where it’s slightly safer as more cycle paths and less dodgy paving slabs.
Time Distance Elevation 34m 30s 3.16 mi 18.7 ft
19th June
It’s been an interesting week - started a new job, had a socially distanced birthday drinks and fish and chips for Chris birthday with friends, and seemed to have spent the entire week cleaning and tidying as two people trash the house behind me.
This weeks timetable: Get up, clean house from the last nights debris, check fridge, find no milk. Make black coffee, go to work. Work all day, plead with people to maybe put washing on line/get washing in while raining/tidy plates etc away/buy milk. All promised. Feel hopeful. Apparently all done Finish work. Tidy house. Get wet washing out of machine. Find more washing next to machine. Look in fridge, still no milk and food has now evaporated. Go shopping. Go for run Get back, check in fridge, food evaporated again, make food from whatever left. Work more Tidy debris around house. Go to bed. Pick up towels/bath mat from bathroom floor. Clean shower and bath. Repeat.
Have decided it must be that the spiders create a whole truck load of mess, the gremlins are putting dry washing from the line into the machine, and our fridge is evaporating food and milk, because apparently everyone else in the house is also cleaning, tidying and shopping!!
Anyway, good news!! I’m two weeks into training for the London Marathon me I’m still in one piece! I am not enjoying the aching after but I guess it’s part of it. It’s getting a little real now. I have realised that I am entirely extrinsically motivated (yep not what I coach) and mainly by the thought of shiny medals and alcohol. So I know I will get the medal as long as I finish, but will also need a cheerleading squad waving bottles of wine and gin at various points on the course at the race, so anyone who wants to come and help me celebrate/get over the pain you are my cheerleading squad!!
But the best news is that the charity I am running for confirmed today that as long as I raise the full amount my place will go to the April marathon if it does not go ahead in October. This is the news I wanted to hear. So please, please if you can spare £1 or two please can you sponsor me. They are an NHS charity and the work they do is definitely worth supporting.
Easy 3 miles After a very long day wondering why we can’t come up with a better way to print labels then feeding them one at time into the printer but with the lovely people I work with making it so much fun ...the sun came out. Easy cool down run to end the week. Slower than a slug but that’s the idea behind easy pace?! Time Distance Elevation 34m 57s 3.27 mi 15.42 ft