Tough 10K - Week 1

My first week of training has been a short and sweet one. I've gone out twice during this week and have done 1 mile each time. I'm an early bird so I've been running first thing in the morning before work but I might switch that up in the upcoming weeks and see how I feel going for a run after work. On top of that the weather has been rather cold and rainy but I guess I should get used to that since that's usually the forecast for November!

As you can see both of my miles were run in around 14 minutes which isn't too bad. Hopefully in the next couple of months I can knock that down a bit and also look at increasing the distance of my runs.  If I'm honest I never thought running was for me and I'm still not 100% sold on it yet but that might change in the next couple of weeks so let's do it!

Tough 10 Talk - Introduction

Fitness and health are something that tends to play on my mind a lot. Whether it's because of a news article, a magazine cover or a conversation at work it seems inevitable. The latter of these options is prominent in my life considering that I am undertaking a PhD in regenerative medicine and share office and lab space with students and researchers from different disciplines. 

So one way I though I could help both my fitness as well as give back to research was to challenge myself to complete a race. I chose Cancer Research UK as my neighbour recently passed away from pancreatic cancer, a rather difficult cancer to treat. I'm taking on the tough 10K which is a new set of runs that are over more difficult terrain. Mine is taking place at Margam Park along the mountain bike paths, and considering that it is in November it's likely to be pouring down with rain. 

Over the next couple of months I'm planning to keep you all updated on my running progress and being a complete novice I'm sure the journey will be a painful one but well worth it in the end. If anyone wishes to donate they can do so at my justgiving page.

Check in next week to see how my first week of training has gone!

January Wrap Up

Hello there! January always feels like the longest month of the year to me. The weather has been atrocious in Swansea with rain being a constant talking point.

New year, new start. I've made a commitment to the gym. This month I finally took the plunge and spoke to a personal trainer in order to help me lose weight and gain some definition. I haven't started yet but it took a lot for me to go and speak to someone about it. I'm actually looking forward to absorbing some knowledge from someone who is more knowledgable than myself.

Adulting? I often think about my future and where it is heading. For the longest time I have been thinking about studying medicine and becoming a doctor. A few of my friends know this and have encouraged me but this month I spoke to my PhD supervisor about it and he's giving me his backing and has been so helpful. It's terrifying thinking that I want to stay in education for another couple of years after finishing my PhD but I never want to live a life of what ifs...

Finished Reading:

• Animal Farm - George Orwell

Currently Reading:

• Binge - Tyler Oakley

It's been a short list this month but I plan on upping my game. I didn't realise just how much I had missed reading until I started again. It's been helping me keep my anxiety in check and it's nice to be away from a screen after being attached to it for work. 

According to Goodreads I've read 1 out of 20 books for my challenge so far and I'm on track. 

Hope you all had a more exciting January than I did!

2016 goals and plans

The start of a new year beckons people towards making goals that they hope to achieve in the next 300 and odd days. I am no exception to this and so I thought I would go ahead and share some of the goals and plans I have for 2016 with you all.

1. To really give my all to my PhD. Things have been rocky over the last year as far as my research is concerned but this year I am ready to knuckle down and knock it out of the park. I want to show everyone what I am capable of!
2. Lose the weight I've gained over the past year. I let my unhappiness at work seep into many parts my life and one of the results was gaining just over a stone in weight. I've been tired and feeling horrible and so this year is going to see me drop that again. I want to become fitter and healthier again.
3. Do more of the things I love. 2015 saw me become a slave to work and not make time for anything I enjoyed. This year I want to reconnect with things that make me happy. I want to read more again, learn to surf, take up gymnastics - anything that makes me happy.
4. To be more open about how I feel. It saddens me to see that there is still a stigma around mental illness and I want to try and shake off the taboo, if not in a wider sense then at least in my own life. I want to be more open about my highs and lows with the people I feel are closest to me in my life and maybe that will help with the rough patches I encounter.
5. To be more grateful. In general I think I can get really caught up with the things I don't have. I really want to be able to appreciate the things that I have in my life and be grateful for small things.

So those are a dew of the things I'm aiming to do this year. What about you? Do you have any goals or plans for 2016?

On The Map: New York 14/15 (Part 3)

Another early start, and fuelling ourselves on grilled cheese sandwiches, we made our way to Grand Central Terminal. Now, I had heard a lot about this station and just how gorgeous it was but it didn't really hit me until we got into it. 

After that we took the subway to the north entrance of Central Park and swung by the cathedral of St. John the Divine. We trekked more than half way through the park before deciding to branch off and visit the American Museum of Natural History.

The museum had a mass amount of exhibits ranging from biodiversity to American history. We weaved along with other people taking in the massive whale and all the dinosaur bones, soaking up all the information. It's surprising just how many hours you can while away there!

We stopped at Tiffany's wanting to revel in a shop that is known around the world for the iconic blue colour and high class jewellery. They still had their tree up, decorated in lights and little blue boxes and every member of staff was very helpful and friendly. Sai and I both decided to buy something small knowing we probably weren't going to get another chance to visit. 

We waited until later that night before going up to the Top of the Rock. Surprisingly it was nowhere near as cold as the statue and ESB but the view, in my opinion, was ten times better. New York is often called the city that doesn't sleep and yet we had yet to really see that. Up on the observation deck the was no doubting why it had the nickname. The entire city stays lit up and the movement doesn't stop. If I had it my way, I don't think I would have left the deck. 

The next day we found ourselves back at Central Park and decided to take a short carriage ride around the bottom half. The guy who drove the carriage was lovely and pointed out different places including the ice rink and Lady Gaga's apartment. As we went around it began to snow which was unbelievable. He told us we were lucky and we knew that we were!

Later on that that night we went to watch Les Miserables at the Imperial theatre. It was an absolutely fantastic show with Ramin Karimloo giving an amazing performance!

With our last day in New York we couldn't call ourselves book bloggers without heading out to The Strand, boasting 18 miles of books, we always knew we would visit. I was so excited when I saw the red banner. I have never seen so many books tucked away in a shop. We spent a couple of hours browsing the aisles and heading upstairs to look at the rare books before making a couple of purchases and then heading over to IHOP for lunch. 

The week in New York was probably one of the most amazing weeks I've had in my life. Even though we didn't cross everything off the list we definitely packed a lot in for the week. Plus it give an excuse to go back and visit again!

On The Map: New York 14/15 (Part 2)

We made the decision to miss Times Square for the ball drop not wanting to get crushed by the hoards of people and ignoring the ever growing call for the bathroom. Instead we decided to head up to the Empire State Building. Another round of security and we snaked through a short history of the building before getting into a lift and rocketing up several floors.

Heading out onto the deck I was hit by just how cold it was and I kept my hands firmly in my pocket for the most part as we jostled around taking in the view of the city. I knew the New York was packed with buildings but I don't think I really appreciated just how much until I was up there. I used the binoculars to look out over the city and was shocked to see just how far off the Statue of Liberty was having just visited the day before!

We dived through the gift shop and picked up a few things for family and friends before hitting the streets of New York again. 

Being massive Avengers fans we decided to visit Discovery Times Square that had a current Avengers exhibition. You are inducted into S.H.I.E.L.D and go through various stations that revolve around a specific member of the Avengers. We tested our strength against Captain America, checked our DNA against the Hulk and got to control Iron Man's arm. 

We curled back up at the hotel and brought in the new year with a lot of food and cake and being able to hear the roar from Times Square from outside the window. 

The next day we got out early to visit Madame Tussaurds and I am still baffled by why we were so enthralled by wax figures!

We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering the floors of Macy's and trying on various items of clothing before picking up a few bits. 

A day on our feet pretending to know celebrities and shopping led to two very tired sisters and we decided to call an end to the day early and rest up for the last few days we had for the trip.

On The Map: New York 14/15 (Part 1)

After many years of dreaming and over a year of saving I bundled myself into a car with my sister to get to Heathrow airport. Just three days after Christmas and rather than laying in bed coming down from the Christmas high I was settling myself onto an early flight that would last just under 8 hours and bring me to New York City.

Having given fingerprints and photographs over to the US government, we collected our luggage hopped into a taxi and let the feeling sink in. Having never travelled without my parents it was a surreal experience to be so far away without them. But as the familiar sight of the New York skyline rose into view any anxious feeling soon disappeared. After about 20 minutes we arrived at the hotel and settled in and being late in the afternoon we decided a little walk around the place would be good to get our bearings.

The hotel reception provided some maps and figuring out the grid/block system that rules New York was not as difficult as I had originally imagined. The tourist in me took hold and we headed straight into Times Square to see the lights and the people that were around.

With a week to spend there we decided to try and pack in as much as possible.

Bryant Park was close by and with the shine of Christmas lights we were easily drawn in. I have probably never come across such a picturesque scene in my life. Although the park is relatively smaller compared to others in the city it was filled to the brim with people milling around. Wooden stalls had been erected and housed everything from decorations to macarons and even puppets! A massive white marquee played host to people who wanted to stop for more sophisticated dining compared to the food stalls that were littered around the fountain.

We joined the many people huddled under the huge Christmas tree to get pictures with the red and blue glow before pushing our way through the crowds to see what was on offer. As we made our way around we came across an ice rink, surprisingly empty, and learnt that during the summer the entire park looks nothing like the winter wonderland that we had stumbled into.

A trip to New York would not have been complete for me without seeing the Statue of Liberty. We were lucky enough to book crown access and so when we got on the subway and realised that we may be late to pick up our tickets it was safe to say I had a small panic.

The ferry over to the island saw me lose feeling in my face and hands but that first sighting of the statue made it worth it. After going through a security check we made our way into the building and were told not to miss the museum. We took the left up the stairs and were met with a ginormous copper replica of the face of Lady Liberty. As we pushed on through the museum it was interesting to learn her entire history. They displayed the ideas behind it, the funding and the engineering. A lady so large would of course have a history to match. 

We finished up at the museum and began to ascend the 377 steps that would take us to the top of the statue. The stairs were narrow and winding and even through the dizziness began to make me feel slightly ill it was worth it. Once we go to the crown we looked out across the water and could even see the tablet and touch held in the hands of the statue. 

Climbing back down the stairs was a bit of a task but was eventually done. We boarded the ferry to get back to Battery Park and were greeted by a circle of people watching dancers show off their skills and slotted ourselves in to watch the backflips and sharp footwork. 

With the days ticking away we went back to the hotel to rest up and ready ourselves for the next day of adventure...