Water pistol fight
After our busy day yesterday we were determined to make the most of the rest of the weekend and in particular the dry weather that greeted us once again.
The sunshine and showers of the past few days had given our lawns a new lease of life and with the recycling collection due on Wednesday, it was an ideal time to give them a quick once over with the mower.
With the jobs out of the way, it was then time for a water pistol fight with DDWT Junior and the new water pistols we'd bought in Toys 'R' Us yesterday. A word on which you should now that you can get a double pack for just £9.99 - a saving of £6. They were great fun and could spray water a good 10 feet plus - even without the pump action!
As you can imagine we both got absolutely drenched - but had so much fun it didn't matter one bit. The fun continued into the afternoon with a visit to Coed Gwilym park for some football, frisbee throwing and of course the obligatory go on the swings.
I'm also chuffed to say that I rounded off the day with a run! So on top of all the walking of the past two days, I added a 34 minute and 6 second (approx 3.7 miles) run to the tally. Let's hope I can keep this momentum going through the week and it'll make next Sunday's weigh in an interesting event I'm sure 
End of an era
Today was the end of an era for DDWT Junior as he went to nursery for the very last time. Come September and he'll be school full time. He didn't seem to mind one bit - probably because of his little trip to Funsters with his friends and the promise of a Pizza Hut for tea. I think it was us who felt it more!
I know it sounds weird but it was kind of sad really. It doesn't seem that long ago that he was going to mother & toddler classes and we were preparing him for nursery. Yet before we know it here we are at the start of the school summer holidays and our little boy is fast growing up.
It really is true what people say - enjoy them whilst they are small and young, for the time really does fly by without a shadow of a doubt.
With the weekend almost upon us, I decided to go for a run with coach at lunchtime as invariably I switch to lazy mode over the weekend and don't do any training!
I didn't feel comfortable at all during the 21 minute 35 seconds run, mainly because I had an extremely irritating dry cough and I was a bit leg weary after yesterday's outing.
Still it's another run under my belt in preparation for the next Swansea Bay 5k on August 5th.
Cold on the way?
Despite developing what appears to be a cold, I opted to go for a run lunchtime after a rest day yesterday. Let's hope I don't regret it tomorrow!
The overcast skies and blustery wind made it look cold and like a berk I'd forgotten my running shirt - having only a vest in my bag. Thankfully it wasn't cold and the risk of 'getting a chill' given my under the weather status evaporated.
The 30 minute 4 second run ensured I worked up a sweat and kept me surprisingly warm - not that the air was cold thankfully!
I'm hoping that another few doses of day/night nurse will do the trick and avert a full blown cold, which is the last thing I want having got back into the swing of training.
Another day another run
WOW, running two days on the trot - that's almost unheard of for me and a throwback to many moons ago when it was the norm.
It was good to get back out running with coach again too as that is always a bonus and ultimately a huge incentive - especially as we're both VERY competitive. We decided to take it easy and clocked up 19 minutes 37 seconds in the process.
Still it was a pleasant run and at a pace which got me at least out of the 'comfort zone' - if only due to the humidity! Oh how I wish we'd have a thunderstorm to clear the air.
There was no school for DDWT Junior today as his class (albeit very few of them) were off to Bristol Zoo for the day. Somewhat bizarrely they're back in school tomorrow despite a national two day strike by Unison - which affects the non-teaching and catering aspect of schools in particular.
Charlton ticket
With the football season just weeks away, I gleefully took possession today of my ticket for the Swans opening game in the Championship - Charlton away. The £30 price tag is certainly a rip-off, but I wasn't going to miss the Swans first game at this level for over 24 years.
With over 2,500 of our 3,300 allocation sold already it's looking increasingly likely that a small part of the London borough of Greenwich will be turned into a sea of black and white come August 9th. The excitement is now starting to build and no doubt come the day the pit of my stomach will be churning with excitement, nerves and a touch of emotion.
After setting my sights on another goal yesterday (i.e. my weight) it was back to pounding the pavements again this lunchtime. My time of 29 minutes 5 seconds was longer that I'd anticipated doing, but I must say I felt quite refreshed and comfortable afterwards - unlike last week. Now that's got to be a good sign.
Shimano MP56 cycling shoes
Sport was definitely high on the agenda today with my Wiggle order arriving and a lunchtime run.
After my escapades last Friday with my bike chain, I finally got my hands on a new one - Shimano HG50 - and a chain rivet tool as well. So I hoping tomorrow to have a crack at putting it on my bike, the first time I've EVER put a new chain on. Oh boy.
The most interesting part of the Wiggle order however were the Shimano MP56 Cycling Shoes - which I'd deliberated on for ages and ages. I decided in the end to get a pair of MTB shoes now for commuting purposes (on my Specialized Hardrock MTB) and then at a later date get some road shoes for when I get around to riding my Focus Variado!
At first I thought the MP56's were too big and chunky looking - "space boots" I think Mrs DDWT called them and I suppose they are to an extent. However when trying them on fully kitted out I could see that in fact they complemented the rest of my gear quite well and more importantly were a good fit with ample protection - especially on the inner ankle area (as you can see from the picture below).
Now all I need is a repaired mountain bike to try them out on!
I found today's lunchtime quite tough to be honest and struggled towards the end - which I put down to tiredness or rather a distinct lack of sleep over the last couple of days. Still I managed 28 minutes and 25 seconds covering a guestimated 4,700 metres. The distance might be a tadge generous perhaps - but Gmap pedometer doesn't lie does it?
3 Weeks in one day
That's how much rain we're supposed to get in South Wales today apparently. Pretty impressive stuff and if the conditions I encountered whilst out on my lunchtime run were anything to go by, pretty accurate too.
I love running in the rain, but the wind that greeted me on the return leg of my run made it difficult to say the least. Anyway, a quick estimate shows that I did a 4.6km run in 27 minutes 17 seconds. But it's hard to be accurate with the distance covered when I'm using only a web based map as a reference.
I'll have to ask Mrs DDWT nicely for a running sat nav for my Christmas present. Hmmm, if I tell her now, she'll have plenty of time to save then as well 
Setting the pace
Monday to me means being back in work and back to lunchtime training and today was going to be no different.
Unfortunately I somehow managed to miss the squally showers whilst out on my 23 minutes 5 second lunchtime run, which was a shame as I could have done with a cool shower amidst the humid, windy conditions.
When it comes to running, I've always been more interested in the length of time I'm out running than the distance I go - at least that is until I'm up to scratch with a 5k or 10k distance. At that stage I start to see how quick I can do the distance!
Curiosity got the better of me today however and I was intrigued to actually see how far I'd gone. Without the aid of a running sat nav I had to make do with the Gmap Pedometer. According to that I'd done 3,800 metres - more than I thought actually. A quick check on the Cool Running Pace Calculator showed that my pace was the equivalent of a 9 minute 46 second mile.
No I wasn't impressed with that either! Still given that I've not had much run time lately, I can only get better - especially with some targets in mind. The first of which is the Swansea Bay 5k in August and then it's the Swansea Bay 10k in September. Pardon the pun, but time will tell if I'm up to that task.
DDWT Junior was an extremely happy (and lucky) boy today as the Playmobil Dinosaurs his Nanny had promised him duly arrived. Special thanks to the John Lewis Sale
Broken chain
What an eventful day I'm having! I was all geared up to leave the car behind at home today and cycle into work, partly to save money but also to help with my training - not to mention helping the environment of course.
However, no sooner had I gone a quarter of a mile from the house than my chain broke, leaving me to pedal idly along the road. I grudgingly strolled back home to get changed again and drive into work. Guess what I'm going to be doing this weekend!
Undeterred by my morning setback, I've since gone for a lunchtime run (18 minutes 55 seconds) in order to compensate for the lack of cycling exercise! It's the 2nd run I've been for this week so far and it's nice to be slowly getting back into the groove.
What's even more rewarding of course is actually fighting back the "don't exercise, just sit at your desk and surf the internet" demons in my head and going out and doing something which (despite the effort/pain) I enjoy a heck of a lot.
On the family front it's been a day for the diary as DDWT Junior actually eat something during school 'snack time' for the very first time since September 2007 - a plum and DDWT Baby is now up to 9lbs 2oz.
Now all that's left for me to do today is go for a short, back and sides after work
Another step forward
Continuing with my theme of trying to get my life routine back to normal after the past month or so, I went for a lunchtime run today.
It was pretty and it probably wasn't effective, but at least it was a step forward and more importantly got me at least a wee bit of the way back into what I call my 'normal' routine.
Unfortunately, my preferred running weather - the rain - which had been promised never materialised (well not yet anyway) and I was forced to endure a hot, humid and rather breezy 14 minute 4 second run.
Upon returning to the changing rooms, it was quite refreshing to hear everyone else feeling pretty much the same as me.
It's onwards and upwards from here