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I did it. Hence I'm smiling. Can't say I enjoyed it much (apart from the start and finish!) and I'm not happy with how I felt or ran. 

BUT 

I didn't think I'd be able to run at all and considering how much I've managed to run in the last six weeks I should really be happy that I made it to the end at all let alone in just over 10 minute miles (which should be please me as I must have been going some when I wasn't walking!)

And I can also stop obsessing about it now and get on with Prosecco drinking again! 

A long hot bath made me smile lots as did watching triathlon whilst lying on my bed dressed as a fluffy panda. And whilst my 'Running Lisa' crown feels wobbly today, I assumed 'Cooking Lisa' guise and made Chicken and chorizo pasta which was met with unanimous acclaim.

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That monkey's been taking selfies again.

I guess I'll forgive him as it is his birthday. 

Imagination is alive and well chez Stevens ;)

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Today we have orange taping. All ready for Sunday...

A day of planning, tidying and organising as it was raining. My bookcase is tidy - it won't last; my desk is tidy - that definitely won't last longer than tomorrow lunchtime; and the floor is clear - hope that lasts longer.

And an evening of laminating :)

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Very grateful to live in a town with beautiful green spaces in which I can run and ride. True, they aren't as expansive as in Switzerland, there aren't the same mountains and lakes and there are no water fountains but it's home and I love it.  

A lovely bike ride this evening. And a trip to IKEA this afternoon with Jude. 

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Finishing one school's worth of reports in the sunshine. 

Starting a very good book that has me intrigued and hooked. But I'm not rushing it as I want to take it all in. 

Frapuccino with Jude (and takeaway for Isaac) 

Catching up with the last instalment of The Island; I'll miss it. 

And an epic game of Scotland Yard with Mister X aka Jude evading capture for quite a long time. Half term fun! 

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Blue tape and blue toenails. 

The 'tres amigos' having fun albeit unusually quietly and often in their own worlds. A sign of the (teenage) times. 

Very high pitched singing in the car. 

The end of a good book. 

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Managed a run today - hard work but I made it and most importantly, my ankle is ok so far! There's still hope for the Fun Run!

This sign (from a collection of funny signs on Facebook) amused me yesterday and could actually have been uttered by my sister this afternoon as my nephew planted one of his feet on her face as we watched TV with him on the floor. I escaped with the loss of a handful of hair!   Good job we love him so much! 

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Enjoyed a day of pottering around, cutting up things with my guillotine and going fur a bike ride. Lovely moon tonight, sadly not captured very effectively by my photography skills but you get an idea ;)

Also amused by this as Isaac and I are masters of this skill! 

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Blue armpits. 

On arriving at the restaurant for dinner and removing my coat, it was revealed that my lovely blue blouse had bled onto skin which caused no end of amusement. 

Delicious food however! ¡delicioso!

And then Eurovision. Always a laugh but even better when viewed simultaneously on Twitter. Not enough novelty acts I have to say; everyone taking themselves very seriously! I liked Sweden's entry as a whole package but not sure it was the best song. However, I wasn't a fan of the Russian entry so if it was a choice between the two, that's ok by me. I did like Il volo though!

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Seen as I was leaving the car park after a short shopping spree. It's amazing who they allow to ride motorcycles nowadays! ;)

Also causing smiles - Frapuccino Happy Hour. 

And a new stationary range in Paperchase (need to save up though!) 

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Presented with these after break. After the same child arrived at school with a bottle (empty) of tropical juice because the bottle had ingredients in Spanish that the child wanted to show me, and a passion fruit because her mum had had to buy one to show the child what they look like!

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Swinging in the bench in the garden made me smile after school. And various wisecracks during and after The Island made sure that we all went to sleep giggling and with a big smile on our faces! 

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More  cuddly toy selfies this evening. You never know when you'll find one on your phone!

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This may or may not help me make intelligent conversation with my boys about Marvel and Avengers!

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Jude did the Hill West 4k today, his first race.  I am so proud of him!

He may have declared 'never again' as he crossed the line but he did it and he has the medal to prove it. 

I may yet persuade him to do a ParkRun but it'll have to wait for the holidays as he has BSCB, and I may have to lie about the time I wake him as it's a little early for a teenager on a Saturday...

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Top 3 smiles today:

"They got those Cadbury shows" Thanks Libby. 

Bradley Wiggins didn't beat Alex Dowsett's 10 mile time trial record. That made me smile broadly. 

The arrival of John's new shiny toy. 

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This was five years ago.

Today I mostly slept. Which I needed. 

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W1A, Peter Kay Carpool and The Island with Bear Grylls. You have saved my sanity. I thank you x

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Much needed today. Earache is miserable. 

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When your head is full of gunk and about to explode, and you've dragged yourself into school because it's more hassle to call in sick and set work than sit in front of the class, you'd think a child making fun of your snotty nose would be the last thing you'd want. 

But it made me laugh. Everyone needs 4AB when they're under the weather! 

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Illness means that I'm posting with a boy of a delay! This was Monday's thought. 

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Got a horrid cold but dragged myself to church to see Jude and co receive their trophies from the music competition. Said trophy is now sat proudly on Jude's shelf!  Very proud of them all. 

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Three years ago today I posted this photograph. That's me nearing the end of my first half marathon in Winterthur. 

I love that photo. And I really miss that run too. 

Today I had HIT to start the day; my ankle held up and the experience was challenging but not impossible.

Tried for 'domestic goddess in the kitchen' status, making stewed rhubarb, rhubarb crumble, and date and seed flapjack.

New pens from Rymans, new socks from Aldi and new clothes from FatFace.

Sneezing again :( but boys, W1A and Carpool have kept me amused! 

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The election result didn't make me smile but there was plenty that did. 

A relative lie on as no school on Fridays. My visit to the osteopath went well. 

Chai latte for a treat. 

Back to Core again - and I managed to do it without pain or weakness. 

Languages Today magazine arrived. 

John bought me a hanging basket. 

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An interesting new board game - Das Kaufmänische Talent which looks like 'Austrian Monopoly' 

Some children have obviously been listening to my assemblies as one told me what he'd noticed as soon as he got into the hall, and another two or three told me about things they did over the Bank Holiday that meant they had to persevere as I was dismissing my class. 

I finished Week 3 of my MOOC. 

It's Thursday which is my Friday. 

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Great fun at Teachmeet West Midlands Languages with the ever loopy Simone. All very jealous of her lovely languages classroom and very grateful for the delicious Chinese food and freebies! Jude loves the mango biscuits! 

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The replacement cap for my UP band arrived today. 

It's the little things sometimes that make you smile most!

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The day started too early with my alarm going off :( However we went back to sleep and John forgave me and made me a cup of tea when it was the right time to get up! 

Fun at the BMW showroom with Jude taking over the coffee machine. 

Shopping completed successfully and j do t think I forgot anything. 

A run albeit short without pain in my ankle was great. 

More sketchnoting. 

Fajitas for tea.  

Oh, and I still love my dungarees! 

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Today's has been spent building Isaac a new bed which is rather lovely. It's very high (and that's after we cut a bit off the legs so Isaac could sit up!) as you can see from John's head.

I also went for a bike ride as my foot isnt ready to run yet and I was in a mood anyway as I should have run the Lichfield Half Marathon today. A lovely ride only marred by getting a puncture near the end. Grr! 

The boys have been hilarious this evening with lots of random comments and slapstick comedy. They really make me smile, even when they manage to avoid doing their jobs by distracting me ;) 

(He's not asleep - just pretending so I'd go away!)

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What a day! I have a sore throat and a tiny voice left but it's worth it.

Alex Dowsett broke the UCI World Hour Record this afternoon and I yelled him around every one of the 212 laps, much to the embarrassment of Isaac and Jude who made a deal that they only had to sit next to me for 20 minutes each and that their Dad had to do the last 20 minutes "because she'll be completely out of control by then." 

I love cycling and would have been happy to go and see any cycling event. But this was special because Alex Dowsett wasn't doing it simply for personal glory but to make a point and set an example, and that mattered to me. 

Alex has haemophilia meaning that his blood lacks a crucial factor that makes it clot. John's work has been haemophilia related for 20 years, first as a paediatric haemophilia nurse and then for pharmaceutical companies, and from this I've learnt a lot about it. Alex's attempt was in support of his charity, Little Bleeders, and The Haemophilia Society both of which support haemophiliacs and their families. And his message was to get out there and try something because if you try you might fail but then again you might just succeed. But if you don't try you'll always fail. 

So it made me smile when he broke the record, and when he said 'today's a day I'll never forget' I agreed with him!  

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I've decided that the key to success is wearing a woolly hat! Without it, my age ranged from 37 to 82 (I was wearing sunglasses). 

On the other hand, in this one, Isaac is older than me. 

Fun though!