Snow, dark evenings, and our first wedding anniversary

It has been an interesting January and start to February.  I've been getting my feet under the table in my new role as Head of Parks and Open Spaces at Camden.  This has included visiting all our green spaces, getting to know the Parks and Open Spaces team and initiating the business planning for 2012-13 and the longer term strategic thinking.  I've also been interviewed for Horticulture Weekly.

In my new role as Head of Parks and Open Spaces

I'm loving engaging in conversations from keeping our parks safe and secure for our residents with the Street Presence team to supporting healthy and happy lifestyles with BTCV and our green gyms to thinking about how we can do things differently and engage our residents more proactively in these times of austerity, for example the Fitzroy Orchard Project run by the Fitzroy Allotsments Association, a project that has been a steep learning curve for them, about how to balance the very diverse and passionate views of different stakeholders, understanding their perspectives and taking them all into account in revising plans and ideas.

All of this hasn't stopped me training.  We're continuing to follow our training plan towards the 44 miles from Lizard to Lands End.  We are now running about 50 miles a week slowing building up to the peak of 70. Our schedule is 5 running days a week.  This means during the week I get home about 6.30 and head straight out for a run in the dark.  Rock on March and the clocks changing, I can't wait to be able to run without a head torch and get off the streets.  I've had two challenging runs this week.  Tuesday night Mr G was working late so I ran with Archie, this meant doing laps of the playing fields, which isn't normally too bad, but we had a good few inches of frozen snow on the ground, which made it very uneven and slow going.  We managed it though!  Then on Thursday night as I got off the train in Stortford it started snowing again, so I ran with snow blowing in my face.  Once wrapped up in the right kit, including two pairs of gloves, three layers, skins and trousers, hat and snood, it isn't too bad, I'm warm and can plod on!

We were treated yesterday though to an 18 miler in bright sunshine and a snow coated landscape.  These are the runs that I live for, where it is a joy to be out in the English countryside, everything looks so fresh and inviting!  This was followed by Mr G and I heading in to Cambridge to treat ourselves to a night in a hotel and spa to celebrate our first wedding anniversary.  Can't quite believe it has actually been one year, it has flown!  After the 18 mile run we spoilt ourselves with a soak in the jacuzzi, and a warming sit in the steam room and sauna followed by a delicious 3 course meal at Jamie's Italian.  A perfect evening!

Weekends like this are just what I need to feel refreshed and ready for another week of work and running!  And ready to prepare myself for next weekends challenge the South Devon Coastal Marathon - it is going to be fun ;-)