The National Lottery Anniversary Run 2014

So in previous years I have completed 5km runs, in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 I participated in the Women's Adidas Run but never did I train for it. This year, I decided that I wanted to participate in a run again. The atmosphere is amazing. I love the buzz and the support front the crowd and it is a really nice feeling. 

My sister and I saw a run that was taking part at the Olympic Park and she encouraged me to run with her. I took this opportunity. I didn't quite realise it was a 5mile run and when I applied to run I believed it was a 5km. 

Since April 2014, I trained for my run - this involved running on a regular basis roughly once to twice a week. I did an occasional 5 mile and it was exhausting. Gradually, I changed my diet to a more healthier one and also one with more proteins to repair my muscles, but this was hard to stick to but I tried my best. 

When race day was approaching, it was exciting. I was really looking forward to it and was  aiming to get a personal best. On the race day, the weather conditions remained dry and warm with about 23 degrees celsius +. It was advised that these conditions wasn't best for personal best, however I still wanted to do my best. I wasn't killing myself over it, but I did push hard still. The week before my run, I did my last 5mile which I completed in 48minutes. This was disappointing to me as I had ran 5 miles in 45 minutes before. My best time for a 5 mile run was 00:44:22minutes.  

So, the day of the run. I wanted to run faster than 45 minutes. It was rather difficult as it was very humid and there was very little breeze. There was a lot of hills and the route was more of a struggle then I initially predicted. I ran and had to stop a few times but only briefly. The support around the park was great. Around 3 miles there was a run in shower for a bit, this was nice and refreshing and it cooled me down a bit. I continued running and kept going. Around 4 miles, I saw some banners which I thought was the finishing line so I sprinted a little. What a mistake! I was suffering for a few hundred meters. At last, I saw the 300meters to go and I knew I had to keep my pace and not stop. The crowd cheered and that kept me focused on the finishing line. 100 meters to go came about and I continued to keep my pace. As soon as the finishing line was in sight I sprinted as much as I could. Finally it was over. Even though I was as dead as a dodo, I am definitely looking forward to taking part again next year. 

Results: 
00:44:58 mintues. 1079th Place. Age Group (0-34) 449th Place, Females 222th Place. (Chip Times)
Splits (According to Run keeper): 
1Mile : 07:57min/mi
2Miles: 08:41min/mi
3Miles: 09:33min/mi 
4Miles: 09:28min/mi 
5Miles: 08:55min/mi

Even though it was not a personal best, considering the conditions and that I finished under 45minutes I am very pleased with the result. I couldn't have pushed anymore without actually dying! Next year I hope to be much more fitter and to complete at a faster time than this year. See you next year!

I definitely would recommend anyone to take part for beating personal bests, fitness, new experiences or just having a bit of fun. A big thumbs up! 

The National Lottery Anniversary Run

Robert Downey Jr

I had a dream that I was working for Robert Downey Jr, I was doing dodgy jobs like planting tracking devices. I was exploring his house and he had a restaurant on the top floor of his house. He didn't appreciate the work I did for him.

Brighton 2014

Our second trip of the year and third trip away together in 2014. We decided to go for somewhere closer to home and we hoped for good weather, however the weather wasn't the best and could have been warmer. Either way, regardless of the weather I love spending time with my boyfriend.

            Brighton 2014 with my one and only

Tuesday 24th June 2014
We arrived in Brighton and the hotel wasn't far from the train station at all. We decided to spend our first evening just exploring the area and walking along the pier. After checking in, we made our way down to the beach and onto the pier. The weather was good. We craved for some fish and chips so we walked about on the pier and found a nice looking restaurant 'Palm Court'. We sat in and enjoyed a nice jug of Pimms and some fish and chips. It was lovely and very satisfying. After dinner we strolled back towards the hotel and stopped at Tesco's to get some snacks for our night in together. The rest of the night was spent watching TV, chilling and munching on snacks! 

Fish and Chips

View from Brighton pier

Wednesday 25th June 2014
We woke up and decided to have breakfast at the hotel. It was a buffet breakfast but it was standard. Filled me up and off we went to sit by the sea. We decided to head towards the marine and we just strolled along the pebbled beach. My feet were hurting by the end of the walk. It was breezy but the was bursts of sunshine which were nice. There wasn't much around the Marine but there was a cluster of restaurants. We decided to go eat at Nando's (mainly because I had a craving for it). It was again a satisfying meal. I was very content. We saw an Asda superstore, so we decided to go in for a browse. We bought our breakfast for tomorrow which consisted of pancakes. There wasn't else much to do so we decided to call it a day and go back to the hotel and watch the World Cup. After the match, we looked up close by restaurants for dinner as we started to feel hungry about 10.30pm! We ended up going to an Italian place up the road called Aldo. We ordered some take out and ate it like pigs back at the hotel. It was great fun.

Rock writing

Marine

Thursday 26th June 2014
Today's breakfast was the pancakes we bought from the supermarket along with a cup of tea. We soon got ready and decided to head towards the other side of the beach which headed towards Hove. Along the stroll to Hove, we stopped and watched the sea. It was a lovely walk and saw many dogs along the way. As we approached the end and reaching Hove, we spotted a nice looking restaurant in which we decided to go for some lunch. It was a Persian Restaurant. We ordered lunch and just enjoyed each others company with a nice view. 


After a delicious lunch, we strolled back towards Brighton and as we had 2 for 1 tickets we wanted to check out The Pavilion. It was one of the recommended places to visit in Brighton so we decided to see what it was all about. We stopped off at a restaurant by the beach just for some refreshments. We both had a fruit cider which was lovely in the sun.
When we arrived at the Pavilion, we was given some audio device that helped explained the tour. We followed the numbers to each room and took a look around. It was a lovely building and had striking inner decor. It was a pleasant experience and definitely one to check out if you're around Brighton.

We decided to walk around and we stumbled at the Churchill Centre which was filled with high street stores. We didn't buy anything but just had a browse. We got back to the hotel and decided to just relax and watch some World Cup. We couldn't quite decide what we felt like for dinner and in the end, we went across the road and had some dirty junk food.

Lunch

The Pavilion

Friday 27th June 2014
It was our last day in Brighton and was sad to know that it would be a while until our next adventure. We checked out of the hotel and left our luggage at the hotel as our train wasn't until the evening. We had some lunch at a restaurant by the beach called Seagull and we tried whitebait for the first time, which I really enjoyed! I also tried Huss which was an interesting choice but was tasty.

After lunch we strolled around and sat around the beach and also sat around the Pavilion. I bought some rocks on the pier and we had one last walk around the pier. We then headed to choccywoccydoodah and just killed some time before our train back to London. Our last stop before collecting our luggage and heading back was Starbucks. We ordered a hot drink and then once it was time, we headed back tot he hotel and left for the train. The train ride was a smooth one, with no delays. We headed back in London and the short break away to Brighton was over. It was a break needed from work and was a nice spot to explore. I'll be counting down to the next adventure! 

Brighton 2014

The Folly

Location: The Folly, London

Meal: Steak 8oz and Fries (£15.45) Blue Cheese Sauce (£2.95), Ice Cream Parfait with pistachio, raspberry and a mini doughnut (£4.95)

Price: £23.35

The folly is a lovely restaurant hidden near Monument Station. Friendly staff and excellent customer service. The atmosphere and design of this restaurant makes it rather unique, giving it a very relaxed yet quirky feel. The food was good. There was a lot that I didn't expect, i.e.. a tomato and onion rings came with the steak. This is a wonderful place to go to for a relaxed, clean environment. The atmosphere beats the quality of the food in my opinion. However, the dessert was on point and that alone would have been a 10. 

An overall rating 8/10.

Steak and Fries

Ice Cream Parfait

Steak and Lobster

Location: Steak & Lobster, London

Meal: Grilled Lobster, Fries (Unlimited), Salad (Unlimited)

Price: £19.95

Steak and Lobster has a stylish feel to the restaurant. Both the service and food was good and I have no complaints. Lovely atmosphere. I would go again!

An overall rating 8/10.

Grilled Lobster