Training partner: found!

If you read this blog, you'll know I have a boyfriend who mostly eats like me (except more bread and less chocolate). But did you know he used to be a runner? Eamonn has ran quite a few marathons in this time, but got injured during the Dublin marathon in 2005 and gave up running. He did most of his running to raise money for charity and always said he hated marathon training. I've tried quite a few times to get him interested in running again, although on a less epic scale than marathon training. Nothing at all has tempted him, and he tends to keep fit by walking around 6 miles most weekdays, and a long workout or two a week on the exercise bike (usually an hour, hour and a half, while listening to all the latest music). However, last night on our way back from the off license with our friday night bouteille du vin, we picked up the free newspaper that gets put through the letterbox. The first thing that caught my eye was an article about a 10k race in April around the area of town where Eamonn's brother works (he actually works for the company that has been regenerating the area, once the shipyard/docks, now a very trendy part of town with riverside apartments, car showrooms, fancy offices etc). I pointed this out to Eamonn, and he was the first to suggest doing it! It's the Titanic Quarter 10k, and it's on April 10th. So we are on! Eamonn got new running gear today and we intend to go out for about 4 miles twice next week and take it from there. We will probably run 2 times a week and crosstrain 2-3 times for the first 3 weeks, then run 3 times until the race. I reckon if we do about 15 miles a week (starting with 8 in the first week) we will be fine. I could go out tomorrow and run a 10k, but my time would be an hour. I have no real goals for this race so far, i.e. a time, I'd be happy to just run with Eamonn, although I think he will be faster than he imagines by the time the race comes around, and I might actually get a decent time. I am so excited about this because I have never had anyone to run with before! I think this will really keep me motivated. I am going to crosstrain with swimming and aquajogging, and Eamonn will crosstrain on the exercise bike. At the moment, we both walk most days to work, which is 2 miles more for Eamonn, at the moment I manage one run a week of 5 or 6 miles and he does his exercise bike. So in general we are not completely out of shape, and we have both ran plenty in the past (more recent for me, but longer distances for Eamonn). Anyway, I will update on our progress through the blog.

I have no foodpics today! I ate a bowl of cinnamony raisiny oatbran for breakfast (after plenty of hot lemon water and grapefruit juice), then had lunch out, soup and cheese + tomato sandwich, a delicious coffee and a piece of chocolate cake. I picked at some couscous and smoked salmon this evening and then some more chocolate and lots of decaff tea while watching The Tudors. I'm looking forward to a long but gentle run tomorrow in my new running tights (my 3 year old Skins were on their last legs, heh)!