**Disclaimer: I’m writing my latest random selection of rants and raves after returning from a particularly difficult run. I’m also experiencing severe summer holiday FOMO. As always, all rants, raves and opinions represent my own views. Other (far, far superior) less opinionated and negative running blogs are available**
Happy Thursday! I hope that everyone has had an enjoyable week. If, like me, your week hasn’t been very positive, just think, it’s very nearly the weekend.
Rave: Running
I know I started with the same rave last time, but my dodgy feet are still *fingers crossed* behaving themselves. Although I’m so unfit at the moment every training session is challenging, I’m finally starting to enjoy running again. I’ve now reached the third week of my half marathon training plan and *touch wood* my fitness levels will start to improve soon.
Rant: Flying ants and other evil flying things
Although I enjoy running outside, I don’t love the flying ants and other random flying things I’ve encountered this summer. I’ve got bites in some slightly dubious locations, and I’ve lost count of the number of flies I’ve inhaled while I’m running.
[Source]
On the plus side, I discovered that calling into the local shop to buy some post-run water with an insect stuck on my face was a great conversation starter.
Rave: The Weather
Last time I complained about the wet weather and the disappearance of summer. This time I’m going to rave about the weather. Although running in the heat and humidity we’ve been experiencing recently has been challenging, nothing beats spending time outdoors in the sunshine. The hoards of people I see drinking outside my local pub definitely agree with me, it’s just a shame that some people can’t handle their beer…
Rant: Hecklers
I blogged about this subject two years ago but for some reason, the warmer weather seems to turn some people into complete idiots. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been heckled by drunken men this year. Since when did it become acceptable to call someone a fat c**t?
[Source]
Only last week I was heckled by a group of chavs in a souped-up Corsa as I walked back from the train station. As you can imagine, I was devastated when 10 minutes later I discovered the same group of chavs had been pulled over by the police. Talk about instant karma.
Rave: The Big Sleuth Birmingham
In my opinion, anything that gets people outside is a huge positive. Back in the summer of 2015, The Big Hoot got a lot of people in Birmingham searching for owls and raised a huge amount of money for charity. This summer the owls have been replaced with bears. Hopefully The Big Sleuth will be as successful as The Big Hoot.
Only another 97 bears to find…
Rant: H&M Sizing
A couple of weeks ago I found myself trying on denim shorts in my local H&M. Although I love their cheap and cheerful summer clothes, their sizing was a farce. Now I’m aware that I’m not a Size 10 at the moment, but I don’t think I’m a Size 18. From what I’ve read online, I’m not the only person who thinks the sizing in H&M is a joke and potentially quite dangerous.
After leaving H&M empty-handed, I managed to track down some denim shorts in Fat Face. Their Size 12 shorts fitted me perfectly.
Raves: Decluttering
To say I’m a bit of a hoarder would be a massive understatement. I find it really hard to part with my possessions, and was devastated when I discovered mum had thrown out my old school books. For some reason she kept all of my school reports, thanks mum!
At the start of the year I decided it was time to make an effort to declutter my junk and started to sort through my old running gear. It’s now July and I’m pleased to report I’ve made great progress and have sold loads of my unwanted gear on FleaBay. Next week I’m going to make a start on my ‘normal’ clothes. If I suddenly stop posting on social media, I probably fell out of my loft.
Once again, if you’ve reached the end of my latest selection of moans and groans then thank-you.
Have you been heckled this summer?
Are you a hoarder?
Member adidas Blogger Community
Top 10 Running Blog 2020
Top 10 Running Blog 2019
Top 10 Running Blog 2018
Decathlon Bloggers Community
Myprotein Award Winner 2017
Member UK Fitness Bloggers
Proud to support #RunEqual
You are totally right about H&M sizing. The sizes tend to run small, but I always thought it was because it’s a European company and European sizes tend to be a little smaller than American sizes.
I’ve just had a quick look at the H&M US site and the sizing is quite confusing. There’s a good sale on at the moment! I had no idea that European sizes tend to be smaller than American sizes. Having said that, I know from experience that Italian brands come up really small.
H&M sizes are all over the place- I tried on a load of tops in the same two sizes and some of the smaller ones were massive, and some of the bigger ones were way too tight- like you I left empty handed in the end!
A few times when running with my club we have been heckled, and a few times a few kids have started running alongside us but it has been funny as they only managed to run a few metres before stopping. It is horrible though, not sure what is wrong with these people.
I do like some of the clothes in H&M so it’s a shame the sizes are all over the place. After my recent experience, I don’t think I could ever risk buying H&M clothes online again which is frustrating. I don’t have an issue with children attempting to run alongside me. Most give up after a few metres and I don’t think they mean any harm. Like you say, adult hecklers are horrible; I’ve got no idea what would make a so-called adult want to heckle another person.
I love those statue things. We had zebras in Southampton. It’s a fun way to get kids outside and entertained.
There’s no excuse for cat calling. It’s disgusting and rude. Like Maria, I’ve had people run alongside me. But they usually fall behind quite quickly.
I love H&M but I agree about the sizes!
I’m a little bit jealous now because I love zebras and some of the bears I’ve spotted look quite menacing. The kids (and adults) love the bear trail and that’s the main thing. My new approach to cat callers is to name and shame whenever possible. I can’t imagine anyone managing to keep up with you for more than a few strides.
I was totally a hoarder! It was just a few months ago when I decided to go minimalist. What I did to my possessions that I couldn’t let go of was take their pictures or scan it — to somehow turn them into what I call “digital memories”. It was super hard, cause I really didn’t want to throw them awayyy…