Sue's Sports Starter by Sue_Thearle

Hello chums. Happy New Year one and all. I hope you all had a great Xmas. Mine was tippedy tip top, although it flew by. In fact since Dec 28th, I've been working on the telly almost non-stop, so the holidays are very much over for me. But I ate too much and drank too much, so all in all, mission accomplished. Indeed the traditional New Year guilt hit rather early for me, as I forced myself to go for a run on Boxing Day. Yes Boxing Day. And as regular readers of my wittering will know, I don’t really do running any more. In fact I really probably shouldn't, but I couldn't help myself. A catastrophically close inspection of my belly suggested the first signs of a pot. Yes, the shame. In fact I looked a little like Max, George Clooney's famous pot-bellied pig. I felt so full of food and frankily lardy, that I just had to get out and get some exercise. I lolloped 2 miles before staggering beetroot-faced back over the threshold of Thearle Towers. I was so puce I did look like I required medical attention.

But my efforts so inspired my hubby, that he too levered himself into the dreaded lycra and pottered off for his first run in months (he did 3 miles - show off). He, by his own admission, has put on a couple of pounds since the summer and so we have both decided to start the new year with a health and fitness kick. To celebrate this momentous decision I dragged him sales shopping for 5 hours on New Year's Eve. Now in mitigation that is something we never do together. I have made it a family policy decision that we never go shopping with the children, as it's just not fair on them. However we had to buy about four sets of blinds and rugs and curtains and stuff for the new bathrooms, so it was sadly essential. And despite the exasperated expression on husband's face for most of the five hours, I did rather lamely flag up the health and fitness benefits of walking about 10 miles around the shops.

Then to rub salt into his gaping wound, I disappeared for yet another run (2.5 miles this time) as soon as we got home, leaving him with two full of fun children desperate to burn off some excess energy. I felt as if I had left him a broken man. However the promise of a homemade fish pie quickly won him round and when I returned, he promptly went out for an even longer run (again - unnecessary show off). In fact I felt as if he fairly flew round his 3 mile plus route, only to realise that the reason he was so fast, was that he legged it home when he realised he had left one of our shopping bags in the car park.

Grrrr. The doghouse beckons for him methinks. Still at least he'll be able to run there quite quickly if his New Year's Eve run was anything to go by. Anyway we were so exhausted by our exertions, well that and because I had to be up at the crack of sparrows to work on New Year's Day, that the kicking NY's Eve in our house consisted of Cowboys & Aliens with Daniel Craig doing buff and Harrison Ford doing grumpy. Now I am not really a Craig fan, but I have to say fair play, he so worked out for that movie. Even my hubby was impressed, as he noticeably sucked in his tummy as we slumped on the sofa. I couldn't even bring myself to eat a chocolate. Not me. No. Body is a temple. Like Daniel's. Ho hum. So I shall be hammering down down the doors of the gym tomorrow, and the day after and the day after that, as I try to get back on the fitness straight and narrow. It might be a long road......gulp.