More thoughts from my head

A few weeks ago, I decided to take a step back from social media – specifically Threads, which was negative and starting to weigh too heavily on me. Stepping away has felt like a breath of fresh air. I’m now fairly certain I won’t go back.

Threads knows I haven’t been looking at it and has started to give me notifications of things I haven’t seen. X does this to me too. I haven’t looked at it in months. I really need to take the plunge and just delete the apps from my phone.

Stepping away from social media has cleared my head for blogging. At the start of August, I celebrated 15 years of blogging. I wrote about how my blog had changed in that time. Strangely, stepping away from social media has made it go back more to where it used to be. Some of my posts are just coming straight from the head and straight from the heart, rather than me wondering whether I’ve provided enough useful information for my readers.

The main thing I used social media for, apart from promoting my blogposts, was sharing the thoughts from my head and my little observations about life. So I’m sharing them here instead. I start every day with a headcount of who is at home and who isn’t. I used to share it on Threads. So here’s an up-to-date non-Threads headcount…

(Friday) In this morning’s mental check of who is at home – it’s three of us. Daughter is away visiting a friend

(Saturday) In this morning’s mental check of who is at home – it’s back to four of us

(Sunday) In this morning’s mental check of who is at home – it’s five of us. Daughter has a friend staying over

(Monday) In this morning’s mental check of who is at home – it’s five of us, but a different five. Son’s girlfriend is staying over

(Tuesday) In this morning’s mental check of who is at home – it’s three of us. Son has gone on holiday

(Monday) In this morning’s mental check of who is at home – it’s four of us. Son is back from his holiday

(Tuesday) In this morning’s mental check of who is at home – it’s three of us. Son has gone back to uni

And here’s some thoughts from my head and observations about life as a runner, empty nester and middle aged woman… (Yes, I am a bit obsessed with the weather.)

Friday has come round really quickly this week.

Feeling a bit sad today because the rain and cooler temperatures we’ve been waiting for have actually arrived. The leaves are turning a bit and it feels like autumn

Feeling pretty broken by last night’s speed endurance training, with a side order of gym aches. Woke up in the night and I couldn’t move

Note to self. Don’t stand too close to my husband when he’s spraying his deodorant. Been tasting it for the last five minutes

31 years on from graduating, a random LinkedIn post from my former university course is still enough to raise my heart rate and make me feel angry and stressed

I think my dog is broken. There’s a DPD van outside and Hetty hasn’t barked

It’s 20 degrees – the coldest it’s been in at least two months. Just seen a woman wearing a puffer jacket

Four weeks until Cheltenham half marathon and today is my last 13 mile training run. I’ve got races every weekend from now on

Just over two weeks since I stepped back from Threads, my screen time is down to two hours and 59 minutes! (This includes work time, so not too bad)

Found a Sweaty Betty running vest in my drawer I have no recollection of acquiring. Either my husband gave it to me for my birthday (which is late September, so I wouldn’t have worn it at the time) and it got buried and forgotten or it’s a piece of my daughter’s uniform from when she worked there

Sometimes we have bad runs. Today was mine. Set off and immediately needed the toilet. Realised after a quarter of a mile I had to turn back, then had to stop for the toilet again during the run. 57 minutes 30 from leaving home the first time to run five miles

If the weather app is to be believed, today will be my last day wearing shorts this year (apart from running, of course). Sad times

I love having my family around, but am also quite excited today that I’ll be on my own all afternoon and a lot of the evening, which means I’m going to read A LOT

Bought some loose trousers in May, which I thought I would wear all summer. Wearing them today, on 26th August, and I’m still too hot in them

It’s the Pershore Plum 10k at the weekend. I beat myself up over my result last year. Just looked back on it. I was third in my age category (which was 45-54, not 50-54) and only 27 seconds behind the woman who came first. Also 10th female overall out of 115. Would be very happy to equal that this year!

Double volunteering at parkrun today, with course set-up and first timers’ briefing. I’ll actually be walking it as I had a race last night and one tomorrow!

I struggle with 31st August being the last day of summer and 1st September being the first day of autumn. But I’m totally there for 28th February being last day of winter and 1st March being first day of spring

Son starts his obstetrics and gynaecology placement today. I can’t wait to hear about the babies he sees being born!

That’s probably enough thoughts from my head for now. I don’t know yet whether I’ll share any more in future. Now I’ve been away from Threads and X for a few weeks, my compulsion to share everything I think and observe is reducing. It was a very good decision to give them up.