Marathon Moments....

Firstly, I owe so many of you a huge thank you for your support in the run up to the London Marathon. From those who donated to my fund-raising page, to those who bought items from my Style Guile Sale. To those of you who bought the cakes that I made, who offered Good Luck wishes via cards, email, text, Facebook, Instagram and twitter and of course thanks to those for the words of wisdom that rang in my ears: "Your brain will always tell you to stop but just keep turning the legs." Wise words indeed at mile 25 when I really DID. JUST. WANT. TO. STOP! 

And of course thanks to my friend Libby (I would never have done it without her) and to our long suffering families who endured the journey with us, turning out on the day complete with banners and food for afterwards and by no mean logistical feat, making sure that they saw us as often as they could. 

After all of your support, it's only fair that I share a few photos. Not the most flattering but I love them nonetheless.  All of them are taken somewhere between miles 14.75 and mile 22 - apart from the last one which, as is pretty evident, was taken at the end. 

The day was fantastic. In fact the whole weekend was fantastic. It was really like a girls' weekend away for us with a bit of running thrown in. We were disciplined and didn't do any shopping, or sight seeing as we needed to keep off our legs -  but we went to the Mae Deli (Deliciously Ella's Deli) for our pre race dinner of sweet potato, roasted veg, rice and hummus plus (in my case at least) the most enormous piece of peanut fudge brownie - which was delicious.

In our hotel room the night before, we managed to spend five hours doing nothing other than eating, fixing our race numbers to our tops, sorting out kit, attaching the chip to our trainers, checking and re-checking kit and our race bags. Talk about a lot of time spent doing - well not a lot really.

As to the race itself, the volume of runners was phenomenal. The atmosphere was incredible - a bit like a huge party but also tinged with sadness given the causes for which people were running. Oddly the miles whizzed by which sounds crazy. How can you run for 4 hours and for it to go so quickly? A lot of time is spent checking your watch, altering your pace, overtaking, taking on water, remembering to eat, watching for the family, checking you're still both where you're meant to be and so on.

We were really, really lucky. Neither of us got cramp, stitch or blisters. Neither of us needed the loo or hit the wall (well it wasn't likely really given the flapjack, sweets and fudge that we managed to get down us!) and nor did we need to walk. The only real surprise - other than finishing - was that we both got slight sunburn. For those who like a bit of race geek talk, all of our 5k splits were pretty even, averaging about 27/28 mins per 5k. We finally came in at 4.00.13 - just a few seconds more than we would have ideally liked - but not enough to go for a re-match!

You see that's the good thing about having a Physiotherapist for an Aunt. Although it doesn't really look much fun does it? That lactic acid stuff hurts - but only really when I stopped.

And another by product? For a few minutes I couldn't talk, so the only way to retrieve my running bag from the lorries that they are put on was to lift my top and thrust my chest forward with my race number on it to the young man who was handing the bags back. Not once, but twice. Because still I couldn't speak. And now I bet neither can he. Traumatised he must be. Traumatised.

I'm so happy that I managed to raise just over £2000. Thank you again for all of your support. Please do let me return the favour sometime. Beth x

Photo shoot shots!

I know that it's been a while and that one or two people are wondering whether I've actually finished the Marathon yet or whether I'm still en route, so I thought that I would share with you what I've been up to this week. I plan to do a "post Marathon" post when I have a little more time but for now...

For now, I've been having fun on a photo shoot. It's always lovely when the chance comes along to be in a shoot rather than styling it and having your make-up applied by a professional make-up artist is a fabulous experience. Mind you, I'm rubbish at the more serious shots. I can't help laughing and now that I have lines whatever my expression, I would rather have a smile to accompany them.

I'm allowed to share the clothes but not details of the campaign just yet.  And given that there's a sale on, I thought that I would crack on in case anyone fancied trying this navy Warehouse jumpsuit (£58). With the code TREAT20 it has 20% off. I loved wearing this but I should share that when it comes to sizing, it's quite short in the body so I went up to a 10, which also gives a bit more room in the boob department too. 

I also chose to wear these Snake print Stan Smith trainers from Schuh (£72). I'm such a trainer girl these days. But I do like the mix of smart and casual and of course lots of styles of shoe would work with this jumpsuit, from block heel to stilettos and wedges too.

 If I hadn't just bought the Baukjen jumpsuit that I featured a few weeks ago, I could well be tempted with this one...

Hope that everything is good with all you lovely readers and I plan to be back soon. Thank you for your patience and concern x

There's a new addition to the blog - a sale page!

There's an exciting new addition to the blog that I wanted to tell you about - A "Style Guile Sale" page, where I'm selling some of my much loved pieces - many of which have barely been worn.


The page can be found on the full version of the blog in the pages header under "Style Guile Sale" and on the mobile version, in the drop down menu at the top of the screen. But here's a link just to make it a little easier: Style Guile Sale


All proceeds will go to Coram, the charity I'm fundraising for in the London Marathon. (I should be out training now but it's too wet so I'm going to do some Joe Wicks in front of Coronation Street shortly. Bet that's what all the Olympians do too!!)


So please do take a look and let me know if there's anything that you would like. Thank you!

An outfit for a spring wedding....

It's been such a long time since I've blogged and I'm so sorry. The time that I usually devote to blogging is generally taken up these days with wiping away the brick dust that settles each evening. That and keeping tidy and organised the small downstairs space that we're living in at the moment.

Before I kick off with the wedding outfit, I wanted to thank all of you who entered the M&S competition. I'm sorry that I haven't been able to get back to all of you who sent through such lovely emails but I will try to do so over the next few weeks. The winner has now been notified so sorry if you weren't lucky this time :(

Baukjen woodley jumpsuit (£109) - I bought this a couple of weeks ago and tried on the morning of the wedding. I quite often leave important outfits to the last minute. I actually find it less stressful. Bizarre I know!

Don't you just love how your kids always have their phones glued to them and always have plenty of storage or capacity for what they need to do but as soon as a snap is required, oh dear, the storage suddenly seems to be full? Hence the rubbish photo with the shadow and not terribly flattering pose but hey ho, that's what this blog is all about! And really it's my fault for leaving my bag and phone somewhere else.

But anyway. I really enjoyed wearing this outfit for the day. True, my husband had to check with the eldest that the trousers were meant to be the length that they were but then I'm used to that kind of thing. It was soooo comfortable, I could layer a vest underneath it, it was long enough in the body plus I can wear it again to another wedding in May, a wedding party in June and an 80th birthday party in June - so I will get plenty of wear out of it, which isn't always the case with wedding outfits.

These Topshop metallic slingback shoes (£48) are the closest to the shoes that I wore on the day. It was the first time that I had worn them and I wore them all day without the slightest problem. I'm avoiding heels at the moment and so this block heel was a perfect height for me.

And I know that I keep banging on about the Marathon but I'm going to include the link to my donations page, just in case anyone would like to donate to Coram, the Children's charity I'm running for. Thank you x  http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/BethGoodrham  Oh and I'll be back soon with a renovations update post for those who have asked!

Diamonds are a girl's best friend...how to win some whilst supporting a fabulous charity

As many of you will know, in four weeks' time I will be running the London Marathon. I am raising money for Coram, the oldest Children's Charity in the UK and I have a target of £1750 to raise.


Coram are such a well respected charity by many professionals and they do so much with disadvantaged and underprivileged children. Some of the services that they offer include running an independent adoption service, using a variety of creative therapies to help children from complex and traumatic backgrounds, supporting parents who are having difficulties in caring for their children and offering health, well-being and drug education in schools.


We all have demands on our resources all of the time and there are so many fantastic causes, so I hope that you don't mind my plea for help. However in return I hope that I am able to offer something that may bring a little happiness to you, or a loved one, or another charitable cause. So here goes...



Back in February of 2014, I entered a competition to win a gift card for £1000 to spend at 77 diamonds, who are recent winners of the 2016 UK Wedding Awards. I had to blog about what made my best friend so special.

Diamond Studs - oooh yes please!

For anyone who is interested, you can read the post here. Anyway, incredibly, I won and I've decided to put the £1000 Gift Card up as a competition prize, hoping that along the way I can raise money for Coram.

Eternity Rings - rings are definitely some of my favourite things

So, this is how it will work:

1. Please make a donation to my page http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/BethGoodrham  (obviously it can be as little or as much as anyone would like to donate and  I promise that the money isn't for my private shoe fund, but for Coram);
2. Please email me at mail@bethgoodrham.com and your name will be put into my metaphorical hat (which is seeing a lot of action at the moment)!
3. The competition will be open until midnight on 31st May 2016, with the winner being notified by email on 1 June 2016;
4. The winner will be put directly in touch with 77 diamonds who will arrange for the £1000 Gift Card to be sent to the winner;
5. For anyone entering, if you felt able to mention the competition on your social media sites, or if you could spread the word amongst your friends and work colleagues, I should be so grateful. 

And that's it really. Hopefully many of you will see it as a great opportunity to win a fantastic prize whilst at the same time supporting an incredible charity. Ultimately I would love it if, between us, we could use that £1000 gift card as a competition prize time and time again to raise as much money as possible for as many charities as possible. There are so many wonderful causes to raise money for and with a bit of teamwork I think that it might be able to rustle up a few pennies for a few different charities. 

Engagement Rings -  do we hear the sound of wedding bell(e)s?

On the other hand if whoever won the Gift Card fancied treating themselves, or if a someone was about to make a marriage proposal and this enabled them to get a wonderful engagement ring, or if it was used to celebrate a long standing anniversary, how fabulous would that be too?  We all love a feel-good story. It would be great to share on here how that Gift Voucher is spent, or where it ends up.

Before I sign off, I would like to thank 77 diamonds for their support in helping me to use the Gift Card to run the competition in this way. It is very much appreciated - thank you. And Good Luck to everyone who enters!  

So how do you run 24 miles? (If I couldn't do it with a friend, I wouldn't do it at all!)

But before I start.....

I didn't manage to get a place in the ballot for the London Marathon, which means that I am fundraising for Coram, who do amazing work with vulnerable and underprivileged children. I feel really uncomfortable asking for donations from people, so instead I will shortly be posting about a fabulous competition that I am going to run on here to help reach my target. Do keep your eyes open! 

Twenty four miles is the most that my friend and I have run whilst training for the London Marathon. "How do you do it?" is a question that I've been asked a lot recently.  Compared to some, I've run very little. Many others have run much further than this and much more frequently too.  But the one thing that I do remember is being in the position, not so long ago, where I would look at others and think "How on earth do you do that? How is it physically possible?"

On reading this I really DID ask myself "how is that physically possible?" The author is an ultra-marathon runner. 50 miles, 100 miles - it's no problem to him!

The answer is you build up to it slowly. It's not as if you just wake up one day and think to yourself "Oh I know, today I'll go and run 24 miles." Having completed the Birmingham half marathon last October, my friend and I ran the half marathon distance possibly once a month until Christmas. The day after Boxing Day we did 13 miles, the week later 16 miles, then 18 miles, 20 miles, 22 miles and then 24 miles. So like anything, if you build up little by little, it's not so much of a shock to the body.

The day before, and the day of, a long run preparation is key. We do our long runs on a Friday afternoon and we do shorter sessions, and hill and sprint work, either together, or alone, or with other super lovely friends who run, during the week.

I don't do too much exercise the day before. On a Friday morning I eat a lightish breakfast, have a mid-morning nutri-bullet and an early lunch. Then, when the running watch starts charging, together with the FitBit, and the phone - when the bum bag gets loaded up, when the key and cash get stashed in the phone holder that I wear on my arm - that's when the adrenaline kicks in.

Unlocking the key to the success of the Kenyans in distance running. 

I wouldn't want anyone to be under the illusion that we run 24 miles non-stop. After five or so miles we'll have a quick stop. Out comes the M&S chocolate flapjack, the elderflower water, the Love Hearts, Twix - you name it, we've got it. In fact, if we're honest we probably spend most of our run working out when we can next stop to eat something delicious and sweet.  We could do with a Mrs Overall style trolley for our three course meal that we take with us. And thereafter we'll stop every 40 minutes or so to top up as once you've gone past the point of no return, you really know about it.

And as for passing the time? Well we go in phases. Mostly we chat - a lot. In fact a friend of mine said the other day that she heard us coming before she saw us, which was impressive as we were wearing huge amounts of pink lycra.

We talk about our children, work, schools, things we've read and how we're going to run on the day. What if one is faster than the other? What if one needs a loo stop? What techniques are we going to use to motivate ourselves through the tricky spots? And most importantly, how are we going to communicate given that, for once, we won't actually be talking? We un-pack things that need unpacking and when the going gets tough, which is does, we try to re-set one another's brains by the use of distraction, or pretending that we've only just started and that we're full of beans, whereas really we're at mile 18 and just want to go home.

Occasionally we'll just plod along in silence - but that's usually only when we're going up hill and we're breathing too hard to talk. Then one of us will say "I'll talk at the top" and on we plod until we've made it and normal chatting is resumed.

We have run in all weathers and sometimes the harshest weather makes it more fun. Blizzards, hail, snow, rain, wind (my least favourite) - it all helps with the stamina. I think that our greatest difficulty will be if it's too warm as that is something that we're not used to at all.

And crikey sometimes we're laughing so much that we have to stop running. We've been known to balance precariously over canal locks when the tow paths have been closed. We've clambered over, under, through and around barriers of no-go areas. We've run through the industrial backwaters of Birmingham, under the M5 bridges and under railway bridges with their huge concrete supports, expecting (in my case) to find a dead body at any moment.

And then, when we run up one of the hills to get us home, sometimes we get that fourth, fifth or sixth wind and it no longer hurts. It feels as though we're flying. Not out of breath, not aching just powering up towards the traffic lights that signal home. And then we stop. And then we can't move again because everything hurts and those seconds of pure joy have passed. But still we keep on chatting...

So my tips - none of which are revolutionary or revelatory because if you're training for a distance this will have all be covered in a training plan/manual somewhere:

• If I couldn't do it with a friend I wouldn't do it at all. Of that I'm sure!
• Whilst some people love them, I'm suspicious of the gels and would rather eat proper food, even if on the day I carry little bits and nibble it slowly - so flapjack, Naked bars - it's all good stuff. And sweets really do give you that sugar kick just when you need it;
• On a long run avoid looking your watch too often. It's like going on a long plane journey - you just have to switch off and let the hours wash over you;
• The long runs for us are to get used to the miles and to build stamina - not really for the speed, although we do wear running watches so that we know how we're doing. It's the other training - the hills and the sprint work that will help with the speed and a bit like baking a cake, hopefully it will come together on the day;
• I find that core and leg work also help with strength, although it may just be psychological;
• I love reading books about runners - Running with the Kenyans, Eat and Run, Running Like a Girl, books about Ultra Marathon runners - all of them have the page corners turned down at places where I find something helpful or inspiring;
• Running is as much psychological as it is physical. Next on my reading list is "the Runner's Brain". If you can accept that it's normal to want to stop, then you're half way to keeping on going! 
• What works for one doesn't necessarily work for another. You may prefer to run alone, to listen to music or listen to podcasts, to re-fuel with gels - it's all just trial and error really. But the one thing that I am sure of is that never once have felt worse after a run than before. 

That was the week that was - a little bit of house, a little bit of fashion and a competition coming your way soon!

Going for a bit of a biker look in this Reiss jacket that I've had for about 6 years but which fits so well, an H&M skirt, Boden roll neck and Whistles gloves and biker boots. 

Hello my lovelies, how are you all? I hope that you've had a lovely Mother's Day. I know that for some it can be a little bit of a sad and emotional day so I'm thinking of you all and sending you lots of love. I started off my day by running with a friend (lovely) dropping in on another friend (lovely - for me at least!) and then coming home to....dye the grey out of my hair. Ho hum! 

The rest of the day was fabulous though with lunch out, a wander around John Lewis, a home made chocolate cake with chunks of toblerone in it and crushed maltesers on top (yum) and some lovely pressies. My treat to myself is to check in with you all to say hello and to give you a little update - for there's a lot going on! 

Just prior to the work starting

As you may have gathered, we are having some work done to the house. It's a 14 week build project which was due to start last Monday, however we weren't really sure until three days beforehand whether it would start or not.  So, at the 11th hour we had to arrange for the downstairs of the house to be cleared and the furniture sent to storage. Last weekend was fun.

 Getting ready for the builders - I knew that the gin would come in handy.

The night before the work was due to start, we had fireworks to mark the occasion and to say goodbye to the house as we knew it. 

It didn't take long for the builders to get cracking.

Monday morning carnage.

Despite being a family of five, our house is "usually" fairly relaxed and calm but last Monday morning I had about 12 men in the house; the builders started ripping down the conservatory, there were skips arriving, the electrician was making the house safe, the plumber was moving and re-plumbing the washing machine, the alarm chap was dis-connecting certain sensors, the carpenter was building false walls and me? I stood paralysed behind the kitchen island, took a couple of photos and ate a WHOLE LOAD of chocolate. As for Mr SG?

He went to work leaving his sour dough to rise amongst the chaos. As you do. 

No more conservatory! It leaked and there's nothing that Mr SG hates more than a leak. They drive him round the bend.

Two days later, the conservatory was down. It's fair to say that the house is looking a pretty ugly place right now but hopefully in three weeks or so the new build will be up with the roof on and then it should start to look a whole look better. In the meantime I'm frantically making mood boards for the new utility room, study area, dining area and living area. For so long it didn't really seem that anything was happening and then all of a sudden we're meant to have chosen everything. Help! And sadly now that the living room is empty it's clear that the carpet is in need of an update so that room might just need a bit of attention. Such a shame.

Whilst in John Lewis today I seemed to lose a couple of the children.

Jigsaw trousers, Topshop jumper, Zara cardi, Accessorize scarf, Whistles boots.

This photo was taken at the end of the week - I'm just about still standing (unlike the conservatory). But with working, trying to sort the house, training for the marathon (we're up to 24 miles now so quite happy about that) and so on I'm not getting the time to blog as often as I would like. And I miss you all!

However I've got some great posts lined up - an exclusive competition with M&S to win a gift card of £100 for you and a friend, a new jewellery brand to introduce you to and an inspiring story from a reader who used her FitBit to help her to lose 3 stones.

Have a lovely week everyone and I hope to be back soon. x 

Block heels - a success or one for your room 101?

Is it just me, or do anyone else's feet hurt when they look at high heels? Without sounding like an old croc, many years ago I would walk to the tube in heels, walk from the tube to work, walk around all day including up Bond Street at lunchtime and then do it all in reverse to get home again - and I didn't even think twice about doing so. I still own the first pair of heels I ever did all of that in - Marilyn Anselm for Hobbs. Anyone remember her? 

These days? Not so much. If I'm not working, it's pretty much trainers or flat boots all the way for me but if it's a small heel that I'm after, I love a good block heel and I can always rely on Topshop to come up trumps. 

I ordered these Jolene mid buckle shoes from Topshop (£48) a couple of weeks ago but it's only really been today that I've managed to get around to trying them on. They're 100% leather and they also come in black and in this black and white print below. I like the idea of wearing them with cropped kick flares, with wide legged cropped trousers and also possibly to the wedding we're going to in early April. I'm conscious that the wedding is only a couple of weeks before the marathon and as well as abstaining from alcohol, I'm also abstaining from heels (it's fun, fun, fun all the way right now!) These are a great option though - enough height not to feel flat but no so much that my feet will hurt by the end of the day.

This Juno style (£59) is also massively popular at the moment. 100% leather, they come in grey, gold, white and red and your Granny would love them! As to my thoughts on them? Hmmm. Marmite. And personally I'm on the "don't like" side of the fence.  I like a block heel to be accompanied by a pointed toe, or leopard print, or something which stops them from looking too Granny-esque. And these are designed to be full on Granny-esque. Which is fine when you're really young and no where near being a granny but you know, as that age bracket creeps potentially closer? Let's just say they're not somewhere I plan on going.

Even on young feet I'm not convinced! 

For another option, Topshop has the Jensen buckle mid shoe (£49) which come in leopard, black and burgundy with a pale pink trim. The composition varies depending on the colour.

I know that many avoid block heels for the fear of looking granny like. Well having seen the Juno style, I totally understand that particular fear. However, there are plenty of other options which don't make you look as though you're going to be pushing a pram any time soon - and not as the baby's mother. So I would encourage anyone to given them a go. For work with slim trousers, or for casual with rolled up jeans, they're a really good option and more flattering and less dated than a kitten heel. What do you think? Have you had success with block heels or have they been consigned to your room 101?!

H&M workout gear - stylish, fun and functional

Before I start, you may notice that I've had a bit of a blog tidy up. As a result there may be a few glitches along the way - no-one's fault, it's just technology. However if that is the case, just let me know and I'll do my best to sort them out (like the spacing and links for example!) And thank you for bearing with me!

Our eldest came to me the other morning. "Mum" she said "I had this horrible dream last night. I dreamt that you bought me 14 of the same workout tops and you told me that I had one for every day of the week. When I told you that there were only seven days in a week you said that I was working on a two week cycle." Lucky her - 14 new tops!

Which got me to thinking about workout tops (not about the psychological damage I've clearly done to our 16 year old, which is what I probably should have been doing).

As I'm doing quite a bit of training for the London, Marathon, I'm washing a lot of workout gear and to be honest, a lot of my tops are looking a bit tired. Many of them are from Primark and they've served their time, so I thought that it was time for an update.

Which led me to H&M. One of our Birmingham stores has quite a good selection of fitness wear which I love rifling through when I have a minute. There doesn't seem to be a link to the above sports bra which I love  (although I see it more as a cropped top to be worn over a sports bra) but I have linked to the selection of sports bras available. But to be honest it didn't love me at all. It just wasn't substantial enough to cover my less than insubstantial sports bra. Ho hum. I also picked up this 3 pack of hairbands for £1.99 because I loved the colours and my hair is irritating me right now as it's at that yucky in between stage.

I really liked this top in the shop but the thing that I didn't really like about it when I put it on the is that it looks all sweaty around the neckline (see below). Not a good look. Also, although it was £12.99 it didn't seem any better than my usual £3.99 Primark cropped tops. So that will be a return then.

But I did like the vest, below and I've worn it already. Again, it's not on the website but I've linked to the vests that are available. Everyone has really personal taste when it comes to vests but I prefer everything quite fitted, rather than flapping around.

For anyone who hasn't checked out H&M active wear before, it's great for something stylish, fun and functional. Plus there's a great selection of bottoms, jackets and accessories too - so definitely worth a peek.

A Jigsaw jumper dress, Karen Millen pleather leggings and an evening with "Joe"!

Some may say that I was the lucky one, getting to meet Joe Wicks, the author of Lean in 15 and soon to be global superstar (I just said that for effect but it could be true) but actually he was the lucky one because....he got to see my new Karen Millen leggings and Jigsaw jumper dress. Honoured he was. Honoured. 

[Asking Joe a highly intelligent question? Knowing me, probably not.]

Somehow I managed to get tickets to Joe's book signing in Birmingham. I booked them before Christmas, not even knowing whether my friend and I had even the vaguest notion of getting there. With six children between us and with the book signing being at 6pm on a Tuesday it looked unlikely but the respective hubbies came up trumps.  

For those who don't know of Joe, he's the biggest fitness sensation for years. His 90 day Shift, Shape and Sustain plan has been signed up to by 90,000 people, he advocates 4 or 5 HIIT sessions a week which last for no more than 20/25 minutes, he posts his workouts on YouTube and his recipes on Instagram via short vidoes - and all of this has happened in the last couple of years. Now there's a book with two more later in the year. He is currently everywhere - on the radio, TV, magazines, newspapers. He's even been on Lorraine. What more can I say?! 

Come on guys, no need to fight it out over a"Lean in 15" book, there are plenty to go around.

The first thing that struck us about Joe is that he wasn't as big as we thought. On his YouTube workouts he looks about 6ft and very broad but he's actually quite slight. And he's not as big as his instagram persona either - in fact he seemed quite shy. Poor guy, he probably didn't know what had hit him. I have to admit that we were slightly hyper but I think that was because we were out at 6pm on a Tuesday as much as anything else. Living life on the edge again. 

So, as to an interesting interesting fact about Joe, he finished the London Marathon in 6.5 hours and was overtaken by a pair of testicles. Again, what more does one need to know?! 

Having a chat with Joe whilst he signed my book. It's weird when you've spent so much time looking at someone on a screen (I do quite a few of his HIIT sessions via YouTube) and then you meet them in the flesh. Like there's a danger that you'll be overly familiar or something. 

And here's a slightly closer/slightly blurred look at the outfit which was taken the following morning. Well, I had only worn it for a couple of hours the night before. And it's so warm and comfortable that this is it for me now until April. 

 

I don't think that I've ever been in an Instagram post with 2,384 likes before (now 4,828) - and am probably never likely to be again. Spot the grinning idiot?

Cropped wide legged trousers - maybe one to consider if you haven't done so before...

Happy New Year to you all!

So, how has your New Year been so far? How many resolutions have you made and broken? I've broken all of them. Even the ones that I didn't make. 

It's not so much a resolution but I have decided to give up alcohol until after I've run the marathon. I need any psychological advantage that I can get, no matter how small. And guess what I keep thinking about? Yes, having a glass of something fizzy - which is ironic because I'm really not much of a drinker at all. Clearly that's why diets don't work. Deprivation is not good for the psyche, or the soul. 

Anyway, that aside, it suddenly dawned on me yesterday like a flash from a higher place, that a pair of these wide legged cropped trousers from Whistles would be a really good addition to my wardrobe. I saw them before Christmas and they've obviously been lurking around in my sub-conscious since then. I recognise that I am very fortunate in that I have enough clothes and so I'm only going to buy things if they are really different to what I own already. And these are. 

I nipped into town yesterday morning, Christmas money in hand, to see if there were any in my size and there weren't. I could have managed with the size 10 but because they were too big on the waist, they sat too low on my hips making them look more like trousers that were slightly too short, which given their name (cropped trousers) is almost certainly what they're meant to look like. But I just wanted them an inch or so shorter, so that they looked more like a long skirt (and slightly less clown like).  

Obviously research needed to be done to establish that these were worth the investment (I say that in the loosest sense of the word) and so I wandered over to COS to see what they had. Their selection was really good but most of them still fell at that funny length on me, apart from these wide leg jersey trousers (£59). I don't think that these images are selling them very well at all - so let me explain!

I could wear these with trainers and a chunky roll neck jumper for a casual look. Trainers are still a big love of my life not only for comfort but wearing them means that I can complete my requisite 10,000 steps for the day much quicker than I might otherwise. Which also means that I can then sit on my bum for the rest of the day watching TV. (Spot who had a fitbit for Christmas!)

I like how these look with flats...

For a smarter look I could go with my high neck lace blouse with a bow, which I finally managed to get around to ironing, plus some heels.

I like how VB wears hers although the shoes? Hmmm, not so sure.

Image courtesy of Pinterest

In the summer, chunky sandals and a lighter weight top or shirt would be good. So I definitely think that they have legs.

I like how Olivia Palermo wears hers too...

The worst thing that will happen is that I will put them on, laugh loudly at myself, post a pic on Instagram so that everyone else can laugh too and take them back. But if you don't try you never know.

Now the one thing that I did manage to find me that fit yesterday were these Adidas superstar trainers from Schuh. Unlike the sparkly ones that I really loved, these are leather so I figured that they would be warmer.

Again I've had my eye on them for a couple of weeks now and my Stan Smiths are looking a bit tired, plus if my husband will buy me a Fitbit for Christmas what does he expect? If I'm going to meet my targets I've got to have the right gear haven't I?

Whatever you're up to, I hope that you're having a brilliant New Year's Day. Beth x