VERITY LUSH: I'm playing a very grun-py waiting game

Verity Lush has suffered a running injury and is going slightly out of her mind with frustration

Whether you exercise outside or inside, you need to exercise. For all the reasons we already know, exercise is essential to keep your body, and your mind, working the way they should.

At present, I am an injured runner. This will translate to any other runners out there, or those unfortunate enough to live with runners, as a very frustrated, grumpy, slightly-obsessively-googling-injuries, individual.

I am used to heading out at the weekend and running 10 miles over the hill and back. I am used to the runners’ high afterwards and the satisfying knowledge that I’ve worked my body, cleared my mind, and benefitted myself.

This Sunday, I am supposed to be taking part in a race. I shall not be. Instead, I’ll be the grun-py one (a little running humour there), cheering their husband and friend on, and wondering if I’ll ever run again.

And that is not, for the avoidance of doubt, hyperbole.

We runners are totally crackers and a tad obsessive. I rested for a fortnight (in running weeks, that’s the equivalent of a decade), went for a short run yesterday which was pain-free, and woke up again in the same state today.

I have also sought physio and am due some more tomorrow.

You’d think that given how often I feel like groaning as I leave the house to trot out for miles, I would enjoy the rest. But no, I am tortured by the thought of losing my hard-won fitness, missing out on run chat with my run buddy, and missing out on race bling by not being able to take part.

Running itself teaches you perseverance pays, and being an injured runner teaches you that patience pays. Probably. I have none – I’m a runner after all – but I suspect the waiting game is simply one I am going to have to play.

S’NOW JOKE – LAST WEEK’S CRAZY WEATHER MADE FOR MAGICAL MEMORIES

The snow day was a blessed one in the Lush household. The little Lush offspring were beside themselves at the falling of the white stuff, and much as it causes all kinds of chaos, it does add a little chilly magic to the day.

The fact that we all woke up to no water the following day and a mysterious disappearance of all said snow, making it seem as thought we’d dreamt the whole thing, did not dampen my kids’ memories of last Friday and their total joy at being knee deep in the stuff.

We trotted out with the sledge and had immense fun in the untouched piles of snow that we discovered. It really was unbeatable memory-making.

IT’S ENDLESS BUT HOMEWORK IS GOOD FOR YOU AND THE KIDS

If you have kids of school age, then chances are that their homework is your homework.

Hours and hours of unending homework. Projects upon projects, assessment upon assessment, task upon task.

In one piece of science homework, that consisted of approximately 10 tasks, my daughter had to name the moons of one of the planets she had written about.

Who knew that some planets have upwards of 67 moons! What? WHAT?!

We resisted naming them all, tempting though it wasn’t to write out 67 meaningless names that are unlikely to help my daughter forge her future in this world of only one (sensible) moon.

That said, the habit of doing homework is necessary and does help build a work ethic.