Filed under: 5k, gym, Janathon, running, walking | Tags: 5k, commuting, Janathon, King's Cross, running, walking in London
I seem to have some catching up to do on the blog. It’s been a busy week, with trips to Staines, Warrington and Huddersfield. I know, the glamour…
However, in between times, I reckon I have mastered the art of efficient walking down busy streets in London and through a packed King’s Cross at rush hour. One must walk quickly and purposefully with eyes – and this bit is important – fixed on some unspecified point in the middle distance. One must not, under any circumstances, make eye contact with another commuter coming in the other direction. This is a sign of weakness and almost always results in having to change the course of one’s own trajectory, therefore reducing efficiency.
In other Janathon news, my vital statistics for the working week:
Monday – gym for around 50 minutes, incorporating 5k in 28:08 mins
Tuesday – three miles walking
Wednesday – four miles walking
Thursday – four miles walking + gym for 1 hour
Friday – four miles walking
The start of another week, and back to the walking commute, thankfully drier than Friday’s. One runner of note: a chap pushing really quite a small baby in a little pram, wearing a loose flappy singlet and a small pair of shorts (the runner not the baby). Did he miss the memo about winter?
Janathon activity: 4-mile walking commute
Time: 1 hour
Dear me – is anyone else struggling with the daily blogging? I apologise for the complete lack of anything interesting to say. It’s late, and I’m rubbish.
Filed under: food, Janathon, walking | Tags: AudioFuel, commute, food, Janathon, London Underground, walking, wine
Didn’t get around to blogging yesterday evening; I was drinking wine and eating curry. Was also feeling quite weary – mentally after all of four days of work; and physically after the onslaught of exercise that my poor body is not really used to.
Nevertheless, I had extended my very wet walking commute with another walk at lunchtime – from the office down to Strand, along to Covent Garden and back via Holborn, which I estimate being another two miles, at a reasonable lick. The novelty of working in central London hasn’t worn off yet, and I’m always surprised at how close together everything is. In fact, I am reminded of Audiofuel’s Underground Calorie Map which gives you some indication of the relative distances involved, if not the actual distances:
Janathon activity: 6 miles (walking)
Time: approximate 90 minutes in total
Filed under: Janathon, walking | Tags: commuting, iPhone, Janathon, walking
Back to work this morning. Thankfully, this morning’s train ran like clockwork, though it did seem to be shrouded in a blanket of depression as everyone reluctantly headed into their offices after the lovely long relaxing break.
Between you and me, I’m still aching after that personal training session on Sunday involving the TRX contraption. So I wasn’t going to attempt another run, deciding instead to count my commuter miles towards the Janathon effort. I walk a mile to the station from home, then a mile from King’s Cross to my office – and back again at the end of the day. Four miles in total, striding purposefully, which takes me about an hour in all. I do, at least, wear my running shoes to do it.
In turn horrifying, amusing, annoying and guilt-inducing, today I observed:
- A heavily pregnant woman lighting up a king-sized fag opposite King’s Cross. Nice.
- A girl wearing a bright purple, shiny, polyester tracksuit, with a side pony-tail, gigantic gold hoop earrings and a blingy bag. Chav-tastic.
- At least nine people wearing ridiculous headgear.
- Three iPhone zombies – people who wander along like farts in the breeze, tap-tap-tapping their blinking phones and not looking where they’re going, so you have to dodge past them. Grrr.
- Six runners – three going at quite a lick on my last leg towards the house this evening.
Tomorrow will be the acid test for the gym membership. Phil and I have booked ourselves into the kickboxing class at 20:15, so I’ll need to stomp home, grab a snack, pick up my stuff and head out into the cold again when I could be curled up on the sofa, after a nice meal, with a book and what’s left of the tin of Cadbury Heroes. Difficult, non?
Distance: four miles (walking)
Time: 1 hour
Filed under: British Military Fitness, Juneathon, running, walking | Tags: blogging, British Military Fitness, camping, JogBlog, Juneathon 2010, running, walking
Fancy logo
Well done to Cathy over at JogBlog, who has been rallying the troops to participate in the fourth Juneathon. This year, she’s has a fancy new logo, sponsors and everything.
For the uninitiated, Juneathon involves running (or at least some form of exercise), then blogging/tweeting/Facebooking about it every day throughout the month of June. The winner, as chosen by JogBlog will get a pair of Vibram Five Finger Classics (no, that’s not a variation on a KitKat, sadly, but a pair of shoes designed to replicate the barefoot running experience) courtesy of the lovely chaps at Fitness Footwear. The runner-up gets four compilations from the other lovely people at AudioFuel.
I signed up quite enthusiastically, thinking my running and my blog could do with some attention. I even attempted some training last week – putting myself through a triple-bill of British Military Fitness. Though by the third day, I opted for an “easier” session with the blues and lower reds, because my legs would no longer do what I want them to do. Also did a bit of walking this weekend – something in the region of 15 miles on the first day, and five or six on the second. As for the blog, I would only have to write two more posts this month to beat May’s efforts…
Now that 1 June has arrived, however, I feel slightly less than enthusiastic – probably because it’s my birthday, and I’ve been eating sausages and cake and drinking beer all weekend during a camping trip in the Cotswolds. However, run I must…and at least make some semblance of effort to beat last year’s stats…
Filed under: Reading Half Marathon, running, walking | Tags: how to be a good race supporter, Reading Half Marathon
I should be writing my race review after yesterday’s Reading Half, but it wasn’t meant to be this year. Instead, I am congratulating my brother and Phil on an excellent race. With a little help from my brother (whose PB is 1:36 over the half marathon distance), Phil managed to run his own PB of 1:55.
I have very mixed feelings about this. Of course, I’m proud that he managed to put in such a great performance. But, if I’m being honest, I’m also absolutely gutted that we didn’t do it together: I’ve never managed to break the two-hour barrier in a decade of running, incorporating at least ten half marathons!
However, I must not be churlish. Instead of a race report, this post is dedicated to being a good race supporter.
- Study the course. Race packs always come with a course map, so study it and work out where you’re going to stand to look out for your family member/mates. Unless it’s a point-to-point race like the Great North Run, the chances are you’ll have a few chances to spot your loved ones.
- Watch the time. Ask your runner what time they expect to finish, write down the time they are anticipated to pass each mile marker and plan your own route accordingly. Remember to factor in enough time to get to each spot and allow a good ten minutes either side in case they are a bit faster or slower than they think they’ll be. Also, remember you might not be able to move as fast as you think you will if there are lots of crowds. I managed to see my boys at four points yesterday: around 5.5 miles into the race, just before the 7-mile marker, just before the 11-mile marker and just before the finish. But I was on the move for the whole two hours myself – half walking, half running at least five miles in total. My bike might have been a useful accessory.
- Get your runners to look out for you too. It’s actually quite hard work at a big race to spot the people you’re looking for! A moment’s distraction can mean you miss them completely. That nearly happened yesterday when I was jibber-jabbering to another spectator – but luckily Dan and Phil saw me because they knew I was going to be there.
- Take a camera. Runners love seeing pictures of themselves in a race environment, even if they pretend not to. They will moan later about looking all sweaty and tired, and more often than not wonder why they don’t appear to be moving. But they love it really.
- Make some noise! I’m always surprised at how many people line race routes to “support” the runners, but don’t make a sound; just attempt a half-hearted clap every few minutes. I suppose it might feel a bit weird to stand on the side of the road yelling at thousands of strangers, but it really does help to motivate the tired runner. I tend to make a beeline for someone else who is making a bit of a racket, stand next to them and join in. And so it was that I stood on the side of the A33 in Reading at 11 miles, screaming like a lunatic, next to a Scottish man doing the same. Dozens of runners raised their weary heads to acknowledge our efforts. Never underestimate the power of a few kind words.
- Apply TLC. Your runner deserves a bit of a fuss afterwards. Admire their medal, run them a bath, show sympathy for their bleeding nipples, aches and pains, and make them a nice meal. My roast chicken and herby green risotto went down a treat!
Filed under: British Military Fitness, running, walking | Tags: British Military Fitness, Little Miss Sunshine, running, sense of humour
More than 24 hours after Riotrunner, you’d have thought that my sense of humour might have returned. Not so last Monday evening at British Military Fitness. Surprisingly, I didn’t ache too much during the day, even after the beating that my ankles and knees took on the frozen sand at Borden (sand, it may have been, but it took on the properties of concrete in the cold), so decided to give it a bash.
It was an inky black night in Prospect Park – perfectly clear with hundreds of stars, and no moon. But I wasn’t happy. Especially when Instructor Steve made us run up and down the rugby pitch about 100 times, with only a few 85 barstardoes (squat thrust, press-up, squat thrust, jump) to break the monotony. My legs decided quite quickly that they did actually hurt rather a lot. And my sense of humour went firmly AWOL.
Happily for Steve and my fellow BMF-ers, it had returned by Wednesday evening, when we had a more varied session involving running round the football pitch and doing lots of different exercises on each corner.
Unhappily for Phil, the GSOH did another disappearing act on Saturday morning, when we tried to do an eight-miler. My left hip was seriously playing up, I felt very old all of a sudden, and I walked/limped/grumbled my way home.
Gave it a rest yesterday, and am planning on another BMF session tonight. Let’s hope Little Miss Grumpy becomes Little Miss Sunshine. Even if it is cold and damp.
Filed under: British Military Fitness, food, walking | Tags: British Military Fitness, Henley, Maison Blanc, snow, sonning, The Bull
In years to come, we’ll look back on the last week or so with fondness. Right now, I’m struggling to find anything positive to say about the leftover dirty slush, freezing temperatures at night and perma-drizzle during the day.
Last week, I had every intention of maintaining the two-British-Military-Fitness-classes-and-two-runs-a-week routine that I established during the second half of 2009. I headed off enthusiastically to British Military Fitness on Monday, after the first day back at work – quite full of beans. It was a cold night – two days before the first huge dump of snow – and the ground was frozen solid, to the point that it hurt my bottom, knees and hands every time they made contact.
But on Wednesday, the world turned white and chaos ensued. There was no way I was going to try to drive to work, and no way of getting to BMF. I actually did want to go – after one day of working from home, I was climbing the walls and desperate for company. Thursday and Friday, I still didn’t dare dig out the MINI and got lifts into the office, but still achieved very little in the way of physical movement let alone exercise. By the weekend, I was suffering from severe cabin fever, but quite honestly didn’t want to risk a broken ankle or worse by running in the snow.
So went walking instead on Saturday. P and I caught the train to Henley, and walked out across the beautiful white landscape. Finally, it was time to enjoy the white stuff and we had a lovely time tramping six miles or so across fields to Rotherfield Greys and back, stopping off to watch little kids and big kids alike go shooting down a slope on make-shift sledges. We were freezing by the time we got back, and therefore compelled to pay a visit to Raymond Blanc’s Maison Blanc for hot chocolate and a tasty little tart.
On Sunday, I needed to go into Reading to run a few errands. Again, got the train in and walked the five or so miles back along the canal, via The Bull at Sonning for a cheeky pint. Well, it was a long way…
Filed under: walking | Tags: altitude, Exodus, High Atlas Mountains, marathon, Marrakech, Morocco, Mount Toubkal, trekking
Sorry for the radio silence readers; I’ve been away for the past 12 days or so – peacefully trekking around the High Atlas mountains on a trip organised by a company called Exodus followed by a few manic days in Marrakech. Had a fantastic time and am quite upset to be back at work, particularly given the bulging inbox I discovered this morning.
Phil and me at the top of Mount Toubkal, complete with silly hat (his not mine)
The trip incorporated a non-technical ascent of Mount Toubkal, the highest peak in the High Atlas range at 4,167m. That’s by far the highest I’ve ever been, and rather took my breath away – in so many more ways than one…we discovered some mad people doing a marathon up there. All credit to every single runner for managing such a tremendous physical feat – it’s not one I’ll be trying to emulate in the near future. I’m still getting over the fact that my resting heart rate was 120bpm even at Toubkal base camp (3,207) – double its normal rate of 60bpm. No wonder proper athletes train at altitude.
In other news, the MINI is fine – thanks to those who’ve asked after her. She’s now purring after her prolonged stay with 3D Transmissions – I should think so too, having had 1,280 quid spent on her. It’s been an expensive month…
Filed under: walking | Tags: Ashridge, cake, Ivinghoe Beacon, Knowl Hill Bridleway, London, tea, Thames Festival, walk
Greetings loyal readers – that’s if I have any after failing to write for two weeks or more. I’ve been out and about, but lacking the energy and good humour required to write.
As well as the odd run and British Military Fitness session in the encroaching darkness – though no more weekday triple bills – Phil and I have been trying to blister-proof our feet in advance of a trekking trip to Morocco next month. Our trip to Cornwall kickstarted the training programme with a couple of days ambling around the South West Coastal Path in August.
During the bank holiday we had a glorious day exploring Ivinghoe Beacon and woodland around Ashridge Estate, and even climbed the Bridgewater Monument. That was embarrassing: we got to the top and were rewarded with a 360° view of where we had walked during the day. The only disturbance was caused by two exceptionally yappy dogs at the base of the monument that wouldn’t shut up. Rather unwisely, I said – at the top of my voice – “God, can you IMAGINE living with those?” The woman standing right next to me said: “I can and I do. They’re mine…” Ooops. I had to relieve my red face with tea and carrot cake at the nearby cafe.
We’ve also done a fair amount of traipsing around London when we’ve been there for the weekend. Had a great day with friends mid-September, when we stumbled across the Thames Festival. This was a completely free event, featuring music and dance, food and fireworks.
We’ve also been exploring the area where I live out in Berkshire. We’ve come across little copses, footpaths, bridleways and whole villages that I didn’t even know existed, despite living here on and off over the course of 14 years. Today was a case in point: we explored the northern half of the Knowl Hill Bridleway Circuit, which we ran part of a couple of months back. We came across the most delightful place called Littlewick Green, a sleepy village with huge amounts of open space, children frolicking on the green, chocolate box cottages and lots of fancy cars. Maybe if I win the lottery…
Then, of course, I wouldn’t have to work. That would be lovely after the week I just had. Didn’t even have time to fit in the minimum two weekday units of exercise – just did one BMF class on Monday night I think. It feels so long ago, I’m not even sure. I’m also fighting off a cold and sore throat, but have had lots of sleep this weekend, so I think I might be on the mend.
Right, away I go. Time for roast chicken with chili, saffron, mint and lemon. It smells good…
