Well, long time no update. Other things have been taking up lots of time, and I've succumbed to the lure of Facebook, so that's kind of replaced this to an extent.
Anyway, I'm grading for my purple belt tonight. I've got a feeling it's going to be pretty exhausting.
I'll let you know.
Friday, 30 November 2007
Thursday, 8 November 2007
Monday, 8 October 2007
Jog Blog 24
Well, it's been a while since I updated this.
Been out for a run this morning for the first time in, ooh, about a month. I have been busy though - I'm now a married man, and I've been away on holiday / honeymoon too. So with all the festivities and fun the fitness side of the things has been slipping slightly.
Well, HAD been slipping slightly. Remedied that yesterday and this morning. Yesterday I put up my new pull-up bar outside so I'm looking forward to increasing the numbers of both pull-up and chin-ups I can achieve in the next few months. I was quite pleased with initial efforts, mind you: managed two wide grip pronated pull-ups, followed by five close grip supinated ones. Need to think of targets, and set up a plan!
The run this morning was pretty taxing, given the lack of work over the past few weeks. As much an exercise in mental strength as physical, and as it was completely dark I had to stay on the well lit roads rather than my preferred routes through tiny lanes and footpaths. Still, managed 2.6 miles in twenty minutes, although my knee hurts a bit now. Ah, I'm sure it'll be fine.
Been out for a run this morning for the first time in, ooh, about a month. I have been busy though - I'm now a married man, and I've been away on holiday / honeymoon too. So with all the festivities and fun the fitness side of the things has been slipping slightly.
Well, HAD been slipping slightly. Remedied that yesterday and this morning. Yesterday I put up my new pull-up bar outside so I'm looking forward to increasing the numbers of both pull-up and chin-ups I can achieve in the next few months. I was quite pleased with initial efforts, mind you: managed two wide grip pronated pull-ups, followed by five close grip supinated ones. Need to think of targets, and set up a plan!
The run this morning was pretty taxing, given the lack of work over the past few weeks. As much an exercise in mental strength as physical, and as it was completely dark I had to stay on the well lit roads rather than my preferred routes through tiny lanes and footpaths. Still, managed 2.6 miles in twenty minutes, although my knee hurts a bit now. Ah, I'm sure it'll be fine.
Monday, 10 September 2007
Birthday Greetings
Happy Birthday to:
- Paddy, for today
- Helen, for the 8th
- Me!, for the 7th
- Helena, for the 6th
Jog Blog 23
Here we go again.It's been a couple of weeks since I went running, for a variety of reasons (some avoidable, some less so), but I made the effort this morning and put in a nice three and a half miler. That's five and a bit kilometres, in just under half an hour on a hilly course, which is pretty pleasing. Not terribly quick, but then that's never been the aim. Thus far, anyway. I think I might pick a three mile course and do it regularly against the clock - maybe once a week or so, mixed in with other runs, but once a week do a time trial and see how I get on, if I improve as a result.
Saturday, 8 September 2007
Ice climbing!
Check this out.
Seriously, how cool is this? Excuse the pun!
Birthday present from Sarah, my wife-to-be. We went up to Manchester, to the North Face store on Deansgate, where they house a 27 foot tall ice wall. Oh yes, an ice wall! So, we donned crampons and picked up ice axes. A brief, and very "common sense" briefing from Mark (our superbly laid back instructor) followed, and we were off! The video embedded above is my first attempt - I'm a natural, apparently. Apologies for the slightly squashed nature of the footage, my camera video stream doesn't rotate too well! Sarah was also up and down the wall several times. There are several techniques, and we dabbled in all of them, scaling a variety of routes up the wall, including an overhanging box, up a formation known as "the pillar", and the relatively simple route shown above. I made a couple of attempts without ice axes too, attempting to "rock climb" up the face, with (what I thought was) quite some success!
All in all, a great present, a great work-out, and best of all, great fun!
Seriously, how cool is this? Excuse the pun!
Birthday present from Sarah, my wife-to-be. We went up to Manchester, to the North Face store on Deansgate, where they house a 27 foot tall ice wall. Oh yes, an ice wall! So, we donned crampons and picked up ice axes. A brief, and very "common sense" briefing from Mark (our superbly laid back instructor) followed, and we were off! The video embedded above is my first attempt - I'm a natural, apparently. Apologies for the slightly squashed nature of the footage, my camera video stream doesn't rotate too well! Sarah was also up and down the wall several times. There are several techniques, and we dabbled in all of them, scaling a variety of routes up the wall, including an overhanging box, up a formation known as "the pillar", and the relatively simple route shown above. I made a couple of attempts without ice axes too, attempting to "rock climb" up the face, with (what I thought was) quite some success!
All in all, a great present, a great work-out, and best of all, great fun!
Tuesday, 28 August 2007
World gone nuts
Sitting at my desk, nibbling on some nuts.
A bag of Tesco's mixed nuts, no less. Now, I know Tesco are a responsible retailer, and feel strongly that they have a commitment to the health of their customers, and as such label all their food with advice about potential ingredients to which people may have allergies. Nut allergies are nasty, and can affect people badly. However, how many people with serious nut allergies are likely to buy a bag of mixed nuts? See the back of the packet:
Note, the description of the contents of the packet being "A selection of Brazil nuts, almonds, hazlenuts, walnuts andpecan nut kernels.". Then see the Allergy Advice: contains Almonds, Brazil nuts, hazlenuts, pecans and walnuts. Amusingly, I've just noticed, the ingredients are listed again, in the ingredients section! Surely a big panel just saying "NUTS!" for all three would suffice?
A bag of Tesco's mixed nuts, no less. Now, I know Tesco are a responsible retailer, and feel strongly that they have a commitment to the health of their customers, and as such label all their food with advice about potential ingredients to which people may have allergies. Nut allergies are nasty, and can affect people badly. However, how many people with serious nut allergies are likely to buy a bag of mixed nuts? See the back of the packet:
Note, the description of the contents of the packet being "A selection of Brazil nuts, almonds, hazlenuts, walnuts andpecan nut kernels.". Then see the Allergy Advice: contains Almonds, Brazil nuts, hazlenuts, pecans and walnuts. Amusingly, I've just noticed, the ingredients are listed again, in the ingredients section! Surely a big panel just saying "NUTS!" for all three would suffice?
Wednesday, 22 August 2007
Job Blog 22
Glorious morning!
Sometimes I wonder why I'm dragging myself out of bed in the morning.
Sometimes it's an effort to get going.
Then you get a morning like the picture above, and it's worth being up and about, regardless of what you're doing, just to see the morning! It just so happened I was out running, so I got to see the sunrise from a variety of angles (and through a sheen of sweat eventually too), and revel in the sight. It's set me up for the day. Everything's ace.
Run itself was only two and a half miles, but it was quite quick, which was nice. Tiring, but nice.
Monday, 20 August 2007
Jog Blog 21
Well, this is all getting a bit boring, isn't it?
Still running, still enjoying it, still feeling good for it. No tales of woe, of injuries or disaffection, just a ongoing record of my continuing adventures in getting fitter! Ho hum.
Karate's all good, running's good, weight training good. I'm feeling good! Had a minor case of conjunctivitis last weekend, but that was dealt with swiftly by antibiotics from the chemist and I'm feeling 100% again.
I have to confess it was difficult to get up this morning - the curse of the snooze button, I'm afraid - but get up I did. The delay meant that I didn't have enough time for a long run like last Thursday (shame....) but twenty minutes was eminently doable. So which route? I know, let's run a hill route and make the most of it. Aaargh! What was I thinking? How much hard work was that? I enjoyed it, sure, but maaaaan it was hard work!
Still running, still enjoying it, still feeling good for it. No tales of woe, of injuries or disaffection, just a ongoing record of my continuing adventures in getting fitter! Ho hum.
Karate's all good, running's good, weight training good. I'm feeling good! Had a minor case of conjunctivitis last weekend, but that was dealt with swiftly by antibiotics from the chemist and I'm feeling 100% again.I have to confess it was difficult to get up this morning - the curse of the snooze button, I'm afraid - but get up I did. The delay meant that I didn't have enough time for a long run like last Thursday (shame....) but twenty minutes was eminently doable. So which route? I know, let's run a hill route and make the most of it. Aaargh! What was I thinking? How much hard work was that? I enjoyed it, sure, but maaaaan it was hard work!
Thursday, 16 August 2007
Zorbing video back!
I went hydrozorbing last year,
and shot a video from inside the zorb on the way down. I had to pull it from my website due to bandwidth constraints, but thanks to YouTube it's back:
It's available on the main website at minshaw.co.uk. Zorb South used to link to it too, but I probably broke their link when I moved the video.
and shot a video from inside the zorb on the way down. I had to pull it from my website due to bandwidth constraints, but thanks to YouTube it's back:
It's available on the main website at minshaw.co.uk. Zorb South used to link to it too, but I probably broke their link when I moved the video.
Jog Blog #20
Twenty up!Another drag yourself out of bed morning, another rewarding trek around the Whitwick countryside. Finally got up early enough to give myself time to break the shackles of the three mile barrier, and tacked on another mile. So, four miles, and then home to a perfect cooked breakfast. What a way to start the day!
A new route too. Well, a new addition to the route. I headed out up the Leicester Road - a steep hill I've driven up plenty of times (particularly when Sarah was pregnant with Sam, heading into Leicester for hospital appointments and so on), but never run up. The aim was to get to the footpath accessing the "Forest Rock Hill", an even steeper hill to the top of the quarry, with a standing stone in a clearing at the top. The location affords spectacular views of Whitwick and Coalville, and affords anyone stupid enough to run up it some very tired legs! I have to admit I paused at the top by the stone - taking in the view, not catching my breath, honest!
Leaving the views behind I cruised down the hills again, and then instead of heading straight for home I swung left into Silver Street, and cut across the playing field behind the leisure centre. I was still undecided which route to take: whether to cut through to Church Lane, past the park and home (the short route), or along the path to the Bridle Road, along that and back up Thornborough Road. The latter won, the desire to do more than three miles driving me on!The run back was pleasant, the hills paling into insignificance compared to what I'd tackled earlier - even the final push up Hervey Woods didn't seem as hellish as normal. Perhaps I should have been running harder then! Still, I made it count.
Wednesday, 15 August 2007
10 tips for a healthy office life
Recently, I've found myself reading more and more "lifehack" type blogs - you know, tips and tricks for productivity, mental happiness, fitness and so on. One of the most well known of these is, in fact, lifehack, but it's not one I read a lot. My favourite is Leo Babuta's Zen Habits, and I enjoy reading his daily posts from the other side of the world, on topics that are relevant to my hectic life. I highly recommend it, particularly if you're trying to juggle life, children and work!
Talking of work, I spend most of my day sat on my backside at my desk. Generally speaking, this isn't the healthiest way to spend your day. There are, however, ways to make the most of this time - or at the very least to mitigate against it's harmful effects!
So, in the spirit of Zen Habits and Lifehack, here are my 10 tips for a healthier office life:
Talking of work, I spend most of my day sat on my backside at my desk. Generally speaking, this isn't the healthiest way to spend your day. There are, however, ways to make the most of this time - or at the very least to mitigate against it's harmful effects!
So, in the spirit of Zen Habits and Lifehack, here are my 10 tips for a healthier office life:
- Breakfast. Having a healthier office lifestyle starts early enough to set you up for the day. You need to make time for breakfast. Having something to digest starts you metabolism working for the day. The higher your resting metabolic rate the more calories you burn just existing. Whether it's a full English (grilled, not fried), a bowl of cereal and some fruit, or a protein shake, make sure you get something early doors!
- Swap coffee for green tea. Some people drink a lot of coffee. I used to be one of them! The benefits of tea, particularly the green variety, over coffee make this an easy win on the health front. What's that? You need your caffeine? Okay, but green tea has caffeine. It also has lots of phytochemical antioxidants which is excellent news for your body if you have lots of free radicals due to, oooh, drinking alcohol? The caffeine and antioxidants mean that green tea excels at promoting fat loss, as it elevates body heat production. Okay, you won't win slimmer of the year just from a change of drink, but it's a health tip!
- Turn the air conditioning down a couple of degrees. What? But it's nice like this! Well, you can burn more calories by turning the thermostat down a notch. I'm not advocating turning it down to freezing, and you should turn it back up if you feel the onset of hypothermia! However, the body will use more calories keeping your temperature normalised a couple of degrees below "comfy" than it will at your normal temperature. Ally this tip with the one above - green tea excels at raising the body's temperature!
- Eating at your desk. Grazing. Yep, you might be surprised to hear me advocate this, but hear me out. There are one or two conditions: you need to be grazing on healthy food, not chocolate and crisps, and too much of anything is a bad thing! Nuts, seeds and fruit are the best things. Pumpkin seeds are a favourite here, as are pine nuts.
- Walking. Obvious one! Sorry to waste your time with this one, but it is a big one. Make yourself walk a bit - rather than emailing or phoning, get off your arse and walk across the office. The building. The street! Take the stairs, not the lift. It all adds up. There's a good reason for all the "get exercise" advice.
- Take a packed lunch. Save money, and eat healthier. Win / win. Okay, so you might miss your chip and egg butty (cob / batch / barm... ), but you can choose your meals in advance, and make sure you bring in plenty. Make your packed lunch the night before, to leave time in the morning for a big, healthy breakfast too!
- Stretching and twisting. Not the chair gymnastics shown on some guides - no-one in their right mind is going to make themselves look a pillock in the middle of an office doing those. However - standing up and stretching periodically will aid your posture, your joints and your sanity! You should be getting ten minutes every hour away from your pc anyway (yeah, right), why not use this time for a good stretch?
- Fidgeting. While you're sat at your desk you can fidget. I am constantly bouncing my knees up and down - I do it at home too and it annoys the hell out of the family. Minor, but constant, fidgeting can burn up to 800 calories a day, over the course of the day. That's a lot for sitting down!
- Pacing. While you're on the phone to a cow-orker, pace around the office. This aids circulation, which in turn pumps more blood to your brain. More blood to the brain equals more oxygen to the brain, which in turn aids your concentration and wakefulness.
- A good night's sleep. Yes, the final tip is to get a good night's sleep. This can aid your concentration the following day - obviously. A poor night's sleep leads to low cortisol levels in the morning, which leads to cravings for carbohydrates and quick energy, even when the body is well fed.
Friday, 10 August 2007
Jog Blog 19
Up and at 'em!Well, here we go again. Glorious morning! Absolutely fantastic. Mist on the lake, dew on the grass, and the blazing orb in the sky. Out the door at half past six - having already logged in to work and taken care of a couple of things my phone alerted me to!
Still, I made it out the door, which was the main thing. It really is a treat in weather like this. Regular readers will have noticed that my month and a half hiatus from running coincided nicely with the monsoon season we've so recently endured, and that my return to action has heralded the onset of the Summer!
So, how far? How fast? Well, not too far, and not
too fast. The pain in my heel / ankle returned, and despite modifying my running style to accommodate the discomfort it still cause me to slow, and grind to a halt grimacing at one point. I'm going to do a bit of research on it (read: google it) this afternoon to see what might be causing it (apart from running!). Distance wise - two and a quarter miles or so. Still trolling between the two and three mile markers - maybe I'll try a longer one over the weekend!Wednesday, 8 August 2007
Social networking comes to the Minshaws!
Well, I finally checked out Facebook, having heard people at work go on about it. It's Mike's fault, primarily - if one can apportion blame for discovering a website - for sending me an invite. I think I might have registered a while back, but done nothing with it (as I am wont to do, I have accounts on many, many systems that I don't use, have forgotten, or have expired) until now, and now I've got a proper profile and everything. It's working too - people crawling out of the woodwork, replying to tentative enquiries, and catching up with old friends. All good, really. I wonder how long I'll keep interested, though, before I slip back to checking it once a month or so, then less. Errr... like blog posts.... Anyway, if you're on Facebook, look me up:
Well, I finally checked out Facebook, having heard people at work go on about it. It's Mike's fault, primarily - if one can apportion blame for discovering a website - for sending me an invite. I think I might have registered a while back, but done nothing with it (as I am wont to do, I have accounts on many, many systems that I don't use, have forgotten, or have expired) until now, and now I've got a proper profile and everything. It's working too - people crawling out of the woodwork, replying to tentative enquiries, and catching up with old friends. All good, really. I wonder how long I'll keep interested, though, before I slip back to checking it once a month or so, then less. Errr... like blog posts.... Anyway, if you're on Facebook, look me up:
Return of the Jog Blog!
It's back! This is Jog Blog #18.
Yup, I'm injury free, motivated and back out pounding the tarmac, grass and general underfoot rubbish as of this morning. First time I've been out running since June the nineteenth! Bloody hell, where did all that time go? No
wonder it was hard work running for my grading. So, it was a case of roll out of bed, pull the trainers on, and get going. To be honest I've been meaning to go for the last couple of mornings, but the snooze button has been my nemesis. One to ponder - the snooze button: heaven sent, or the devil's tool? A brilliant and glorious way of snatching another nine minutes in bed (why nine minutes? Nine?), or a quick way of staying in bed for another forty-five minutes and consequently missing whatever you had planned. So I only gave in its lure once this morning, and then it was up and off!
Ran for nineteen minutes, and covered two and a half miles (see pic). Not bad. Glorious morning - seeing the world at that time has given me the incentive to keep doing it! No problems while running, and feel bloody brilliant this morning now for having got myself up and doing it. Return of the Jog Blog? Not 'alf!
Yup, I'm injury free, motivated and back out pounding the tarmac, grass and general underfoot rubbish as of this morning. First time I've been out running since June the nineteenth! Bloody hell, where did all that time go? No
wonder it was hard work running for my grading. So, it was a case of roll out of bed, pull the trainers on, and get going. To be honest I've been meaning to go for the last couple of mornings, but the snooze button has been my nemesis. One to ponder - the snooze button: heaven sent, or the devil's tool? A brilliant and glorious way of snatching another nine minutes in bed (why nine minutes? Nine?), or a quick way of staying in bed for another forty-five minutes and consequently missing whatever you had planned. So I only gave in its lure once this morning, and then it was up and off!Ran for nineteen minutes, and covered two and a half miles (see pic). Not bad. Glorious morning - seeing the world at that time has given me the incentive to keep doing it! No problems while running, and feel bloody brilliant this morning now for having got myself up and doing it. Return of the Jog Blog? Not 'alf!
Monday, 30 July 2007
Blue belt!
Another step up the ladder...
Yup, graded for my blue belt on Friday night, and got it on Saturday. Had it presented to me by multiple world champion Daz Ellis, too, which was pretty cool. 'Twas a hard grading, mind you, and more than any other belt thus far I feel that I've earned this one! Daz was at the club to give a seminar on points fighting, which was an excellent two hours of technique,fitness and sparring. Thanks to the PSA club from Hinckley too - what other sport gives you the opportunity to kick complete strangers in the head for fun?
Yup, graded for my blue belt on Friday night, and got it on Saturday. Had it presented to me by multiple world champion Daz Ellis, too, which was pretty cool. 'Twas a hard grading, mind you, and more than any other belt thus far I feel that I've earned this one! Daz was at the club to give a seminar on points fighting, which was an excellent two hours of technique,fitness and sparring. Thanks to the PSA club from Hinckley too - what other sport gives you the opportunity to kick complete strangers in the head for fun?
Thursday, 26 July 2007
Escrima baby!
Sam tries his hand at escrima
"You can't give a baby... escrima!". Oh, I can, and I did! He looks the part, does he not? Escrima, for those of you who might not know, is the Fillipino art of stick fighting. Wikipedia's article about it is here. They're mine, obviously - we had our first play with them last night at karate, and it's good fun!
"You can't give a baby... escrima!". Oh, I can, and I did! He looks the part, does he not? Escrima, for those of you who might not know, is the Fillipino art of stick fighting. Wikipedia's article about it is here. They're mine, obviously - we had our first play with them last night at karate, and it's good fun!
Wednesday, 25 July 2007
Support Peace One Day on our Wedding Day
This is a cracking initiative, which we found out about recently. An international day of peace, when aid can be given, relief delivered, and the devastation of the world's wars halted - even temporarily. Watch the video, read the information, and support it!
It also falls on our wedding day, and on our anniversary thereafter; a good thing to help us remember every year.
Sunday, 22 July 2007
Happy Birthday Sam
Sam's a year old! He's one.
Bugger me, where did the last year go? The Samster's one year old!
Bugger me, where did the last year go? The Samster's one year old!
The Wedding Blog
So I've not updated for a while...
That seems to be becoming a regular meme. Ah well, I have been busy. Sarah and I are getting married, and it's gone from "eventually" to "in nine weeks" in the blink of an eye. More info here. It's dead easy, this arranging a wedding lark. So, as of September 21st Sarah will be Mrs. Minshaw, my wife. Brilliant!
That seems to be becoming a regular meme. Ah well, I have been busy. Sarah and I are getting married, and it's gone from "eventually" to "in nine weeks" in the blink of an eye. More info here. It's dead easy, this arranging a wedding lark. So, as of September 21st Sarah will be Mrs. Minshaw, my wife. Brilliant!
Saturday, 30 June 2007
Congratulations Pads and Lou
On the birth of Daniel James O'Reilly
Yup, Pads and Lou are parents now, Daniel having been born in the early hours of Monday 25th June. Well done to all concerned, and welcome to the wonderful world of parenthood, guys!
Yup, Pads and Lou are parents now, Daniel having been born in the early hours of Monday 25th June. Well done to all concerned, and welcome to the wonderful world of parenthood, guys!
Lack of updates explained
Those of you who read this,
and I gather there are a few, have probably noticed it's gone a little quiet of late. No "jog blog" updates, less than usual general wittering... where's Minshaw gone? Well, there's a simple explanation. I've been poorly. Not badly poorly, before you all start sending flowers or anything, but poorly enough to make me concentrate on getting better rather than posting gibberish to the interweb. It's been a combination of things - over indulgence on the beer, a back injury due to weight training, and a virus type bug on top of all that. Basically, I hurt my back, had too much to drink, and my body's given up on me. I've been off work, off karate... even been off housework!
Ironically, the way I hurt my back was trying to strengthen it: deadlifting. I've been doing it for a few weeks, having added it to my workout, and been upping the weights fairly steeply (having started with just the bar to make sure I got the form right). Too quickly it seems. It's a week later now and I'm probably 95% of the way back to fitness. I've been lucky with my recovery speed on this one!
So, normal service should be resumed shortly.
and I gather there are a few, have probably noticed it's gone a little quiet of late. No "jog blog" updates, less than usual general wittering... where's Minshaw gone? Well, there's a simple explanation. I've been poorly. Not badly poorly, before you all start sending flowers or anything, but poorly enough to make me concentrate on getting better rather than posting gibberish to the interweb. It's been a combination of things - over indulgence on the beer, a back injury due to weight training, and a virus type bug on top of all that. Basically, I hurt my back, had too much to drink, and my body's given up on me. I've been off work, off karate... even been off housework!
Ironically, the way I hurt my back was trying to strengthen it: deadlifting. I've been doing it for a few weeks, having added it to my workout, and been upping the weights fairly steeply (having started with just the bar to make sure I got the form right). Too quickly it seems. It's a week later now and I'm probably 95% of the way back to fitness. I've been lucky with my recovery speed on this one!
So, normal service should be resumed shortly.
Aerosmith!
Hyde Park Calling 2007Well, it's the end of June, but you wouldn't know it. Cold, wet and downright bloody miserable. Still, that's not going to deter the four of us (Mike, Lou, Sarah and I) from heading down to London, wandering around in a field (alright, a park, but it's so big it's just a glorified field) for a few hours and enjoying the mighty Aerosmith's first UK gig for eight years.
The train ride down was good, and we headed straight into a tavern to take on some vittals. The food took some time to arrive, and we were forced to imbibe fine beverages in the interim. From there, we eventually headed for Hyde Park, using public transport! You buy your bus ticket from a machine before you get on the bus, in London! Oooh, get them!
To the gig, then. The sound quality was a bit naff, we thought. I was comparing it to the NIA - when we went to see Kaiser Chiefs there the sound was crap for all the support bands, but the Chiefs' engineers obviously had access to additional resources because the headline act sound was awesome. This was not the case in London, sadly. All the acts suffered with the same low quality system. Some made more of it than others - Chris Cornell was a great example of overcoming technical issues to play a top set - but it, along with the rain, made the occasion less than it could have been. So, who did we see? The Answer, Jet, Chris Cornell, and of course, Aerosmith. The Answer were good, pretty much as expected, a sort of Irish Led Zepp type sound, all very nice thanks. Jet, well, I konw their albums inside and out and thought they played a good mix of tracks. Chris Cornell was the revelation, the highlight of the day really. I remember lots of Soundgarden stuff, and I've listened to some Audioslave, but hearing him perform them added a freshness to them, a zing... like Richard Ashcroft performing tracks by The Verve. The theme from Casino Royale was a good one, Spoonman another, and of course Black Hole Sun and Cochise were favourites.
Then Aerosmith. Love in an Elevator opened the show. Hoh yeah, we're rocking now! Their back catalogue is sooo
extensive than there's always going to be favourite tracks excluded, and surprises instead, but they pretty much played a best-of set, with the usual strutting performance from Mr. Tyler, and the sublime skills of Mr. Perry. Relying on public transport as we were, we had to leave before the end of the gig (only two songs as it turned out), to make 100% sure we got our train home. Sweet Emotion was playing as we left. I commented that we were probably going to miss the event of the century when they play "Walk this way" and DMC comes on... much chuckling and "yeah, right"ing.... IT BLOODY HAPPENED THOUGH! They played it as the finale, and the surviving member of Run DMC did indeed turn up to guest with them. D'oh! D'oh! D'oh! The highlight of the set, that we saw, was Dream On, I think, although I Don't Want To Miss a Thing ran it pretty close.A taxi was obtained outside Hyde Park, and we actually got to St. Pancras in plenty of time - but the risk of staying later and then trying to get a taxi, along with seventy thousand other people, would have been too much. So, we made it there, we made it back, we saw some Rock. A Good Day.
Tuesday, 19 June 2007
Jog Blog #17
Another drag myself out of bed morning...
I'm sure this getting up in the morning is becoming harder. I didn't manage to haul myself out until ten past six this morning, and left the house five minutes later. Started running without having decided a route, so made it up as I went along. It was an effort, but I made sure that I kept turning away from home - the temptation to take an early turn back was almost overwhelming, such was the lure of a hot shower and some green tea. Mental fortitude proved sufficient, however, and I ploughed on.
I ended up running 2.8 miles, without too much bother. The ankle issue I was suffering with the other day reappeared, but a minor modification to my technique removed that irritation, and my running was pretty much unhindered from that point on. My general fitness level is far in advance of where it was a few months ago, and a few people have commented that I appear to have shed a few pounds, so there are side benefits to the running. On top of that, against all the odds, I'm actually quite enjoying it!
I did think that I might skive off this morning though, and use the excuse of a poorly foot; Jack contrived to drop a full three litre bottle of squash on the top of my foot yesterday morning. Three litres equals three kilograms. From about eighteen inches up, without warning. There was very nearly child unfriendly language, but it's amazing how ones instinct becomes honed to the presence to the extent that all I uttered was a kind of snarliing noise!
Oooh - did anyone watch the program with Bill Bailey and the jaguars last night? Magnificent beasts, they are. However, it did prompt Sarah and I to comment on the hedgehog which had run across our decking the night before, and brought to mind the squirrel I saw the other morning, which raced me - him along the top of a fence, me on the path. He was quicker. I saw three rabbits this morning too, in rolling countryside, all very Watership Down. So there are exotic and magnificent beasts abroad, but we have some ace wildlife over here too. Wildlife which is unlikely to tear out your throat, too!
I'm sure this getting up in the morning is becoming harder. I didn't manage to haul myself out until ten past six this morning, and left the house five minutes later. Started running without having decided a route, so made it up as I went along. It was an effort, but I made sure that I kept turning away from home - the temptation to take an early turn back was almost overwhelming, such was the lure of a hot shower and some green tea. Mental fortitude proved sufficient, however, and I ploughed on.
I ended up running 2.8 miles, without too much bother. The ankle issue I was suffering with the other day reappeared, but a minor modification to my technique removed that irritation, and my running was pretty much unhindered from that point on. My general fitness level is far in advance of where it was a few months ago, and a few people have commented that I appear to have shed a few pounds, so there are side benefits to the running. On top of that, against all the odds, I'm actually quite enjoying it!I did think that I might skive off this morning though, and use the excuse of a poorly foot; Jack contrived to drop a full three litre bottle of squash on the top of my foot yesterday morning. Three litres equals three kilograms. From about eighteen inches up, without warning. There was very nearly child unfriendly language, but it's amazing how ones instinct becomes honed to the presence to the extent that all I uttered was a kind of snarliing noise!
Oooh - did anyone watch the program with Bill Bailey and the jaguars last night? Magnificent beasts, they are. However, it did prompt Sarah and I to comment on the hedgehog which had run across our decking the night before, and brought to mind the squirrel I saw the other morning, which raced me - him along the top of a fence, me on the path. He was quicker. I saw three rabbits this morning too, in rolling countryside, all very Watership Down. So there are exotic and magnificent beasts abroad, but we have some ace wildlife over here too. Wildlife which is unlikely to tear out your throat, too!
Thursday, 14 June 2007
Jog Blog #16
Misty and miserable...
but still I go out running. And running it was this morning, as I was late going out due to the extreme comfiness of our bed, and the rain on the roof. However, I eventually girded my loins and headed out at about quarter to seven. I reckoned I knew a route which was about a mile - I've done enough tromping around now to know how far most bits are, and thought I'd shake things up a bit with a quick run around there. So, instead of jogging two and a bit miles, I ran for a mile. I went through a few phases during the run: firstly my legs felt heavy and tired, as though I'd only just got out of bed... then as I got going, there was a good feeling - I was running quicker than I have been recently, and it felt good. I was covering ground quickly, the ground was flat at that point, and everything seemed to be coming good. Then I turned a corner and had to slog uphill - one of the drawbacks of my chosen route - all the way home. Killer. My legs turned to lead and my lungs started burning... all good signs, I was obviously working them! Shaking things up won't have done any harm - quite the opposite, in fact; a step beyond the comfort zone is a good thing!
As a side note, I've lost over a stone since January, through a combination of karate, running and weight training. Not that I thought I particularly needed to, it's just a side effect of the fitness kick!
but still I go out running. And running it was this morning, as I was late going out due to the extreme comfiness of our bed, and the rain on the roof. However, I eventually girded my loins and headed out at about quarter to seven. I reckoned I knew a route which was about a mile - I've done enough tromping around now to know how far most bits are, and thought I'd shake things up a bit with a quick run around there. So, instead of jogging two and a bit miles, I ran for a mile. I went through a few phases during the run: firstly my legs felt heavy and tired, as though I'd only just got out of bed... then as I got going, there was a good feeling - I was running quicker than I have been recently, and it felt good. I was covering ground quickly, the ground was flat at that point, and everything seemed to be coming good. Then I turned a corner and had to slog uphill - one of the drawbacks of my chosen route - all the way home. Killer. My legs turned to lead and my lungs started burning... all good signs, I was obviously working them! Shaking things up won't have done any harm - quite the opposite, in fact; a step beyond the comfort zone is a good thing!
As a side note, I've lost over a stone since January, through a combination of karate, running and weight training. Not that I thought I particularly needed to, it's just a side effect of the fitness kick!
Tuesday, 12 June 2007
Jog Blog #15
Running off the chips!
Sarah was on a course last night, and got home at about half ten with a jumbo sized portion of chips and curry sauce! Yum! Just what I needed after spending the evening alternating
between lifting weighs outside in the evening sun, and running upstairs to placate Sam, who was clearly irate at having to go to bed on such a lovely evening! However, the chips were also a good incentive to get my backside out of bed this morning and get off on another tour of Whitwick. The running was easier than last Thursday, given that I hadn't imbibed enough booze to float a battleship, but I did have a problem with my left heel / ankle as I was running, which meant that I had to modify my technique to stop it hurting. Seems alright now, though.
Covered 2.3 miles, which was a good distance although I keep intending to push myself further. Maybe Thursday morning - I was up for it this morning, but the heel thing made me turn for home sooner than I would have done otherwise.
So, still running, still feeling the benefit, and still enjoying it. Maximo Park blasting out the soundtrack this morning, I highly recommend their album. You can probably get it through one of the links on this page!
Sarah was on a course last night, and got home at about half ten with a jumbo sized portion of chips and curry sauce! Yum! Just what I needed after spending the evening alternating
between lifting weighs outside in the evening sun, and running upstairs to placate Sam, who was clearly irate at having to go to bed on such a lovely evening! However, the chips were also a good incentive to get my backside out of bed this morning and get off on another tour of Whitwick. The running was easier than last Thursday, given that I hadn't imbibed enough booze to float a battleship, but I did have a problem with my left heel / ankle as I was running, which meant that I had to modify my technique to stop it hurting. Seems alright now, though.
Covered 2.3 miles, which was a good distance although I keep intending to push myself further. Maybe Thursday morning - I was up for it this morning, but the heel thing made me turn for home sooner than I would have done otherwise.So, still running, still feeling the benefit, and still enjoying it. Maximo Park blasting out the soundtrack this morning, I highly recommend their album. You can probably get it through one of the links on this page!
Post party post
Just a quick note about JP's party...
Big thanks to Jon and Nicki for the gathering on Saturday night. Good time had by all, and any opportunity to see / hear the Justin / Gav duet belting out Queen (or McFly) numbers is too good to turn down. Sunday was a quiet day, it's safe to say!
Big thanks to Jon and Nicki for the gathering on Saturday night. Good time had by all, and any opportunity to see / hear the Justin / Gav duet belting out Queen (or McFly) numbers is too good to turn down. Sunday was a quiet day, it's safe to say!
Thursday, 7 June 2007
Jog Blog #14
Late nights and drinking...
... don't mix terribly well with early mornings and running. This morning was the epitome of not allowing oneself to think more than ten seconds ahead, and the "just get out the door with your trainers on" principle. It was murky, the ground was wet, and I didn't feel like dragging my sorry ass out of bed! No wake up call from Sam, either, so staying in bed would have been a very easy option. I didn't run yesterday though, nor did I do any weights, and missing exercise two days on the trot is a bit too habit forming for my liking, so drag my ass out of bed I did. Stumbled into the bathroom, cleaned my teeth and splashed some water on my face. Stumbled out of the bathroom, looked wistfully at the warm bed I'd just vacated, and pulled on my shorts and a t-shirt.
Hitting the road was easy once I made it out of the front door. It stayed easy for precisely two minutes and forty three seconds, which was the first time I looked at my watch and realised I'd only just got started. The remaining twenty minutes were a mixed hell of dry mouth, heavy legs and laboured breathing, and an exercise in mental toughness as much as much as physical endurance. All thoughts of intensity, time and speed went out of the window and were replaced with the repetition of a two word mantra - keep going.
Route pretty much made itself up, and turned out to be quite a good one. Up past the park, down Church Lane, down Thornborough Road to the bridleway, along there, up past the golf course and around the lake (because it's there!) once, then over the stepping stones and onto Church Lane again, back past the park and I even managed a little sprint home. Twenty two minutes of pain, to cover two and three quarter miles. Pleased with myself for managing it, though. For keeping going. For getting out of bed!
Toughest run so far. Managed it. Bring on the next one!
... don't mix terribly well with early mornings and running. This morning was the epitome of not allowing oneself to think more than ten seconds ahead, and the "just get out the door with your trainers on" principle. It was murky, the ground was wet, and I didn't feel like dragging my sorry ass out of bed! No wake up call from Sam, either, so staying in bed would have been a very easy option. I didn't run yesterday though, nor did I do any weights, and missing exercise two days on the trot is a bit too habit forming for my liking, so drag my ass out of bed I did. Stumbled into the bathroom, cleaned my teeth and splashed some water on my face. Stumbled out of the bathroom, looked wistfully at the warm bed I'd just vacated, and pulled on my shorts and a t-shirt.
Hitting the road was easy once I made it out of the front door. It stayed easy for precisely two minutes and forty three seconds, which was the first time I looked at my watch and realised I'd only just got started. The remaining twenty minutes were a mixed hell of dry mouth, heavy legs and laboured breathing, and an exercise in mental toughness as much as much as physical endurance. All thoughts of intensity, time and speed went out of the window and were replaced with the repetition of a two word mantra - keep going.
Route pretty much made itself up, and turned out to be quite a good one. Up past the park, down Church Lane, down Thornborough Road to the bridleway, along there, up past the golf course and around the lake (because it's there!) once, then over the stepping stones and onto Church Lane again, back past the park and I even managed a little sprint home. Twenty two minutes of pain, to cover two and three quarter miles. Pleased with myself for managing it, though. For keeping going. For getting out of bed!Toughest run so far. Managed it. Bring on the next one!
Tuesday, 5 June 2007
Road vs Treadmill
Or Outdoor vs Indoor
I'm road running. Running on roads and pavements in the open air, exploring, taking in the countryside. Other people prefer to remain stationary on a treadmill, in front of a mirror in a gym, or in front of the television at home. I'm sure there must be a good reason for someone wanting to stay indoors, hermetically sealed in front of something unmissable. I can't think of anything other than staying dry if it's raining. Now, fair's fair. If it was lashing it down then I think I'd probably go for the indoor option too. The key word there has to be option, because to blindly pound away on the treadmill - using gradients to simulate inclines, no less - takes away one of the main joys of running, being able to explore! Road running has another big plus - incentive! If you've done 2K on the treadmill and you feel a bit tired... you can just get off. If you're out on the road and you're 2K out away from home.... you ain't got a choice. Running in front of the telly? I can't find anything to watch when I'm of a mind to veg out anyway!
I'm road running. Running on roads and pavements in the open air, exploring, taking in the countryside. Other people prefer to remain stationary on a treadmill, in front of a mirror in a gym, or in front of the television at home. I'm sure there must be a good reason for someone wanting to stay indoors, hermetically sealed in front of something unmissable. I can't think of anything other than staying dry if it's raining. Now, fair's fair. If it was lashing it down then I think I'd probably go for the indoor option too. The key word there has to be option, because to blindly pound away on the treadmill - using gradients to simulate inclines, no less - takes away one of the main joys of running, being able to explore! Road running has another big plus - incentive! If you've done 2K on the treadmill and you feel a bit tired... you can just get off. If you're out on the road and you're 2K out away from home.... you ain't got a choice. Running in front of the telly? I can't find anything to watch when I'm of a mind to veg out anyway!
Jog Blogs #12 and #13
Two for the price of one!
Well, not quite, but two jog blogs in one, anyway. I'm an addict! This running is brilliant. I get withdrawl symptoms if I don't go out at least once in a couple of days. I feel lethargic, sluggish and mentally less alert. SO, it's a good job I'm managing to fit plenty of them in then, isn't it!
Yesterday was a glorious day, but the morning was cool and cloudy, and Sam slept in past his usual waking hour, so I lazily stopped in bed missing my scheduled weights session. No matter, I'll catch up in the evening. Except Sarah was off to pad class at karate in the evening, and by the time I'd put all three of the lads to bed I wouldn't have much time left for a workout. Since Sunday's a rest day, that's be a full two days without exercise! Eek!
So, a brief schedule juggle later I was out running at half past five, in the glorious sunshine. Glorious for sitting outside a pub, maybe, but not so glorious for slogging your way up a monster of a hill! I did the two and a half mile loop from here up and over Redhill, and back past the lads school, New Swannington, on Church Lane. Two and a half miles, twenty minutes in the sunshine, and a racing pulse. All good! Music was on random, so all kinds of eclectic treats - including back to back Maximo Park tracks which really helped me press on!
This morning's a cool one again, although I think the sun will again burn through later and we'll have another treat of a Summer's day, which means driving to and from work with the windows down, the sunglasses on, and the rock blaring out of the speakers! Yeah! Anyway, I digress. This morning's pleasantly cool, and when I hit the streets at twenty to six there weren't many people about! So, headed off towards Coalville to loop round the bottom of Whitwick and back up through the village. I thought this might be a little further than my "usual", so with plenty of time in hand I thought it was worth a try.
One of my favourite things about running is being able to explore the paths and bridleways that I see signposted when I drive down the road. As I drive past I try and connect the signposted walks and paths in my head, although I'm never sure whether I've made a good job of it or not. So, when I'm out running and I see a new track to explore, the nit gives me a little boost, a little kick, and I'll see if it matches up where I think it's going to go with where it actually leads! So this morning I headed off down the bridleway which runs parallel to the bypass, at the bottom end of Thornborough Road. This crosses the middle of the golf course (golf course?!) and emerges opposite the Morrissons roundabout. Okay! Now I know!
Back up Hermitage Road, up Silver Street, through the village on North Street and up Brooks Lane to our estate again. Sprinted up Hervey Woods too. Well, it felt like sprinting, although how fast I was actually moving is open to debate! Still, it tallies up as 2.8 miles, just less than the three I was hoping for. Not to worry, I feel good for the run, feel good for having explored another new track, feel good for being up and about this early! I've got time to type all this, have a coffee, and then start on breakfast and lunches for everyone.
This is only my thirteenth run? Feels like I'm a proper runner now. I'm pretty pleased with what I've achieved in thirteen runs, particularly over the last couple of weeks where I've been hitting the two and a half mile post with relative ease. Need to push on, escape the comfort zone... what next? Add in some sprint sections, some high intensity work, with jogging intervals to recover. More on that soon!
Well, not quite, but two jog blogs in one, anyway. I'm an addict! This running is brilliant. I get withdrawl symptoms if I don't go out at least once in a couple of days. I feel lethargic, sluggish and mentally less alert. SO, it's a good job I'm managing to fit plenty of them in then, isn't it!
Yesterday was a glorious day, but the morning was cool and cloudy, and Sam slept in past his usual waking hour, so I lazily stopped in bed missing my scheduled weights session. No matter, I'll catch up in the evening. Except Sarah was off to pad class at karate in the evening, and by the time I'd put all three of the lads to bed I wouldn't have much time left for a workout. Since Sunday's a rest day, that's be a full two days without exercise! Eek!
So, a brief schedule juggle later I was out running at half past five, in the glorious sunshine. Glorious for sitting outside a pub, maybe, but not so glorious for slogging your way up a monster of a hill! I did the two and a half mile loop from here up and over Redhill, and back past the lads school, New Swannington, on Church Lane. Two and a half miles, twenty minutes in the sunshine, and a racing pulse. All good! Music was on random, so all kinds of eclectic treats - including back to back Maximo Park tracks which really helped me press on!This morning's a cool one again, although I think the sun will again burn through later and we'll have another treat of a Summer's day, which means driving to and from work with the windows down, the sunglasses on, and the rock blaring out of the speakers! Yeah! Anyway, I digress. This morning's pleasantly cool, and when I hit the streets at twenty to six there weren't many people about! So, headed off towards Coalville to loop round the bottom of Whitwick and back up through the village. I thought this might be a little further than my "usual", so with plenty of time in hand I thought it was worth a try.
One of my favourite things about running is being able to explore the paths and bridleways that I see signposted when I drive down the road. As I drive past I try and connect the signposted walks and paths in my head, although I'm never sure whether I've made a good job of it or not. So, when I'm out running and I see a new track to explore, the nit gives me a little boost, a little kick, and I'll see if it matches up where I think it's going to go with where it actually leads! So this morning I headed off down the bridleway which runs parallel to the bypass, at the bottom end of Thornborough Road. This crosses the middle of the golf course (golf course?!) and emerges opposite the Morrissons roundabout. Okay! Now I know!
Back up Hermitage Road, up Silver Street, through the village on North Street and up Brooks Lane to our estate again. Sprinted up Hervey Woods too. Well, it felt like sprinting, although how fast I was actually moving is open to debate! Still, it tallies up as 2.8 miles, just less than the three I was hoping for. Not to worry, I feel good for the run, feel good for having explored another new track, feel good for being up and about this early! I've got time to type all this, have a coffee, and then start on breakfast and lunches for everyone.This is only my thirteenth run? Feels like I'm a proper runner now. I'm pretty pleased with what I've achieved in thirteen runs, particularly over the last couple of weeks where I've been hitting the two and a half mile post with relative ease. Need to push on, escape the comfort zone... what next? Add in some sprint sections, some high intensity work, with jogging intervals to recover. More on that soon!
Saturday, 2 June 2007
Check these bad boys out!
These are my new Kama.I've started attending kata and weapon classes at karate now, and the first weapon we're going to learn the kata for is kama. Kama are adapted sickles; agricultural tools form the bulk of karate weapons as weapons were outlawed in Okinawa as karate emerged there, during the reign of the Satsuma.
No, not the small orange.
I'll post more as I learn more about them, and how to use them! The other weapons in the list to learn are nunchucks, tonfa, sai and bo staff. I think the trick is to learn how not to injure yourself as you practice with them!
Jog Blog #11
Well, eleven and a half, really.
The runs aren't coming as thick and fast as I'd like at the moment, due to fitting them in around Sarah's training schedule, and SJM's dictatorial regime demands! Still, got out this morning, bright and early for a two miler. Which proved to be flippin' hard work!
I say eleven and a half, as we had to do a mile after karate on Thursday night, as we were the losing team in the Thursday night fight off (primarily due to me getting *trashed* by Matt - good work, sir!). Eleven laps of the business park - which fells a lot easier than two laps of the surrounding roads which constitutes the timed mile track for gradings.
So, up and about this morning - out the house at 0610, in the mist; another glorious day in prospect - the sun has already burnt off the mist as I sit here wrestling with Sam and trying to write this coherently! I could feel it was going to be a tough run as soon as I set off. I was still running when Shihan Craig drove past - which was a relief! I say still running, but I didn't actually stop until I got home. I did have to do an extra lap of our estate to use up a little more time, but I was concious that I needed to be back in time for Sarah to get ready to leave for training.
So, still going. Feeling all the better for it. Long may it continue!
The runs aren't coming as thick and fast as I'd like at the moment, due to fitting them in around Sarah's training schedule, and SJM's dictatorial regime demands! Still, got out this morning, bright and early for a two miler. Which proved to be flippin' hard work!
I say eleven and a half, as we had to do a mile after karate on Thursday night, as we were the losing team in the Thursday night fight off (primarily due to me getting *trashed* by Matt - good work, sir!). Eleven laps of the business park - which fells a lot easier than two laps of the surrounding roads which constitutes the timed mile track for gradings.
So, up and about this morning - out the house at 0610, in the mist; another glorious day in prospect - the sun has already burnt off the mist as I sit here wrestling with Sam and trying to write this coherently! I could feel it was going to be a tough run as soon as I set off. I was still running when Shihan Craig drove past - which was a relief! I say still running, but I didn't actually stop until I got home. I did have to do an extra lap of our estate to use up a little more time, but I was concious that I needed to be back in time for Sarah to get ready to leave for training.
So, still going. Feeling all the better for it. Long may it continue!
Monday, 28 May 2007
Jog Blog #10
Double figures!
Well, I managed to find a gap in the bank holiday weather long enough to get out for a run. Two and a half miles again, seem to be pounding those out regularly now. Route was hilly again, especially the long slog back home up Talbot Street. Still, feeling better for it - hadn't done much exercise over the weekend and was feeling a bit lethargic, bloated and wishy-washy as a result. Now that I've done something I feel much, much better. Got to love those endorphines! the music was good today too - I was tuned in to Radio 1 and they played Jump, by Van Halen, and Smells Like Teen Spirit, by Nirvana - one of the defining songs of the nineties. So, double figures now: still jogging, still blogging. Watch this space!
Well, I managed to find a gap in the bank holiday weather long enough to get out for a run. Two and a half miles again, seem to be pounding those out regularly now. Route was hilly again, especially the long slog back home up Talbot Street. Still, feeling better for it - hadn't done much exercise over the weekend and was feeling a bit lethargic, bloated and wishy-washy as a result. Now that I've done something I feel much, much better. Got to love those endorphines! the music was good today too - I was tuned in to Radio 1 and they played Jump, by Van Halen, and Smells Like Teen Spirit, by Nirvana - one of the defining songs of the nineties. So, double figures now: still jogging, still blogging. Watch this space!
Thursday, 24 May 2007
Don't rely on babies...
... as alarm clocks!
Contrary wee buggers! Sam's woken up at 5am every morning for the best part of a fortnight or so. So, knowing I wanted to get up not long after then to go running, I thought "it'll be okay, Sam'll get me up", and left my normal alarm set for 6am. Guess what? Sam slept until about twenty past six, Sarah had to go out, and I missed my run. D'oh!
Contrary wee buggers! Sam's woken up at 5am every morning for the best part of a fortnight or so. So, knowing I wanted to get up not long after then to go running, I thought "it'll be okay, Sam'll get me up", and left my normal alarm set for 6am. Guess what? Sam slept until about twenty past six, Sarah had to go out, and I missed my run. D'oh!
Tuesday, 22 May 2007
Jog Blog #9
Tell you what, I feel like a runner now.
It seems SJM's waking up time is five am. It could be a lot worse! It's Summer, and the mornings are warm, sunny and clear, and once he's woken us up it's quite nice to get out of bed and enjoy the relaxed morning. You just have more time to do things, there's so much less stress. This morning, Sarah got up with him, leaving me in bed. Now, previously I'd have gone straight back to sleep. But as I was lying there there was a little voice in my head saying "you could go for a run" over and over again. I countered it by telling the voice in my head that I was fine, thank you very much and the nice warmth of my bed was as good a place, if not better, than pounding the roads around Whitwick. The voice in my head then called in reinforcements, and Mr. T shouted at me to "quit yo jibber jabber, fool!". That did it!
So, glorious morning. A tad early, but as previously explained there's not a lot I can do about that. Better a glorious Summer morning than a frosty Winter one, eh? Having not prepared last night, I couldn't find my usual kit so made do with a hastily thrown combo of Nine Inch Nails t-shirt and bright green jogging bottoms. And they are very, very green! To the extent I was quite glad it was this early and only fools like me would be up and about!
So, how was the run? Hard! I had a time-frame to meet, I could only be twenty minutes as Sarah had to go training for half past six. So, I went the route I've been toying with in my head, the hilly route, the h-a-r-d route! Right, where did I go? Started off like many others, up through the estate and past the park, then down Church Lane. That was a nice bit of downhill, absolutely countered when I turned up City of Dan into Cademan Street. I was tempted to cut up P
arsonwood Hill, I was tempted to cut up Temple Hill. I resisted! I made it to the top of Cademan to be rewarded with a nice downhill coast along Loughborough Road. Of course, at the end of that is / was Dumps Hill. Now that's a hill. It's even mentioned on the Whitwick Wikipedia page (although only in passing now, it seems to have been amended.) Anyway, I slogged it up there - hard work indeed - then back along North Street, back up Church Lane and home past the park
Blimey was I sweating. Blimey was I knackered! Blimey, was I pleased I ran that route? Hell yeah.
Did nearly two and a half miles, too, which is an improvement on last time out. On a hilly course too, which is nice. Of course that means there's downhill stretches as well as the uphill bits, but it's a good change of intensity! This morning's effort was to the soundtrack of Jay Z and Linkin Park's Collision Course album, which pretty much kept me going at the top of Dumps Hill!
It seems SJM's waking up time is five am. It could be a lot worse! It's Summer, and the mornings are warm, sunny and clear, and once he's woken us up it's quite nice to get out of bed and enjoy the relaxed morning. You just have more time to do things, there's so much less stress. This morning, Sarah got up with him, leaving me in bed. Now, previously I'd have gone straight back to sleep. But as I was lying there there was a little voice in my head saying "you could go for a run" over and over again. I countered it by telling the voice in my head that I was fine, thank you very much and the nice warmth of my bed was as good a place, if not better, than pounding the roads around Whitwick. The voice in my head then called in reinforcements, and Mr. T shouted at me to "quit yo jibber jabber, fool!". That did it!
So, glorious morning. A tad early, but as previously explained there's not a lot I can do about that. Better a glorious Summer morning than a frosty Winter one, eh? Having not prepared last night, I couldn't find my usual kit so made do with a hastily thrown combo of Nine Inch Nails t-shirt and bright green jogging bottoms. And they are very, very green! To the extent I was quite glad it was this early and only fools like me would be up and about!
So, how was the run? Hard! I had a time-frame to meet, I could only be twenty minutes as Sarah had to go training for half past six. So, I went the route I've been toying with in my head, the hilly route, the h-a-r-d route! Right, where did I go? Started off like many others, up through the estate and past the park, then down Church Lane. That was a nice bit of downhill, absolutely countered when I turned up City of Dan into Cademan Street. I was tempted to cut up P
arsonwood Hill, I was tempted to cut up Temple Hill. I resisted! I made it to the top of Cademan to be rewarded with a nice downhill coast along Loughborough Road. Of course, at the end of that is / was Dumps Hill. Now that's a hill. It's even mentioned on the Whitwick Wikipedia page (although only in passing now, it seems to have been amended.) Anyway, I slogged it up there - hard work indeed - then back along North Street, back up Church Lane and home past the parkBlimey was I sweating. Blimey was I knackered! Blimey, was I pleased I ran that route? Hell yeah.
Did nearly two and a half miles, too, which is an improvement on last time out. On a hilly course too, which is nice. Of course that means there's downhill stretches as well as the uphill bits, but it's a good change of intensity! This morning's effort was to the soundtrack of Jay Z and Linkin Park's Collision Course album, which pretty much kept me going at the top of Dumps Hill!
Thursday, 17 May 2007
Fun with maths
0.999… is the same as 1. Not just very close, but precisely identical:
a = 0.999…
10a = 9.999…
10a - a = 9.999… - 0.999…
9a = 9
a = 1
There's no trick here. It's just a mathematical fact that most people find deeply counterintuitive.
Proof originally posted here.
Road rage scum
You hope it never happens to someone you know
What sort of idiot would wrench open a car door and try and pull the pregnant occupant of the driver's seat out onto the road? Well, the sort of idiot who pulled out in front of Lou O'Reilly yesterday. Apparently, the other driver (clearly the owner of a very small penis and a compensatory large attitude) pulled out in front of Lou, cutting her up to the extent she had to slam on the anchors. She then did what 99% of people would do, and parped her horn at the offender - letting him know she was there, in case he hadn't seen her (and by way of a reprimand, no doubt). This moron then stopped his car in front of hers, go out and marched to her door, wrenched it out and attempted to drag her from the car. Had it not been for the actions of the gentleman in the car behind, who stopped and intervened, who knows what might have happened! Lou's seven and a half months pregnant. Doesn't take a genius to work out what might have happened, does it. Unfortunately, no-one got the registration number of the idiot in question.
I just can't understand the mentality of someone like this. Life's too short to worry about things like someone blowing their horn at you. Life's too short to be rude, to cut people up, to be aggressive and threatening. I hope karma works its powers and the moron gets what he deserves.
What sort of idiot would wrench open a car door and try and pull the pregnant occupant of the driver's seat out onto the road? Well, the sort of idiot who pulled out in front of Lou O'Reilly yesterday. Apparently, the other driver (clearly the owner of a very small penis and a compensatory large attitude) pulled out in front of Lou, cutting her up to the extent she had to slam on the anchors. She then did what 99% of people would do, and parped her horn at the offender - letting him know she was there, in case he hadn't seen her (and by way of a reprimand, no doubt). This moron then stopped his car in front of hers, go out and marched to her door, wrenched it out and attempted to drag her from the car. Had it not been for the actions of the gentleman in the car behind, who stopped and intervened, who knows what might have happened! Lou's seven and a half months pregnant. Doesn't take a genius to work out what might have happened, does it. Unfortunately, no-one got the registration number of the idiot in question.
I just can't understand the mentality of someone like this. Life's too short to worry about things like someone blowing their horn at you. Life's too short to be rude, to cut people up, to be aggressive and threatening. I hope karma works its powers and the moron gets what he deserves.
Jog Blog #8
Back in business now!
Up and at 'em bright and early this morning, braving the drizzle and dampness underfoot. Upped the intensity again: 20 minutes running. Well, okay, jogging. But none of this run / walk alternating, it was a full on jog for the full monty. So, I was quite interested to know how far I covered in that time: 2.27 miles. Not bad, not bad. That's 8:48 minute miling. Which is a bit slow, having just worked it out. Have to up the pace next time, but still, not bad for the first effort.
How am I feeling? Feeling good! Enjoyed the run, although I did start to wish I'd given myself rest periods after about ten minutes. Got on with it though, and carried on, and feel the better for it. Feel like I didn't have almost a month off, hopefully the rest will have energised me! Was listening to The Subways this morning - great music, and I heard yesterday that they're going in to the studio to record their second album, which is great news. Highly recommend them live - in fact, I think they're brilliant. They submitted a recorded message for Sarah, as a birthday present at my request, so everyone go and buy their record!
Up and at 'em bright and early this morning, braving the drizzle and dampness underfoot. Upped the intensity again: 20 minutes running. Well, okay, jogging. But none of this run / walk alternating, it was a full on jog for the full monty. So, I was quite interested to know how far I covered in that time: 2.27 miles. Not bad, not bad. That's 8:48 minute miling. Which is a bit slow, having just worked it out. Have to up the pace next time, but still, not bad for the first effort.
How am I feeling? Feeling good! Enjoyed the run, although I did start to wish I'd given myself rest periods after about ten minutes. Got on with it though, and carried on, and feel the better for it. Feel like I didn't have almost a month off, hopefully the rest will have energised me! Was listening to The Subways this morning - great music, and I heard yesterday that they're going in to the studio to record their second album, which is great news. Highly recommend them live - in fact, I think they're brilliant. They submitted a recorded message for Sarah, as a birthday present at my request, so everyone go and buy their record!
Wednesday, 16 May 2007
Aerosmith tickets arrive!
They're heeeeerrreeee!
Hurrah and hussah. The Aerosmith tickets have turned up. Well, I say Aerosmith, but they're for the whole Sunday at Hyde Park Calling. See the official site here, or the eFestivals page here. I can't wait, it's going to be fantastic, not just Aerosmith, but Jet, Chris Cornell et al. The list goes on! That's in June, then, since we're talking gigs, we're off to see Black Rebel Motorcycle Club at Rock City in July too. Having had a dearth of giggage over the Winter - since the Subways in November - it's picked up now. Maximo Park the other week, now these two lined up. Yay! I'm excited like a six year old on Christmas morning!
Tuesday, 15 May 2007
Jog Blog #7
It's back!
Okay, it's been a while. So long, in fact, that I had to look back through the archived blog entries to see that number I should enumerate this entry as! Almost a month ago. I should have been embarking on week three of this programme, if you recall, when it came off the rails as a result of a hangover. Well, we're back in business. Did I return to week one, given that I'd missed the best part of four weeks? I probably should have done, but hey, I managed my mile at grading reasonably well, so I've upped the intensity. Four minutes running, one walking, repeated four times to take me to the twenty minute mark. In fact I went a minute and a half over, as I needed to get home! Very nearly two and a half miles, in twenty minutes. I reckon that's pretty good going.
Music for tonight's excursion was provided by Franz Ferdinand, which seemed to be suitably fast paced. For my next grading I need to beat the time I set in my last one, which was 5:42. So, I need to find a track of about that length and make sure I finish my mile before it finishes. Pretty good thinking, I think! So, I need a measured mile to practice - and it turns out that Hermitage lake is almost exactly half a mile in circumference. Twice round in less than five and a half minutes? Twice round in less than five minutes? We'll have to see. Of course, I have to run there and back too, which might hinder the effort (or does it just count as warm up?).
Anyway, back on track. Feel good for it.
Okay, it's been a while. So long, in fact, that I had to look back through the archived blog entries to see that number I should enumerate this entry as! Almost a month ago. I should have been embarking on week three of this programme, if you recall, when it came off the rails as a result of a hangover. Well, we're back in business. Did I return to week one, given that I'd missed the best part of four weeks? I probably should have done, but hey, I managed my mile at grading reasonably well, so I've upped the intensity. Four minutes running, one walking, repeated four times to take me to the twenty minute mark. In fact I went a minute and a half over, as I needed to get home! Very nearly two and a half miles, in twenty minutes. I reckon that's pretty good going.
Music for tonight's excursion was provided by Franz Ferdinand, which seemed to be suitably fast paced. For my next grading I need to beat the time I set in my last one, which was 5:42. So, I need to find a track of about that length and make sure I finish my mile before it finishes. Pretty good thinking, I think! So, I need a measured mile to practice - and it turns out that Hermitage lake is almost exactly half a mile in circumference. Twice round in less than five and a half minutes? Twice round in less than five minutes? We'll have to see. Of course, I have to run there and back too, which might hinder the effort (or does it just count as warm up?).
Anyway, back on track. Feel good for it.
Monday, 14 May 2007
Scooter Rally
The 24-hour scooter rally
It took place this weekend, at the karate / kickboxing club. David Taylor, our local MP came and started the event, doing a couple of laps, before the kids went mad and did the first hour or so. The weather pretty much sucked, we all got soaked, and we all ended up very tired. I was there for an hour or so, then home again, then back from ten pm for four hours through to two, then home to bed before SJM woke us up at five am... and Sarah headed off again...
The night shift wasn't bad - sat around the barbequeue with tins of beer, we felt a bit like those extras you get in movies set in New York, clustered around a brazier in the snow and rain. Well, there wasn't any snow, but there was plenty of rain.
Only one casualty from the event too, which is good going. Unfortunately it was me - I've sprained my thumb and it's rather swollen. Bit of a pain as my rib's back to normal and I was going to pick up my training again as of today. That's not going to happen!
Oh well... might try for a jog tonight.
It took place this weekend, at the karate / kickboxing club. David Taylor, our local MP came and started the event, doing a couple of laps, before the kids went mad and did the first hour or so. The weather pretty much sucked, we all got soaked, and we all ended up very tired. I was there for an hour or so, then home again, then back from ten pm for four hours through to two, then home to bed before SJM woke us up at five am... and Sarah headed off again...
The night shift wasn't bad - sat around the barbequeue with tins of beer, we felt a bit like those extras you get in movies set in New York, clustered around a brazier in the snow and rain. Well, there wasn't any snow, but there was plenty of rain.
Only one casualty from the event too, which is good going. Unfortunately it was me - I've sprained my thumb and it's rather swollen. Bit of a pain as my rib's back to normal and I was going to pick up my training again as of today. That's not going to happen!
Oh well... might try for a jog tonight.
Tuesday, 8 May 2007
Just a number...
Okay, not the original number.
I got advised by the police that I should remove the other number from my website. Just a 128 bit hexadecimal number. I'll talk about that in a minute. However:
3B F5 B9 CA 9A 9C 81 33 53 97 54 36 FE E8 E8 49
Mwahahahaha. That's mine. If anyone's got any thoughts of using that baby for anything then they can just wait for my lawyers to be all over their asses. Hoh yeah, I own that number. I've got a few more too, and the luckiest of lucky people among you might get one for your birthday, if I feel sufficiently generous. If you want one, or more, go here.
What a load of crap. Can you own a number? What about your mobile number - who owns that? The network? You? If I make one up right now, like 07998766221, can the "owner" of that number find me and sue me for using it? Of course not. What about if I make up a random series of hexadecimal number pairs? Can I do that? Apparently not. AACS are actively pursuing anyone who publishes the particular hex string they used to encrypt HD-DVD format movies. Here's the important bit - as far as I'm concerned, anyway - you can be threatened with action for just referencing the number, without making any mention of it's provenance. As per my original "Just a number" post. I don't know how to decrypt HD movies. I don't really have much interest in doing that. The actual encryption algorithm, more interesting perhaps, but it's the legal, social and moral implications of being able to own numbers which I'm hooked on at the moment! I'd like to stress that it's not the police, the judiciary or even the (for once) politicians in this country who are responsible for this madness, it's the US courts backing ludicrous claims by corporations.
Can I claim to own pi? What about 19? How big does a number have to be before it is "ownable"?
I got advised by the police that I should remove the other number from my website. Just a 128 bit hexadecimal number. I'll talk about that in a minute. However:
3B F5 B9 CA 9A 9C 81 33 53 97 54 36 FE E8 E8 49
Mwahahahaha. That's mine. If anyone's got any thoughts of using that baby for anything then they can just wait for my lawyers to be all over their asses. Hoh yeah, I own that number. I've got a few more too, and the luckiest of lucky people among you might get one for your birthday, if I feel sufficiently generous. If you want one, or more, go here.
What a load of crap. Can you own a number? What about your mobile number - who owns that? The network? You? If I make one up right now, like 07998766221, can the "owner" of that number find me and sue me for using it? Of course not. What about if I make up a random series of hexadecimal number pairs? Can I do that? Apparently not. AACS are actively pursuing anyone who publishes the particular hex string they used to encrypt HD-DVD format movies. Here's the important bit - as far as I'm concerned, anyway - you can be threatened with action for just referencing the number, without making any mention of it's provenance. As per my original "Just a number" post. I don't know how to decrypt HD movies. I don't really have much interest in doing that. The actual encryption algorithm, more interesting perhaps, but it's the legal, social and moral implications of being able to own numbers which I'm hooked on at the moment! I'd like to stress that it's not the police, the judiciary or even the (for once) politicians in this country who are responsible for this madness, it's the US courts backing ludicrous claims by corporations.
Can I claim to own pi? What about 19? How big does a number have to be before it is "ownable"?
Not much Jog Blog...
The jog blog's disappeared...
Well, no it hasn't, it's just on holiday while I repair myself. Rib still not fixed - hurts less, until I sneeze. I'm not sure whether the heavy breathing caused by running will be comfortable or not, and I don't want to try until I know it won't hurt! Not exactly the "no pain, no gain" mentality, but I think caution is justified. Hoping to get back into the swing of things in a week or two though. Watch this space.
Well, no it hasn't, it's just on holiday while I repair myself. Rib still not fixed - hurts less, until I sneeze. I'm not sure whether the heavy breathing caused by running will be comfortable or not, and I don't want to try until I know it won't hurt! Not exactly the "no pain, no gain" mentality, but I think caution is justified. Hoping to get back into the swing of things in a week or two though. Watch this space.
Party!
Had a birthday bash for Sarah on Sunday
What with it being a bank holiday on the Monday and all. Weather just about managed to keep off long enough for us to barbeque some burgers and sausages, and the assembled throng to slurp their way through the beer fridge. Everyone had fun, there were no casualties (as far as I'm aware), and a big thanks to Verity for looking after the food on the barbie when I got distracted. Which happened a lot! Massive thanks, too, to Justin for dancing to the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I think it made everyone's night!
What with it being a bank holiday on the Monday and all. Weather just about managed to keep off long enough for us to barbeque some burgers and sausages, and the assembled throng to slurp their way through the beer fridge. Everyone had fun, there were no casualties (as far as I'm aware), and a big thanks to Verity for looking after the food on the barbie when I got distracted. Which happened a lot! Massive thanks, too, to Justin for dancing to the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I think it made everyone's night!
Sunday, 6 May 2007
Sam says....
8hhhvdtjjyfgedrfytujtikopl;
e3dae3d, 063,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
063bbb 063b n mjnnnhhhhhh jhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjhhh lhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħµ ħħħħħħħħħħħħ
e3dae3d, 063,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
063bbb 063b n mjnnnhhhhhh jhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjhhh lhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħħµ ħħħħħħħħħħħħ
Late nigh, early morning
Kakooti
It was Mum and James' birthday last week, so last night we all went out for a meal at the Kakooti restaurant in Coventry. I've been a few times now, and the steaks, particularly the "steak vulcano" are the best I have ever had. Oh yeah, I mean that! The only downside is the fact that we have to trek to Coventry to go there! As a result we were quite late home, and to bed. Which is fine, all in a hard day's Rock and Roll lifestyle.... unfortunately SJM decided that one of us would have to be very un-Rock and Roll and get up at 0630 to pander to his whims. You can almost hear the Stewie like machinations taking place in his mind! Not to worry though. Jack got up too and the three of us are now ensconsed in front of the TV watching one of the greatest films ever, Flash Gordon.
It was Mum and James' birthday last week, so last night we all went out for a meal at the Kakooti restaurant in Coventry. I've been a few times now, and the steaks, particularly the "steak vulcano" are the best I have ever had. Oh yeah, I mean that! The only downside is the fact that we have to trek to Coventry to go there! As a result we were quite late home, and to bed. Which is fine, all in a hard day's Rock and Roll lifestyle.... unfortunately SJM decided that one of us would have to be very un-Rock and Roll and get up at 0630 to pander to his whims. You can almost hear the Stewie like machinations taking place in his mind! Not to worry though. Jack got up too and the three of us are now ensconsed in front of the TV watching one of the greatest films ever, Flash Gordon.
Tuesday, 1 May 2007
Competition Update, and more "no jog" blogging
One trophy for the family!We did pretty well as a club, scoring two firsts, two seconds and two thirds (I think). I got one of the thirds, which is nice - another plastic trophy to go on my windowsill. I was in the intermediate +75 kilos category, so despite having dropped a few pounds there was no need to actually weigh in, as I'm clearly heavier than that! Jack and George both lost by a point each, and fought well, as did Sarah, who lost by six points to four. Long day, lots of sitting around, and lots of keeping Sam entertained. Everyone was ace, though, and a quick thank you to Richard "DD" Hopkins of WUMA for the present to Sam, and organising the event.
Mum... don't read the next paragraph!
No jogging? Again? Well, I've got a good reason this time! I've realised, following discussion with Craig (my Sensei), that the soreness / tightness of chest I've had for the last week and a bit following being kicked in the chest during sparring, is in fact a fractured rib. I sneezed the other night, and it felt like I'd been shot. Consequently I'm being a little bit choosy about the exercise I undertake until I'm feeling less sore (despite having graded, and competed in the interim), and the thought of chest-heaving exertion didn't fire the enthusiasm this morning. I'll be back on it, though, as soon as I'm up to it.
Saturday, 28 April 2007
Competition Preview
Worcester tomorrow for WUMA
Sarah, Jack, George and I are all fighting in the WUMA open series competition in Worcester tomorrow. I've dropped a couple of kilos since my last tournament, so I'm quite looking forwards to my weigh in! It's Sarah, Jack and George's first competition.... watch this space for results and reports!
Sarah, Jack, George and I are all fighting in the WUMA open series competition in Worcester tomorrow. I've dropped a couple of kilos since my last tournament, so I'm quite looking forwards to my weigh in! It's Sarah, Jack and George's first competition.... watch this space for results and reports!
Diving, Running and Grading!
Been a busy few days....
I come to you this morning writing this as a green belt. Yup, I passed my grading and am one step closer to the ultimate goal of my black belt. How did the run go??? I hear you all asking. Well, I was set a time to beat of 6:20. Was I confident? I fancied I could run it in around 6:30, so mostly confident. A little daunted, maybe, but mostly confident. It was hard work - my running schedule's not been up to much this week, and I've not run a mile yet in what I have done of it thus far, so it was a bit of a slog, however I managed to survive and cross the line in 5:42. With which I am very happy! Of course, come blue belt grading I'm expected to beat my time from this one, so I need to maintain (or even actually complete) my training. Three months fits inside the nine week plan, and I should be starting week three of it tomorrow, so I'm pretty confident that if I keep up the training I'll shave a reasonable amount off that. A quick mention for Steve, who blistered around the mile course in 4:46. Impressive!
So I've gone a little bit out of sequence there, but I had a great day on Thursday when I went diving at Stoney Cove.The sun was out, the sky was blue, and the reports coming from the shop were that the water temperature was in double figures! Not 4.3 degrees, as one wag suggested, but a balmy 10 degrees centigrade. We confirmed this on our computers after our dives - must be a record temperature for April, and testament to the mild Winter we've just had. The dives were excellent fun, unremarkable in terms of variation from the "norm", but great fun nonetheless. It kind of reminded me why I love diving so much, and has really got me wanting to go and do some more. I'm looking forward to going to Majorca in September - okay, it's not the Red Sea, but it's warm, clear and there are more fish than the Roach, Perch and Pike we saw on Thursday.
Side benefit of the karate is that my superior fitness level has made my diving much more enjoyable too!
I come to you this morning writing this as a green belt. Yup, I passed my grading and am one step closer to the ultimate goal of my black belt. How did the run go??? I hear you all asking. Well, I was set a time to beat of 6:20. Was I confident? I fancied I could run it in around 6:30, so mostly confident. A little daunted, maybe, but mostly confident. It was hard work - my running schedule's not been up to much this week, and I've not run a mile yet in what I have done of it thus far, so it was a bit of a slog, however I managed to survive and cross the line in 5:42. With which I am very happy! Of course, come blue belt grading I'm expected to beat my time from this one, so I need to maintain (or even actually complete) my training. Three months fits inside the nine week plan, and I should be starting week three of it tomorrow, so I'm pretty confident that if I keep up the training I'll shave a reasonable amount off that. A quick mention for Steve, who blistered around the mile course in 4:46. Impressive!
So I've gone a little bit out of sequence there, but I had a great day on Thursday when I went diving at Stoney Cove.The sun was out, the sky was blue, and the reports coming from the shop were that the water temperature was in double figures! Not 4.3 degrees, as one wag suggested, but a balmy 10 degrees centigrade. We confirmed this on our computers after our dives - must be a record temperature for April, and testament to the mild Winter we've just had. The dives were excellent fun, unremarkable in terms of variation from the "norm", but great fun nonetheless. It kind of reminded me why I love diving so much, and has really got me wanting to go and do some more. I'm looking forward to going to Majorca in September - okay, it's not the Red Sea, but it's warm, clear and there are more fish than the Roach, Perch and Pike we saw on Thursday.
Side benefit of the karate is that my superior fitness level has made my diving much more enjoyable too!
Thursday, 26 April 2007
Day off, but busy busy!
Some people must have nice, restful lives....If there's balance in the Universe, then someone must have a very quiet, boring life to make up for mine at the moment. We went to Rock City in Nottingham last night to see Maximo Park who totally rocked the place. The crowd reception for classics like "Apply Some Pressure" and "Limassol" rivalled anything I've seen at a gig of this size. Didn't think much of the support acts though - he first were just rubbish, and the second - while entertaining - weren't "good".
But it was great to have a night out!
Next up, today: I've got the day off work. Chilling out at home after last night? Nope. Going scuba diving. Looking back through my log book I only went three times in the last year (well, I have been quite busy - see the pic of Sam, below!). I haven't seen my buddy, Andy, for ages either, so looking forward to catching up with him. Stoney Cove is the venue today, as on so many previous occasions!
After that exertion, you must just enjoy the afternoon, I hear you cry. But no! There's a run to fit in - I'm a bit behind on my schedule - and then karate tonight, in preparation for my grading tomorrow night! Chuck in he fact that I'm at work tomorrow, and that I've got a stiff neck, and it all adds up to a busy busy life.
Tuesday, 24 April 2007
New pic of Sam
sam_tongue
Originally uploaded by rjm2007.
Well, I said I'd post more images.
This one's been done directly from flickr, where I'm putting them these days. You can head on over here, and have a squizz. This particular one of Sam shows him with his tongue out, which is his default state at the moment. Nine months old already. Where does it go?
The second No Jog Blog...
This is not going to turn into the excuse blog!
It's early on Tuesday morning, and according to The Plan I should be out pounding the tarmac as I power through week three run two. In actual fact I'm sitting in the lounge with a coffee, supervising a restless nine month old, having just changed one of the great smelly nappies of our time. He's playing with the changing box, and absorbed in watching the raindrops run into each other as they cascade down the window. Oh, yeah, it's chucking it down... but that's nothing to do with the fact that I'm not running. No Sirree. Bit of a washout day altogether, if you'll excuse the pun, as I can't make it to karate training tonight. Ho hum... rest day then! G-Day, grading day, fast approaching and I've got one more opportunity to get out running before then, early on Thursday morning. That said, I'm going scuba diving on Thursday, so will I want to get up and run? Damn right I will, or I'll be back on here posting another excuse for not having done so.
It's early on Tuesday morning, and according to The Plan I should be out pounding the tarmac as I power through week three run two. In actual fact I'm sitting in the lounge with a coffee, supervising a restless nine month old, having just changed one of the great smelly nappies of our time. He's playing with the changing box, and absorbed in watching the raindrops run into each other as they cascade down the window. Oh, yeah, it's chucking it down... but that's nothing to do with the fact that I'm not running. No Sirree. Bit of a washout day altogether, if you'll excuse the pun, as I can't make it to karate training tonight. Ho hum... rest day then! G-Day, grading day, fast approaching and I've got one more opportunity to get out running before then, early on Thursday morning. That said, I'm going scuba diving on Thursday, so will I want to get up and run? Damn right I will, or I'll be back on here posting another excuse for not having done so.
Monday, 23 April 2007
Oops! The NO Jog blog
Well, the wheels came off the jogging...
No jogging Sunday morning. Well, no jogging Sunday at all. Reason being the impressive imbibation of alcohol by me and Sensei Craig on Saturday night! Popped round for a beer, as one does, and left at about one o'clock Sunday morning, having drunk all the beer, dented the whisky and learnt some basic sword moves. Yup, you read that right... sword moves. Craig's big into swordplay, in a martial arts stylee. So, we were out on the lawn playing with shinai, bokken and foam swords. The foam ones weren't up to the job and snapped on heavy contact... so we got on with the wooden ones!
Anyway, enough rambling, suffice to say that the jogging has suffered, and I'm going to have to get it back on track (excuse the pun). Grading, and my timed mile, are on Friday... looming large.
No jogging Sunday morning. Well, no jogging Sunday at all. Reason being the impressive imbibation of alcohol by me and Sensei Craig on Saturday night! Popped round for a beer, as one does, and left at about one o'clock Sunday morning, having drunk all the beer, dented the whisky and learnt some basic sword moves. Yup, you read that right... sword moves. Craig's big into swordplay, in a martial arts stylee. So, we were out on the lawn playing with shinai, bokken and foam swords. The foam ones weren't up to the job and snapped on heavy contact... so we got on with the wooden ones!
Anyway, enough rambling, suffice to say that the jogging has suffered, and I'm going to have to get it back on track (excuse the pun). Grading, and my timed mile, are on Friday... looming large.
Thursday, 19 April 2007
Jog Blog #6
End of week two!
Well, another milestone I suppose. Still running, still getting up and going, still enjoying it. Getting up and exercising is proven to get you rmetabolism going in the morning, and it certainly makes you feel less lethargic and lets you hit the rest of the day running, if you'll pardon the pun. Come Sunday the schedule ups again, another building block, another gear change. Excellent!
As you've probably gathered, I'm not finding this overly difficult so far. The running is pleasant, the weather nice, and it's great to be outside. Perhaps as the run to walk ratio increases I'll find it harder going, or perhaps I'm just not running hard enough when I am running at the moment (although I seem to be covering a good amount of ground). I'm sure we'll find out in the coming weeks.
This morning was cool again, there was a bit of a frost down on the fields behind Chruch Lane. I learnt a lesson this morning too - running through ankle high grqass first thing in the morning makes for soaking wet, very cold feet. Less than comfortable but fortunately I was on my way home by then. I reversed one of my previous routes, so headed down to the church on North Street, along the path, across the stepping stones, through the fields (sounds like a Famous Five adventure!) and back up Thornborough Road / Brooks Lane.
The new headphones are still proving worth their weight in gold, although since they weigh practically nothing this doesn't really reflect their value... let me rephrase that, they're proving exceptional value. This morning's soundtrack was provided by The Offspring, which was an excellent blast from the past. So, I need to quickly hop on over to geodistance and work out how far I ran this morning: two miles more or less exactly. I'm happy with that.
Well, another milestone I suppose. Still running, still getting up and going, still enjoying it. Getting up and exercising is proven to get you rmetabolism going in the morning, and it certainly makes you feel less lethargic and lets you hit the rest of the day running, if you'll pardon the pun. Come Sunday the schedule ups again, another building block, another gear change. Excellent!
As you've probably gathered, I'm not finding this overly difficult so far. The running is pleasant, the weather nice, and it's great to be outside. Perhaps as the run to walk ratio increases I'll find it harder going, or perhaps I'm just not running hard enough when I am running at the moment (although I seem to be covering a good amount of ground). I'm sure we'll find out in the coming weeks.
This morning was cool again, there was a bit of a frost down on the fields behind Chruch Lane. I learnt a lesson this morning too - running through ankle high grqass first thing in the morning makes for soaking wet, very cold feet. Less than comfortable but fortunately I was on my way home by then. I reversed one of my previous routes, so headed down to the church on North Street, along the path, across the stepping stones, through the fields (sounds like a Famous Five adventure!) and back up Thornborough Road / Brooks Lane.
The new headphones are still proving worth their weight in gold, although since they weigh practically nothing this doesn't really reflect their value... let me rephrase that, they're proving exceptional value. This morning's soundtrack was provided by The Offspring, which was an excellent blast from the past. So, I need to quickly hop on over to geodistance and work out how far I ran this morning: two miles more or less exactly. I'm happy with that.
Tuesday, 17 April 2007
Outside!
I love being outside.
Always have done, ever since I was a nipper. The reasons have changed through the years, but I still love the freedom that a park, rolling fields, the beach, the sea, the ocean provide. I've been thinking recently about it more, and one of the coolest things I can think of is that if you're outside (or even if you're inside with a window or door open) is that you can draw a line, unbroken, from the palm of your hand up into the sky, across the land and sea and join it to someone elses hand - anywhere in the world. Anywhere. That's really cool. I can connect, theoretically, with far flung, exotic sounding places that I want to visit: Tijuana, Vanatu, Cape Town, Rio, Machu Pichu... You can also connect with not so exotic sounding places, and not so cool places to visit, but the fact that you can have that connection is way cool. If these sounds like the ramblings of a madman, then welcome to my mind! It works another way too: if I'm at work, in the office with the window open, and Sarah's at home, or work, and she's got a window open, then I can imagine an unbroken line between us all the time. That, if nothing else, makes me smile.
Always have done, ever since I was a nipper. The reasons have changed through the years, but I still love the freedom that a park, rolling fields, the beach, the sea, the ocean provide. I've been thinking recently about it more, and one of the coolest things I can think of is that if you're outside (or even if you're inside with a window or door open) is that you can draw a line, unbroken, from the palm of your hand up into the sky, across the land and sea and join it to someone elses hand - anywhere in the world. Anywhere. That's really cool. I can connect, theoretically, with far flung, exotic sounding places that I want to visit: Tijuana, Vanatu, Cape Town, Rio, Machu Pichu... You can also connect with not so exotic sounding places, and not so cool places to visit, but the fact that you can have that connection is way cool. If these sounds like the ramblings of a madman, then welcome to my mind! It works another way too: if I'm at work, in the office with the window open, and Sarah's at home, or work, and she's got a window open, then I can imagine an unbroken line between us all the time. That, if nothing else, makes me smile.
Jog Blog #5
Still going!
Another early start, another lovely morning. A little cool, maybe, but that's a pleasant enough change from the sun and heat of Saturday. I'm quite liking the ninety seconds on, two minutes off approach at the moment, although I'm also looking forward to ramping up the running. All good things come to those who wait.
Got some new headphones - designed for active people (such as myself!) which actually stay in my ears while I run. This is a significant improvement over the previous ones which bounced out every fifty paces or so, causing a loss of musical accompaniment, a distraction while I fumbled around trying to reinsert it, and plenty of swearing. The new ones clip over the ear, and the sound quality's ace. Not bad for a tenner from Amazon.
What else? Oh, yeah. Found a coooool map tool, which uses Google Maps and some nifty API programming to let you draw lines on a map (of any scale) to calculate the distance of a route. Brilliant! Today's run was almost exactly two miles, while the one I did the other morning over Red Hill was a good 2.7 miles. So, the running's going well, and I'm feeling good. Today's route? A bit of a mishmash really. Through the estate, down onto Brooks Lane, along North Street to Church Lane, along there, then a little bit of Thornborough, then back along the back of Church Lane through the fields, across and back past Whitwick Park. All good... twenty minutes exactly. Very quiet out this morning, I saw maybe three people. Everyone else was probably in bed. I think I might be going slightly mad....
Another early start, another lovely morning. A little cool, maybe, but that's a pleasant enough change from the sun and heat of Saturday. I'm quite liking the ninety seconds on, two minutes off approach at the moment, although I'm also looking forward to ramping up the running. All good things come to those who wait.
Got some new headphones - designed for active people (such as myself!) which actually stay in my ears while I run. This is a significant improvement over the previous ones which bounced out every fifty paces or so, causing a loss of musical accompaniment, a distraction while I fumbled around trying to reinsert it, and plenty of swearing. The new ones clip over the ear, and the sound quality's ace. Not bad for a tenner from Amazon.
What else? Oh, yeah. Found a coooool map tool, which uses Google Maps and some nifty API programming to let you draw lines on a map (of any scale) to calculate the distance of a route. Brilliant! Today's run was almost exactly two miles, while the one I did the other morning over Red Hill was a good 2.7 miles. So, the running's going well, and I'm feeling good. Today's route? A bit of a mishmash really. Through the estate, down onto Brooks Lane, along North Street to Church Lane, along there, then a little bit of Thornborough, then back along the back of Church Lane through the fields, across and back past Whitwick Park. All good... twenty minutes exactly. Very quiet out this morning, I saw maybe three people. Everyone else was probably in bed. I think I might be going slightly mad....
Sunday, 15 April 2007
Is it Summer?
Wahey! What a weekend's weather!'Tis gorgeous. I'm sitting in the garden, in just a pair of shorts (you wanted to know that, didn't you?) having spent an excellent day - well, I say day, I mean afternoon - wandering around enjoying the weather at Moira Furnace. It's the site of a ninetheenth century blast funace, and situated by the Ashby Canal. Presumably this was for functional reasons rather than aesthetic reasons, but in the modern day it works well because you can wander along by the canal, look around the museum, enjoy the tea shop(pe?) or let the kids run riot in the adventure playground.
Adventure playground and picnic was first stop. All good there, then through the woods to the furnace buildings. They're quite imposing - it's about the size of a small row of terraced houses, with a big sloping bit at the end! There's a bridge out over the canal too, which is good. A wander along the canal was notable for a rite of passage moment, a passing of truth from one generation to the next, a grommit of knowledge lodged in the mind of the young. What prompted this moment? What nugget of truth did I pass on to the awestruck two? Welll..... they're nasty buggers them swans. Oh ho, yes... they can break your arm, y'know. I don't know if it's ever been the subject of extended research - how many casualty admissions are the result of aggravated swan attack? However, I deemed it to be worth passing on to the younger generation. As with most things, it was met with the retort of "why do you know that?". Not "HOW do you know that?", but "Why?". Why do I know it? It's information. I know things. People know things. A 
lack of knowing things is called ignorance, and leads to the Dark Side! It reminds me of a Bill Hicks (I think it was the great man) routine, where he's talking about reading a book in a diner, and being asked by the waitress "what you reading for?". Not "what are your reading?", but "what are you reading for?". Just reminds me of that. Not "how do you know", but "why do you know". Anyway, that's by the by. Where had I got to? Oh yeah... the George fell out of a tree. Well, down a tree more than out of it, but it shook him up a bit. He'll be a bit sore for a few days, but I'm sure it won't stop him attempting the next Redwood in his path. Well, except John Redwood maybe.Oh, and it was a wise decision to go for my run yesterday rather than this morning. Enough said, I think! Back to it Tuesday morning for week two run two.
Saturday, 14 April 2007
Jog Blog #4
Week two begins.
Glorious Saturday afternoon. I know I meant to go this morning, but there was a problem with my alarm (I forgot to set it), and I didn't get up in time to go before Sarah had to head off to work. So, five o'clock in the early evening on a balmy early Summer's day, and I was slogging it around Whitwick on the first run of the second week's regime. This week it's ninety seconds running followed by two minutes walking. Any different? Yeah, a little bit. Problem? Not in the slightest. The heat, sun and route I chose made it a more challenging run than previously, but not much. Route? Well, a series of on the spur of the moment choices about whether to turn right or left at any given junction. Worked out well, as it turned out - an exact twenty minute route through the heart of Whitwick, along the stream. Very pleasant.
So, we're still on track. I might sneak in a cheeky run tomorrow too, but the next scheduled one is for Tuesday morning. Right! We're off out on the ale in Shepshed, so that's it for this posting.
Glorious Saturday afternoon. I know I meant to go this morning, but there was a problem with my alarm (I forgot to set it), and I didn't get up in time to go before Sarah had to head off to work. So, five o'clock in the early evening on a balmy early Summer's day, and I was slogging it around Whitwick on the first run of the second week's regime. This week it's ninety seconds running followed by two minutes walking. Any different? Yeah, a little bit. Problem? Not in the slightest. The heat, sun and route I chose made it a more challenging run than previously, but not much. Route? Well, a series of on the spur of the moment choices about whether to turn right or left at any given junction. Worked out well, as it turned out - an exact twenty minute route through the heart of Whitwick, along the stream. Very pleasant.
So, we're still on track. I might sneak in a cheeky run tomorrow too, but the next scheduled one is for Tuesday morning. Right! We're off out on the ale in Shepshed, so that's it for this posting.
Thursday, 12 April 2007
Jog Blog #3
End of week #1!
Well, some small measure of achievement in that I've lasted a week, and I've managed to drag my backside out of bed on a couple of early starts. The weather's helped, no rain, mostly sunny - although this morning was filppin' cold. Still, I was assisted in getting up and getting going by SJM, who seems to see six o'clock as his wake up time. He'll grow out of that, hopefully!
So, to this morning. It was cold, not just cool, but cold, and the park was again closed. Made a route decision again, and headed off the other way along Church Lane, down to Brooks Lane. I could have headed back up towards home at that point, seen how long it took me, then done another lap or so to suit. Nope! I was feeling good, so I headed off up past New Swannington school - Jack and George's seat of learning - and up over Red Hill. About half way up the hill I began to think this might have been a little ambitious, but there was no turning back and I ploughed on.
I was rewarded at the top with some great views across the valley, looking back towards Whitwick. The cold, moisture laden air lying in the valley like a tethered cloud, with clear air and sparkling views across the top. This gave me a lift, and I pressed on again, on the homeward leg now. Except that once I got to the bottom of Red Hill it's an uphill trawl back up Talbot Lane, onto Talbot Road, past The Oak (scene of Monday's merry-making), up Brooks Lane (no snippets of exciting conversation to snatch this morning) and up the hill onto our estate. Phew!
Six minutes over time, lungs full of cold air... but feeling good! This is the end of week one, the training regime picks up a notch come Sunday morning (although we're out Sat night, so I might go on Saturday morning instead!) and we move on. Watch this space!
Well, some small measure of achievement in that I've lasted a week, and I've managed to drag my backside out of bed on a couple of early starts. The weather's helped, no rain, mostly sunny - although this morning was filppin' cold. Still, I was assisted in getting up and getting going by SJM, who seems to see six o'clock as his wake up time. He'll grow out of that, hopefully!
So, to this morning. It was cold, not just cool, but cold, and the park was again closed. Made a route decision again, and headed off the other way along Church Lane, down to Brooks Lane. I could have headed back up towards home at that point, seen how long it took me, then done another lap or so to suit. Nope! I was feeling good, so I headed off up past New Swannington school - Jack and George's seat of learning - and up over Red Hill. About half way up the hill I began to think this might have been a little ambitious, but there was no turning back and I ploughed on.
I was rewarded at the top with some great views across the valley, looking back towards Whitwick. The cold, moisture laden air lying in the valley like a tethered cloud, with clear air and sparkling views across the top. This gave me a lift, and I pressed on again, on the homeward leg now. Except that once I got to the bottom of Red Hill it's an uphill trawl back up Talbot Lane, onto Talbot Road, past The Oak (scene of Monday's merry-making), up Brooks Lane (no snippets of exciting conversation to snatch this morning) and up the hill onto our estate. Phew!Six minutes over time, lungs full of cold air... but feeling good! This is the end of week one, the training regime picks up a notch come Sunday morning (although we're out Sat night, so I might go on Saturday morning instead!) and we move on. Watch this space!
Tuesday, 10 April 2007
Jog Blog #2
Well, it was less unpleasant than I expected.
I think that's the best thing I can say about this morning. Having decided I was running this morning, circumstances leading up to the event could have conspired to lead to me staying in bed, a virtual run, perhaps. The afternoon drinking in the pub yesterday and the sleepless night thanks to SJM were probably the main culprits. I overcame them, however, to brave the dull (but thankfully dry) morning and continue my training as per my schedule.
A grey morning in Whitwick, I was up and about before anyone else, I think - to the extent that the park was still locked up. I had to modify my route from run number one as a result, and didn't bother heading over to Hermitage Lake, opting instead for a road circuit along Church Lane, North Street, Brooks Lane and Stinson Way. Turned out that I needed to do two laps to use up my allotted time, so two laps I did.
Interesting snippet overheard from a man talking to an inch open door, as I squeezed past: "I think what he did was wrong, and I punched him for it..." as I carried on running, the Raconteurs returning as the primary aural relief. Now I don't know who did what, why it was wrong, and whether he deserved punching for it, but it's all part of the zoo we live in!
The run was quite nice, cleared my head and set me up for the day, which is a result given the lack of sleep and the imbibation yesterday. I could get used to this. Thursday morning's scheduled in for my next run, so we'll see how it goes then.
I think that's the best thing I can say about this morning. Having decided I was running this morning, circumstances leading up to the event could have conspired to lead to me staying in bed, a virtual run, perhaps. The afternoon drinking in the pub yesterday and the sleepless night thanks to SJM were probably the main culprits. I overcame them, however, to brave the dull (but thankfully dry) morning and continue my training as per my schedule.
A grey morning in Whitwick, I was up and about before anyone else, I think - to the extent that the park was still locked up. I had to modify my route from run number one as a result, and didn't bother heading over to Hermitage Lake, opting instead for a road circuit along Church Lane, North Street, Brooks Lane and Stinson Way. Turned out that I needed to do two laps to use up my allotted time, so two laps I did.
Interesting snippet overheard from a man talking to an inch open door, as I squeezed past: "I think what he did was wrong, and I punched him for it..." as I carried on running, the Raconteurs returning as the primary aural relief. Now I don't know who did what, why it was wrong, and whether he deserved punching for it, but it's all part of the zoo we live in!
The run was quite nice, cleared my head and set me up for the day, which is a result given the lack of sleep and the imbibation yesterday. I could get used to this. Thursday morning's scheduled in for my next run, so we'll see how it goes then.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
