.... Jog Blog ....

Chilly one, and a bit of a plod

2012-01-27T08:05:00.003Z

It wasn't a leap out of bed morning this morning. Rather, it was a drag oneself out, and psyche oneself up one! Bloomin' chilly out, crystal clear sky, and ice on the cars. Not to mention the pavement! The ice crystals sparkled prettily like scattered diamonds in the moonlight. Sounds poetic, but made for careful foot placement and the odd readjustment. Heard on the radio that we're coming up to "the first cold spell of the Winter". Bugger!

It was a bit of a plod too, compared to the last couple. Friday mornings are rapidly becoming my least favourite running mornings. Probably because I like to have a couple of beers after karate on a Thursday night, mind you!

Still, compared to the last couple of weeks it was still reasonably quick, it's just compared to this week where it wasn't so much so. Pleasing.

Music: playlist on random, so muchos Rob Zombie, Murderdoll and Hellyeah

Monday revisited

2012-01-25T08:38:00.002Z

But three seconds quicker. Hah, not that I'm competing against myself yet, just felt good, and turned out a wee bit quicker. Probably down to me sprinting (well, jogging quicker) up Hervey Woods on the way home. Felt good this morning!

Need to change it up though, I'm runnning the same route too often. Difficult, due to street lighting and the dark, but needs doing. I'll have a play on Friday, maybe. The weekend will be a longer run, so that's okay, I'll come up with a route for that. Hopefully it won't be as windy as last week!

Music: playlist of mp3, including Rammstein, Rob Zombie, Hellyeah and System of a Down

Faster and better

2012-01-23T07:18:00.002Z

Thought it might be a tough one this morning, having had legs of lead after yesterday's horrible, horrible effort. Yoga yesterday lunchtime revitalised them somewhat, and I slept like a tired log last night, so it wasn't as bad as I perhaps thought it would be.

Went off harder than I have of late, and although it felt tough part way in I tried to keep it going. Pretty good go, looking at the mile pacings on the graph. Still a load of work to do, and just over two months to go. Somwhere around eight or nine weeks! Crikey!

Keep building, keep running!

Audio: Infinite Monkey Cage - physics v chemistry

Technology sucks; blowing a gale

2012-01-22T10:14:00.002Z

Went from bad to worse this morning.

Stuck some new podcasts on my phone to listen to; it crashed and wouldn't find them. I rebooted it, made it work, and headed out. It crashed about a mile into the run, losing all my run data, and resetting the podcast (hence the plot of the run from maymyrun, not the import from sports-tracker).

On top of that, it was blowing a gale. Like a proper gale, and running up the bypass into a head-on gale sapped virtually every last atom of energy from me. The rest of the "run" was slow and tortuous, and I truncated my originally planned route to get home quicker. Wimped out? Yes.

Still, five miles isn't bad, I guess.

Podcast: Iain Abernety - a plethora of martial musings

Raining

2012-01-19T07:58:00.002Z

Nearly didn't go out this morning. Nearly! Came out of the bathroom to the sound of fat raindrops on the skylight and that was nearly enough to persuade me to slip back under the quilt and enjoy the warmth for a little longer.

However... come March 25th am I going to bottle it because it's raining? Nope. I'm going to man up and front up, and that's exactly what I did this morning. Stop being such a pussy.

So, laced up and went out. Wasn't actually raining that hard; more of a mental barrier than anything (although that's not to say it couldn't have suddenly got a lot heavier!), but it was pretty chilly with it.

Usual route, not quick, and didn't really enjoy it. Had its moments, but generally felt like a slog. I'll be glad to see the back of this week from a running perspective, and start anew next week.

Music: Rammstein. A good choice - Rammlied came on just as I was feeling a bit crap, and drove me home. Great track!

Chilly, and a Tuesday?

2012-01-17T08:22:00.003Z

I think this might be the first time I've been running on a Tuesday morning. I'll have to check back, but I'm reasonably sure. Tuesday is normally a lie-in day following a Monday run; I didn't go out yesterday because of a niggling pain in my left knee after Sunday's epic effort.

Anyway, up and at 'em this morning, and around "the loop". All felt good, if a tad chilly. As always, the shower and coffee post-run were the best bits!

Audio goodness from the Infinite Monket cage podcast again!

Long

2012-01-15T10:05:00.004Z

Boom! Long one. I think it's the longest one I've ever done; a ten kilometre yomp around Coalville. Meant to go out yesterday, but was lazy and didn't . So made up for it this morning, jogging around in the freezing cold for an hour. Well, just under an hour, which was nice.

Lots of hills, lots of ice, and some wondering about whether or not I was going the right way! I planned the route on mapmyrun.com which is an ace tool, and the elevation profile looked relatively flat. The trouble with tools like that is that a couple of clicks is another couple of miles, and it's easy to click it from the comfort of one's desk - less easy when you've got the trainers on.

Still, feeling good! Enjoyed the shower, and scrambled eggs on toast, when I got back.

Music: random. Loads of good stuff, and some less suited to running!

Shorter!

2012-01-13T08:39:00.002Z

Bit of a struggle this morning. Had a few post-karate drinks last night, and dragging myself out of bed this morning too both willpower and mastery over the snoze button, which I think I hit twice without even realising it.

Anyway, out did I go, and cold it was. Bit of a poor effort in terms of distance, and not much better in terms of pace, but it was a run nonetheless. Just under a couple of miles, and a quarter of an hour.

Still, intending to go out tomorrow and put in a good distance, so that'll make up for this morning, hopefully.

Still, went out and ran.

On the mp3... guess what? Infinite Monkey Cage again. First time I've not managed to listen to an episode all the way through though!

Longer

2012-01-11T08:01:00.002Z

A good one this morning, getting on towards that five mile marker. Bit damp and drizzly out, and not the warmest either, but given that this time last year we were under a foot of snow then I guess I can't complain too much!

New route today, along the bypass, then down into Coalville past Jacqui's house, past Snibston Discovery Park, and then through the town centre, up past Hermitage Hotel(where we got married) and the Vic pub, then back along the bypass and home the way I came. Half toyed with heading back via Silver Street and through Whitwick village - not sure how much more distance that would have added (a quick mapmyrun tells me it would just push it over the five miles point), but decided to head back as time was getting short. I'll have to start getting up earlier for longer runs. Well, that or run quicker!

All good, pleasing morning. Cracking omelette for breakfast too, courtesy of my wonderful wife.

More "Infinite Monkey Cage" podcast fun - I'm running out of those now. Have to find something else, I like the distraction.

Damn the darkness

2012-01-09T07:14:00.002Z

Route options are pretty limited at the moment. It's dark, and I don't dare venture off the well lit highways to find more interesting routes, for a couple of reasons:

The uneven terrain of bridleways and footpaths makes it more likely that I'd roll an ankle (or worse) and knock myself out of valuable training time;

Unlike many runners who wear hi-vis jackets and so on, my running kit is predominantly black. There are many times when looking and moving like a ninja is desirable, however, not when there is possibly oncoming traffic!

So it was around the tried and tested South Whitwick loop again this morning, a relatively enjoyable jog just under three miles. No problems, no dramas. All good in the 'hood.

As a side note, went to a yoga class yesterday - thoroughly enjoyed it. Didn't know what to expect, but it was quite uplifting, and challenging at the same time. My balance needs work!

Podcats: Infinite Monkey Cage

Fourth one this week, and I enjoyed it

2012-01-07T10:29:00.003Z

Saturday morning running, eh? Headed off at about half nine, in the greyness. Something of a contrast from the crystal clear morning running of the week; daylight, but barely, and no sky to speak of. Wanted to run over three miles, and ended up putting in a comfortable 3.6 miles. I could have gone further too, but it was drizzling, and I'd taken a wrong turn once, so I called it off and headed home. Happy though - felt easy running.

Day off from running tomorrow - going to a yoga class at lunchtime. Looking forward to that, although not entirely sure what to expect!

Music / podcast: Infinite Monkey Cage (again).

Bit of a slow plod, but felt better

2012-01-06T08:02:00.003Z

Was umming and ahhing this morning about how far to go, if at all, as I'm planning on running again tomorrow. Plan A was to go for an easy mile and a half, just to keep the engine ticking over, as it were, before extending myself somewhat more tomorrow. However, I forced myself to start slowly today, and actually found that for the first time in this sequence of runs I was enjoying it.

So I loped round the south loop gently. Slow time, over ten minute miling, I think, but easy running and enjoyable. Starry skies again, no cloud or rain; perhaps we've turned a weather corner? We shall see. Pretty chilly still though.

Right, that's the first week of running under my belt; feels like I'm back. Got some building work to do, some progression, and some longer runs to nail, but twelve weeks sounds like long enough, fells like long enough!

Let's hope it proves to be so.

Music: once again, podcast. Once again, Infinite Monkey Cage. The one about philosophy and science today!

Still not fun yet

2012-01-04T08:02:00.003Z

There was an argument in my head this morning. A little devil was trying to convince me that the warm, cosy bed was the best place for me to be for the next hour, while a little angel was telling me that the wind had dropped, it wasn't raining, and if I didn't get up and go running I'd regret it.

The angel won.

So while I didn't exactly leap out of bed, I was up with the lark (in stark contrast to yesterday when my alarm malfunctioned) and pounding the pavement under crystal clear star-lit skies. Still not really feeling 100%, and the running is taking it out of me quite a bit at the moment. The shower when I got back was glorious though, and I'm enjoying my coffee a lot too!

So, getting on for three miles. That's the plan for this week, so another similar one on Friday. Then on Saturday morning the intention is to post a three and a half miler, or so, and build from there. Saturdays are going to be the long runs, and I'm currently planning (in a sort of rough, back of the fag packet kind of way*) to hit eight miles on Sat 25th Feb, although I might be there before then. We shall see. Then up to ten miles, then ten plus, then an easy week, and then the thirteen on March 25th.

Bring it on!

Oh, and another podcast morning. More Infinite Monkey Cage. Enjoying it, it's more distracting than music, although it can make me laugh out loud occasionally, which is both distracting to my running, and makes me look like a mad fool. Ah well!

* given the lack of smoking in recreational places such as pubs, will the saying "back of a fag packet" fall out of use? What will replace it? "Doodles on a smartphone"?

Well bugger me that was tough

2012-01-02T13:52:00.004Z

First run back after more or less a month off, due to being a bit poorly, and Christmas. It was always going to be a "no-fun" run, but I didn't expect it to be this tough! Over two and a half miles though, in a brief window of sunshine in this most rainy of Winters!

March is looming, and thirteen miles seems a long, long way at this point! Onwards...

Broke with tradition and listened to a podcast as I ran, rather than tunes. Interesting, but not as motivational. I might get used to it though.

Music: none. Podcast: The Infinite Monkey Cage: what has the North ever done for us?

Bloody chilly, but...

2011-12-02T07:59:00.002Z

Up and at 'em again. Wasn't really feeling the love this morning, but dragged myself out (recurring theme?) and hit the streets. Slowly. Shorter run today, just under two and a half miles, and nto quick either. Still, got out and did something, so can't grumble. Enjoyed the hot shower when I got back!

All the cars were frosted up, the sky was clear and the stars crisply visible. Well, when the light from early Christmas lights wasn't obscuring them. Still, felt a bit festive, if you can apply that term to slogging up and down hills for twenty odd minutes.

I say "slogging up and down hills", but have a look at the profile below - looks virtually all downhill! I can guarantee it wasn't! Interestingly I seem to have started off at 643ft above sea level, and finished (in the same spot) at 614ft above sea level. Did I miss something? An earthquake? Severe, and sudden, subsidence? Or did I magically levitate up after I turned off the GPS?

Who knows. Anyway, run done!

Music: Black Label Society

Second one back

2011-11-30T07:17:00.002Z

Dragged myself out of bed this morning. It was so comfy. So, so comfy. However, there's a thirteen mile run looming in sixteen and a half weeks, so drag myself out of my pit I did. Damn you Mark Turner!

Ran the opposite way around the South Whitwick loop this morning. Having to keep to the road at the bottom, by the bypass, rather than the preferred route along the bridleway. Unfortunately the bridleway is unlit, and I don't fancy the uneven terrain in the pitch black: too easy to roll an ankle!

Run was okay, a bit of a slog. Felt harder than the one on Monday, but completed it without walking again, which was nice. Was tempted at one point, but the "From out of nowhere" came on the mp3 player and, well, I couldn't stop when that was blasting out.

All in all, job done.

Music: FNM

Back at it, in the dark. For a reason though...

2011-11-28T07:58:00.003Z

Somehow I've let a friend from work talk me into signing up for the Loughborough half-marathon in March. I'll be running for charity, and would quite like to do it without dying, so I dusted off the running shoes and hit the pavement this morning.

This morning, with it's hard frost and darkness. Mmm. Lovely. Given a weekend of overindulgence on both food and drink, dragging myself out of bed early and slogging round the orange lit streets of frosty Whitwick for twenty five minutes was something of a shock to the system.

Still, reasonably happy with my fitness level, given the three and a half month break since I last went running! Swinging my kettlebell around is clearly maintaining a reasonable level!

So, not quick, but not too shabby, and I can tick it off. Half marathon preparation begun. Now to keep at it!

Music: The Gaslight Anthem

Mental

2011-07-13T08:04:00.002+01:00

Damn the endorphines. Which part of running makes your brain suggest to you that, having slogged your way around the countryside, running up another hill rather than turning for home would be a good idea?

Insanity aside, great run this morning. Right Achilles is a bit sore, but I can run on it. A good rest (a whole week while we're away, for example) will do it the power of good and then when I'm back it should be fine. Mentally tough one this morning, but pleasing result.

Four miles, plenty of hills, and a reasonable pace. Not quick, but reasonable, and kept it going. Enjoyed it too, and fitness coming. Choosing to run up and over Red Hill, and finding it relatively easy, is better than it was three weeks ago when the hill had grown!

Off on holiday on Friday!

Music: QOTSA

New shoes and sunshine

2011-07-11T08:05:00.005+01:00

Well, it's a glorious morning. Dragged myself out of bed, and pulled on my new shoes (reluctant to call them "trainers", they're "hybrid trail / road running shoes", don'tcha know... ;-) ), and headed out (the cats having come in as I opened the door). First thing I found was a decaptated mouse on the path; clearly a gift from one (or both) of the cats. Thanks, girls.

Then out, onto the road and down into Thringstone. Pretty much turned out to be downhill for the first half of the run, and then uphill back. Bad planning, that! Still, beautiful morning for running through the woods - sun glinting through the canopy and all that. Down to the priory, around that - watched loads of white fluffy tails scatters as the rabbit population took evasive action - and back up through the woods and home. Glorious.

Turned out to be 3.8 miles too! Blimey. Didn't feel too bad, but I was pretty sweaty when I got home. When i got home and had to clean up the cat sick. Again, thanks girls!

Shower was good, explained to George why planes are faster than boats, and headed to work!

Music: Rammstein

Nice flat one

2011-07-07T07:58:00.002+01:00

Nice one this morning. To be honest, I did waver between six and five past, when I couldn't decide whether to go or not - but I thought "hell, we have enough rainy mornings, and this one's lovely..." and got my arse out. Glad I did.

No real route plan, no real aim, just jogging nicely in the morning sun and breeze. Down to the lake, a couple of times around it, and then back across the Leisure Centre field and car park, and then up the Church Lane hill by The Black Horse. Note to self, come *down* that way!

All good though, and feeling pretty good with it all. Planning on having tomorrow morning off, and then lifting some weight at the weekend.

Oh, got a new phone, so was pleased that the sports-tracker app worked nicely and seamlessly integrated all my settings and previous workouts. Nice work, well done to the team there.

Music: Frank Turner

Hot, hilly and hard

2011-07-06T07:15:00.003+01:00

But remarkably quick, compared to how it felt. I was back in the hutch only seventeen minutes after setting off. Turns out that was a good thing, as the heavens opened moments later!

Ran down The Dumps, up Loughborough Road, down Cademan Road, and then up Church Lane. Doesn't sound too much, but those ups are long and steep, and the downs are long and steep. All good fun, but I think I'll look at someting flatter, but longer next time.

Music: Alice Cooper

Been nearly a week

2011-07-05T07:15:00.003+01:00

But good one this morning. Had an epic weekend, and not quite sure I've shaken off all the after effects yet, but it was a good morning run, in beautiful sunshine. Cut back up across the fields parallel with the park, and that was a nice change, apart from the stinging nettles! Ah well.

Music: Hardcore Superstar

Double Zumba and then run home

2011-06-29T15:56:00.004+01:00

Day off work today, as it's the lads' school sports day. So had some free time, and went to Sarah's Zumba classes this morning. Zumba Toning followed by Zumba. It's not often I get to do her classes, but it's great fun. Very, very sweaty too.

So sweaty, in fact, that I didn't want to get the car seats covered in it, and decided to run home. Not a long way, but uphill virtually every step of the way (see profile below!).

Another good one

2011-06-28T08:05:00.002+01:00

Had to drag myself out this morning. I woke up earlier, about half five, and there were dig drops of rain exploding on the skylight. Aha, thought I, you just keep doing that... but it didn't and when I woke up again half an hour later I could hear the birds tweeting* and the sound of rain was conspicuous by its absence. So I struggled out of bed, and a few short moments later I was pounding my way around Whitwick again.

Forgot my stopwatch, so for the first time this year I didn't worry about what I was running and when, and just let it roll. Round my road route of South Whitwick for the first time this year. Not quick, but not too tough either, and a pleasing trundle. All good fun, and felt a lot better for it!

*do birds still twitter and tweet? Or is that now so deeply ingrained as a "web thing" that it just conjures up images of birds on smartphones posting 140 character updates on the state of their nests.

Music: Deep Purple

Enjoyed it today!

2011-06-23T08:18:00.003+01:00

Okay, so I can honestly say I enjoyed running this morning. Wasn't a struggle getting up, I slept really well, and it wasn't raining (unlike yesterday morning!). Rubbed eyes, kitted up and off I went. Didn't look at my watch until about eight minutes in, so decided not to bother with the walking sections and just man up and run for a goodly amount of time. So I did. Not the longest, but two and a half miles isn't bad at this stage, I reckon. It's only going to get easier as I get fitter, and start upping miles and pace (maybe).

Went anti-clockwise around Whitwick, and then remembered why I normally do it clockwise. The first mile is a slog uphill. The rest is pretty much flat and down, but that first bit...

A quick note on yesterday: alarm went off, I lay in bed and listened for rain (there having been heavy rain in the night). No rain. Up, kit on, out the door. Got as far as the side of our house before the heavens opened and it proper lashed it down hard. I sheltered for a few under the Oak tree, then gave it up as a bad job and retired back into the house for half an hours of stretching and kata. Had it rained ten minuted earlier I could have stayed in bed. Ten minutes later I'd already have been running and wouldn't have been able to do anything about it. Bah, just bad timing!

Anyway - enjoyed today!

Music: random (including Rob Zombie, Skid Row, and Serj Tankian!)

CYC02: wasn't really in the mood!

2011-06-21T06:39:00.002+01:00

Well, toughie getting out of bed this morning. Didn't really fancy it, and when I got out on the bike not a lot changed, to be honest. Went for a meander through Swannington, and then down a nice big hill (topped 32mph this time) back towards Whitwick. Of course, that means going up a nice big hill into Whitwick. So be it. Short ride, in terms of time and distance, but pleased I got out and did something.

Another glorious morning

2011-06-20T08:01:00.004+01:00

Up before my alarm went off, and out and running. Top morning, really. Flat(ish) route, meandering around Whitwick. Through the park, down to Hermitage Park, around the lake, back up the old railway line, then up by the church, North Street and home. Five minutes running, followed by thirty seconds of walking. That's this week, then I'll be happy enough to go the full distance running without worrying about my knee not being ready for it. Then just start building distance and speed!

Music: The Gaslight Anthem

Beautiful morning. Running though?

2011-06-16T08:22:00.002+01:00

What a gorgeous, sunny morning. Up early, enjoying the Summer morning. Not enjoying the running - well, while doing it anyway. Went up and over Red Hill, which seems to have grown since I last ran it. Either that or I'm more out of shape, but it can't be that. Can it?

So it was tiring from the moment I set foot outdoors, but mental fortitude is a wonderful thing, and I pressed on, again on the three on, one off method, building it up. Thought I might skip on a little prior to going out this morning - glad I didn't! Small steps, and so on.

Music: Audioslave

CYC:01 - out on my bike

2011-06-15T07:55:00.003+01:00

Yup, a change this morning. Dusted off the old bicycle, and went for an early morning roll around North Coalville and Whitwick. Roll, I say! Hah, my chosen route (based on a previous conversation with Sarah in which she said it was a "flat" route) was uphill for pretty much the first three quarters, or four miles or so. Man, I felt that! The small sections of flat road were bliss!

Of course, what goes up must come down, and according to my phone / gps I topped out at 31.3 mph coming down Leicester road, which was quite exhilarating. So good fun!

I'm going to try to keep getting out on the bike - maybe not as often as running, but it's a nice change.

Here we go again...

2011-06-14T07:10:00.003+01:00

Well, this is the time of year I normally stop running and relax! This year, however, I've only just got off my backside and started.

Glorious sunshine, lovely morning. Mindful of my knee pain from last year, so 3 mins running interspersed with a minute recovery walking, repeated for 24 mins.

Good to be back running? The jury's out.

Music: Hardcore Superstar

Big f**king hill

2010-06-18T08:00:00.003+01:00

Was half hoping it'd be chucking it down this morning so I had an excuse for not getting out of bed. Slept ever so well, and didn't really want to leave my nice warm pit. However, this inexplicable compulsion for running in the morning drove me out of bed, and off I trotted. Lovely morning, not too cool, but not blistering hot and sunny either. Should be a nice day!

So I headed off with a bit of a plan to head out to Swannington and then home. Which I duly did, but not by any of my previous routes. Talkbot Lane, Jeffcoats Lane to Swannington, fair enough, but I then eschewed the easy return routes of Church Lane, and even Spring Lane, and braved Hough Hill.

Now, Sarah's told me about running up Hough Hill, from when she used to train in the mornings a few years ago. Her accounts put it somewhere between the North Face of the Eiger, and attempting the summit of Everest. Pah, thought I, what exaggeration can this be?

More fool me! 'Tis a hellish climb up from the Swannington Village to Hoo Ash roundabout. You should be able to see the scope of the incline on the pics below, but it took some genuine mental fortitude to keep pushing, to keep driving the legs, to keep moving!

It's deceptive. There's a hill, and then you crest it and there's a nice flat bit across the railway lines, past the Railway Pub. then you round a corner and it throws another hill at you. A bigger, longer, uglier one, which snarls at you until you eventually get to the bypass at the top of the hill.

Mostly coasting back from there - certainly everything else pales in comparison - and along the bypass and home along Brooks Lane. Even the final climb up Hervey Woods didn't seem so daunting today.

So, I think it's the longest morning run - nay, the longest run - I've put in thus far. Plus it was quite a punishing one; the same distance on the flat would be a piece of cake.

All in all, a morning to be pleased with!

And here's the route in profile, produced on mapmyrun.com:

Music: Halestorm

Post Download

2010-06-16T07:57:00.003+01:00

Well, last weekend was a weekend of rock and roll excess, in Donington. Meant that keeping fit and running were consigned to the back burner for the weekend, and that this morning was the first since last Wednesday that I got off my arse and went out running.

Beautiful morning for it though, and the sun is still shining. Could totally have stayed in bed, but glad I didn't and hammered around the S Whitwick route in a reasonable time, although I've done it quicker.

Music: Slash

Squats, Zumba and running

2010-06-09T08:08:00.003+01:00

Wednesday's runs are never too much fun, Tuesday night being legs session on the weights. It's deload week, so it wasn't too bad, but then last night I attended one of Sarah's Zumba classes - top fun, and pretty knackering. Highly recommend it!

Meant I slept well last night too - which was a top bonus.

So to this morning: I was tempted to stay in bed (aren't I always), having slept better than I have for a few nights, and being all warm and cosy and stuff. But no, I'd have regretted it had I done that, and I'm glad I dragged myself out and about.

Good run, over three and a half miles, and back to find Sarah's been lounging in the spa bath while I've been out flogging myself.

Music: Zakk Wylde's Pride and Glory

Toughie this morning

2010-06-07T08:03:00.003+01:00

Tough getting out of bed. Tough running. Tough all round, really!

Top weekend just passed - lifted a PB 75KG overhead press on Saturday, which was pretty damned awesome, even if I do say so myself. Follow that with quality beer gardenage and fun times. All good!

So getting up this morning was a nightmare. Shoulders ache. Back aches. Didn't sleep well. Tired. Sarah said "I admire your dedication" as I rolled out of bed. I think I'm just a bit nuts.

Slogged my way up and over the Red Hill route, with Church Lane on the end. Not fun.

Ah well - made it!

Music: Nine Inch Nails

Couple of sessions off, and back on a Friday

2010-06-04T08:10:00.003+01:00

Didn't go running on Monday due to it being a Bank Holiday, and the weather being shitty. Crap excuse, I know. Didn't go running on Wednesday because I was at work until 0130 Tuesday night / Wednesday morning. Better excuse, no?

Anyway, back up and at 'em this morning. Wasn't feeling the love - not running is as addictive as running is, just in a different way. My legs felt really heavy - they did at karate last night too - and it was a real effort to make them move.

Make them move I did, though, and eased myself back into the swing of things with the South Whitwick Loop. First time I've run it for a while, it being only 2.8 miles it's a bit short for me these days(!). Still, enjoyed it, and looking back through the blog the last time I ran it was on 12th May, and I ran it in 23 mins 2 seconds. Today I ran it in 22 mins 43 seconds, which is (I'll do the maths so you don't have to) 19 seconds quicker. I reckon that's not bad, but there's more to come. I'm going to make a point of running it every month or so to try and clock in a better time.

So, let's see how that goes, shall we?

Music: Dio

Friiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiday

2010-05-28T08:04:00.003+01:00

Boom, the weather's back! Spankingly glorious morning, and a long run to enjoy it. Well, long by my standards - clocked this one in at over four and a half miles, and therefore broke the hold of the 3.x milers. No problem, either. It's all good fitness wise! I reckon I'm already back to the kind of running form I was in towards the end of the Summer 2K7, before I got lazy. I've already done more running this year than in the last two put together, and I don't think I'm far off my total from 2K7 either. I'm certainly running further than I was back then!

Might start looking at a couple of 10K races to train up to and enter, see if I can raise some dollar for charidee along the way.

So, today's route:

Musical accopmaniment: Whitesnake

Cooler, and another 3.x miles

2010-05-26T07:59:00.004+01:00

Cooler morning this morning. Particularly after the schorching weather we've had over the weekend. Cool breeze too; not bad conditions for running in. Didn't realise how cool it was until I got home and into the shower though, and my fingers began the warming up process.

It seems that 3.x miles has become the new 2.x miles. Happily knocking them off easily of a morning now; the last four, and five of the last six, runs have all been over three miles. The four mile mark is the next barrier, I guess. I did kind of think I was going to hit it this morning, but turned out quarter of a mile short. Nice run though - went down into Swannington, along the main drag, and then back to Whitwick via Jeffcoats Lane and Limby Hall Road. Very pretty altogether.

The route was nice, and a lot of it was downhill. Unfortunately, you can work out that what goes down must come up, and the last part of the run was aggressively uphill. You can see it on the blue altitude graph on the right hand side of the image below (from my phone GPS & Nokia Sports Tracker). I've also plotted it up using the tools at mapmyrun.com which you can also see below. Kept going though, kept grafting!

Music: Motley Crue

Scorchio, and up the Swanny

2010-05-24T08:10:00.003+01:00

What a weekend it has been. Hot, hot, hot weather which continued into this morning, meaning running was a sweaty business. You'd think I might opt for an easy run, might you not? There must be something wrong with me, as I slogged it up Loughborough Road, and again up Swannymote Road. Lovely weather, but not lovely hills. Not on foot, anyway.

Still, turned out nice. Saw cattle, bulls and pheasants, and some lovely countryside. I love living out here, it's ace. Beats running in the city hands down. Not that I ever did too much of that, mind.

Music: Pendulum

Running = good. Dropping phone = bad!

2010-05-21T08:21:00.003+01:00

Beautiful morning this morning. Summer seems to have landed early, however briefly it stays. It was apleasure to be up and about this morning, and I decided to head off down towards Thringstone woods and to Grace Dieu priory. Wasn't sure how far it would end up being, but that's a bit less of an issue these days.

Bad start though - contrived to drop my phone as I was coming down Hervey Woods. Didn't appear to be any obvious ill effects, so on I went. All was fine, and I was motoring along nicely - got to the woods and decided to take a picture of the bluebells, very picturesque. That was obviously too much for my concussed phone, and it siezed up. Still playing music though, so I decided to carry on and see if it would unfreeze.

It didn't. So when I got to the priory I stopped and spent five minutes rebooting it and teasing it back into operation. Took a couple of pics of the ruins while I was there to test the camera. Once everything was operational again I restarted the GPS tracking (which had aborted - it recovered my run, but now it's in two halves) and slapped on some new tunes and headed home.

Which in itself wasn't without incident - got tripped up by a bloody dog. Wasn't happy. People should control the things, or not let them off the lead.

Bah.

Still, top run - really enjoyed the running part, even if the whole "event" was marred by technology problems and canine intervention. Wound up being somewhere around three and three quarter miles, which felt good.

Music: Pendulum (pre-phone crash); Guns 'n' Roses (post-phone crash)

Warm, and fun!

2010-05-19T08:02:00.002+01:00

Warm morning this morning: ventured out without my jacket on for the first time. Wasn't bright and sunny, but dull and warm. Perfect conditions, really. Slept well last night too, so everything was primed for a decent run this morning.

So it panned out. Decided on a bit of a longer one, and revisited Foan Hill for the second time, but in the other direction. It's a great run, Spring Lane - which I ran up last time - is a nice long downhill coast. Obviously you hit Foan Hill and then Red Hill, and then Talbot Lane, which makes the return trip somewhat exhausting, but I was doing okay!

Was out a little longer this morning, but covered more distance and still felt strong at the end. Bodes well. I might start upping the distance again, depending on the weather and time constraints. Didn't seem to be an issue fitness-wise.

Music: Metallica

Still going

2010-05-17T08:03:00.002+01:00

Top weekend. Top morning running! All good!

Up and over Redhill today - it was bright and sunny and almost warm. Great views over the countryside; spent much of yesterday driving around the Peak District, and the views were just as good this morning!

Music: Faith No More

Got a little bit lost, but it all worked out in the end!

2010-05-14T08:08:00.003+01:00

As exciting blog post titles go, that isn't, is it?

It was a tough one getting up this morning; proper rubbing sleep out of my eyes and stretching. Mouth felt dry, back felt stiff... not great when you're thinking about running a few miles. Went downstairs, let Boomer in and kitted up (trainers, jacket, headphones, phone...) and set off. Slowly!

Didn't fancy seeing my time if I did my only recognised timeable route, so set off for pastures new, and picked up the footpath down by the old winding wheel at City of Dan. BIt of a slope, and then there's a kids playground on the right, followed by a footpath. Which I took. Sense of direction was working fine (and I've always got the maps on the phone if I get proper lost!) and I ended up at a T-junction, where I turned right, back towards Whitwick. I presumed.

Plodded along for a bit not recognising anything, and starting to have the beginnings of doubt in my mind until I passed a road name I recognised, and then I was suddenly back on familiar turf. Which was nice.

Kinds of picked up my wind at this point. Most people get a second wind - this was my first one. I was enjoying the run today, it had snuck up on me! So I carried on, made a couple of different route choices which avoided the quick route home, and ended up posting more than three miles. It wasn't quick, it wasn't pretty to begin with, but it was fun!

Another week's running done and dusted!

Music: Stone Sour

Grey day, and a new PM

2010-05-12T08:07:00.002+01:00

David Cameron's the Prime Minister. It's a grey and miserable day outside. Coincidence? I'll let you decide!

We went out for a meal last night at around seven o'clock, and when we came back the government of the country was being announced. Looks like a decent representation for the Lib Dems, with some interesting policy compromises on both sides. Referendum on PR or AV, and I think the 10K basic rate for Income Tax is still in there, so not all bad news!

Running this morning was reasonable - managed to clock the same time for The Loop as I did on Friday, which was somewhat surprising because it didn't feel "quick", nor did it feel "easy". I guess that's good - be interesting to see what time I can post when it does feel quick and easy!

Sam was up when I got back, and I passed the other two on the stairs. Mayhem commenced while I was in the shower!

Music: Orange Goblin

Wonderful Spring morning, but hard bloomin' work!

2010-05-10T08:08:00.003+01:00

Several of my last posts have been about how easy and good my running has been recently, and in some instances I think I might even have used words like "quick" and "fast". This morning was the one that kept the universe in balance. Tough, slow, a slog. Hard work. Tiring, mentally and physically.

Not like I went far, or fast, but every step was an act of will to keep going. Every step a tiny success of mind over matter, and of cursing myself for this madness.

Still, got out, got running, and feel a lot better for it than if I hadn't. Or do I? I don't know, and I can't prove it, so I'll just work on the assumption that I would.

Went for a spin around the lake - not been down that way for a while, and was rewarded (when I wiped the sweat out of my eyes) with new born fluffy ducklings crossing my path (I took steps to give them a wide berth), and a glorious sunrise through the rising mist on the lake. I fumbled my phone out of my pocket to take a snap.

Made it home, wished my wife happy birthday, and then off to work!

Music: Black Label Society

Not as bad as I thought it would be

2010-05-07T08:12:00.003+01:00

Up bright and early this morning: first day back in the office post holiday. Did I mention I was going away? Perhaps not. I've spent the last week eating too much, drinking (far) too much, and generally living the life of Riley on the beach and bars of Mallorca. Had a great time, thanks. Did absolutely no exercise though, other than walking to and from the beach, bar, restaurant etc.

So, I set my alarm for this morning, and through sheer will of effort I dragged myself out of bed and onto the roads of Whitwick. Something of a shock to the system!

To be honest, it wasn't as bad as I feared it might be. Ran the clockwise loop of South Whitwick, with which I am more than a little familiar, so there was no shock there in terms of sights or sounds.

Felt good, mostly. Certainly not as bad as I was expecting. In fact, posted a pretty reasonable (by my standards) time for The Loop. So quite pleased! Edit: just looked back, and it's faster than I ran last time out, when I said that felt fast. So that's nice!

Back on the weights tonight, and then a full week next week!

Music: The Cult

Monday motoring!

2010-04-26T08:09:00.002+01:00

It felt a bit weird this morning. I'd pretty much been awake since quarter past four when Samster woke us up, so it felt like I'd been awake for ages when I hit the road at six fifteen. The sun was well established in the sky, and there seemed to be more people around than usual at that time in the morning - all of which lent it an air of being much later than it actually was!

Anyway. Ran my "usual" route, looping around South Whitwick in a clockwise direction - see the map and stats attached. Not the usual geodistance.com map today, I've clipped a screenshot from the Nokia app I've been using. Gives all manner of interesting statistics, and plots the route accurately and easily with GPS. Pretty groovy.

Felt good this morning too; quick and good. I was actaully enjoying the run this morning, running quicker than previously, and it just seemed easier. I'm sure the next one won't, however!

Saw some of the London marathon on the telly yesterday. Kind of appeals. No firm commitment for anything though! Build up plenty of miles before even thinking such things, I think!

Music: Black Label Society

Friday!

2010-04-23T08:05:00.003+01:00

Couldn't believe it when my alarm went off this morning. I think the first words out of my mouth this morning were "you're joking", directed at my chirping phone. Still, it wasn't joking (it's sense of humour seems to be limited to dropping the wifi signal mid browse) and I had to get up and run. Which I did, of course.

Rewarded with another glorious morning. The sun had already established it's watch in the sky when I left the house at 0615, and it was bright, crisp and clear. I think a warm day looms. Did the loop over Red Hill, with Church Lane tacked on the end.

It's funny how your mind works during a run. Well, my mind, anyway. I was feeling good at one point, and thought "yeah, this is great, I might tack on another half mile at the end, just for fun". Thirty seconds later I had flipped entirely to the point of "I might stop and text Sarah to ask her exactly why I am out doing this to myself?". Mental fortitude won out, and I carried on, and I didn't go the usual route home, although whether adding the Church Lane bit on takes me any further needs investigating (edit: I've just checked and it's an extra quarter mile).

Still, a pleasant enough run on a glorious Friday morning. Bring on the weekend!

Music: Black Sabbath

Cool morning, but bright, sunny, and planes!

2010-04-21T08:06:00.004+01:00

Glorious out this morning. Lovely light as the sun came up, bathing the village in warm amberness. Pretty chilly too though, there was frost on some of the cars, and it didn't feel warm, despite the fact that I was out running!

I was indeed out running though, and the best thing I saw wasn't the sunrise, nor was it home when I arrived back! It was a plane cutting through the clear blue sky, vapour trail in its wake; the herald of the return of air travel, and hopefully us departing on time for our impending holiday!

Felt like a bit of a slog this morning at times, but felt good by equal measure at others, so I'll put it down as a win for the morning. Ran down to North Street (paused very briefly to take a picture of a plane in the sky, oh, and the glorious light), and then headed down by the church and along the old railway line, twice round the lake and then home across the field, past the cemetary and the park.

Twenty five minutes, just less than three miles again. No walking, all running. Well, jogging. Still, feeling good. Knee pain seems to be a thing of the past thanks to the stretching and the building up of the running.

So, top morning on several levels. Hurrah!

Music: Slipknot

Monday morning slog

2010-04-19T08:16:00.003+01:00

Was not feeling the love this morning. Brief dalliance with the snooze button, and the sound of raindrops on the skylight were pretty demotivating, but it wasn't raining heavily and I wasn't properly asleep, so dragged myself out.

Good run, a smidgen under three miles, in twenty five minutes. Not fast, but good enough. No walking, all running, which was nice. Knees felt good, body felt good. The groundwork from the past few weeks seems to have paid off!

Went exploring up Hall Lane, and down to Silver Street that way - good to go somewhere new again! Mapped out a few new little routes to explore over the next few weeks too.

Music: Clutch

Friday

2010-04-16T08:28:00.003+01:00

Yeah, it's Friday! Hurrah!

Two and a half miles this morning, including slogging up Loughborough Road - which was an absolute killer. Still, got to come down Cademan Street, which kinda made up for it. Oh to live somewhere flat! Meh, perhaps not. Mind you, when I do find a flat bit it does feel good!

No niggles this morning, no knee pain, no problems at all. Other than getting out of bed, but that's unlikely to go away any time soon.

Oh, by the way - I passed my blue belt in Wado Ryu karate last night. Which is nice.

Bring on the weekend!

Music: Stone Temple Pilots

Yeahhhh. Good one!

2010-04-14T08:06:00.004+01:00

Some mornings it all comes together. It wasn't the brightest morning, but it was dry; it wasn't the lightest morning, but it was by no means dark. The snooze button tempted me, but I just thought about how pissed off I'd be at myself if I didn't get up, and off I went.

Okay, so I'm still not blasting out the mileage, but this morning I felt good, felt strong; I'm almost tempted to say fast! I definitely picked up the pace a bit on a couple of occasions, and it felt good. That's despite another weights session last night.

Nothing spectacular in terms of route - pretty standard loop around the South end of the village, and home. Just realised it's the same route as Friday, but the opposite way around. Three minutes on, one off, five on, one off, and repeat. No problems, no niggles, no exhaustion. So onwards we power. Two down this week, Friday morning to go, and then I'll ratchet up the scheme again.

Music: Atreyu

Bit of a slog

2010-04-12T08:10:00.003+01:00

Not an easy one this morning. Had a great weekend, with a night out in Shepshed on Sat night and then Big Jon's stand-up comedy debut last night in Birmingham. Throw in my return to weight training yesterday too (with a PB in OHP @ 72.5 kg, and a return to squats at the same weight) and some DOMS as a result, and it was never destined to be easy.

Anyway, dragged myself out of bed this morning. Cool, but bright, and off I went. Simple route (see map), but upped the routine again: 3 mins running, 1 min walking, 5 mins running, 1 min walking - repeated twice (with a bit extra on the end to get me home). So, the good news: feeling strong, no knee pain, enjoyed the run. Bad news? Quads of fire! That's the squats' legacy from yesterday.

Didn't sleep well last night; looking forward to an early one tonight.

Music: BRMC

Sunny spring morning

2010-04-09T08:10:00.003+01:00

Another glorious morning. Tough dragging myself out of bed, but once I was out of the house and moving it was lovely. Just over two and a half miles, two minutes running married with thirty seconds of blissful relief walking. Have to change that up again for next week! The good news from today was the complete lack of any niggle in either knee, before, during or after the run. Happy days!

Did the road circuit of South Whitwick: through the village centre, along Silver Street, along the bridleway by the bypass (I was hoping to see some rabbits, but I guess it's a bit early in the year for that. I saw a fox last time I was out though, don't think I mentioned that) and then back home along Brooks Lane. Quite pleasing, and there's scope to lengthen that route up into Swannington as desired!

It's Friday, and it's shorts weather. It's two and a half weeks until we go on holiday, and the world is good.

Music: Pendulum

New headphones, and early morning again

2010-04-07T08:03:00.002+01:00

Back to early morning running then, what with being back at work. Ah, the joy of dragging myself from my nice warm bed in the gray morning light, the odd spot of rain rapping on the bedroom skylight. Remind me why I do it, again? Ah yes, keeping fit. Damn!

New headphones though - over ear sports "not drop out of your ear every fifty paces" headphones. Which worked nicely, thank you very much, piping the Black Stone Cherry motivation through at a quality sound level, and most importantly, not popping out of my ears.

Another hilly run today - up Cademan Street, and then taking it up to eleven by adding in King Richard's Hill. Made for some decent downhill running on the way home, mind you! Started to spot with rain on the way home, but it was almost refreshing.

Hot shower, scrambled eggs on toast, and a mug of coffee... bring on the day!

Music: Black Stone Cherry

Bright and breezy

2010-04-05T11:51:00.003+01:00

Another day off work, so another mid-morning run in the sunshine. Sunshine and a strong breeze, mind you. Pleasant though, rather than running in the early morning dark and drizzle (oh, I'm looking forward to getting up on Wednesday morning, really I am).

Week three of the plan, and it's now 2 mins running, 30s walking. Man, those 30s go by quickly! Still, all good. New route this morning, somewhere I've never been before - Foan Hill, between Church Lane and Spring Lane, at Swannington. It's a hill. Oh yes, it's a hill!

Spring Lane's a nightmare too: long, straight and uphill. You can see it stretching out in front of you for miles...

Anyway, job done.

Music: Rob Zombie

Spring sprung?

2010-04-03T11:02:00.003+01:00

Fantastic morning this morning. Sun shining, reasonable temperature and not too strong a wind. Ideal really. So, trainers on and off we go again - 2 mins on, 1 off for the final time, and now thinking about next week's training schedule. Mindful of not putting too much on my knees, although they felt strong today, so another building block week next week.

Anyway, back to today's run: sweaty and hilly. Up and over Red Hill fom the Talbot Lane end, back past the school, and up Brooks Lane and home. Pretty good going, two and a half miles, just over twenty minutes. Have I said what a nice morning it is?

Still going strong, and it's getting easier.

Music: Buckcherry

April fool?

2010-04-01T11:38:00.002+01:00

Well, I didn't go running yesterday. Day off work and a trip to Twin Lakes meant that I got up late and then didn't have a chance to go out. Which isn't entirely a shame, as it was cold and windy yesterday. Today, on the other hand is glorious and sunny, and pretty warm when you're out of the wind, too. So I knocked the mud off my trainers, and set out.

I was mindful of the knee pain I'd experienced on Monday morning, so dropped back to two mins running, one min walking. That seemed to do the trick, and my right knee was absolutely fine. I was just starting to feel my left one when I got home, but a bit of stretching and another outing on this schedule should be fine.

So, no time pressure and a glorious day. Great combination, and I headed off without a route in mind. I went up past the park, then down by the Church and straight across up the Hockley, which was very pretty in the morning sunshine. Then up Cademan Street again, glutton for punishment that I am, and then - bold decision - out and up to Swannymote Road. Along there, and then back towards Thringstone the back way. Not been along there before (not on foot, anyway), and it's a bugger of a long way! Lovely in the sunshine, but I did wonder if I'd bitten off more than I could chew!

Kept going though (not that there was any option) and was relieved when I got back onto familiar territory at Grace Dieu Road. That just meant I had The Dumps to look forward to...

All good though, great morning out, and a decent distance. Knees feel good, and I enjoyed it.

Music: Lamb of God

Horrible, horrible, horrible

2010-03-29T08:21:00.002+01:00

That was not fun. Not in the slightest. Bloody clocks going forward meant it was pretty much dark, and the clouds and the cold rain didn't improve matters in the slightest. Wet underfoot, and more knee pain adding to the misery. I should have listened to the little voices telling me to stay in bed! The highlight of the run was again the shower at the end of it, which teels me something!

Anyway, moaning aside, it's week two of my rehabilitation plan, and I stepped it up a little from the formula of the last week, up to 3 mins running, 1 min walking. This meant I covered more ground, and also did a lot more running (twice as much, no less) than last week. As I mentioned above, I was suffering with my knee towards the end, so I might have overegged the pudding a little early!

Still, covered over two and a half miles, and I think that's about the only positive I can take from it. That and the music which kept me going! Managed to immerse my left foot in mud at one point, which wasn't nice, and it was all cold and wet. Moan, moan, moan.

Music: Hatebreed

Glorious morning

2010-03-26T08:21:00.002Z

Okay, so 2010.3 and still going (doing better than last year, based on this blog!). Third and final run of week 1, having reverted back to square one. Good news - my knees feel 100% fine. Such a relief after the pain of a couple of weeks ago! I'm lucky enough never to have been shot in the knee, but if I had I imagine it would feel a bit like that.

Out of bed at six this morning - it's light and gorgeous at that time at the moment, although the clocks go forward this weekend and it's going to be dark and miserable again for a few weeks. Be nice and light in the evenings, mind you. Few minutes stretching, shoes on, and off I went.

Didn't go quite so far this morning, mainly due to the choice of route involving Cademan Street (which is a big f**king hill) and The Dumps (another big f**king hill). I was pretty grateful for the walking interludes on those bad boys, although Cademan Street was pretty much all running. Which was good, but not at the time!

Made it back home, had a shower, scrambled eggs for breakfast. All pretty groovy. Oh, I played with the "Sports Tracker" utility on my phone, which is pretty groovy. I'll upload some pics when I work out how to get them off there.

Music: Five Finger Death Punch

Out in the rain

2010-03-24T08:23:00.002Z

It was a pretty miserable morning this morning. I could hear the rain spattering on the skylight as I lay in bed, and then the alarm went off (as I knew it would). A couple of deep breaths to convince myself that it made sense, and then up and off. Wore my waterproof jacket; got soaked through with sweat, but at least it kept the wind off.

So, horrible morning. Still, day two of the 90s running, 60s walking combo and the good news is that my knees feel good. Felt good while I was out, still feel good now. Which is nice! It's only pain, but not having it is nice than it being there!

Two miles, twenty minutes. In the rain. The hot shower I had when I got home was sheer bliss! It's worth putting yourself through a miserable half hour (including the getting out of bed and dressing) to revel in the pleasure of the shower's hot embrace! Plus Jack made me scrambled egg on toast too, which was great!

This morning's running music: Limp Bizkit

Sneaking back....

2010-03-22T08:28:00.003Z

Went for a couple of runs last week. One last Monday (had the day off and went in the morning), and one early on Wednesday morning. Both went well, and I covered a couple of miles each time, but each time I felt pain in my knees - more severely the second time. A quick google later and I discovered iliotibial band syndrome, which seems to fit the symtoms exactly. So, rest, stretching and looking after my IT Band, and easing back into running rather than the bull in a china shop approach of the last couple of runs.

So... up and at 'em again this morning. Reverting back to the 'couch to 5k' programme, and dropping back to week 1, day 1. So, that's supposed to be 60s running followed by 90s walking, alternating for twenty minutes. Except I misread it in my early morning haze and did 90s running / 60s walking, which was fine! I can feel it in my right knee, but no pain. More stretching is the order of the day, and I'll see how I go on Wednesday morning. Covered just over 2 miles this morning - amazing how far you can travel alternating running and walking.

Glorious morning - sun coming up as I was out, cold, but bright and clear. Which was nice - it's much easier to get out of bed when it's like that than when it's wet and horrible!

Music: Kyuss

And again...

2009-02-25T08:06:00.003Z

Third one, then. Little bit further this morning, took a little bit longer, but all good. Feeling the love! Wasn't feeling it quite so much at ten past six this morning, but once out and about it wasn't too bad. Some of the time, anyway. Still doing three mins running, thirty seconds walking, but this will be reconsidered for next time.

Nice morning - been fortunate with the weather thus far - although still a bit dark. That'll change, though!

Feeling good. Three runs down. Looking back over the blog it seems that I was happily nailing three milers from about ten runs onwards, so that's kind of the target.

Music: Motley Crue

Second one

2009-02-23T07:54:00.003Z

Managed to drag myself out of bed this morning. Not going to say it was fun, and it certainly wasn't pretty, but I got up, I got out, and I ran. Well, walked and ran, anyway. But I got up and ran, and that's the main thing.

I got up slightly later than I intended to, mind you, due to an inability to work my phone properly. That didn't stop me - I could have used it as an excuse - and off I went. Didn't run far, in the end: one and a half miles, which is pretty rubbish. But we're laying a base here, something to build on. Rome wasn't built in a day, and all that.

Music: Marilyn Manson

So, been a while

2009-02-21T13:08:00.003Z

It's been almost a year since I last logged on to this! So, I guess I'm back.

Been out running this morning, for the first time in ages. Probably the first time since Iast blogged it on here. Just worked out that I ran (and walked) 1.66 miles.

Around twenty minutes, on a 3 min running, 30 second walking basis. Bit naff, but hey, like I said, it's the first time in ages. I'll get back to running fitness in a few weeks.

So, the plan is to keep it up - three times a week, increasing the intensity and reducing the rest periods as we go. Sensibly though, I'm not out to kill myself!

Music: Korn

Kick and Burn!

2008-02-29T12:15:00.002Z

Kick and Burn has been running for a month now, and has grown rapidly in that short space of time. If you live in Coalville, Thringstone or Whitwick and you want to get fitter, then Kick and Burn is what you need!

Well, that's the sales pitch over with. It's going really well, and if anyone wants to have a go then get in touch with me or Sarah and we'll slot you in. There's waiting lists for some sessions! Brilliant!

Jog Blog 2.4

2008-01-14T18:51:00.000Z

Well, I didn't fancy it much tonight
Oh, and how it showed. I went out and jogged half a mile, before deciding that I couldn't be doing with it tonight and that I wanted to go home as quickly as possible, so I ran the half mile home much, much quicker! So, it's a short distance, and a slow time. Not a good evening's work!

Jog Blog 2.3

2008-01-12T18:12:00.000Z

2008 jog blog, entry number 3
It's definitely getting easier. Maybe ont the dragging oneself out of bed in the morning, but the actual running is definitely less terminal than it seemed a week ago. Having failed to get out and run since last Monday due to time constraints (well, alright, if I could get out of bed earlier there wouldn't be time constraints, but there are, and that's that, okay?) I managed to sneak out for a reluctant token jog this evening. Well, that was the plan, but once I was out and about it didn't seem so bad, and I actually started enjoying myself. Freak, or what! So, it turned into a fun run, and I knocked off a reasonably timed (well, it felt quick while I was running) 2.84 miles. In 22.22. Which works out at, what, 8 minute miles? About that. Hmmm... maybe not so quick after all. Still, it'll come, it's only my third one back this year.

It's back! Jog Blog 2008

2008-01-08T08:03:00.000Z

Well, it's back. I've been a bit lax of late,
since the wedding really. I scraped my purple belt despite a woeful performance on the run (entirely down to a lack of training), and have been feeling a bit soft and padded of late. So, New Year and all that, get the trainers back out and hit the road again. I think the time of year the wedding took place, the fact that we went on holiday afterwards and the dark mornings conspired to put me off last time, despite all the good work I'd done. So, dark mornings or no, we're up and running again now. Mind you, I've not actually made it out in a morning yet, and given that it's the 8th and I've only been out for two runs you could say that it's only been a partial success, but the commitment is back, and the frequency will be ramping up.

So, jog blog #1 of 2008! Went out on Saturday, for the first time in ages. That would be Sat 5th of Jan, having failed to get up in the morning all the preceding week. Would it be easy? Would I drop back into the rhythm of running, or would it be back to square one and a nightmarish slog? I can answer that one, and it's not a good answer! Last year I was following this plan, but it seems to have vanished, or been relocated elsewhere. Anyway, the basic tenet was to start slow, within yourself, alternating walking and running and build up a base fitness level before moving on and reducing the walking part. I did no planning this time, just went out and ran. Then stopped and walked for thirty seconds! So I did an alternating three minutes running, thirty seconds walking routine for two and a half miles. Hey, it wasn't pretty, but I did it. Now to build on it.

Which brings us to jog blog #2 of 2008. I went for a run last night, and it was considerably easier than on Saturday. I think that must have been shock therapy for my body, and now it knows what's coming. I'm not saying it was easy, or fast, but I didn't feel quite as close to dead as I did on Saturday. Did two and three quarter miles in 24 mins, which is a bit naff compared to what I was putting in last year, but encouraging enough that I managed it pretty much without resorting to walking. I did have to stop a couple of times - to put my torch on and turn it off (note to self, when running in the dark stick to well lit roads rather than bridle ways and park footpaths), thank you Sony Ericsson for putting lights in mobile phones!

So, we're back. Running. The festive excesses from the diet are being pruned, and I should be fighting fit again in no time!

Been a while, but Grading tonight

2007-11-30T08:24:00.000Z

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.

Still alive...

2007-11-08T10:03:00.001Z

Just checking in.

More soon, I promise!

Jog Blog 24

2007-10-08T10:43:00.000+01:00

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.

Birthday Greetings

2007-09-10T08:23:00.000+01:00

Happy Birthday to:

Paddy, for today
Helen, for the 8th
Me!, for the 7th
Helena, for the 6th

Jog Blog 23

2007-09-10T08:18:00.000+01:00

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.

Ice climbing!

2007-09-08T16:50:00.000+01:00

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!

World gone nuts

2007-08-28T10:02:00.000+01:00

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?

Job Blog 22

2007-08-22T08:48:00.001+01:00

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.

Jog Blog 21

2007-08-20T08:23:00.000+01:00

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!

Zorbing video back!

2007-08-16T16:16:00.000+01:00

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.

Jog Blog #20

2007-08-16T08:01:00.000+01:00

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.

10 tips for a healthy office life

2007-08-15T13:13:00.000+01:00

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:

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.

So there you have it. Ten top tips for a healthier sedentary office existence!

Jog Blog 19

2007-08-10T08:18:00.000+01:00

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!

Facebook

2007-08-08T08:08:00.000+01:00

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:

Return of the Jog Blog!

2007-08-08T07:58:00.000+01:00

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!

Blue belt!

2007-07-30T08:28:00.000+01:00

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?

Escrima baby!

2007-07-26T11:42:00.000+01:00

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!

Support Peace One Day on our Wedding Day

2007-07-25T08:50:00.000+01:00

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.

Happy Birthday Sam

2007-07-22T22:43:00.000+01:00

Sam's a year old! He's one.
Bugger me, where did the last year go? The Samster's one year old!

The Wedding Blog

2007-07-22T12:46:00.000+01:00

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!

Congratulations Pads and Lou

2007-06-30T12:03:00.000+01:00

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!

Lack of updates explained

2007-06-30T11:50:00.000+01:00

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.

Aerosmith!

2007-06-30T10:01:00.000+01:00

Hyde Park Calling 2007
Well, 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.

Jog Blog #17

2007-06-19T07:59:00.000+01:00

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!

Jog Blog #16

2007-06-14T10:02:00.000+01:00

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!

Jog Blog #15

2007-06-12T08:34:00.000+01:00

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!

Post party post

2007-06-12T08:17:00.000+01:00

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!

Jog Blog #14

2007-06-07T08:29:00.000+01:00

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!

Road vs Treadmill

2007-06-05T13:12:00.000+01:00

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!

Jog Blogs #12 and #13

2007-06-05T06:30:00.000+01:00

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!

Check these bad boys out!

2007-06-02T11:51:00.000+01:00

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

2007-06-02T07:06:00.000+01:00

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!