Month: June 2013

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Day 7

Went into Cambridge today but didn’t buy trail shoes. I’m uncertain what I need. I’ll just keep looking and thinking. Ran two miles after my evening meal and finished one second slower than yesterday.

It’s very difficult to reach conclusions from limited newspaper coverage of the Cardiff hit and run rampage by the mentally ill man, Matthew Tvrdon. But in today’s Guardian it is reported that despite a long history of severe mental illness including previous detention under the Mental Health Act, he was advised to phase out his medication over the course of a year. Given that he had a severe and enduring mental illness, paranoid schizophrenia, this makes no sense to me, particularly since there is no mention of continued community support to monitor  progress/level of wellness. This suggests that care in the community has been deemed unnecessary probably because the emphasis is on short, not long term interventions and at the point of his last outpatient appointment, he appeared well. Wishful thinking borne of cuts to the mental health services.

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Day 6

Another two mile run, this time in relative heat, mid afternoon. Not very exciting but able to do it easily enough.

Two high profile mental health incidents in the news at the moment. The Cardiff van driver and diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic who killed a mother and injured 17 others, including children , by deliberately running them over, has been indefinitely detained under the Mental Health Act. Stephen Fry, the actor, comedian, writer, presenter and Tweeter who has publicly revealed his struggle with bi-polar disorder, disclosed that he attempted to end his life last month.I’m not sure how they are being reported in the media. I suppose it will depend on what media you read or hear and whether you are  motivated to consider the issues objectively and compassionately or want your prejudices confirmed and strengthened.

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Day 5

Ran for two miles at 8.30 pm after my evening meal. Legs aching slightly after last night’s sprinting exercises. I usually go for longer runs during a typical week but have more rest days. Running for 30 days straight is new to me and feels quite different. At the moment I’m obliging myself to run each day rather than substitute another form of activity.

Might be buying a pair of  trail shoes later this week. Unsure which brand; might be dependent on price.

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Day 4

Today I listened to Radio 4’s  podcast of Open Book with Mariella Frostrup. She was discussing the presentation of mental health issues with two authors including Clare Allan who apparently has a borderline personality diagnosis (BPD).I managed to miss her Radio 4  programme On the Borderline on 28.5.2013 which explores the history, science and future of BPD. Hopefully I can catch up with it on Radio iPlayer. Also well worth catching is All in the Mind with Claudia Hammond.

Tuesday evenings means running with Cambridge and Coleridge Running Club. We ran continuous relays with short recovery periods. It felt good sprinting hard.

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Day 3

Another two mile run, in the late afternoon. I had a poor night’s sleep and felt tired but I was wide awake at the finish. Running always puts me in a different gear. It’s a mistake for me to not make the effort because I invariably feel better.

Such a beautiful weather today. I’m currently digging out an old raised pond in our garden and hacking back an overgrown fig tree which hangs over it. The fig tree is covered by  honeysuckle and also needs to be severely pruned. Despite tramping about in the dry pond as I cut, clip,saw and rake over a couple of days, it is only this afternoon that I manage to upset a bees nest between the pond liner and stone surround. I withdraw sharpishly! I marvel that they were not provoked to attack me like wasps. I guess I am blessed with tolerant, civilised bees. What am I going to do? Postphone rebuilding the pond to the Autumn. I’ll just have to bee patient.

Anyway, after the bee incident, I went for my run and then cooked  curry. I’m mildly obsessional about creating a ring of naan and poppodum pieces with a dollop of mint yogurt around the edge of the plate. I then sprinkle chopped raw onion over the yogurt. Yummy! (Picture taken before addition of onion)

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Day 2

The sunshine and warm temperature motivated me to garden for most of the day. I do a great deal of gardening. Like running, it helps to regulate your mood and create a sense of achievement. However, when I gathered an armful of trimmed branches which I hurled onto a tall heap in an extremely overgrown field, I managed to hook my specs clean off my face and they went whizzing off into the heap/ metre high long grass. It took me over an hour to find them. They were located in the grass in a position I would have thought it impossible to land.

I didn’t get around to running until 7.30pm and covered just over 2 miles. This felt fine. It loosened me up nicely. I’ll probably do the same run tomorrow and then run with my club on Tuesday. Although I’ve been running for over 30 years, I’ve always been a solitary runner but a year ago I joined a club. I have to admit I do enjoy their training sessions. They cater for a wide range of abilities and only require you to take an intelligent interest in running. I’m trying quite hard to be more friendly and spontaneous. I can do this but essentially I tend more to introversion. I know a lot of runners now and as a group they are more gregarious, outgoing and supportive than most other groups. The mild downside is the main/only topic of conversation tends to be running. I think this is predominately a male thing.

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First day of Juneathon

Juneathon is an excellent idea! I run but I don’t take it seriously(enough). I know it’s important to me yet I have difficulty acknowledging this. Running and blogging will require some focus, discipline and honesty which can only be a good thing. Hopefully I will be able to do both each day with consistency. Today, I ran 5K at Cambridge Parkrun. This race is my local parkrun and I have completed 127 there plus 5 at Wimpole Estate. Cambridge is a flat course through Milton Country Park and Wimpole Estate is undulating including one short but steep hill. I started Cambridge Parkrun at No. 5, about five months after my heart attack which resulted in a lengthy pause in my running trajectory. I remember it well. Physically, I had recovered but I had a nagging fear that I might possibly drop dead at any point during the race. Like anyone who has had a heart attack,  I am on a NICE approved cocktail of drugs and I carried a Glyceryl Trinitrate spray with me as a protective talisman. I have never had to use it for chest pain and after nearly four years, I have only recently stopped taking it with me when running. Today’s run went well. I think I’m still recovering from the Edinburgh Half Marathon I did six days ago because my arch rival, Mike, beat me by more than 90 seconds. My partner, Lorna, also runs and we now have many running friends. This is another good thing because I have been an unsociable  sod for most of my life!