Author: oscardiamond

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Aliveandrunning Janathon January 8

Day 8. When I opt for a short run, two miles say, I don’t seem to get out until it’s dark and having eaten two meals. This means that initially I feel a bit heavy and bloated. I feel much brighter and alert in the morning, particularly if the sun is shining and it’s not too cold. In fact I’m a Spring and Summer kind of guy. Today’s run was uneventful and unremarkable. I didn’t pass anyone or have anyone coming towards me. No bird flew beside me, no tree gave me the thumbs up, no clouds formed themselves into a kindly, benign face as I passed below. But running always improves my mood and that, in itself, is enough to run consistently.

Current research demonstrates a causal link between running and exercise and improved mood. I’m sure that depression, anxiety and some phobias could be part treated, with the appropriate management, service and financial commitment, by instituting a running/exercise regime. You may able to get an Exercise on Prescription from your GP (possibly just a small discount from normal gym rates) but this is generally for people who are overweight or have specific physical problems. The good news is that you can learn to be a runner. It doesn’t need to be competitive. It doesn’t rule your life. It helps you feel in control. It gives you a genuine sense of achievement. You get butterflies and dragonflies accompanying you. You meet some lovely people. It should be a no brainer.

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Aliveandrunning Janathon January 7

Cambridge and Coleridge  Running Club this evening. Two options – track and road. I invariably road run, despite the uneven and poorly lit pavements. I managed to get thrashed twice by the branches of two trees that I failed to see. I definitely heard the trees snigger as they slapped my face. I’m sure they will be all innocence in the daylight. We did 6 X  600 metres at varying speeds with recovery jogs back to the same point. Very enjoyable and a good workout.

I hope to get a pair of trail shoes this week and then test them out on the weekend when I run Wimpole Estate parkrun. My running chum who was there on Sunday confirmed it was, and will be, very muddy. I will obey the new rule and remove my dirty shoes at the door before enjoying  a lovely cup of coffee and one of their tasty rock cakes in the National Trust cafe/restaurant. I will then slip over to their second hand book or pre-loved wood pulp word collection artefact or whatever the National Trust now calls old fashioned books. The grubby things are so last century!

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Aliveandrunning Janathon January 6

Day 6. The weather in Cambridge today was almost Spring-like. Periods of sun in a hazy blue sky alternated with heavy downpours and the temperature was a mild 10C. I feel so much better running when the sun’s out as I’m sure most people do but it’s the degree of enjoyment compared to a cold, drizzly, overcast day that always surprises me. After yesterday’s debacle (see blog dated Jan 5) I ran over to the next village, avoiding their roadblocks and vigilante patrols (they have their own issues in this community) and used their recreation ground to do a few strides/sprints. I felt very happy to be able to sprint for short distances at full speed. I may not be fast but it feels fast and I recover quickly. I had a heart attack four years ago and I was able to recover my full fitness subsequently. I feel extremely lucky to be running at a reasonable level and now be part of a running community. I started doing Cambridge parkrun on their fifth event in February 2010 and now I’ve completed 159. I also joined a running club after 30 years of running alone and found it conducive to my exacting requirements of a good balance between sociability and just running without frills.

The Guardian ran an article on a research findings  link between cancer and inactivity today http://bit.ly/KxhjW2 giving shocking figures concerning cases that (theoretically) could have been prevented  if people were more physically active. Apathy and a closed mindset can be lethal.

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Aliveandrunning Janathon January 5

Day 5. After yesterday’s high level of social intercourse, I decided to treat myself to a lone run to the far end of my village. This carried the risk of bumping into people I know and deciding to run on thus leaving them with a feeling that I don’t love them enough to stop and chat. This only applies to non runners, of course. I ran for 26 minutes in total and it was far from incident free. My end of the village is populated by normal, reasonable people like myself. Beyond the crossroads is the other half of the village where, on the weekends, one has to look out for marauding gangs of Townswomen Guild and local interest groups who detain innocent pedestrians and press gang them into serving the cause. I easily ran past an origami club because they saw me too late but I had a close call with the campanologists, and the yoga club distracted me by striking bendy poses which I forced myself to ignore. I ran free and fast. My generous spirit attracted a large heron who flew alongside me on my return journey and scattered the shock troops hell bent on enforcing membership. The heron requested me to stop on my “safe” side of the crossroads and proceeded to lecture me on my folly in running through an area populated by zealots, knowing the dangers. Mea culpa I admitted! He flapped away, shaking his beak as if he was admonishing a wayward youngster.

This episode left me unnerved. It might explain my understandable error committed  when I prepared the evening meal. I was convinced that yellow split peas were grown up lentils but they didn’t cook like them. We had a very chewy absent-lentil wannabe dahl. I also cooked enough to feed half the village. Guess which half!

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Aliveandrunning Janathon January 4

Day 4. I marshaled at Cambridge parkrun today and stood at a fork in the path where all 280 runners passed me 3 times. The 5K course in Milton Country Park was very muddy and they took the opportunity to splatter me as they went past. Repeat offenders were reported to the Community Support Officers and I expect they will be spirited away to  a gulag near the  Watford Gap for running etiquette rehabilitation.

I’m constantly fascinated by everyone’s different running styles and my perception that the fastest runners don’t seem all that speedy when you are passively watching them from the sidelines. I surely must be able to keep up or pass them if there is any justice in the world. Of course, these notions are in my head and the reality is very different. Afterwards we had  tasty coffees with our pals and I continued to learn to be more sociable. I found it’s worthwhile making an effort rather than rushing away home. The great majority of runners are very friendly, even those who you initially judge to be a bit aloof (like me).

Continuing in this vein, I had the option of going for an individual run in the afternoon or joining a social run with an informal club, 5 or 6 members being  already known to me. I opted for the latter and it was very enjoyable. It was a mixed ability group and we ran about 5.5 miles through puddles and more mud. Everyone behaved themselves, no-one was competitive and I didn’t have to make any citizen’s arrests.

My eldest son Dan did parkrun in Valentine’s Park near Ilford, Essex and came in at 21 minutes 57 seconds, a whole 1 minute and 22 seconds faster than my personable best. I am eclipsed as this family’s premier running god. I have been toppled from my pedestal. I am yesterday’s runner, an ex legend consigned to history. I could carry on dissing myself but I will stop there. Instead I will rise from the ashes like the phoenix, regenerated and stronger than ever. Another notion in my head. Note to self : make it reality.

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Aliveandrunning Janathon January 3

Day 3. I donned my black running tights again and ventured into the gloom. My new haircut today allowed me to glide along with superb aerodynamic efficiency. I plumped for an uncontroversial short  style after the barber declined to work his magic and  transform my barnet ( cockney rhyming slang – Barnet fair = hair) so it was indistinguishable from Rod Stewart’ coiffure circa 1972. It was dark and drizzly and strangely, mildly exhilarating. I duplicated my 2 mile run of yesterday since I left it late to hit the road and needed to get back to cook the family meal. I soon got into a running groove and an owl and nightjar flew alongside me, commenting on and advising me about, my running gait. “We see lots of nocturnal joggers, ” he twitt-a-wooed,”and I can confirm you’ve got very good running form. Keep up the training and you’ve got a parkrun win in the bag.” “Yes,”sang the nightjar,”but you will need trail shoes in muddy conditions. We heard about your experience at Huntingdon parkrun on New Years Day. You nearly came to a standstill.” I didn’t need reminding,thank you!

I’m marshaling at Cambridge parkrun tomorrow morning and the forecast is heavy rain. I may go for a longer run in the afternoon with an informal running group. The weather is expected to improve.

I considered applying for the Great North Run today. I completed the online form but baulked at the entry fee of £50. Decided against it. I would love to do it but I would have to stop over for a day or two because of the distance to travel. Taking part in a really big event is exciting but not necessary for a runner. What we need to do is just run…anywhere.

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Aliveandrunning Janathon January 2

Day 2. I’m still recovering from yesterday’s mud festival at the Hinchingbrooke 5K. They should have billed it as a swamp challenge. In retrospect, I think Indiana Jones had less dangerous near misses even where he’s actually trapped in a swamp up to his neck. My body is unscathed but my mind is in bits. It didn’t help that my nice Ron Hill tracksters were still drying and I was compelled to wear running tights in broad daylight. I looked like Max Wall!

max wall image

Whereas, I normally look like this

knit4

No matter, I pulled myself together and went off for a 2 mile run just to keep things ticking over. The weather was sunny and mild today and if one was inclined, one could fantasise that Spring was around the corner. This one started to fantasise. I saw daffodils poking through everywhere and I’m sure I glimpsed lambs gambling in the fields.

Why run? You feel physically better – more alive, alert and fitter. Your mood improves, you feel more positive and you meet a whole new society of good people. You reduce the risk of developing a raft of diseases and disorders, you focus more sensibly on the food you eat. You feel younger (this is age related : you don’t feel 14 when you are actually 22) and it can be exciting and result in a sense of well being. Why wouldn’t you?

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Aliveandrunning Janathon January 1 2013

First day of Janathon! We went to Huntingdon parkrun (for 9 am )where the 5K race is held in Hinchingbrooke Country Park. This was the first of two special New Years Day parkruns, the second taking place in Peterborough at 10.30 .am. A lot of our chums went to both but we just did the one. It was a lovely course – undulating, grass land and woodland paths – and a complete mud bath. I’ve never run along such long tracts of churned up mud before. I haven’t got trail shoes and I seem to have trouble with balance in these conditions. I did a very slow time. Still it was fun and Lorna took some good pictures. The forecast was rain today but it held off until the finish of the race. The temperature was mild and unlike yesterday when I ran the Ely New Years Eve  10K at Little Downham, I didn’t notice the wind.

Here’s me at Huntington today on relatively firm but gluey ground. I pulled even weirder faces in the thicker mud in the woods plus the start of the race. Both photos by Paul Homewood.

1525098_10201248953090867_1574392435_n (1)          steve at Hinchingbrooke, Huntingdon 5K, NYD

 

On slightly firmer ground

Lorna's pic of me at Huntingdon, NYD

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Aliveandrunning December 30

Yes, I ran for 46 minutes and 53 seconds yesterday. I ran to the river but not along it. At the point I turn around, I touch a railing as the river footpath rises onto a bridge. Failure to touch the railing would result in me falling into an alternative dimension where running is illegal and everyone has to consume a gallon of corn syrup each week by law to ensure good health. Naturally the BBC is regarded as a terrorist organisation. So you see, I have to touch the railing or I am imperilled. On the return journey, nobody gave me a friendly acknowledgement but a robin hitched a lift on my shoulder for 700 metres and gave me the latest ornithological news. He also recommended adding worms to my diet for “balance.”  “No,” I gasped,”that’s strictly for the birds.” He flew off with in a huff.

Pedestrian observation : I’ve eaten too much over Christmas and unhealthy food to boot. How to make reparations ? Shall I order a hair shirt on line or indulge in a bit of verbal flagellation ? No ! I’ll eat less and return to a healthily discriminating diet. And I will up the running until I reach such a peak of fitness and performance, it causes Usain Bolt and Mo Farah to look anxiously over their shoulders. Tomorrow I am doing the Ely New Years Eve 10K. Unfortunately the weather prospects are grim – no sun but plenty of rain, wind and cold. These conditions are not conducive for a comfortable run. I’ll do my best and explain to hundreds of my fans lining the course, that I am a below par running god now regaining his fitness. This will be received as shocking news given their belief I was infallible.

I read in the Murdoch owned Sunday Times yesterday that the World Health Organisation (WHO) is considering halving the recommended sugar consumption people should have in their diets. This is following increasing numbers of studies which conclude that sugar plays a major part in obesity and heart disease. The article predicts, predictably, “a robust response from the multi-billion pond food and drinks industry.” The manner in which our food and diet has been degraded for financial and commercial reasons  over past decades is truly shocking. Your degree of shock and awe is usually proportionate to how much interest you have shown in how food is sourced, grown and manufactured which for the large majority of people is zero. The mindset and conduct of the food and drinks industry is unlikely to be radically different to the tobacco, alcohol, armaments and pharmaceutical industries in successfully pulling the wool over our eyes. As I write, the TV sound is off but I looked up to see Rock Hudson and Patrick McGoohan each lighting up a cigarette in Ice Station Zebra (1968). It could have been worse. At least they weren’t munching Krispy Kreme doughnuts on screen.

Egregiously, I saw a Krispy Kreme delivery lorry outside my local Tesco store. I shot the driver a withering glance and my upper lip curled up in the manner of Clint Eastwood showing contempt for bad persons in the Dollar films. It had no noticeable effect because the delivery person carried on taking this dangerous foodstuff into the store. In hindsight the reason for this may have been I was 150 metres away when I executed these devastating facial movements. Must try harder.

I’ve had a few ideas about  the development of a new cult/religion. I really like the concept of karma and reincarnation. I think this idea has legs. What about MuchBetterNextTime.com ? For a fixed yearly subscription, my personal self serving  registered charity/cult/church would guarantee a return to this world in greatly enhanced circumstances compared to your previous life. No- quibble money back if not fully satisfied. How do subscribers attain this goal ? They embark on a policy of tolerance, generosity, kindness and acceptance towards others even if they wear strange clothes and live in other countries. I’ll produce the guidance and develop lots of esoteric waffle, they pay their subscriptions and accrue the benefits in this life and the next. It’s a win-win situation. I’ll also make them start running.

 

 

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Aliveandrunning December 28

200th parkrun at Cambridge today and I have run 148 of them plus another 10 at Wimpole Estate. The weather was fine – sunny and not too cold – but muddy in many places. My arch rival, Mike, was marshaling which left me competing with No. 2 arch rival Diane. As usual I could hardly contain myself. I felt like a rocket in a silo waiting for the FIRE button to be pressed, I was a torpedo restless in its tube. Someone said go and I took off like a particle whizzing around the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Knocking people aside without pity, I broke free from the pack and took on the mantle of front runner only to have my dream shattered. The race had not started yet. I was a highly strung thoroughbred and when a couple having a conversation near me included the word GO I responded instinctively. Boy, was there a copious amount of egg on my face ! Ashen visaged, I apologised to my fellow runners whom I had pushed into a ditch or into muddy puddles and retook my position farther back as a penance. It didn’t go very well. No. 2 arch rival Diane overtook me around half way and I had no gas left in the tank to catch her up. I was startled when a very small child went past me. I’m sure I’ve seen larger tadpoles ! As is the nature of small, young fast children, they suddenly speed up then dramatically slow up, simultaneously weaving from side to side and repeating this strategy. It’s hilarious if you are limited  to running responsibly as a grown up (unless you succeed in getting tripped up). After cutting me up several times, he took off and I was history. He probably complained to the run director that too many old people are cramping his style. Lovely run despite coming 135th out of a field of 336.

Tomorrow I hope to do a 45-60 minute run and on New Years Eve I’ve got a 10 K. Possibly on New Years Day I might be doing one or two differently convened parkruns. As I write this it does seem a tad excessive (for me). It will definitely blow out the tubes and hopefully get me running longer and more frequently again.

Cambridge parkrun is held in Milton Country Park to the north of the city. The course is mainly grass and trail with some narrow paths. I’m sure the trees are closing in at various points. Quite a lot of them look surly and resentful  as we pass by. I’m convinced they’re not happy with the  resultant pounding of over 300 pairs of feet every week. I’ll try to speak to the wood nymphs and reach an accommodation. I saw  Spielberg’s Poltergeist and I don’t want to be plucked off the run path by a malevolent maple.

Alan Turing has been given a posthumous pardon for his conviction following homosexual activity. He committed suicide after being required to undergo  “chemical castration”- experimental hormone therapy to dampen down homosexual urges. The type of work he had been allowed to undertake subsequently was limited because of the supposed risk to security linked to his sexual orientation. There’s plenty of criticism to the pardon under a Royal Prerogative of Mercy which notes he was convicted under due process of the current laws in 1952. Some people argue it’s unfair on the thousands of ordinary, consenting gay men who were convicted under the same laws whose convictions still hold. My view is that all men (and women, if any) who were sentenced under these vicious “moral” laws should be pardoned. Moral panics, and particularly those of a sexual nature, may last for decades or centuries or even become embedded into the culture. In kinder and more enlightened times, I feel it is very important to revisit those nasty, ignorant and bigoted laws and expose their cruelty rather than merely state they were a product of their times. Alan Turing , along with many others at Bletchley Park, shortened the war and saved thousands of lives. The “laws” he transgressed had no right to be laws of the land and contained no justice, only sexual fear and prejudice.

New Year resolutions :

1. Research science fiction literature over last 100 years with view to developing a cult/religion.

2.Consider options to monetise said cult/religion.

3. Complete Janathon (run and blog daily) for month of January.

4. Keep an eye on Pope Francis!