extreme weather

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Aliveandrunning December 28 2014

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Yesterday’s Cambridge parkrun was excessively muddy! Clearly the East Anglia rain gods were having a laugh when they created pond sized puddles across the running path. In fact it was worse than that. There were bogs, quagmires, sloughs and quickmud (a close relative of quicksand). I personally saw three men up to their necks in mud screaming at passing runners to stop and pause their Garmins. It was the proverbial nightmare of a run. Or so it seemed. Somehow we survived it but our washing machines will be punished.

It wasn’t exactly like running in treacle but the mud certainly slowed us down. The numbers were about half the usual crowd although my family did its utmost to boost the total. I ran with Ms Alive and Running and our five children for the first time ever. Fantastic! My eldest son just beat me by seconds (well, 280 seconds actually which is nothing at all compared with the age of the Universe). In fact we all ran well and I’m very proud that we can all take part in a race together on occasions. The next opportunity will be Cambridge half marathon in March.

Next race is the New Year’s Eve 10k at Ely (on December 31st, believe it or not!) and a special New Year’s day parkrun at Huntingdon on, yes,you’ve guessed it, January 1st.

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Cambridge junior parkrun this morning. 58 children between the ages of 4-14 took part, well down on the recent record of 138 but a good number considering the weather conditions. Plenty of icy, muddy puddles and an inspection of the course resulted in some changes to the measured 2k distance. Loads of parents became inpromptu marshals to line the course to maximise safety. One person dancing around, playing the flute and looking remarkably like the Pied Piper of Hamlin was turned away. They will have to wait just a little longer before their invoice for rat catching services are honoured.

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We had a serious outbreak of origami in our house over Christmas and this is the result. Old Rupert annuals are a good source of origami creations and I soon found a spectacular pagoda to make although the above examples are from a recent book left by Mother Christmas. It seems that Rupert’s origami can be quite complicated and the instructions are often not adequate. The internet will provide, however.

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My modest stash of Christmas books. Spitafields Nippers are poor children photographed in London around the start of last century. They reflect the harsh circumstances of their young lives and the dire poverty of their upbringings. Very poignant, very affecting. I’m sure God has a good reason for the breathtakingly high child mortality rate in times past, in this country and everywhere else. I would be oblige if anybody with a religious faith could provide a brief rationale explaining the religious justification for such suffering. I’ve read a few clever philosophical explanations but nothing which makes any sense to me. Please bring  enlightenment. Pretty please.

Gotta sign up for Janathon. Gonna be January soon.

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Aliveandrunning December 13 2014

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How lucky am I to come across this magazine in Cambridge precisely at the point my family were getting jittery at the prospect of running out of tattoo options for  Christmas. Now we are spoilt for choice! There are so many illustrations to choose from, there is little chance of duplication.

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What is it with men and ridiculously big fish? Why don’t we see women proudly displaying their over sized catches? Various explanations spring to mind. Nevertheless, WH Smith’s magazine shelves remain a source of high amusement and wonderment. Possibly I should avert my eyes from the sections where I have no interest in the subject. I may be fascinated by the imagery or the idea but I could be susceptible to being drawn into that particular world. It would be so easy to become a heavily tattooed angler (fresh or sea water?) and find myself on a front page, smiling smugly, holding a monster from the deep.

The running world drew me in over 30 years ago. It was like being sucked into a whirlpool and down into the central funnel (for the purposes of this imagery, the central funnel would be the running club I joined 3 years ago). I’m now a sad case, running parkrun every Saturday and many of the proliferating 1ok races and some of the ample number of half marathons. Running chum talk about running, pace, times, injuries and technology. It’s all a bit bewildering but I’ll carry on eating the cake, drinking the coffee and secretly dream of holding a giant fish.

Cambridge parkrun today! Very cold (for me) although I dressed for the weather. Some people are still in shorts and technical short sleeve tops despite the -1c or -2c temperature. It was both icy and muddy but my trusty trail shoes coped well. I’m not running consistently at present so my times are slower. Today I had the 25 minute pacer breathing down my neck and bellowing motivational encouragement to everyone around him. He had the audacity to overtake me and then I had the fear of being beaten by him. All at once, my attitude changed and I felt quite relaxed tucking myself in behind. Towards the end, I overtook him and managed to get in front by 15 seconds. What did I learn? I may have an ambivalence to pacers!

BBC Radio 4 podcasts. Who in their right mind wouldn’t listen to them? Thinking Aloud with Laurie Taylor discussed payday loan companies and an economist interviewee spoke about the availability of very cheap finance to the companies, the absence of of any kind of oversight or appropriate financial regulation and the highly profitable business model which is dependent upon multiple loans at hugely inflated interest. In effect the government subsidises the payday loan  companies and enables them to make huge profits at the expense of the poorest of people. Just as it pays huge subsidies to many of the previously nationalised companies, now in private hands and apparently run so much more efficiently and profitably. As if!

Another two part programme well worth listening to is Becoming Myself : Gender Identity. Last week, Transmen. This week, Transwomen. It’s about gender dysphoria and the work of the Charing Cross Gender Identity Clinic. Thank God we live in the twenty first century, and in this culture, to have this kind of understanding and empathy. I’m sure we’ll show as much sympathy for poor people eventually.

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Aliveandrunning December 6 2014

DSC_0829  Look what I’ve got! Don’t get distracted by the pretentious pile of reading matter or the plate of iconic Brussels sprouts or the original 1949 Rupert annual or the porridge in the cornflakes bowl. No, I’m referring to the SAD {seasonal affective disorder) light box which is therapeutically emitting its 10,000 lux power onto my visage. Will sitting in front of this light box alleviate the mood shredding effect of the dank, grey cloud blanketed  days of the UK winter? Will it send me high as a kite? Time will reveal the truth. This is a candid, unrehearsed snap of the third day. I’m using this basking time to reacquaint myself with Rupert Bear and his chums because I’m considering rejoining the Friends of Rupert Society (currently adults only at the moment: the junior section is suspended). It’s a top notch organisation that even plebs can subscribe to (although, understandably, they are limited to 1.7% of the membership}. So clearly all are welcome!

I’m back to running more consistently but not as speedy as before. Cambridge parkrun today and my slowest for a long time. It was very cold (for me) at around -2c or -3c. I was well wrapped up with long sleeve top, heavier duty jacket, trackster bottoms and gloves but I didn’t warm up to the point of feeling that the cold wasn’t an issue. I think this is caused by the aspirin I take (note to self : request placebo aspirin from GP). Only 20 seconds outside last week’s muddy course so not too bad really. Afterwards Ms Alive and Running and I had a tasty cup of coffee with chums in the cafe and rounded off an enjoyable running focussed morning.

Milton, Cambridge Tesco is only a stone’s throw from the parkrun course and we ventured in, risking existential angst, to transact purchases vital to keeping body and mind in harmony. I always cast a superior eye over the magazine and newspaper shelves and my gaze fell upon this –

WP_20141205_003Of course it’s very easy to poke fun at this sort of thing and at the people who read them and get vicarious pleasure from immersing themselves in the antics of celebrities lives. Compared with this ridiculousness, my interest in Rupert is sublime. Bloggers of the world, you may ask me any Rupert Bear related questions! Go for it!

 

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Aliveandrunning June 9 2014 Juneathon Day 9

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I don’t read these books, of course. I just get them for their titles or cover design. Or, if they are published by Penguin, I get them because they are published by Penguin. Why? The answer to this question must lay deep in my psyche. A large team of psychologists, psychiatrists and psychotherapists would have to work in shifts to explain this behaviour.

No, I’ve changed my mind. I will read them because they are clearly interesting. I’ll alarm myself with the Penguin and have a laugh with the short book on humour (except it won’t be funny).

Anyway, who buys hard copies of books these days. Surely only losers! They collect dust, attract spiders and clutter up the place. So last century. So much more convenient to download e-books onto the e-device of my choice. And as for buying hardbacks, that’s the equivalent of  acquiring a valve radiogramme  to listen to the World Service.

A short run this afternoon, simply to placate the Juneathon secret police who will surely persecute me if I fail to run everyday. It was hot, around 24c and I continue to feel tired running although this is mainly confined to the first 5 minutes. Tomorrow,  I’ll be running with the club in the evening. This requires a more sustained effort but we warm up properly and I find this more manageable.

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Aliveandrunning June 7 2014 Juneathon Day 7

 

 

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These landmine looking doughnuts were actually on sale at my local Tesco. I wouldn’t be surprised if people were actually buying them (using their hard earned money obtained by actually working hard}. It’s hard to imagine anything more over refined, food wise. But, then again, munching these may be just the thing to get you in the mood for the Footy to come. Just be careful not to swallow the football and choke yourself to death. Mmmm…..those food dyes look so scrumptious.

Thanks to certain people in Devon sending Cambridgeshire many buckets of rain, the parkrun course got a drenching but, thanks to my intervention by making sacrifices to the gods, the deluge didn’t happen until the last parkrunner came home. We repaired to the park cafe and drank coffee in the actual open air and then the Devon rain came down with a vengeance. Boy, did I do a lot of socialising today. I’m not a natural but I made a sustained effort and actually enjoyed chatting. The reason for this is that the vast majority of runners are very nice people and having now done 181 parkruns (mostly at Cambridge), I know a great many of them.

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Aliveandrunning May 28 2014

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We’ve had a lot of rain fall over the past few days. This painting was completed, under cover, as the rain continued to fall and is an accurate depiction of a scene in an adjacent village. They had a convenient arc moored nearby and most of them were able to clamber aboard. Not sure why a substantial number of them are naked. I’m not going to speculate. All I can say is that our village is more conservative. We tend to keep our clothes on and stay indoors when it rains.

An exception to this is running club night although yesterday we all ran with our kit on. It was cold, windy and very wet but still managed to be fun. We ran nearly full pelt for a minute then recovered for a minute. We did six of these, recovered for five minutes then did another six. In terms of distance it wasn’t far but it was demanding. I can’t remember why it benefited us. I just follow orders and run. Drank 500 mls in the car on the way home and another 250 mls  of tonic water (with quinine) later. This regime is successful in warding off the extremely painful cramps I’ve suffered in the past.

Tomorrow, I’ll do a training session with Lorna and friends.

Saturday, it’s Cambridge parkrun.

Sunday, Juneathon Day 1. I’m doing the Flaming June half marathon.

 

 

 

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Aliveandrunning May 24 2014

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Zeus, Greek god supreme, is Lord of the Skies. Today, he determined that there be torrential rain in the environs of Cambridge parkrun (and elsewhere, for good measure) and lo, the heavens opened, the deluge came and we got very wet. And the mud did stick to flesh and it was all very squidgy and the puddles were deep. But we survived to run another day and our spirits were not dampened. Furthermore, because the rain is good, and helpeth my plants and flowers to grow strong and true, I stepped back into the life giving downpour and undertook my voluntary duty of post event closedown (like a lemon sole, I flopped my way around the parkrun course and collected the direction signs). And my reward was a wholesome mug of coffee with Lorna and friends in Milton Country Park tavern. And they saw fit to comment that I was steaming in the damp warmth which they positively connoted and were greatly amused.

So I did Cambridge parkrun in under 24 mins despite the crap weather! Having rested most of this week I felt refreshed and would’ve  got a faster time if the conditions had been better. The puddles and mud really do slow you down. The rain resulted  in nearly half our usual parkrun attendance. How strange that some  people don’t like running in it! Flaming June half marathon in 8 days. I’ll probably go for one longish run of an hour to an hour and a quarter this coming week and go out with the club. I’ll also do parkrun the day before. Parkrun continues to get precedence over all other races in terms of my interest in doing a particular time.

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Aliveandrunning March 10 2014

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Mea culpa! I’m on the naughty step. Here is a picture of me powering my way, discreetly, to the finish line in the Cambridge half  marathon. I’m focussed and in the zone. Or maybe I’m worrying about the the plight of the hard working tax payer, brought to our attention by the altruistic Tory government. Anyway the temperature was around 17-18c in a cloudless sky and a lot of people were uncomfortable in the warm conditions. I find the heat OK to run in, and having drunk a reasonable amount of fluid before the race, I didn’t feel thirsty. I decided I didn’t need any available water or gels as I went around the course. I was pleased with my time  and failed to drink sufficiently for over an hour while I met up with incoming friends and family.

As we left Cambridge’s Midsummer Common to return to the car, I started to feel very nauseous  and couldn’t continue walking. I managed to get over to a stack of concrete fencing equipment to lean on for support and simply felt ill and on the verge of being sick. Lorna was with me and I resisted her suggestion of drinking water or seeking help from the volunteer medics. But I failed to feel better and remained too nauseous to move so I agreed I needed help which Lorna immediately organised. A passing first aider advised me to drink water and I gave it a try. Within a short space of time I felt a bit better and was able to clamber into the nice Land Rover Defender which raced over the Common, blue light twinkling, to take me to the medical tent. I was able to give Lorna a cheery wave as I passed her, walking, to same tent. The diagnosis : dehydration, unbelievably caused by me not drinking enough! I drank around 300 mls of water while they were ministering to me and I quickly felt a great deal better. They were happy to discharge me and I tottered off trying to avoid Lorna’s glare which reflected her dismay at my failure to sensibly take on water during the race. Well, lessons have now been learned. I don’t want others to suffer as I did. If I can prevent just one person from being hydrated then it was all worth it (please add your own cliches).

Apart from this interlude, it was a very successful day. My three daughters and son all ran very well indeed and Lorna took some lovely pictures. I managed to beat four arch rivals, three of whom are much faster than me in 5 and 10k races. The weather was excellent and the atmosphere was great.

New running resolutions for this year (and subsequent years) : ensure adequate hydration when running and particularly when it’s warm or hot : have much more consideration for Lorna who worries about my health and thinks I don’t take myself seriously enough.

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Unfortunately I couldn’t be in this picture of my family since I was trapped on the other side of the fenced in course, collecting my baggage, before I felt ill. Still I recovered relatively quickly and we all went for an Indian meal in the evening. I had plenty to drink and ate humble pie.

 

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Aliveandrunning February 12 2014

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Out running with the club last night. No rain but there was a bitter wind and after we left the track and made our way to where we ran 2 k loops (around a landscaped tech park), the wind chill only got worse. We broke up into 4 groups according to speed and whizzed around 4 loops. At one point I considered giving up. However I persevered and it got better. I wore SealSkinz gloves, a vest and two running jackets plus Ron Hill tracksters and still felt overwhelmed by the impact  of the wind. A large group of juniors were also running on the site and it was marvellous watching them suddenly apppear in a train form, running very smoothly and fast. Quite a few of them were kitted up in a top and shorts and seemed supremely comfortable.

When I returned home with wind trauma, I immediately self medicated with this banana cake, having baked it earlier just in case the wind turned nasty.

Decided not to run today and have a longer outing tomorrow. The River Cam is high at the moment and my son Nick had to negotiate a stretch of water covering the cycle path which runs into Cambridge. I’ll see if the path  is usable and, if so, do another 10 miler. I might need to offer a sacrifice to the appropriate wind god. But which one? And which culture? Greek, Egyptian, Aztec, or Japanese ? I’ll offer a libation to Zeus and ask his advice.

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Here’s a gratuitous picture of me in a typical insouciant pose just before taking Rupert out for a walk. Let the elements do their worst ; my trapper’s hat will see it all off.

I listened to America’s Horse With No Name while cooking this evening. Great lyrics! I particularly liked “In the desert you can remember your name cos there aint no-one for to give you no pain.” Nice triple negative. Does it mean there are no people who would do no harm to you but, by implication, plenty of people who are a threat to well being ?