Juneathon

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Aliveandrunning May 31 2014

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I asked Rupert to guard my trays of plants while I went to parkrun this morning. I explained that it was of the utmost importance not to take his eyes off them and, since he’s a dog  and not given to argument or debate, he complied absolutely.

Parkrun went reasonably well, although I just missed coming in under 24 minutes. A bloke in front of me crashed to the ground, injuring his knee. It’s risky falling over at the start of the race because 400+ runners are crammed into a relatively narrow path and your line of sight is blocked. Just after this incident my swift friend Kerry dropped his phone and had to walk back into the path of the oncoming runners to retrieve it, another very risky manoeuvre. He survived, as did the phone, and cruised past, leaving me wobbling about in his slipstream, a minute later. Lorna ran with a Couch to 5k running group, giving them support, and coming in at just over 40 minutes These were people in their 40’s and 50’s who had just taken up running and had just completed a short running course to get up to 5k. They were very motivated and felt a real sense of achievement. Fantastic! Very inspiring to everyone.

Tomorrow is the start of Juneathon and I’m kicking off with a half marathon. I’m lucky to be doing it, having done my best to injure myself a week ago. Those industrial paving stones are too heavy to lift, they said. You’ll injure your back, they warned. Don’t worry, I replied, I know my limits. I won’t take any unnecessary risks, believe me. I  lifted them into the car and noted I was on the cusp of getting away with it or injuring myself. A few hours later, my hip ached , two days later my back ached and three days later my foot hurt. I decided to go running with the club during this period and didn’t feel worse but did rest until today’s parkrun when I judged all symptoms had virtually disappeared. To celebrate, in the afternoon, I filled some heavy garden pots and lifted them into position. Will I ever learn? Why do I do such stupid things? Why jeopardise  my ability to run? I vow (tabloid speak) to listen to the wise counsel of my family in future (possibly). At least the dog does what he’s told!

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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 May 18 2014

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I ran a good 5k Cambridge parkrun yesterday and todayI ran 7.7 miles at Willingham, Cambridgeshire. I felt tired warming up and tired during the race. End result? I finished around 6 minutes slower than last year. The temperature a year ago was 10C and today it was around 22C. I had 3 drink breaks and walked whilst drinking. I think the problem was more to do with me running too much over the past week without sufficient recovery time rather than the increase in temperature. I’ll go running with the club in two days and then rest until the next parkrun on the coming Saturday. I’m doing a half marathon on June 1st and may not do another long run before this.So now the world knows! Nothing is hidden. I’ve been completely open and frank. I have mortal weaknesses. My legs won’t carry me at the moment but my head is erupting with light and energy (see above picture). Possibly this is why children were running away screaming from me today.

Much euphoria  around the pond this afternoon. Lorna noticed two fat flower buds poking out between the lily pads. The air was electric with a frenzy of  exhilaration. It doesn’t get better than this. And that’s on top of watching two dragon flies copulating yesterday!

I cooked a delicious curry tonight. Unfortunately not accompanied by Brussels sprouts.

Signed up for Juneathon.

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Aliveandrunning Janathon January 31

Day 31.  The last day of Janathon. It was raining, of course, and I didn’t get out until 8.20 pm and I only ran 2 miles. I didn’t feel like running and I felt very grumpy after a DIY failure that took up most of the day. But despite the driving rain and the slashing wind, I did feel much better physically and mood wise when I came in (even though the water nymphs I met yesterday – see Jan 30 blog – absented themselves today).

I ran every day, blogged every day and covered around 95 miles. Most of the runs were between 2 and 3 miles rather than the longer ones I had anticipated doing. I did Junathon last year but didn’t total the mileage. I probably did 20-30 miles more then.

Tomorrow I’ll be doing parkrun at Cambridge and hopefully do a longer 8-9 miles in the afternoon. Sunday will be a rest day.

Goodbye Janathon. Bring on Junathon 2014.

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Aliveandrunning Janathon January 23

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Day 23. I took Rupert the Dalmatian for a walk this morning and got drenched through and through. Then the sun came out and it was a beautiful day. Big bully type clouds muscled their way across the sky followed by angry types which pelted everyone below with hail. The weather never recovered its sunny disposition and when I eventually left the house for my run it was cold and dark. It wasn’t a difficult 2 miles but I seem to be getting slower as the month progresses. It may be that I need to take some rest days. I remember feeling tired towards the end of Juneathon last year. If the weather’s OK tomorrow I may go for a longer run to blow the tubes out again.

On my return I immediately started cooking the family meal – a chicken curry with homemade mixed salad, Brussels sprouts, rice, pappadums, mint sauce with Greek yogurt, naan bread and pieces of raw onion. It was late because I went running at the precise time I should have been cooking. This pic is similar to one I put up last year. Possibly the quality of the image doesn’t do justice to the little, torn segments of pappadum and naan bread with mint yogurt sauce sat on top with sprinkled with raw onion which are around the edge of the plate. Of course, by the time I’ve finished decorating the food, Lorna has finished her meal and is ready to start clearing up. Most pleasingly, my son is now doing something similar with his chicken curry. Is this normal or should we be contacting a helpline?

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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.