Today a running rest day after Janathon. After walking Rupert and snapping these catkins in Bourne Wood, we went into Cambridge city centre. Roaming around Cambridge is always a treat and we don’t get tired of the beautiful buildings. This is Jerwood Library, Trinity Hall which is is the fifth oldest college in Cambridge, founded in 1350. Jerwood Library was built on the banks of the Cam in 1998, a few years on. Cambridge parkrun was a very muddy affair yesterday and I did a very slow time. With my excellent trail shoes, however, I didn’t feel I was continually at risk of falling or slipping. Instead I convinced myself that I was flying and that the people passing me were just a trick of the low winter sunshine. The reality was different. My arch rivals, Mike and Kerry, were so far ahead of me that by the time I passed the line, they had showered and dressed in formal evening attire before returning to the finish funnel to clap politely as I came in. Three of my children, Shanti, Isobelle and Dan did Valentine’s parkrun and ran very well. They are doing a 10K in Greenwich next Sunday along with a boyfriend Joe and another daughter, Sophie who is coming up from Brighton. I’ve just signed up for it. In the afternoon, I went for a 10.1 mile run along the Cam river bank. I did have the option of a similar distance run with a very friendly group, Fen Edge Runners but on this occasion I decided to run alone. I was One Man Against The Elements, a heroic figure struggling to survive whatever a mild winter might throw at me. I was a force of nature that no-one could catch and contain. I saw a few other runners, two of whom stared straight ahead and didn’t return my acknowledgement. Perhaps I was running so fast they didn’t see me. The run itself went well. That’s my half marathon training done, then. I didn’t push myself very hard and felt OK afterwards. No aches or pains today. I’m fit enough to run 13 miles now at a leisurely pace but if I want to run faster I’ll need to do the training, of course.
parkrun
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.
Aliveandrunning Janathon January 30
Day 30. A very DREIGH day here in Cambridge. Raining or drizzling throughout the daylight hours. I meant to do a long run but commitments and miserable weather combined against me. I did run 5.25 miles, a no-score draw, really (glass half empty). Or, I was busy today and the weather was horrible but I still managed to run over 5 miles…..fantastic! (glass half full).
I ran to the river Cam and back, rather than along it for a more substantial distance. Although the run was routine, it wasn’t without incident. When I reached the river I came across a group of water nymphs laughing and chatting and obviously enjoying the rain. Some were resting on the river bank and others were half in the water (very much like the picture above, actually). I was both shocked at their presence and embarrassed at their immodesty. Flustered, I averted my gaze which highly amused them. Tarry awhile, they sang, we know you are a brave young running god and we salute you. Ye shall go from strength to strength and it is prophesied you will be the first among men in parkrun. They beckoned me to kneel and wanted to give me a chaste kiss but I felt it was too risky getting over involved with these mythical maidens. Like the News of the World reporter of old who wrote that, coming across a den of iniquity and unable to participate in the depravity due to his high moral standards, “made his excuses and left”, I, too, bid them adieu and turned on my heels.
I was in a good mood when I reached home and indulged in a bit of air guitar while listening to Boston’s More Than Just a Feeling followed by(Don’t Fear) The Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult. Mmmm…..I might do more riverbank running. There was something about these water nymphs I couldn’t quite put my finger on!
Aliveandrunning Janathon January 26
Day 26. This weather is diabolical! Rain, rain, rain and more bloody rain. It’s cold and miserable and I’m sure I’ve seen a couple of zombies on the pavement from my bedroom window. And now I’m about to go for a run. Let’s hope the zombies are the slow moving, slow witted classical kind rather than the more nimble, forward planning thinking types I’m more frightened of……or an ex-parkrunner.
I did go for a two mile run. I waited until the rain partially stopped and it wasn’t too bad. I was expecting to come across a similar scene to that in the Dore picture. If we did experience a deluge like that, we’d have to climb a tree because the land is as flat as a pancake where I live. In fact, in the 18 minutes I ran, the skies cleared sufficiently for a lovely sunset. “TOO LATE, MR SUN,” I shouted skywards, choosing not to blame the clouds at this point. But surely the clouds are just as culpable. They bring the bloody rain. So I had a go at them as well. I felt better after this.
A sorry tale of technology fail yesterday at the Walthamstow parkrun. Or rather human fail. Three adults, three Garmins and one reliable stop watch between them. Both my children forgot to stop their Garmins at the finish line. I failed to activate mine properly and no time appeared. I also managed to take my ordinary watch off stopwatch function and pressed the right button to no effect. The three of us had to wait for the results to go online.
Actually, before I went running, I spent several hours thinking of murder. I’ve started writing the opening chapters to a crime novel and needed to research the appearance of the body after a violent death. An enjoyable way to spend a wet Sunday afternoon.
Aliveandrunning Janathon January 25
Day 25. We got up around 6 am with the intention of leaving at 7 am, whizzing down the M11, picking up two children at my mother’s house and driving to Walthamstow parkrun (East London) in good time for the 9 am start. That was our dream and it came true! We successfully participated in another (distant) mud fest and my trail shoes again proved essential. The conditions were very conducive to the slowest of times and everyone got completely splattered. It was Walthamstow’s first anniversary and we had coffee and cake to celebrate.
We met up with three old friends who have taken up serious running since they retired. The three in the middle of this picture are Lorna, Dan and Isobelle and I’m wearing the red/black jacket. I recorded one of my least fastest runs since I had my heart attack four years ago and came in at 34th place. Dan came in 7th place, just slightly ahead of me. A very young boy, no higher than my knees came in 10 places in front of me. I’m sure it’s not been long since he learned to walk let alone run! Isobelle ran a good race but is no lover of mud. She and Dan are running a 10K in Brixton tomorrow and somehow have to dry their shoes. The number of runners was relatively small (88) compared with Cambridge (347) but Walthamstow are a friendly crowd and we may return (when the ground is dry).
Lorna took a load of pictures and gave good support. It will be at least 4-5 months before she can start running again and it’s vexing for her to remain in a spectator role while everyone gets covered with mud. Nevertheless it was very enjoyable morning. This swamp running is causing me to spend a great deal of time washing out mud caked socks and tracksters. I’m thinking of buying a new type of running shoe guaranteed to enable the wearer to lightly skip over boggy terrain. They’re available from makeyourfantasiescometrue.con
Didn’t have Brussels sprouts today because I didn’t cook the meal. I’ll make up for it tomorrow morning and have six sprouts with my porridge and my usual dozen with the evening meal.
Aliveandrunning Janathon January 24
Day 24. I was very disappointed with the lack of appreciation evident in the response to yesterday’s blog concerning Brussels sprouts. It reflects a general disdain all too apparent in society for the wondrous green balls. In an attempt to redress the balance I am considering forming a Cambridge Society for the Protection and Promotion of Brussels Sprouts and any potential sponsors or “business angels” may contact me via this blog. In the meanwhile a series of home produced, sprout featuring meals will be exhibited, in these posts, on an occasional basis during its natural season. Here are two images ( one taken with flash, the other without) that demonstrate how Brussels sprouts can transform the humble meal of fish, chips and beans.The plate also contains ye olde mixed salad and a cheese and red onion flat bread. Just the thing to set me up for tomorrow’s parkrun in Walthamstow, East London where we will meet up with two of our children and hopefully some old friends who took up running for the first time in their sixties.
The weather was dreary in Cambridge today and yet again I went for a run just before creating the potential Michelin starred meal above. It was steady and slow. I resisted the temptation to stop and canvass people on their stance towards sprouts. This was easy because I didn’t meet anyone except a dog walker whom I startled despite making noises to warn him I was coming up behind.
I frequently think about doing stretches and dynamic exercises during the day. I think it would help to relax my body and mind if I did it on a regular basis. But I always manage to fail to do it on a consistent basis. I need to find extra focus and concentration to move another new idea forward – developing and enhancing the public perception of the beautiful brassica, broccoli.
Aliveandrunning Janathon January 22
Day 22. What a silly running god am I! I had a terrible cramp in the middle of the night following the reduced recovery sprints with the club. I managed not to take, or consume after running, a banana which was suggested by shazruns and Sam and I didn’t drink adequately when I returned home. As a consequence (apart from the tremendous pain in both legs at 3.30 am) the phlebotomist had great difficulty drawing blood for my annual full blood count today. She commented that I was dehydrated and that “the body wanted to hold onto the blood.” She asked “Did you have a couple of pints to drink this morning? You probably breathed that amount out during the night” “Errr…..no…but I did have a cup of tea.”Searching my memory banks, there may have been a similar problem last year which I completely forgot about.
What have I learned from this sorry state of affairs? 1. Listen to and implement sensible advice. 2. Drink much more water and not just the ambrosia that we gods just love to sup while reclining on Mount Olympus.
I ventured out for a 2 mile run with our dalmatian Rupert. I have never done this in the 9 years he has been with us because I didn’t think he would be able to trot beside me and run in a straight line. We left at 8 pm ie when it was completely dark and honest folk were off the streets. On the positive side, at times he trotted very nicely and only crossed in front of me once, expecting to cross the road as we usually did, on a normal walk, at that point. On the downside he wanted to stop frequently. I pulled him on but we still stopped on five occasions for him to do a substantial wee (my fault – I should have toileted him before we went out). Plus he pulled for the first mile. My running form was shot to pieces by holding on to the lead and his collar came off. The run took 2 minutes longer than it normally does. Nevertheless, it was 67% successful and I might try it again. However, I won’t be taking him to parkrun anytime soon.
Pictures : Rupert after his run this evening and an elm tree, slowly succumbing to Dutch elm disease in Worts Meadow, Cambridgeshire.
Aliveandrunning Janathon January 18
Day 18. Good parkrun today. These Karrimoor Tempo trail shoes are excellent. The Cambridge run is held in Milton Country Park, north of the City, and the trail paths guarantee mud and puddles if there has been persistent rain. It’s very twisty and turny which is OK if the ground is dry and hard but slippery and risky in swamp conditions. I felt so much more confident in shoes with grip and I didn’t have that sense of imminently losing my balance and crashing to the ground. It’s the best kind of mud because you can feel the firmness underneath it but you still need to be cautious around the sharp bends.
Day 18. I was pleased with the way I ran at Cambridge parkrun today. I was only 38 seconds behind my arch rival Mike and about a minute behind arch arch rival Kerry. Lorna volunteered as a marshal ( a father hurriedly left his 10 year old boy with her and ran off to complete another circuit, explaining that the child wasn’t feeling well). Afterwards we had delicious coffee in the cafe with our good running chums . It was a very enjoyable morning. When we returned home, news came through the wires of offspring’s parkruns. Dan and Shanti ran Valentines parkrun (East London/Essex border) and Isobelle ran Ashton Court parkrun (Bristol). Good work, kids!
In the afternoon I took up the opportunity to do a “social run” with the Strongman Fitness group http://www.cstrongman.co.uk/ We ran 8.2 miles around the Cambridgeshire village of Over, starting and ending at the Exhibition pub. This group, in the main, are members of a new club Fen Edge Runners but anyone is welcome to join them on Saturday afternoons. They are very friendly, don’t talk exclusively about running and are now preparing people for a half marathon distance. It’s mixed ability and it’s easy and acceptable to run lesser distances in the session. I felt comfortable with the slower pace and we stopped briefly several times. Very enjoyable!
I have now run a total of 11.5 miles today and can now declare that I have begun my longer distance training for the Cambridge Half Marathon in March. With these long runs comes a greater risk of suffering cramp at night. This is very painful and I want to avoid it. Solution, suggested by my doctor, is to drink tonic water, traditionally containing quinine, which has the ability to alleviate cramp. It does work and so tonic water is what I am now guzzling.
Aliveandrunning Janathon January 17
Day 17. I must have some bat DNA in me. I am consistently only getting around to running at dusk or when it’s dark. Not too much DNA, I hope. I don’t want to find myself scanning for insects and running with my mouth open.
Longer runs are eluding me at the moment. I’ll have to start soon because I’m in the Cambridge Half Marathon in less than 8 weeks. Running alone, along the banks of the Cam towards Cambridge, is my preferred option but I’m spoilt for choice. Cambridge and Coleridge Running Club organise long runs on Thursdays and club members run together informally in a group on the weekend. Fen Edge Runners, a new, local club are also offering long social runs.
Tomorrow, my new trail shoes will have their second outing when I do Cambridge parkrun. Last week I was lucky I didn’t lose my right shoe in the mud. This time I’ll make sure the thin cord laces are sufficiently tight. Next week we are going to Walthamstow parkrun, East London to meet up with old friends and run with them, as well as two of my children.
We hope to buy a super duper new camera soon and this will enable us to take a load of images at races and particularly parkrun. I will also be taking pictures of my bowl of porridge, lichen and trees, alleys and ghostly passages. I could use it at political demonstrations and shoot video of the police taking video of the demonstrators. I inadvertently came across a demonstration and march, meeting in central Cambridge a couple of years ago. It was held up for around 20 minutes because the police photographer was late arriving. Oddly they never seem to record their colleagues behaving badly.
Interesting article on the Vatican’s attitude and responsibility for global Catholic priest sexual abuse in the Guardian. http://bit.ly/1i76QP5
Aliveandrunning Janathon January 15
Day 15. “Ooohhh……….what a lovely dog. I bet he loves to run with you. Don’t those Dalmatians run beside carriages of the rich? Or used to in the past when horse drawn carriages were common and posh people wanted to display their sense of style.”
This is Rupert. I’d love to take him running with me. I’d love to take him to parkrun where dog running is allowed. He gets along very well with other dogs and he’s grown up with children. Unfortunately, he finds it impossible to run in a straight line and frequently stops suddenly. In a large group he would be a complete liability and trip up large swathes of runners. I mention this because I had various commitments today and took Rupert for a walk later than usual. I then went for a run and started cooking as soon as I got back. It would have saved time if the dog walking and run had been combined. It’s not too late, though. I’ve successfully bid for a carriage and four horses on Ebay. They’ll be delivered on the weekend and we’ll go for a trial run as soon as we can. I’ve discussed this approach with Rupert and he’s agreeable in principle. I think it will work. I’m sure he’ll learn to run continuously ahead or behind me so a parkrun with him is possible……as long as he’s accompanied by a carriage and four horses!
The 2 mile run went OK. It was dusk again and the temperature was a mild 10C. Yesterday it was considerably colder and I really didn’t warm up all day. I attribute this to the side effects of my cardiac medication.
My wife Lorna was contacted by Addenbrookes Hospital today and offered a cancellation appointment tomorrow to see an orthopaedic surgeon with a view to assessing and treating her Achilles tendonosis. It may well require surgery and we don’t know if running in the future is an option. We are keeping our fingers crossed. In the meanwhile I hope she continues to take some great photos of me running.
Alive and Running 