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Aliveandrunning June 14 2014 Juneathon Day 14

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Ms Alive and Running (right) with her Fen Edge Runners Club pals (and mine) at Wimpole Estate parkrun today. Fen Edge Runners take their running seriously but are very friendly and informal. They allow me into their inner circle despite my belonging to a rival club.

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Ms Alive and Running showing good form as she approaches the finish line and Wimpole Hall in all its understated modesty (is this tautology?)

The undulating course and a particularly vicious hill meant that I run it almost 2 minutes slower than the flat and winding Cambridge parkrun. We had rain on the way to Wimpole which was dry on arrival but started after the finish so I didn’t get any photos of their second hand, pre-owned, formerly cherished but now callously discarded book shop. I did venture in, however. After establishing they couldn’t provide a second hand e-book download of my chosen titles, I was forced  to buy the hard copies.

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I resisted explaining that I’m buying these books for a friend and not for myself. The George Orwell essays include the Art of Donald McGill, the saucy seaside postcard artist in which he explores the prevailing humour and assumptions underpinning it. This Penguin copy is old and looks like someone has urinated on it ( one of worst book crimes imaginable, second only to setting it alight). It possesses that lovely old paperback aroma (not faintly like urine) which e-books strangely lack.

In the afternoon, I went to the May Bumps which are a series of rowing races along the Cam. Very enjoyable and interesting. Took loads of pics. Very white, very upper middle class, very traditional. They set up road blocks along the tow path and you were only allowed admission to that section of the path if you could converse in Latin or Ancient Greek, attended a Cambridge college or had an air of smug insouciance. Am I being unfair? Yes!

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Aliveandrunning June 12 2014 Juneathon Day 12

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We runners have urges and today I had a strong desire to run through the centre of Cambridge. We live around 4.5 miles from the City centre and it doesn’t take long to drive to the edge and run in from the suburban road where I parked. It  took 6 minutes to run to Jesus Green then along the river to Magdalene College and Magdalene Street and St. Johns Street, past the wonderful Heffers bookshop and into Trinity Street and Kings Parade and then turning into Market Square.

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I experienced inexplicable icy chill as I ran past the Haunted Bookshop and clearly the man outside G. David wearing the cream suit is no ordinary browser. I ran around the Market Square a couple of times, weaving in and out of the crowd and then past Kings College. I passed so many groups of Chinese tourists I’m almost fluent in Mandarin.

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In all I ran 8.51k in 53 minutes which included stopping a dozen times to take photos. Just outside the Market Square I came across a man consulting a map and smoking a pipe (simultaneously). I thought I had slipped through a hole in the  time/space continuum and found myself in the 1950’s. I regret not asking him if I could take a picture. Pipes are so evocative of the past when there was no emphasis on the dangers of smoking and a pipe represented dependability and  thoughtfulness. This man is an endangered species. Smoking has killed them all off.

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I really enjoyed running in crowded streets of Cambridge. Even in the most congested places it’s always easy to deviate down a side street or alley and break away from the seething masses. I admit to feeling a tad superior to the slow moving tourists and shoppers as I dodge past them with panache and energy. I didn’t run fast and I didn’t exhaust myself. I did feel I saw a different aspect of the city as if I was running through one piece of a jigsaw into another. Can’t wait to do it again, hopefully with Lorna next time.

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Aliveandrunning June 11 2014 Juneathon Day 11

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Ye old windy path that is troddeth by me nearly all days of the year accompanied by my faithful canine, Rupert. I particularly like this part of the woods. It has a mystical feel, as if  you could meet a country person from the Victorian age or the Middle ages or a wandering Greek god seeking a diversion from mythical responsibilities. I don’t run in this wood. Sometimes I meet other dog walkers but most often I’m listening to BBC Radio 4 podcasts. We are so lucky to have the BBC and to have such a range of high quality broadcasts. Today I listened to All in the Mind which featured a very affecting interview with an anorexic 22 year old woman and her carer mother followed by a discussion on current research on the role of the hormone oxytocin in mitigating some of the features of anorexic symptoms.I’m spoilt for choice. Woman’s Hour, The Life Scientific, In Our Time, Start the Week, the dramas, Beyond Belief, Open Book, Thinking Aloud and many more. Who needs music? Tip : Radio Times essential reading.

I felt fine after the late evening run with the club yesterday. We ran up and down a a short hill six times and covered over 7 miles. Today, I ran my usual default, just ticking over, 2 mile run. I run to an Indian restaurant formerly known as the Slap Up and now renamed the Bollywood Spice, salivate in response to any wafting Indian cooking aromas and return home along the same route. Might go for a longer run tomorrow. The world awaits my decision.

 

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Aliveandrunning June 10 2014 Juneathon Day 10

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This is my little friend, Sidney and he lives on the rockery beside the new pond. He’s not a great conversationalist but he’s reliable and has a god heart. He has assured me that the mushroom he’s acquired is not “magic” and that everything is just fine in Fairyland.

Out with the club tonight. We ran just over a couple of miles to the foot of a hill, a Cambridge hill, which means some people might dispute whether or not it met the criteria for a hill. A wise person said it rose 23 metres. It looked like  a gentle incline from the bottom. We split into groups of 5 and chased up to the  top the top as fast as possible, a distance of around 400 metres. Not far, really and we did that 5 times.  A small group of runners, including me, went up a sixth time. And then we trotted back to the University Track. A highly technical person revealed we ran 7.3 miles. We warmed down , congratulated each other on our fine performances and went home to a nice cup of tea.

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Aliveandrunning June 8 2014 Juneathon Day 8

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Meet my two long legged friends, Ethel and Reginald. As befits literate spiders, they can’t wait to scamper over the book shelves. They have oodles of fun, they tell me. They are voracious readers but tend to confine  themselves to the text on the book spines because, obviously, they can’t turn the pages. Additionally, the font size is large  and it takes time to scan, so progress is slow. They are terrible copycats! Every Saturday at 9 am, they have bookrun while I’m at parkrun so I never get to see them in any great number. So far, no pics on Facebook. I still live in hope. I like spiders running over my books.

 

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Rather warm today. I intended to go for a short run (around 2 miles) because I’m still feeling tired. I ended up doing 1o k. I parked in the country park where we do parkrun, pootled around there for a bit then headed for the river. Plenty of people walking along the riverbank, some runners (avoiding eye contact with me), and cyclists, including trainers on bikes, coaching the rowing eights as they move at speed in the water.

In the above pic, an eight and a narrow boat pass in opposite directions. Next week the May Bumps begin and culminate on Saturday when the successful eights race against each other. The tow path will be full of people spectating and picnicking  on the banks and coaches will be whizzing along the path shouting out instructions to their own crews.

A number of eights wait in staggered positions and, at the firing of a small cannon, set off and attempt to catch up with the boat in front, “bumping them”, that is making contact with their boat or oar. Both eights then pull over. It’s not permitted  to sink another competitor or swipe at them with cutlasses. The crews are mainly Cambridge University colleges with a few affiliated clubs taking part (I think). What do class warriors think of this? Do they move seamlessly among the wicker hampers, jugs of Pyms and bottles of champers cluttering the banks, furiously stroking their chins in wonderment? Or shrug their shoulders? Or kick the picnics into the water? Or, like us, sit on the fence? We’ll enjoy the races but drink fair trade tea, brewed on a portable gas cooking stove, using water drawn straight from the river.

Anyway, no such dilemmas today. Just a lovely run along the river bank. I felt less tired following the run. Only my jaw muscle still ached, a consequence of excessive social intercourse yesterday at parkrun and elsewhere.

 

 

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Aliveandrunning June 2nd 2014 Juneathon Day 2

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  Juneathon Day 2. I felt rather knocked out after the Flaming June half marathon yesterday but felt fine after a two hour rest. I later took Rupert the dalmatian for an hour’s walk and cooked supper. As a result of my sophisticated and complex re-hydration regime (I drink more and more frequently), I didn’t get an excruciating cramp last night. Today I feel back to normal except for a very slight back ache. I hope that is sufficient reassurance  for the world at large not to become alarmed at my temporarily compromised well being.

I motored down to Londinium (founded circa AD50) today and went for an evening run of just over two miles on my return. I was accompanied by kingfishers, butterflies and goldfinches  flying and fluttering above my head as I pounded the mean pavements down to the unrelenting A 10 (they like to keep a protective eye on me). I returned refreshed, invigorated and mentally strengthened to scan a free copy of the Daily Mail, obtained for research purposes, from the supermarket called Waitrose. Astoundingly, it wasn’t located on the top shelf but rather on a level where children could reach.

The above pic features my spanking new shoes. Although they lack the integral wings growing from the heels (not available at Sports Direct), I expect them to transport me to new heights of attainment in the running world. Time will tell.

 

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Aliveandrunning June 1st 2014 Juneathon Day 1

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Juneathon Day 1 and the new Flaming June half marathon at Histon, just outside of Cambridge, UK. The weather was fine but on the warm side for running – around 20c . The course took us along roads, woodland paths and a lot of tracks besides the fields. I could have appreciated the environment a great deal more had I not been running and struggling to maintain my pace. I don’t think I’m fully recovered from my attempts to sabotage my fitness yesterday and during the last week (see May 31st post). My back only mildly ached and my ankle didn’t give me any trouble. I seldom get injuries unless I decide to lift something too heavy and too far. I have great difficulty in coming to the conclusion that I should ask for assistance. I have to test myself . On this occasion, despite some problems, I was still able to run successfully, so I was right all along. I can lift and run.

I did do something very sensible to mitigate this daftness. I took a drink at 3 drink stations and walked while I drank. I felt better for doing this although I wasn’t able to catch up most of the people who overtook me. No matter, this water and the drinks I took at the finish staved off dehydration which I experienced at the Cambridge half marathon in March. The medics were sympathetic and readily restrained Lorna from beating me about the head because of my stupidity (not only did I not drink during the race but hardly drank afterwards).

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I felt nauseous for 20 minutes after the race and needed a couple of hours rest in the afternoon. Apart from this, no ill effects. Overall I was pleased with my time of 1 hour 55 mins 16 seconds. Arch rival Kerry came in 4 minutes quicker. We stayed for the presentations which included baubles for the over 40’s and 50’s but nothing for the over 60’s! Can anything be unfairer than this? I don’t think it’s likely that Dave and Nick’s gangsta government (for hard working tax payers) will take up the cause and insist on including this category next year. And one more minor issue. Was it right and proper for me to be described as looking like a banana over the PA system as I ran, like a lemon,to the finish line?

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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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