Raccoon Tapir and the end of crimbo

My first post predicted that I wouldn't keep this up and so it's proved until now.   I'm back!   Now in the final days of taper prior to the Edinburgh Marathon on Sunday.   My last post, back in early March (yikes), was in the midst of injury frustration.  Training that month was seriously curtailed.   Like a bad dress rehearsal it all came good on the day with a trouble free Reading Half Marathon and in an unexpectedly good time (1h 37m 34s).  Felt the lack of training miles in the week after though.

Since then training has gone to plan although the weather hasn't.  Hot March followed by the wettest April for a century and  the country was still officially in drought.  May has been cold until today when the temperature has rocketed and the sun blazed. Just in time for a marathon at the weekend.

The oddest thing has to have been meeting a raccoon, out walking with it's owner. Same night big dead fish.  Looked like a bream, on the path. It was by the river. And the river had flooded (drought remember) but even so, all a bit strange.

The geese are about again having kept their heads down over the floody drought period.  Even got a guard of honour one night, with two particularly smart geese standing to attention astride my path.  First time I've saluted on the run.   Lots of goslings about now.  They certainly grow fast and some ASBO material there to be sure.  Except the government announced today that ASBOs are going,  to be replaced by CBOs or CRIMBOs or something. Or was it that Crimbo is banned.  Is Cromwell back?

So Edinburgh approaches.   Goal this year is sub 3h 30m and, with the usual caveats, should be achievable although in all three of my previous marathons I have run quite a bit slower over the second half and it could well be hot.

Velcro, Mary Poppins and the Others

Grim times.  Another attempt at running last week led to a quick abort and walk home.  No problems cycling so did 20miles on a lovely sunny afternoon.  Last night thought I'd give it a try again and, although a bit tight, held up well and this morning felt a lot better.  Full of confidence I trotted downhill this evening for 1km, nice and easy and as the road levelled off: rip, the sensation of separating Velcro accompanied by pain. Turned around and walked home. After plentiful applications of ice it doesn't feel too bad, so maybe I've just completed the injury and it will get better now
.
To make the day complete then noticed my bike's back tyre was flat.  No wonder it was hard work cycling home, I thought it was the wind.  The really annoying thing was that having taking the back wheel off, disentangling wheel, brake pads,chain, derailleurs and lord knows what,  I discovered that the inner tube was half inflated but not punctured at all. I think some blighter must have let my tyre down.  Man or goose?

Finished reading Storm of Swords: Blood and Gold   (Book 3 part 2) of George RR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire.   Brilliant ending.   Couple of times while reading it I have fallen off my chair in shock or astonishment.  About to start the next part (Feast for Crows) and the second TV series starts soon (still called Game of Thrones I assume).

So life's not all bad.   Except Cameron is still Prime Minister and looks like Looney Lansley's Health Bill is going to become law.   Lunatics and Asylums. 

Only one thing left to say:  Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.  

Always Beetroot To Yourself

I suppose I've been lucky so far, but it still comes as a shock.   Out on Thursday and after about 2km became aware of a soreness in my right calf.  Probably should have aborted and gone home but carried on for another 14 km.   Two days rest and had to get out today but went for time not distance, half walking, half jogging, very slow.  Kept to the grass where possible which helped.  Still sore but it will settle. Frustrating though. Foam roller ordered.

Greatest discovery last weekend was beetroot tarte tatin, sprinkled with feta, courtesy of my daughter (from Hugh Fearnley-Whatshisnames recipe.  Unbelievably delicious and had to have it again last night.  Slept badly so maybe beetroot has some side effects (other than everything coming out a funny colour), although in every other way it is a superfood.

Been thinking about that dog (see last post). Suspicious.   I'd seen him running alone across a field and then next thing he nearly runs me over driving a JCB.  Checked the news but couldn't find anything about one being stolen.  Have to wait for Crimewatch on the tele.  I'm sure I'd recognise his photofit.

Now  the weather's improved I'll go goose searching again this week, assuming my leg will let me.
Off for an icepack.

A Weekend in the Country

Training has been slightly disrupted this  week.  Went out on Thursday evening in early celebration of my birthday, so no time for a run.  Travelled down to Kent for the weekend so no run Friday either.  Managed 13k, yesterday on hilly country lanes in Kent Land.  Traffic a hazard on those narrow lanes.  I'd gone about 500m when I was suddenly aware of a menacing presence behind me.  A quick glance revealed the front bucket (extra wide - I could easily have lain flat out in it) of a JCB.   As if that wasn't enough of a surprise, having leaped aside to give way,  I realised it was being driven by a dog.  A terrier.  Well that's not strictly true, it was actually being driven by two dogs.  The Freelander driver following had a passing resemblance to a guinea pig but the tinted windows may have deceived me and no, I hadn't been drinking. 

Lovely morning today and that really confirmed to me that I eventually have to settle in the country, with a view across green countryside.   I could happily spend the rest of my days with the views of this weekend and watching birds feeding on peanuts and seeds.  Mainly Tits so not so different from anywhere else I've lived, but Blue Tits and Great Tits are much more appealing than Chav Tits or  Beer Tits.

The real treat today, though,  was the woodpecker.  I have seen them before, as brief flashes of colour like a meteor.   Today, however, I spent fully 20 minutes watching a green woodpecker on the ground rummaging for food not 50 yards away (stunning through binoculars).   And even better, for some of that time there were two of them.  Simply beautiful.

Ice Baths and Squatters

Miles building week by week now.  Relieved to have a bit of a thaw today as the novelty of snow and ice has long gone.    My weight has  come down a little and my body fat was less than 20% this morning.  Great thing is I can still stuff my face because I've burnt off 2000+ calories running today.   Having said that I find I don't want the rubbish now or as much red meat  or alcohol.  Started liking green tea. What have I become?

I have my limits though.   Training and running a marathon is a big commitment and at times involves significant discomfort and even pain.    I will not however ever succumb to ice baths or even cold showers.  Tried getting into a cold bath (no ice) a few months ago and  got my feet in, but it was unbearable.  It hurt. It was horrid.  I couldn't even manage a minute.  Cold showers may be less severe but, let's be honest, are still exceedingly unpleasant.   Andy Murray is welcome to them.

Geese have gone into hiding.  Saw a couple of Canada Geese (Canadian geese?) shacked up with a few ducks, swans and a coot at Foss Islands, but the usual gaggle (are they Greylag Geese?) are nowhere to be seen.  I suspect they have a network of underground tunnels and bunkers with full mod cons under the banks of the Ouse to which they have retreated.  Either that or someone is in for a surprise when they get back from the Canaries tonight and find a few dozen geese squatting in their flat.

  

Snow on Venus

I saw snow on Venus yesterday. Not a common occurrence.  Actually I saw snow on a gobstopper sized sphere representing Venus (and several other planets too for that matter).  My regular long run is down the cycle path towards Selby.  The solar system is laid out en route, with all the planets to scale and at the appropriate scale distance to the sun.   The sun is big globe 4 or 5 feet across and then  you run past a pea size Mercury and then Venus and Earth in about a 100yds.  Mars a little further on before a big gap to football sized Jupiter, a bigger gap to Saturn and then bloomin' miles to Uranus,  Neptune and Pluto (which of course has now been stripped of it's planetary status. Just like Fred Goodwin and his knighthood).  I have to run 6km to get the sun, so no wonder it's so cold as I live at the orbit of Neptune.    Not sure when the planets were last all lined up together like that, but no doubt some astronomer somewhere will know.

Bit of soreness in the backs of my thighs today.  Not surprising after yesterdays run on the snow.  Don't want that hamstring to start playing up.  Probably go gently tomorrow and save the speed session for another day

Who's for coffee?

Proper winter up north today.  Fun to run last night in the snow, although somewhat unpleasant with the small snowflakes stinging the eyes.   Today, the sun was shining, the sledges were out and even a few cross country skiers around.  The plan today was 21km with 13km at marathon pace.  Managed the distance and certainly put in more than the required effort, although the pace was inevitably slower with 3 inches of snow.  Averaging 5m 30s per km actually pretty quick in the conditions.  Hard on the legs though.  Used my microspikes which work really well for running on snow and ice ( http://www.kahtoola.com/microspikes.php )

Going to experiment with caffeine pre long runs. Hadn't realised that the benefits of caffeine are reduced if you take it in the form of coffee. Will try out tablet form. Also need to reduce my general caffeine intake as the benefits are diminished as you build a tolerance.

Disappointing but unsurprising to see the Russians and Chinese veto the UN move to try and do something about Syria, even if only words.  Feel like imposing a personal boycott of Russian and Chinese goods.  What do I buy that's Russian?  Probably gas but I guess I need that with the current sub zero temperatures.  Boycott Chinese goods?   May as well try and not breathe for a week.

Good and unexpected to see England beat Scotland at rugby yesterday. Don't quite know how.

Stopped at the Lights

Legs a bit stiff this morning and hamstring teeny bit tender. Feels like last night was a hard run. Pace was pretty average but slightly misleading as looking at the data there were 3 long waits at crossings (running a bit earlier hits the rush hour) so I was running a bit harder a lot of the time.   -4c this morning cycling in but will rest my legs today, have a gentle jog tomorrow and  do 21k on Sunday morning.

Tried a new recovery product yesterday on recomendation of Up & Running in York.   For Goodness Shakes - chocolate flavour. Very tasty so full marks on flavour.

13 and Groovy

First run in sub zero temperatures this winter.  13km around the river and town,  with 10 bursts of speed, almost reaching 13 mph. Felt good and quite exhilarating to run almost flat out. With a 12 miler last Sunday I really feel I'm getting in the groove.  Last week I only ran on 4 days but the mileage was a step up and I feel fresh. So far so good.  Passing nod to a spectating goose near York Rowing Club.  I think he nodded back.

Best Supporting Actor. And the winner is...

Short, slow jog today.  I find them the hardest, as you never feel you get going.  Saving myself for 12 miles in the morning.

Been to the cinema again, three times in a week. Probably only went three times last year.  War Horse. Sort of an equine Barry Lyndon.  Hmmh,  good reviews and supposedly a tearjerker but I found it rather one dimensional and dull.  No plot twists, bland characterisation.   Based on a children's book and it shows.  Horses were good but the highlight for me was the fine performance of the goose, surely overlooked in the Academy Award nominations.  Shame he only appears in the first half hour.  Must be saving him for the sequel.  War Goose, can't wait.

Flying High

Grey, miserable and wet today.

I mean the weather, although it is a pretty near perfect description of myself.   Little 14km run last night, so beginning to lengthen the runs a bit. Overall my ETP will have more miles than last years training plan, with more longer runs. The longest will be only be a 20 miler (did a 22+ miles last time) but will build the long run a bit quicker and there are,  I think,  three runs of 20 miles in the plan.  I'm hoping that will help my stamina as all three of my completed marathons to date have had positive split times, so I have run significantly slower over the second half.  No running today in this weather but I'm cycling to work most days now which gives me some good cross training.  Body holding up so far.

Anyone watch Earthflight last night on the BBC?  I watched a bit until recorded Eastenders took priority.   Some wonderful shots of Bar-headed geese (didn't think I'd forget did you?)  flying over the Himalayas.   They have amazing physiology that any runner can only envy enabling them to fly at heights at which most animals couldn't survive.  Highest sighting?     33,383 feet above sea level! Amazing. Mind you the highest recorded bird strike on an aircraft is 37,100 feet - a Ruppell's vulture.

Andy Murray lost but looks like he  gave it a good shot.  Getting closer and I believe if he wins one Major title he could win a few.   

No B in my BLT

And he's off...   Last night was the first instalment of my ETP (Edinburgh Training Plan) and consisted of an LT sandwich (no bacon) comprising a 6km tempo run between two 3.5k slices of easier running (instead of bread).  No butter either.  Felt good considering I had felt a bit iffy through the day and today I feel really fresh physically. This training thing must have benefits.

Is it only me?  You're running down a street at night when suddenly the dark shadow of a large man races by, he's right behind you.  You flinch expecting  a blow and to be mugged for your iPod.   The terror is transient as it dawns on your over imaginative mind, that it's your own shadow.  You just ran past a streetlight. Doh!  I fall for it everytime.    I'm sure I'll get used to it, as long as the shadow doesn't have a long neck and a beak.

Rest day today.  This is too easy!

A Gander at Hynek's Scale

Here we go!  Today is the start of my Edinburgh Marathon training plan.  Quick check on the chart ... and it's a rest day.  Off to a flying start. Actually all Mondays are rest days in the plan.  Did do 10miles yesterday at a moderate pace, in a blustery wind.   Went to see another film too: "The Artist" which was well worth it.

Following on from my previous post I did research  into the nature of Close Encounters of First and Second Kinds ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close_encounter ).  Surprised I hadn't looked this up before.  It seems Close Encounters come in a scale of seven kinds, although four of the these are extensions to Hynek's original scale (academic stuff this), and most of them are possible with geese judging by the criteria:

   1st kind:  Aerial objects that are not attributable to known human technology
                               Yup, I've seen them fly

   2nd kind:    Human paralysis and Lost Time: a gap in one's memory associated with UFO encounter                           

                                  Oh yes, those looks they give you: definitely affect your neurophysiology

   3rd Kind:  Bloecher subtype E fits, although it  is a bit inconclusive.   But as I haven't seen the geese's mothercraft (yet) none of the others categories apply.
  
   4th Kind: abducted by - that has me distinctly worried

    and I won't mention seventh kind encounters.

Serious run tomorrow 13k with the middle 6k at a brisk LT raising pace.  

The Knotty Ash Connection

Went to see "The Iron Lady" this afternoon.  Thought it was rather good and Meryl Streep excellent.  At least I think it was Meryl Streep because she looked exactly like Ken Dodd. Same hairstyle apart from the colour.  

Rest day yesterday but had a trip out this evening.  Felt good but kept having to check my pace.  It's so hard to run slow.   I'm still waiting for something exciting to report from a run but still no shootings,  escaped lions, or close encounters of the third kind.   One day I must find out what encounters of the first and second kind are.   Maybe I've had one or two.  Maybe with  geese.   I'm sure the Ouse geese will yet have a role to play in this tale.   Once spring comes and they have bred they will be possessively patrolling the riverbank around Kings Landing, with their oversized  goslings in tow, strutting up and down menacing tourists and giving runners that look.   You know what I mean.  I'm sure those geese are responsible for most of the street crime in this fair city.  Where would a goose get the money to buy his own iPhone?  Or those shoes.  Perhaps I misjudge them and they just know how to play the benefits system.  They do have a lot of children.

Amstrads & Oranges

This time last year I was in uncharted territory preparing for London but a year on, fitter stronger and a veteran of 2 full and a half marathon, I feel mentally and physically much better prepared for the challenges ahead. I use a HR monitor and foot pod for pace and distance monitoring. The pod uses accelerometers rather than GPS but occasionally I take out a GPS unit to check the calibration. The foot pod slightly underestimates the distance run (assuming the GPS is accurate). I could recalibrate it easily but I like it underestimating as in the race I’ll get a free few minutes!

Such technology didn’t exist when I ran Berlin back in the mid 80s. Hadn’t then bought my first CD player or PC (an Amstrad with 512 kilobytes of RAM and no hard disk- yikes). No idea how I judged my pace. I did some fartleks but basically I just ran at what I thought felt right:  the pace I hoped to complete the marathon. No slow recovery runs, no lactate threshold runs. Now most of my runs are well below marathon pace with occasional LT session and a few miles at marathon pace in an otherwise long slow run.

And then there are fluids and nutrition. When I went to school it was sucking on a slice of orange at half time, as drinking fluid just before or during exercise was banned.  It was considered dangerous and likely to lead to terminal stomach cramps. Things had moved on a bit by 1985 but I didn’t know about gels and carb top ups during the race.  I set off at a ridiculous pace reaching half way in 1h 30m. This was before individual timing chips so, as it took me 5min to get more than 200m past the start line, I must have been running at around 2h 50m marathon pace and, not surprisingly,  I paid for it struggling and suffering on the second half and finishing in 3 h 15m. I suppose you could knock of a couple of minutes for an equivalent time today wearing a chip. With experience I’m sure I could have cracked 3h but  life prevented a return to serious running until last year. It remains a dream goal but unrealistic now, so I’ll go for the 3h 30m target which is now the age equivalent for me.

Mind you I was 10kg lighter back then so if shed a bit … going to have to consult a book.

Googling Geese

After 2 days rest and not appearing on Star Gazing Live (although hundreds turned up to the York event) decided to return to the road. Briefly tempted to extend my no running streak:  a simple marathon training plan of 0 miles per week tapering off down to raceday when energy stores would be fully stocked and legs fully rested.  No, I'd get bored but I bet it's brilliant plan.

Bit late back from work so not on the road until 7.40pm.  Felt good and decided to go short and fast to get back for food and be showered in time for Masterchef.    Warmed up at moderate pace and then a good tempo run slowing down a bit for the last mile, although as it was mainly uphill kept my heart rate up.  Felt fresh and pretty good. Only 6.7km but good quality stuff.  Almost entirely niggle free which is almost a first as I have spent all of the last 2 years with achilles, calf, gluteal aches and strains and pains.

To attract a following thought I should look for some excitement to report but, other than a whiff of cigarette smoke running past some pedestrians, nothing much happened.  Nothing to compare with the 6 police cars, 2 ambulances and a fire engine all with flashing blue lights I ran past last week.   All the other runners had packed up for the night, the google of geese parked by the Ouse ignored me (think that should be a gaggle but I like the image of googling geese), and the dog walkers all responsibly had their hounds leashed.

Next week I start my marathon training plan for Edinburgh.  I'm going to stick with 2 rest days and not be too ambitious with miles.  Being 50+ i think my body will benefit from a little bit extra recovery time and not too much punishment.

Time for bed said Zebedee  

(Dougal and the Blue Cat definitely in my top ten fav films)

Rusting hulks and wise old wols

Judging by my previous form with twitter, facebook etc this blog will soon be a disused and  rusting hulk.  Who'd read it anyway?

I've been inspired to start this by a fellow runner (follow him at belmontroadrunner.blogspot.com) who is aiming to run every day of 2012. Oh and run 2012 miles too.

My goal is to coax my ageing frame around 2 marathon courses culminating in a return to Berlin in September.  I ran in the 1985 Berlin marathon at the tender age of 27. It was my only serious run as a youngster and the intention to run another lay dormant for many years.   I started running again about 18months ago (figured I'd saved my legs enough by then) and ran 2 marathons in 2011.  Now, 27 years on  (729 = 27 x 27 - well I had to come up with something for a blog title),  I'm going back to Berlin for another go.  I don't expect to beat my 1985 time but sub 3h 45m would be the age adjusted equivalent and my dream goal would be sub 3h 30m  (age adjusted that would be equivalent to sub 3h).  We shall see!

Before that I have an April Fools day 1/2 marathon in Reading and the Edinburgh marathon at the end of May.

Inconveniently have to go to my day job too.

Well that's my first post done. Didn't run yesterday and won't be today, so my training is going well.

Backson (as Wol might say)