Marathon Post #5

After a debauched Christmas period and a weight gain of roughly half a stone, it was time to get back into the running. You know that 'I don't want to go back to work on Monday' feeling? Well, mine was doubled by the 'I don't want to go for a freezing cold run in the rain on Monday' type of feeling.

However, once I got work out of the way and psyched myself up for a run, it wasn't too bad...

Deciding to follow a training plan for a sub- five hour training, my first run was suggested at 3mi in around 35 mins. Yeah, these seemed ridiculously slow to me, but I did a few stretches and set out.
Still running without a watch and only my phone (rolling Nike+) on my pocket, I had to estimate a 3mi course and run at what I felt might be roughly 11.5 mins per mile...


What I ended up with was 4.12mi at a pace of around 9.5 mins per mile. I am going to persevere with the current training plan for a few weeks, and then go back and review and maybe opt for a sub 4.30 plan if I feel like I have more in the tank.

Still, considering the indulgent Christmas and New Year period with the only exercise in the form one game of squash I felt good after the run and the following day (today).

No real muscle or knee aches - not sure if this is down the the whey protein shake or not, but I will probably keep drinking one after runs to be on the safe side.


Like everyone in January, I also have high hopes for my diet. No snacking, and balances of carb and protein heavy meals either side of runs. You know, except weekends on the piss. Kebabs are protein.

4mi at 11mins pace tomorrow... probably end up doing five at 10mins. We'll see.

Good start.

Marathon Post #4

Highs and lows

Monday 16th I had a great run, maybe the best ever I have felt during and after. I left my phone alone and got into the swing of my pace and breathing. I also kept a clear and positive head and let my mind wander. I ran a number of long straight roads so I could really switch off and it seemed to help maintain the can do attitude I will try to emulate.

I am finding that a smooth/juice an hour or so before a run gives an effective sugar rush as well as keeps me hydrated for the duration of the run - I did not take any water with me and was only really struggling towards the end. This one looks disgusting but was probably my favourite so far! Two satsumas, two kiwis and some fizzy water.

Though my recovery after this run felt good, my next couple of attempts at running were not. It was the following Saturday and it was freezing cold. Maybe I didn't warm up well enough but after not even 3km I couldn't run any longer and I had to walk nearly the whole 3km home. This was my first taste of disappointment during the few weeks I have been training, and obviously with 3 months of winter training to look forward to I feared the worst for me and my knee.

I tried again one night after work... about 200m this time I was stopped by my knee and blisters from the week before's 12km. This put me in such a bad mood.

I gave it a week before I tried again - that brings me to tonight's run. A milder 13.4km! I fuelled up with a juice (can of pineapple and a regular pine-less apple), put on a knee support and set out at a really slow knee testing pace. The result was my furthest and longest run ever - apart from the half marathon earlier this year. Buzzing again!

I ended my first month training with a November total of 56.4km!



I'm still yet to collect any sponsorship but I have five more months to come up with some fundraising schemes and pester my friends and family - you best be ready.

Marathon Post #3

More about Mind.

Mind are a wonderful charity that are committed to the ongoing support of anyone suffering with a mental illness. Please do click the below image to go straight to the Mind website to learn more!

They campaign to improve services, raise awareness, and  promote understanding of mental illness, and to empower those suffering or who have suffered. Here is a breakdown of their goals from the website:

Staying well: Support people likely to develop mental health problems, to stay well.

Empowering choice: Empower people who experience a mental health problem to make informed choices about how they live and recover

Improving services and support: Ensure people get the right services and support at the right time to help their recovery and enable them to live with their mental health problem

Enabling social participation: Open the doors to people with experience of mental health problems participating fully in society

Removing inequality of opportunity: Gain equality of treatment for people who experience both mental health and other forms of discrimination

Organisational excellence: Make the most of our assets by building a culture of excellence.


 Presided by Stephen Fry, Mind has a high profile following that helps enormously to promote the cause, but they must still rely on donations to continue their work.

I decide to apply for a Golden Band place with Mind after failing to get a ballot place. Knowing that Mind would have been my chose charity had I got a ballot place it was logical to apply direct. The golden band place mandates that I raise £1750 - I know I can do it!

First run this week was a dip into interval training. I have heard that interval training is extremely effective for overall marathon training - especially if aiming for a time around four hours. Though I haven't yet decided on a target time for my first marathon, I wanted to see what the fuss was about.

It was hard work. The green parts were my 80% sprint nestled between a normal jog pace. Really tough, I felt like my lungs were on fire and as a result did not make it very far (had to walk home!). Still, after seeking advice from the guys on the Mind marathon 2016 Facebook page, I have decided to stick with them once a fortnight - and they will probably be a once a week mainstay in my January-marathon day regime.

Second run this week (just a couple of hours ago) was a more successful run with two friends, Ryan and Burton. Burton took us on an all terrain route in the pouring rain, which made it a bit more interesting. A nice pace.

This week I have had my first two smoothies. Only a basic concoction of banana, apple, yoghurt, milk and jam (I know right) and  I felt good going into the run today - if a little hungry.

Post run lunch today was more fried tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, and tuna; with scrambled eggs. The same high protein meal helped my recovery last weekend so I thought I would stick with it.

Overall feeling really positive about getting into shape in the run up to the new year. I think I need to do some weight training to strengthen my legs and core - shame I recently cancelled my gym membership!

Marathon post #2

So I am a week into the first stage of marathon training - operation get fit and strong before the regime starts from January. I have been on two runs and felt and changed my diet and I feel good.


Monday night I ran 6.16km (to be precise). I wanted to test out my knees and touch wood, no problems! It was a typical route around Joydens Wood, and I'm pretty sure it will prove a staple of my training to come. I didn't take a water bottle on this route and as a result I was gasping afterwards. A nice easy pace though. I'm not sure how accurate the cal counters are on these apps but I will use them as another reference point when thinking about meals and daily intake.


I at rice and veg for lunch pre-run and didn't have anything special for dinner after the run, but I have been more healthy than usual all week - apart from the weekend.





The second run of the week was something to be a bit more proud of. Registering as my longest run ever (I didn't run with my phone on the half marathon last year) on my Nike + app, I ran 11.8km (just over 7 miles) with Ryan on Saturday. The weather was miserable and I need to stop a couple of times on the tedious straights, but I am still happy with a pace averaging 6 minutes per kilometre. I took 500ml of water with me on this run and finished it at around 9k - I will need to work out exactly how much water I will need and to pre-hydrate more effectively for longer training runs.


Pre run: wholemeal toast with avocado - covered in chilli sauce. One banana.

Post run lunch: Fried up tomatoes and mushrooms with tinned tuna into a sort of hash - served with three scrambled eggs. My legs did not suffer as they usually do the days following this long run and I'm going to put that down to the high protein lunch.

Undone by the curry and beers on Saturday night and beery Sunday. but I'll forgive myself this one. I think I can get away with having indulgent weekends for now at least, as long as I am careful during the week.

Next post: More about Mind.

Marathon post #1

01/11/2015

So I did it. I have got myself a golden bond place with Mind for London marathon 2016. Mind are a great charity that offer valuable  support for those with mental health issues. The money I hope to raise through sponsorship will help to help the charity continue the support they offer to anyone who needs it.

Right. So how the shit do I run 26.3 miles?!

I will need a routine.
I think the most difficult thing for me to change will be my diet. And my drinking habits. I've done a bit of research and most seem to say lots of chicken, veg and rice. Gonna have to get some chilli sauces, yo. Preparing meals will be essential and I'll have to cut the snacking. Beers will be a hard one. I've been drinking too much lately and will have to start limiting myself to one debauched night per weekend.

I will have to come up with a running plan as well - very important. Most plans recommend running three times a week, with a mixture of long runs and interval training. A friend suggested running for specific time periods rather than distance, as it will be easier to increase.

As winter is fully on its way I think I need to get myself some tight garms.

Anyway I'm writing this for my own reference more than anything to track my progress. First run will be after work tomorrow - half an hour constant.

This should be fun.

The Magic Whip

As one of the few Blur fans not fervently salivating at the prospect of a reunion and a new album I have to question whether I am a Blur fan at all. So I sat down to The Magic Whip with an appropriate degree of intrigue for someone who knows... maybe ten Blur songs.  


You know the one with Phil Daniels talking about the "pigeons and sparras"? Haha. WOOHOO.
Coming about via a stroke of luck bit of downtime between dates in China/Indonesia, their first album with the original contingent since 1999 and 13 was written and recorded in Honk Kong - Asian influence is apparent particularly in the back half of the collection (and the album artwork...).

So, here is a short commentary on a few favourite tracks on the album, from the viewpoint of a Albarn layman not versed in the Tender intricacies of the London (almost) quartet. The opener, Lonesome Street, is definitely a Blur track. An upbeat morning skip along to rolling guitar work and synth accentuating vocal hoohooing. It's a nice nostalgic nod to the britpop early days from where Blur began their dynasty and has enough mood changes to be an advocate of the album to come - as the Blur catalogue seems to come with an equal share of fast and Mellow Songs.

Go Out is the first track I heard from The Magic Whip, seen played live on Jools Holland. The performance had all the energy and swagger expected from a group of forty-somethings trying their best to pretend the last fifteen years had not aged them at all - Alex James still pouts like he is twenty. That said, Go Out is a bolshy plod with the chaps and is one of my favourites on the album.

The role of 'mid album statement track' must belong to Thought I Was A Spaceman - also performed on Jools. The journey through space and electronic synth mastery was only ever going to draw comparisons with Bowie, but is worthy of this praise - though I do feel it lacks real crescendo and therefore could do with being a minute or two shorter.  I have read content comparing this album respectfully to an amalgam of all things Albarn, and this track definitely had a Gorillaz feel about it. Next, I Broadcast brings the pressure back up as one of the faster and more fun songs of the album and is again reminiscent of the few older and rockier songs I know and like.

Did you know that There's No Other Way was one of Kurt Cobain's favourite songs when he died. so there's a thing.

My Terracotta Heart is just lovely. a really delicate pluck through the high end of the fretboard - though no doubt Coxon looks his usual gormless self during performance. There Are Too Many Of Us has been included as a not subtle political commentary about overcrowding (in London perhaps) and mirrors Albarn's need to spread his wings and get away East. This makes the step to Ghost Ship practically seamless as he makes it to Hong Kong (its all in the lyrics). Ghost Ship might the song of the album for me - a funky fairground foray that I could happily listen to on repeat as a bob around the house in my pants. I'm not though, honestly.

From this point on the album, as many do, takes a more sombre turn towards denouement. Pyongyang and Ong Ong suggest pictures of the perfect eastern paradise at dusk. This is usually the point I would get bored listening to a fifty minute album, but there is something captivatingly resilient about this section of the album. The splashy ride cymbal is companion to rounding layers of vocals and keys as Pyongyang fades away.

It is clear from the first listen (though I enjoyed the second listen more) that the eagerly awaited LP is packed full of nostalgia and there are songs on it that sound like they could slot into other Blur age. So in that sense, it is a successful return release for the Mockneys that I am sure has left those thirsty Blur zealots satisfied. I would love to hear your opinions. 

I think I might be a Blur fan - its not too late is it?

I wonder when Blur met Dr House?

24.5

In the last few months, the thing I have been most excited about enthusiastic about is the digging, filling and populating of our new pond. Not sorry.

But I am coming up to 24 and a half, and I have started to feel like I might be getting old.

These days I would rather wander/cycle/run around outside than most other indoor pastimes previous, which is a far cry from my boxroom outlook no longer than two years ago. I am completely content right now getting some fresh air and planning what I can get up to outdoors next weekend.

I bought a bike on a whim. It’s a lovely bike. Though incidentally I am shit scared of cycling on the road – I’ve seen all the adverts. 

Last year I completed my first 10k run for charity, and this year I pushed that further and completed the Surrey half marathon (happy with my 2 hours 8 minutes) and am keen to do it again – as well as considering the a marathon a real possibility in the next couple of years.

I actually enjoy going to the gym and trying to eat healthily now as well!

Is this growing up?

I want to go fishing.

I want to buy a skateboard (a nostalgic plunge).

I want to climb a mountain. Or three.

Learn a foreign language.

Start a ‘dad rock’ covers band.

Take photos of myself pulling silly faces next to everything.

After a couple of trips to major American cities last year;  New Orleans, Nashville, Atlantic City, New York and Orlando, I now have a list of potential holiday and city break destinations as long as my arse - I guess I'll just need to find someone to go with me...

I immensely enjoyed the ‘lads holidays’ to Tenerife and Ibiza with 14 of my closest mates but I just cannot imagine taking this sort exhausting trip again – until potential nostalgic stag weekends in years from now.

Does make me an old man (my old man?!) to look forward holidays I will take with my family in ten/fifteen years time?

To think about the music room I am going to have in my house, and what instruments my sons are going to learn (at an early age), and what my garden might look like.

Am I going to suddenly interested in politics and current affairs? I kinda hope so.

It doesn’t really worry me that I have suddenly switched allegiances to the idea of exploring the world and forward thinking. If anything I think I am more comfortable away from my sofa/bed/house than I ever have been. Maybe I need to take the plunge and do something unexpected and scary.

At the end of the day, all I keep thinking is when will I get to dig my own pond?