My 2012 Christmas Challenge

Why not run every day?

This year my Christmas holiday starts on Friday 21st December, which is also the Winter Solstice (longest night, shortest daylight) and I'm setting myself a challenge.

I'm going to have a run EVERY day until I return to work on Tuesday 2nd January 2013.  I can't wait!  It's one of the reasons I'm really looking forward to Christmas.  This is why.....

• It is a brilliant way to forget all about work.  Work is bugging me quite a lot at present and I need to get it all sorted out in my mind, plus blowing away a few worries and bits of stress
• I am sure my calorie intake will go up a bit over Christmas - those mince pies, Christmas puddings and so on.  Can't afford to let my weight increase and running uses up about 700 or 800 calories an hour and that gives a little more room for treats
• A chance to do some training, other than simply going for a run.  I will do some shorter runs involving some intervals (running as fast as I can for a minute or two and then jogging for a minute and repeating a few times).  
• A chance to do my favourite kind of run - the long run.  Knowing that my weekend runs over the last few months have only been 7 or 8 miles, I will do a couple of 10 mile runs.  This will be at a slow pace, maybe around a 9 minute/mile pace.(Just corrected - see comment below)  I know we should only increase our long run mileage by a mile a week and I hope I can manage this again.
• Christmas time is also a nice family time.  I love my family "to the moon and back and more besides" but sometimes it seems to work best to have a little solitude mixed in with all the excitement
• It is a great way of rounding off the year, reflecting on the things that have happened, all the things I have to be grateful for.  Also a chance to get the new year off to a good start.
• Although I like the summer best of all, I think there is a certain beauty in our quiet, sometimes dull, English countryside when everything is resting and sitting it out until Spring time
• I have signed up once again for the MK Marathon which is on 6th May 2013 - the training starts
• Finally, it is a great thing to do because, well because, because it is there to be done

Having said all that, I do hope there is nothing untoward that will foil my plan (trips, falls, blizzards etc).

So what about you?  Will you accept a challenge to do something like running every day?  Perhaps the challenge could be to start running in the first place - if you do, take it easy, don't over do it - build up slowly.

Quick December update

Very sorry for not blogging very much lately - usual work pressures.  Plus I think it's fair to say I've not been running or cycling as much as I would like, or need.  Here's the briefest of updates:

Running

Yep I've had a few runs after work over the last month or two, normally once or twice a week.  I hate running in the dark but at least there's a good network of cycle paths which helps a great deal.  Last Saturday I had an icy run during the day time and did one of may favourite hilly routes that I've not done for several months.  Takes about 1 hr 15 mins so maybe around 8.5 miles.  Absolutely LOVED IT!  Felt so good afterwards and my legs were tingling with delight for the rest of the day.

Cycling

Again not too much and as you may have already spotted I have switched all-things-cycling over to the cycle hub where you can read about the indignity of having our bikes locked at our church with a lock that was jammed!  I have thoroughly enjoyed a couple of early Sunday morning rides with my friend Jeremy and I'm getting to grips with an indoor turbo trainer where just 30 minutes pedalling away in the dining room is enough to work up a good sweat.  Less good for anyone trying to use the dining room at the same time, I suppose.

Christmas hols are coming....

Yesterday Rachel and I had booked time off work so we could spend some time plotting and planning a few things (really great thing to do!).   We both enjoyed it.  Amongst those things are some forthcoming blog posts and rambles about food supplements, testing out energy bars, book reviews and most importantly running EVERY day over Christmas.

It is that last point - running every day over Christmas - I am really looking forward to.  I pretty much did that last year and it was very worthwhile.  I'll be doing a mixture of short brisk runs, some 45 minute interval runs (combination of sprinting and jogging) and best of all, some longer 90 minute runs out into the counrtyside.

Christmas is, most of all a special time of year for a number of reasons.  First and foremost, we celebrate Christmas because of Jesus being born into the World.  The delight of our children, the promise of presents, some lovely food (another reason to run every day), the cosiness of the winter and time with family and friends.  

So there we are.  Much to look forward to and some serious blogging to be done.

On line help for new runners

Here's a couple of things that might help if you're thinking of becoming a runner.  Yes you!  You know who you are and I really want you to enjoy the benefits of this wonderful life giving sport.  So, following on from my recent post Gadgets for Runners I'm thinking these might be useful for you.

Couch to 5k

This is an on-line resource to help people get fit through running.  Although it's not that old it has tremendous growth and large numbers have, quite literally, taken those first steps of getting out there in their trainers for a brisk walk.  One really good feature is a friendly pod cast coach in the form of Laura.  Laura keeps people motivated and eases people through different sessions as they gradually make it to a 5k non-stop run in 9 weeks.

Added to that there is a forum where, it seems, there is a lot of support between the C25Kers as they share there experiences, ask questions and generally entertain on-lookers.

So if you're reading this on-line and you have an ipod, smart phone or some other gizmo like that, you and Laura can get going together.  I'll make it even easier for you; just click here for the link!

Map my run

This is something for runners at all different levels; there's something for everyone there.  Having said that I think if you're going to use C25k to get you started, this is a natural follow on.  

Again it's one of those resources where I think it's fair to say "you'll get out of it depends on how much you put in" (parents - how often do we find ourselves saying that to our children?).  I digress.  Map my Run will work best if you have a GPS devise you can link up with the site, so it literally will map your runs but I think you could do it manually.  There are some other good-lookin' resources there such as keeping track on your nutrition as well as the miles you pound.  And then, there's the on-line community right there for you and with the option of being able to connect with other people in your area.

Related:

Top tips for new runners

Top tips for intermediate runners

The sheer joy of an early morning run

Doughnuts for breakfast?

Recently I heard an interview with, or about, Dr Phillip Lee MP on the radio as I was driving to work and it made my ears prick.  It was a fascinating debate with strong arguments on both sides.  In essence was about Dr Phillip Lee MP suggesting that fat people, who decide to "......have doughnuts for breakfast" should be paying for their own healthcare further down the line.

Dr Phillip Lee MP

This whole story arose from the news of Dr Phillip Lee MP being involved in a debate about the sustainability of public spending.  He made reference to the fact that we currently spend approx £320bn pa on health and welfare in Britain, which has more than doubled in the last 10 years.  The direction of spending in these two areas is clearly not sustainable, particularly in view of the fact there is a large cohort of baby-boomers about to enter their 70's. 

So it is all very well agreeing we need to make cuts so the Government is able to pay it's credit card bill but it's not so easy to suggest where those cuts should fall - this is a potential minefield for any politician as they're simply bound to upset someone.  You can easily imagine letters from "Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells" arriving by the sack load.

What is interesting is Dr Lee is still a practising General Practitioner (part time) and that, I believe, gives him a certain right to make real contributions for these debates.  He's not [then] basing his comments on anecdotal information or spin but instead on real life observations.  Having had further reliable information from his office, the great majority of prescriptions he signs are for conditions directly linked to the lifestyles of his patients.  These conditions include, for example, type 2 diabetes and everything that goes along with it.  Naturally we should bear in mind, a relatively small number of patients can develop type 2 diabetes through no fault of their own and that is where an important distinction could be made.

My own take on this....

In other words, people who develop healthcare problems such as obesity, type 2 diabetes are actually a ticking time bomb for themselves and the country.  Why should the NHS pay huge sums of money to treat and care for people who have needlessly brought about illnesses for themselves?  This argument could, one supposes, be extended to include those who smoke or drink too much alcohol (and how much alcohol is "too much alcohol" is another debate).  Then there are certain spin-offs where the NHS withholds treatments until the patient has made certain lifestyle changes themselves.  Examples of this would include losing some weight before knee or hip operations or maybe gastric band operations.

Party politics and the whole question of Government spending aside, you could say Dr Phillip Lee MP is doing a good job by stirring some debate and controversy in an appropriate manner for an MP.  He's certainly got the best interests of his constituents at heart.  Good for him you might say, especially as he's speaking with some authority on these matters.  And yet there are counter arguments of this proposal is now suddenly going against the whole ethos of the NHS which is an institution we should feel proud of and which is admired throughout the world.  One of the main values is about there being free health care at the point of need.

On that last point I would say that this principle has been sliding for some time with differences in NHS dentistry and what is commonly available in private High Street dental practices, not to mention opticians and their services which easily go beyond those basic NHS packages.  For decades we have had to pay for our prescriptions; currently the £7 or £8 is only a token payment towards the whole-system cost of issuing the prescriptions.

It is fair to question why the NHS should continue to look after people who won't look after themselves; in these days of austerity all public expenditure must be questioned right from the cost of the Prime Minister's salary through to the cost of emptying our rubbish bin every week.

For NHS patients, surely there is a difference between won't and can't look after themselves?

I remember a while back visiting a hospital and seeing a couple of patients sitting in wheel chairs outside the main entrance.  Both were in their nightwear and were wearing dressing gowns to keep warm as it was a bitterly cold day.  One was connected to some kind of drip and were chatting sociably with each other.  The striking thing, however, was that they were both smoking cigarettes.  That, I thought was quite a provocative thing to see by anyone in such a public place.

And yet, should those patients then be invoiced for the cost of their treatment (if it was connected to their smoking)?.  Very tricky.

For Dr Lee, I would suggest a couple of things here.   It is not easy trying to change people's behaviour without firstly changing the way people think and about their own attitudes towards life.  Investing money in public health is an investment for the future.  It is commendable that we have programmes to assist people to make positive changes in their lifestyle such as Stoptober but they need to be more effective and far reaching.  The same applies to diets and alcohol and drug use - investing in prevention will pay dividends for generations to come.  I reflect on my own history as an ex-smoker and someone who, on reaching my 40s started to gain that extra weight and living with too much stress, saw the light and made a choice to do something about it (see my About  page).

All very well but how could this be paid for?  A fair question indeed.  My immediate thought is this is so complex but how about through even steeper taxation on cigarettes and alcohol? So what if a packet of 20 cigarettes already costs £7 or £8 - make it £27 or £28 through increased taxation!  It might not be a vote winner but it is in the best interests of the country as a whole, as well as individuals.

Well done Dr Lee for re-igniting this topic!  Thank you also for reading my own views on this matter.  Have I gone too far, perhaps too radical?

Technology and gadgets for runners

Endomondo: the friendly stalker?

Just the other day a would-be runner asked me about gadgets and high tech things for runners.  With running being such a popular sport, it's no wonder there's such a good choice of things to buy.

I confess I'm not that good with gadgets myself but I do recognise they do add interest and as you'll see below they can really help as a training aid.

So with Christmas lists being drawn up and New Year's Resolutions being pondered, here's a few suggestions of things to entice the new runner!

To help keep things in perspective, as many of these are quite expensive, please read my "wrapping up" at the end of this post.

1.  Endomondo - GPS based app

This is a GPS app that can be downloaded onto GPS enabled phones or other devices such as Garmin GPS watches.  Endomondo will track your run, cycle ride or any other distance-based activity and then show you the results just like the photograph here.  Furthermore it'll show you a map with your route marked, just som you can see where you've been.  

There are some advantages to this.... firstly it makes sure you take a mobile phone with you, so you have an element of contact and safety with you.  Another thing is that it's completely free!  You can, however, upgrade to a more detailed and enhanced version.  Click here for their website.

2.  Nike+ for ipod nano

From the Nike+ website

iPod nano is the perfect workout partner. It gives you some much-needed musical motivation and provides real-time feedback. Since Nike+ support and a pedometer are built into iPod nano, there’s no need to connect a receiver or use a shoe sensor to track your steps, distance, pace, time, and calories burned. Just grab your iPod nano and go.

Additionally when you get back home you can review your results: distance, speed, calories and so on.  There's plenty there to keep any geeky runner out of mischief!

Click here for the relevant Nike page.

3.  Garmin forerunner 410

I almost talked myself into buying one of these earlier in the year and might yet be persuaded.  This advanced sport watch is GPS-enabled and accurately records your time, pace, distance, heart rate, altitude gained/lost and more. It has an enhanced touch bezel that lets you quickly scroll and select features on the run, in all types of weather. When your are back home, had your shower, why not upload your data to Garmin Connect site when in range of your computer so you can go back and review your run on your own time. It works via ANT+ wireless technology and the USB stick that comes with your watch. No wires, no manual uploads, no sweat. 

The forerunner 410 also features HotFix satellite prediction, which means it locks onto satellites quickly so you can be out the door and on with your run in no time. It also has a high-sensitivity GPS receiver to stay locked onto satellites, even near tall buildings or under tree cover. While the 410 can be worn as a watch even when you're not working out, you can also power it down completely in order to conserve battery life.

These cost £290 but can often be found for less on the net.  I think having the heart rate monitor is very desirable.

4.  Northface eTip goves

Well I guess someone had to invent this!  With smart phones with their touch sensitive screens being everywhere, someone has solved the problem of operating them without having to take your gloves off - with some runs or other activities that is easier said than done.

They cost £30 (not bad) and it is claimed to combine warmth with dexterity.  

5.  Weighing scales with BMI calculator or fat analysis

There's quite a wide choice for these, ranging from under £40 to several hundred pounds.  This is a good investment for the whole family to benefit from.  Our own is many years old but frequently used and worth every penny.  Definitely worth the extra step up from a basic weighing scale.

6.  Klipsch headphones

Many people rate these headphones highly but they are not cheap.  It is difficult trying to get something that will sound good, be sufficiently rugged and most importantly, not keep falling out of your ears as you run.  These could be the right solution and obviously compatible with ipods and all of those gizmos so you're spolit for choice.  An interesting upgrade.

Wrapping up.... 

Please, do you mind if I reach out with a suggestion here?  Whatever you find under the Christmas tree, keep it in perspective and remember what Christmas is actually about.  On their own these will not make you run faster or further, lose weight, grow taller, become more handsome or beautiful.  Enjoy them, benefit from them but don't get totally pre-occupied with them either - if your Garmin has a flat battery, don't let that stop you going for a run!

Running at night

I recently blogged about the challenge of running and cycling in the winter (click here).  Very helpfully Ramblings Reader Mark left a comment suggesting I could wear a head torch for running in the dark.  Before I go any further, let me say I really did appreciate it, hence this post today.

So with Mark's suggestion I found a head torch we already had and gave it a try.  I used the brightest setting and, to be honest, only the brightest setting stood any chance of being adequate.  Nevertheless if opened up a new possibility for running at night.  Previously I had been wary of this, at least in the countryside, for fear of tripping up.

Running at night opens up a new world and it's a totally different experience.  You get to see the countryside in a different light, quite literally.  I was lucky and had a bit of moon light which was lovely, it brought a lovely quality to the landscape and I was even able to turn the head torch off occasionally.  You hear and smell things differently, although I did try not to feel too spooked by the different unexplainable sounds.

At one point I stopped, in a wooded area.  It was actually the "call of nature" and the need for a pee that made me stop but it was nice just to stand there and listen to rain drops falling from trees and to feel the breeze a little and smell my surroundings.  I started to get cold pretty quickly so I didn't stop for too long.

The Petzl head torch

This isn't bad and as Mark correctly suggested these cost £35.  There are many different variations and it's possible this one is out-of-date already.  It runs from 3xAAA batteries and has four white LEDs.  The yellow button on the top toggles between on > full power > half power > flash mode > off. Getting the battery cover open is a little fiddly but thankfully that doesn't need to be done very often. The battery cover is hinged, helpfully so it is not lost but I think care is needed.  If someone was clumsy you could snap the hinge easily.

Ours has a self retracting cord which keeps it very compact when not in use.  You can see there is a soft pad stuck onto the torch to help it grip your forehead and not slide up, down etc.

In use it's not bad for running but worth making sure the batteries are fairly fresh.  It had proved a very useful house hold gadget to have although we originally bought it for a camping trip (from memory I had a good book to read at night - pre Kindle days).  The most valuable time for it was when I had a puncture on an all-night bike ride - it was a real gem.

Other things to consider with running at night

• tell someone where you're going and stick to the route, just in case you need to be rescued; let them know when you expect to return home
• take a mobile phone
• wear something bright.  I have my Montane Featherlite jacket Montane Featherlite marathon jacket which is bright yellow.  I also have a bib made from a kind of mesh (won't cause over heating!) with some reflective strips on.  I have tied a tiny flashing LED to it at the back so other road users can see me
• be a little cautious of other people in unusual places at unusual times but don't get paranoid either
• enjoy the experience.  Doing slightly unusual things adds to the things we can all remember when we're 100 years old, reflecting on all those experiences and how good it was to grasp them as they can lead to meaningful, almost profound memories

Related:

Cycling at night

Mid summer bike ride

More on Type A Personality

I blogged about the term Type A personality in October 2010 (click here) in which I gave a few clues to the traits of a Type A personality person and who runs.  there was nothing particularly informed about that, just mere suggestions.  More recently I noticed Blogger Stats were indicating this post became popular for a while but I think it needs expanding on a little more.  

What is a Type A personality?

To be honest, I don't think their description reads well, especially as it was suggested that applied to me!  In general Type A people are workaholics, never satisfied, control freaks, irritable, hard to work with and tend to be poor at expressing their emotions (and 'bottle' them up instead).  It has also been said Type A's are more likely to have heart disease, high blood pressure and suffer stress badly.  

I was thinking that a health professional's suggestion that I was Type A  and my new-found competitive streak it all fitted together.  But it doesn't.

I still think Type A personalities can be great runners, probably amongst the best, if not the best.  They have to be single minded and relentless in their pursuit of being the best, possibly the world's best.  However, what is the point of that if the price they pay is high, or too high?  Does it matter?  Yes, of course it does.

I look at some of my former colleagues and mentally do some Type A spotting.  Not many around in the work place but those that are have done well but don't last long.  Those that I have known have never or seldom even made it to retirement  

And Type B?

These are the opposite.  More laid-back and easy going.  More sensitive and un-hurried, perhaps lacking drive and ambition.  More likely to enjoy things in life but the important thing is type B's can still, in my view, succeed.  Perhaps achieving success does also come at a price as it does for Type As.  And yet the price, the cost, is different.

And for Runners?  Type A or Type B personalities?

It goes without saying, most people will be a mixture of Type A and B together and this may shape their personality.  Some will be a little more Type A, or perhaps a little more Type B.  Type A's could be those ruthless athletes who are so driven they will succeed.  They'll be pushing and pushing themselves to win the race and hating themselves if they're beaten.  Type B's might be more of the fun run plodders, those that run as a socialble activity with friends where the purpose is different.

Where are you?

Having a rigid Type A or B choice may not be helpful.  Indeed psychologists have questioned the original thinking behind the traits that lead to the definition.  Perhaps nowadays it is better to have a softer, more gradual approach.  Why not have a sliding scale instead from, say, 0 for Type A to 10 for Type B and where would you put yourself?

Why not leave a comment?

Please leave a comment - why not say how you rate yourself on my 0 - 10 scale.  Please outline what kind of a runner you are (fun run jogger to hard core iron man).  Thanks in advance!

Running alone?

Approaching rain, late in the afternoon

Strange things are happening to challenge my normal approach to running and cycling on my own.  This afternoon at work, some of us paused and watched the raindrops rolling down the window.  I announced that I was going for a run at 5.00pm.

And so at 5.00pm  I turned off my computer and as I stood up a colleague said he wouldn't mind going for a run after work with me sometime next week.  He's new in the office and has previously been clocked as a cyclist and now he's a runner - definitely a good colleague to have around.  Then another spoke up, saying she's more of a middle distance runner but wants to go running at lunch time.  I asked what a middle distance runner is.

"About 800 to 1500" she said

"!500 what?" I asked

"Metres, you idiot"

"That sounds pretty short to me"

"It won't seem short when you run it in under 5 minutes Doug"

"Too right" I thought, somewhat put in my place.

I changed, into my running kit, put my office clothes into the car and went for a run.  It was raining and somehow seemed a lovely thing to do.  I'm lucky as there's a network of cycle paths allowing me to make up a run as I go.  It also means I can run as far or as little as I choose.

I mentioned it was raining.  That somehow added to a good run; it was a gentle soft rain; refreshing and just right after yet another tricky day.  As I ran almost everyone else around seemed so drab, wet, cold and miserable looking; all plodding their way home after their own tricky day.  Not everyone looked like that - there were a good number of runners around and everyone had a positive look about them.  None of the runners were plodding along, dragging their feet or looking miserable.  Instead every runner was running well; some in pairs some on their own like me.  In an unspoken way we acknowledged each other with a nod that carried the message of comradeship and appreciation of the rain, the experience, the release of all that tension and stress.

I want my colleagues to also enjoy that and yet I am feeling challenged because I love to enjoy this on my own.  Should I wriggle out of running with them?  Of course not.

Besides, last Sunday I accepted the invitation of going for a bike ride with a friend from near home, we go to the same church.  It was just for about an hour, starting out at 7.00am (which in England in November is daybreak).  That was breaking a bit of a mould for me but we had a great time and I'm looking forward to doing that again and again!

Running in old age

Last night I was waiting to meet some German guests of ours who were arriving at Luton Airport.  Not a brilliant place to be at the best of times, especially when I was dark, cold, foggy and wet.  Then I started chatting to James who I vaguely know as we both have daughters at the same school.  He's a Doctor and even better he is a Doctor AND A RUNNER!  Wow that is a great combination.

But first, my own Doctor

Just as an aside I pause to think of my own Doctor.  From his appearance he is definitely NOT a runner: flabby, grumpy and moves around in a stiff kind of way.  Furthermore he cannot understand why I want to run so much - he approves of gentle jogging totalling 120 minutes a week, or whatever the NHS diktat is for this year but cannot appreciate why anyone wants to push themselves for any reason once saying "you're fit and in good health, why would you want to take anymore exercise?".  That "says it all" about my own Doctor and it's why I found last night's conversation with James so refreshing.

Running into older age

Although he's about 10 years younger than me, James is ahead of me with three marathons under his belt and a PB of 3.32 which I think is pretty cool.  As we got talking about running I asked him about how long people can run for in older age.

"Providing people don't over do it and by that I mean pretend to be Usain Bolt it has to be a good thing.  There's no reason why most people carry on running into their 70s."

I asked whether people can burn themselves out or can only run for two or three decades

"No not at all.  Running is a good thing to do.  It does put strain on the body, particularly the joints in older age but that strain, or wear and tear, helps the body maintain even better joints"

He went onto explain how, in his view, getting the balance right between training, rest and dealing with injuries.  James recounted the times when he's pushed himself too far and too intensively, suffering injuries and needing physiotherapy.  He said something about the such-and-such muscle being a frequent injury site for runners and how painful the physiotherapy can be in a way like he almost enjoyed it.

Wrapping up he left me with a couple of thoughts.  Firstly how we runners can continue to benefit from running well into our old age and secondly why we go running together sometime?  Now there's a thought - he lives not far from my office, we could do that sometime....

Related posts:

Fauja Singh marathon record breaker at 100

Is curry good for runners and cyclists?