My health during 2017

This year has been a little challenging health-wise and so I thought I'd record a few points, mostly for my own benefit as I enjoy looking back on posts a few years later.

Eyesight

Images of my retina and healing central serous retinopathy

I have been affected by a condition called Central Serous Retinopathy since 2004.  Straight lines appear wobbly and distorted.  This is caused by a tiny little leak in the retina which then no longer lies flat, hence the distorted vision.

A longer term effect is a dulling of the eye's vision, something to do with nutrients not getting through to the retina. So with my left eye, the world appears to be viewed by a mid grey lens with the very centre not being clearly defined.

A routine eye examination earlier this year at the opticians resulted in being referred to Moorfields Eye Hospital in Bedford.  To cut a long story short, I had some eye drops with the instruction to have four drops a day, instead of the normal three.  This led to a very quick improvement which was little short of being remarkable.  

The eye drops, however, are a short term fix and I probably need to start another course again soon. If squint at my screen through my left eye, I can't read a thing, even wearing glasses.  Aside from the definition being pretty hopeless, all lines are wavy - the text, the edge of the screen and the menu bars top and bottom.

At least I can still function as my right eye is pretty good.

Blood pressure

Very unexpectedly my blood pressure started to creep up in early 2017.  We have a monitor at home and from time to time I'd check my blood pressure and it has been fine over the months and years.  

However, from March 2017 it was rising further, sometimes 150/100 and so I went to the Doctor.  After various appointments I was prescribed a low dose tablet which didn't have enough effect.  The Doctor wasn't too concerned about that as it was easy to adjust the dose and get the pressure right.  The concern was about the effect of high blood pressure on my kidneys.

As I've had a general check up most years since 2004, the Doctor appreciated having an historical record of my creatinine readings.  Creatinine is some kind of protein which is filtered out by the kidneys.  The lower reading the better.  Apparently my readings from 2004 to 2015 were good and at the lower end of the scale, meaning my kidneys were working fine.  Being vegetarian is, or so I am told, kinder on the kidneys.

Date – Creatinine mol/L

2004 – 75
2006 – 73
2010 – 79
2014 – 56
2015 – 64
2017 March – 163 and 154
2017 May - 159
2017 November – 200

The latest is my Doctor is referring me to a consultant at the hospital to investigate the cause and decide what to do.  He is also concerned that the Lisinopril blood pressure medication is masking an even higher creatinine reading.  With this in mind I need to come off Lisinopril and have a further blood test two weeks later.  That is what I'm in the middle of right now. 

I mentioned to the Doctor that running and cycling is really hard work these days.  I explained, as an example, my 2015 marathon pace was quicker than my everyday runs in 2017.  He remarked on me being a couple of years older and that's bound to make a difference.  I responded by saying I don't believe it that completely accounts for my lack of performance.  He looked at his screen and checked all of the other blood tests I've had this year and said everything else was fine.  The creatinine (and urea) readings were the only abnormalities and this could not be explained by him or myself.  My kidneys, he said, would have to be in a far-worse condition before I was exhibiting the symptoms of failing kidneys.  In other words, failing kidneys only show their symptoms much later on.

Thankfully I have only rarely gone to the Doctor about anything beyond having a periodic check-up.  Before this blood pressure issue, I had had only one prescription in 25 years.  Consequently I don't know him and he doesn't know me.  Having said that there were a couple of times when I had a really good conversation with my Doctor, more than the usual quick chat and calling the next patient in as soon as possible.  We have talked about the benefits of juicing, eating raw foods and how exercise is vitally important from a physical and mental health perspective.  

I felt as if he was getting to know me, encouraging me to keep eating a good vegetarian diet, running and cycling.  He's explained in conversation how avoiding stress is important as it can diminish our immunity and that's not just for coughs and colds.  Some cancers and other serious illnesses can be triggered by stress.  

Being realistic

As I am almost 56 I suppose I shouldn't be surprised in having one or two health issues, although I'd prefer to have none.  Raised blood pressure and eyesight issues aren't too bad in the grand scheme of things. As I am naturally a "half full" and optimistic I would like to think there is a good solution to these issues, or perhaps there is a lesson for me to learn.  While it is true I am pretty healthy and fit, I am not immortal. I should be learning to be gracious about this, to accept it and be thankful for the good health I enjoy and the things I can do.

Comfyballs review

I got a pair of these Comfyballs pants from Wiggle just before Christmas.  I bought them almost on impulse as a 'make weight' on an order I had placed.  The motivation was the dissatisfaction of wearing ordinary underwear underneath running tights or Ron Hill's Tracksters.

The credentials looked good on the website with enticing text such as:

Comfyballs Performance Sports/High Intensity Boxer is the flagship of the Comfyballs range and the ultimate high-performance underwear.

Plus the reviews were good and included a few fell runners saying positive things, for example"

"Have really enjoyed using this product. It can be so difficult to find the right underwear as a runner, but these are about the best I have tried. Super-comfortable, zero-chafing and great support where it's needed the most! Have been wearing them under my running shorts for training runs and races on fells and trails for the last few months now. Very impressed!"

So with those recommendations how could I refuse?  Even the extremely steep £30 price tag seemed worth it for a great piece of kit, if only that were the case.  Sorry.  I am not impressed.

I have worn these once for running and continued to wear them for a few hours afterwards, under my jeans.  Sure there's a nice smooth fit and the seams are indeed unobtrusive.  And yet it is the "front package" I have the problem with.  You will need to excuse me for my language, I'll try to tone it down as I do like to be polite as I write.

The "front package" is, as the name suggests, for your balls.  I have always thought of myself as being pretty average in that department but it seems I might be wrong.  I consulted my wife who doesn't see what the problem is.  The front package is where your balls, your wedding tackle, manhood and so on is housed.  It is FAR TOO LOOSE!

You might think I bought the wrong size but I don't believe this is the case.  My waist is 32" and that is perfect for the medium size as it covers the 30-32" for 76-81cm waist size.

When I say FAR TOO LOOSE what I mean is my genitals were bouncing around, all free and easy while I was running, feeling nice and cool and unrestrained.  I wasn't used to that feeling and much prefer a slightly snugger fit, where everything is kept neatly in place.

So sorry, I don't like them and I'm sending them back.  In all seriousness Wiggle are always great when it comes to returning unwanted, wrong size items so I'm not anticipating any problems.

The question raised by this is, however, what is the ideal underwear for running.  In the slightly warmer months I wear running shorts with a mesh liner and my favourite ones are by Ron Hill and Salomon are also very good.  These are great, no need to have any other underwear but in these winter months I do need something else.  I like the idea of a bamboo fabric and I'm sure I have seen some at a show somewhere but I can't remember where or when.

If you have giant genitals and fancy investing £30, here's the link http://www.wiggle.co.uk/comfyballs-performance-sports-high-intensity/

Yesterday's reflective run

Luton Dunstable Busway, December 2017

Thoroughly enjoyed yesterday's reflective run, although no PBs were achieved. I hoped it would be one of those runs where there is space to think things through.  Certainly I anticipate this will be the first of a handful of runs where I look back on the year and where I find tremendous solace.

Before I get into reflecting on my thoughts, here's a little scene setting.  It was cold, below freezing and at dusk.  Thankfully the Busway was quiet, only one or two people around.  My pace was a gentle 9:30minutes/mile which is the norm for me nowadays. I ran a little over three miles and this is a typical run during this December.

I thought through some of the highs and lows of my job.  I'm just approaching the second anniversary of moving from my long standing career in Probation across to my local authority.   This second year has been harder than my first and, to be honest, it still feels like a pretty steep learning curve at times. The low point was hitting a particularly stressful patch in the spring time.

When I've been through stressful times in the past, there's always something positive that's come out of it.  Before it has been getting promoted, trading areas of responsibility and indeed making the decision to get fit all those years ago.  I asked myself what has been the positive outcome of this year's stressful episode.  The answer is not yet tangible but I think I know where it's going.  Thankfully we are positioned reasonably well financially and I would like to explore different ways of stepping back from work (easier said than done).  Unfortunately there's no immediate prospect of being made redundant which is rather ironic having dodged it a number of times and now it would be quite welcome!

I thought of my family and my Dad who passed away most unexpectedly on 31 December 2015 (just before I started my new job).  I still look back at that turbulent time, remembering it very well.  My daughters are growing into two young ladies, aged 17 and 19.  They're both very different from each other; one very academic and at university, the other is more practical and at college.  I love them so much.  I think of the challenges of the world they're growing into and the amazing opportunities that lie ahead for them.  I think of Rachel, my wife.  I am so thankful for her always being there, always so faithful and loyal.  Always willing to consider other ways of doing things and always so reassuring.  At times when I've been tempted to quit my job, she's always been there saying our health and well being over the decades ahead is more important than our bank balance and career status.  I am so blessed.

The year ahead

I am sure I'll come back to this in another run, another blog post.  For now I am, as always, optimistic about the year ahead.  None of us know what lies ahead and yet it is so compelling to see the weeks and months unfold.

Thoughts of what I could do as an alternative to my full time job flash across my mind from time to time.  We touch on this issue quite often at home and, for now, there's no clear answer.  Some ingredients are:

• I like people
• Like the idea of being self employed
• I'm quite a good communicator 
• I fancy doing something completely different

Slightly connected to all this is a blog I follow by Sam Murphy.  It's called The Crazy Thing and, in her own words "Life is a bit routine.  You sense there’s more out there – more to learn, attempt, explore and experience..... The urge to DO something. A Crazy Thing. What Crazy Thing? At first, you don’t know, but you start to talk about it. (All the time)".  Check it out.  At the very least it's an entertaining read.  It's nice to know others are out there with similar dilemmas.

Luton Dunstable Busway, December 2017

Running every day in December - update

Taken last Saturday on a longer 7 mile run

I am quite enjoying this "running every day in December" lark although I must confess I have missed a couple of days, more about that in a minute.

Perhaps I mentioned before how I wanted to give myself a little target, something to aim for.  I wanted to do something that would keep me moving at the coldest and most drab time of the year.  In previous years I have run every day during my Christmas holiday, say from the 22nd December through to New Year's Day.   That's been okay but I've wanted to do something a little different.

It's flippin' cold!

The obstacle which I have faced is snow and ice.  Some days the roads and pavements have been like an ice rink and running would have almost guaranteed a fall together with a broken arm, wrist or worse. So because of the ice I have missed two days, perhaps three.  Other times I have managed only a tiny run, perhaps half a mile.  On those occasions it didn't seem worth getting changed into my running clothes, although I did of course put my running shoes on.  My daughters were quite amused by the thought of me running around the neighbourhood in my smart office clothes.

Many of my runs have seen me venture out onto the Busway, or to be more accurate, the gritty path which runs alongside the guided busway.  This is ideal in many ways - quiet, traffic free, flat, impossible to get lost and because of the gritty, rough surface it is good in these freezing conditions.

Most of the runs during December seem to have been in the evenings, with the cold and darkness being the main feature.  It has been the weather which, in some ways, has shaped each run and how I've felt about it afterwards.  In misty or low cloud conditions, it has been a little scary in the dark.  My head torch simply illuminates all of the tiny water droplets in front of my face and offers little help in seeing the ground or where I'm running, so it gets turned off.

Ghostly figures

Ghostly figures sometimes appear out of the mist, sometimes one or two at a time, dressed in dark featureless coats, faces hiding under hoods.  At first I try to determine if they are actually people, as opposed to tree trunks.  Are they moving?  Which way?  Towards me?  Who are they?  Are they up to no good?  Should I say anything as I run past them?

Other people sometimes wear reflective patches or stripes.  These can be spotted well in advance and are kind of reassuring as you can easily tell if it's someone walking or maybe cycling.  Surely if they're up to no good, they wouldn't be wearing reflective clothing, would they?

Having said that you see hardly anyone on the Busway after dark.  Occasionally I pass someone and glide past in silence.  On Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day I found myself cheerfully saying "Merry Christmas!" as I ran past them.  Most responded in a similar way, some grunted and one or two remained silent.  One man started talking to me, not that I really heard much so I turned around, paced back a few yards and said "sorry I didn't catch that".

Although he was out walking, he said he was a runner himself and, fair play, he looked like a runner (probably more than me).  He commented on the Busway as being a brilliant place to run and why running was such a good thing to do.  For now, he explained, he was just getting a bit of fresh air and having a quiet break from the Christmas festivities.  He said he sometimes ran out around the Edlesborough area, which is certainly a good run from Dunstable.  We parted in a friendly way.

Getting lost in my thoughts

Some of the runs have seemed quite hard going.  Hard going in the physical sense when my legs feel heavy and I'm almost dragging my feet along.  Once it was raining hard, with the rain flying almost horizontally which was hard going on the homeward stretch.  On one level I didn't mind at all, remembering some previous runs when work has been troubling me a hard run has seemed such a good cure.  Almost a way of refusing to be beaten, not giving in and pressing on regardless.  One such run springs to mind (click here) when I worked in Stevenage a few years ago when I almost wished it was an even harder run.  I love it when I get lost in my thoughts, almost running on autopilot where the miles drift by almost unnoticed.

Running with my daughters

Myself and Becky

My two daughters are, at long lost, getting the running bug.  Hannah has been impressive by running almost every day and clocking up 30 miles a week lately.  A couple of times we have run with each other but she prefers to run in silence.  We don't talk, just run alongside each other.  Could be a profound father-daughter thing here.  Becky, at 19, is the older sister and has a different build.  She's light, nimble and very chatty.  Moreover she's quite caring when we run by pointing out frozen puddles and other possible hazards.  These are times to be savoured, full of precious, tender memories.

Just a few days left....

So now on 28 December, there are only a few runs left to do.  I am feeling positive about these through now being on holiday again (I had to work yesterday).  It means I have more choice about where and when I run, how far and so on.  Today's run will be at dusk, in about an hour's time.  Already the temperature is freezing or perhaps a little lower.  How far?  Where?  Where will my thoughts take me?

I happened to stumble across another runner's blog who has also been running through December: The Unfinished Sentence

Yesterday's canal run

As my family are away for the weekend, yesterday's canal run had a few possibilities.  For one I decided to run a different part of the canal and secondly, there was no rush to meet Hannah at a set time.  I drove Marsworth on the Grand Union canal and ran south from there.  It was glorious. Here's the run in numbers:

Miles: 8.3
Pace: 9:17mins/mile
Pee/poo stops: 0
Friendly cyclists riding the towpath: 3
Friendly runners: 2 (one was super fit and over took me)
Indifferent runners: 1
Boats on the move: 3
Temperature when I set off: -3c

A few observations:

• the canal was mostly frozen
• the first boat through sounded and looked like it was nibbling its way through the ice
• the ground was mostly frozen solid, with some stretches of frozen ice/snow which slowed me down a little
• the boaters were mostly friendly, liked being photographed (below)
• another elderly lady said "you be careful now, mind you don't slip" as she puffed on her cigarette, hacking and coughing
• I loved it being cold once I had warmed up properly; in fact I was as "warm as toast" inside, almost over dressed
• I felt in good shape for the rest of the day, not particularly achey or tired
• because the scenery was new, perhaps less thinking time for myself.  I love seeing where my thoughts take me as I run on a kind of autopilot 

Here's some photos:

Running every day

I have decided to take up the challenge of running every day in December.  This builds on previous years when I have decided to do something like this during just the Christmas and New Year break.  Each time I have done something like this I have found it to be very rewarding and satisfying.

So, how's it going so far?

Mostly okay is the easy answer.  Last weekend I was at Weston-Super-Mare visiting my Mother who lives very near the sea front.  Naturally I had to have a little run each day, before breakfast, to blow the cobwebs out and ensure the day's run has been done.  I always love running along the seafront at Weston, as do quite a few other runners.

Back at work on Monday and therefore the best option was to drive home and then run before eating in the evening.  As we have been out to friends for two evenings this week, a couple of runs were short and just around the neighbourhood.  Other runs have been for three miles and along the bus way in the dark.

Once my head torch stopped working (flat battery) and running through a particularly dark and shady lane was a bit nerve wracking.  On Friday evening Hannah came with me, always an amusing if unpredictable experience.  This was pretty straight forward, thankfully.

While I was dressed as I would for freezing conditions (Craft thermal top, light windproof running jacket, gloves, hat and running tights), Hannah went out as is it was sunny day.  Sports bra (apparently) and a short sleeve technical tee shirt.  I asked her if she was cold and she said she was fine.  Flippin' 'eck I'd be frozen stiff like that!

So the last week saw me run 20 miles, which was fine.  For shorter runs, these seems to be a little easier in terms of being less stiff as I start out.  Week one has been okay.  Yesterday and today the weather has brought a cold snap with some snow.....

So off I go for today's snowy run!

Latest canal run

Yesterday was my latest canal run and although it was hard, I loved it.  Here's the run in numbers:

Miles 8.9
Average pace 9.08/mile
Time 1:21
Calories 1246
Temperature +1
Photo stops 1
Poo stops 1
Cyclists 0
Other runners 8

Grand Union canal, near Three Locks

I've done this run many times before and it's always delightful; always delightful seeing the seasons change and experiencing the run in different weather conditions.  I have experienced fog, drizzle, rain, blistering heat and, you name it, it's been there on a Saturday morning while I've plodded my way along the tow path.  I went from my daughter's kayaking club in Linslade, near Leighton Buzzard up to the Three Locks and back.  It's all flat and very easy going.

As there was a thin layer of ice, the kayakers decided to have a gym session instead of going on the water.  Apparently it only takes a little ice to cause a lot of damage to to the kayaks, plus I think falling in would be traumatic for anyone.

There weren't any boats moving on the water, hardly surprising although sometimes I have seen narrow boats pushing their way through a bit of ice.  Instead there were a number moored up and plenty of woodsmoke drifting around - making for a nice atmospheric scene.

I might look all happy in this shot, actually I was putting on a brave face.  I was finding the run really hard going.  I was fatigued, my legs seems heavy at mile 4 and I was not running at my best.  Mostly I was lovely and warm but, despite wearing gloves, my fingers were cold almost all the run.  I even got over taken by a younger couple which I consoled myself about.  They looked 20 years younger than me, so that made it okay.

Although my pace was 9:08 per mile, I have run this route much quicker before.  I am sure the high creatinine which my kidneys are spewing out has something to do with it,  I might be running slower these days but i'm not stopping!

Once I'd got back to the clubhouse the gym session was still in full swing.  They had been doing all kinds of things to have a full work out, going from tip to toe.  That's the thing about about kayakers, they need all their muscles working from their toes, legs, waist, core and so on.  When I got there the coach was asking different members, one by one, what the group should be doing next.

Some of the exercises included weights, stretching and I think a bit of pilates thrown in.  All good stuff, especially as I could have a cup of tea and an egg roll to warm me up!

From there Hannah drove me home, complete with L plates.  This was followed by a red hot shower, more lashings of hot tea and a good rest.  I certainly needed that rest and felt quite achey for the rest of the day.  This is partly due, I reckon, to this creatinine business but also through running every day - look out for my next blog post on Running Every Day in December.

Favourite run getting harder

This is my favourite run which I had been planning to run at night time with my friend Jon, who unfortunately has gone down with the dreaded flu and consequently whipped out.  I decided to still go ahead with the run, albeit in daylight.

I have run this route many times, or variations of it. Add all the variations of the basic route and I have run it hundreds of times.  I know it well and yet every time it is a little different; the seasons, the weather and how I'm running.

So on Monday morning, just a few days ago I decided to run it alone.  A nice way of starting my week's annual leave at an otherwise drab time of year.

After a mile of running along the A5 through a particularly drab Dunstable, I headed up Beech Road and into the countryside; this being the first proper hill.  As Beech Road and the subsequent hill is about a mile from home, at this stage I am not warmed up or running at my best.  Nevertheless I confess I had to stop at the top for a breather.  It is a short, sharp hill which has always tested me and I've certainly enjoyed running up it (especially when I overtake cyclists!).

Hollicks Lane is the next hill and probably the steepest in Bedfordshire at about 1:4 (or 25% in new money).  Again it's short and steep.  Again I had to stop and catch my breath at the top which is not good news at all. There were some builders doing some work on a driveway there and they were surprised to see someone actually running up the hill which made me smile.

The route then turns right and is flat, running through the outskirts of Kensworth to Land Park Lane which I think has now been de-listed as a road.  It is gradually returning to nature and this is where the nicest part of the run starts.  I absolutely love running through the woods and eventually out onto Dunstable Downs - this is always the highlight and my pace often quickens across the Downs footpath before dropping back down into Dunstable and plodding home.

The run's main features were:

• Hard going, especially up the hills
• Quite a lot slower than years gone by.  My average pace was 9:26/mile. My fastest pace for this exact route was 8:35/mile and that was in 2015.
• Muddy in the woods.  But then I quite like getting splattered with muddy water.  As for my running shoes, well they look well-used nowadays.  Even my feet were muddy when I took my socks off!
• Missed running with Jon 
• Uplifting, making me more thoughtful for the day
• Gave me a nice gentle runner's high buzz for several hours after.  Not blowing my brains out this time but a nice feeling nevertheless

Another health update – confusion!

Earlier this year I blogged about the dreaded hypertension and eyesight issues.  Right now it all feels a bit confusing, possibly mixed with a little denial(?).  So this little update is about the ‘ins and outs’ as I understand them, together with plenty of gaps.  If you happen to know about these things, please enlighten me a little.

The mysterious Serum creatinine levels

When I was in the process of getting my blood pressure under control, my Doctor told me that he was puzzled as to why I had hypertension.  After all I was doing everything right – good weight, exercise, tee total, haven’t smoked for decades, caffeine free and a vegetarian.  He ran a series of blood tests and found my serum creatinine levels were high.  The test was repeated to ensure it wasn’t an error from the lab and sure enough the readings were correct.

I have since had the tests done again along with my urea levels.  Fortunately for me, I have had a regular check up over the years and so the trend can be seen and you can spot where things went a little wayward:

Date – Creatinine mol/L – Urea mol/L

2004 – 75 – 3.1

2006 – 73 – 2.4

2010 – 79 – 2.3

2014 – 56 – x

2015 – 64 – x

2017 March – 163 and 154

2017 May 159

2017 – November – 200

My Doctor had said my pre-2017 readings were all good, showing my kidneys were working well as they should.  In fact my readings were towards the bottom of the range, even better.  He also said how being a vegetarian is beneficial on the kidneys as they don’t have to work so hard in dealing with the meat-based protein.  Those are the good bits.  He is puzzled at the rise this year asking me if something happened in my life?  Well, that’s hard to answer really.  My Dad died, I changed jobs and Brexit started; surely that can’t be linked?  What about stress?  Maybe but I’ve had this before.

So with the latest tests where my creatinine was 200, I only know the result as I phoned the Doctor’s surgery and was told the Doctor wants to see me as soon as possible.  That ‘as soon as possible’ will be 19 December according to the receptionist.  So much for ‘as soon as possible’ as that’s almost three weeks away.  I pressed the receptionist for any further comment from the Doctor.  She said the only note was the creatinine was abnormally high and the urea was high as expected.

I am none-the-wiser now.  Contrary to my previous liking for grabbing the last appointment of the day and enjoying a chatty consultation, the last time I did this he was running late and no time for chatting (grrrr).  He did say something about referring me to a specialist but I’m not sure about this (when, who, why etc).

By way of answering my questions, he suggested I “Google it” as there was so much on the web for patients nowadays.  Trouble is, I’m not sure I’m starting in the right place and this is where some denial might be creeping in.  This creatinine business points towards kidney disease (ugh) and then when I read some of the other symptoms I wonder if I should start to be worried or not.  The symptoms I experience daily are fatigue, tiredness and muscle cramps, possibly reduced urine.  Other symptoms I’m not getting at all are itchy skin or swollen feet and ankles.

So what’s going on??????

Blood pressure

Not much to report here, everything has settled down with the aid of the medication.  My typical readings are 120/80 which I understand is fine.  On rare occasions it might reach 130/90.  Other times, particularly within a few hours of returning from a run or a workout my blood pressure can go down to 100/70.  My pulse is normally about 60bpm.

Eyesight

After blogging about the dramatic improvement in my eyesight earlier this year, this has mostly held up alright.  Only recently have I noticed a deterioration but I’m not too worried about this as I know the medication is so effective and I can use this again.

All this raises bigger questions….

….such as the merits of giving up work in the foreseeable future.  Don’t know, just don’t know.  I like to work and it feels right.  Our financial plans are based around a few more years of work before I draw my pension and so on.  Or is it really worth slogging away in a stressful job in the longer term?

The perils of treadmill running

I quite like treadmill running, it has its place in my keep-fit routine and more recently I have experimented with some of the programmes on offer.  This is where the perils of treadmill running come into play.

You see, at the leisure centre the Technogym treadmills allow you to do a number of things:

• free running, where you control the speed, gradient and time
• use a pre-programmed work out
• re-run something which the treadmill has picked up from your Strava feed.  This is particularly neat as it shows the map and where you are.  The treadmill then adjusts the speed to match the real life run. At first it seemed a bit surreal. It doesn't do anything to the gradient, which is just as well as I can't imagine running down hill on a treadmill!
• favourite treadmill runs can also be saved and re-run again and again

There are many advantages to treadmill running and I have blogged about this before.  

However, there is one main disadvantage as I discovered last week.....

There I was, happily running a favourite run lasting only 15 minutes.  It is set to have a warm-up of 5 minutes at 6.5mph, then the speed gradually increases to reach a very brisk pace just before the end and the cool down period.  One of the increases in speed is a bit drastic.  This is fine providing you are looking at the screen and see it change.  I happened to be "somewhere else" in my thoughts when the speed suddenly increased and I almost went flying off the treadmill - it was only the hand rails at the side which saved me!

This was not a cool thing to do.  My sudden movement as I desperately grabbed the side rail caught the eye of other gym users.  Some looked concerned: is he alright, did he trip or something?  Is he having a heart attack? Was he going too fast and couldn't handle it? Is he a complete idiot? Others must have thought I was a newbie and not up to running on a treadmill.  Others just rolled their eyes.

So there you go.  Treadmill running does have it's real advantages but also some perils can lurk there.

Update on running and cycling

I thought it timely be useful to write a little update on running and cycling these days. Here goes...

Cycling

Right now my cycling tends to be mostly short local commutes and I'm quite enjoying this.  Normally I go to a Council place in Houghton Regis once a week and from time to time I drop in for a meeting or hot design at the Council offices in Dunstable.  Journeys are just as fast by bicycle, even though I'm hardly a speed merchant these days.

I like the independence cycling brings; going from A to B under your own steam without the fuss of running a car.  Besides, I do admit to feeling a tad smug as I get places quicker by bike.  I also enjoy some traffic free routes which is pleasant and this brings added enjoyment.  Mind you, interacting with other road users can be increasingly problematic and I'll give you some examples:

Being invisible on traffic calming road humps.  These seem to be popping up everywhere in the 20mph residential areas and often narrowed, so only one car can drive over the hump at any one time.  Even when I have priority many car drivers tend to "chance it" with me and assume I'll move out of their way, even though they're in the wrong.  Whenever this happens I hold my ground and ride straight at them.  They know they haven't got a leg to stand on and simply have to stop, looking embarrassed (this should teach them a useful lesson). I don't wish to antagonise motorists but I'm certainly not going to give way if I'm in the right.  Motorists need to learn and take note!

Packs of school boys on their 29ers.  While it's great to see groups of lads cycling to school, they are a bit uncontrolled at times.  They'll ride all over the road, often pulling wheelies and wobbling about.  I tend to give them a wide birth.

Laid back and lowered blokes. These are those increasingly common young men driving around in cars with lowered suspension, often with silly lights and dark windows.  To complete the laid back look their seat backs are almost flat and they can barely see out of the windows; in fact they look like 12 year olds trying to grow beards.  While the laid back and lowered blokes are doing their best to look cool in their uncool cars, I think they miss seeing me at various junctions.  When they do see me, they often look so annoyed their fancy cars are moving so slower than yours truly simply freewheeling past them.  I love this!

Running

I sometimes think I run more miles than I cycle these days, especially if I include treadmill miles.  Nevertheless running still brings more bangs for my bucks and I try to have a run four times a week.
Since the clocks changed back to GMT a couple of weeks ago, I have been running a few times at night.  I quite like doing this as it's something a little different and touches on my senses in a different way.  As I ran out into the countryside afterwork one day with a head torch, I was struck by how much I could smell, much more than normal - onions, damp soil, wood and so on, making it quite special.

It's a strange sensation when you come to run (or cycle) down hill and you haven't seen the change in gradient.  You simply find yourself going faster and faster without anymore effort.
Running at night isn't all plain sailing.  I have to be so careful I don't trip up and fall.  My eyesight isn't brilliant and it's easy to miss seeing the odd stone or tree root and the last thing I want is a twisted ankle or a broken arm away from help.  It is also quite hard to see the natural path to follow with so many falling leaves covering the track.

I am hoping to have a night run during the coming week with my good friend (and financial advisor) John.  Hopefully we will head over my favourite 7 mile hilly route over Dunstable Downs.  While I have run this many times before, perhaps 100s of times, I have never run it at night.  This is the kind of course which does take you off road for a couple of miles and you need company.  So I'm really looking forward to this as I've enjoyed so many night cycle rides over the years and a decent run has the makings of something very special.

I do like Strava; it brings an extra layer of interest to running and cycling.  It can be very satisfying and yet also a bit dispiriting.  Let me explain.  Two years ago I last ran a marathon and my pace was about 8:30mins/mile and I was quite pleased with that.  Nowadays my pace on much shorter runs is typically 9:15mins/mile.  It is depressingly true the blood pressure tablets I take to bring on tiredness and this might account for some of my slower times, together with being two years older.

Very dark and very, very scary

The Central Bedfordshire Council office where I work is, unusually, in the countryside and so any winter runs after work will be in the dark.  I've done a few night time runs by running down into Shefford, a nearby town or simply going to the gym and pounding the treadmill.

And so a few days ago I decided to dust off my head torch and have a run in the dark.  It was very dark and ver, very scary at times.  As I was running through the nearby Campton Plantation I was paying attention to any tree roots or anything else which could trip me up.  My running form seemed a little different in almost running on tip toes and as light as I could to avoid tripping up.  With so many leaves falling and a mediocre head torch it was at times hard to see where the path was.

I ran through the woods and out on to the other side to pick up a footpath and follows the perimeter of the Chicksands military base.  I have run this route many times before and it's about 3 miles in total.  Three miles, by the way, is about the minimum distance worth running in my book.

The run around the edge of the base was fairly uneventful.  No squaddies saying "Evening Sa!" or off road cyclists or other runners.  I did wonder where I would attract any attention from the base's security staff who might be interested in this little light bobbing around in the countryside.  Thankfully no interest at all.  In fact I have no idea who they are (Army, Airforce etc) or what goes on in there. Sometimes when I drive into the Council's offices by the base's back entrance, there are armed soldiers around which can be unsettling.

What surprised me was how my senses just switched over to being more aware of the smells of the countryside.  I could smell an onion crop while running a path along the edge of a field which then added into the smell of damp soil.  Coming back through the woods brought a wealth of other smells from the trees, especially from the occasional pine tree.

At one point I glanced to my left and had quite a fright!  It was the sculpture of a monk-like figure you can see in the above photo.  I've passed this many times, along with the other sculptures dotted around the woods and yet I was still spooked by it.   It seemed to be in the wrong place, or more correctly, I wasn't where I thought I was! 

So like every other run, it was worthwhile and I never regret going for a run no matter how tough going it is or however horrible the weather is.

New infographic - metabolism

It has been a while since I have had an involvement in the development of an infographic and I was intrigued and pleased to contribute to the infographic you see below from those nice folk at Elysium Health in New York.  

The graphic was all about health tips.  Now anyone who knows me will expect me to come up with a lot and be able to happily talk about keeping in good shape for hours, so there was no shortage of health tips from my end.  

You can see below I have mentioned post-workout nutrition. This is important and something I take care to do myself.  Even after yesterday's hilly run (7.5 miles) I made sure I had a glass of cherry juice as I went to have a shower.  So there, I do practice what I preach!  I can't resist pointing out that having something nutritious after a workout, or a run, is helpful if it is rich in antioxidants which help mop-up free radicals which can go on to cause cellular damage later on.  

Speaking of cellular damage, the graphic helpfully explores some of the science behind the metabolism; an integral process within our cells.  Elysium even provides some of their own tips for maintaining good metabolic health.  Having knowledge on these things is powerful and it is always fascinating to learn more about how our bodies work.  This page on NAD+ and cell metabolism is a good place to start.

Take a look below, does it make sense, you see what they're driving at?  Check out the other contributors as well - already I have seen the blog of Michelle Maclean which looks interesting and I think I'll be visiting again.

A nostalgic run

A few days ago we had the Spring Bank holiday and, to cut a long story short, I decided I would run an old route.  I drove over there and parked my car at Preston, a pretty village on the top of a hill.

This run involved Charlton Hill Road, just outside Hitchin, Hertfordshire.  Normally I would run in an anticlockwise direction having started at Preston and this means the first couple of miles is mostly down hill as far as Gosmore.  It's then fairly flat until you turn onto Charlton Road.  This was fine as I need to take at least 20 minutes to get warmed up these days, possibly more.

I was on the road for the entire run of about six miles.  Traffic wise it was extremely quiet with only one or two cars, two motorbikes, two cyclists and one other runner.

Running along Charlton Road you're aware of the gentle gradient until you get to a wooded area where it then starts to climb (at the point of my above selfie).

I remembered how I used to do this run while I worked in Stevenage.  It involved changing into my running gear before I left work and then driving there.  This run was a wonderful way of blowing off some steam as I de-stressed and mentally relaxed myself.  It generally worked well.

It is quite a hilly run with Charlton Hill being THE climb.  At its steepest I think this is about 1:4 and this occurs when you're three quarters of the way around and probably the part nearest to West Wood in the above map.  This climb is always very testing and generally enjoyable.

Having run this a number of times I think it's good to have a little energy still in the tank for a sprint once the road starts to level out - this will enable a runner to get a good Strava time on the segment which is there.  My personal best for the "Charlton Hill Steep Bit" is 2:31 which puts me at 41 out of 262 runners.  Not bad but I can't match that right now.

The difference in performance was absolutely amazing, I was astonished.  On this run my average time per mile was a rather slow 8:50mins/mile.  My fastest time on this route, in October 2015, was a mere 6:52mins/mile - almost two minutes faster for each mile!  I toyed with some of the possible different factors.  These could include obviously being a little older, perhaps a little heavier and the effects of having high blood pressure these days.

I could easily depress myself by dwelling on this too much; it had to happen sooner or later in terms of slowing down.  Having said that I always think that the best is yet to come (as I'm a born optimist!).

By the time I was nearing the end of the run, the rain started and I thought this was utterly wonderful.   I was quite hot and the rain was wonderfully refreshing.  I spotted a friendly-looking cyclist and I held out my arms with the palms of my hands facing upward as I grinned.  He shouted back "I know exactly what you mean, it's lovely!".  Enough said.

Finally, here's a shot taken a couple of years ago with the Charlton Hill climb in the background.

The importance of saying "thank you"

This is my friend Geoff.  We have known each other since the last century when I lived in Hereford and I recently paid him, his wife Lorraine and his collection of bicycles, a visit.  I had wanted to do this for quite some time but it was hearing a radio programme which made me do it for sure.

The radio programme was Saturday Live and it's broadcast each Saturday morning on Radio 4 (and I do like Radio 4!) and presented by the smooth talking Rev Richard Coles and Aasmah Mir.  It is a kind of chatty magazine programme which includes a section where listeners can phone in to say "thank you" to someone.  Often these are people wanting to express their appreciation for something which happened many years ago.  As they say on Saturday Live "it's never too late to thank someone".

The "thank you" which caught my attention was someone calling to thank a Dr Ivor Chance (yes really, this was his name).  The woman calling in said that she was only alive through the work of Dr Chance.  Apparently her mother was in Uganda, pregnant with her and went into a difficult labour, fortunately she was able to find her way to a remote mission hospital where Dr Chance was able to deliver her.  The labour was very difficult and the mother lost a lot of blood, so Dr Chance donated some of his own and therefore saved the life of the mother and the newborn baby.  Rolling forward many decades, it was time to say "thank you" to Dr Chance for saving her life as a newborn baby and her mother.

The remarkable thing about the story was [the late] Dr Chance's daughter was listening to the radio programme and was stunned to hear of her father being talked about on the radio.  So she contacted the Saturday Live programme and explained, the following week, how much she had been moved by hearing the account of her father.  It had also spurred her on to make a point of saying "thank you" to a number of people in her own life who had made some kind of impact or long lasting impression through friendship.

So that's why I decided to thank my friend Geoff for his friendship over the years.

The bonus was also being able to have a poke around his garage at his collection of bicycles, many of which I could remember.  You see, Geoff, appreciates nice bicycles and cars (he has restored the old Ford Anglia in the above photograph to a high standard).

I love the Moultons he has.  There's a couple which date back to the 1960s and what I think of as being a modern contemporary version which actually dates back to the 1980s - this could be an AM7 or 9 - this is my favourite.  There's also some Curly Stay Hetchins, a curious Flying Gate which I hadn't seen before and apparently the first one made by the frame builder.  A nice Dawes Galaxy, a titanium Raleigh MTB and the list goes on.  All lovingly restored and cherished.

I love hearing all the anecdotes about each of these projects; the stories in acquiring the bicycles (and cars) followed by the research and steps taken to restore them.  Sometimes it's a case of restoring something to the original factory condition, other times it can be appropriate to update or improve the original specification.  Each time this is done, there's always quite a bit of thought taking place to ensure it would be honouring to the original design and concept.

So, old friends rightfully thanked for their friendship; to admire the handiwork, to be nostalgic and reflect on where we've been in life.  As the years tick by, it's good to reflect on the lives that have touched my life for the good - right from long standing friends to fleeting acquaintances - these are all cherished and valued.

Chatting to an elderly runner at Weston

Last weekend I visited my Mother in Weston-Super-Mare.  As she lives near the sea front I generally have a run along the promenade or perhaps the beach.  I have done this many times before and normally the other runners are friendly enough.

So on the Sunday morning run I ran past a runner who looked quite elderly.  He was about my height and a little slimmer, grey hair.  As I went passed him I noticed he was quite elderly.

I was thinking about him as I continued and couldn't help but wonder how old he was.  Perhaps in his 70s?  He certainly looked in pretty good shape and I couldn't get him out of my mind; curiosity about his age was bugging me.  So I simply decided to go back and ask him.

I turned around, took a few strides back and then ran alongside him.  We said "good morning" to each other and exchanged a little small talk.  Then I decided I had to ask, doing my best to ask in a pleasant friendly way.

"Would you mind if I asked you a personal question?"

He looked a little wary and so I quickly followed it up by asking "I was wondering how old you are, I hope you don't mind me asking".

He explained he was 81.  I said something about being seriously impressed with the hopes that I can still be running when I'm his age.

"Have you always been a runner?"

"No, not always.  In fact I've always been a cyclist until I had an accident a few years ago".

He went onto explain he's had an accident with a pedestrian stepping out in front of him in town.  He fell off his bike and shortly afterwards had a brain haemorrhage.  This caused his wife to say he shouldn't cycle anymore.  She was worried for him.

So instead he started walking around as a way of getting some exercise.  This wasn't enough so before long he started jogging and then running with regularity.  He certainly looked good.

I said "I hope I'm still running when I'm 81" and then I needed to peel off as I was nearly back to my Mother's road, just off the sea front.

Many times I've thought about him since.  I really did admire him as he was very unassuming, modest and in such good shape.  He was in exceptionally good condition and, to be honest, would put many a thirty year old to shame.  Certainly hope I remain in good shape for the next thirty years!

Checking your running shoes

If ever we need to be reminded on why its important to check your running shoes, this is it.

Recently on a run I could feel something unfordable with the heel in my left shoe.  At first I thought it was a small piece of grit that would come and go, I hadn't made the connection between the terrain and what I could feel.

As the thorn had pierced the sole of my running shoe in a recessed part, I could only feel it if I ran over rough ground where it would push against that part of the sole.  When I tried to find the grit, nothing was there, instead I was very surprised to find a thorn poking through into the inside and even more amazed at its size - and how tough it was!

So I really must resume the habit of checking over my shoes from time to time.  When I have done this in the past, I have spotted damage and areas where I need to keep an eye on.

Having said all that, this thorn was amazingly sharp and strong, quite difficult to extract and quite freaky.

Besides, I can feel a future post coming on - runners with piercings.

Related
Check your running shoes
Are my running shoes worn out?
Two pairs of running shoes?

A Moulton at Waitrose, Ampthill

A Moulton bicycle at Waitrose, Ampthill

I spotted this Moulton bicycle outside Waitrose, Ampthill, Central Bedfordshire.  It caught my eye as I have arranged to visit my friend Geoff in Hereford next weekend and he knows a thing or two about these bikes.

For myself, I'm not too well informed about these bikes, although I think they have probably been underestimated over the years.

This particular Moulton seems quite an eclectic mixture.  The frame looks as if it could be from the original 1960s stable with its straight tubes and made in an uncomplicated way.  The suspension appears based around a piece rubber.  This might seem basic by today's standards but I reckon it was way ahead of its time.  The frame has almost certainly been resprayed.

The components appear to be more up to date.  The wheels look fairly fast with the radial spoking and slick tyres, although I'm not so sure about the hub gears and what could be in there.  Quite a few weight-saving aluminimum components are there also; the seat post, handlebar etc.

All in all, quite an interesting looking bike.  But who could ride it?  What kind of a cyclist could it belong to?  My guess, and I could be totally wrong is....

• someone fairly tall
• fairly affluent (parked outside Waitrose)
• perhaps a London bound commuter (not sure about that!)
• likes stylish things but probably driven by practicalities over appearance
• has more than one bicycle

If you know about this bicycle, please put me straight!

If I were Prime Minister for a day

We had a funny conversation while driving along. It was if I were Prime Minister for a day - what would I do.  I thought it could be fun to mention here.  Here goes.

Sugar tax

Yep, I'd bring this in properly and not just for fizzy drinks.  I'd include all kinds of chocolate, sweets and the like.  While I'm at it, I'd have a good look at McDonalds, KFC and so on.  Why?  Because KFC = Keep Fat & Chubby.  Feeding such crap to your kids could be described as child abuse.

Alcohol

The Government has previously missed a trick with not introducing minimum alcohol pricing, although perhaps Scotland might have had the foresight to do this.  Considering the immense harm to people's physical and mental health through excessive alcohol, there is a strong case for this.  Add the misery caused by drunk people getting into fights, domestic abuse and general rowdiness, I think a significant hike in price is valid.  Although I am loathed to agree very much with David Cameron, I think he was right in wanting to create a cafe culture to replace a pub culture.

Tobacco

You can probably predict what I'm going to say here.  Double the tax on cigarettes now.

Transforming Rehabilitation

I would order the Ministry of Justice to undo all of the harm Chris Graying has done to the justice system and probably sack him by the time I have my morning coffee break.  I think also I'd look to change sentencing policy so the prison population can come down and invest the money saved in rehabilitation.

Whitehall

While I'm at it, I would transfer much of Whitehall out into the regions i.e. moving the power from central London closer to where it is needed.  So sorry Sir Humphrey, your days are numbered.

Freedom of speech, political correctness

It saddens me when I hear of street preachers getting into trouble for preaching.  This has to change.

The unborn children

Far too many babies are aborted for very dubious reasons.  There is a fine line between medical need and murder.  Apparently in 2015 there were 185,000 abortions in England and Wales.  Something has to be done about it.

Range Rovers and other high performance cars

Sorry folks, your days are also numbered unless you're willing to pay through the nose for your gas guzzlers and status symbols.  While you're doing this everyone will think you have more money than sense. I think I'd do this through VAT in purchasing the car in the first place and then the annual road tax.  If it costs £500 a year to keep a Range Rover taxed, well I'd make it £5,000.  As for cars with blacked out windows, you have it coming as well.

Private education

As someone who has put his own children through a private school, you might be surprised to know I would charge VAT on the fees but introduce it over a period of years.

Cycling

It will come as little surprise that I'd spend more money on making life easier for the cyclist who, in the UK, puts up with a lot.  Dreadful roads, poor junction layouts, potholes, few cycle lanes and the list goes on.

Honor Cycles; a conversation

So you’ve started a new bike servicing business.  Tell me the basics - what’s it called and where do you operate?

Honor Cycles is (and I like to call it) a social enterprise. We provide on-demand bicycle repair services for both individuals and companies. As a mobile bike service, we go and collect bicycles for the repairs, and deliver the bikes back after our job is done.

Since we don’t actually have a high-street bike shop, we have significantly lower operating costs. That allows us to, among other things, pay our bicycle mechanics more than the living wage standard and support various local, bike-related social causes. We’re based in London, currently covering areas in Islington, Camden and Hackney Boroughs.

What services do you offer?

In terms of actual ‘mechanicing’ services, we offer everything a standard bike shop does, although we can also go the extra mile and do professional bike cleaning.

The main thing we offer our cyclists, though, is time saved. By picking-up and re-delivering the bikes, people don’t have to take time out of their days or weekends to go to a bike shop and wait in the darn queue.

Now, this may seem like a small thing at first, but you’d be surprised by how many people stop cycling altogether simply because their bike has broken down and they didn’t have the time to get it down to a bike shop. Life’s a busy place, and bikes are not high priority for most people.

There must be loads of places where people can have their bikes serviced.  What makes Honor Cycles stand out?

For cyclists, it’s rarely a great experience to visit a traditional bike shop. First of all, the quality of the bike shops varies wildly. These days, you’re lucky to find a bike shop you can really trust. For many reasons (low wages included) many bike shops don’t pay full attention to their service, or might not be completely transparent about their fees.

Secondly, cyclists usually go to bike shops before or after work. If you’re there during peak time, you need to wait to get served or even just to get a booking. As I mentioned, life’s what happens while you’re making cycling plans. If your bike breaks down and you don’t have half a day to take it to and from the shop, you’re that much more likely not to get it fixed in the first place. And that sucks.

We’re a group of young guys. Bike mechanics, techies, entrepreneurs. We’ve seen how technology changed nearly every service industry over the last 10 years or so. There’s on-demand laundry services now, delivery services, quasi-taxi services and so on. We want to apply that same basic model to bicycle repair services. Why should we be stuck with a 20th-century business model?

What a minute, why doesn’t Honor have a letter ‘u’ in the spelling?

Ah. I wish there was a really clever answer to this. Something about wanting to grow the business and eventually taking it overseas, transforming the entire US cycling industry. The truth is, we really just preferred how the logo looked without the ‘u’. But I’ll definitely try to come up with a better story for future use.

What’s this about being ethical?

I think that in terms of social responsibility, cyclists tend to think pretty highly of themselves. Some of that has merit, of course, (bikes > cars), but the truth is that our industry is still ripe with unethical (or otherwise irresponsible) practices.

Josh, my co-founder and I started Honor Cycles to support bicycle mechanics. In a nutshell, we think they’re the unsung heroes of the bicycle world. Most of them are so passionate about cycling, but only the very few get treated fairly. Most of the bike shops in our service area actually pay them less than the London living wage. Needless to say, that’s not nearly enough to get by.

So our mission is to pay all of our mechanics fairly. One of the reasons we’re able to do that is that our ‘unconventional’ business setup allows us to avoid high rent. In return, we can use that excess money to pay our workers what they actually deserve.

Also, for an industry priding themselves on eco-friendliness, we sure use lots of unsanitary tools. So we make sure all of our oils, de-greasers and service vehicles are environmentally sound. I like this planet, so I’m trying my best to keep it healthy.

We also want to give back to the community at large, so we pledged to donate 5% of our labor time on bicycle-related causes for the communities in need. There are lots of great cycling causes in London - we’re getting in touch with some of them as well as trying to do our part alone. I’ve seen firsthand how transformative to one’s life cycling can be, so I want to try and help as many people as possible discover their passion for cycling.

What’s the most unusual or exotic bike you’ve worked on so far?

I've worked on so many bikes that it’s hard to pick the strangest. Out of all of the custom one-off designs and bike shed projects, I have to go with a low-pro style bamboo & hemp single-speed bike that had 80mm deep section carbon wheels.

I wish I’d taken a photo of it at the time because you really have to see it to understand just how off this thing looked. It was like some sort of aesthetic mash-up of Tron and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. It had quite a good back story too - the owner had been an expat in China for a while and built the frame himself, using bamboo and hemp local to where he was staying. The frame he was riding around in London was one of many iterative prototypes, and he was mighty proud of it.

How do people get in touch with you?

Most people get in touch via our website (www.honorcycles.com) that has all the services we offer (and pricing) clearly outlined. A few people call in when they're not entirely sure what might be wrong with their bike, and need some help choosing the right service.

Is there anything else which you were wanting to tell me about?

Bikes are the most intimate vehicles, I really cannot think of any other vehicle that compares. People say that what car you drive says a lot about you, but the bike you ride says so much more. The time you spend in the saddle wearing down components and adjusting things to your liking makes even the most mass-produced bike unique to you, your body's geometry, your riding style and where you ride.

As a mechanic you can really see the rider's character when working on their bike, so it’s important to respect that and treat it as you would your own bike, putting things back exactly where they were. In a way it can feel a bit strange when handing a bike back to the customer because you feel like you know them a little, you almost can't help but want to have a little chat. For me that is the sign of a true mechanic: skills are good, but caring is king.

Thanks to Simon in Honour Cycles for the conversation.  I wish him all the best with this interesting and very worthwhile enterprise.