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.

Barcelona in February

Early in the year we had a little holiday - Barcelona in February!  

February is, in my view, the most difficult, drab, dull month of the whole year and a chance to visit Spain was irresistible.  There's quite a bit to tell you about over the next few blog posts and this is also a nice way for me to re-live the experience.

I went there with Rachel, my wife.  We were there for a week and returned over the last weekend.  Re-adjusting to the cold, heavy thick clouds has been more of a shock now we have returned: I can certainly understand why many decide to settle in Spain on a semi permanent basis.

Regrets
The main regret which springs to mind is that I didn't get talking to enough people while I was there - as you know I do like chatting!

Another regret is that we only scratched the surface of this fascinating city and generally I don't return to places I've already been to (but this could be an exception).

Regret number three is that I ate far too much food at breakfast time - this was a 'help yourself' buffet and we weren't exactly hungry for the rest of the day.  Most days we'd simply have a snack in the late afternoon following this enormous breakfast.

Getting there
We flew from Luton airport, so not too far for us.  It always amazes me how far you can go in a couple of hours.  By bike you can make roughly 30 miles.  By car I could drive to Bristol, just over 100 miles away.  Through flying we can reach the Mediterranean Sea and I do love flying!  I always love bagging a window seat and pressing my nose against the window to watch the world beneath flash by - it's brilliant for all kinds of mind wandering, day dreaming, chewing things over.

While we were there

• I had a run each morning along the seafront (and managed to misjudged an obstacle causing me to fall and damage my elbow and shoulder)
• Got chatting to the staff inside a vegan restaurant - more to follow
• Saw some homeless men who use bicycles to keep their worldly possessions moving along - more to follow
• Got talking to a bike rental shop manager
• Hired some city bikes
• Got talking to a cyclist who is a fan of vintage bicycles, which lead to some interesting correspondence - more to follow
• Appreciated the near perfect climate and feeling of well-being that seems to be in places like Barcelona

Related

Previous post - Cycling in Spain

What have I been up to?

My apologies for neglecting my blog a little lately.  Here's a few things keeping me well occupied:

Work
My work in the criminal justice system has always been demanding and it never seems to let up.  I do like the variety and I like doing little projects in addition to having responsibility for a small team of fantastic colleagues.  I feel privileged.

Alas times are changing.  The profession is almost unrecognisable when compared to my entry as an assistant way back in 1992.  The prison population has almost doubled, I have seen first hand the impact of a succession of very different Home Secretaries, the Ministry of Justice has been formed and the Transforming Rehabilitation agenda has torn my profession apart.  Legislation has had huge impacts on the justice system as well as creating thousands of additional new laws for people to break.  Huge staff reductions have taken place since 2010 and an eye-watering number are still to go in the foreseeable future.

The chance of these staff reductions affecting me are high.  As you can imagine that has caused me to consider, reconsider and consider my future direction. As I seem to have a naturally optimistic outlook for the most part, I am almost looking forward to seeing what doors could open ahead of me. And then I think of all those bills to pay.  At that point it looks scary.

As a family we are incredibly blessed and I am sure the right things will happen, although these aren't always what we expect or want.  We cannot see ahead, although it is wise to plan ahead as best we can.  I will keep you posted as things unfold.

Running!
Yes Running!  The focus of this blog.  I'm not sure if I mentioned or not, I have given myself a little target for the year and this is to run 1000 miles in 2015.  At the time of writing I have just passed the 500 mile mark, so nicely on track.

My running pattern seems to have changed over the last year or so.  Instead of running early in the mornings for most of my runs, I find I'm now running after work on a couple of days each week.  As you know I'm based in Stevenage and I will either have a run there, or I might drive part of the way home and then run (having changed into my running gear before leaving the office).

The area I have explored in terms of running is around Preston, just outside Hitchin in Hertfordshire. Preston is a little pretty village on the top of a hill with a network of footpaths, bridleways and lanes around.  All very scenic and as an added bonus some of the hills are great to get my heart beating at a fairly high rate (I should say these are short bursts for a couple of minutes and I have been used to doing this for the last few years).  According to Strava I am 14th out of 84 runners on this short steep hill.  My time is 2:31 (which coincidentally I have hit twice now) and I know I can do better.  I'm already looking forward to the next time.

My long runs remain along the tow path of the Grand Union canal, while my youngest daughter is kayaking.  This gives me a 90 minute window to do roughly 10 miles.  It is a real joy seeing the canal through the different seasons now that we have reached summer: I enjoy them all, even the winter!

A while back I blogged about running up Bison Hill and increasing my lead in the Strava course record.  More recently I was beaten by another athlete and it was by quite a margin.  Although I can't recall the new time, I do remember thinking there was no way I could beat it.  Having checked it again I see that new time has disappeared and perhaps I'm back in holding the course record.

Another course record which I have held since December in along the Busway and a flat 0.6 mile sprint.  I can see others are closing in on me and it is only a matter of time before I'm beaten.  One of my friends, Joe C is the one to watch as he has youth on his side and there's less than 10 seconds between us!

Earlier this year I picked up an over-use injury which is completely healed.  That's good.  What isn't so good is that I think I ran slightly differently and consequently "transferred" the problem to my left hip.  It's not too bad and once again it's about keeping the right balance between keeping some running going and resting.  This is a tricky balance!

Cycling
Haven't done much, to be honest, just a few leisure rides.  I have, however, been able to encourage a couple of my friends in taking to two wheels and that has been great to see.  This has involved advising on pedals, what kind of bike to buy etc.

We did get the opportunity to see the Women's Tour of Britain flash past at Ashridge a couple of weeks ago.  That was fun, although it has to be said, road cycling is not really a spectator sport.

Back to blogging

I must blog more.  Partly as a personal journal of things that happen and also the interaction with readers out there which brings the world of blogging to life.  It seems the more I blog, the higher the stats go each day.  If I go through a quiet patch, the daily hit rate falls.

If you want to get in touch at all, please either leave a comment below or email me at ramblingsofdoug@gmail.com

Where did February go?

February has just rushed by so quickly and I'm sorry I haven't been updating my blog so much.  Plenty has been happening, including a trip to the London Bike Show and quite a few runs to savour.

Life outside staying fit and healthy has been happening too; might be an idea to get these out of the way first.  My work life is as busy and varied as ever but also has some future uncertainties mixed in these days (the effects of Ministry of Justice reforms).  We are well as a family.

Jury service
I have hardly stopped during January and February.  In fact the only time off from work I had was during jury service which you might think is hardly an activity away from my work.  It was actually, almost to the point of enjoying being in a slightly different role and seeing the whole Court scene from the general public's perspective.  What made it even more interesting was that it wasn't a criminal court but instead a Coroner's court; something I have had no experience of.  It was a sad case, about a middle aged man who took his own life while in prison.  Quite a sad tale.  However it was a poignant opportunity for the general public to become involved in the whole question of justice; there were eight of us, all local people selected at random and there to have an input into the wheels of justice.  The inquest itself was listed for three days but in effect only lasted two days, so I took some flexi time to enjoy having a day off and I can tell you, that seemed so weird.

Interestingly I have another Coroner's Court jury to sit on later in March.  Again the case is listed for three days and I wonder if it will actually take the whole three days, not that these important things should be rushed.  We must take it seriously and return the correct verdict, according to the oath we all take at the start of the proceedings.

A new venture
To make a short story even shorter, I have found myself becoming a school Governor and will attend my first meeting soon.  I am actually looking forward to getting my teeth stuck into doing this and I like the idea of doing a few more things in my community as a volunteer.  Having the time has always been a factor, as well as finding something that I would be able to do.  I can tell you, I would be hopeless as a volunteer in helping local groups take care of the Downs (lopping trees, fencing etc).  

Kayaking and the running
I am still a non-paddling member at the club and this is fine for me.  Has to be said people there often encourage me to join properly and put my name down for the next introductory course on the water.  Instead I occasionally go to the Thursday evening training which is different each week.  Sometimes we go running (yay! Something I'm not bad at) other times it is more "gym" focussed and involves building up core muscle strength (not so good in my case).  My daughter, Hannah, seriously outperforms me with these things!

Actually the last training session was running, a kind of fast-slow interval training.  We, as a group of about 15, ran from the Boat House to Golden Riddy, Linslade which was a little under a mile away.  We then raced each other around the block, as shown in the map below.  Then the fastest was paired with the slowest, second fastest with second slowest etc.

Once we were paired up we ran in opposite directions with the faster runners sprinting until they met the slower runners who were jogging.  When we met each other, we 'high fives' each other and then turn around to run back the other way, alternating the fast run for the jogging.

This then is the interval training i.e. taking your heart rate right up for a few minutes and then jogging to allow recovery and bringing the heart rate back down.  Don't ask me what the heart rate is as I don't have a monitor but I dare say I push it to the limit, but only for a short burst each time.  Felt great afterwards!

As you can see this then adds up to be 5.7 miles; all good fun and it never seems that much when you do it with others.

With Hannah doing her kayaking on the water each Saturday morning allows me to have a 10 mile run along the canal tow path.  It seems to be working pretty well like this but having said that I need to get things organised so I could have increasingly longer runs in preparation for.....

The MK Marathon
Yes I have again entered this race, having enjoyed it so much before and especially as I ran a sub 4:00 hour time before (but only just).  This is in early May and ordinarily I would be happily trained by then without too much difficulty.

The issue is that I seem to have picked up an injury which is incredibly rare for me.  In fact the only injuries I have had to date have been short lived and minor.  This time one of my left calf muscles is complaining little when I run and more so on the following day.  I am fairly sure this is due to my running form changing a little and the shoes not compensating.

So my solution is to have a gait analysis done with a view to new shoes as being the most likely solution.

The probably cause is indeed how I have outlined it but digging a little deeper I think it has been exasperated by the increased miles I have been running - so far I have run 158 miles since 1st January and in the last 10 days of 2014 I ran consecutively every day.  So I might have over-done it and now I'm paying the price.  I must surely view this as a temporary set back as I cannot face the thought of backing off from running.

Other things
So much to tell you about and I hope to get myself a little more disciplined and blog more regularly.  Talking of being disciplined, I heard today about my friend Andrew who is truing for the Wales In A Day bike ride in September (this is a hilly 190 miles).  While he is already fit and a strong rider, he apparently has been getting up at 5:00am for a turbo training session in his garage.  Something I must surely be doing!

Wifely motivation

This special form of motivation makes quite a difference in terms of my quest to eat well and stay fit and here's a quick run through of the different ways this is delivered:

Before going for a run

• "How would you me to push you out of bed?"
• "Your running gear is all washed and ready for you to make it sweaty and muddy again"
• "Just get out there"
• "Don't worry about doing the washing up, you go"
• "Stop procrastinating, get out!" said in an increasing loud, assertive way
• "You mean you've only done 5 miles this week?"  followed by that disapproving look.

And after a run

Mind you, I often find I get a similar kind of loving reception when I get back from such a run.  You'll have to picture the scene: we live in an ordinary semi detached house.  Hallway leading to the back of the house and the kitchen, bathroom upstairs etc.

• "STOP right there!  Don't take a step further - have you seen how muddy you are?"
• "Let me help you with your clothes, no DON'T get any ideas.  That running jacket needs to hang up outside as there's no way that's going to stink the whole house out"
• "The bathroom is all clear for you, we've made sure of that"
• "The washing machine is empty and the door is wide open, ready for those digesting clothes"

So there y'go.  Simply wonderful and couldn't do without it, even though it sometimes seems tough love.  That special form of loving, wifely motivation.  It's special.  I'm blessed and thankful.

Concluding 2014...

To sum up this run, it was a truly magical, inspirational and a fantastic way of rounding 2014 off.

Bloggers, sporty types and the like will often review their year by looking back at the achievements, race wins, PBs, Strava Course Records, Strava King of the Mountains and all kinds of other indicators.  I would have to search hard to find more than one or two of those.  Instead I just wanted to reflect on a few things that occurred to me during my #ChristmasRun earlier this afternoon.

The run itself was over very familiar terrain and was a little over 10 miles and took a shade under 1.5 hours.  Soft winter sunshine lit the rolling Bedfordshire countryside around the Downs in a beautiful way.  I crunched through a few icy bits here and there, although happily the temperature has risen a few degrees today - but I'm still needing to remember how to ice skate though.  

I was greatly encouraged by:

• seeing a couple of other runners and having two cyclists greet me in a friendly way
• finishing another year in good shape
• running up a few hills and having a rush of endorphins to fuel me along as I panted my way up.    I wasn't quite at full capacity but not far off.  It's these hills I love these days, although I do just about remember avoiding them like the plague when I started running a few years back!  In fact I reckon these hills, on their own, have made a huge difference with my running ability and my cardiovascular health.  Not so sure about running down them though, that's something I don't do too well
• God's undeserved grace towards me. 
• Thoughts of doing this kind of run in my 60s and 70s

I started 2014 by cycling every day, instead of running.  That was also a brilliant thing to do and all part of trying to be in good shape for the 150 mile Coast to Coast in a Day in June.  You know, as much as I love cycling, I don't think I'm very good at it.  Sure I completed the event in 11 hours and ?20 minutes with bucket loads of satisfaction and memories and huge respect for my friends Andrew, Robin, Josh and Jeremy who did it with me.

My family.  Yes my family who continue to be so tolerant of me as I disappear for runs, bike rides and the like at all those totally inconvenient times.  Plus all those stinky HH tops and socks, not to mention the trail of muddy footprints through the house and the sight of me "resting my eyes" watching an evening TV programme (really, as if......?).

Looking to 2015....

These are some of the many thoughts whirring around in my mind and I finally feel that I'm actually on holiday and away from work.  This has taken me almost two weeks to get to this stage and I'm only just getting there (I unfortunately managed to remember my computer password for work, which means I still have a little way to go).  Amongst those thoughts were plenty of family thoughts and where our journeys may take us; this includes Hannah who has taken to kayaking really well this year.  I'm actually very impressed with her determination and grit plus the encouragement at all the coaches and members in the Leighton Buzzard Canoe Club.

With health, running and staying in good shape I am kicking around a few of these:

• Running 1000 miles in 2015
• Doing the Chiltern 100 cycle sportive in May
• I have entered the draw for the Prudential Ride London 100 cycle sportive
• Focussing more on writing health related articles for other people and increasing my income from this and rely less on my criminal justice work
• Getting my act together and getting my e-book published
• Being more proactive in giving a few more talks
• Really getting to grips with stretching, being more supple and flexible
• Let's look at doing some podcasts and YouTube pieces on healthy living
• Did I ought to do something really radical that pushes me to the absolute limit?????

Those LBCC paddlers are good runners!

You will have to take my word for it: the photo in this post is Hannah and myself.  Some might say it's badly exposed, technically poor etc.  I would say it's atmospheric and hopefully sums up last night's run with Leighton Buzzard Canoe Club.

Firstly, just to avoid any confusion, the club isn't actually at Leighton Buzzard.  It is at Linslade which is a smaller adjacent town.  Secondly they don't paddle canoes as they paddle kayaks.  Glad to have cleared that up.

Once again Hannah was keen to join in with the winter training programme which involves me, as her Dad, taking her over to Linslade.   It makes sense for me to run alongside and I need little excuse.  We are gradually getting to know the club members, one by one and they're a friendly bunch.  This time there was about 10 of us and again Reggie was the coach and led as we ran from the Boat/Club House over to a park area in Leighton Buzzard, probably a mile or so to get there.   That was enough to get us warmed up.  When we were all there together, instructions were given as to the nature of the training session.

The plan this time was to run around a set path in the park, forming a triangle.  The first side was up an incline and then a flat section - these were to be the "effort" parts i.e. to work hard and run fairly hard.  The third side of the triangle is to be taken easier, either as a jog or an opportunity to take longer strides to stretch out a little.  Running around this triangle didn't take too long, perhaps 0.25 mile at most.  Now we were there, this was the plan:

Interval training

1 lap

  Rest 2 mins

2 laps

  Rest 2 mins

3 laps

  Rest 2 mins

4 laps

  Rest 2 mins

3 laps

  Rest 2 mins

2 laps

  Rest 2 mins

1 lap

  Return to club house

Man, did I need that run

All day I had been sitting at my desk at work, periodically looking out of the window and yearning for a good run.  I was tempted to have a run at lunchtime but the thought of sitting there all afternoon in a somewhat smelly state was enough to talk me out of it.

I didn't feel I was being very productive throughout the day.  The only thing I had in my diary was a slot at SMT (Strategic Management Team) where I had the hot seat to talk over something I was working on.  After I had said my piece I sat there listening to some of the conversation and again I found myself looking out of the window with thoughts of running but only for a split second as immediately there was the "Doug could I just ask you about page 5....."  This brought me back to Earth with an abrupt bump.

To bring some tedium to the day, which was probably self inflicted, there were a few more keyboard problems.  Again this was dealt with simply enough by tipping it upside down and giving it a good shake.  You wouldn't believe the amount of crumbs that fell out.  My colleagues felt sorry for me and one went off to get a can of compressed air and instead came back with a can of Spray Mount.  Luckily he realised it was GLUE, just before he sprayed it into my keyboard; now that would have been interesting.  Phew.

I promised myself I'd leave early, which I sort of did and drove home as quickly as I could, looking forward to a run so much.  I knew that any kind of a run was what I needed; it did not matter if it was a lone, in a group, short, long etc.  I simply needed a good run to clear my mind.

A positive effect

So even though the evening's run was quite chatty, it was just what I needed.  It took my mind off work in a fantastic way and gave me a good physical workout.

Throughout the run it was dark.  There was also a certain eery beauty to the run, which is crudely hinted at in the photograph above.   As we ran around the park the mist was gathering and as our own temperature increased, the air temperature dropped.  This meant our breath was adding to the mist.  Looking at ourselves and the other members of the group, some were positively steaming and had the ingredients of us making our own little micro climate of a pea soup fog.

This has also whetted my appetite for running at night time and this is handy in November with the daylight continuing to become shorter and shorter.  I have been a little apprehensive about this before in case I trip over again (I've had a few falls and injuries) but there's actually something quite nice about it.  For practical reasons, it makes sense to do it with someone else and right now there are some options - further running with my friends Nettie and John (who are new runners and I'm their ruthless, utterly harsh and unreasonable coach) and my friend Jon, who is a very accomplished and experienced runner.

Wrapping up

I really like going along to support Hannah as it means I can have a run as well.  Being the dutiful Dad I do try to keep to her pace or maybe just a little faster to egg her along a little and it's great to see her enjoying it so much - this is such a joy.

With the Kayaking Club in mind, I can see myself joining sooner or later (as a non-paddling member) as it's good to support a local club like this and to recognise how local communities really do benefit from such clubs.  Also I think the club is well respected in Linslade and Leighton Buzzard; people like seeing them using the canal in this way.

By the way, Wiggle have some great offers right now. Anything you buy will help support my blog - simply click the picture on the left.

Thanks in advance.

Running with the Leighton Buzzard Canoe Club

As I'm enjoying a week's annual leave from work, I have been able to have a run or a bike ride every day.  Unexpectedly I had TWO runs yesterday.  Furthermore my whole family went running!

You might have already clocked my youngest daughter, Hannah, has taken up kayaking and is really getting into it.  Now the clocks have changed to GMT a winter training programme has kicked in, supplementing the kayaking that takes place every Saturday morning.  So I said I'd take Hannah over to Linslade for the training and maybe join in.  Turned out Rachel wanted to come along, Becky too (eldest daughter).  Besides our friends Nettie and Charlie were going to be there too.

I had said to Hannah I would stick with her in whichever group she found herself in - there are two groups.  These were a faster/longer group and a slower/shorter group.  Hannah found herself pointed towards the faster/longer group and the others were with the slower/shorter group.

At 6:30om we were off!  The destination was a road name I didn't know and about 15 of us sped off into the night around Linslade; I didn't have a clue where we were going and I wasn't sure exactly what was going to be involved.  As a group we seemed to spread out quite quickly and everyone knew where they were going.  It was quite a fast pace but we kept up okay.  I should say this was a faster pace than I'm normally used to, especially in terms of getting warmed up but, I thought, "what the heck, let's just go for it".  The pace seemed to settle down as I was getting warmed up.

The interval training starts

We got to a residential area.  Reggie the coach explained we were all to run around the block as fast as we could; I think it was about half a mile, give or take a bit.  On getting back to the start we were to line up in the order we got back.  Next was to pair runners up, so the fastest was then paired with the slowest.  Then the second fastest with the second slowest.... and so on.

Hannah was paired with Nigel: grey haired, lean and fit looking.  I was paired with James, seriously fit looking.

The instructions then were this: run in opposite directions around the residential block with one jogging and the other going like the clappers.  When we met each other face-to-face we then "high 5'd" each other and turned to run back, switching from jogging to fast, or vice versa.  We were to do this five times.

This was great interval training i.e. fast and raising the heart and breathing rate for a few minutes, then settling down for a few minutes while jogging.  It was great!  I noticed that I was jogging slower than many - it was so tempting to go faster and I kept reminding myself of the instructions and the whole point of it all.  Naturally jogging for a few minutes brings my breathing and heart rate right down and then I could delight in run much faster for the next section.

It is just as well James was on-the-ball as I completely lost count of how many intervals we had done.  Once we had completed we reassembled ready to return to the Club House.  It was an opportunity to chat to both Reggie and James.  I asked James about his running, as it was obvious he was an accomplished runner and it was impressive to learn he had spent time running at 80 miles per week previously.  Eighty miles a week is seriously impressive but I guess there's a limit to how long that can be maintained for.

Fitting in with kayaking

I think LBCC are spot-on with their approach.  Being a good 'kayaker' or 'paddler' needs good all-round fitness and this is naturally of benefit anyway.  While the sport draws on upper body fitness, running and core based work all fits in and maintains good levels of fitness which is highly relevant for the kayakers.

It's also great to see such a wide cross section of club members - from youngsters right up to senior members with impressive levels of fitness.  They're a friendly bunch and it's nice getting to know them gradually.

I find myself wondering if I'm on the edge of getting drawn in to this new sport?  I wouldn't rule it out and there are real benefits from being a non-paddling member i.e. taking part in these training sessions.  You might have picked up already, I do like the opportunity to enjoy a nice 10 mile run on Saturday mornings and I do enjoy the "me" time as well.

Oh I should say Rachel, Becky, Nettie and Charlie enjoyed their session which was run on similar lines but on grass at a more gentle pace and shorter distances.

To sum up.... 

A nice club, nice company, nice atmosphere and nice to take part in this kind of group training.  I always find myself running faster with other people - and I know it's good for me!  An unexpected opportunity and one I thoroughly enjoyed. I guess we did around 5 miles.

Thanks to Reggie, James and everyone else at LBCC.  Here's their website: click here

Related:
Enforced fartlek training

Thinking about a new challenge...

Okay so you have gathered by now I'm getting back into running more and really enjoying it.  Yesterday morning I had some time to think a few things through while I was doing a 10 mile run, once again on the Grand Union Canal towpath.  This time I headed south from Linslade to Horton Lock, back up through Leighton Buzzard and returned to the start.  Great.

Here are my thoughts, summarised in a clumsy way:

Running is good for me, physically.  It helps keep my weight down, helps maintain a good cardiovascular health, strengthens my ligaments, tendons and all the muscles etc that hold it altogether.

Running is good for me, mentally.  It helps me think things through, makes me feel good (runner's high), sleep is even deeeeeper and more wonderful and most importantly, it helps me keep things in perspective, deal with stress and solve problems at work.

I happen to prefer the longer distance challenges rather than speed i.e. completing and enjoying a marathon is more important than achieving a new PB in a 10k.

I work best when I have something to aim for, a target, a date in my calendar.  So this all brings me around to thinking of making sure I run every day, or more sensibly 5 or 6 days a week.  I have previously had little "projects" where I have made sure I have run or cycled every day over the Christmas holidays i.e. up to 12 or 13 consecutive days.  This has worked well.  Last Christmas I cycled in all kinds of crazy winds, rain, ice and darkness.  Previously I have done the same except I have run instead - and absolutely loved it!

So, with these ingredients, what would hit the mark?  Enter some kind of event?  Maybe.  Run 1000  miles in 2015?  Yes, this could be getting closer.  And then I thought "why wait until January 1st before I start doing this?  I could do this tomorrow".

I chatted to Rachel about this.  Broadly supportive but reminds me I mustn't go tempting her to do anything like that.  Through a combination of my discussions with Rachel and thinking it through a little further I am weighing up the pros and cons (and I did this in 2013 when I started to consider a long distance bike event).  So here goes:

Reasons to run 1000 miles in a year:

• Great to have a challenge, might bring out the best in me
• Good discipline, which I need
• Health benefits of running
• No huge exertion - i.e. more about "little and often" rather than running a few marathons (though I wouldn't rule that out!)
• Even short runs count.  A humble 3 mile run which can easily be done 25 minutes is 0.3% of the aim.
• No huge expense as I wouldn't need to buy a new bike or anything like that, just one or two pairs of running shoes
• When I'm an old man, I can think "I did it"
• I reckon I would normally run 600 miles in a year quite easily, so I should be able to make it to 1000 miles.  After all it is less than an average of 3 miles a day, if I were to run each day
• Plenty of things to blog about (I might even start a new blog???)

Reasons not to run 1000 miles in a year:

• Could become a bit boring or monotonous
• Will it wear out my joints?
• I could become a running bore
• I could find I give up cycling completely, something I don't want to do
• What if I fail for some reason.  Will I feel foolish, let myself down, embarrass myself through having set myself up?
• Supposing I trip over and really injure myself?  I have had a few trips and falls since running and this is probably my biggest fear.

Related:
Christmas holiday run no. 12
The Pros and Cons of cycling Coast to Coast

Would be glad to have any comments.....

Being a bit "run down"

I'm a bit "run down".  How do I know this?  Four reasons:

1. I have a cold sore.  I can't remember having one like this before and I'll spare you of the details.  In general cold sores tend to emerge when people's health or resistance has been depleted a little.  Also referred to as "burning the candle at both ends".
2. I have a painful hand; though this might seem a bit weird.  In January 2011 I managed to injure my left hand - I fell over while I was running.  Click here for a blog post at the time.  No broken bones but more likely nerve damage according to the Doctor.  He said at the time it would take about a year to heal completely which ran true to form.  The crazy thing is that it's flared up now - there's no further injury or anything to aggravate it - it's just flared up and it's never done that before.  So that is another reason for knowing I'm "run down".
3. Few last minute things just done at work as I finish for the Christmas break.  This time I have annual leave booked until 6th January so a decent break.  Yesterday was my last day and I finished at 2.00pm (please no cheeky comments about public sector workers knocking off early - we work blooming' hard in ways most people will never know about).  I can tell you it felt good as I had my last 1:1 meeting with my manager, gave the Chief my Christmas greetings, watered my desk plant and set my 'out of office' and got out of the building as fast as anything.  This is all a sign that I need to get away from work and forget about it for a couple of weeks.
4. I am missing seeing daylight.  I drive to work when it's dark or just getting light and drive home in the dark.  I hate this; I need some daylight.  No, before you say it I don't need one of those SAD lights - I just need to be outside and feel the wind on my face and feel ALIVE!

Last year I ran over the Christmas break each day - and absolutely loved it.  This year I shall try and cycle instead, with the odd run thrown in.  I need to do this. Why? Glad you asked:

1. Dealing with the stress of work.  Having a decent run for an hour is such a wonderful way of dealing with those things.  If you are a runner you'll know this.  Probably the effect of the Runner's High and a chance to get out into some daylight and fresh air.  Plus the challenge of some hills.  Wonderful, simply wonderful.
2. Yep, cycling.  As much as I love running, I am going to spend more time on the bike for the next six months as I train for the Coast to Coast in a Day event in June 2014.  Heck that's not far away now and there's lots of training to do.  Because of that you might see more of me blogging on The Cycle Hub.   
3. I can tell you, drifting around at home, moping a bit is not good for me.  I get frustrated and need to get on and do something whether its us as a family or going for a blast on my own.
4. There are times when doing absolutely nothing is okay - that was the case yesterday evening.  A nice meal and watched two folios on TV.  That was then and now I need to get moving, as physically I don't want to get sucked into all those coughs and colds.  Having a cold sore is bad enough.  I just need to get moving!

Catching up with Spring

I love this time of year; May is my favourite month of the year.  Everything is new and looking bright for the summer months ahead.  Our daylight is getting longer, temperatures are getting warmer and the garden is springing into life.

With these wonderful things there are all kinds of distractions from blogging but I just wanted to reassure you that I'm not going cold on you!

Here's a little round-up of what's going on:

Running
I have taken things a little easy since the MK Marathon on 6th May.  I have enjoyed a few short runs of 2 or 3 miles to give my 51 year old legs a chance to recuperate a little although it has to be said, my recovery has been better than expected.

Apart from just a little stiffness in the 24 hours after the race, I have been absolutely fine apart from my sleeping pattern went up the creak for 4 or 5 nights afterwards.  I mentioned that to a running acquaintance who said that is fairly common.  As for myself, while this might be true, I have no idea why.

While there is nothing particularly remarkable about running a marathon in just under 4 hours, I'm still enjoying the memory of the event.   It's one of those things I won't need to have regrets about when I'm in my 90s - I'm sure there will be plenty of other things I'll be wishing I'd done while I had the chance.  I'm still pretty chuffed at myself.

Perhaps running a marathon is the hopeful goal of many recreational runners?  There are so many around these days and I think it's great.  Some far more capable than me, others wobbling their way along as they shed some surplus weight - I see myself in them from a few years back.  There is every reason for us all to be encouraged as there is so much to gain.  If in doubt check out my reasons to run.

We spotted an opportunity recently which was about being trained to become a running coach / leader through England Athletics.  Just so happens we are away when the next free training course will be (but live in hope of another later on).  The idea is that the Local Authority pays for ordinary people who have a passion for running, just like me, to be trained in leading a group of novice runners.  I think there's an expectation you generate a certain number of runners yourself but the powers-that-be could also put people in touch with you.  That strikes me as being a brilliant move - working strategically to get people into running shoes and out there pounding the streets and trails.  Click here for further details.

Stress
Very unscientific I know but I can feel my stress levels rising at work.  Is this because of cutting my running miles back and I'm not handling the stress, or, is there more pressure around anyway?  Could be.....

Twitter!
At work I have been given a corporate Twitter account and just starting to figure out how to use it.  So with this in mind, why should I have my own?  No problem apart from (at the time of writing) only having 3 followers.  So please feel welcome to follow me on https://twitter.com/TheCycleHub_net. I promise you'll get other things, apart from "ramblings".

Cycling
With all this running going on, not to mention the dreadful weather we had earlier this year, my bike has been collecting a little dust.  In fact I have barely done 100 miles all year.  That's now changing as my running will be "ticking over" for the summer as I clock up plenty of more miles on two wheels.

Jeremy holding himself back

Even yesterday I went for a 7.00am blast with my friend Jeremy.  It was just for an hour and we clocked up 16 miles including a deliberately steep hill.  He tells me that it's a Category 4 hill in the world of hill climbs.  As we were out early on a Sunday morning the roads were so quiet - blissfully quiet.  It meant we could ride alongside each other and talk easily.

While it felt good being on the bike again, it has to be said my cycling muscles need some development!  Jeremy, on the other hand, has been clocking up lots of miles on his new super-dooper Trek road bike and is way ahead of me.

We were thinking about doing a C2C ride again this year.  Both of my daughters are keen to do this, although they do have different approaches to cycling and this makes it difficult for me to "herd" them along and staying together.  As much as I'd love to do this, it may have to be planned for next year as I have already taken quite a bit of annual leave from work.

Holiday - yay!
Next week we're going to France for a little holiday.  We're looking forward to it and all the holidays we've had over the years have been great when we have gone in the May half term.

We are taking an overnight ferry from Portsmouth to St Malo and naturally we're taking the bikes as we head into Brittany.  Hoping for a slightly slower pace of life, some great opportunities for some runs and and bike rides in what will be an all-too-brief break in the business of a hectic life.  I have a dream that Rachel and I can find some quiet moments to put our feet up and have some more dreamy conversations.

Wifely pep talk

I know you will be understanding of me here; if you're a runner you might even go further and be sympathetic.  You see I've had a pep talk from Rachel which might be well deserved, except that I could never possibly admit that.

Just to put this in context, I'm meant to be doing a marathon in 4 weeks time.  I was already behind my training schedule and then I stopped running altogether because of a dose of flu which lasted two weeks.  Today was my first day back at work and fairly easy going (it did include an audience with an MP for a bit of gentle "persuasion") but I feel and look very tired afterwards.  Driving home I had to get some more petrol which seemed a real effort.

Rachel claims I was a bit of a wreck after last year's marathon but I thought it was a great experience.   So that's the background.  Here goes the conversation....

"With the marathon,  I was thinking about just getting around rather than coming in under 4 hours.  What do you think darling?"  I asked, lovingly

"Too right, you mustn't go for a PB, you're not prepared" and continues "besides, if you do too much I'm confiscating your running shoes after the marathon"

"That's okay as I'll need a couple of rest days afterwards"

"No, that's not what I meant....."

Extra - I'm sure my darling wife has forgotten that I have 3 pairs of running shoes, so if I surrender one pair I can still run!  He he he.

A quick review of 2012

This has been a great year for us as a family and also for me in trying to stay healthy.  Not much time left now before 2013 arrives and beforehand we are visiting some good friends.  So, without further ado, here's a few reflections on the year:

• We have been blessed more than we can ever deserve. 
• I reached 50.  Had 50 great years and the best is still to come (being a "half full" kind of person)
• Only one running race this year - the Milton Keynes Marathon.  My first ever marathon and achieved 4 hours 12 minutes.  Having another go in 2013 and would be nice to come in at under 4 hours.
• In the summer we had the Birthday Bike Project as our 14 year old daughter got a vintage Argos fast touring bike for her birthday
• Also in the summer we were gripped by the Olympic and Paralympic Games.  Should be inspiring the nation as well as a generation.  The Tour de France was won at last by a British Team and Sir Wiggo in particular.
• The above Games led to our own Holiday Olympics, mostly in our back garden - hilarious!
• We did a Coast to Coast bike ride with our friends the McRoys and thoroughly enjoyed it.  Would be nice to repeat it with a more challenging route next time.  Cycling with Becky and Hannah is a wonderful thing to do.
• I moved to another office which is further away and makes cycling a little tricky at 22 miles each way but I've enjoyed doing it a few times so far
• Stress levels remain and go up and down.   It is difficult for the Public Sector as a whole and I'm really feeling the pressure myself
• Some of my colleagues have started to run!
• In October we went to Spain and it's the first time I have been running abroad; thoroughly enjoyed it!
• I have the same number of teeth, a little less hair and a few more wrinkles but just as fit (I reckon)
• In September I started another blog http://thecyclehub.net/ to separate out cycling from running.  I still struggle with the technical aspects of blogging.  I never have really got on top of the Affiliate link source of income although the Amazon one does work (so please let me give that a plug!  Anything you buy through the Amazon link helps us keep the "wolves from the door"!!!!)
• This blog is growing in popularity.  I have been surprised at what posts have turned out to be popular but right now it's posts about DW Sports and giving up smoking (and I'm thinking of writing an e-book!).

May I take this opportunity to send everyone my best wishes for the new year and to thank you for your support so far and into 2013.

Doug.

Benefits of trying out the High Ropes

Me, on the high ropes at XC Hemel Hempstead

This little outing took me by surprise.  It started with Hannah and Becky being booked in while Rachel and I would drink coffee, plot and plan.  The plan changed, it was to be Hannah and myself.  Gulp.  This sounded scary and it looked awfully high from ground level.

We booked in, I read the disclaimer form and recall it mentioning how I was agreeing it was a potentially fatal activity.  Yes of course I would have a go, with the odd bit of knee shaking.

Hannah had done this before and is a fearless climber extraordinaire. We had our instruction from Owen and we were off.  Needless to say Hannah went first and lapped me in no time at all.  It is a high level obstacle course but to prevent any fatal falls, you wear a harness and a helmetwhich is attached to an overhead rail.  So if you do slip or let go, you'll have a wedgey (as ably explained by Owen, the instructor) and then just dangle there.  Greater challenges can be arranged by having a longer rope, so you'd have to pull yourself up a bit.

Owen our instructor making sure Hannah was ready to go.

Afterwards we got talking to Owen, our instructor.  Clearly a man who is passionate about all the activities in the XC building - besides the high ropes there is caving, climbing, skateboarding and BMX stunt riding.  Quite an impressive building all in all.

When I said it sounded like a hobby he was getting paid for, he smiled and couldn't disagree.  He loved it!

I asked Owen about the benefits of the high ropes.  What do people get out of it?  Why do they do it? Already I was feeling a fraud as I could tell myself but it was going to be interesting to consider the real range of the high ropes experience:

• Confidence.  That's about confidence in yourself and your ability to push yourself in to new ground.  Just have some trust in yourself and what you can really do
• Over-coming phobias.  Many people experience a fear of heights; their fear of falling no matter how safe they might be.  This does carry some risk, but so does driving a car down the M1 to Hemel Hempstead.  It's a manageable, controllable risk
• Muscle strength.  Obstacle courses like this get you using different muscles and muscles you didn't know you had!  Novices lilke me tend to use their arms more than their legs.  I think as my experiences grows, I'd be much more proficient before long
• Fun.  Yes after my initial apprehension, it was fun being able to master the challenge and to be a little quicker on the second and third laps.  Never as fast as Hannah though.  Being beaten by a 12 year old - how uncool is that?
• Trust.  That's about trusting the instructor, the equipment and your own judgement. 

The more I think about this the more I'm pleased Hannah twisted my arm.  It was good fun and I'm so pleased I did it.  I even enjoyed looking down, seeing other people looking up at me.  I asked Owen if anyone stood out, if there were any moments that stuck in his mind.  He said the oldest person was actually in his late 50s (hey, I thought, I'm in my 50s but I never want to think of myself as being anywhere near the oldest).  From time to time people need rescuing.  This could involve the instructor simply being with someone and helping them around, right through to someone needing a more official rescue.  They are well equipped and practised for lowering people straight to the ground in the event of emergencies.

So why not give it a go if you get the chance?  High recommended. 

Thank you so much Owen for making our High Rope experience so good, for your attention and time and your passion for bringing these experiences within easy reach for almost anyone.

Here's their website: http://www.thexc.co.uk/

 

Should Christians be vegetarians?

Rev William Cowherd

This is a picture of Rev. William Cowherd who was an English priest and preached the message of vegetarian living being virtuous.

He believed eating meat was sinful as every living creature was inhabited by God.  This was about 200 years ago when society was very different with much poverty and illness caused by poor diets and ignorance.  Many people could not afford choice cuts of meat and used to eat offal instead.

Cowherd followed the teachings of Swedish theologian Emanuel Swedenborg which brought him into some conflict with the (then) English church and the remainder of his ministry was characterised by being controversial.  And yet he was followed and respected by a significant number and he somehow managed to remain a wealthy person.  He was also a philanthropist and had an effect on his successor in Manchester, Joseph Brotherton, who went on to form the Vegetarian Society in 1847. 

So, should Christians be vegetarians?

If you take on board the teachings of the Reverend William Cowherd, you certainly should but I don't think he's right about his reasoning.  If God was in every living creature, does that apply to fruit and vegetables as He also created them?  No of course not, these things were created for us to enjoy and be sustained by.

Christians should lead lives that are honouring to God.  Often I am reminded by a sermon I heard many years ago which urged people to ask "what would Jesus do?" in any situation where there was a choice to be made.  In our society today we have a huge industrial approach to farming where animals are bred, reared and slaughtered on a virtual production line.  They are often mistreated in inhumane ways.  They are pumped with all kinds of growth hormones and antibiotics in order to maximise efficiency.

In spite of the progress in efficient farming practices, we still have people starving in the world.  After all it is said one billion survive on under a dollar a day. Count those who live on two dollars a day and you have three billion people - many malnourished and involved in producing food for the developed world (ironically this is true).

Nowhere in the Bible does it advise us to be vegetarian; nowhere does it command us in the 21st Century to not eat meat. Indeed the Bible gives us some clues about the diets in Biblical times (including meat, fish etc) but we mustn't get side-tracked into this kind of argument because it distracts us away from what the whole message of the Bible (i.e the good news of the gospel).

So for me, it's simply a matter of personal choice.  This is based on a troubled conscience about the way society behaves and also because I believe I have a healthier diet because I take the trouble to make sure I get everything I need from a wide variety of foods.  I try not to be gluttonous, that clearly does not honour God.  

And me?

My main argument is this.  Being vegetarian does not define me as a Christian, it is not my duty as a Christian   However, it is right for me and I believe it is right for a whole load of reasons.  Yes I think we should all think about reducing the amount of land devoted to meat production (or even the production of Soya for animal feed), lead healthier lives, cut back on the terrible effects of obesity in the UK, USA and other places.  That is the main reason but also because there is such a rich and varied supply of non-meat products to meet our nutritional needs.

What about you?

Any thoughts on this?  If you're a Christian, what do you think?  Perhaps you're a committed vegetarian or meat-eater - all views welcome, just leave a comment below.

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.

What a week!

Wow have I missed running this last week.  It's been one of those weeks when it just wasn't going to happen easily, what with it being my first week back after our holiday.

Evenings have been tricky this week.  Monday, we were settling back into normal family life, children back at school and I needed to be "in" during the evening.  On Tuesday I had a after dinner speaking engagement at a local Rotary Club, didn't get home until 10.30pm.  The audience were very receptive, interested, asked lots of questions in the Q&A slot at the end - but a very grey haired, white skinned and male audience nevertheless.

Wednesday evening did involve a little exercise with a 30 minute blast on my new turbo trainer in the garage - this is a gizmo for holding up the back wheel of my bicycle in the garage and allowing me to cycle on the spot.  As the back wheel runs on a roller, there is some resistance which is helpful to avoid mere spinning and no strength building effort.  I'll be blogging about this on http://thecyclehub.net/ sometime next week.  Although just 30 minutes, it was enough to get me out of breath, sweaty and stinky (much to Hannah's distain, as usual) and I'm fairly pleased with my new toy.

Thursday was going to be impossible in terms of exercise as I had a long day because of work.  As part of my work I am involved with the RSA Transitions project (a kind of prison reform) which entailed an early start, getting fined £93.50 by East Coast for mistakenly catching an earlier train.  Grrrrr.  An interesting day, getting to know the team and a chance to wander around some of the 45 acres surrounding HMP Wold and HMP Everthorpe, somewhere "up north".  Got back home at 8.30pm, hungry and for some brief family time.

Friday - my parents arrive for the weekend.  No chance of sneaking out for a quick run.  This morning, Saturday, my chance came but as I had not run for almost a week I thought it best to have a short 15 minute pre-breakfast run.  Not politic to disappear for too long.

So there I am, really missing running and cycling.  Dark, shorter days don't help.  Looking forward to things getting back to normal but it won't be next weekend either.  We're having a couple of German (exchange) girls come to stay which will be great fun but probably not ideal for me disappearing in my Sauconys.

At least I wasn't the driver who reportedly knocked Bradley Wiggins off his bike.  That "mishap" must count amongst one of the most uncool mishaps to have as a motorist.  Mind you, I don't know the whole story.  For all I know it may not have been the van driver's fault.  Perhaps Wiggo was travelling a time trial speeds and not obeying the sedate 20 or 30mph speed limit?

I was interested to read in the Telegraph's Weekend supplement about the former spin doctor Alistair Campbell talk about his addiction to alcohol, along with his support for Alcohol Concern's forthcoming campaign of having a Dry January - i.e. no alcohol for one month.  This is more wishy-washy spin.  If you're a heavy drinker, why not be really radical and give up alcohol together?  This is something I strongly advocate - being tee total has never harmed anyone.  See my previous post on this - Why I am tee total.

Why go for a Fun Run?

Fancy dress and fun runs go together!

Back in October we took part in a fun run.  It was actually the first time we'd done this together as a family and we were spurred on for a number of good reasons to do this.  We really enjoyed it, in spite of it being on a drab, cold, damp Sunday afternoon near Luton Airport.

Fun runs seem to crop up in lots of places these days, either on their own (like this one) or to go along side another race.

Here's a few thoughts on why no runner shouldn't take part....

Fund raising

This particular fun run was a fund raising event.  Nobody had a problem with that as everyone knew the deal.  It was all about celebrating the life of Michelle Hulford 1990-2012 who sadly died in the summer (more information click here and here).  The theme of the event was "Live Life in Full Colour" and as a way of raising funds for the two charities she supported.  My two daughters knew her through the same school and went to the celebration service which was, everyone says, incredibly powerful and moving.  Back to the fun run... it's just a great way of getting people together for a bit of fun and a purpose.

If you can walk, you can do it

In fact running is the intention but equally walking, jogging, crawling, hopping are all fine.  It's not a race.  Naturally there were some wizz kids storming their way around the 5k course.  Amongst these was the cool and accomplished runner Jeremy Weightman who seemed to lap Hannah and myself in no time at all.  In fact I think the run was over for him and one or two others in almost no time at all!!!!

There were quite a few in the "have-a-go" category and these were especially cheered on by the supporters.

It is never too far

Fun runs are normally short distances - this one was divided into 2k and 5k.

A chance to try running for the first time

If you are new to running and maybe fancy having a go at entering a race, a fun run could be a good stepping stone.  It is an opportunity to be at the start line with others, feeling the "tension" and dash off with the others when the starting gun goes.  Because it's not a race, you can't be last.  Besides, nobody will mind if you walk or even stop for a rest!

Supporting others

I ran alongside my youngest daughter Hannah.  She's 12 and was determined to get 'round without stopping and sure enough she did - and very well too!   If you're already a "proper runner" remember you started at some point yourself, so there's the opportunity to encourage someone else by going alongside.  Even if you're not taking part yourself, there will be the need for a small army of supporters to do things: marshals  first aid, motivators, a band or two perhaps, drink stations, registration desks and so on.

You can be in fancy dress

Yes you too can run around in a red skin tight head-to-toe outfit if you want, or any other crazy costumes.

Above all, remember what it's really about

Fun runs are often charitable events, best remember that.  Raise money for a good cause; don't take the running too seriously!

My daughters - running well and having fun!

Upgrading brake cables

Becky learning about handlebar moustaches

The main bug-bear with Becky's bike, her Birthday Bike Project in the form of a vintage Argos 531c bike, is the brakes being too stiff and awkward.  Our first step was to replace the levers with some well designed Sram levers which are of considerable ergonomic advantage for petite hands.  These new levers were certainly and improvement on the original Shimano 600 levers but still the brakes weren't easy for Becky to handle.

We talked this over in the LBS who suggested some better cables and this made sense.  We got some KBLE inner cables (they're French) and some new outers which are lined.  The cables are actually stainless steel and feel considerably smoother than the normal cables.  The plastic lined outer cable made the new KBLEs very smooth, especially with a little dribble of Dry Lube. Click here for this cable on Wiggle.

Carrying out this little upgrade was pretty straight forward and you might remember from previous posts that Becky is expected to learn about bikes as we gradually upgrade the bike.  Our first step was unravelling the handlebar tape in order to access the old cables.  It was at this point Becky acquired her new (handlebar?) moustache and at that point I realised we weren't going to have a serious bike lesson - but who cares?  Cycling needs to be full of enjoyment for a 14 year old girl who is gaining confidence in her own abilities on the bike; why get her bogged down in the technicalities and end up putting her off cycling?

This upgrade cost less than £10 and has made a real difference to the ease and smoothness of the brakes.  The previous cables , although new, were cheap, rough and unlined which then contributed to the brakes being hard to pull.  I think getting the length of the outer cable is important so the curves in the outer as it bends itself from the handlebars need to be a gradual curve, not too tight.

While this upgrade appears to have been an improvement, it's still not perfect as the springs in the callipers (Shimano 600) are very strong but I think this is about as good as it gets.  I'd really recommend this as a fairly cheap way of upgrading your brakes.  In any event, the older and drier a cable is, the higher the chance that the nipple will eventually break away so an upgrade like this is almost routine serving.

Peeling off the handlebar tape

threading the new cables through the levers