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.

Christmas holiday run # 11

We had our early morning cup of tea listening to the rain beating against the window and I was toying with the idea of delaying my run until later in the day.  I can tell you fitting a run into our family routines can be a tricky challenge and I sometimes need to steer things in that direction with a delicate, diplomatic approach at times.  I decided no amount of gentle nudging would pay off today and I had little choice but to brave the elements!

When I say "brave the elements" I mean the high winds with rain mixed in.  It has that effect of sand blasting your face so you feel thoroughly woken up.  Also it is on days like this I feel it "serves me right" for still wearing shorts as my legs also had their own sand blasting experience.  It sometimes felt as if I was being stabbed by lots of needles all over my legs and face - and at high speed.  After the needle stabbing experience, it then feels like your face is raw, bright red and tingling all over.  Brilliant!  Once I was up on the top of a near by hill, I can tell you it nearly took my breath away!  Talk about being windy!  What was giving an enhanced windy effect was a funnel effect of the terrain which, if the wind is blowing from a particular direction, it is just something else.  Luckily for most of the exposed, open part of my run, I was running along the edge of an escarpment and the wind was slightly behind me.  It felt that for every step I took, I would be moving forward two steps (at my office it is generally the other way around!).

I kept to the roads today, avoiding the knee-deep mud so the distance worked out to be 6.5 miles in about an hour; my normal time for that route.

Home in time for a quick shower and a leisurely breakfast.  The four of us had our breakfast, chatting as normal.  No one really knew about my sand blasting, needle stabbing experience but that's just for me to savour along with a few more miles logged for the Christmas running challenge.

Where will I run tomorrow?  New Year's Day and with it the last day of my holiday as I return to work on Wednesday 2nd January.  As a contrast the weather forecast is for clear, sunny and cold conditions with less wind.  Could be a good time for my second long run of the holiday.

Christmas holiday run # 10

My neighbours probably think I'm a bit weird.  There always seems to be a curtain that twitches as I sneak out for my morning run, just before daybreak and today was no exception.  Mind you, they ought to be used to it by now.

Wearing shorts in the middle of the winter does, on one hand, seem a little odd.  Who cares?  At least I know I'm not the only one, my blog reader H has mentioned he does it as well.  Like me he doesn't care!

I did four miles in 30 minutes.  On one hand it doesn't seem much of a run.  Not fast enough to get me out of breath and into a sweat, barely long enough to get into a nice rhythm let alone a steady fat burning run.  And yet these ordinary runs are important for all kind of reasons.  One of these and most unexpectedly, was solving a slight constipation issue but I'll spare you the details!  I can, however, add that to the long list of great reasons to run.

Couldn't help but notice with my blog stats, suddenly there has been a surge of people reading my Review of DW Sports in 2011.  Several hundred have seen it over the last few days - good luck everyone - go for it!

It's that time also for reflecting on the last year and some of the highlights and milestones were buzzing through my mind - now there's another post coming soon.

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/

 

Christmas holiday run # 9

Home made running fuel

Only a short run today following a longer run yesterday.  Today's run was a recovery run fuelled by a healthy piece of home made Christmas cake (thank you, Hannah).  Flip.  This cake is not only delicious but it provides so much energy.   Just as well I'm not on a diet, or maybe I will need to diet after much more of this!

So, today's run was just a brief run around the block.  Just five minutes but an important five minutes.  Keeping myself supple, burning up 50 calories (a slice of Christmas cake is probably twenty times that!).  These short runs are important after the long runs, all part of the resting and recovery process.  Besides, it was lashing down with rain for most of the day and I always think if it's raining and I'm heading out for a run, I might as well make it a good long run, to justify getting wet.

Not that I have been bone idle today.  Hannah persuaded me to go to the XC place at Hemel Hempstead for a spot of high rope clambering around.  First step was terrifying, then the second was okay and by the time I got round three times it was fun.  Hannah on the other hand was like a little monkey.  Blog post to follow soon on that but here's a picture just to give you a flavour.

We were so high up!

Christmas holiday run # 8

These feet have been running for a little over ten miles in about 1 hour 20 minutes, but at home.......

"Just stop right there" demanded Rachel "and while your at it, get those socks off"

It's not often socks leave a muddy trail across the floor but today was one of those times.

"You stink" was expressed in such a loving way "So the sooner you get up those stairs and into and into the shower the better"

In our house I know when I'm beaten, especially after a run.  People just stand and stare while holding their noses and point up towards the bathroom.

I took my shower, washed off all the mud from my legs and feet.  I reflected on such a great run; I had been looking forward to it so much.  In my book this counted as a long run as it was about 10 miles and included two very noticeable climbs, plus a few undulations, mostly roads (some flooded, still), muddy tracks, slimy slippery leaves and a good blast at the end.  Everything was right.

Well, nearly everything was right.  This run was during the afternoon which wasn't bad as at least I could see where I was going.  The downside was that I was not running on an empty stomach.  This made me feel a tad uncomfortable for the first half hour.

I saw a couple of other runners which cheered me and I remember saying "hi" but I was lucky to get a grunt back today.  Both were rather red faced, over dressed I thought and toughing it out from the look of them.  Why people wear those baggy thick jogging bottoms for running in I'll never understand.  This might be December but it's very mild at 10C and shorts should be the norm.  Besides, much less for the washing machine on getting back home.

So, how was I feeling?

Quick answer - not bad.

More detail - flippin' great.  My legs are, to be honest, a little tired from this run but I have now been running for eight consecutive days.  I know I'll be fine for another (shorter) run tomorrow.  It goes without saying I am enjoying nice dose of "runner's high" which is very welcome.

The runner's high is so welcome as I had such a depressing experience earlier in the day.  You see, I drove over to Welwyn Garden City to collect a friend of Hannah as they were spending time together today.  The start of the route was the same as my drive to work.  At the junction where I would normally turn right to WGC I carried straight on, as if I was driving to work.  After a couple of miles I realised my mistake and turned off to get back down onto the right road, which was straight forward enough.  I was so cross with myself as I'd been doing so well in keeping thoughts of work well out of my mind.

So all in all, a pretty good run.  I had high expectations and was not disappointed.  I love the challenge of doing something like this as well as enjoying the benefits.  My running is a little smoother and I seem to need less time to loosen up so something is going okay.

Please let me know....

....if you're doing any kind of Christmas running challenge, or any other kind of new challenge over the Christmas period.  I'd be really interested to hear.  

Just leave a comment below.

Related:

The joy of a long run

Christmas holiday run # 7

Back home last night and this morning I could run over my more familiar routes.  No pressure for anyone to get up very early (my parents are staying with us) so I had a brisk 4 mile run in 30 minutes, including one lung-busting hill.

A great run but naturally not long enough.  I knew this wasn't 'the' day for the long run but this will hopefully happen over the holiday period.

I took my ipod shuffle with the replacement headphones / earplugs (utterly useless but another post some other time).  Amongst the tracks I listened to was Gabriel's Oboe which was just amazing.  If you know this piece, you'll probably be saying it is not a brilliant piece of running music.  You would be right, in the normal sense.  And yet the sheer beauty of that music somehow rises above the horrible inhuman things that are going on in the world right now.  If only.  If only those war-mongers could be brought together and forced to immerse themselves in a beautiful piece of music, played with such deep emotion, and asked how they could then continue in their bloodshed.

As far as the run was concerned, I ran quite quickly, feeling loose from the start.  That was brilliant and I'm starting to feel the benefit of these short regular runs as a way of keeping me a little more supple than normal.  The last 200 yards were at top speed leading to me bursting in through the front door all sweaty and panting.  Brilliant.  Blow the cool-down, just for today.

Christmas holiday run # 6

Boxing day

Success!  Had a decent run, still out at Rachel's Mum's place.  She lives in a village so it's easy and quick to get out into the countryside and that's just what I did at daybreak.  The highlights were:

• Just over one hours running!  Nobody upset or miffed at me sneaking out.
• Wearing shorts in December is cool in more ways than one!
• Hardly anyone out - just a few motorists on the main road (possibly heading off to the sales????).  Once I was on the minor roads I saw no one at all - no cars, cyclists, walkers, lost drinkers sleeping rough or even runners.
• Perfect weather - cloudy but mild; about 4C
• Felt good.  Legs, joints not really complaining past the first few minutes.  No risk of over-doing it with the previous short runs!

Later on in the morning we spotted quite a lot of runners, presumably local folk, out in their new yellow jackets, black tights and bobble hats.  Some were running okay others were panting while others stopped for a rest (looking somewhat flushed, I thought).  Well done everyone, I thought to myself.  Between us we have thousands of extra calories to burn off.  

Great to see some 'new' runners outside.  Some look awkward, heavy and self conscious.  That's fine, I remember being like that myself - who cares?  The important thing is to get into the regular habit and before they'll know it, they'll be real runners!

Christmas holiday run # 5

Christmas day!

Success!  Becky and Hannah et al opened their Christmas present stockings pretty early leaving me the opportunity to sneak out for a 20 minute run at day break.  Once again, this was one of those "politic" runs.  Served to keep me loosened up and on track.