Another 4 miles or football?

Tonight is due to be a slow 8 mile run however Chelsea kick off against Juventus at 19:45 and I don't usually get out running until 19:15. I'm getting stronger and fitter on my runs but 8 miles in 30 minutes means averaging 3 minutes 45 second miles, I ain't that good. We put the kids up to bed at about 19:00 but for once Claudia decides to scream her head off. Finally I get out at about 19:25 and I decide to alter the schedule. Tonight becomes a fast 4 miler, I have put the football on to Sky Plus and will start it when I get home, fast forward through half time to catch up and Bob's your uncle, Fanny's your dad's sister I'm back on track. I've left my Garmin at work so I set straight off just with my old stopwatch and my music. I find that I am good at judging my pace now and aim for about 8m 30s miles. It's my standard route and it's fairly empty tonight though I do see several other runners which is unusual. Shoppers are still pouring into the Westfield Centre as I run passed and coming down Uxbridge Road I have a couple of arguments with buses which I graciously concede. I reach my local and now key sponsor The Princess Victoria. The pub looks very inviting, it would be practically irresistable if they showed football! I withstand temptation and run straight passed the pub. I am keeping up a good pace and am spurred on as I know Chelsea have kicked off. I reach the front door and stop the watch. 4 miles in 32 minutes and 12 seconds, that's just over 8 minutes a mile. At the time of writing I've had my omelette, had a load of water and currently it's 1 nil to Chelsea after 78 minutes - I love it when a plan comes together.

15 Miles, pain, ice and pain

So I can do the run at a decent time my lovely wife Sharon decided to sacrifice going to mass at 9.15 to stay at home with the junior clan members and start cooking a Sunday roast. So after a quick breakfast of toast and jam I pull on my running shoes, position the mp3 player, put on the Garmin (which I turned on and left in the bay window so it had picked up the satellites) and leave the house at about 8:10am. There was still quite a bit of pain and swelling in the left foot but I think this more post-gout attack recovery pains than actual gout. In my head I have agreed that if it is really hurting after the forst 2 miles I'll head for home. Two miles in there is some discomfort but not enough to stop me, I just hope I'm not being stupid. The aim is a 15 mile run which will put me back on track after missing 2 long runs though I did manage good cycles each time. My confidence isn't high because of the ever-present discomfort even when not running, so much so that I have wrapped a £20 note and a 50p coing in clingfilm and put it in my shorts pocket - £20 for taxi home should I collapse in a writhing sweaty heap with a snapped toe and 50p so I can call Sharon, ambulance, samaritans or any other service I may need. I head for the river planning to just extend my normal route. By Hammersmith Bridge I think I've generated enough endorphins to block out any pain and hit the tow path on the south side with renewed confidence. I reach the brewery at Mortlake and Richmond Bridge as the Garmin shows 5 miles completed this leaves a further 2.5 miles before I turn for home. Soon I reach the driveway up to Kew Gardens car park. Around here the tow-path becomes very uneven and stoney which does cause a flare up of pain in my left foot. Nearing the end of the Gardens I hit 7.5 miles and turn around. On the way back I run through the car park and the driveway to save my feet. Reaching the White Horse near Barnes Bridge is a big milestone, this means I just have 5 miles left, 10 miles gone. The run had been fairly quiet, I've probably seen 20 other runners. Coming back with the time just around 10am is very different and the worst thing is I seem to be running against the traffic. I come up against several large groups of runners coming in the opposite direction and for some reason there is a pack mentality, running in numbers they seem to dispense with any courtesies to other runners and expect people to move out of the way - runners, dog walkers, ramblers alike. This does mean my shoulders are slightly sore by the time I hit Hammersmith Bridge as after giving way a couple of times I get fed up and plough through the next groups with a steely determination not to give any ground. As I drop down from Hammersmith Bridge and started the final leg I could really feel some pain in my foot and as I wasn't planting the foot naturally it was causing some discomfort in the knee however with 2 miles to go I wasn't stopping. Finally after 2 hours 22 minutes of running I stand outside my home taking my trainers off on my doorstep. After being let in my a stressed Sharon and an excited George I go upstairs where I decide to try an ice bath to ease my leg muscles. If any of you ever think about taking one DON'T, THEY CHUFFING HURT TO BUGGERY. I fill the bath with freezing cold water so that it can cover me legs and I take the plunge. There is an immediate sensation of complete pain, a freezing cold burning sensation. George finds this hilarious and decides a toy boat in the water will help me - it doesn't. George then decides he will further help by washing daddy's back with a sponge - it doesn't. I love my son dearly and this episode proved to me there is such thing as unconditional love, just.



FCB - 3 DP - 4 H - 6 (wa-hay they like me)

Sponsorship update

As per my last post I am not running again until Sunday where I'm scheduled to do 15 miles. So Friday morning I could get up without the trepidation of knowing there was an early morning run waiting to hurt me. I worked from home Friday and come the end of the day I strolled down't to pub at the end of the road with Sharon and the 2 cherubs. As I have mentioned before my local, the Princess Victoria have kindly agreed to sponsor me and advertise my cause on their website/blog. Until Friday the latter had been done but I had seen no sign of cold hard cash. This has all changed. Matt, the co-owner and award winning sommelier and award winning Australian (follow the link) approached me and in his aussie twang asked "So this run, how many clicks is it?". Luckily living in "Da Bush" I speak to our antipodean cousins regularly and I have also read an Andy McNab book so I knew a "klick" was a Kilometre. Unfortunately I was very honest and replied "42k Matt". Matt disappeared off and hit buttons on his calculator and came but offering £3.50 per klick then rounded this up. So I am delighted to announce that the Princess Victoria will be donating £150 to Baby Lifeline.

Many thanks guys.

Tour de Bush

It's Tuesday evening the foot feels practically normal but for once I am being sensible and waiting until it is completely recovered. I think I learnt my lesson last year about over-training and running on an injury. My focus is to get back on track with a long run on Sunday, it should be a 15 miler. So tonight it's time to get back into the saddle and pedal, pedal, pedal. I am set up with my water bottle, various remote controls and blackberry in case I have a cycling accident and need to ring Sharon to come and carry me down from the shed.
I am actually now getting over the boredom of the exercise bike and I think I am now getting into Zen Cycling. The first 30 minutes flies passed so I increase the intensity and the gearing for the second 30. With 10 minutes to go I am really pushing myself and the legs are getting heavy. This is what I need in the absence of running. When I step off the bike I look like I have climbed out of a swimming pool and I am slightly wobbly on my legs. I stagger down the garden path swathed in a cloud of steam and pull down the handle of the patio doors. As I open the door there is a scream - Sharon had forgotten all about me and was engrossed in a TV programme - it's nice to feel wanted!

Back in the saddle

So as I wrote (or did I blog? is there a difference? wow, I'm becoming an existential philosopher, or is it a twat?) yesterday there was no chance of a Monday night run to test the foot. I had an important appointment with Father John to talk Baptism and stuff. Sharon and myself attended the last baptism class and the good news is Claudia is booked in for her Exorcism on Saturday 25th July. We got back home about 9:30pm and true to my word I changed into training gear and headed up to the shed. I decided on a hard and fast 45 minutes cycling rather than a normal hour session so off I rode while watching Nicholas Cage and Christian Slater take on and defeat most of the Japanese army in World War II. It's amazing how screen violence, guns, explosions, tanks and death make a training session fly by. After 45 minutes I had covered nearly 30 kilometres and was sweating like a fat boy in a cake shop. It was then back to the house, cool down, shower and to bed. Great news is Claudia slept all the way to 4:30am.

Stop Press: True to their word The Princess Victoria pub have added an article about my fund-raising to their blog site. Many thanks Matt, James, Shaun et al. Now I just need to negotiate a sponsorship amount from them or at least a discount on the Guinness. I must also apologise to them for the hit their sales figures must have taken since I've started training particularly on the pork scratchings. I will be making up for this post-April.

Road to Recovery

It's now Monday and I think the foot is probably good enough to run on again. Sunday was unfortunately another missed long run, instead I had to settle for one and a half hours on the exercise bike. So it was up at 7am with the kids and down for breakfast. Sharon was taking them to early mass so needed to be out the door by 9am or feel the wrath of the big man upstairs. When Sharon and the little people left I headed to the shed/gym/office. Soon I was in the saddle watching a combination of Something for the Weekend and Sky Sports New occasionally broken up by Absolute radio. Once again the bike ride was extremely boring, the most excitement coming from listening to the 2 squirrels having a fight on the roof then one jumping off only to be chased by our cat Lula. I went through the normal stages of saddle soreness - slight ache, tingling, creeping numbness, conversion into a hermaphrodite. Although boring the exercise is good, I cover around 50 kilometres and exercise muscles that running doesn't so much. I can't believe rather than sitting and cycling in a fairly comfortable shed with water bottle, TV, radio etc I really miss not being outside running by the river or Hyde Park for 12 gruelling miles.
Good news is I now feel ready to run again, bad news is that tonight is Baptism Class!!!!!! We're hoping to get Claudia christianed this summer, Sharon so she will be brought up in a faith, myself so we can have a big party and get drunk, Claudia get lots of pressies and it'll double as a birthday party for her. I am starting to question my own values! So between 8 and 9pm tonight I will be sitting in the Presbytery with a group of parents and Father John (arse, feck women, drink) talking about why we want our children baptised and what it means. I think we may stick with Sharon's reasons for this session. My plan is to do an hour on the bike after the class and start running again Tuesday night. Wish me luck.

Injury Update

This gout attack is taking slightly longer to go than previous attacks which is chuffing frustrating. It's now Thursday and I am still having to work from home. Lucky Git some people may say but I don't think so. On the plus side I am getting a shed load of work done, on the flip-side I am going stir crazy and it does help meeting face to face when discussing certain issues. The foot is a lot better just slightly swollen and too sore to walk in a shoe. I am hoping by Sunday I will be ok for the long run. For the last couple of nights I have been doing 30 minutes on the exercise bike and some upper body weights so I am still ticking over.

I'd also like to say thank you to all the people that have mailed, commented or donated and provided me words of encouragement to get through this injury - it is greatly appreciated.

Worse than child birth!!!!!

When I ran on Friday there was a slight pain in my left foot when I started which I optimistically put down to the crappy old mans shoes I am currently wearing to work hurting my toes. Unfortunately by Saturday evening I knew and accepted what the pain was. It was a reoccurrence of the dreaded GOUT! I first had gout when I was 19 years old. Over the years I have had occasional attacks but for the last few years it has been good, three maybe four attacks a year usually after a prolonged session of no exercise and too much alcohol. That is what made this attack so annoying. For the last 2 months I have been a paragon of virtue, no school night drinking, healthy eating and lots of exercise. Admittedly I have a drink at weekends but very little now especially as my long run is on a Sunday morning - usually! So Saturday night I went to bed dosed up on deep freeze gel and diclofenic hoping for a miracle. Sunday morning comes and as soon as I get out of bed I know I'm not running. There is an acute pain in my left foot specifically around the joint of the second toe. Sharon takes the kids off to Mass (is gout a god's punishment for not believing?) and I decide to try the exercise bike. After 2 minutes I stop, it hurts too much so I glumly return to the house and resign myself to preparing dinner and not running. By Sunday evening the pain is excruciating, definitely worse than child birth and lasts longer (Sharon doesn't read this blog often so I'm quite brave). I get about 2 hours sleep on Sunday and when I wake up my left foot looks like it's been inflated like a balloon.
Until this point training has been going great but in the last 4 days I have managed to melt my trainers and get struck down by gout. I am sure this is just a blip, hopefully by mid-week I'll be able to get back to training and get in some long runs.

Slush puppy

It's the usual early morning run which is oh such a joy. At about 5am I fetch Claudia from the nursery for a feed and take a look at the weather. It looks like there's been some snow but then some rain, the paths are covered in dirty grey slush. A couple of hours later once everyone is up and the kids are eating/wearing/painting with their breakfasts I set off. The rain and snow has now stopped, it is just very wet and cold. I soon discover that running in slush is worse than snow, ice or rain. Slush soaks your feet, flicks up the backs of your legs and hides dog poo. It's 5 miles this morning along the same route as Wednesday. Once I cover the first half mile and reach Wood Lane the slush has been mainly washed away by the early morning commuters and the running is easy. It's a bit busy running down Uxbridge Road with commuters and shops opening up. Halfway down I need to do a bit of sprint training - whilst most cars avoid the big lakes of slush along the kerbs the buses cannot. Twice I hear the bus engines over the noise of my music just in time to hit the accelerating and avoid being engulfed in a tsunami of dirty water and feck knows what. The rest of the run is fairly incident free - a few near misses with pedestrians and cars and a little argument with a lamppost I failed to notice. Another 5 miles completed I reach the front door, take off my shoes and socks and head for a shower. Then it's off to work which fortunately only takes me 30 seconds - I'm working from home today, my run is done - I can have a drink tonight. Life is good.



FCB - 5 DP - 3 visible H - 1

Slip sliding away.....

As I walk home from work I notice that the roads are fairly clear but the pavements are a bit hit and miss. The main walkways seem clear though there is lurking black ice but the smaller side roads and pavements still have long stretches of snow and ice. My runs are mainly on larger paths so I decide I will run. It's 5 miles tonight and my route is sorted - an extension of my normal run taking in the lawless lands of Acton which makes me slightly nervous. So at about 19:30 I am out of the door and heading down the road and I mean road as the first path I would have to negotiate has 2 inches of solid ice over it so I take my chance with the slush and the buses. After a couple of minutes I reach the A40, I forgot when I set out that the path along the A40 is little used and definitely not gritted so for the first half mile I run-slide-stumble-run until I reach Wood Lane. It's fairly plain sailing for a while on major paths although there is the occasional need to take to the road for safety. As I pass the Princess Victoria (still no news of sponsorship - boo!) I have to move out into the bus lane as the paths are sheer ice. Suddenly a snow-ball lands about 5 yards to my left, it's a group of kids outside a refugee/battered wives/asylum house looking for victims, fortunate for them I am on a training schedule or a would divert and unleash a 6-pack of whup-ass on them. I sprint across the traffic junction narrowly avoinding an Audi A4 because the twat of a driver was indicating right but went straight on, I'm findig it hard to maintain cool and leave the 6-pack unleashed. I enter Acton and turn up passed the Park health club. This is a testing little uphill stretch, tonight even more testing due to the ice. I find myself running on the spot so move onto the road. With about a mile to go I am back on the A40 and picking the best path through the glacial surroundings. The run is over and that was actually my easiest 5 miler, the training is paying off. Back indoors for shower, food, tidying up and getting ready for this evenings child sick.



FCB - 5 DP - 2 visible H - 2

Dancing on ice....

There's been no further snow today but the snow is wtill think in places and most of the pavements are now ice-runs. I am due to do a 4 mile fartlek session tonight. This concentrates on short bursts of speed then recovery. How the 4 miles is split is up to me, basically pick a landmark and run for it then recovery jog. After putting the kids to bed I look outside and immediately see that running tonight especially a speed session is a recipe for a broken ankle or at the very least a sore bum. I need to get some sort of training in as since the Sunday 10 miler I have had a roast dinner plus too much wine and a Chinese as a reward for all my hard training and dstrict eating. So it's up to the shed for a 35 minute fartlek session on the bike. I have my padded pants, water, phone and TV remote - I'm ready to train. The session is similar to the running but more intense bursts of energy. Over the 35 minute session there's a couple of minutes warm up, then 2 minutes as fast as I can, then 1.30 minutes normal cycling, 30 seconds intense and so on. Basically I make it up as I go along, the longest fast sessions being 3 minutes and the longest recovery 2 minutes. It is surprising how intense this session is. After 35 minutes I am knackered and the shed windows have steamed up. I dismount and step into the garden. It's looking very scenic, lots of undisturbed snow and then a plethora of foot-prints, paw-prints, snowmen, hand-prints and snow sculptures. For some reason George and his little friend only bothered playing in the bottom half of the garden, Back into the house for a shower, steamed salmon and blogging.

Zen and the Art of Running

Sunday come's round again and it's a 10 miler along the river. As always however carefully planned, come Sunday morning and it's a stress. Sharon needs to go to mass, George doesn't want to, I'm running, we have friends Dom, Polly, Maisie and Kate the dog coming to Sunday lunch which I'm cooking. In the end I get up scoff down some muesli and I'm out the door at about 8:20am. 10 miles should be about 1 hour 30 mins and I want to be home by 10am so Sharon can get ready for 11am mass with Claudia while I look after George and start peeling potatoes. I seem to always set off on the long Sunday run stressed and not in the right frame of mind and the first half mile is a struggle not helped by the freezing wind and the light snow. I made a conscious decision before the run to run slower at the prescribed pace and I do. Suddenly I'm running along the river, three and a half miles covered and I am feeling great, running with a smile on my face and no stress of worries. Have I reached enlightenment? I have entered a Zen state of running. I carry on along the Thames until I reach the Stag Brewery at Mortlake which is unfortunately about to close after brewing beer since 1487 when it was part of a monastery and the great Ship pub. This is the halfway mark so time to turn for home. I am still feeling great and know the next five miles will be easy. On the way back there are more runners emerging and the snow is getting more regular. A lot of runners seem to be happy today and there are more nods, smiles and hellos than ever. I reach Hammersmith Bridge and realise that there is only two and a half miles left, this actually dissappoints me as I'm enjoying the run and fancy going on further. However I am a devout family man and know I need to get home for Sharon to confess her and our collective sins and for me to "slam in the lamb". That's not innuendo or metaphor, we're actually having roast lamb. As the Garmin beeps for reaching 10 miles I am about 50 yards from the house and I'm home in plenty of time for Sharon to say hello to the big man upstairs ( although I think I am now buddhist after my Zen experience today). Within 20 mins I am showered and backdownstairs getting the dinner ready. By 1.30pm God has been appeased, the sacrificial lamb slaughtered (by Mr Tesco) and roasted, Dom, Polly and Maisie avec Kate the Dog have arrived and I am regailing my enthralled audience with tales of my adventures by the riverside. Even after a full demonstration of the Garmin I am still unable to make Polly believe it works by picking up satellite signals and Polly would be much more comfortable if I had told her it had fairies inside it.

ps. Happy first 6 months Claudia, love you lots


FCB - 5 DP - 2 H - 9