Distance Run: None
Total Distance Run for January: 56.15 miles
Other Exercise: Wii Fit Plus - 33 minutes
I have done my last day of exercise (for Janathon, not ever). I have logged my last day of exercise (ditto). I am now blogging my last entry (see previous brackets). I could do with catching some sleep, but I shall get this entry over with and dream a little more easily.
With no bowling, I had to decide what exercise option to finish the month/challenge with. I ruled out a run on the basis that I ran yesterday, it was very chilly, and I couldn't be bothered. The path of least resistance was Wii Fit again, and I got through 30 minutes of the "relaxing but useful" step aerobics whilst watching tv and taking a phone call - multitasking at its finest. I doubt step aerobics is a key component of marathon training, but I figure it provides a useful low-intensity, low-impact session that keeps the body ticking over. With football tomorrow and my left foot slowly recovering, I'd rather not risk any damage.
As the month ended too, I had a crack at the parallel stretch. My record is 122 seconds, and with my jacknifes throughout January going well I figured I'd get close to that. Instead, I was on 58 when the game told me I'd lost balance - ouch. I was juddering with discomfort barely 10 seconds in though, so I'll put it down to not having recovered from Sunday's workout yet. Some more work needed on the core strength though.
I finish the month around 10st 11lb. Some weight had been lost over the weekend, but a diet of Wetherspoons steak lunch and office cake must've undone that. I am now targeting a pasta or rice-based meal every day, with fat intake reducing as the marathon nears. The occasional pizza or dessert will be fine once in a while, but it must be in moderation. I feel fitter than I did at the start of the year, and intend to progress further in February.
Injuries: Left foot improving, a few aches but otherwise good
Mood: Post-Janathon satisfaction
February also brings with it an end of self assessment tax returns (which have dominated my working day for the month), so I have two reasons to be cheerful. Any elation is tempered because I could do with a weekend breather already, and the fact it's now only Wednesday morning is a tad demoralising. Friday night will come soon enough, and football will help the time pass by.
I wonder when I'll next return to blog...
Tuesday 31 January 2012
Monday 30 January 2012
Day 30
Distance Run: 3.5 miles
Total Distance Run for January: 56.15 miles
Other Exercise: None
The end is so close I can almost taste it. January has disappeared in the blink of an eye. Aside from a few runs (two with Helen H, two without) and a trip to Fulham, I don't think I've done anything noteworthy on any weekend - usually I'm visiting friends all over the country and craving some rest at home after. It's been a good month though, and a solid start to the year. All that remains is to file the last few (probably complicated beyond belief) tax returns, whilst keeping tabs on football's transfer deadline day (which may well be duller than the tax returns), whilst fitting in one final spell of exercise. I've heard nothing about whether I'm tenpin bowling tomorrow night, which is irritating - it'd be nice to know that I definitely wasn't - but unsurprising. I'm tempted to push my Janathon mileage through the 60 barrier, and a 10k would go through the "2 miles per day" barrier too, but I'll see how I feel tomorrow night.
For now - I'm more cheerful than I was yesterday. My foot pain ruled me out of football once again (so I've cried off for an embarrassing 3 weeks out of 4 for various reasons), but by the end of the working day I was able to walk "normally" with only some discomfort. The pain remains lodged from the left side of my heel along the left side of my foot, and Google research hasn't confirmed a likely diagnosis. Fairly sure it's not a stress fracture though. Either way, I could run "forefoot only" ok on-the-spot, so I gave a breezy 3.5 mile run a try - knowing I could turn back home soon if it proved too much. It didn't. The only bother I had was the freezing conditions, and even they were ok once my body had warmed up nicely. I knew my pace was medium-fast, and by the end this had improved to fast-medium, clocking home a fraction over 29 minutes. I've definitely lost my fast pace for the time being, but this gave me hope that, with a few concerted runs, it'd come back. I reckon a good 5k time for me would be sub-20 mins, and my current pb is nearer 23 mins. A target to work on once the marathon is done with, methinks. Happily, my right shin was a little sore but now feels better, and my left foot isn't getting worse - a positive day complete.
Injuries: Left foot improving, right shin could be better
Mood: Upbeat
One more day. Just one more day. Just 20 more minutes and a blog entry to go. Sweet.
Total Distance Run for January: 56.15 miles
Other Exercise: None
The end is so close I can almost taste it. January has disappeared in the blink of an eye. Aside from a few runs (two with Helen H, two without) and a trip to Fulham, I don't think I've done anything noteworthy on any weekend - usually I'm visiting friends all over the country and craving some rest at home after. It's been a good month though, and a solid start to the year. All that remains is to file the last few (probably complicated beyond belief) tax returns, whilst keeping tabs on football's transfer deadline day (which may well be duller than the tax returns), whilst fitting in one final spell of exercise. I've heard nothing about whether I'm tenpin bowling tomorrow night, which is irritating - it'd be nice to know that I definitely wasn't - but unsurprising. I'm tempted to push my Janathon mileage through the 60 barrier, and a 10k would go through the "2 miles per day" barrier too, but I'll see how I feel tomorrow night.
For now - I'm more cheerful than I was yesterday. My foot pain ruled me out of football once again (so I've cried off for an embarrassing 3 weeks out of 4 for various reasons), but by the end of the working day I was able to walk "normally" with only some discomfort. The pain remains lodged from the left side of my heel along the left side of my foot, and Google research hasn't confirmed a likely diagnosis. Fairly sure it's not a stress fracture though. Either way, I could run "forefoot only" ok on-the-spot, so I gave a breezy 3.5 mile run a try - knowing I could turn back home soon if it proved too much. It didn't. The only bother I had was the freezing conditions, and even they were ok once my body had warmed up nicely. I knew my pace was medium-fast, and by the end this had improved to fast-medium, clocking home a fraction over 29 minutes. I've definitely lost my fast pace for the time being, but this gave me hope that, with a few concerted runs, it'd come back. I reckon a good 5k time for me would be sub-20 mins, and my current pb is nearer 23 mins. A target to work on once the marathon is done with, methinks. Happily, my right shin was a little sore but now feels better, and my left foot isn't getting worse - a positive day complete.
Injuries: Left foot improving, right shin could be better
Mood: Upbeat
One more day. Just one more day. Just 20 more minutes and a blog entry to go. Sweet.
Sunday 29 January 2012
Day 29
Distance Run: None
Total Distance Run for January: 52.65 miles
Other Exercise: Wii Fit Plus - 20 minutes
The down side to having a Sunday to recover is that, whilst wounded, I don't want to do the majority of the things I really need to get doing when moments of spare time come around.
This blog entry is a little more "heroic" than usual, as the Janathon challenge was almost brought to an end with the finishing line firmly in sight. Today's exercise option was limited to Wii Fit. I couldn't run for 20 minutes even if I wanted to, and my foot injury meant the exercise bike would be pretty stupid to attempt as well. Luckily there are several muscle and yoga exercise on Wii Fit which needn't put any strain on my foot - starting with 100 jacknifes! A challenge I hadn't completed since approximately August, and that I'd sensibly built myself up for throughout the month. Before I could tackle that, however, I had a more serious issue: I coudn't get Wii Fit to load up...
I've had my Wii since Dec 07 - it was a Christmas present that I hadn't really asked for, but was happy to accept (I think my brother had something to do with it as he fancied having one in the house, but not necessarily under his "ownership"). All my other gaming consoles still work fine, or nearly fine, and I know technology these days is increasingly advanced and sensitive. It still came as a surprise to see that my Wii worked perfectly fine, except for no cursor appearing on the screen. I knew the Wiimote was ok as the buttons worked, but I needed the small, movable hand icon to show up in order to select my game of choice. What to do?
Google is my first port of call for a technical enquiry. I wouldn't be that bothered if it weren't for Janathon - I had other stuff to do - so my frustration was doubled to find the likely problem was a broken Wii Sensor Bar. Wtf? It had worked just fine on Friday, and now it doesn't? There was a trick for seeing if it was still functioning - the bar should have 5 LED lights on either side, visible through a camera. Of course, some cameras will filter the LEDs out, and I don't know if my HTC Desire HD did or not - either way I saw no lights. Hopes were dashed, until a YouTube video proposed an alternative, makeshift Sensor Bar could be created using the power of darkness...and two lit candles?!
I can't explain the science behind it, but two candles placed at the right distance apart could be used by the Wiimotes to correlate position, and produce a cursor on the screen. The video demonstrated this, but could I replicate it (I wasn't even sure if the sensor bar was the problem, although it seemed plausible). Owning no candles I asked my mum, and avoiding a fairly lengthy inquisition (one of the annoying character traits of my mum is to respond to any question by trying to work out why you're asking it in the first place, if you get what I mean), she deduced it wasn't due to an "upstairs only power cut) and found two tall candles. Some further searching found two smaller, but still big candles in large wax stands. I was only after two of the tiny, "float on water" type candles, but would give these a go. Moving the tv and furniture to reduce the likelihood of setting my room (and the house) on fire, I placed the candles on top of the tv, then on the cabinet infront of the tv, and on the floor. Nothing. No cursor. The left candle was burning fairly faintly in comparison to its partner, and whilst I wondered why this was I felt the Wiimote judder slightly. It took a few seconds, but I realised that judder could only have been caused by the makeshift sensor working - so I began frantically dowsing for signs of electronic life. Persistence paid off, as a cursor flicked on the screen briefly, before disappearing again. Realising I only needed the cursor to load the game, and that the Wiimote buttons and Wii Balance Board would suffice for the rest, I repositioned the candles to the right of the TV and managed to gain access. This was enough exercise for one day, but now the real workout began.
Fifteen minutes after the above, I lay strewn on the floor, exhausted. 100 jacknifes were done, and they weren't much fun. I followed it up with 10 more painful press-ups and sidestands, and some yoga exercises for my back muscles (which have been neglected of late). 20 minutes complete, and I completed the body test ok as well, despite the foot pains. Another day of Janathon complete, and a sense of achievement at overcoming adversity was my reward.
Injuries: Hoping the left foot improves overnight, rather than hinder sleep again
Mood: Sunday night blues
I almost forgot that Djokovic won the tennis with a terrific effort (especially in the final set, where he looked battered), Andy Thomson won the bowls (a sport I'd love to play regularly, but that can wait until I can't physically play other sports to a reasonable degree), and Liverpool's win against Man Utd yesterday (woohoo) has earned us a home draw against Brighton in Rd5. Liverpool are 5 wins away from a cup double now - that would be a fantastic season. Meanwhile, I hope to be fit for football tomorrow, but I have a feeling I won't be. Two more Janathon days to go...
Total Distance Run for January: 52.65 miles
Other Exercise: Wii Fit Plus - 20 minutes
The down side to having a Sunday to recover is that, whilst wounded, I don't want to do the majority of the things I really need to get doing when moments of spare time come around.
This blog entry is a little more "heroic" than usual, as the Janathon challenge was almost brought to an end with the finishing line firmly in sight. Today's exercise option was limited to Wii Fit. I couldn't run for 20 minutes even if I wanted to, and my foot injury meant the exercise bike would be pretty stupid to attempt as well. Luckily there are several muscle and yoga exercise on Wii Fit which needn't put any strain on my foot - starting with 100 jacknifes! A challenge I hadn't completed since approximately August, and that I'd sensibly built myself up for throughout the month. Before I could tackle that, however, I had a more serious issue: I coudn't get Wii Fit to load up...
I've had my Wii since Dec 07 - it was a Christmas present that I hadn't really asked for, but was happy to accept (I think my brother had something to do with it as he fancied having one in the house, but not necessarily under his "ownership"). All my other gaming consoles still work fine, or nearly fine, and I know technology these days is increasingly advanced and sensitive. It still came as a surprise to see that my Wii worked perfectly fine, except for no cursor appearing on the screen. I knew the Wiimote was ok as the buttons worked, but I needed the small, movable hand icon to show up in order to select my game of choice. What to do?
Google is my first port of call for a technical enquiry. I wouldn't be that bothered if it weren't for Janathon - I had other stuff to do - so my frustration was doubled to find the likely problem was a broken Wii Sensor Bar. Wtf? It had worked just fine on Friday, and now it doesn't? There was a trick for seeing if it was still functioning - the bar should have 5 LED lights on either side, visible through a camera. Of course, some cameras will filter the LEDs out, and I don't know if my HTC Desire HD did or not - either way I saw no lights. Hopes were dashed, until a YouTube video proposed an alternative, makeshift Sensor Bar could be created using the power of darkness...and two lit candles?!
I can't explain the science behind it, but two candles placed at the right distance apart could be used by the Wiimotes to correlate position, and produce a cursor on the screen. The video demonstrated this, but could I replicate it (I wasn't even sure if the sensor bar was the problem, although it seemed plausible). Owning no candles I asked my mum, and avoiding a fairly lengthy inquisition (one of the annoying character traits of my mum is to respond to any question by trying to work out why you're asking it in the first place, if you get what I mean), she deduced it wasn't due to an "upstairs only power cut) and found two tall candles. Some further searching found two smaller, but still big candles in large wax stands. I was only after two of the tiny, "float on water" type candles, but would give these a go. Moving the tv and furniture to reduce the likelihood of setting my room (and the house) on fire, I placed the candles on top of the tv, then on the cabinet infront of the tv, and on the floor. Nothing. No cursor. The left candle was burning fairly faintly in comparison to its partner, and whilst I wondered why this was I felt the Wiimote judder slightly. It took a few seconds, but I realised that judder could only have been caused by the makeshift sensor working - so I began frantically dowsing for signs of electronic life. Persistence paid off, as a cursor flicked on the screen briefly, before disappearing again. Realising I only needed the cursor to load the game, and that the Wiimote buttons and Wii Balance Board would suffice for the rest, I repositioned the candles to the right of the TV and managed to gain access. This was enough exercise for one day, but now the real workout began.
Fifteen minutes after the above, I lay strewn on the floor, exhausted. 100 jacknifes were done, and they weren't much fun. I followed it up with 10 more painful press-ups and sidestands, and some yoga exercises for my back muscles (which have been neglected of late). 20 minutes complete, and I completed the body test ok as well, despite the foot pains. Another day of Janathon complete, and a sense of achievement at overcoming adversity was my reward.
Injuries: Hoping the left foot improves overnight, rather than hinder sleep again
Mood: Sunday night blues
I almost forgot that Djokovic won the tennis with a terrific effort (especially in the final set, where he looked battered), Andy Thomson won the bowls (a sport I'd love to play regularly, but that can wait until I can't physically play other sports to a reasonable degree), and Liverpool's win against Man Utd yesterday (woohoo) has earned us a home draw against Brighton in Rd5. Liverpool are 5 wins away from a cup double now - that would be a fantastic season. Meanwhile, I hope to be fit for football tomorrow, but I have a feeling I won't be. Two more Janathon days to go...
Day 28
Distance Run: 10.1 miles
Total Distance Run for January: 52.65 miles
Other Exercise: None
I have not done enough running in January. Not in terms of Janathon, but for the marathon in 12 weeks time. One run per week will not cut it, and I will have to sacrifice football or fit in some 3-5 mile runs midweek before Wednesday games, and play rarely on Mondays, until the 26.2 is over with. I just can't do it all, as much as I'd wish to.
What prompted the above was discussion with Helen H and the consequences of our run yesterday. I extended our route from a fortnight ago, meaning Helen could stop at 7.8 miles and I could run through to 10.1 (note: Helen got off the bus before I reached the bus stop, but as I reached the bus before it had driven off I have awarded myself a technical draw in the "beat the bus" stakes). The run was pain-free and enjoyable, but I made two silly mistakes. Firstly, I strapped my sleeves up above my elbows before we'd begun - usually I do this once I've warmed up and my arms have begun to sweat. Not a massive problem, but it was cold with a chilly breeze throughout, and I only realised just how ice-cold my forearms were when I got into a hot shower half an hour after we'd finished. It may save on faffing about with velcro whilst moving, but I won't make that mistake again.
The second error was finishing up a hill again. This time the consequences have outdone my run from three weeks ago. Something in my left foot began to ache as we walked back to home from the station, and despite some forciful stretching it got worse after showering - leaving me to limp-hop to the car (to Helen's amusement). It stopped aching whilst we ate, and was better later in the eve, but then (how?!) it hurt so much it woke me up from my slumber whilst it was still dark. This isn't good, and it's a fairly new complaint too. It's as if a muscle has cramped but it can't be stretched out. Ice and the pedi-roller are doing what they can though, and I'll see what state it's in tomorrow. FWIW it's a lump of something that connect the left of my heel to the left side of my forefoot - and pulling my little toe upwards increases the discomfort. Bad times.
Injuries: All ok except for this left foot problem
Mood: Disgruntled
The one good thing about being wounded on a Saturday run is having a full Sunday to recover...
Total Distance Run for January: 52.65 miles
Other Exercise: None
I have not done enough running in January. Not in terms of Janathon, but for the marathon in 12 weeks time. One run per week will not cut it, and I will have to sacrifice football or fit in some 3-5 mile runs midweek before Wednesday games, and play rarely on Mondays, until the 26.2 is over with. I just can't do it all, as much as I'd wish to.
What prompted the above was discussion with Helen H and the consequences of our run yesterday. I extended our route from a fortnight ago, meaning Helen could stop at 7.8 miles and I could run through to 10.1 (note: Helen got off the bus before I reached the bus stop, but as I reached the bus before it had driven off I have awarded myself a technical draw in the "beat the bus" stakes). The run was pain-free and enjoyable, but I made two silly mistakes. Firstly, I strapped my sleeves up above my elbows before we'd begun - usually I do this once I've warmed up and my arms have begun to sweat. Not a massive problem, but it was cold with a chilly breeze throughout, and I only realised just how ice-cold my forearms were when I got into a hot shower half an hour after we'd finished. It may save on faffing about with velcro whilst moving, but I won't make that mistake again.
The second error was finishing up a hill again. This time the consequences have outdone my run from three weeks ago. Something in my left foot began to ache as we walked back to home from the station, and despite some forciful stretching it got worse after showering - leaving me to limp-hop to the car (to Helen's amusement). It stopped aching whilst we ate, and was better later in the eve, but then (how?!) it hurt so much it woke me up from my slumber whilst it was still dark. This isn't good, and it's a fairly new complaint too. It's as if a muscle has cramped but it can't be stretched out. Ice and the pedi-roller are doing what they can though, and I'll see what state it's in tomorrow. FWIW it's a lump of something that connect the left of my heel to the left side of my forefoot - and pulling my little toe upwards increases the discomfort. Bad times.
Injuries: All ok except for this left foot problem
Mood: Disgruntled
The one good thing about being wounded on a Saturday run is having a full Sunday to recover...
Friday 27 January 2012
Day 27
Distance Run: None
Total Distance Run for January: 42.55 miles
Other Exercise: Wii Fit Plus - 20 minutes
Murray eventually lost the tennis, with almost the entire office either watching or listening whilst beavering away on tax returns. For a British tennis fan it's crushing to watch him get so close but fall again, so I can't imagine how he feels. I wasn't paying enough attention to the match to critique where it was ultimately lost, but it felt at times as though Djokovic's level dropped to more human levels, allowing Murray to assert initiative and impose himself on more points than usual. The truth is that when both play at their best, currently, Djokovic is a fairly comfortable victor - but the match showed Murray is capable of pulling off a big win. To claw back from 2-5 to 5-5 and break points for 6-5 is almost as close as you can get (Federer will know how to get closer and still lose), and in those final few minutes of the match it was arguably the "belief" that made the difference. Novak has won in those clutch moments before, and Murray hasn't (in a slam) yet. It'll change one day though, but it may be a while yet until Murray finally has his slam.
With more tax returns filed at work, and the clock ticking ever slower towards hometime, I got my Wii Fit workout done early to precipitate crashing for the evening. Jacknifes up to 60, press-ups and sidestands to 10, body pushed very hard. With my calf muscles feeling ok, it's now my shins - especially my right one - which crave rest. I will ice it tonight, and am confident my running style won't harm them further tomorrow. A 90ish minute run doesn't sound so much when I put it like that, but I will need to start running more than once a week AND fit in adequate rest too as the marathon approaches.
Injuries: Shin muscles to be iced, aches in most places too
Mood: Braindead
Only four days of Janathon to go, and I'm still going. Please let it end soon.
Total Distance Run for January: 42.55 miles
Other Exercise: Wii Fit Plus - 20 minutes
Murray eventually lost the tennis, with almost the entire office either watching or listening whilst beavering away on tax returns. For a British tennis fan it's crushing to watch him get so close but fall again, so I can't imagine how he feels. I wasn't paying enough attention to the match to critique where it was ultimately lost, but it felt at times as though Djokovic's level dropped to more human levels, allowing Murray to assert initiative and impose himself on more points than usual. The truth is that when both play at their best, currently, Djokovic is a fairly comfortable victor - but the match showed Murray is capable of pulling off a big win. To claw back from 2-5 to 5-5 and break points for 6-5 is almost as close as you can get (Federer will know how to get closer and still lose), and in those final few minutes of the match it was arguably the "belief" that made the difference. Novak has won in those clutch moments before, and Murray hasn't (in a slam) yet. It'll change one day though, but it may be a while yet until Murray finally has his slam.
With more tax returns filed at work, and the clock ticking ever slower towards hometime, I got my Wii Fit workout done early to precipitate crashing for the evening. Jacknifes up to 60, press-ups and sidestands to 10, body pushed very hard. With my calf muscles feeling ok, it's now my shins - especially my right one - which crave rest. I will ice it tonight, and am confident my running style won't harm them further tomorrow. A 90ish minute run doesn't sound so much when I put it like that, but I will need to start running more than once a week AND fit in adequate rest too as the marathon approaches.
Injuries: Shin muscles to be iced, aches in most places too
Mood: Braindead
Only four days of Janathon to go, and I'm still going. Please let it end soon.
Day 26
Distance Run: None
Total Distance Run for January: 42.55 miles
Other Exercise: Football (Five-a-side goalkeeping for Haringey Yacht Club - 50 minutes)
As expected, I had no time to blog yesterday - so this is being typed up late on Friday night. The sporting action, as always on a Thursday, took place at Mill Hill. Having got through the working day, it was my turn to drive down for the 7:30 start. Rushing typically late, I managed to screw-up before I'd even driven myself, Gareth and my brother to the match; rolling the Micra exceptionally gently into the car infront at a set of lights. My mind just wasn't on the ball at all, and I don't think I've ever touched another vehicle on the road - but I must stress the minimalistic impact here. At a set of lights which had turned green, but which don't stay green for long, the car infront of me released the brake and accelerated slightly to roll forwards before braking again. I did likewise, except I didn't brake again, and as the vehicle infront didn't stop braking I went into his bumper at a speed less than 1mph. I knew there was no damage to either vehicle as neither appeared to be made of plasterceine, but after a lengthy pause a larger than me black gentleman stepped out of the vehicle to inspect the collision. I wound down my window and apologised, and didn't initially here what he was muttering. After straining my ear I deduced it was along the lines of "What you do in this situation is get out of the car and inspect for any damage". I was quite pissed off for a number of reasons - at myself for not braking of course, but also for the suggestion that the impact had done anything at all. Realising the driver infront hadn't stopped braking, I released my handbrake and reversed slightly at the same time as he asked me to do so. What he expected to see from my Micra no longer touching his car I don't know, but he thankfully got back in his car and drove off....indicating to turn left whilst making his left turn at the lights we'd queued at - I was going straight and would've used the right hand lane if he'd bothered indicating in the queue, just to rub it in. Tbh I felt pretty stupid for absent-mindedly not braking - I think I both expected him to start moving forwards again and thought there was still space between us, but thankfully no extremely spurious insurance claim against me was filed.
Either way, the incident left me feeling jaded, and not in the best frame of mind for a big football game. The lateness, coupled with my sensibly getting some good stretching done before the exertions of the match, meant I didn't have much time to practice ball-drills and sharpen my reflexes for the game. In the end this didn't matter, and I had a near faultless first half. Up against a fellow unbeaten side who would overtake us if they won, we worked hard for a 3-0 lead - everyone chipping in with contributions. I boosted my confidence with some early stops, and positioned myself well for a 1 v 1 as the attacker looked to run around me before shooting, only to realise that I'd covered that option well. One of my throwouts found Chris down the left wing, which took two opponents out of the game - allowing him to run unchallenged before setting up my brother for his much-wanted birthday goal. There was a sense of frustration as my goal was finally breached by a long-range drive across to my right side - which I got a hand to but couldn't keep out - with the half time whistle blowing within two minutes. Gutting for me, but as a team we looked well set in the game. The start of the second half was more even, with both sides creating some chances. The opposition, Bantalona, were keen to strike shots on target at every opportunity, and unfortunately for me they shot hard and accurately on a regular basis. It did enable me to make one of my finest saves since my schooldays though, as one effort from the centre of the pitch was driven on the instep towards my top-left corner - only I couldn't see it due to a crowd of players in the way. I knew the shot had taken place as I saw it leave his foot, and had an idea where it was going from all the information available to me, and through luck and skill threw my body and outstretched left hand at the right place to keep it out. When most of the players within earshot are audibly impressed (using industrial lanaguage, mind) then it's clear I'd done well. This prevented the score being 3-2, and allowed us to push on to a 6-2 lead. What followed after that was not pretty, but not unexpected either. Not long after the ball was smashed at my near post whilst I hopefully anticipated a cross-goal shot, and another soon followed as a player cut in from the right and struck left-footed across me into the net - 6-4. Bantalona galvanised, and we couldn't keep hold of the ball - made worse by the tendency to push forwards for goals and get picked off needlessly on the counter. Another long range strike was well hit from the centre down to my left, during which my shouting had focussed on not letting them shoot like that - the ball dipping low and getting past me for 6-5. Ludicrously, we kicked off and conceded an equaliser within 10 seconds - I hadn't even seen the kick-off but a misunderstanding meant someone lost possession and an opponent nipped in to kick past me when I'd only just regained my feet and stepped left to offer the obvious pass-back option. It was a crushing experience, and left everyone rattled - including Gareth, who was a sub at the time. There was still time in the game though, and it was Gareth who restored the lead with a fine finish, leaving us to hold on for 2 1/2 minutes. Simple? Of course not. It later transpired Gareth thought it was 7-7, so rather than man-mark he stayed in space to try and score on the counter, whilst everyone else dug deep to desperately block and shot or chance they could. With almost the last kick of the game, I was forced to advance to the edge of the area as an unmarked attacker went to retrieve the ball on my right. He managed to cross the ball out to the left to a teammate with me scrambling forlornly back towards the goalline...but rushed into a first-time shot, the opponent connected poorly and sent the ball off-target straight into my grateful body. Full time followed less than 30 seconds later, and an enjoyable game had an enjoyable result - another tough challenge overcome, albeit after making it harder for ourselves than it need've been. My brother had his birthday win (and had to work for it too), and we made it P5 W5 and 5 points clear of 2nd place. 8 more wins from 9 will guarantee another title, and 7 wins will be promotion. It takes our form to W23 D1 L1 as well. Next week we face the only side to beat us in the last 5 1/2 months - can't wait.
Simon withdrew from attending the quiz this week, and I was happy to have a breather anyway. My body needed some rest, and I knew I'd sleep well ahead of Friday. Last week Friday just snuck up on me, but this week I was craving the weekend.
Injuries: Body took a battering all over blocking shots - pain in most places
Mood: Battered
Friday would bring the Andy Murray v Novak Djokovic SF and some more Wii Fit...
Total Distance Run for January: 42.55 miles
Other Exercise: Football (Five-a-side goalkeeping for Haringey Yacht Club - 50 minutes)
As expected, I had no time to blog yesterday - so this is being typed up late on Friday night. The sporting action, as always on a Thursday, took place at Mill Hill. Having got through the working day, it was my turn to drive down for the 7:30 start. Rushing typically late, I managed to screw-up before I'd even driven myself, Gareth and my brother to the match; rolling the Micra exceptionally gently into the car infront at a set of lights. My mind just wasn't on the ball at all, and I don't think I've ever touched another vehicle on the road - but I must stress the minimalistic impact here. At a set of lights which had turned green, but which don't stay green for long, the car infront of me released the brake and accelerated slightly to roll forwards before braking again. I did likewise, except I didn't brake again, and as the vehicle infront didn't stop braking I went into his bumper at a speed less than 1mph. I knew there was no damage to either vehicle as neither appeared to be made of plasterceine, but after a lengthy pause a larger than me black gentleman stepped out of the vehicle to inspect the collision. I wound down my window and apologised, and didn't initially here what he was muttering. After straining my ear I deduced it was along the lines of "What you do in this situation is get out of the car and inspect for any damage". I was quite pissed off for a number of reasons - at myself for not braking of course, but also for the suggestion that the impact had done anything at all. Realising the driver infront hadn't stopped braking, I released my handbrake and reversed slightly at the same time as he asked me to do so. What he expected to see from my Micra no longer touching his car I don't know, but he thankfully got back in his car and drove off....indicating to turn left whilst making his left turn at the lights we'd queued at - I was going straight and would've used the right hand lane if he'd bothered indicating in the queue, just to rub it in. Tbh I felt pretty stupid for absent-mindedly not braking - I think I both expected him to start moving forwards again and thought there was still space between us, but thankfully no extremely spurious insurance claim against me was filed.
Either way, the incident left me feeling jaded, and not in the best frame of mind for a big football game. The lateness, coupled with my sensibly getting some good stretching done before the exertions of the match, meant I didn't have much time to practice ball-drills and sharpen my reflexes for the game. In the end this didn't matter, and I had a near faultless first half. Up against a fellow unbeaten side who would overtake us if they won, we worked hard for a 3-0 lead - everyone chipping in with contributions. I boosted my confidence with some early stops, and positioned myself well for a 1 v 1 as the attacker looked to run around me before shooting, only to realise that I'd covered that option well. One of my throwouts found Chris down the left wing, which took two opponents out of the game - allowing him to run unchallenged before setting up my brother for his much-wanted birthday goal. There was a sense of frustration as my goal was finally breached by a long-range drive across to my right side - which I got a hand to but couldn't keep out - with the half time whistle blowing within two minutes. Gutting for me, but as a team we looked well set in the game. The start of the second half was more even, with both sides creating some chances. The opposition, Bantalona, were keen to strike shots on target at every opportunity, and unfortunately for me they shot hard and accurately on a regular basis. It did enable me to make one of my finest saves since my schooldays though, as one effort from the centre of the pitch was driven on the instep towards my top-left corner - only I couldn't see it due to a crowd of players in the way. I knew the shot had taken place as I saw it leave his foot, and had an idea where it was going from all the information available to me, and through luck and skill threw my body and outstretched left hand at the right place to keep it out. When most of the players within earshot are audibly impressed (using industrial lanaguage, mind) then it's clear I'd done well. This prevented the score being 3-2, and allowed us to push on to a 6-2 lead. What followed after that was not pretty, but not unexpected either. Not long after the ball was smashed at my near post whilst I hopefully anticipated a cross-goal shot, and another soon followed as a player cut in from the right and struck left-footed across me into the net - 6-4. Bantalona galvanised, and we couldn't keep hold of the ball - made worse by the tendency to push forwards for goals and get picked off needlessly on the counter. Another long range strike was well hit from the centre down to my left, during which my shouting had focussed on not letting them shoot like that - the ball dipping low and getting past me for 6-5. Ludicrously, we kicked off and conceded an equaliser within 10 seconds - I hadn't even seen the kick-off but a misunderstanding meant someone lost possession and an opponent nipped in to kick past me when I'd only just regained my feet and stepped left to offer the obvious pass-back option. It was a crushing experience, and left everyone rattled - including Gareth, who was a sub at the time. There was still time in the game though, and it was Gareth who restored the lead with a fine finish, leaving us to hold on for 2 1/2 minutes. Simple? Of course not. It later transpired Gareth thought it was 7-7, so rather than man-mark he stayed in space to try and score on the counter, whilst everyone else dug deep to desperately block and shot or chance they could. With almost the last kick of the game, I was forced to advance to the edge of the area as an unmarked attacker went to retrieve the ball on my right. He managed to cross the ball out to the left to a teammate with me scrambling forlornly back towards the goalline...but rushed into a first-time shot, the opponent connected poorly and sent the ball off-target straight into my grateful body. Full time followed less than 30 seconds later, and an enjoyable game had an enjoyable result - another tough challenge overcome, albeit after making it harder for ourselves than it need've been. My brother had his birthday win (and had to work for it too), and we made it P5 W5 and 5 points clear of 2nd place. 8 more wins from 9 will guarantee another title, and 7 wins will be promotion. It takes our form to W23 D1 L1 as well. Next week we face the only side to beat us in the last 5 1/2 months - can't wait.
Simon withdrew from attending the quiz this week, and I was happy to have a breather anyway. My body needed some rest, and I knew I'd sleep well ahead of Friday. Last week Friday just snuck up on me, but this week I was craving the weekend.
Injuries: Body took a battering all over blocking shots - pain in most places
Mood: Battered
Friday would bring the Andy Murray v Novak Djokovic SF and some more Wii Fit...
Wednesday 25 January 2012
Day 25
Distance Run: None
Total Distance Run for January: 42.55 miles
Other Exercise: Football (Five-a-side for Real Unfit - 22 minutes)
I HAVE NO TIME TO BLOG DAMMIT! But because I definitely won't have time tomorrow (well, today) due to work, then football, then pub quiz, then maybe getting home at 11:45 if I'm lucky, I have to type today's (well, yesterday's) entry now (well, now being a term covering all of the present time in which I'm typing nonsense). I could do with some sleep.
Highlights of today would be a crushing 1-8 defeat for my Wednesday night football team. A combination of new players (meaning no understanding or fluidity between teammates), lack of fitness, lack of sharpness and some bloody good opposition, left us with no hope. I was in defence, felt I played ok and almost equalised (hitting the post from distance with the score at 0-1) in the first half, before subbing off. When I got back on the pitch it was 1-5, and our teamplay had disintegrated beyond repair. The word of today would be "frustrating" - but if it fires me up to make sure of another Thursday night win then it'll be beneficial. Haringey Yacht Club (the finest yacht club in North London, according to our team page...) can go 5 points clear at the top with a win, but we'll drop to 2nd if we lose. Biggest game in recent memory, and I look forward to it.
Only other amusement from today was seeing some of the ACN game between Libya and Zambia. An exciting game that finished 2-2, but the game should never have been played due to a waterlogged pitch. Only in Africa can a referee let the game go ahead, but it looked like nobody was seriously injured and it made great viewing. Across other sports; India are utterly hopeless; England had a good first day against Pakistan, but the real test will be when they bat themselves; Liverpool reach a cup final for the first time in 5 years, and will play at Wembley for the first time since Eric Cantona pretty much made me cry in 1996; Murray will face Djokovic in a tasty SF on Friday. Sport sport sport etc.
Injuries: Left calf getting there, icing right shin tonight
Mood: Frustrated
Six more entries to go...
Total Distance Run for January: 42.55 miles
Other Exercise: Football (Five-a-side for Real Unfit - 22 minutes)
I HAVE NO TIME TO BLOG DAMMIT! But because I definitely won't have time tomorrow (well, today) due to work, then football, then pub quiz, then maybe getting home at 11:45 if I'm lucky, I have to type today's (well, yesterday's) entry now (well, now being a term covering all of the present time in which I'm typing nonsense). I could do with some sleep.
Highlights of today would be a crushing 1-8 defeat for my Wednesday night football team. A combination of new players (meaning no understanding or fluidity between teammates), lack of fitness, lack of sharpness and some bloody good opposition, left us with no hope. I was in defence, felt I played ok and almost equalised (hitting the post from distance with the score at 0-1) in the first half, before subbing off. When I got back on the pitch it was 1-5, and our teamplay had disintegrated beyond repair. The word of today would be "frustrating" - but if it fires me up to make sure of another Thursday night win then it'll be beneficial. Haringey Yacht Club (the finest yacht club in North London, according to our team page...) can go 5 points clear at the top with a win, but we'll drop to 2nd if we lose. Biggest game in recent memory, and I look forward to it.
Only other amusement from today was seeing some of the ACN game between Libya and Zambia. An exciting game that finished 2-2, but the game should never have been played due to a waterlogged pitch. Only in Africa can a referee let the game go ahead, but it looked like nobody was seriously injured and it made great viewing. Across other sports; India are utterly hopeless; England had a good first day against Pakistan, but the real test will be when they bat themselves; Liverpool reach a cup final for the first time in 5 years, and will play at Wembley for the first time since Eric Cantona pretty much made me cry in 1996; Murray will face Djokovic in a tasty SF on Friday. Sport sport sport etc.
Injuries: Left calf getting there, icing right shin tonight
Mood: Frustrated
Six more entries to go...
Tuesday 24 January 2012
Day 24
Distance Run: None
Total Distance Run for January: 42.55 miles
Other Exercise: Wii Fit Plus - 20 minutes
Icing the calf for a second night saw some improvement in the tenderness. It's still a pain, but better. Although I itched for a speedy, fitness boosting run, I settled for more core strength work on Wii Fit instead. Football tomorrow and Thu will test the calf enough, and I'd like to put my Janathon mileage through the 50 barrier on Saturday. My initial, mildly optimistic Janthon target was 75 - oh well! If I didn't play football I'd have got there, and I could still run a marathon next Tuesday to ensure I do...
On the Wii Fit, I can feel an improvement in my core strength. Another 50 jacknifes, and no ill-effects suffered. They are tricky to perform whilst maintaining good body position, but pain aside - they are as dull as I remember them being. The price to pay for defined abdominals (which are smothered below a few lbs of fat anyway) I guess. Perhaps a plank challenge will be more entertaining, as well as effective, but I'll continue to build towards 100 jacknifes for now. Another 6 press-ups and sidestands were "easy" too, so it'll be a crack at 10 next time. The settings on the game are for 6, 10 and 20, and if I can get to a "comfortable 20" I'll be very surprised.
Whilst sport participation is high on my priorities, watching sport isn't far behind. I've been following the African Cup of Nations - a biannual football tournament - as well as the World Indoor Bowls, Australian Open tennis and the various cricket matches taking place (plus snooker last week). It's a feast that's almost too much to handle...so add in Liverpool's SF 2nd leg against Man City tomorrow, and the upcoming FA Cup 4th round clash with Man Utd on Sat, and there aren't enough hours in the day to watch it all. Whilst I'm not too fussed who wins the bowls, I'm hoping for some positive results for Liverpool/Andy Murray/England, and more entertaining African goalkeeping in the ACN (such as this fantastic catch outside the area ) to model myself on!
Injuries: Left calf, twinges on right knee
Mood: Sport Sport Sport Sport Sport
Just a week of Janathon to go, and my last blog entries for the month on Real Unfit and Haringey Yacht Club will soon be (reluctantly) typed up to follow.
Total Distance Run for January: 42.55 miles
Other Exercise: Wii Fit Plus - 20 minutes
Icing the calf for a second night saw some improvement in the tenderness. It's still a pain, but better. Although I itched for a speedy, fitness boosting run, I settled for more core strength work on Wii Fit instead. Football tomorrow and Thu will test the calf enough, and I'd like to put my Janathon mileage through the 50 barrier on Saturday. My initial, mildly optimistic Janthon target was 75 - oh well! If I didn't play football I'd have got there, and I could still run a marathon next Tuesday to ensure I do...
On the Wii Fit, I can feel an improvement in my core strength. Another 50 jacknifes, and no ill-effects suffered. They are tricky to perform whilst maintaining good body position, but pain aside - they are as dull as I remember them being. The price to pay for defined abdominals (which are smothered below a few lbs of fat anyway) I guess. Perhaps a plank challenge will be more entertaining, as well as effective, but I'll continue to build towards 100 jacknifes for now. Another 6 press-ups and sidestands were "easy" too, so it'll be a crack at 10 next time. The settings on the game are for 6, 10 and 20, and if I can get to a "comfortable 20" I'll be very surprised.
Whilst sport participation is high on my priorities, watching sport isn't far behind. I've been following the African Cup of Nations - a biannual football tournament - as well as the World Indoor Bowls, Australian Open tennis and the various cricket matches taking place (plus snooker last week). It's a feast that's almost too much to handle...so add in Liverpool's SF 2nd leg against Man City tomorrow, and the upcoming FA Cup 4th round clash with Man Utd on Sat, and there aren't enough hours in the day to watch it all. Whilst I'm not too fussed who wins the bowls, I'm hoping for some positive results for Liverpool/Andy Murray/England, and more entertaining African goalkeeping in the ACN (such as this fantastic catch outside the area ) to model myself on!
Injuries: Left calf, twinges on right knee
Mood: Sport Sport Sport Sport Sport
Just a week of Janathon to go, and my last blog entries for the month on Real Unfit and Haringey Yacht Club will soon be (reluctantly) typed up to follow.
Monday 23 January 2012
Day 23
Distance Run: None
Total Distance Run for January: 42.55 miles
Other Exercise: Exercise Bike - 45 minutes, 23.5k, gear 5 (of 8)
The conclusion of this entry will see just 8 days of the Janathon challenge remaining. I'm currently at the point where blogging is very much a chore, and fitting in exercise for the sake of it isn't much fun either. I appreciate the benefits of the latter though as it's a good routine to get into, but blogging? The chances of my coming back to read individual entries such as this are slim, and whilst running entries will be of future benefit it does take some of the fun away from just exercising. All that said - I'm still going, and I'll see it out.
I had to rule out Monday night football for the second time in three weeks, and again at fairly late notice. My left calf was strapped to an ice pack overnight, but when I woke up it was even sorer than before. If my life depended on it then I could've put in a football shift, but as I couldn't comfortably walk down stairs without a disturbing "Childcatcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" hobble to compensate for a non-functioning calf, it would've been really stupid to do any further damage. The positive is that my left calf (and the right one, which is tender but ok) will heal up stronger, and I'm better over-working them through running with better technique than damaging my shins and/or achilles and/or joints from overstriding. I'd prefer to play football, but marathon training comes at a price.
Having done Wii Fit yesterday, I opted to try the exercise bike. Back in Oct & Nov 2010, during my physiotherapy recovery stage, I acquired the exercise bike and vented my frustration out on it to good effect. I was convinced it was helping restore my lost right calf muscle, but the physio pointed out that it tends to work the upper leg muscles more (if not entirely). It turns out she has a valid point, as I was able to pedal pain-free despite my difficulty walking. I put in a 45 minute shift to the accompaniment of University Challenge and Morocco v Tunisia at the African Cup of Nations. By the end, having put in the standard sprint finish, I'd reached 23.5k, knackered both legs and soaked my shirt in sweat. Good to have a bit of variety though.
Injuries: Left calf a concern. Ice overnight again.
Mood: Blogged Out
I'd like to do a quick-pace run tomorrow evening, but this depends on the calf. With football on Wed and Thu to come, I may have to settle for just Wii Fit again. Either way, the end of Janathon is in sight!
Total Distance Run for January: 42.55 miles
Other Exercise: Exercise Bike - 45 minutes, 23.5k, gear 5 (of 8)
The conclusion of this entry will see just 8 days of the Janathon challenge remaining. I'm currently at the point where blogging is very much a chore, and fitting in exercise for the sake of it isn't much fun either. I appreciate the benefits of the latter though as it's a good routine to get into, but blogging? The chances of my coming back to read individual entries such as this are slim, and whilst running entries will be of future benefit it does take some of the fun away from just exercising. All that said - I'm still going, and I'll see it out.
I had to rule out Monday night football for the second time in three weeks, and again at fairly late notice. My left calf was strapped to an ice pack overnight, but when I woke up it was even sorer than before. If my life depended on it then I could've put in a football shift, but as I couldn't comfortably walk down stairs without a disturbing "Childcatcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" hobble to compensate for a non-functioning calf, it would've been really stupid to do any further damage. The positive is that my left calf (and the right one, which is tender but ok) will heal up stronger, and I'm better over-working them through running with better technique than damaging my shins and/or achilles and/or joints from overstriding. I'd prefer to play football, but marathon training comes at a price.
Having done Wii Fit yesterday, I opted to try the exercise bike. Back in Oct & Nov 2010, during my physiotherapy recovery stage, I acquired the exercise bike and vented my frustration out on it to good effect. I was convinced it was helping restore my lost right calf muscle, but the physio pointed out that it tends to work the upper leg muscles more (if not entirely). It turns out she has a valid point, as I was able to pedal pain-free despite my difficulty walking. I put in a 45 minute shift to the accompaniment of University Challenge and Morocco v Tunisia at the African Cup of Nations. By the end, having put in the standard sprint finish, I'd reached 23.5k, knackered both legs and soaked my shirt in sweat. Good to have a bit of variety though.
Injuries: Left calf a concern. Ice overnight again.
Mood: Blogged Out
I'd like to do a quick-pace run tomorrow evening, but this depends on the calf. With football on Wed and Thu to come, I may have to settle for just Wii Fit again. Either way, the end of Janathon is in sight!
Sunday 22 January 2012
Day 22
Distance Run: None
Total Distance Run for January: 42.55 miles
Other Exercise: Wii Fit Plus - 20 minutes
I am getting this entry done at the unusually early time of 10pm on the day itself. Having entered Janathon I am determined to see it through, and this entry will leave me with just 9 days to go. Before looking ahead, I'll look behind. Today has been as lazy as I hoped; football and snooker on the tv, and no pressing urge to remove myself from my bed. Bliss. My calf muscles are both tender, but not enough to stop me flailing about on Wii Fit again. My weight seems to be creeping up - possibly because I permitted myself half an easter egg after my breakfast pizza. Otherwise, life's just fine atm. I've not been anywhere of note in 2012 yet, but I've exercised daily, am almost back to half-marathon fitness, have played in 7 football matches, had 1 bowling session and 5 decent runs. Work's gone ok, and with the Jan 31st deadline for tax return filing drawing closer it seems that everything is still "under control" from that perspective. What I'd like is to have some more social plans booked up for the coming weeks - to compliment my busy weekdays with some fun weekends. I also want to continue the "life clearout" so the next stage, "new life purchases", can commence - although I have added some new sports equipment in the form of new football trainers, goalkeeping gloves, cricket gloves and sunglasses to my kit. I intend to get through to March without taking any holidays from work, but a week off in March would be nice - or maybe post-marathon as a reward for my (hopefully successful) efforts. More thought required, but it's nice to have options.
Injuries: Calf muscles
Mood: Mildly refreshed
If I'm not in too much soreness tomorrow then I fancy some football action back at Edgware Road. The new season kicks off, and rumour has it the Argentinian wonderkid is no longer available - which is a crushing blow. Typically, we've got a rematch with the losing finalists from last week in our opening fixture. Could be interesting. I at least have Tuesday evening as a source of midweek rest, and I may well need it.
Total Distance Run for January: 42.55 miles
Other Exercise: Wii Fit Plus - 20 minutes
I am getting this entry done at the unusually early time of 10pm on the day itself. Having entered Janathon I am determined to see it through, and this entry will leave me with just 9 days to go. Before looking ahead, I'll look behind. Today has been as lazy as I hoped; football and snooker on the tv, and no pressing urge to remove myself from my bed. Bliss. My calf muscles are both tender, but not enough to stop me flailing about on Wii Fit again. My weight seems to be creeping up - possibly because I permitted myself half an easter egg after my breakfast pizza. Otherwise, life's just fine atm. I've not been anywhere of note in 2012 yet, but I've exercised daily, am almost back to half-marathon fitness, have played in 7 football matches, had 1 bowling session and 5 decent runs. Work's gone ok, and with the Jan 31st deadline for tax return filing drawing closer it seems that everything is still "under control" from that perspective. What I'd like is to have some more social plans booked up for the coming weeks - to compliment my busy weekdays with some fun weekends. I also want to continue the "life clearout" so the next stage, "new life purchases", can commence - although I have added some new sports equipment in the form of new football trainers, goalkeeping gloves, cricket gloves and sunglasses to my kit. I intend to get through to March without taking any holidays from work, but a week off in March would be nice - or maybe post-marathon as a reward for my (hopefully successful) efforts. More thought required, but it's nice to have options.
Injuries: Calf muscles
Mood: Mildly refreshed
If I'm not in too much soreness tomorrow then I fancy some football action back at Edgware Road. The new season kicks off, and rumour has it the Argentinian wonderkid is no longer available - which is a crushing blow. Typically, we've got a rematch with the losing finalists from last week in our opening fixture. Could be interesting. I at least have Tuesday evening as a source of midweek rest, and I may well need it.
Day 21
Distance Run: 12.33 miles
Total Distance Run for January: 42.55 miles
Other Exercise: None
With the London Marathon date drawing ever closer, I'd begun to have some doubts on whether my training and race-day goals were achievable. Saying I'll run x miles on alternate weekends before breaking 4 hours on the day is one thing - doing it is quite another. My determination has never been in doubt, but my body's limitations have. The latest step on the ambitious road was to get through a 12-12.5m run intact, with speed not important. This would be my longest run since October's half, and a test of how my fitness compares to then. I drafted a 12.33 mile route, with the only inclines being the occasional bridge/subway, and drove the short distance to the Hop Poles pub for a flat ground start. Armed with a bottle of Lucozade, spare radio battery, and £1 (should I wish to purchase an additional drink) - I set off for a typically anticlockwise loop of Enfield.
One thing I'd forgotten to do was make a mental note of the mile markers for the route. I had a rough idea, but I usually have a precise point or two to judge my pace along the way. Perhaps not knowing timings was for the best, as I really focussed on my running form instead. Short strides, reasonable turnover, do not overstride, land just ahead of midfoot. My right shin ached a touch early on, which didn't bode well, and my legs generally felt less than perfect - but I was going along fine. After running past Edmonton Green, I took a right on to Bounces Road - checking whether to see one my accountancy clients, Dave Sharma, was manning the carwash at the Jet garage he owns. Sure enough, Dave was there in his blue overalls putting in a Saturday shift. Although it cost a few seconds, I felt it was worthwhile demonstrating how he wasn't the only one working hard that afternoon, and that I was still after one of his missing bank statements from mid-September to reconcile his bookkeeping records. He'd have probably donated me a complimentary beverage, but with my Lucozade intact I sprang off to Meridian Way. The weather was very breezy, and I couldn't figure out which way the wind was blowing. The temperature was fine, but I noted the cloudier skies to the north (which I was running towards), along with the slowly setting sun. I sensed rain was likely, but I turned out to be wrong. Meridian Way, which becomes Mollison Avenue, has nothing other than industrial estates and a drive-through McDonalds on it. It's fine for a run, and there's some nice greenery to be seen as the road bends left back to the A10. I estimated I was halfway when my watch hit 55 minutes, and it was within the hour mark that I was feeling the strain. Psychologically I knew I'd covered 10.67 miles less than two weeks ago, and this helped as the glances towards the watch became more frequent, and the breathing became a little harder. I reverted to my mental trick of breaking down the distance into 5 minute spells - thinking too far ahead is a killer, but I knew I'd reach the A10 somewhere around 85-90 mins, and Carterhatch Lane at 100-105 mins, if I just kept going. That I did, although it was made tougher by the breeze blowing right into my face on the open stretch towards the A10 - slowing me to what probably looked like a slow-motion crawl forwards. Across the lights, then up and over the railway bridge, down past Burger King and McDonalds, and the A10 reached in 86 minutes. Down and then up the subway exit, and previous timings meant I knew 1h 50m was doable - which meant I must've been fairly quick thus far. Increasingly tired, but by this point knowing I was in no danger of giving up, I slowly caught up with and overtook a female jogger. I turned back, offered a smile and thumbs-up, and the large lady returned the gesture - which was nice. I hope the sight of me plodding off into the distance wasn't too demoralising for her.
Increasingly confident I could gently increase my pace as the finish line approached, I turned into Carterhatch Lane, across the small roundabout, and prepared to cross over on the zebra crossing. Now, when I'm driving, people/idiots who loiter near zebra crossings or belatedly turn 90 degrees at the last second to use them, really piss me off. So, despite being over 100 minutes into a painful run, I stuck out my Lucozade a few yards in advance and made it as obvious as possible of my intentions as I jogged to the crossing. A woman driving a silver car was heading a small queue of traffic, about 60 yards away. I'd probably have been fine to just cross over, but her speed exceeded 30 and I erred on caution - she's obliged to stop after all. Once it became apparent that Ms Muppet did not intend to stop, my hand gesture of "thanks for stopping in advance of you doing so" transformed itself into an impromptu round of sarcastic applause, along with a real effort to make eye contact. It's hard to say which occurred first, but she did brake quite aggressively to permit me my legal right of passage - hopefully the applause got the message across for good measure. The driver going the other way did what most nice, considerate drivers tend to do, flashing his lights and/or gesturing whilst slowing down in advance. He knew not to mess with a hirsute running machine! My internal ramblings on poor driving carried me through the remaining mile of the run, and with no other obstacles to navigate I finished up, hands on knees by my car door, clocking home on 1:48:50. Comfortably under 9 mile minutes, and without allowing for stoppages along the way - awesome. The idea of doing over two laps of that course, and at that speed, is laughable. The idea of doing several demanding training runs in a hope to accomplish just that, for no reason other than to test myself, seems ludicrous. The idea of devoting more of my life to this target as it looms ever larger is deflating. But, for now, the latest challenge is complete.
Happily, despite a lot of soreness and stiffness, I had no severe cramps or major concerns after the run. My reward for the afternoon exertions was to meet up with Helen H for pub dinner and drinks whilst watching the Bolton v Liverpool game. This didn't quite go to plan (which gave Helen plenty of cause for amusement), and my escaping to meet up with friends in Fulham Broadway didn't start much better after I was firstly ID'd (facial hair counts for nowt) and secondly given a mild piss-taking from the bouncer who had noted my Liverpool scarf (the second time in recent months I'd been sporting the attire in West London on a night where Liverpool had been humiliated). Happy to report the evening improved after that, and a trip to Nando's meant I found space for more food (probably 1,500 calories in 3 hours - worrying) and back in the pub for a coffee ("a bit left-field" was the barman's response to my Saturday night 10:20pm beverage choice - wonder how far he'd run that day) before returning home quite happy with how the day had gone (Liverpool FC aside).
Injuries: Muscle soreness - hopeful it will heal ok
Mood: Amiable
Tomorrow is a very lazy Sunday - I intend to do virtually nothing, and enjoy the rest. With plenty of football to watch and DVDs when the sport stops, I'm spoilt for choice.
Total Distance Run for January: 42.55 miles
Other Exercise: None
With the London Marathon date drawing ever closer, I'd begun to have some doubts on whether my training and race-day goals were achievable. Saying I'll run x miles on alternate weekends before breaking 4 hours on the day is one thing - doing it is quite another. My determination has never been in doubt, but my body's limitations have. The latest step on the ambitious road was to get through a 12-12.5m run intact, with speed not important. This would be my longest run since October's half, and a test of how my fitness compares to then. I drafted a 12.33 mile route, with the only inclines being the occasional bridge/subway, and drove the short distance to the Hop Poles pub for a flat ground start. Armed with a bottle of Lucozade, spare radio battery, and £1 (should I wish to purchase an additional drink) - I set off for a typically anticlockwise loop of Enfield.
One thing I'd forgotten to do was make a mental note of the mile markers for the route. I had a rough idea, but I usually have a precise point or two to judge my pace along the way. Perhaps not knowing timings was for the best, as I really focussed on my running form instead. Short strides, reasonable turnover, do not overstride, land just ahead of midfoot. My right shin ached a touch early on, which didn't bode well, and my legs generally felt less than perfect - but I was going along fine. After running past Edmonton Green, I took a right on to Bounces Road - checking whether to see one my accountancy clients, Dave Sharma, was manning the carwash at the Jet garage he owns. Sure enough, Dave was there in his blue overalls putting in a Saturday shift. Although it cost a few seconds, I felt it was worthwhile demonstrating how he wasn't the only one working hard that afternoon, and that I was still after one of his missing bank statements from mid-September to reconcile his bookkeeping records. He'd have probably donated me a complimentary beverage, but with my Lucozade intact I sprang off to Meridian Way. The weather was very breezy, and I couldn't figure out which way the wind was blowing. The temperature was fine, but I noted the cloudier skies to the north (which I was running towards), along with the slowly setting sun. I sensed rain was likely, but I turned out to be wrong. Meridian Way, which becomes Mollison Avenue, has nothing other than industrial estates and a drive-through McDonalds on it. It's fine for a run, and there's some nice greenery to be seen as the road bends left back to the A10. I estimated I was halfway when my watch hit 55 minutes, and it was within the hour mark that I was feeling the strain. Psychologically I knew I'd covered 10.67 miles less than two weeks ago, and this helped as the glances towards the watch became more frequent, and the breathing became a little harder. I reverted to my mental trick of breaking down the distance into 5 minute spells - thinking too far ahead is a killer, but I knew I'd reach the A10 somewhere around 85-90 mins, and Carterhatch Lane at 100-105 mins, if I just kept going. That I did, although it was made tougher by the breeze blowing right into my face on the open stretch towards the A10 - slowing me to what probably looked like a slow-motion crawl forwards. Across the lights, then up and over the railway bridge, down past Burger King and McDonalds, and the A10 reached in 86 minutes. Down and then up the subway exit, and previous timings meant I knew 1h 50m was doable - which meant I must've been fairly quick thus far. Increasingly tired, but by this point knowing I was in no danger of giving up, I slowly caught up with and overtook a female jogger. I turned back, offered a smile and thumbs-up, and the large lady returned the gesture - which was nice. I hope the sight of me plodding off into the distance wasn't too demoralising for her.
Increasingly confident I could gently increase my pace as the finish line approached, I turned into Carterhatch Lane, across the small roundabout, and prepared to cross over on the zebra crossing. Now, when I'm driving, people/idiots who loiter near zebra crossings or belatedly turn 90 degrees at the last second to use them, really piss me off. So, despite being over 100 minutes into a painful run, I stuck out my Lucozade a few yards in advance and made it as obvious as possible of my intentions as I jogged to the crossing. A woman driving a silver car was heading a small queue of traffic, about 60 yards away. I'd probably have been fine to just cross over, but her speed exceeded 30 and I erred on caution - she's obliged to stop after all. Once it became apparent that Ms Muppet did not intend to stop, my hand gesture of "thanks for stopping in advance of you doing so" transformed itself into an impromptu round of sarcastic applause, along with a real effort to make eye contact. It's hard to say which occurred first, but she did brake quite aggressively to permit me my legal right of passage - hopefully the applause got the message across for good measure. The driver going the other way did what most nice, considerate drivers tend to do, flashing his lights and/or gesturing whilst slowing down in advance. He knew not to mess with a hirsute running machine! My internal ramblings on poor driving carried me through the remaining mile of the run, and with no other obstacles to navigate I finished up, hands on knees by my car door, clocking home on 1:48:50. Comfortably under 9 mile minutes, and without allowing for stoppages along the way - awesome. The idea of doing over two laps of that course, and at that speed, is laughable. The idea of doing several demanding training runs in a hope to accomplish just that, for no reason other than to test myself, seems ludicrous. The idea of devoting more of my life to this target as it looms ever larger is deflating. But, for now, the latest challenge is complete.
Happily, despite a lot of soreness and stiffness, I had no severe cramps or major concerns after the run. My reward for the afternoon exertions was to meet up with Helen H for pub dinner and drinks whilst watching the Bolton v Liverpool game. This didn't quite go to plan (which gave Helen plenty of cause for amusement), and my escaping to meet up with friends in Fulham Broadway didn't start much better after I was firstly ID'd (facial hair counts for nowt) and secondly given a mild piss-taking from the bouncer who had noted my Liverpool scarf (the second time in recent months I'd been sporting the attire in West London on a night where Liverpool had been humiliated). Happy to report the evening improved after that, and a trip to Nando's meant I found space for more food (probably 1,500 calories in 3 hours - worrying) and back in the pub for a coffee ("a bit left-field" was the barman's response to my Saturday night 10:20pm beverage choice - wonder how far he'd run that day) before returning home quite happy with how the day had gone (Liverpool FC aside).
Injuries: Muscle soreness - hopeful it will heal ok
Mood: Amiable
Tomorrow is a very lazy Sunday - I intend to do virtually nothing, and enjoy the rest. With plenty of football to watch and DVDs when the sport stops, I'm spoilt for choice.
Day 20
Distance Run: None
Total Distance Run for January: 30.22 miles
Other Exercise: Wii Fit Plus - 20 minutes
Another day stuck on the 30 mile mark, and another day without a run. My footballing career, a night of tenpin bowling, and an inclination not to push my body beyond repair, meant I wasn't able to fit in a sensible run during the week. I could've gone for a run a tonight, but with football likely to be played again on Monday I settled on Saturday as the best time for my longest run since October's half marathon. Ergo, tonight was some more Wii Fit core strength work. Jacknifes done, press-up & sidestands done, and a few other games played to get up to the 20 minute target.
Injuries: None
Mood: Shattered
I would've preferred to be sociable this evening, but settled for the easier option of the TV. After a physically demanding week I want to be well-rested ahead of tomorrow's long run. Whilst I look forward to stretching my legs, I fear my volume of football (and Janathon exercise) will make 12+ miles a very demanding challenge.
Total Distance Run for January: 30.22 miles
Other Exercise: Wii Fit Plus - 20 minutes
Another day stuck on the 30 mile mark, and another day without a run. My footballing career, a night of tenpin bowling, and an inclination not to push my body beyond repair, meant I wasn't able to fit in a sensible run during the week. I could've gone for a run a tonight, but with football likely to be played again on Monday I settled on Saturday as the best time for my longest run since October's half marathon. Ergo, tonight was some more Wii Fit core strength work. Jacknifes done, press-up & sidestands done, and a few other games played to get up to the 20 minute target.
Injuries: None
Mood: Shattered
I would've preferred to be sociable this evening, but settled for the easier option of the TV. After a physically demanding week I want to be well-rested ahead of tomorrow's long run. Whilst I look forward to stretching my legs, I fear my volume of football (and Janathon exercise) will make 12+ miles a very demanding challenge.
Friday 20 January 2012
Day 19
Distance Run: None
Total Distance Run for January: 30.22 miles
Other Exercise: Football (Five-a-side goalkeeping for Haringey Yacht Club - 50 minutes)
Another long day, and another day without a run. Before covering the (more) entertaining events, here's a picture of a tv program shown in 2011. Forming part of the pub quiz picture round - name that show! Neither myself or Simon had heard of it, but we got it right...
With the working day concluded, a welcome chance to put my goalkeeping disappointments behind me was the reward. The opposition turned up this week, and were an unknown quantity. Their average age seemed a touch higher than ours, and several of their players "looked" inferior - but then looks can be deceptive. I felt ok in the warm-up, and whilst that counts for little it was still good to start the game with a couple of stops under my belt.
For the first time in recent history, Haringey Yacht Club not only took early control but made the dominance count. Crisp passing and an energetic start saw plenty of possession, movement up front and chances created. Within a few minutes it was 2-0, and I'd not had a meaningful contribution to make. Both teams were playing man-marking all over the pitch - how it should be - but we were just doing it better. One drawback of man-marking, especially when the keeper has the ball, is that space is left behind when most players are tracked higher and higher up the pitch. We were caught out straight from a keeper roll-out, but I'd positioned myself well and stopped a scuffed effort on the edge of my area. I soon had a chance to repay the compliment, and claimed an assist for 3-0 - Stefan running from almost next to me down the centre-right of the pitch to strike home with his first touch. Clearly my "pass" was perfectly directed and weighted! 4-0 came soon after, with Stefan intercepting a roll-out, knocking past his marker and again finishing well. At this stage a comfortable mauling looked on the cards. Whilst most of the team began to count their chickens, we were pegged back to 4-2. Both goals were the result of "someone" switching off from their man-marking duties - the first was a ball from deep played through to an onrushing forward, who slipped the ball past me after I'd advanced as far as I could (a good finish, but I'd got my angles slightly wrong to leave the gap open). The second was similar but a different forward, who smashed the ball at my better-positioned self. Unfortunately for me, the ball rebounded straight back to him, and I'd got back almost upright as he hit a second smash through my legs. Very much game on, and whilst we scored a fifth before the interval I had a few more saves to make to preserve the lead.
The second half was a different ball-game - we were outplayed by opponents almost unrecognisable from their dismal start. They had energy, they man-marked well, and they created the chances. It wasn't one-way traffic, but most of our openings came on the break, and our frequent spells of possession became increasingly limited. I was happy with the defensive effort displayed, barking orders which were followed out, but I was given multiple opportunities to prove my usefulness as the game wore on. I made a couple of reaction stops, flinging out hands in desperation at balls struck towards my far post, and they thankfully worked. Most shots were at a comfortable height, but they still needed stopping. I did enough to draw welcome praise from others though, and more importantly preserve our three-goal cushion for as long as possible. With 6 minutes left, I was finally beaten again - having been drawn out to the right of my area the ball was crossed into the centre where someone got a fairly weak shot into the far corner. That made it 5-3, and that was how it stayed - with a few nails bitten before the final whistle. We lost the second half 0-1, and the opposition left the pitch rueing their poor start. As games go this was what we needed - a solid workout against decent players. Another win next week will see us go 5 points clear at the top after 5 of the 14 games.
Following the drive home and a quick snack, the pub quiz awaited. Despite initial fears that we were doomed to come last after glancing at the picture round (which comprises 20 of the 60 marks available), the honour of Team Deadly Fish was upheld as we squeaked up to second-from-last by a solitary point. Simon must take the bulk of the credit for achieving this, after getting over half of the TV show pictures right almost single-handedly (and with thought and logic to his answers - which I couldn't provide). Perhaps his only error was over-ruling me on "What is the minimum legal age in the UK that you can buy a pet?". I couldn't correctly recall which swimming stroke comes first in a medley (I was convinced it was something else), or the full name of the guy who won the BDO darts world championship (only the surname). Our total of 28 was comparable to many sides who suffered, scoring 27-31 - nice to see the usual pretenders fail miserably at pictures which aren't conducive to knowledge of the 60's-70's! So, that picture at the top - wtf is that? I noticed the beanie hat and pondered Bob Marley in rat form. It was Simon, with the light-bulb above his head, that suggested we guess what turned out to be the correct answer - "Rastamouse"! Apparently the most complained about kids tv show, it's still running on CBeebies (ya got ta be kiddin' me man!). Perhaps this is some well-known show which escaped my radar, but after checking an episode on iPlayer I can understand why it's drawn complaints - patois speaking mice?! Playing in a band called the "Easy Crew"?! So brilliant it's true - jam on!
Injuries: Nothing obvious
Mood: Amused
To round off the pub entertainment, a game of Mr Paparazzi on the ItBox was won by virtue of having played the game several hundred times. Essentially a game of hangman with pictures of "famous" people, my thanks go to Ai Sugiyama (twice), Lukas Haas, Ivan Karlovic and (old favourite) Chazz Palminteri for being recognisable from their foreheads and/or letter formations. This made up for another losing crack at Play Your Cards Right, with lower than an 8 being crushed by a 10. The jackpot will be near to £300 next week though...
Tomorrow I've no post-work plans. Some more Wii Fit will be in order, ahead of a long run on Saturday.
Oh, and those other quiz answers are 12 years old, backstroke, and Christian Kist!
Total Distance Run for January: 30.22 miles
Other Exercise: Football (Five-a-side goalkeeping for Haringey Yacht Club - 50 minutes)
Another long day, and another day without a run. Before covering the (more) entertaining events, here's a picture of a tv program shown in 2011. Forming part of the pub quiz picture round - name that show! Neither myself or Simon had heard of it, but we got it right...
With the working day concluded, a welcome chance to put my goalkeeping disappointments behind me was the reward. The opposition turned up this week, and were an unknown quantity. Their average age seemed a touch higher than ours, and several of their players "looked" inferior - but then looks can be deceptive. I felt ok in the warm-up, and whilst that counts for little it was still good to start the game with a couple of stops under my belt.
For the first time in recent history, Haringey Yacht Club not only took early control but made the dominance count. Crisp passing and an energetic start saw plenty of possession, movement up front and chances created. Within a few minutes it was 2-0, and I'd not had a meaningful contribution to make. Both teams were playing man-marking all over the pitch - how it should be - but we were just doing it better. One drawback of man-marking, especially when the keeper has the ball, is that space is left behind when most players are tracked higher and higher up the pitch. We were caught out straight from a keeper roll-out, but I'd positioned myself well and stopped a scuffed effort on the edge of my area. I soon had a chance to repay the compliment, and claimed an assist for 3-0 - Stefan running from almost next to me down the centre-right of the pitch to strike home with his first touch. Clearly my "pass" was perfectly directed and weighted! 4-0 came soon after, with Stefan intercepting a roll-out, knocking past his marker and again finishing well. At this stage a comfortable mauling looked on the cards. Whilst most of the team began to count their chickens, we were pegged back to 4-2. Both goals were the result of "someone" switching off from their man-marking duties - the first was a ball from deep played through to an onrushing forward, who slipped the ball past me after I'd advanced as far as I could (a good finish, but I'd got my angles slightly wrong to leave the gap open). The second was similar but a different forward, who smashed the ball at my better-positioned self. Unfortunately for me, the ball rebounded straight back to him, and I'd got back almost upright as he hit a second smash through my legs. Very much game on, and whilst we scored a fifth before the interval I had a few more saves to make to preserve the lead.
The second half was a different ball-game - we were outplayed by opponents almost unrecognisable from their dismal start. They had energy, they man-marked well, and they created the chances. It wasn't one-way traffic, but most of our openings came on the break, and our frequent spells of possession became increasingly limited. I was happy with the defensive effort displayed, barking orders which were followed out, but I was given multiple opportunities to prove my usefulness as the game wore on. I made a couple of reaction stops, flinging out hands in desperation at balls struck towards my far post, and they thankfully worked. Most shots were at a comfortable height, but they still needed stopping. I did enough to draw welcome praise from others though, and more importantly preserve our three-goal cushion for as long as possible. With 6 minutes left, I was finally beaten again - having been drawn out to the right of my area the ball was crossed into the centre where someone got a fairly weak shot into the far corner. That made it 5-3, and that was how it stayed - with a few nails bitten before the final whistle. We lost the second half 0-1, and the opposition left the pitch rueing their poor start. As games go this was what we needed - a solid workout against decent players. Another win next week will see us go 5 points clear at the top after 5 of the 14 games.
Following the drive home and a quick snack, the pub quiz awaited. Despite initial fears that we were doomed to come last after glancing at the picture round (which comprises 20 of the 60 marks available), the honour of Team Deadly Fish was upheld as we squeaked up to second-from-last by a solitary point. Simon must take the bulk of the credit for achieving this, after getting over half of the TV show pictures right almost single-handedly (and with thought and logic to his answers - which I couldn't provide). Perhaps his only error was over-ruling me on "What is the minimum legal age in the UK that you can buy a pet?". I couldn't correctly recall which swimming stroke comes first in a medley (I was convinced it was something else), or the full name of the guy who won the BDO darts world championship (only the surname). Our total of 28 was comparable to many sides who suffered, scoring 27-31 - nice to see the usual pretenders fail miserably at pictures which aren't conducive to knowledge of the 60's-70's! So, that picture at the top - wtf is that? I noticed the beanie hat and pondered Bob Marley in rat form. It was Simon, with the light-bulb above his head, that suggested we guess what turned out to be the correct answer - "Rastamouse"! Apparently the most complained about kids tv show, it's still running on CBeebies (ya got ta be kiddin' me man!). Perhaps this is some well-known show which escaped my radar, but after checking an episode on iPlayer I can understand why it's drawn complaints - patois speaking mice?! Playing in a band called the "Easy Crew"?! So brilliant it's true - jam on!
Injuries: Nothing obvious
Mood: Amused
To round off the pub entertainment, a game of Mr Paparazzi on the ItBox was won by virtue of having played the game several hundred times. Essentially a game of hangman with pictures of "famous" people, my thanks go to Ai Sugiyama (twice), Lukas Haas, Ivan Karlovic and (old favourite) Chazz Palminteri for being recognisable from their foreheads and/or letter formations. This made up for another losing crack at Play Your Cards Right, with lower than an 8 being crushed by a 10. The jackpot will be near to £300 next week though...
Tomorrow I've no post-work plans. Some more Wii Fit will be in order, ahead of a long run on Saturday.
Oh, and those other quiz answers are 12 years old, backstroke, and Christian Kist!
Wednesday 18 January 2012
Day 18
Distance Run: None
Total Distance Run for January: 30.22 miles
Other Exercise: Football (Five-a-side for Real Unfit - 38 minutes)
To really experience and enjoy the highs of sport (and life), one must really experience and suffer the lows. Having recently finished Matthew Syed's excellent book "Bounce", I have a greater understanding of the psychology of sporting success and failure. That's about the only positive I can derive from tonight's horrow show.
The second match of the Real Unfit season, as we attempt to better our tally of W1 D2 L7 from our debut campaign, ended in a 1-10 defeat. I've gone on record as saying that a poor goalkeeper will be exposed at five-a-side - and I proved that tonight. Having not played well last week, I was keen to start the match well, keep the game tight, and build some pressure on the superior opposition. Instead, I conceded a somewhat freak own goal within the opening minute - one of our players grappling with an opponent whilst chasing the ball back towards our goal in the centre of the pitch, got to the ball first but firmly drove the ball low to my left & I couldn't react. A second goal followed from their first real shot - out to the left of my D the forward struck the ball sweetly high at my near post whilst I was falling away to cover the shot across goal. Obviously if I stay motionless the ball hits me, and I don't look so stupid. The third was a poor error, failing to get two hands to a long low strike barely left of centre, and another two goals came with me getting my left hand to the shot but failing miserably to keep it out. 1-6 at HT and utterly crushed.
As was the plan, I played in defence for the second half - leaving Paul (not a keeper, but willing to give it a try) between the sticks. My only positive was putting in a good shift defensively, although going forwards I was quite hapless and missed a 1 v 1 by dragging a side-footed shot wide of the near post. It'll take some time and practice to gel in the outfield with some new players, and we only had 6 tonight which left everyone knackered, but to stand any chance of a positive result I need to play much better. That feeling of wanting to kick everything in sight, of letting a team down, and just wanting to avenge a poor performance - I don't like it! I'm back in goal tomorrow night though, and can moan about that and more with Simon at the pub quiz afterwards.
Injuries: Just knackered
Mood: Grrrrrrr!
My brother mentioned a homemade coffee cake he concocted with his girlfriend the other day. I don't deserve it, but I'm going to take a slice before bed. :)
Total Distance Run for January: 30.22 miles
Other Exercise: Football (Five-a-side for Real Unfit - 38 minutes)
To really experience and enjoy the highs of sport (and life), one must really experience and suffer the lows. Having recently finished Matthew Syed's excellent book "Bounce", I have a greater understanding of the psychology of sporting success and failure. That's about the only positive I can derive from tonight's horrow show.
The second match of the Real Unfit season, as we attempt to better our tally of W1 D2 L7 from our debut campaign, ended in a 1-10 defeat. I've gone on record as saying that a poor goalkeeper will be exposed at five-a-side - and I proved that tonight. Having not played well last week, I was keen to start the match well, keep the game tight, and build some pressure on the superior opposition. Instead, I conceded a somewhat freak own goal within the opening minute - one of our players grappling with an opponent whilst chasing the ball back towards our goal in the centre of the pitch, got to the ball first but firmly drove the ball low to my left & I couldn't react. A second goal followed from their first real shot - out to the left of my D the forward struck the ball sweetly high at my near post whilst I was falling away to cover the shot across goal. Obviously if I stay motionless the ball hits me, and I don't look so stupid. The third was a poor error, failing to get two hands to a long low strike barely left of centre, and another two goals came with me getting my left hand to the shot but failing miserably to keep it out. 1-6 at HT and utterly crushed.
As was the plan, I played in defence for the second half - leaving Paul (not a keeper, but willing to give it a try) between the sticks. My only positive was putting in a good shift defensively, although going forwards I was quite hapless and missed a 1 v 1 by dragging a side-footed shot wide of the near post. It'll take some time and practice to gel in the outfield with some new players, and we only had 6 tonight which left everyone knackered, but to stand any chance of a positive result I need to play much better. That feeling of wanting to kick everything in sight, of letting a team down, and just wanting to avenge a poor performance - I don't like it! I'm back in goal tomorrow night though, and can moan about that and more with Simon at the pub quiz afterwards.
Injuries: Just knackered
Mood: Grrrrrrr!
My brother mentioned a homemade coffee cake he concocted with his girlfriend the other day. I don't deserve it, but I'm going to take a slice before bed. :)
Tuesday 17 January 2012
Day 17
Distance Run: None
Total Distance Run for January: 30.22 miles
Other Exercise: Tenpin Bowling (Team Syzygy - 30 minutes)
One of my self-imposed "conditions" for Janathon was that tenpin bowling constituted exercise. The drive to Heathrow, almost-inevitable loss, and drive home (after dinner) takes up almost 5 hours - and I'm knackered enough after all that without squeezing in a fairly pointless mile of jogging earlier in the day. Besides, whilst it doesn't leave you breathless, there's a certain amount of exertion involved in lobbing a 14lb ball down a 60 foot lane again and again and again - mostly knocking all the pins down after two attempts.
Tonight's match was my first in five weeks, meaning I had renewed delusions of adding more strikes to my solid spare game for some big scores. If you can spare (or better) every frame you're looking at a score around 190 - add some consecutive strikes to that and 200 games are the result. For various discouraging reasons, I finished 2011 stuck on a dire loop of not managing more than 1 strike in a row. Early days for 2012, but the loop continues...
The format for the Tuesday league is quads, and whatever team I play for tends to gravitate towards the bottom. It's not even amusing any more - every week the opposition play above their averages, and we play at or mildly above our own. My average from 8 weeks (24 games) was 170.48 before tonight, and I shot 162 198 152 for 512 (170.67 avg) - and I was the lowest scorer on our team. But we still lost 2-6. If it weren't for the social side of the game I'd have cut my losses by now; losing with friends and having a laugh regardless keeps me coming back for more. Whilst I'm there I may as well try and score high, and the only negative of the night was, again, failing to hit strikes - 7 in total is nowhere near enough. 5 open frames (2 in the first game, 3 in the third) isn't bad - mostly caused by a poor first shot. 18 spares is what keeps my average near to 170, and although I'd like it to be higher, it could be worse.
Injuries: Could do with a rest
Mood: Philosophical
The week of sport continues with more football action tomorrow night, and a few hours either side to "chill out" at home as well. Time to sleep.
Total Distance Run for January: 30.22 miles
Other Exercise: Tenpin Bowling (Team Syzygy - 30 minutes)
One of my self-imposed "conditions" for Janathon was that tenpin bowling constituted exercise. The drive to Heathrow, almost-inevitable loss, and drive home (after dinner) takes up almost 5 hours - and I'm knackered enough after all that without squeezing in a fairly pointless mile of jogging earlier in the day. Besides, whilst it doesn't leave you breathless, there's a certain amount of exertion involved in lobbing a 14lb ball down a 60 foot lane again and again and again - mostly knocking all the pins down after two attempts.
Tonight's match was my first in five weeks, meaning I had renewed delusions of adding more strikes to my solid spare game for some big scores. If you can spare (or better) every frame you're looking at a score around 190 - add some consecutive strikes to that and 200 games are the result. For various discouraging reasons, I finished 2011 stuck on a dire loop of not managing more than 1 strike in a row. Early days for 2012, but the loop continues...
The format for the Tuesday league is quads, and whatever team I play for tends to gravitate towards the bottom. It's not even amusing any more - every week the opposition play above their averages, and we play at or mildly above our own. My average from 8 weeks (24 games) was 170.48 before tonight, and I shot 162 198 152 for 512 (170.67 avg) - and I was the lowest scorer on our team. But we still lost 2-6. If it weren't for the social side of the game I'd have cut my losses by now; losing with friends and having a laugh regardless keeps me coming back for more. Whilst I'm there I may as well try and score high, and the only negative of the night was, again, failing to hit strikes - 7 in total is nowhere near enough. 5 open frames (2 in the first game, 3 in the third) isn't bad - mostly caused by a poor first shot. 18 spares is what keeps my average near to 170, and although I'd like it to be higher, it could be worse.
Injuries: Could do with a rest
Mood: Philosophical
The week of sport continues with more football action tomorrow night, and a few hours either side to "chill out" at home as well. Time to sleep.
Monday 16 January 2012
Day 16
Distance Run: None
Total Distance Run for January: 30.22 miles
Other Exercise: Football (Five-a-side for Barcelogilvy - 20 minutes)
Today there would be only one event worth blogging about - glory or despair on the artificial turf of a school nr Edgware Road. Having been drafted into the five-a-side team of the company Ogilvy, through my school mate James Duggan (or as I've always called him - Duggan) in September, results have generally improved. The team stopped losing (most of its) games, and won actually won promotion last season with a 2nd place finish (of 5 teams) in Division 2. It turned out that the promotion was meaningless, as the 9 teams which wished to continue for another season were combined to form a round-robin Championship of 8 games each. A top 4 finish was required to participate in the title play-offs. Continuing our good form, Barcelogilvy (a mildly witty name, albeit utterly inaccurate in its inference) won 5 of the first 7 to secure a top 4 berth, and played Pensioners in the last fixture hoping to secure 2nd place. In a generally disjointed showing we lost 1-5, finished 4th, and had to face Gazprom in the SF. Although we'd beaten them 2-1 in the round-robin, form suggested we would struggle.
After the Christmas break, I was keen to play a part in the team's quest for glory - but the latest virus left me feeling like more of a liability (see last week's blog), so I stayed at home (and ran instead). That meant I failed to witness the debut of Ogilvy's 2012 work-placement addition/signing Gabriel - a young Argentinian with a footballing pedigree. Duggan had suggested he'd make his debut in a "more hope than expectation" roll of the dice. I got a text later that evening to confirm the team won 5-2, and Gabriel had bagged all 5 goals...
Hence tonight, and a rematch with Pensioners (who won their SF on penalties after a 4-4 draw), to play for the title or bemoan what could've been. Seven players attended, and Gabriel's welcome addition meant I dropped to the bench following a team warm-up. A solid 2-1-1 formation with an emphasis on the direct/long-ball style was still the aim, but with Paul playing behind Gabriel the goal threat had increased significantly. Duggan is the goalkeeping stalwart of the side, and his first save (the ball sticking between his legs - thankfully) was to be the first of many top-drawer stops. The opening goal, predictably by Gabriel, was scored roughly 7 minutes in - pouncing on a poor clearance from the goalkeeper, making space on his right foot with a sure touch before driving the ball across into the left far side of the goal. I subbed on for Paul after 12 mins, and attempted (generally in vain) to link with the mercurial wonderkid from an unfamiliar midfield role. I am much more comfortable (and useful) playing deep in defence, sabotaging the opposition attacks - not so hot being a potent attacking force and judging when to press and when to defend zonally when I can't see who's doing what behind me. My main contribution for the first half was to get out of Gabriel's way as he controlled a high ball with his back to goal, turned in my direction with the ball dropping slowly from his second touch, and planting his right foot right through it to score in the exact same spot as his first - 2-0! I had a great view of both goals, and he made them look much easier than they were. One hand on the trophy...
For the second half, I swapped again with Paul - the plan being to replicate the first half (I'm more solid defending, which would be increasingly useful to close the game out). The other sub, Craig, was admittedly the weakest player on offer, so he was consigned to the "get a few minutes at the end" spot. A few minutes into the half and the plan changed - Paul took a nasty knock to his leg, and I re-entered the fray. The confusion of my role continued - do I man-mark a player, press the ball wherever it is, or guard the centre of the pitch - or do all the above whilst baking a cake? I put in plenty of effort (and felt my lack of high-intensity fitness take its toll), and helped preserve the 2-0 lead, even managing to link up with Gabriel (who had predictably drawn the aggressive attention of the opposition). My two main contributions were undoubtedly:
1: Blocking one of the opposition's cannonball powerdrives from distance with my groin (not through choice) - nobody drew any pleasure from that (least of all me)
2: Actually displaying "skill", "technique" and "ability" for a brief few seconds. With Duggan increasingly busy, and Gabriel increasingly marked, I was increasingly used as the out-ball. I ran from the centre of the pitch to the right wing, back to goal, and controlled a throw from Duggan with the outside of my right foot, about a yard from the sideline. A defender was at my back, and Gabriel was marked somewhere to my right - out of sight. I formed an ambitious plan in my head, and put it into action. Dragging the ball slightly inside, I feinted to my right (suggesting I'd cut infield to link up wth the dangerman), only to drag the ball behind me with my left foot and accelerate up the line. I knew this would leave me facing an unfavourably tight angle at goal at best, but it succeeded in giving me a yard of space from the (utterly bamboozled by my dazzling skillz) defender. An effort on goal was obligatory, and I struck a low blow at goal, on target, but sadly straight at the keeper's legs - the ball rebounding back to me from a more acute angle, and rather than take the throw-in I fired a second shot which, if it hadn't been caught, would've threatened the school's 1st floor windows.
With 6 minutes remaining I subbed off for the recovered Paul, who demonstrated his effectiveness at holding up the ball with Gabriel tiring. Still leading 2-0, and with Pensioners firing shots off whenever possible, Craig came on for Gabriel at the 4 minute mark. I felt sorry for Craig, in that he was left with a thankless task of playing as a striker (which he isn't) and being expected to do several different jobs in the face of a Pensioner barrage. Having made several superb saves, Duggan's goal was breached with 3 minutes left - and the onslaught only increased from then on. More shots resulted in corners and throws, several scrappy 50/50 challenges with the ball rolling agonisingly towards the D for an opposition strike....Duggan saves again! With just under a minute to play, the Pensioners did score a second - but it was ruled out for entering the goalkeepers area. There was still time for a free-kick right on the edge, another cracking save, and Craig to almost score a winner, before the final whistle finally blew. No penalty shoot-out required - Barcelogilvy had defied the odds to be crowned the Marylebone 5-a-side Monday night Champions!
The man of the match award was a tight call, but Duggan edged it over Gabriel. The consolation for the youngster was that his 7 goals in 2 games made him the team's top scorer - not bad when he'd missed the 8 game round-robin season! Victory pints and pizza at the local pub followed as we reminisced over our unlikely path to silverware (trophy pending: The ref didn't have it with him for some reason) whilst watching Man City win 1-0 at Wigan. I've now savoured glory with two of my three teams, and as the Wednesday boys have (albeit once) managed a win - it doesn't get any better than this!
Injuries: I feel good!
Mood: Champion
Tomorrow I return to the bowling lanes for my first games of 2012. Out of nowhere, I began 2007's bowling with 9 strikes and a 267 game. I remember it well, but lightning doesn't strike twice. Or does it?
Total Distance Run for January: 30.22 miles
Other Exercise: Football (Five-a-side for Barcelogilvy - 20 minutes)
Today there would be only one event worth blogging about - glory or despair on the artificial turf of a school nr Edgware Road. Having been drafted into the five-a-side team of the company Ogilvy, through my school mate James Duggan (or as I've always called him - Duggan) in September, results have generally improved. The team stopped losing (most of its) games, and won actually won promotion last season with a 2nd place finish (of 5 teams) in Division 2. It turned out that the promotion was meaningless, as the 9 teams which wished to continue for another season were combined to form a round-robin Championship of 8 games each. A top 4 finish was required to participate in the title play-offs. Continuing our good form, Barcelogilvy (a mildly witty name, albeit utterly inaccurate in its inference) won 5 of the first 7 to secure a top 4 berth, and played Pensioners in the last fixture hoping to secure 2nd place. In a generally disjointed showing we lost 1-5, finished 4th, and had to face Gazprom in the SF. Although we'd beaten them 2-1 in the round-robin, form suggested we would struggle.
After the Christmas break, I was keen to play a part in the team's quest for glory - but the latest virus left me feeling like more of a liability (see last week's blog), so I stayed at home (and ran instead). That meant I failed to witness the debut of Ogilvy's 2012 work-placement addition/signing Gabriel - a young Argentinian with a footballing pedigree. Duggan had suggested he'd make his debut in a "more hope than expectation" roll of the dice. I got a text later that evening to confirm the team won 5-2, and Gabriel had bagged all 5 goals...
Hence tonight, and a rematch with Pensioners (who won their SF on penalties after a 4-4 draw), to play for the title or bemoan what could've been. Seven players attended, and Gabriel's welcome addition meant I dropped to the bench following a team warm-up. A solid 2-1-1 formation with an emphasis on the direct/long-ball style was still the aim, but with Paul playing behind Gabriel the goal threat had increased significantly. Duggan is the goalkeeping stalwart of the side, and his first save (the ball sticking between his legs - thankfully) was to be the first of many top-drawer stops. The opening goal, predictably by Gabriel, was scored roughly 7 minutes in - pouncing on a poor clearance from the goalkeeper, making space on his right foot with a sure touch before driving the ball across into the left far side of the goal. I subbed on for Paul after 12 mins, and attempted (generally in vain) to link with the mercurial wonderkid from an unfamiliar midfield role. I am much more comfortable (and useful) playing deep in defence, sabotaging the opposition attacks - not so hot being a potent attacking force and judging when to press and when to defend zonally when I can't see who's doing what behind me. My main contribution for the first half was to get out of Gabriel's way as he controlled a high ball with his back to goal, turned in my direction with the ball dropping slowly from his second touch, and planting his right foot right through it to score in the exact same spot as his first - 2-0! I had a great view of both goals, and he made them look much easier than they were. One hand on the trophy...
For the second half, I swapped again with Paul - the plan being to replicate the first half (I'm more solid defending, which would be increasingly useful to close the game out). The other sub, Craig, was admittedly the weakest player on offer, so he was consigned to the "get a few minutes at the end" spot. A few minutes into the half and the plan changed - Paul took a nasty knock to his leg, and I re-entered the fray. The confusion of my role continued - do I man-mark a player, press the ball wherever it is, or guard the centre of the pitch - or do all the above whilst baking a cake? I put in plenty of effort (and felt my lack of high-intensity fitness take its toll), and helped preserve the 2-0 lead, even managing to link up with Gabriel (who had predictably drawn the aggressive attention of the opposition). My two main contributions were undoubtedly:
1: Blocking one of the opposition's cannonball powerdrives from distance with my groin (not through choice) - nobody drew any pleasure from that (least of all me)
2: Actually displaying "skill", "technique" and "ability" for a brief few seconds. With Duggan increasingly busy, and Gabriel increasingly marked, I was increasingly used as the out-ball. I ran from the centre of the pitch to the right wing, back to goal, and controlled a throw from Duggan with the outside of my right foot, about a yard from the sideline. A defender was at my back, and Gabriel was marked somewhere to my right - out of sight. I formed an ambitious plan in my head, and put it into action. Dragging the ball slightly inside, I feinted to my right (suggesting I'd cut infield to link up wth the dangerman), only to drag the ball behind me with my left foot and accelerate up the line. I knew this would leave me facing an unfavourably tight angle at goal at best, but it succeeded in giving me a yard of space from the (utterly bamboozled by my dazzling skillz) defender. An effort on goal was obligatory, and I struck a low blow at goal, on target, but sadly straight at the keeper's legs - the ball rebounding back to me from a more acute angle, and rather than take the throw-in I fired a second shot which, if it hadn't been caught, would've threatened the school's 1st floor windows.
With 6 minutes remaining I subbed off for the recovered Paul, who demonstrated his effectiveness at holding up the ball with Gabriel tiring. Still leading 2-0, and with Pensioners firing shots off whenever possible, Craig came on for Gabriel at the 4 minute mark. I felt sorry for Craig, in that he was left with a thankless task of playing as a striker (which he isn't) and being expected to do several different jobs in the face of a Pensioner barrage. Having made several superb saves, Duggan's goal was breached with 3 minutes left - and the onslaught only increased from then on. More shots resulted in corners and throws, several scrappy 50/50 challenges with the ball rolling agonisingly towards the D for an opposition strike....Duggan saves again! With just under a minute to play, the Pensioners did score a second - but it was ruled out for entering the goalkeepers area. There was still time for a free-kick right on the edge, another cracking save, and Craig to almost score a winner, before the final whistle finally blew. No penalty shoot-out required - Barcelogilvy had defied the odds to be crowned the Marylebone 5-a-side Monday night Champions!
The man of the match award was a tight call, but Duggan edged it over Gabriel. The consolation for the youngster was that his 7 goals in 2 games made him the team's top scorer - not bad when he'd missed the 8 game round-robin season! Victory pints and pizza at the local pub followed as we reminisced over our unlikely path to silverware (trophy pending: The ref didn't have it with him for some reason) whilst watching Man City win 1-0 at Wigan. I've now savoured glory with two of my three teams, and as the Wednesday boys have (albeit once) managed a win - it doesn't get any better than this!
Injuries: I feel good!
Mood: Champion
Tomorrow I return to the bowling lanes for my first games of 2012. Out of nowhere, I began 2007's bowling with 9 strikes and a 267 game. I remember it well, but lightning doesn't strike twice. Or does it?
Sunday 15 January 2012
Day 15
Distance Run: None
Total Distance Run for January: 30.22 miles
Other Exercise: Wii Fit Plus - 20 minutes
I left the exercise until late today, following the football and darts instead until plugging Wii Fit back in. I added 10 more jacknifes to the routine, and had my first go in ages on the press-ups & sidestands - just the 6, which went ok, but I won't step up until 10 for a few tries yet. My weight is sticking around 10st 8lb - 10st 10lb, and that's fine for now. Happily, there are no real adverse effects from the run yesterday to worry about, so the icepack can remain in the freezer.
With tidying gathering some form of momentum, I allowed myself to purchase some new clutter in the form of astroturf football boots, from the local Sports Direct. Knowing virtually nothing about "what the cool kids buy these days", I'd asked my brother what he had, glossed over his warning that they wear out rather quickly, and opted for some Adidas adi5 boots - of the fluorescent yellow variety - size 8 1/2. Will they increase my foothold on the 4G surface whilst goalkeeping? Possibly. Will they make me look like more of a twat? Certainly. I am in need of a pair though for playing in defence/midfield, which is set to happen tomorrow at Edgware Road. The Monday night team, with help of a star work experience lad, won the semi-final 4-2 to clinch a place in the league final tomorrow night. Whether I play the full game or as a sub, it'll be a worthwhile trip to be involved. The omens aren't too good - of the 4 appearances I've made this season the team have lost 3, and have somehow won all the 5 games I've missed. If ever stats were shown to be useless it's right there. My one comfort was playing in at least one victory - a heroic shift the day after my half-marathon in October as nobody else could play, with me barely staying upright by the end as we held on for a 2-1 win. I hope my stunning new boots can debut in a similar victory, which can be followed by some victory pints afterwards!
Injuries: Minor soreness in right calf and ankle, but thankfully not in the achilles
Mood: Well-rested
With a first crack at tenpin bowling for 2012 lined up for Tue, and football on Wed and Thu, it's set to be an exciting week of sporting action. Let battle commence!
Total Distance Run for January: 30.22 miles
Other Exercise: Wii Fit Plus - 20 minutes
I left the exercise until late today, following the football and darts instead until plugging Wii Fit back in. I added 10 more jacknifes to the routine, and had my first go in ages on the press-ups & sidestands - just the 6, which went ok, but I won't step up until 10 for a few tries yet. My weight is sticking around 10st 8lb - 10st 10lb, and that's fine for now. Happily, there are no real adverse effects from the run yesterday to worry about, so the icepack can remain in the freezer.
With tidying gathering some form of momentum, I allowed myself to purchase some new clutter in the form of astroturf football boots, from the local Sports Direct. Knowing virtually nothing about "what the cool kids buy these days", I'd asked my brother what he had, glossed over his warning that they wear out rather quickly, and opted for some Adidas adi5 boots - of the fluorescent yellow variety - size 8 1/2. Will they increase my foothold on the 4G surface whilst goalkeeping? Possibly. Will they make me look like more of a twat? Certainly. I am in need of a pair though for playing in defence/midfield, which is set to happen tomorrow at Edgware Road. The Monday night team, with help of a star work experience lad, won the semi-final 4-2 to clinch a place in the league final tomorrow night. Whether I play the full game or as a sub, it'll be a worthwhile trip to be involved. The omens aren't too good - of the 4 appearances I've made this season the team have lost 3, and have somehow won all the 5 games I've missed. If ever stats were shown to be useless it's right there. My one comfort was playing in at least one victory - a heroic shift the day after my half-marathon in October as nobody else could play, with me barely staying upright by the end as we held on for a 2-1 win. I hope my stunning new boots can debut in a similar victory, which can be followed by some victory pints afterwards!
Injuries: Minor soreness in right calf and ankle, but thankfully not in the achilles
Mood: Well-rested
With a first crack at tenpin bowling for 2012 lined up for Tue, and football on Wed and Thu, it's set to be an exciting week of sporting action. Let battle commence!
Saturday 14 January 2012
Day 14
Distance Run: 8.5 miles
Total Distance Run for January: 30.22 miles
Other Exercise: None
I opted for The Big Bang Theory in the end - reluctantly stopping after watching episodes 9-11 for the first time. Far too funny! Plenty of sleep followed, before the preparation began for today's visit of Helen H and distance run. My room required a vacuum, not least because the carpet had accumulated enough of the small, black rubber pellets sprinkled on astroturf football pitches to create a set of tyres. The ongoing life clearout processs of junk/clothes was made to look remotely respectable, meaning several piles of books, gadgets and clothes in a form of organised chaos were transformed into structured randomness. With everything then prepped for "suitable guest welcoming", I was only a few minutes late in picking Helen up from the local station...
Following arrival, and a swift tour, we checked and agreed upon our running route for the afternoon. With Helen not training for any particular race (lucky her...) atm, and with her sporadic training interrupted by a skiing holiday (very lucky her...), it was anticipated that she wouldn't managed 8-9 miles. Our last run together was in mid-December around Battersea, and whilst I completed the 8 mile course she'd suffered enough at 7.5m. For Battersea, an early finish is no bother - we tend to run circuited loops which allow for early finishes. For my running around Enfield, however, living on top of a hill with nowhere especially convenient to rendez-vous, a solution was required. I proposed running one of my distance routes backwards (as in clockwise - pretty much every run I do is anti-clockwise for some reason), which meant running to Edmonton Green via the Hertford Road for the first 4.8 miles. After that, we'd be following the W8 bus route back through Enfield Town to my territory, with the "emergency rendez-vous" point being the stop just after the Holly Bush roundabout (8.5 miles). Plan accepted, we set off with Helen deciding the pace - which felt comfortably slow. The football hadn't kicked off yet, meaning I was obliged to engage in actual conversation for a few miles (interspersed with award-winning tourguide commentary, centering mainly on where recent reports of knife-attacks had taken place). My multi-tasking abilities meant I was able to maintain focus on my running form - no overstriding, forefoot landing and no pain or acheyness to worry about. Although the pace was slow, Helen showed signs of fatigue before we reached Edmonton Green, and soon after stated her goal was to get through 60 minutes/6 miles. This she achieved, just after the tour had taken in my old primary and secondary school and former house. A bus stop on Church Street was her reward, as I set about increasing my pace to both challenge my lungs but also "beat the bus" to the rendezvous point 2.5 miles away. With a W8 having recently passed us, and several traffic lights and obligatory stops along the way, I felt there was a remote chance of "winning" the battle - and the longer I went without seeing a big red vehicle over my shoulder, the more confident I became. My body felt fine too, and I bounded on through Enfield Town's myriad of shoppers, past the Nando's (reluctantly), and off down Baker Street. Glances behind still brought no sight of a bus, and in a slightly confused state I began to seek acceptable methods of sabotage to improve my odds of victory (unfortunately a zebra crossing doesn't have a button which can hold up traffic for a few vital seconds). Striding past the final set of traffic lights, with about 2/3 of a mile to go, I was past the bus's last major obstacle still in the clear. I briefly considered the prospect of Helen still being stuck at the stop waiting, chuckled evilly, and powered on - turning left onto Lancaster Road and the 700m home straight. There were two stops prior to the target, and with nobody waiting to get on at the first my brow furrowed. Approaching the second and disaster - passengers waiting stepped up ready to board! Short of running down the road to block the bus's path, my race was over...except it wasn't a W8 but a 191! Three more roads junctions had to be negotiated, but the finishing line was in sight - a surge of speed that I can only dream of being Mo Farah-esque took me closer still. The football scores on the radio had been white noise for some time, and dodging past several of the Holly Bush punters enjoying a half-time fag, I made it across the zebra crossing and up the final yards to the bus stop! Dan 1 TFL 0! No sooner had I caught my breath and sat down, but I saw a bus approach the roundabout - unofficial victory time of 28 seconds. Helen was thankfully on board, moaned slightly about a long wait for a bus, but we were both pleased with our afternoon's efforts.
Neither of us had anything planned for the rest of the day, and I found a convenient excuse not to expose my lack of cooking ability (for now) by suggesting Nando's as a post-race meal. Helen was keen to oblige, and only made five references to my reknowned slow-eating throughout the course of our (lengthy) dining session. Last Saturday's inagural "quadruple C classic" was then usurped with the "quintuple C feast", as gooey caramel cheesecake was added to the order. As post-race meals go, it was tops - although I'm a huge fan of Helen's Battersea-based pasta concoctions of course. Post-dinner, a difficult decision needed to be made - which pub? The George is almost adjacent to Nando's, but it (definitely, never, ever) didn't meet Helen's request for "an old man's pub". Enfield's more quiet venues were a short drive away, but as The George appeared quite empty we frequented it anyway...and having not been in there for several years, it wasn't that bad at 7:30. A quite table was found, and if you ignore the music which was sporadically blaring out of the speakers, and the suitably odd patrons at nearby tables, or the odd occurances in the ladies toilets (note: I did not experience those first-hand), it wasn't the worst decision ever made to stay there. By the time Helen began her train journey home, the pub (with an increase in bouncer numbers) was starting to heave with Enfield's less upmarket clientele - good timing all round. With Liverpool having failed to score/win at Anfield once again, I declined MotD and did some more tidying instead.
Injuries: A few aches, but otherwise unscathed
Mood: Happy
Tomorrow brings nothing of interest, but I could do with buying some astroturf football boots ahead of this week's matches.
Total Distance Run for January: 30.22 miles
Other Exercise: None
I opted for The Big Bang Theory in the end - reluctantly stopping after watching episodes 9-11 for the first time. Far too funny! Plenty of sleep followed, before the preparation began for today's visit of Helen H and distance run. My room required a vacuum, not least because the carpet had accumulated enough of the small, black rubber pellets sprinkled on astroturf football pitches to create a set of tyres. The ongoing life clearout processs of junk/clothes was made to look remotely respectable, meaning several piles of books, gadgets and clothes in a form of organised chaos were transformed into structured randomness. With everything then prepped for "suitable guest welcoming", I was only a few minutes late in picking Helen up from the local station...
Following arrival, and a swift tour, we checked and agreed upon our running route for the afternoon. With Helen not training for any particular race (lucky her...) atm, and with her sporadic training interrupted by a skiing holiday (very lucky her...), it was anticipated that she wouldn't managed 8-9 miles. Our last run together was in mid-December around Battersea, and whilst I completed the 8 mile course she'd suffered enough at 7.5m. For Battersea, an early finish is no bother - we tend to run circuited loops which allow for early finishes. For my running around Enfield, however, living on top of a hill with nowhere especially convenient to rendez-vous, a solution was required. I proposed running one of my distance routes backwards (as in clockwise - pretty much every run I do is anti-clockwise for some reason), which meant running to Edmonton Green via the Hertford Road for the first 4.8 miles. After that, we'd be following the W8 bus route back through Enfield Town to my territory, with the "emergency rendez-vous" point being the stop just after the Holly Bush roundabout (8.5 miles). Plan accepted, we set off with Helen deciding the pace - which felt comfortably slow. The football hadn't kicked off yet, meaning I was obliged to engage in actual conversation for a few miles (interspersed with award-winning tourguide commentary, centering mainly on where recent reports of knife-attacks had taken place). My multi-tasking abilities meant I was able to maintain focus on my running form - no overstriding, forefoot landing and no pain or acheyness to worry about. Although the pace was slow, Helen showed signs of fatigue before we reached Edmonton Green, and soon after stated her goal was to get through 60 minutes/6 miles. This she achieved, just after the tour had taken in my old primary and secondary school and former house. A bus stop on Church Street was her reward, as I set about increasing my pace to both challenge my lungs but also "beat the bus" to the rendezvous point 2.5 miles away. With a W8 having recently passed us, and several traffic lights and obligatory stops along the way, I felt there was a remote chance of "winning" the battle - and the longer I went without seeing a big red vehicle over my shoulder, the more confident I became. My body felt fine too, and I bounded on through Enfield Town's myriad of shoppers, past the Nando's (reluctantly), and off down Baker Street. Glances behind still brought no sight of a bus, and in a slightly confused state I began to seek acceptable methods of sabotage to improve my odds of victory (unfortunately a zebra crossing doesn't have a button which can hold up traffic for a few vital seconds). Striding past the final set of traffic lights, with about 2/3 of a mile to go, I was past the bus's last major obstacle still in the clear. I briefly considered the prospect of Helen still being stuck at the stop waiting, chuckled evilly, and powered on - turning left onto Lancaster Road and the 700m home straight. There were two stops prior to the target, and with nobody waiting to get on at the first my brow furrowed. Approaching the second and disaster - passengers waiting stepped up ready to board! Short of running down the road to block the bus's path, my race was over...except it wasn't a W8 but a 191! Three more roads junctions had to be negotiated, but the finishing line was in sight - a surge of speed that I can only dream of being Mo Farah-esque took me closer still. The football scores on the radio had been white noise for some time, and dodging past several of the Holly Bush punters enjoying a half-time fag, I made it across the zebra crossing and up the final yards to the bus stop! Dan 1 TFL 0! No sooner had I caught my breath and sat down, but I saw a bus approach the roundabout - unofficial victory time of 28 seconds. Helen was thankfully on board, moaned slightly about a long wait for a bus, but we were both pleased with our afternoon's efforts.
Neither of us had anything planned for the rest of the day, and I found a convenient excuse not to expose my lack of cooking ability (for now) by suggesting Nando's as a post-race meal. Helen was keen to oblige, and only made five references to my reknowned slow-eating throughout the course of our (lengthy) dining session. Last Saturday's inagural "quadruple C classic" was then usurped with the "quintuple C feast", as gooey caramel cheesecake was added to the order. As post-race meals go, it was tops - although I'm a huge fan of Helen's Battersea-based pasta concoctions of course. Post-dinner, a difficult decision needed to be made - which pub? The George is almost adjacent to Nando's, but it (definitely, never, ever) didn't meet Helen's request for "an old man's pub". Enfield's more quiet venues were a short drive away, but as The George appeared quite empty we frequented it anyway...and having not been in there for several years, it wasn't that bad at 7:30. A quite table was found, and if you ignore the music which was sporadically blaring out of the speakers, and the suitably odd patrons at nearby tables, or the odd occurances in the ladies toilets (note: I did not experience those first-hand), it wasn't the worst decision ever made to stay there. By the time Helen began her train journey home, the pub (with an increase in bouncer numbers) was starting to heave with Enfield's less upmarket clientele - good timing all round. With Liverpool having failed to score/win at Anfield once again, I declined MotD and did some more tidying instead.
Injuries: A few aches, but otherwise unscathed
Mood: Happy
Tomorrow brings nothing of interest, but I could do with buying some astroturf football boots ahead of this week's matches.
Friday 13 January 2012
Day 13
Distance Run: None
Total Distance Run for January: 21.72 miles
Other Exercise: Wii Fit Plus - 22 minutes
Sometimes it's just nice to chill out in peace. If I've nothing planned for a Friday night I'm usually tetchy, wishing I had arranged a sociable option rather than leave it to the last minute. Not this week. No running, no socialising, no football/sport on tv to watch, nothing to stress over....aaaaaah. It's not been a difficult week, mildly above average I'd say, but a few hours of restful sloth are most welcome.
I've arranged to run around Enfield with Helen H tomorrow afternoon, and have an 8-9 mile route tentatively plotted. This will be my first Enfield based run with any company, and should be more enjoyable than usual as a result. I do like a solo run with the radio on, but variety is most welcome. It also allows me to listen to the football scores throughout, and shout out the goals as and when they happen (Helen H is actually interested in such things...), which looks considerably less odd when I'm not running solo. It's already looking like I'll be playing football on Mon, Wed and Thu next week, and I'm waiting to hear about tenpin bowling on Tue, so if I get my running total up to 30+ tomorrow it may be stuck there for a while.
Back to the present though, and a solid Wii Fit session kept up my daily exercise routine. I think my core strength is coming back, and 100 jacknifes (without doing myself any damage) to end the month remains attainable. A plank test will be tried then as well. I'm pondering two other fitness goals as well; I'd like to boost my sprint fitness (which has diminished through lack of practice in recent months, thanks to ill health), so I can last longer in a five-a-side game where I'm not goalkeeping. I'd also like to recommence work on my long-term target of 100 consecutive press-ups - which I've never done (I got up to the high 70's a few years back). I was near 50 last May, before wrenching something in my right shoulder whilst failing to catch a cricket ball - which made press-ups unbearable. It feels ok now, and some additional upper-body strength would be useful too. I like to have things to aim for, and some more physical self-improvement will hopefully translate into increased sporting prowess. Hopefully.
Injuries: Quite achey, but otherwise fine
Mood: Chilled
My only remaining decision for tonight is whether to continue watching The Big Bang Theory Season 4 DVD, or resume Frasier Season 1 of the DVD boxset I bought myself for Christmas. Either way I'll be happy.
Total Distance Run for January: 21.72 miles
Other Exercise: Wii Fit Plus - 22 minutes
Sometimes it's just nice to chill out in peace. If I've nothing planned for a Friday night I'm usually tetchy, wishing I had arranged a sociable option rather than leave it to the last minute. Not this week. No running, no socialising, no football/sport on tv to watch, nothing to stress over....aaaaaah. It's not been a difficult week, mildly above average I'd say, but a few hours of restful sloth are most welcome.
I've arranged to run around Enfield with Helen H tomorrow afternoon, and have an 8-9 mile route tentatively plotted. This will be my first Enfield based run with any company, and should be more enjoyable than usual as a result. I do like a solo run with the radio on, but variety is most welcome. It also allows me to listen to the football scores throughout, and shout out the goals as and when they happen (Helen H is actually interested in such things...), which looks considerably less odd when I'm not running solo. It's already looking like I'll be playing football on Mon, Wed and Thu next week, and I'm waiting to hear about tenpin bowling on Tue, so if I get my running total up to 30+ tomorrow it may be stuck there for a while.
Back to the present though, and a solid Wii Fit session kept up my daily exercise routine. I think my core strength is coming back, and 100 jacknifes (without doing myself any damage) to end the month remains attainable. A plank test will be tried then as well. I'm pondering two other fitness goals as well; I'd like to boost my sprint fitness (which has diminished through lack of practice in recent months, thanks to ill health), so I can last longer in a five-a-side game where I'm not goalkeeping. I'd also like to recommence work on my long-term target of 100 consecutive press-ups - which I've never done (I got up to the high 70's a few years back). I was near 50 last May, before wrenching something in my right shoulder whilst failing to catch a cricket ball - which made press-ups unbearable. It feels ok now, and some additional upper-body strength would be useful too. I like to have things to aim for, and some more physical self-improvement will hopefully translate into increased sporting prowess. Hopefully.
Injuries: Quite achey, but otherwise fine
Mood: Chilled
My only remaining decision for tonight is whether to continue watching The Big Bang Theory Season 4 DVD, or resume Frasier Season 1 of the DVD boxset I bought myself for Christmas. Either way I'll be happy.
Thursday 12 January 2012
Day 12
Distance Run: None
Total Distance Run for January: 21.72 miles
Other Exercise: Football (Five-a-side goalkeeping for Haringey Yacht Club - 50 minutes)
I'm struggling to find a way to make this blog entry vaguely entertaining. Football was as depressing a 7-4 victory as you can get. Firstly, it was a friendly as the league opposition cried off. That meant we were awarded another 10-0 win, but a game against strangers with nothing at stake isn't the same. Secondly, we utterly dominated the first half only to be 1-1 at HT - not the first time we've failed to make our dominance count, with the goalkeeper playing well (I couldn't do much with the one I conceded mind). That moves me on to thirdly - their keeper suffered a serious injury which none of us saw. Not a clue what it was, but he could put no weight on his right leg - which suggested it wasn't just a minor muscle injury. After he was carried off the pitch it was hard to maintain any motivation, which leads onto fourthly - we let the opposition (with a defender in goal) back in the game from 4-1 to 4-4, despite my shouting increasing with each rubbish goal conceded. Whilst we secured another win (21 out of 23 since early August now), nobody left the field satisfied. Better will be required next week.
As intended, I joined Simon for the pub quiz after the match. It sounded like the quiz was a bit difficult last week, so this may have been reflected in the piss-easy questions we (mainly) got instantly correct. A few we got wrong were "What is auctioned at "Tattersalls"?" and "Who did Madonna marry in 1985 (we both remembered the latter once we heard the name). We dropped 5 points on the Wales-themed round, and several on the picture round (every answer began with J), and thought we had 41/60 in the end. Either we couldn't add or we were harshly marked, but our "official" score was 39 - second-to-last scored 42 anyway but pride was at stake (the winners got 52). Our humiliation was compounded with a go on Play Your Cards Right ("lower than an 8....oh dear, it's another 8") and missing out on the cash round of Deal or No Deal on the quiz machine by 1 question (which was effectively a 50/50 choice after I ruled out 1 answer). Aaaaargh!
Injuries: Left elbow (did something to it at football yest it would seem) and lessening leg soreness
Mood: Irritated
At least there's only one more day of filing/preparing tax returns before the weekend. Exercise plans to be sorted out, but the running total should be near 30 by Sunday night.
Total Distance Run for January: 21.72 miles
Other Exercise: Football (Five-a-side goalkeeping for Haringey Yacht Club - 50 minutes)
I'm struggling to find a way to make this blog entry vaguely entertaining. Football was as depressing a 7-4 victory as you can get. Firstly, it was a friendly as the league opposition cried off. That meant we were awarded another 10-0 win, but a game against strangers with nothing at stake isn't the same. Secondly, we utterly dominated the first half only to be 1-1 at HT - not the first time we've failed to make our dominance count, with the goalkeeper playing well (I couldn't do much with the one I conceded mind). That moves me on to thirdly - their keeper suffered a serious injury which none of us saw. Not a clue what it was, but he could put no weight on his right leg - which suggested it wasn't just a minor muscle injury. After he was carried off the pitch it was hard to maintain any motivation, which leads onto fourthly - we let the opposition (with a defender in goal) back in the game from 4-1 to 4-4, despite my shouting increasing with each rubbish goal conceded. Whilst we secured another win (21 out of 23 since early August now), nobody left the field satisfied. Better will be required next week.
As intended, I joined Simon for the pub quiz after the match. It sounded like the quiz was a bit difficult last week, so this may have been reflected in the piss-easy questions we (mainly) got instantly correct. A few we got wrong were "What is auctioned at "Tattersalls"?" and "Who did Madonna marry in 1985 (we both remembered the latter once we heard the name). We dropped 5 points on the Wales-themed round, and several on the picture round (every answer began with J), and thought we had 41/60 in the end. Either we couldn't add or we were harshly marked, but our "official" score was 39 - second-to-last scored 42 anyway but pride was at stake (the winners got 52). Our humiliation was compounded with a go on Play Your Cards Right ("lower than an 8....oh dear, it's another 8") and missing out on the cash round of Deal or No Deal on the quiz machine by 1 question (which was effectively a 50/50 choice after I ruled out 1 answer). Aaaaargh!
Injuries: Left elbow (did something to it at football yest it would seem) and lessening leg soreness
Mood: Irritated
At least there's only one more day of filing/preparing tax returns before the weekend. Exercise plans to be sorted out, but the running total should be near 30 by Sunday night.
Wednesday 11 January 2012
Day 11
Distance Run: None
Total Distance Run for January: 21.72 miles
Other Exercise: Football (Five-a-side for Real Unfit - 38 minutes)
Pressed for time tonight, but I don't have an awful lot to blog about anyway. I enjoyed watching Liverpool take a 1-0 lead into HT against a very ineffective Man City team, before making my way to Hatfield for the new Wednesday night season. We had some players leave and join the squad, and a game against a side who had just relegated to our division was a tough start. I stretched my achey muscles and felt fine to play, but didn't have the best of games in goal - we were 3-5 down at HT and eventually lost 3-8 (I came out to play in defence for the last 10 minutes at 3-7, defended ok but room for improvement there as well). Frustrating as I'd have expected to do better with 2 or 3 of the goals conceded, but enjoyable nonetheless. I reckon the team can better our tally of 5 points from last season (I'm thinking 6...) over the next nine weeks. That'd be most pleasing! Liverpool held on for the 1-0 win (yay), and that wraps today's otherwise uneventful day up.
Injuries: More ice & massage for the lower legs...
Mood: Sluggish
Tomorrow night provides an immediate chance to regain my goalkeeping form at Mill Hill, followed by a visit to the local pub quiz (where a team of myself and Simon attempt and fail to avoid coming last with a disproportionate number of questions involving years before we existed). Fun comes in many forms...
Total Distance Run for January: 21.72 miles
Other Exercise: Football (Five-a-side for Real Unfit - 38 minutes)
Pressed for time tonight, but I don't have an awful lot to blog about anyway. I enjoyed watching Liverpool take a 1-0 lead into HT against a very ineffective Man City team, before making my way to Hatfield for the new Wednesday night season. We had some players leave and join the squad, and a game against a side who had just relegated to our division was a tough start. I stretched my achey muscles and felt fine to play, but didn't have the best of games in goal - we were 3-5 down at HT and eventually lost 3-8 (I came out to play in defence for the last 10 minutes at 3-7, defended ok but room for improvement there as well). Frustrating as I'd have expected to do better with 2 or 3 of the goals conceded, but enjoyable nonetheless. I reckon the team can better our tally of 5 points from last season (I'm thinking 6...) over the next nine weeks. That'd be most pleasing! Liverpool held on for the 1-0 win (yay), and that wraps today's otherwise uneventful day up.
Injuries: More ice & massage for the lower legs...
Mood: Sluggish
Tomorrow night provides an immediate chance to regain my goalkeeping form at Mill Hill, followed by a visit to the local pub quiz (where a team of myself and Simon attempt and fail to avoid coming last with a disproportionate number of questions involving years before we existed). Fun comes in many forms...
Tuesday 10 January 2012
Day 10
Distance Run: None
Total Distance Run for January: 21.72 miles
Other Exercise: Wii Fit Plus - 20 minutes
The ten day mark brought with it a welcome gift, with a nerdy analogy. One of my favourite computer games growing up was the Legend of Zelda series, which is an RPG along the lines of "get item - kill bad guy - get another item - kill another bad guy - eventually get all items and kill the final bad guy - win". To progress in the game was often impossible until a certain task was completed - often involving finding a new item and/or killing a new bad guy. Simple, but there was a certain logic to it all - the game made sense, and if it didn't seem to then a rational explanation was the answer. Wtf does this have to do with my waking up with a painful foot and sore calf muscles? Well, with Zelda-like timing, the Pedi Roller I won from a Helsie competition last year arrived in the post. I actually heard the "do doo dooo dooooo" noise from Zelda in my head (which denoted finding a new item in the game - not that this will make any sense to almost anyone).
I slowly regained the ability to walk without looking too special throughout the day, but attention has turned to the causes behind my pain. I wear shoes which counteract a minor overpronation, but they're the same shoes I've worn without any trouble for months (including the half marathon in October). My suspicion is over-striding due to a low turnover as the run progressed, which increased impact stress and resulted in an unhealthy heel-strike. Coupled with finishing up a hill (which, I realised, I'm not used to on an especially long run). Additionally, I haven't done any lengthy runs just two days after a run previously for some time, and my legs have done "some" exercise daily for almost a fortnight. There may be one or two other factors as well.
Injury worries are normal, and the biggest concern, naturally, is putting myself back in hospital. After rupturing my right achilles tendon in Jun 10, in very innocuous circumstances, it took two operations and weeks of antibiotics before I could begin learning to walk, then jog, and finally run again. Obviously life away from pounding pavements is hugely inconvenienced as well! There isn't a guide on how far to push your body before it breaks, and some pain/discomfort is required for the body to repair and strengthen itself for an increased challenge. I am adopting a strategy of pedi-rolling (it's already proven it's worth to me!), ice, an electronic massager, gentle stretching and rest. However, I have got through a 20 minute session on Wii Fit to keep my daily routine intact. Apart from gaining two pounds since Sunday (despite a run), everything else is in working order
Injuries: Same as yesterday, but some improvement
Mood: Peckish
Tomorrow brings another stint of football, and I expect to be fine to play in goal. I will miss a chunk of the Man City v Liverpool cup-tie though, but playing will usually beat watching anyway. Three weeks of daily exercise and blogging to come - it feels like a lot, but it was 2011 a few minutes ago...
Total Distance Run for January: 21.72 miles
Other Exercise: Wii Fit Plus - 20 minutes
The ten day mark brought with it a welcome gift, with a nerdy analogy. One of my favourite computer games growing up was the Legend of Zelda series, which is an RPG along the lines of "get item - kill bad guy - get another item - kill another bad guy - eventually get all items and kill the final bad guy - win". To progress in the game was often impossible until a certain task was completed - often involving finding a new item and/or killing a new bad guy. Simple, but there was a certain logic to it all - the game made sense, and if it didn't seem to then a rational explanation was the answer. Wtf does this have to do with my waking up with a painful foot and sore calf muscles? Well, with Zelda-like timing, the Pedi Roller I won from a Helsie competition last year arrived in the post. I actually heard the "do doo dooo dooooo" noise from Zelda in my head (which denoted finding a new item in the game - not that this will make any sense to almost anyone).
I slowly regained the ability to walk without looking too special throughout the day, but attention has turned to the causes behind my pain. I wear shoes which counteract a minor overpronation, but they're the same shoes I've worn without any trouble for months (including the half marathon in October). My suspicion is over-striding due to a low turnover as the run progressed, which increased impact stress and resulted in an unhealthy heel-strike. Coupled with finishing up a hill (which, I realised, I'm not used to on an especially long run). Additionally, I haven't done any lengthy runs just two days after a run previously for some time, and my legs have done "some" exercise daily for almost a fortnight. There may be one or two other factors as well.
Injury worries are normal, and the biggest concern, naturally, is putting myself back in hospital. After rupturing my right achilles tendon in Jun 10, in very innocuous circumstances, it took two operations and weeks of antibiotics before I could begin learning to walk, then jog, and finally run again. Obviously life away from pounding pavements is hugely inconvenienced as well! There isn't a guide on how far to push your body before it breaks, and some pain/discomfort is required for the body to repair and strengthen itself for an increased challenge. I am adopting a strategy of pedi-rolling (it's already proven it's worth to me!), ice, an electronic massager, gentle stretching and rest. However, I have got through a 20 minute session on Wii Fit to keep my daily routine intact. Apart from gaining two pounds since Sunday (despite a run), everything else is in working order
Injuries: Same as yesterday, but some improvement
Mood: Peckish
Tomorrow brings another stint of football, and I expect to be fine to play in goal. I will miss a chunk of the Man City v Liverpool cup-tie though, but playing will usually beat watching anyway. Three weeks of daily exercise and blogging to come - it feels like a lot, but it was 2011 a few minutes ago...
Monday 9 January 2012
Day 9
Distance Run: 10.67 miles
Total Distance Run for January: 21.72 miles
Other Exercise: None
I decided fairly early in the day (after emptying half the contents of my head over the sink) that football would not be a good idea. It was doable, but to do the team justice I'd have needed a fully-functioning head and lungs - which I couldn't offer. Having reluctantly withdrawn my services, and coped amiably with the working day, I was increasingly itchy to get the long run I'd intended to do yesterday done after all. At a comfortable pace, which doesn't exert the lungs much, running doesn't need intense concentration (although moronic/ignorant pedestrians continually challenge this view). Having run 9.5 miles on Christmas Day without any ill-effects, I settled on a 10.67 mile effort - taking in the delights of Enfield Town, Bush Hill Park, my old school, the A10/A406 junction (delightful engineering), Silver Street, Edmonton Green, Ponders End and back to home. Extremely flat (ignoring the first and last 1/2 miles - living on a hill can be a pain), and an irregular route that I hadn't run parts of since October. I declined to take an Oyster card with me in case I needed to bail out, so there was no option of turning back.
The run itself went ok, but wasn't free of problems. I realised a few miles in that my left calf was a little sore - nothing major, but it wasn't 100%. At around 4 miles I had that horrible pain/discomfort in both lower legs, where they ache and tingle. I don't know if that's just blood or lactic acid pooling up, but I know from experience it can be run through and then it sorts itself out fine. The rest of the run was uneventful, and I got a slight "kick" around 6 miles where I suddenly felt like quickening - as if I was an unstoppable machine! Knowing I wasn't meant I reined myself in, but I wanted to finish near to 9 minute mile pace at the end. Probably foolishly, I finished each mile at a slightly quicker pace, bound up the hill to home and clocked it at 1h 37m - precisely 1 minute over 9mpm. I suspect I lost at least that minute at junctions/lights, as well as following pavements around railings etc.
Unfortunately, I got to spend all of 4 seconds basking in my successful run before I cramped up horrendously upon sitting down. Both calf muscles, but especially the left, were tighter than Ebenezer Scrooge, and some bloody awful muscle in my left foot was even worse. Euthanasia tempted me (and I expect my brother would've obliged), but I managed to get onto the floor and raise my legs up against the door for a few minutes. A painful hobble to retrieve my ice-pack and clamber up two flights of stairs to my bed was followed by a well-earned lie down. The pain subsided, but an hour later I still couldn't walk properly. Not good.
Injuries: Calf muscles, achilles tendons, left foot muscle I didn't know existed
Mood: Frustrated
With no running or football tomorrow my body has times to recover. Suddenly whatever latest virus I have is insignificant.
Total Distance Run for January: 21.72 miles
Other Exercise: None
I decided fairly early in the day (after emptying half the contents of my head over the sink) that football would not be a good idea. It was doable, but to do the team justice I'd have needed a fully-functioning head and lungs - which I couldn't offer. Having reluctantly withdrawn my services, and coped amiably with the working day, I was increasingly itchy to get the long run I'd intended to do yesterday done after all. At a comfortable pace, which doesn't exert the lungs much, running doesn't need intense concentration (although moronic/ignorant pedestrians continually challenge this view). Having run 9.5 miles on Christmas Day without any ill-effects, I settled on a 10.67 mile effort - taking in the delights of Enfield Town, Bush Hill Park, my old school, the A10/A406 junction (delightful engineering), Silver Street, Edmonton Green, Ponders End and back to home. Extremely flat (ignoring the first and last 1/2 miles - living on a hill can be a pain), and an irregular route that I hadn't run parts of since October. I declined to take an Oyster card with me in case I needed to bail out, so there was no option of turning back.
The run itself went ok, but wasn't free of problems. I realised a few miles in that my left calf was a little sore - nothing major, but it wasn't 100%. At around 4 miles I had that horrible pain/discomfort in both lower legs, where they ache and tingle. I don't know if that's just blood or lactic acid pooling up, but I know from experience it can be run through and then it sorts itself out fine. The rest of the run was uneventful, and I got a slight "kick" around 6 miles where I suddenly felt like quickening - as if I was an unstoppable machine! Knowing I wasn't meant I reined myself in, but I wanted to finish near to 9 minute mile pace at the end. Probably foolishly, I finished each mile at a slightly quicker pace, bound up the hill to home and clocked it at 1h 37m - precisely 1 minute over 9mpm. I suspect I lost at least that minute at junctions/lights, as well as following pavements around railings etc.
Unfortunately, I got to spend all of 4 seconds basking in my successful run before I cramped up horrendously upon sitting down. Both calf muscles, but especially the left, were tighter than Ebenezer Scrooge, and some bloody awful muscle in my left foot was even worse. Euthanasia tempted me (and I expect my brother would've obliged), but I managed to get onto the floor and raise my legs up against the door for a few minutes. A painful hobble to retrieve my ice-pack and clamber up two flights of stairs to my bed was followed by a well-earned lie down. The pain subsided, but an hour later I still couldn't walk properly. Not good.
Injuries: Calf muscles, achilles tendons, left foot muscle I didn't know existed
Mood: Frustrated
With no running or football tomorrow my body has times to recover. Suddenly whatever latest virus I have is insignificant.
Sunday 8 January 2012
Day 8
Distance Run: None
Total Distance Run for January: 11.05 miles
Other Exercise: Wii Fit Plus - 22 minutes
Over a quarter of the way through January/Janathon now, and I feel a sense of normality has returned to the world. Experience suggests February will be here in no time at all, and a few minutes after that it'll be Euro 2012, the Olympics, my 30th, and then bloody Christmas again. It might all be over in the blink of an eye, but at least this will be an eventful year.
I took the opportunity of spare time to finish reading one of my Christmas presents: Start for Ten, by David Nicholls. I barely read any fiction, but found this an addictive and enjoyable read. Perhaps the tale of a nerdy teenager going off to University with delusional hopes and dreams, and a nerdy interest in a quiz show, rang all too true - who can say? Doing more reading is one of my aims for the year (note: Not a resolution), and whilst I'm fortunate not to have a daily commute by train/tube to work, I will strive to find a book to take on journeys where I'm not driving. I've a fair few to pick from, and the one with the basics of improving my cricket game will be high on the agenda ahead of the 2012 season.
I got my daily exercise out of the way in the afternoon, with another spell of rhythm boxing completed and 30 more jacknifes. Several hours later and nothing hurts - yay! My BMI was 21.37 again, which is fine. No real improvement in my cold, but then I have laid off the Beechams over the weekend. A sachet for work tomorrow may be required.
Injuries: None, just illness
Mood: Chirpy
Tomorrow, I shall pack my football gear up in case my presence at Edgware Rd is required. I wouldn't mind giving a long, albeit slow, run a go though. I must also figure out how to put the Janathon logo on my blog, and investigate (plus support) my fellow participants - now that I've posted enough random jargon to give everyone an idea of what I'm like. :)
Total Distance Run for January: 11.05 miles
Other Exercise: Wii Fit Plus - 22 minutes
Over a quarter of the way through January/Janathon now, and I feel a sense of normality has returned to the world. Experience suggests February will be here in no time at all, and a few minutes after that it'll be Euro 2012, the Olympics, my 30th, and then bloody Christmas again. It might all be over in the blink of an eye, but at least this will be an eventful year.
I took the opportunity of spare time to finish reading one of my Christmas presents: Start for Ten, by David Nicholls. I barely read any fiction, but found this an addictive and enjoyable read. Perhaps the tale of a nerdy teenager going off to University with delusional hopes and dreams, and a nerdy interest in a quiz show, rang all too true - who can say? Doing more reading is one of my aims for the year (note: Not a resolution), and whilst I'm fortunate not to have a daily commute by train/tube to work, I will strive to find a book to take on journeys where I'm not driving. I've a fair few to pick from, and the one with the basics of improving my cricket game will be high on the agenda ahead of the 2012 season.
I got my daily exercise out of the way in the afternoon, with another spell of rhythm boxing completed and 30 more jacknifes. Several hours later and nothing hurts - yay! My BMI was 21.37 again, which is fine. No real improvement in my cold, but then I have laid off the Beechams over the weekend. A sachet for work tomorrow may be required.
Injuries: None, just illness
Mood: Chirpy
Tomorrow, I shall pack my football gear up in case my presence at Edgware Rd is required. I wouldn't mind giving a long, albeit slow, run a go though. I must also figure out how to put the Janathon logo on my blog, and investigate (plus support) my fellow participants - now that I've posted enough random jargon to give everyone an idea of what I'm like. :)
Saturday 7 January 2012
Day 7
Distance Run: 3.5 miles
Total Distance Run for January: 11.05 miles
Other Exercise: None
The first week of Janathon is completed with only my second run of the year - with a revised action plan brought into action. Health permitting, I'm set to be playing football on Mon, Wed and Thu this coming week, with Monday's session a spell in defence/midfield (i.e. more tiring). Having reluctanly ruled out an 11 mile Sunday run (it could be doable, but it's much more likely to do me more harm than good whilst my head feels thoroughly congested), I chose to put in a reasonable pace, flat, steady run today, and throw in some more Wii Fit tomorrow - with a health review to follow on Monday morning. Football isn't compulsory, but it's a well-earned league play-off semi-final (the team, Barcelogilvy, finished 4th of 9 teams in the league, and now play the team who finished 1st for a place in the grand final), so I'm keen to play if I can - even though it involves trekking to Edgware Road from Enfield for the privilege. I reckon whatever I have is just a cold, so another 36 hours could see me in much better shape.
As it is, I got through 3.5 miles in a shade under 30 minutes fairly comfortably, which felt good. My lungs weren't too bad throughout, and injury-wise my only concern was a niggle in my left calf - more ice required. Having spent the vast majority of the preceding 24 hours in my bed, I felt obliged to reward myself for maintaining my daily exercise routine in the face of mild adversity. Given a distinct lack of social options locally, and no desire to trek anywhere remotely far from my bed, the obvious choice was declared the winner. One short(ish) phone call and short drive later, and I'm stood in Enfield Town's Nando's awaiting my peri-peri feast, along with several other addicts. I hadn't bothered changing out of my running gear, or shaved any time recently, which meant a dishevelled sweaty man in a black coat, shorts and running trainers stood amongst slightly more traditionally dressed patrons and staff members. In the several minutes I stood (no space to sit without infringing on the personal space of others - although this didn't stop a young child mounting the space on the beanbag behind me and making minor contact with my leg whilst settling himself for all of eight seconds before he went off to impatiently explore the restaurant again - I didn't track his progress but within three minutes he was bawling quite loudly, and I don't put that down to extreme hunger), I had various dishes pass in front of me on their way to patient diners. For a split second, and with my post-run munchies in full swing, I imagined what it'd be like to run amok in the kitchen; gourging on peri-peri chips, devouring all the halloumi cheese, cramming in the chicken and polishing off the cheesecake - with a glass of 90% Coke Zero 10% Fanta to wash it all down with. Assessing the options (and that I'd already paid) the reality would be I'd get through three chips at best before being detained, and an element of self-restraint paid dividends with my order arriving soon after this vivid hallucination - enabling me to get out of Enfield Town, back home and munching on chicken, chips, cheese and corn (or "the quadruple C classic", as it's never been known before) post-haste. Die Hard with a Vengeance on the TV meant today wasn't a lazy write-off after all!
Injuries: Minor soreness in calf muscles and abs - sleep on it
Mood: Post-peri-peri high
With no social or sporting commitments tomorrow, I'll have plenty of time to continue/resume my life clear-out - a long-term project that, like widening the M1 between the M25 and M6, has been going for what feels like years and with no end still in sight. If my head doesn't feel like it comprises 62% of my bodymass when I eventually wake up - we'll see what gets done.
Total Distance Run for January: 11.05 miles
Other Exercise: None
The first week of Janathon is completed with only my second run of the year - with a revised action plan brought into action. Health permitting, I'm set to be playing football on Mon, Wed and Thu this coming week, with Monday's session a spell in defence/midfield (i.e. more tiring). Having reluctanly ruled out an 11 mile Sunday run (it could be doable, but it's much more likely to do me more harm than good whilst my head feels thoroughly congested), I chose to put in a reasonable pace, flat, steady run today, and throw in some more Wii Fit tomorrow - with a health review to follow on Monday morning. Football isn't compulsory, but it's a well-earned league play-off semi-final (the team, Barcelogilvy, finished 4th of 9 teams in the league, and now play the team who finished 1st for a place in the grand final), so I'm keen to play if I can - even though it involves trekking to Edgware Road from Enfield for the privilege. I reckon whatever I have is just a cold, so another 36 hours could see me in much better shape.
As it is, I got through 3.5 miles in a shade under 30 minutes fairly comfortably, which felt good. My lungs weren't too bad throughout, and injury-wise my only concern was a niggle in my left calf - more ice required. Having spent the vast majority of the preceding 24 hours in my bed, I felt obliged to reward myself for maintaining my daily exercise routine in the face of mild adversity. Given a distinct lack of social options locally, and no desire to trek anywhere remotely far from my bed, the obvious choice was declared the winner. One short(ish) phone call and short drive later, and I'm stood in Enfield Town's Nando's awaiting my peri-peri feast, along with several other addicts. I hadn't bothered changing out of my running gear, or shaved any time recently, which meant a dishevelled sweaty man in a black coat, shorts and running trainers stood amongst slightly more traditionally dressed patrons and staff members. In the several minutes I stood (no space to sit without infringing on the personal space of others - although this didn't stop a young child mounting the space on the beanbag behind me and making minor contact with my leg whilst settling himself for all of eight seconds before he went off to impatiently explore the restaurant again - I didn't track his progress but within three minutes he was bawling quite loudly, and I don't put that down to extreme hunger), I had various dishes pass in front of me on their way to patient diners. For a split second, and with my post-run munchies in full swing, I imagined what it'd be like to run amok in the kitchen; gourging on peri-peri chips, devouring all the halloumi cheese, cramming in the chicken and polishing off the cheesecake - with a glass of 90% Coke Zero 10% Fanta to wash it all down with. Assessing the options (and that I'd already paid) the reality would be I'd get through three chips at best before being detained, and an element of self-restraint paid dividends with my order arriving soon after this vivid hallucination - enabling me to get out of Enfield Town, back home and munching on chicken, chips, cheese and corn (or "the quadruple C classic", as it's never been known before) post-haste. Die Hard with a Vengeance on the TV meant today wasn't a lazy write-off after all!
Injuries: Minor soreness in calf muscles and abs - sleep on it
Mood: Post-peri-peri high
With no social or sporting commitments tomorrow, I'll have plenty of time to continue/resume my life clear-out - a long-term project that, like widening the M1 between the M25 and M6, has been going for what feels like years and with no end still in sight. If my head doesn't feel like it comprises 62% of my bodymass when I eventually wake up - we'll see what gets done.
Friday 6 January 2012
Day 6
Distance Run: None
Total Distance Run for January: 7.55 miles
Other Exercise: Wii Fit Plus - 23 minutes
A mixture of annoyance, tiredness and pride have seen me through some form of exercise today. Planning ahead, I'd intended to do a Tabata/HIIT session this evening, before watching the Liverpool game on TV. Illness has put paid to the first half, and my failure to check that the Liverpool game was even on TV fooled me on the second. Even a revised plan of performing a gentle run whilst listening to commentary of the Liverpool game on the radio fell apart - I opted for the more sensible option of avoiding a much-needed run altogether.
Not being a doctor, I'm not sure what latest virus I've picked up. It would appear almost everyone I've had some sort of proximity with in the past week has been "ill", and my hope that having been a virus-ridden for six weeks to end last year would stand me in good stead have proven fruitless (rather like my diet). On the plus side: I'm not a bed-ridden mess, and there's nothing wrong with my chest (yet). With a congested head, and an occasional lump of mucus to shift, Beechams Flu Plus have (to my surprise) provided some comfort to the symptoms at regular intervals. Ergo, I'm optimistic it's just a cold, and it'll shift itself over the weekend.
Following an impromptu nap (during which Liverpool won 5-1 - with Carroll and Downing scoring I might still be dreaming), I found some energy to switch on the Wii and do some easy balance games to clock up 20+ minutes. I'm bad enough at juggling as it is without feeling rough, but got the hang of Segway Slalom before trying out of my (dubious quality) golf swing. Now I could do with something to eat, and some reading plus TV will be followed by further sleeping and a nice lie-in.
Injuries: None - just achey joints still
Mood: Irritable
The revised exercise plans for the next three days will be heavily influenced by how rough I feel tomorrow. :-/
Total Distance Run for January: 7.55 miles
Other Exercise: Wii Fit Plus - 23 minutes
A mixture of annoyance, tiredness and pride have seen me through some form of exercise today. Planning ahead, I'd intended to do a Tabata/HIIT session this evening, before watching the Liverpool game on TV. Illness has put paid to the first half, and my failure to check that the Liverpool game was even on TV fooled me on the second. Even a revised plan of performing a gentle run whilst listening to commentary of the Liverpool game on the radio fell apart - I opted for the more sensible option of avoiding a much-needed run altogether.
Not being a doctor, I'm not sure what latest virus I've picked up. It would appear almost everyone I've had some sort of proximity with in the past week has been "ill", and my hope that having been a virus-ridden for six weeks to end last year would stand me in good stead have proven fruitless (rather like my diet). On the plus side: I'm not a bed-ridden mess, and there's nothing wrong with my chest (yet). With a congested head, and an occasional lump of mucus to shift, Beechams Flu Plus have (to my surprise) provided some comfort to the symptoms at regular intervals. Ergo, I'm optimistic it's just a cold, and it'll shift itself over the weekend.
Following an impromptu nap (during which Liverpool won 5-1 - with Carroll and Downing scoring I might still be dreaming), I found some energy to switch on the Wii and do some easy balance games to clock up 20+ minutes. I'm bad enough at juggling as it is without feeling rough, but got the hang of Segway Slalom before trying out of my (dubious quality) golf swing. Now I could do with something to eat, and some reading plus TV will be followed by further sleeping and a nice lie-in.
Injuries: None - just achey joints still
Mood: Irritable
The revised exercise plans for the next three days will be heavily influenced by how rough I feel tomorrow. :-/
Thursday 5 January 2012
Day 5
Distance Run: None
Total Distance Run for January: 7.55 miles
Other Exercise: Football (Five-a-side goalkeeping for Haringey Yacht Club - 50 minutes)
More football today, and a difficult match as expected. Our first "proper" game in Division 2 was against a side who lost their opening fixture, but soon demonstrated they could play well. The weather conditions were, thankfully, nothing like last night, and you don't feel the cold after a while. Except in your fingers wearing damp gloves, anyway. I felt in good form after last night, and was generally solid from the off - whilst the team took a while to get going. Once everyone settled down, the usual pattern of play followed - our side do most of the attacking, whilst the opposition defend increasingly deep and close down space. Hard work to gain a 2-0 lead was undone with a couple of sloppy minutes late in the half, as the ball flew past me twice at pace. 2-2 at HT, having had the better chances, was disappointing. More of the same followed after the break, with persistence earning a 3-2 lead, which was held until 15 minutes remained with me mopping up anything that broke through our defence. The opposition still looked good on the break though, and equalised with a large element of fortune - a probing pass to an unmarked man near the left of my area was barely intercepted by a defender, but the ball ricocheted off his leg into the centre-right of my goal. Had I still been there that wouldn't have been a problem, but I'd already advanced left to block the unmarked striker that nearly received the ball. Shit happens, and despite then continuing to miss a shedload of chances we regained the lead again with 9 minutes left, and finished 6-3 victors - the opposition having 2 players given 2-minute sin-bins for persistent fouling. As games went it was a good test of what's to come, and more satsifying than beating clearly inferior players. Another 12 wins and I'll have another trophy for my collection. :)
Injuries: Ok but achey everywhere
Mood: Ill
Having begun to sniffle yesterday, I am definitely coming down with "something" - which puts the daily Janathon exercise plan in mild jeopardy. I feel pretty good right now though, so it seems Lemsip & honey have worked a treat. I'll see how things are tomorrow, because a 2 mile run of some description would be useful. Having spent most of Nov & Dec feeling a bit rough, I won't take any undue risks though.
Total Distance Run for January: 7.55 miles
Other Exercise: Football (Five-a-side goalkeeping for Haringey Yacht Club - 50 minutes)
More football today, and a difficult match as expected. Our first "proper" game in Division 2 was against a side who lost their opening fixture, but soon demonstrated they could play well. The weather conditions were, thankfully, nothing like last night, and you don't feel the cold after a while. Except in your fingers wearing damp gloves, anyway. I felt in good form after last night, and was generally solid from the off - whilst the team took a while to get going. Once everyone settled down, the usual pattern of play followed - our side do most of the attacking, whilst the opposition defend increasingly deep and close down space. Hard work to gain a 2-0 lead was undone with a couple of sloppy minutes late in the half, as the ball flew past me twice at pace. 2-2 at HT, having had the better chances, was disappointing. More of the same followed after the break, with persistence earning a 3-2 lead, which was held until 15 minutes remained with me mopping up anything that broke through our defence. The opposition still looked good on the break though, and equalised with a large element of fortune - a probing pass to an unmarked man near the left of my area was barely intercepted by a defender, but the ball ricocheted off his leg into the centre-right of my goal. Had I still been there that wouldn't have been a problem, but I'd already advanced left to block the unmarked striker that nearly received the ball. Shit happens, and despite then continuing to miss a shedload of chances we regained the lead again with 9 minutes left, and finished 6-3 victors - the opposition having 2 players given 2-minute sin-bins for persistent fouling. As games went it was a good test of what's to come, and more satsifying than beating clearly inferior players. Another 12 wins and I'll have another trophy for my collection. :)
Injuries: Ok but achey everywhere
Mood: Ill
Having begun to sniffle yesterday, I am definitely coming down with "something" - which puts the daily Janathon exercise plan in mild jeopardy. I feel pretty good right now though, so it seems Lemsip & honey have worked a treat. I'll see how things are tomorrow, because a 2 mile run of some description would be useful. Having spent most of Nov & Dec feeling a bit rough, I won't take any undue risks though.
Wednesday 4 January 2012
Day 4
Distance Run: None
Total Distance Run for January: 7.55 miles
Other Exercise: Football (Five-a-side goalkeeping for Real Unfit - 38 minutes)
Whilst goalkeeping can't be considered the most strenuous form of exercise, it is often exhausting on a Wednesday night at Hatfield. Playing in goal for a team of enthusiastic, but not entirely fit or talented (hence the team name), lads is an experience - and tonight was no exception. Bottom of the league, with one win and two draws from nine games, we faced the league winners, who had won eight and drawn one. Their only draw? Against us - when my mate from school, James Duggan, played in goal (earning the man of the match award too), whilst I had my only game on the outfield - scoring a belter which was nearly the winning goal. Sadly, despite taking an early lead tonight, lightning did not strike twice. Carter Mayes had at least one "superstar" playing who didn't take part in the reverse fixture, and he almost single-handedly blitzed us to smithereens. Pacey, skillful, with good vision, shooting accuracy and power - I could only succeed in saving the majority of his efforts, which only served to wind him up further. The result, after an especially poor second half, was an 11-1 defeat. At least 3 of the goals were dubiously awarded, with the attacker seeming to strike the ball from inside the area (which isn't allowed in five-a-side). Another was for a free kick taken nowhere near the original offence, but a combination of the weather, general lethargy and a lack of defending ability meant a heavy defeat was ultimately deserved. The most important thing to mention was my being named man-of-the-match - despite conceding 11. Several routine saves, a few good and a couple spectacular (if I do say so myself) were duly recognised by the opposition and referee. Suffice to say, having seen plenty of action, I won't have anyone tell me that goalkeeping isn't proper exercise!
Injuries: Some twinges down my neck & back - but expect to be fully fit for Thursday's game
Mood: Fatigued
Tomorrow's blog will follow a similar line, as I'm back in goal for the curiously named "Haringey Yacht Club" at Mill Hill. The "Sailor Boys" are considerably more successful - winning twenty and drawing one of our last twenty-two games since early August. Having joined the team as my brother and his mates needed a goalkeeper (every other position is more than adequately covered), we've been promoted from Division 4 to 2, and the quest for promotion to the top division starts tomorrow. Running on Fri and Sun to hopefully follow another victory...
Total Distance Run for January: 7.55 miles
Other Exercise: Football (Five-a-side goalkeeping for Real Unfit - 38 minutes)
Whilst goalkeeping can't be considered the most strenuous form of exercise, it is often exhausting on a Wednesday night at Hatfield. Playing in goal for a team of enthusiastic, but not entirely fit or talented (hence the team name), lads is an experience - and tonight was no exception. Bottom of the league, with one win and two draws from nine games, we faced the league winners, who had won eight and drawn one. Their only draw? Against us - when my mate from school, James Duggan, played in goal (earning the man of the match award too), whilst I had my only game on the outfield - scoring a belter which was nearly the winning goal. Sadly, despite taking an early lead tonight, lightning did not strike twice. Carter Mayes had at least one "superstar" playing who didn't take part in the reverse fixture, and he almost single-handedly blitzed us to smithereens. Pacey, skillful, with good vision, shooting accuracy and power - I could only succeed in saving the majority of his efforts, which only served to wind him up further. The result, after an especially poor second half, was an 11-1 defeat. At least 3 of the goals were dubiously awarded, with the attacker seeming to strike the ball from inside the area (which isn't allowed in five-a-side). Another was for a free kick taken nowhere near the original offence, but a combination of the weather, general lethargy and a lack of defending ability meant a heavy defeat was ultimately deserved. The most important thing to mention was my being named man-of-the-match - despite conceding 11. Several routine saves, a few good and a couple spectacular (if I do say so myself) were duly recognised by the opposition and referee. Suffice to say, having seen plenty of action, I won't have anyone tell me that goalkeeping isn't proper exercise!
Injuries: Some twinges down my neck & back - but expect to be fully fit for Thursday's game
Mood: Fatigued
Tomorrow's blog will follow a similar line, as I'm back in goal for the curiously named "Haringey Yacht Club" at Mill Hill. The "Sailor Boys" are considerably more successful - winning twenty and drawing one of our last twenty-two games since early August. Having joined the team as my brother and his mates needed a goalkeeper (every other position is more than adequately covered), we've been promoted from Division 4 to 2, and the quest for promotion to the top division starts tomorrow. Running on Fri and Sun to hopefully follow another victory...
Tuesday 3 January 2012
Day 3
Distance Run: None
Total Distance Run for January: 7.55 miles
Other Exercise: Wii Fit Plus - 21 minutes
Back on Wii Fit for exercise today - a decision made long before the weather made running more dangerous than usual. Some more footballs headed, jackknifes completed, and a little variation with some attempts at Rhythm Parade and Rhythm Kung-Fu. The results were inconclusive, with whatever rhythm I possessed not lasting too long. The only noteworthy result of the day was my BMI hitting 21.55 (10st 10lb) - a little surprising given yesterday's efforts, but probably reflecting the consumption of a large steak pie, garlic bread, and several segments of a chocolate orange. I'd prefer to be around 10st 7lb for optimal running come April, and with a return to discipline that will be achievable. I do have some more chocolate to get through first though...
Injuries: Calf muscles sore - will ice the right one tonight. Abdominal muscles v sore - will lay off the jacknifes until Friday at the earliest.
Mood: Sleepy
Work and football filled the rest of today. Liverpool played fairly well at City, despite losing 0-3. I'm confident they'll be in with a top four spot come May, but they have the weakest squad amongst the challenging pack. The home games against Spurs, Chelsea and Arsenal will be key, but points must be picked up elsewhere - and without Suarez. The cup matches provide a distraction for now though.
Tomorrow should involve goalkeeping duty at Hatfield. I hope to avoid replicating Reina's mistake from the game today, but know all too well how hard it is to deal with the late swerve on a ball. Goalkeeping is a thankless task!
Total Distance Run for January: 7.55 miles
Other Exercise: Wii Fit Plus - 21 minutes
Back on Wii Fit for exercise today - a decision made long before the weather made running more dangerous than usual. Some more footballs headed, jackknifes completed, and a little variation with some attempts at Rhythm Parade and Rhythm Kung-Fu. The results were inconclusive, with whatever rhythm I possessed not lasting too long. The only noteworthy result of the day was my BMI hitting 21.55 (10st 10lb) - a little surprising given yesterday's efforts, but probably reflecting the consumption of a large steak pie, garlic bread, and several segments of a chocolate orange. I'd prefer to be around 10st 7lb for optimal running come April, and with a return to discipline that will be achievable. I do have some more chocolate to get through first though...
Injuries: Calf muscles sore - will ice the right one tonight. Abdominal muscles v sore - will lay off the jacknifes until Friday at the earliest.
Mood: Sleepy
Work and football filled the rest of today. Liverpool played fairly well at City, despite losing 0-3. I'm confident they'll be in with a top four spot come May, but they have the weakest squad amongst the challenging pack. The home games against Spurs, Chelsea and Arsenal will be key, but points must be picked up elsewhere - and without Suarez. The cup matches provide a distraction for now though.
Tomorrow should involve goalkeeping duty at Hatfield. I hope to avoid replicating Reina's mistake from the game today, but know all too well how hard it is to deal with the late swerve on a ball. Goalkeeping is a thankless task!
Monday 2 January 2012
Day 2
Distance Run: 7.55 miles
Total Distance Run for January: 7.55 miles
Other Exercise: None
As intended, I put in a reasonable pavement shift for my first run of the year. Following successful runs last week, I hoped to better 9 minute mile pace without pushing too hard. My competitive tendency of bettering myself on regular routes is at times a strength, but usually a weakness - I can't remain healthy if I insist on beating the clock on every run. Learning when to ease off is something I'll have to work on, but I felt today's pace was close to ideal - not far off threshold for the duration, clocking in at 66:18. Having lost over a minute at traffic lights and crossings, it was a solid effort. On the dynamics: I'm making an effort to run without a heel-strike, landing just infront of the midfoot without overstriding. Results thus far are encouraging, so I shall persist.
With football to be played on Wed and Thu, I intend to hit Wii Fit again tomorrow with a short run on Fri, ahead of an 11 mile attempt on Sunday.
Injuries: Calf muscles ache a little. Abdominal muscles sore - more core strength training required & planned
Mood: Satisfied
Nothing much else achieved today, alhough I've fiddled around with "Running Free" and made some progress there. By the end of the month I should have a more user-friendly blog, and hopefully somewhere near to 75 miles to my name.
Total Distance Run for January: 7.55 miles
Other Exercise: None
As intended, I put in a reasonable pavement shift for my first run of the year. Following successful runs last week, I hoped to better 9 minute mile pace without pushing too hard. My competitive tendency of bettering myself on regular routes is at times a strength, but usually a weakness - I can't remain healthy if I insist on beating the clock on every run. Learning when to ease off is something I'll have to work on, but I felt today's pace was close to ideal - not far off threshold for the duration, clocking in at 66:18. Having lost over a minute at traffic lights and crossings, it was a solid effort. On the dynamics: I'm making an effort to run without a heel-strike, landing just infront of the midfoot without overstriding. Results thus far are encouraging, so I shall persist.
With football to be played on Wed and Thu, I intend to hit Wii Fit again tomorrow with a short run on Fri, ahead of an 11 mile attempt on Sunday.
Injuries: Calf muscles ache a little. Abdominal muscles sore - more core strength training required & planned
Mood: Satisfied
Nothing much else achieved today, alhough I've fiddled around with "Running Free" and made some progress there. By the end of the month I should have a more user-friendly blog, and hopefully somewhere near to 75 miles to my name.
Sunday 1 January 2012
Day 1
Distance Run: None
Other Exercise: Wii Fit Plus - 20 minutes
The primary goal of Janathon is to run (and blog) daily, covering as many miles as you can. For various reasons, this was always a non-starter for me. "Fortunately" there is a more attainable goal of merely exercising each day in whatever sporting form I choose - meaning I could kick-off with an overdue session on Wii Fit. Having done 2 miles (including 4 mins Tabata/HIIT) of running yesterday, and with 7.5 miles planned tomorrow, I gave my legs a breather. Stats of note as follows:
Heading Footballs (Advanced): Perfect score
Rhythm Boxing (Super Advanced - 10 mins): New pb of 1399*
Jacknifes: 30
Perfect 10: Completed with 26 seconds to spare - only 3 stars out of 4 :(
Balance: 49.9%/50.1% (with eyes shut = fluke)
BMI: 21.37 (approx 10st 9lb)
Fitness Age: 20
* Previous best was 1384, so my punching speed has improved in recent months. 1400+ next...
All things considered - an excellent start. I think my core strength is still reasonably good, but I'd like to ease myself back to 100 jacknife stints throughout the month, before I dare tackle the Plank challenge again. I'd forgotten how enjoyable rhythm boxing is too, albeit my arms feel the strain of "15 seconds punch-as-many-times-as-you-can bonus time" the next day.
Injuries: Nothing new. Achilles tendon a little tight, but no soreness.
Mood: Confident!
In other news: the new year was celebrated in fine style at the Harbour household. Killer Pool, Beirut, and "<name deleted for protection> went to the zoo" were all played, and the traditional hangover KFC was consumed circa 3:20pm. An enjoyable start to the year.
One day down, thirty to go.
Other Exercise: Wii Fit Plus - 20 minutes
The primary goal of Janathon is to run (and blog) daily, covering as many miles as you can. For various reasons, this was always a non-starter for me. "Fortunately" there is a more attainable goal of merely exercising each day in whatever sporting form I choose - meaning I could kick-off with an overdue session on Wii Fit. Having done 2 miles (including 4 mins Tabata/HIIT) of running yesterday, and with 7.5 miles planned tomorrow, I gave my legs a breather. Stats of note as follows:
Heading Footballs (Advanced): Perfect score
Rhythm Boxing (Super Advanced - 10 mins): New pb of 1399*
Jacknifes: 30
Perfect 10: Completed with 26 seconds to spare - only 3 stars out of 4 :(
Balance: 49.9%/50.1% (with eyes shut = fluke)
BMI: 21.37 (approx 10st 9lb)
Fitness Age: 20
* Previous best was 1384, so my punching speed has improved in recent months. 1400+ next...
All things considered - an excellent start. I think my core strength is still reasonably good, but I'd like to ease myself back to 100 jacknife stints throughout the month, before I dare tackle the Plank challenge again. I'd forgotten how enjoyable rhythm boxing is too, albeit my arms feel the strain of "15 seconds punch-as-many-times-as-you-can bonus time" the next day.
Injuries: Nothing new. Achilles tendon a little tight, but no soreness.
Mood: Confident!
In other news: the new year was celebrated in fine style at the Harbour household. Killer Pool, Beirut, and "<name deleted for protection> went to the zoo" were all played, and the traditional hangover KFC was consumed circa 3:20pm. An enjoyable start to the year.
One day down, thirty to go.
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