June

[glaconman]

It's been a couple of weeks since I managed to kick-start my running again and I've managed to push myself out there half a dozen times at least. Which is a good start.

I've mostly been doing a 5.2 mile circuit which is my 'base route'. It's grim having to haul yourself round a route that you previously negotiated with relative grace and ease. But such is the life of an irratic runner.

It's not much fun at the moment, but it will be soon. Another couple of weeks of this and I'll be up on the moors abit more around Howarth, Ilkley and Bolton Abbey.

Some more good news is that I have a new running partner. My neighbour Scott is about 5 years younger then me and is pretty ambitious in wanting to run big races and run them at a fast pace. Plus he has some history with running for a club. When we run together I notice a difference in the pace and effort. If you can train with somebody a notch up from yourself it's a sure way of improving quickly. I think this goes for most sports.

Glaconwoman has also started running again which is great. She has knee problems, but I'm hoping she can manage this problem and really start to enjoy it.

Meanwhile the main battle goes on in the kitchen and during working hours when one of the few diversions from work itself is eating. When Andy and I used to regularly share a pint and an ashtray he would say that smoking, and quitting, is an intellectual problem. You just have to acknowledge this then take it on as such. Over-eating is probably similar in this respect. And for me it's just as important as the training itself.

I've got a long way to go, but the views are pretty good already.

Must post some pics on my next run.

[glaconman]

The good start to the month was followed by a shabby middle: no running except some frantic lunging around a squash court a couple of times.

But I'm managing to pull this around having been out 3 times over the last few days.

Last night I went out for a late run at around 10 O'clock. An unusual time to run, but my body was telling me to do it so I duly obliged.

http://www.sanoodi.com/route/glaconman/2...t-circuit/

This is a reasonable stretch and marks my first introduction to some hill work. Not something you can easily avoid in these parts. But I seem to have managed it thus far.

For those of you who remember Jenny Agutter's first outing on the big screen this route takes me past Oakworth Station and into the Worth Valley were The Railway Children was filmed:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/82278008@N00/513229497
http://steamontheweb.co.uk/Keighley%20&%...Valley.htm

I'll try and get another run in this week then we're off to Pembrokeshire for a week which opens-up plenty of possibilities.

I don't really have a track du jour as I'm not keen on running to music. But I did invest in a pocket DAB radio the other week in an attempt to get me through the working week. And a nice bit of kit it is too:

http://www.pure-digital.com/Products/pro...t=VL-60799

Not sure how well DAB holds a signal when running mind, but I'd give it a go if anybody was interested.

My missus dispairs at the number of radios we have. For some reason radio remains the most durable and enjoyable medium for me. I could happily live without telly and t'internet. And I reckon there's a few others like that here. Radio is King.

[El Gordo]

For those of you who remember Jenny Agutter's first outing on the big screen this route takes me past Oakworth Station and into the Worth Valley were The Railway Children was filmed:

Daddeeee.....

Boo-hoo.


Agree about radio. It's only really football that I much prefer on TV. Never been a big fan of radio commentary on its own (though TV pics AND Alan Green on teh radio is perfect). We also have a houseful of them. I bought a small Roberts DAB for running some time ago but I've had mixed results reception-wise. Pure is an excellent make. I've got a big Pure radio by the bed. I can rewind live radio and set it to record when I'm not around.

I'd be interested in how well your DAB holds its signal while running. I often used to find that Radio 4 drifted in and out when driving round the hillier bits of Yorkshire. The secret may be in the aerial (i.e. the headphones) rather than the device though. Perhaps some techie could advise?

[Sweder]

I have three DABs - the Roberts portable, a standard PURE model in the bedroom and my beloved Planet Rock Marshall Amp PURE in my home office. Oh, and the one in my pick-up truck - I jettisoned a SatNav option so that I could play Planet Rock at loud volume on the way to/ from work. Another excellent decision I must say; I may get lost from time to time, but I have a lot of fun doing it. Reception can be patchy but after the Goonhilly-ish interstellar crackles of medium wave the in-tune clarity is sublime.

Jenny Agutter!!! My first media-driven crush . . . I think it was that ski-slope nose, or the fact she was quite happy to tear up her flannels to save the train. The story has huge meaning for me; I was always bitterly envious of the happy ending. It's a tough watch even now, but having been reminded of it I must obtain a copy for my daughter before she gets too cinical to really enjoy it. I'm not sure if a remake was ever attempted but if it were I should quit my job and set up a Greenham Common style vigil outside the lot. Never mind Nic Cage's desecration of The Wicker Man; this would be a crime against humanity.

[El Gordo]

Jenny Agutter!!! My first media-driven crush . . . I think it was that ski-slope nose, or the fact she was quite happy to tear up her flannels to save the train. The story has huge meaning for me; I was always bitterly envious of the happy ending. It's a tough watch even now, but having been reminded of it I must obtain a copy for my daughter before she gets too cinical to really enjoy it. I'm not sure if a remake was ever attempted but if it were I should quit my job and set up a Greenham Common style vigil outside the lot. Never mind Nic Cage's desecration of The Wicker Man; this would be a crime against humanity.

Count me in. I'll man the barricades alongside you.

[Seafront Plodder]

Yes Sweder a re-make has been attempted. A TV series in 2000 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0215111/

For me, (and someone had to mention it), she will always be remembered for getting her kit off as a 19 year old in Walkabout.