2007 - June

[El Gordo]

Apologies for the recent break in service. I'm in Ireland for a few days, where the urge to run has bizarrely given way to the urge to work and (now that I have a half day off tomorrow), for Guinness.

The abnormal service I've served up recently will be resumed once I get home -- I'm sure.....

[Sweder]

[SIZE="5"]Hello?[/SIZE]

[SIZE="4"]Hello? . . . [/SIZE][SIZE="3"]Hello? . . . [/SIZE][SIZE="2"]Hello? . . . [/SIZE]

Nothin' here 'cept these empty Guinness glasses and a few chocolate wrappers

[Ana]

Well, perhaps Andy locked himself in an Irish pub toiletts and can not get it!

[El Gordo]

Sorry guys, I've had a blip. Kinda hard to rationalise and explain.

After the Oxford 10K I had my few days of scheduled rest, then went for a plod with Niguel when I managed to trip over on an uneven path and stub my toe which led to another week off then had to go to Ireland for a few days then got back last weekend and ended up fighting the garden instead of running, which takes me up to yesterday, when I did actually manage to get out for a laboured hour with the running club. And tonight I have a 5 mile race in Bracknell Forest, the very scene of my unfortunate downfall with the Big Nig.

Er, so, I hope this evening will mark the full return.

My 18-week Dublin marathon training begins the week after next, so I think I've just been having a final fling.

Anyway, thanks for the sharp elbow in the ribs. I'm still feeling enthusiastic but I've just been having a sorta step-back 3 weeks. :o I'll write a race report this evening.

[El Gordo]

Have posted a brief report of the race now: http://www.runningcommentary.net

Apologies for the break in service, but am hoping all is well again now.

Hope everyone has a good running weekend.

[Bierzo Baggie]

The road from Bracknell... leads to Dublin. I'll be following the journey.

Know a few people in Spain who have been over to Dublin to run, it seems to be a popular marathon... I wonder why?

[El Gordo]

The road from Bracknell... leads to Dublin. I'll be following the journey.

Know a few people in Spain who have been over to Dublin to run, it seems to be a popular marathon... I wonder why?

Thanks BB, it'll be good to have you along.

It's been a bit quiet on here recently, so I'm relying on the start of marathon training next week to get the show back on the road.

[Moyleman]

Hopefully the Dorney Dash next week and your celebration will give you the inspiration to keep you going through the lean times leading up to the marathon and your goal. At least you get the glorious summer to train through.

Looking forward to next week.

[glaconman]

Tuber. Not root vegetable. Sorry.

[El Gordo]

Tuber. Not root vegetable. Sorry.

No need to apologise for humiliating me in public.....

[El Gordo]

Hopefully the Dorney Dash next week and your celebration will give you the inspiration to keep you going through the lean times leading up to the marathon and your goal. At least you get the glorious summer to train through.

Looking forward to next week.

Cheers Moyleman, I'm looking forward to next weekend too. I have found in the past that a 'celebration' can stretch into an extended training skive -- but I'm determined that won't happen this time. A day or two off, but that's it.

Look forward to meeting you.

[Seafront Plodder]

I think you'll find Andy, that the police were keen to find the offending dog to ensure that it was up to date with its tetanus jabs. :RFLMAO:

[Sweder]

The long straggly grass was dripping with two days' rain, and underfoot was soft and muddy. Miserable.

Eh
Sounds like perfect conditions to me.
You sure that dog's name wasn't Toto?

[El Gordo]

Sounds like perfect conditions to me.

Oh, in some circumstances, definitely. But if you're not expecting it, it's not so nice. I was limping along wretchedly at the time, and it just wasn't what I needed at that point.

[Sweder]

Point taken; if you've road runners on thick mud can be jolly un-funny as the cavities on regular shoes soon get clogged up and you end up loping in moon boots.

I'm truly sorry to hear about the errant hounds. As one who loves the company of dogs (steady SP, steady!) I hate to hear negative stories. Local authorities take such incidents seriously. Recent high profile cases involving children means they have to take swift and decisive action. You were right to report it.

[El Gordo]

I'm truly sorry to hear about the errant hounds. As one who loves the company of dogs (steady SP, steady!) I hate to hear negative stories. Local authorities take such incidents seriously. Recent high profile cases involving children means they have to take swift and decisive action. You were right to report it.

I was surprised (and impressed) by how seriously the police took it. It wasn't pleasant, but I would have been very anxious if I'd had young children with me, or were a child myself.

But I appreciate that most dogs/dog owners are fine. I was pissed off that these ones were completely unsupervised though. They were surrounding/barking at me for some time without anyone coming out to investigate. For all I know the tinkers (as my mother would call them) were down the pub, leaving the dogs on guard duty. I've no doubt they were following their natural, territorial instincts, so it's really their owners I'm pissed off with.

[Bierzo Baggie]

Sorry to hear about the dog incident. Big dogs bark a lot and can be pretty imposing but it’s generally the manky little mutt that sneaks up behind you and nips yer ankle… it happened to me a couple of year ago.

I reckon you were tempting fate with all that talk about Robert Johnson and the devil. Bet you didn’t know that one of his few surviving recorded tracks is called “hellhound on my trail”

[El Gordo]

I reckon you were tempting fate with all that talk about Robert Johnson and the devil. Bet you didn’t know that one of his few surviving recorded tracks is called “hellhound on my trail”

Au contraire, BB. In fact I mentioned the very title in that entry:

Anyway, so I'm approaching the village crossroads with the Hellhounds On My Trail, wondering whether to sell my soul to the deer park and wood in the north, or to the bird lake and canal in the south....

Eek! You've made me realise just how unintentionally prescient I was with that reference.

[lizoconnortalk21]

Hi Andy! Thanks for message on my blog, and comment on RW thread!

[stillwaddler]

Please see attached foto...

Hope the dog or the bite didn't get infected, it's always the little ones you have to watch It's so soon after your foot injuries too, as that's the third you will probably remain completly injury free for your Dublin training, but just to be on the safe side keep saluting any single magpies you come across - shall I oblige with a piccy? I don't want you to get them confused with a BTG