2008 - April

[El Gordo]

You and your gherkin, Nige.

Sad to see the Harford grave. It has to be said he didn't have much success at HQ, but the penury of the club and the general air of negativity following relegation from the Prem and various boardroom shenanigans would have tested the toughest.

I remember him describing the day he decided to pack it in. He'd just seen us lose 4-1 at Oxford in a terrible display. He walked back to his car in the torrential rain and found that someone had helpfully smashed in the windscreen, leaving the interior of his new car soaked, and 6 inches deep in water. He said he found himself weeping uncontrollably, and decided then that he had failed, and had had enough.

I'm with SW on the races thing. I'd love to be purist enough to think of running as a goal in itself but I need a bit more structure to help motivate me. I also really like races as an excuse for an adventure -- to see somewhere new, to (sometimes) meet up with people, to get a medal, and to provide a bit of gentle competition (with myself and previous PBs). Without them I'd never have persisted as long as I have. Just a personal take on it. I admire and envy anyone who can continuously celebrate the activity for its own inherent qualities.

I agree that running in a new place keeps the interest going. It's something I should do more of.