Brighton to Hyde Park

[El Gordo]

Period between Brighton 10K (15 Nov 09) and the Hyde Park 10K (1 Jan 10), when I'll be getting my year off to an excellent start with a 10K PB.

[Sweder]

Nice piece on the Quo/ Welch discontinuum EG.
I looked up Welch and found the following:

welsh /wɛlʃ, wɛltʃ/ Pronunciation [welsh, welch]

–verb (used without object) Informal: Sometimes Offensive.
1. to cheat by failing to pay a gambling debt: You aren't going to welsh on me, are you?
2. to go back on one's word: He welshed on his promise to help in the campaign.

Also, welch.

[marathondan]

Interesting that your long-held prejudice was upset by a band called Status Quo. I saw them over a decade and a half ago, when they were already doing a greatest hits tour.

Regarding Julie Welch, isn't this mainly a problem with our deification of artists? (And when she is in 26.2 mode, I think she can still be classed as an artist. Otherwise, typist sounds a better description.) 26.2 still stands as a good book. It doesn't mean she's a good person. We're all idiots. Most of us don't have the opportunity to show it to thousands of people. Fortunately, the internet is changing that.

As for the Mail... does your continued consumption of the evil rag form part of your iconclastic studies? I wholeheartedy agree with the principle, and I somewhat despair when people stick to their favourite newspaper because they agree with everything that's written in it. But I find that reading the Mail in the hope of finding an opinion that challenges my preconceptions is just too much effort. The overwhelming urge to rip each individual page into tiny shreds, set fire to the remnants, and then pound the ash underfoot is too great. An hour in the gym takes some endurance. An hour in the gym reading the Mail is like running the Brighton to Hyde Park ultramarathon.

And I guess I should say a few things about the Mail article:

1. Is it possible that most of the article was written to an anti-Brown editorial brief, and Welch surreptiously inserted the one positive paragraph?
2. The fact that the Mail just doesn't like people not looking like real sportsmen makes me want to punch my monitor.
3. I've seen plenty of middle-aged men out running, and never have they been "head lolling, beetroot-faced, gasping for breath", or indeed looking stupid.
4. But Gord should indeed put those running pants away; they're hopelessly unaerodynamic and over-warm. Get some Ron Hills, mate. Anyway, you'll soon have plenty more time on your hands for running.

Finally, is it just me, or could Rick and Frank pass for the Duchess and Duke of Cornwall in that last photo?

Oh yeah -- two 10 milers = fantastic result. Keep it up!

[Bierzo Baggie]

Get some Ron Hills, mate.
Oh yeah -- two 10 milers = fantastic result. Keep it up!

Ron Hills, one of the great inventions of the 20th century.

I still wear a pair of blue ones which I bought 20 years ago.

And if West Brom are Status Quo ...who are QPR?

[El Gordo]

QPR are sort of Wishbone Ash or Mott the Hoople. They seemed big through some of the 70s and 80s, and are still regarded with affection by people of a certain age, but largely forgotten or ignored apart from that. May reappear in the spotlight for a short-lived cameo tour at some point but will sink again without trace before too long.

Typically, I inflated the Julie Welch thing into something of disproportionate size. I've just gone off her and fancied having a bit of a go. Midweek therapy. But her article did annoy me. As I said, I don't actually mind her opinion. It's a bit like someone gawping at the telly and waffling about someone's appearance. It's of no consequence. It's trying to square her view with writings past. In fact, it's realising that it's probably not her view at all, but she's in hack piece-work mode.

Just to make sure people know, the Daily Mail is supplied free at the gym. it's not my rag of choice

As for Quo doing their greatest hits tour 15 years ago, well they are still doing it. Great stuff though. We grinned and chuckled all the way home.

Oh yes, there were indeed 2 x 10 milers last week.

And I have 2 pairs of Ron Hill tracksters myself somewhere, both dating back to the mid-90s. Not sure I'd want to run in them though.

[Sweder]

Get some Ron Hills, mate.
Oh yeah -- two 10 milers = fantastic result. Keep it up!

And if West Brom are Status Quo ...who are QPR?

Milli Vanilli?

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

I wasn't really taken by Welch's 26.2 when I read it, and offered it free to anyone who wanted it. No-one did! Now I'm probably stuck with it until it gets thrown in some church or school fete thing. She seems to suffer the standard journalist's syndrome of not realising when they are being offensive. Pity. More pitisome is that I paid full price for the book.

[El Gordo]

I wasn't really taken by Welch's 26.2 when I read it, and offered it free to anyone who wanted it. No-one did! Now I'm probably stuck with it until it gets thrown in some church or school fete thing. She seems to suffer the standard journalist's syndrome of not realising when they are being offensive. Pity. More pitisome is that I paid full price for the book.

Yep, I remember you not being too impressed by it. I stand by it. I've read it twice, and it made its mark on me. I don't remember her being offensive in the book though. I thought she treated the characters quite affectionately. Do you mean offensive in the article? I'd agree with that, except the paper it comes from, the Daily Mail, makes its impressive profits from being offensive and clumsy and populist. Given the political leaning of the paper, the true purpose of the article was just to ridicule a politician it dislikes, but as usual they managed to scatter the painful pellets over a much wider area.

[El Gordo]

Hurrah for M and her enthusiasm for competitions. She's won us a couple of days at a posh health spa, Ragdale Hall. Suite, all travel expenses paid, the works. Lots of free treatments included, plus I've booked a ton of fitness classes.

Going tomorrow, and determined not to take a laptop, so won't be posting anything until Sunday at the earliest. Will post a few tweets if I have any spare energy.

Ha ha!

[marathondan]

Looks great. I hope you get time for a little relaxation between the cardio workouts. Do tell, which classes have you signed up for? It's a shame you'll miss the Pom-Pom workout. But Street Dance is still an option.

[Sweder]

Street Dance is terrific. Pls tweet pics of you throwing shapes and spinning up out of a headstand.

[marathondan]

Or spinning out of control into a hatstand.

[Sweder]

Or spinning out of control into a hatstand.

[marathondan]

Sorry, missed a trick there.

Pls tweet pics of you throwing up and spinning out of control into a hatstand.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

What are Prince2 manuals??

[Seafront Plodder]

What are Prince2 manuals??

Think of them as Prince2 automatics, but with a clutch.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

What are Prince2 manuals??

Think of them as Prince2 automatics, but with a clutch.

I don't understand such things ... I'm a republican.

[El Gordo]

Off to Nottingham for a couple of days. Will aim to while away the long winter evening writing up the Ragdale experience -- well, in between those darned Prince2 sessions. (Project management stuff - I have a course next week and have to do a load of reading.) It was a good experience in the main.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

.. well, in between those darned Prince2 sessions. (Project management stuff ...

All you need to know about project management...

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]