2007 - February

[El Gordo]

Not much running to write about recently.

Bah!

Something will appear soon.

I've an interesting weekend ahead, then I really have to get my head down for the Reading Half at the end of next month.

Running is nourishment, and it's in such famished times that one appreciates its true value.

Sigh.

One last chance please people -- one last chance!

[Ana]

Dear Andy,
I was thinking on run the Marathon, but I am not able of run more than 3.5 Kms. I believe now that it is impossible to run more, because I am so tired on that poin!
Anyway, it is not so terrible.
Happy weekend, I will have another magnific WK too, as the week was so busy (my senior is ill).
We are waiting for your running histories...

[El Gordo]

Ana, if you can run for 3.5km, you're nearly there. I reckon that 3 miles (about 5km) is a good initial target. It took me 8 months to get there when I started.

Once you reach that level, you can run a marathon 4 or 5 months later (many of us have done it from such a start). However... it's not really advisable to aim for a marathon just yet. You're just putting unnecessary pressure on yourself.

A great target for a new runner is a 10km race. Why not see if there are any 10km races happening near Madrid over the next 6 months or so? There are probably several. Once you get there, you can think about longer distances.

Good luck!

[Antonio247]

Hola, Ana

As Andy says you can start with a short distance race. In Madrid there are plenty of them. For instance, there´s a race at Ciudad Universitaria where you can do 7, 14 or a half marathon. It is on 11th March.


Another one is "La carrera de la mujer", which is only for women but men and women will cheer you up in the streets. In Madrid it is on 6th May. It is only 5 km and the atmosphere is really good.

http://WWW.carreradelamujer.com


Best of luck.

Antonio

[Sweder]

March may be a little early for Ana to take part in a race.
Perhaps it would be better to look for a race in a few months and work up to it.

Are there any races in May?

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Ana - Andy and Antonio are right. It also took me months to be able to run 5km for the first time. But I'll always remember that first 5km run, and from there you can go on to do anything. Nothing is impossible once you reach that mark.

Do some short races - they are fun. Then you can decide whether you want to run further or not. You're very welcome here whether you run long distances or short ones... Goodness, we even have non-runners here, like Seafront Plodder, and he's not even polite

[El Gordo]

Are there any races in May?

Races in May? Ooo Nooo!

Too soon for me!!

:p

[Ana]

Yes, thats right. My real target is to go Almería next year. Before I will run some small races. My friends and work-mates says that they will come to support me. That is because they do not believe that I will do it I am so thin and not strong...
What is quite sure is that I will celebrate my 35 birthday (next year) in Almería, as a change.
If possible, I will even run with you. That will be great, but I do not promise... because as explained, my 3,5 Kms are like impossible to increase... so even if I am a positive person, I will keep my Marathon target as a secret
I hope that MLCM makes some economies in order to join my birthday next year. I want a real Kagoo as gift
SP will came too and this time not as camera man. He will run with us as a fact of politeness, so that I will not be the lastone of the race...

[Sweder]

SP will came too and this time not as camera man. He will run with us as a fact of politeness, so that I will not be the lastone of the race...

Thank you, Ana. Thank you very, very much

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

I hope that MLCM makes some economies in order to join my birthday next year. I want a real Kagoo as gift

No problem Ana. I've already bought it

[Ana]

Ahhhhhhhhhh:mad:
That was not the idea,
I can't believe it!

[Sweder]

[Ana]

[attach]1424[/attach]

[Sweder]

Lasko Pivo . . . one of the better Slovenian beers, n'est pas?
A little too lager-like for my tastes I have to say, but highly rated by those who enjoy a fairer pint.
Last year the Lasko brewery acheived a record output - in excess of 30 million gallons - with almost 40% brewed for export. Pretty impressive stuff, dwarfing the efforts of the good men of Harveys in Lewes, although I much prefer the Sussex ale.

[Ana]

My real question was what was your photo, not mine.
But anyway, I verify that you are beer-expert ALL AROUND THE WOLD.
Even, thanks for the information. I was wrong, have believed that it was Croatian...

[Sweder]

Ahh . . . that was a picture of tumbleweed.
It was a non-verbal comment on the lack of activity in the monthly forum, aimed in particular at our glorious leader. A little gentle satire for a Friday

I mean, I liked the poem well enough, but it's not the same as enjoying Andy's writing is it?

[El Gordo]

If I was able to hold up my hands AND type, that's what I would be doing now.

It's bad, yes. I had a couple of runs in the week after Almeria, then work took over for a bit, then I had that Lost weekend with my DVDs (rubbish excuse, I know), then last weekend up till midweek I was in Ireland with the job, and was enjoying expense-account meals too much for running. And now? Now I'm ill. Very groggy, heavy cold or some sort of flu I don't know but my head is throbbing and every time I cough I get pains in my ribcage.

Funnily enough, while sitting in a fantastic boozer in Limerick I wrote some notes for an entry in which I mentioned that I seem to write only when I run, so I should run. I've also had other writing tasks on the go.

Anyway, anyway. Look, I'm going to bed. I need a snooze. Perhaps when I wake I'll feel right as rain and get the Limerick entry written up. Man, the Guinness was celestial.

[Sweder]

Man, the Guinness was celestial.

Y'see, you had my sympathy for a moment there . . .
. . . then you had to go and spoil it!
You lucky man. The lurghie is probably caused by the adjustment from the rarified atmosphere of Gods Own Country (though which God I'd rather not get into just now) into our murky climate.

Get well soon

[El Gordo]

Get well soon

Thanks. I really am not well - v unusual for me. A bit annoying as M is out this evening so I was looking forward to a few clandestine pints and a shadowy takeaway. Not totally impossible but I need to feel much better when I wake. We'll see.

[Seafront Plodder]

Here's an unusual one.

A mosquito cried out in pain:
"A chemist has poisoned my brain!"
The cause of his sorrow
was paradichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane


(...thats DDT to you)

hope you're back out there soon BTW Andy.