Last Friday I was sitting at the end of the main platform at Reading station, waiting for my train to appear. Being rush hour, it was hardly Adlestrop, but the overwhelming Fridacity of the occasion was compensation enough. After gazing at my crossword for a while, I casually looked up, noticing with alarm that my once-an-hour train was waiting at the far end of the platform.… READ MORE.... …
Month: July 2003
No running to report, but the calf feels better today. What’s encouraging is just how much I’m missing not being able to run. Guiltless relaxation is one of those things I long for, but this time it’s frustrating. Part of that is the awareness that I’ve entered a number of events that I don’t want to miss out on, but there’s something else.… READ MORE.... …
Things are not looking too good. This calf injury hasn’t evaporated as quickly as last week I thought it might. It’s no worse either, but it isn’t going away. To make things worse, this enforced sloth has led to tighter trousers syndrome, so even if the injury vanished tomorrow, there would have to be a period of readjustment to get a few pounds off and increase my basic fitness.… READ MORE.... …
I’ve no idea where I am with this running lark. I keep telling myself to get a grip, and I keep refusing to listen. Yesterday I got up at 5:45 and walked/jogged about 3 miles. I could feel the calf but it wasn’t quite hurting. Today I overslept for the first time in months, then spent the day devouring crisps and the evening in the pub.… READ MORE.... …
Some interesting observations that have come my way in the last 24 hours: 1) Lidl, the cut-price supermarket chain, have an aftershave brand called Eruption. 2) A message on the Dead Runners message forum, that somehow sums up what we love about Americans: “A great Tour De France, but I have a question regarding the yellow jersey. Do they wash it between wearings?… READ MORE.... …
The Eden Project was well worth a visit. Perhaps we were just lucky, but we were there on a day when there were no warring platoons of commando schoolkids to deal with. Just other fat old gits like me. All the car-parks are named after fruits. We found ourselves in the Plum car-park. On the courtesy bus at the end of the day, there was a lot of confusion among the other oldies about where we were whenever the bus stopped, hence the chanting of "Banana!"… READ MORE.... …
Never thought I’d see the day when I’d find myself on a bus crowded with strangers, spontaneously crying “Banana! Banana!” followed, a minute later by “Strawberry! Strawberry!” then “Tomato!” and “Lime! Lime!” and “Apple!” That day finally arrived today. More later. Let’s deal with running first. On Wednesday I visited the local sports injury clinic to be prodded and interrogated by a physio called Alison.… READ MORE.... …
Some very bad news to report. I’d just glided past the 6 mile point of my 9 miler this morning when I felt something go “snap-crackle-pop” in my left calf, and had to pull up very sharply. The 3 mile walk home won’t have helped it much either. This is terrible. It’s some kind of calf strain I guess. When I had this trouble with my right calf, after the Reading half marathon, it took me weeks to recover.… READ MORE.... …
The Dublin training is going quite well, though I’ve achieved my first missed run of the campaign. This is great news – obedience is a greatly overrated virtue. On Tuesday I was supposed to do 3 miles but a post-birthday semi-hangover kept me from getting up at 5:30 to run. I did get out for 3 on Wednesday, then yesterday had a sprightly 5 miles along the canal in the late afternoon.… READ MORE.... …