Month: October 2003

It must be another sign of growing old (were more proof needed). For my birthday this year, I asked not for the new Led Zeppelin DVD, but… a breadmaker. And I’ve been using this item regularly since June. In the way of most men, I spent a few hours fiddling with it, trying to persuade it to work, before, in a moment of desperation, deciding to read the instructions.… READ MORE.... …

I didn’t do a longish weekend run after all, just the usual 3.5 miler on Saturday before heading off to Loftus Road. Unfortunately I was laid low by a sudden and mysterious attack of drunkenness after the game, which left me… reluctant to run for ten furious miles along the hedgerows of West Berkshire yesterday morning. Oh well. So be it.… READ MORE.... …

I always enjoy planning things; such a good substitute for the inconvenience of action. Yesterday I discovered that the organisers of the Reading half marathon have opened the doors to next year’s race (March 7) and this knowledge launched me into a fog of research that lasted most of the evening. As readers of the forum will know, I’m considering a marathon in Poland in the spring.… READ MORE.... …

Not quite so cold this morning, just a minefield of invisible puddles instead, and a steady drizzle. I’m beginning to hate myself for giving early morning running such a glowing review last week. I now feel unable to say “Couldn’t be bothered this morning”. It almost happened today. Not because the bed was too warm, but because I have a couple of minor aches that I don’t want to exacerbate.… READ MORE.... …

Has it ever occurred to you how amazing it is that we all look different? You’d think there would have to be a limit to the number of permutations possible, given the raw material available: pair of eyes, ears, a nose, a mouth, hair colour/style, skin colour/complexion type. But no, the plausible combinations seem endless. What’s surprising is how few people look strange.… READ MORE.... …

Stopping to walk during a race is like committing mass murder, don’t you think? You’re a bit reluctant to do it for the first time, but once you’ve done it once you can’t stop. I was musing on this notion this morning, as I plodded around the Blenheim Palace 10K. The Blenheim Palace 10K? No, I didn’t know I was going to do it either.… READ MORE.... …

That final question resonated throughout Wednesday. After oversleeping and not running, the day became a kind of minefield, which I lurched across without a care, and from which I didn’t emerge intact. Too much crap food and beer. Yesterday was much better. I didn’t wake up as early as I wanted to but I decided a run was worth getting the later train into London.… READ MORE.... …

6am. It’s dark and cool, and the streets are profoundly empty. Just a yawning fox, sitting on the pub wall, and me. It was hard getting out of bed, but I did, and I ran. It’s one of those questions you’re often asked: how do you manage to leave a toasty bed an hour earlier than necessary, just to be able to run half-naked for several miles in the cold, black morning?… READ MORE.... …

I was wrong. England avoided defeat, and even managed to look pretty good in patches. I watched it on a big screen in a packed village pub. A great atmosphere: intense, seething, emotional. All the contempt we felt over the last few days was forgotten. When it mattered, we couldn’t desert them. So, we’re in the finals of Euro 2004 in Portugal next June.… READ MORE.... …

A blip to report, though not an unexpected one. (Side question: can you schedule a blip, or must it always be unpredictable?) A sort of compulsory-but-voluntary work get-together last night in a posh Knightsbridge hotel, where we were encouraged to ingest good food in quantity, blew a hole in my good intentions this week. Biggish, yes, but not too ragged for stitching.… READ MORE.... …