Snow and killer sheep.

 I wanted to take the usual photograph of the track through the snow so I had a pleasant run through the ice conditions. I felt really good and healthy - such a great experience. My knee was not causing problems and the joggers trots seems to be a thing of the past.

This is really good news because the discomfort of this under reported issue had really impacted my enjoyment of jogging. The online articles giving advice on the JT's does say that in time it improves and it would appear to be the case here.

I did the usual 4 miler as this is good for my weight loss and training for the Eric Humphries Cross Country race in a couple of weeks time. I have not submitted my application form but my intention is to take part. I ran last year and out of a field of 80 runners I came 7th. Which sounds very impressive if I do not mention it was 7 th last. I let people assume that it was from the front and think highly of me. Being in my 50's I am in a senior plus group so hopefully I will get a good placing.

On the run I was accosted by a group of sheep. Normally they run away from me but going through the field they galloped towards me. It was quite disconcerting as I imagined being knocked over and trampled and then eaten by the sheep. I had seen parts of the film 'black sheep' and they did look aggressive and hungry as the approached me. But I assume they thought I was bearing food and I am afraid I disappointed them.

I am now getting into the routine of stretching. Five simple stretches that hopefully will strengthen the legs and muscles and allow me to jog without doing any harm.

I am doing the squats when I clean my teeth and on regular stops through the day will stretch quads and gluts. Now I have got the old JT's under control the next goal will be to get to 12 stone. Today I am 12.7 so I do have some progress to make. 

So it is watch this space.

The smelliest trainers

 Yesterday I did a 6.5 jog from home to a trustees meeting in the North of town. My main concern was the odor of my running shoes distracting the trustees from the business of the day. Thankfully the meeting room was large and if the smell was noticed my fellow trustees were to polite to say anything

I did not record the time as the run was interrupted by a visit to the bank, received a cheque from George Osbourne, and the hairdressers. I have been meaning to cut my hair for days but I kept procrastinating due to so many things to do. But I made good progress and was able to pop into a barber en route. I gave myself 2 hours to do the run which was ridiculously slow but my pace was almost pedestrian as I jogged to protect my knee. I did the stretches before and after a run and I am feeling the benefits today. No aches and pains and I was even able to jog for a mile to pick up a car.

The weather was good - the sunshine does make one feel so much more positive and it is always good to get my shadow in a picture.

The next few days will be short runs to work and then another 6 miler between nights. I will revert to the old faithful course. The weather forecast is cold and dry so hopefully it will not be too muddy. 

If you want to visit a site for stretches I found this one very easy and good and it only took 5 mins

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOn0E76_4BU

 Location of the trustees meeting.

Enjoy

The trustees meeting was for the below charity

http://www.facebook.com/groups/discoverycentreuganda/

A great place to visit and run and have fun in East Africa

Keeping going but taking it easy.

It has been a long time since I last did a blog but my knees have caused me problems and it has been a difficult time gathering weight and losing the enthusiasm to jog. When I say 'knees' I should mention knee, my right knee. This is the knee broken several years ago and has been causing me problems ever since.

My poor right knee is somewhat swollen and when I do go for a jog it gets very tight at the back. I do not know what has caused this. Most of the time the knee is swollen and it is just part of who I am. There is a lot of history in the knee cap. I first damaged it playing rugby at School. It is amazing I can still remember the incident. The Magdalen First XV were playing Cedar School which is in deepest Bedfordshire

Cedars Upper School - Home www.cedarsupper.org.uk

Running with the ball I was making great progress to the line when some bloke bigger than I was jumped on my back and that was that for my knee. I continued the game in a lot of discomfort and remember being unable to cycle home as I could not bend my knee.

In 1981 there was the Brackley Marathon. Organised by the local Rotary Club the race was started by my Dad who was the president. There were not many of us - no more than 30 and very soon I was jogging along the wind swept roads of Northamptonshire by myself. After 21 miles my knee wanted to give up so agreeing with it I got a lift back to the finish.

Then in 1994 I arrested a man who did not want to be arrested. Alone I spent a happy few minutes wrestling with him. During this time of close contact he twisted his legs around my knee and rolled taking my knee with him. Thankfully others come to assist and he was whisked away and I was off for a few days. The man, who still owes me £96 in compensation was convicted of murder.

I had various arthroscopies on the knee and ongoing physiotherapy. Then in December 2007 I broke my knee and had screws added to hold everything together. I broke the knee in the annual synchronised gate vaulting event - which is another story.

I recently did go to a physio to see if there was anything I should be doing and he gave me good news. "Keep going but take it easy," He said. And to me this sounds good. A philosophy for life, 'Keep going, take it easy.'

 I have  been doing some exercise. Before the new year I went paddling down the Thames, and up the Thames, with the tides and 11 other chaps. It was a great day and when the weather was cold and we had a little snow I did the old faithful four miler. The paddle in particular was great fun but not too good for the weight loss. The pie and chips south of the Thames would have done my calorific count no good.

So I will not be doing a marathon but training up to a half marathon and at the same time lose a bit of weight. Without regular jogging my weight has increased up to 13 stone. I do not have any half marathon in mind but I will be taking part in a 6 mile cross country in a couple of weeks. In the Delapre Park in Northampton the Annual Eric Humphries race takes place. This is a seriously muddy course and will no doubt ruin my running shoes.

My running shoes are becoming very grubby and smelly. I have had them for over a year so I suppose it is time to change them. The great thing about jogging is that the only expense is the shoes. And with this limited commitment there is the opportunity to invest in a good pair.

My plan is to take the camera whilst doing the run, I am not taking the race to seriously, and so action photos of the race in progress should appear on this blog

I have spent the day sorting out my life, clearing the e mails and paperwork that have been gathering dust in their respective folders and trays. This has taken 6 hours and I need to go for a jog to clear my mind.

My poor right knee is somewhat swollen and when I do go for a jog it gets very tight at the back. I do not know what has caused this. Most of the time the knee is swollen and it is just part of who I am. There is a lot of history in the knee cap. I first damaged it playing rugby at School. It is amazing I can still remember the incident. The Magdalen First XV were playing Cedar School which is in deepest Bedfordshire

Cedars Upper School - Home www.cedarsupper.org.uk

Running with the ball I was making great progress to the line when some bloke bigger than I was jumped on my back and that was that for my knee. I continued the game in a lot of discomfort and remember being unable to cycle home as I could not bend my knee.

In 1981 there was the Brackley Marathon. Organised by the local Rotary Club the race was started by my Dad who was the president. There were not many of us - no more than 30 and very soon I was jogging along the wind swept roads of Northamptonshire by myself. After 21 miles my knee wanted to give up so agreeing with it I got a lift back to the finish.

Then in 1994 I arrested a man who did not want to be arrested. Alone I spent a happy few minutes wrestling with him. During this time of close contact he twisted his legs around my knee and rolled taking my knee with him. Thankfully others come to assist and he was whisked away and I was off for a few days. The man, who still owes me £96 in compensation was convicted of murder.

I had various arthroscopies on the knee and ongoing physiotherapy. Then in December 2007 I broke my knee and had screws added to hold everything together. I broke the knee in the annual synchronised gate vaulting event - which is another story.

Swollen Knees and blowing noses

Time is moving forward and my running plan is not as disciplined as it once was. I believe the feeling of, 'I have so much to do I do not have time to run' is the main cause. Which is nonsense because if I am not running in reality I spend my time sitting in front of the computer surfing the net. I do have paperwork and house and garden sorting to do but the curse of procrastination prevents me from being that successful in my time management.

Also the thoughts of doing a long run is quite daunting. According to my plan I should be doing a 14 mile run but I am way behind this. My next goal will be 10 miles but I have another problem. My right knee just does not feel right. It is swollen and although does not cause problems whilst running when I return and complete my stretches it does ache and feel funny. The question is should I go to the doctor but being a bloke this is out of the question. I will on the advice of another running colleague do some knee exercises. 

I have been for a few 4/5 mile runs and even done some posing photos to record the autumn and me jogging in my aldi running bottoms. I cannot wear these to run to work as my locker is unfortunately in an office off the control room and walking through the call handlers, mostly women, is too hard for me to do. I bought the medium size bottoms and they are a tadge too small. Hopefully I will lose a little more weight and they will be more decent. I remain faithful to my old shorts that suit a soon to be middle aged man.

Autumn (fall) is definitely here. I have been working, keeping the Queen's peace,  the last two nights. 

And it has been so so cold with Arctic winds sweeping across the country. It has been 2 degrees with a windchill factor and yet girls wander around the town centre wearing hardly anything. I was still cold with my numerous layers and reluctantly got out of the car whenever people wanted to fight each other.

And the impact of cold weather is of course the runny nose. My next goal is not only the 10 mile run but learn how to blow my nose effectively whilst running. Inspired by a running friend who was able to remove the mucus with a minimum of fuss and quite discretely I gave it a go and made an awful mess. I would have looked like a toddler with a cold. But I am determined to learn as one does not want to keep using ones sleeve whilst running. 

I even searched the internet for help

http://www.madetorun.com/running-resources/quick-tips/blowing-your-nose-while-running/

Could do with some more advice. And lastly the field I keep running through should be looking more autumnal but the farmer has not plowed the field. He, or she, has planted some crop under the wheat and the trees at the far end have not changed colour. Very disappointing as I would like to do a calender next year recording this one spot through the year and I want it to look pretty and autumnal not a cold summers day.

 

 Cross Training (CT) does not get much better than this, kayaking in Suffolk. On Saturday 13 October I was pleased to join a group of paddlers kayaking down rivers, up rivers and in the sea in Suffolk. It was one of the best trips I have done. I did little to organize but simply paddled from Ipswich to Felixstowe, along the coast and then up the river Deben to some small village. It was beautiful and by the time I had finished I was absolutely knackered. 

The last six miles we paddled up stream, assisted by the tide, through spectacular rainbows and mudflats. There were no villages just the occasional church and I am sure the scenery had not changed in centuries. My poor left shoulder was aching and the next day my muscles were complaining. We did 26 miles and it was good to say to fellow joggers that I had done 26 miles on Saturday and let them assume I had been running rather than paddling.

Cross training is very important, so my running schedule states as I keep exercising but resting my poor old legs and in particular my right knee. CT reduces the risk of overuse injuries and so articles say, makes me run faster and leaves me less prone to injury. 

This is a good thing as yesterday I did an 8 mile run and my knee was suffering. Not painful when running but after the run it was rather swollen. I need some advice as to whether a knee support is worthwhile. I can also blame wifey for aggravating the injury as I was waiting for her to return home so I could use the car to go to work. She did not return so at the last minute I donned my new aldi running top and leggings and ran at speed the mile to work. It improved my speed training but I am concerned about the knee.

I need to mention the 8 mile was slightly different as it was done in stages. I ran to the hospital to see my friend Mick Billingham, mentioned in earlier posts and is the reason why I am training for the marathon. Then I ran to the church to do admin stuff and then to Aldi to purchase the running gear and the final leg was the last 3 miles home.

I also realized the impact of the wind on one's running. The first half I felt good and fast and put this down to my new mental strength and training. On the return trip I felt the force of the wind and my optimism for my new ability reduced as my feel good factor was more to the strength of the wind rather than my athleticism. Still I am improving and do really enjoy running. But I am concerned about the knee. 

The running gear is good but there is a problem. When I wear it I look I know what I am doing. It reminds me when I bought golf shoes. (Many years ago I briefly took up golf) When you wear the right kit there is an expectation that you are reasonably good. Whilst I jogged in my old shorts and tee shirt there was no pressure. Now I wear the body hugging clothing my style and speed must match my kit. No pressure then!

9 October 

Today's run has been quite eventful. After a lot of effort I managed to do a 10 mile run, I got attacked by a horse chest nut tree and I at last did some post run stretches.

I am in the middle of a set of nights but had to get up at 10 am to sort out the car. Wifey kindly drove me 6.5 miles to Towcester for me to run back. I thought if I added a loop of my regular run then I hopefully would achieve a 10 mile run. 

I felt quite good and armed with imodium as I had an Balti last night at the Royal Bengal I was confident I could break the 10 mile barrier. All went according to plan until I got home and using the Distance Calculator established I only ran 8.2 miles so I put on the trainers and did another 1.8 mile jog to get to the 10 miles. And I felt quite good and confident that I could do a fair few more miles. 

On my travels as I was deep in thought I was hit on the back of the head. My first thought was that I was being attacked by chavs. But as I stood looking around for a hoody to blame a conker fell on my right shoulder. I was being attacked by a horse chestnut tree. I have never seen this mentioned in the numerous web sites I have visited to find the secret of running a marathon with the minimum of training and effort. 

The country side is beautiful, I love autumn but it is sad to see the horse chest nuts being attacked and looking sad with the Horse chestnut leaf blotch. If you want to know more go to the below website.



  http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?pid=200


 12 October

I was really pleased that I did not suffer after the run. I will put this down to the stretches and that my body is getting used to running. The next challenge is a 12 mile run I need to do sometime over the next few days. Today I will be doing the short 4 miler and then tomorrow I will be doing the CT training. For this I am traveling to Suffolk to do some sea kayaking. It will be 20 mile trip going with the tides so should not be too difficult. Salty sea tales and photos to follow.

A

Watching the history of the world on the BBC i player the battle of Marathon is described. And from the resulting run back of the Greek army to defend Athens comes the event that is remembered in the Olympic games. And to quote Andrew Marr, ‘the heroic 26 mile run back to defend their city is today of course remembered in the ultimate test of courage and stamina - the marathon.”

I am sure if those warriors could see me now they would be disappointed as instead of going for a five mile run I have eaten a rather large Sunday lunch and binged on Chocolate ice cream. Not that good preparation for the event of strength of courage.

However I am nights tonight so I have postponed my run from before lunch to a run before work. I have also applied for the Bedford half marathon with my jogging guru. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon

Wikipedia disagrees with Andrew Marrs on some of the details on the origin of the marathon, however I am sure all will agree that the race I am training for is an ultimate test, especially for my knees, of my courage and stamina.

8 October

I ran 2 miles to work last night. I ran at a quick pace and when I arrived I had time to go to the small gym and use the exercise ball to do some of the strengthening the core exercises. I am glad no one else was in the gym. With all the weights and exercise machine the exercise ball does seem rather wimpy. 

At work I got into several discussion about marathons and triathlons. It is amazing how so many people are into it. Someone suggested the Edingburgh Marathon on 26 May. This does sound good and I will look into it. It will also be an opportunity for time away with the wife.

www.edinburgh-marathon.com

However I am concerned that I have not for sometime done a lengthy run. I missed the 10 miler last weekend. So when I wake up tomorrow I will look to do a long run. Get up, do the run, go to bed and get up for work. And now I have written it on the blog I feel accountable to get this done.

So watch this space.