Travelling, not running

Dear reader. Talking to myself again, you see. First sign. There are plenty of others.

So there's been a bit of a hickup with my other half's salary this month and we're pretty much broke before we start. Therefore no drinking (see previous post) and I'm going to have to take to the bike again instead of using the bus to get to work.

I used to do this regularly anyway, but took the shortest route possible (loads of buses and traffic lights and daft pedestrians, no cycle lanes) and just tried to get it over with as quickly as possible. I'm trying to make it more enjoyable now, though, as the marathon training's going to be enough grind to be going on with.

So it was low gears, down to the seafront, taking it easy, dedicated cycle lanes 90% of the route for me this morning. And it really was nice. Bright and sunny, but a nice sea breeze, no traffic, peace and quiet.

What used to kill me and take 25 minutes was very relaxing and took 35. I was still early to work. JUST NEED TO GET MacBook SORTED AND GET SOME WORK DONE. Not all that bovvered, though, to be honest!

A new beginning

Along with several colleagues, I was among the first thousand people to register for the inaugural Brighton marathon, happening next April 18 (exactly a week after my birthday). It's time to do some exercise again!

I haven't cycled to work in months and the running has been very patchy. I went for a run this morning (by the way, christ it's hot) and going past the plate glass frontage of the local off licence (where we have been a bit too regularly lately!) was an unneeded and unnecessarily cruel reminder of why the only mirror I look in at home is the one that's only just big enough to shave in. My face, I mean. Even I'm not THAT gay.

Anyway, it is a bit early to start training for the marathin in earnest. What I really need to try and do in the short term is try to get some kind of physical activity built in as a regular part of my week. Cycling, running, whatever. Knowing me, I probably will launch into the marathon training programme fairly soon and just do it multiple times.

I have recorded previous training programmes for London in as amusing a way as possible in the past, and will be doing the same here again. Read the back-catalogue if you have some spare time - if you're a first-timer who's registered for Brighton there could be some useful tips and if you're struggling, at least you'll know you're not alone!

Looking forward to hill runs and those dreaded fartleks - guaranteed to turn my face and, occasionally, the pavement 'all the colours of the speculum', as Victoria Wood once said. Bring it on!

At least (apart from a little bit around Brighton marina, which I've tackled before in the Sussex beacon Half Marathon) the course is almost completely flat. I'm therefore heading down towards the seafront for training runs now and missing the hills out unless the training programme acutally specifies a hill session. It's fairly flat to the South of us, not completely flat, obviously, or we'd have to be airlifted to safety every time the tide came in. People of South Portslade, Shoreham, Lancing, Worthing, Hove and Brighton be prepared for a regular display of moobs and wobble-bot over the next few months. I PROMISE ALWAYS TO WEAR A TOP!!! I hope you will do me the same courtesy. You know who you are.

And another one

Grey and miserable this morning, but not too windy and not actually raining. 'Why not?', I thought. I couldn't think of a good reason, so off I trolled.

I seem to be having horrible problems with my quads since I started again. (The chafing, you'll be pleased to hear, has gone.) I used to suffer a bit on downhill sections, but at the moment, no matter how much I stretch or what warm up exercises I do, they feel really tight and sore, even on the flat. Hey ho, I'm sure it will wear off if I manage to keep it up.

iPod Genius went all acieed on me this morning, which helped keep the tempo up and which I feel entitled to blame for my current spots-before-the-eyes condition. Which, actually, I'm finding rather pleasant.

Coffee, shower, then BRING ON THE DAY.

Holy ****

Same route - until I get my book back, I lack the imagination to come up with a bynch of different courses, or the guts to attempt more than 30 minutes. I didn't wear my lycra underthings this morning, my reasoning being: it's thirty minutes, how much chafing could there be?

Without going into any detail. OH MY GOD A LOT.

Ouch

Nuff said.

Success

Managed to sleep right through to my alarm this morning and get out for a run. I repeated the reverse route from the other day (where there's a major shunt right at the end). It's the first time since I started beinng active again that I DIDN'T STOP FOR A WALK IN THE MIDDLE! Hurrah!!!. I got round what used to be my 30-minute medium-pace course in 30 minutes 26 seconds.

Now, that is about 10 seconds per mile slower than before, which sounds quite a lot. But it's actually on 1.67%, which is pretty darned good. Faithful iPod and its new Genius feature helped, picking a sequence of dance tunes with very similar BPM, including Mac Thornhill's 'Who's gonna ease the pressure'. Now this is a piece of very early house genius. Immensely long, but towards the end there's this sequence of what was then cutting edge sampling, which is an absolute pant wetter. It's not on Blip, but if anyone finds it on Last or Spottify, I might consider giving them a try.

Thinking of other people for a bit, my friend and colleague requires sponsorship for the Great North Run later this year. Mr David Hughes, more power to your elbow. Knee. Whatever.

And congratulations to Maddie Wood, who completed her first marathon, the Edinburgh, in ferocious heat and despite the fact that they ran out of water (echoes of Boston) last weekend. Please sponsor Maddie here.

Oh dear

Just reread my last post. Wasn't I all full of myself. Haven't been for another run since!!! I set my alarm for 6.30 every morning to give myself a chance to go out before work. But I keep waking up at 3, getting back to sleep eventually and hitting 'snooze' a lot. Maybe tomorrow, my work from home day, will be better.

I also clearly haven't been on Blip.fm (which is FAB and you must join) for a while. I'll rectify that immediately.

Until tomorrow. I hope.