Practice making less rubbish!

Practice making less rubbish! by leecolgate at Garmin Connect - Details

I have so far completed 26 miles, in a total of 4 hours.  Exactly what I always dreamed of when actually doing a marathon!  It has been spread over 13 sessions, however.

In any case, having managed to keep up training regularly for a couple of weeks now, and got into the habit of going out for the run straight after warming up and not getting sidetracked, my pace is improving in leaps and bounds.  I am now over 1 minute faster per mile than when I started, and it's much less difficult to move at this speed than it was to go slowly back then.  'Back then'.  Get me.  It's been a couple of months for god's sake. :-)

NEXT week is when training starts in earnest, with 4 sessions per week and some longer ones creeping into the schedule.  I'm quietly confident it will continue to go well.  All I need now is to properly get my diet under control.  I am drinking less, but not as much less as I want.  This is in part due to not having anything productive to do with my time, which I am trying to remedy in a number of ways.  But that's not a story to be told here.

Mum flies home tomorrow, followed by dad on Thursday, so I'm looking forward to some quality family time over the next couple of weeks.  We bought mum a professional photo session for her 65th birthday, which I think she'll be using on this trip to get some pics with Aidan, which should be fun.  And we're all going out for a birthday lunch for me and Colin next weekend (I had completely forgotten our birthdays are coming up!).  We're way beyond celebrating in a big way, but it's nice to have these things to look forward to just now.

If you are enjoying these blog posts, please consider sponsoring me in support of Diabetes UK at JustGiving. Many thanks.

Another longer run

Another longer run by leecolgate at Garmin Connect - Details

25 minutes today.  After Tuesday, I was a bit trepidatious, but it went splendidly.  For once, I did the warm up and then went straight out to do the session.  This, in spite of a minor hissy fit that my headphones now only seem to work in my (oldish) iPod nano 4Gen if inserted at an improbable angle and held there with the cord sort of bent/twisted.  So I have to put up with monophonic sounds until I can either get this fixed or find a replacement - I may steal Colin's, as he doesn't use it any more.

Anyway, it meant there was a spring in my step from the very first stride, for once, and this set me up for a consistent session with no ups and downs, suddenly feeling warmed up or tired.  The whole thing just flowed.  Despite my being able to very clearly hear my own raspy breathing.

The end result is the biggest distance I have so far covered in a single session, with the best overall pace - under 9 minutes for a significantly (at this stage) long run!  Most chuffing.

We (i.e. Colin) plan further home improvement work over this long weekend, so it's off to no-doubt-heinously-congested shops now.  There will be alcohol this evening.

If you are enjoying these blog posts, please consider sponsoring me in support of Diabetes UK at JustGiving. Many thanks.

More wintry slogging

More wintry slogging by leecolgate at Garmin Connect - Details

Well, that was bloody hard work.  Only 15 minutes, but once again the cold really hit the chest and throat.

I'm not being hugely clever at the moment in my preparation for these runs, which I do not think is helping much.  The being-out-of-work guilt is filling my brain with chores and things I could be doing round the house and I'm trying to do them while I do my core strength and warm up exercises.  And then they go wrong and I end up not running until a couple of hours later, which renders the warm up useless and means I'm going out on cold legs, not doing another warm up because it's too cold and I just want to get it over with.

Somewhat fortuitously, I can afford to piss about like this for another week, as the training actually doesn't start properly until next week.  Sometimes losing track of time delivers these pleasant little surprises.  I had also, for example, forgotten that the clocks change this weekend, although I'm still trying to work out whether this means more time in bed or less; and whether this matters, given my current lifestyle.

I have applied for another vacancy this week and was rather pleased with the covering letter.  Having submitted it and thought about it since (I really have to find something else to do with my time, am trying to do a couple of hours a day of Spanish), though, I'm realising there are many improvements I could have made.  Fingers crossed anyway and hopefully more will come up now 2013 budgets are (or should be) getting signed off.

I have to spend the next few hours trying to work out what the hell I changed the combination to on the new padlock we got this morning.  It's definitely not what I thought and there are only 10,000 possibilities!  Then, if I have time, I need to look at our monthly outgoings and work out how much I absolutely have to be bringing in every month for us to be able to keep living here - am toying more and more with working part time and retraining in something I give a damn about.

If you are enjoying these blog posts, please consider sponsoring me in support of Diabetes UK at JustGiving. Many thanks.

Winter bites back

Winter bites back by leecolgate at Garmin Connect - Details

When I woke up this morning, there was light dusting of snow falling.  I've no idea how long it had been going on for, but it didn't last much past 7 o'clock and nothing remained after it stopped.  So, no excuses!!!

So off I went for today's 25-minute session.  And I have to say, I hated it.  I got nowhere hear what I achieved on the last similar run and this was all down to how sodding cold it is out there.  The kind of cold that seeps into your muscles and bones in spite of physical exertion and makes breathing a right pain.  Even now, over an hour later, my chest and throat are very sore.

Next week is the beginning of what I see as 'training in earnest', the first week to include 4 sessions.  Weather permitting, I think I've made a decent start and am ready to to step things up a notch.  With Colin at work today, I'm spending the time on further Spanish study and F1 highlights later (damn Sky for nabbing the live rights again).

If you are enjoying these blog posts, please consider sponsoring me in support of Diabetes UK at JustGiving. Many thanks.

User ratings and reviews - worth the epaper they're written on?

So, in my jobseeker wilderness I am finding lots of time to read and listen to music.  I very often read user reviews and check ratings before buying a lot of the stuff I shop for online and I'm wondering why.  I've written a couple of album reviews on iTunes and rated many, many things on Amazon (although I've never written a review on there yet).  And I'm realising I am never, ever completely impartial.  I tend only to write a review for an album or artist I am hopelessly devoted to, and wish other people shared the love I do for them.  And when I rate stuff, it's always based on my personal perspective and very rarely a straightforward reflection of the literary or musical merits of the work in question - which I'm not entirely sure I'd be qualified to give anyway.

Now this may be absolutely the norm and completely to be expected, but it does call into question the value a business, writer or musician should place on UGC of this type.  In my previous incarnation in Digital Marketing, the consistent message was 'content is king' and, depending on what you're trying to achieve, volume may well be good enough, depending on where it's published, regardless of the sentiment.  But if you're truly trying to build an online brand, a reputation and a community, promoting (a) product(s) or service(s), then what people are saying is at least as important as the fact that they're saying something.  Some of the tools that monitor this type of thing include 'sentiment analysis' for precisely this reason.  But are there really expectations that content created by non-experts is actually valuable and to be valued?  Should ratings given by people who don't supply a supporting review (like 99.9% of mine) be given any weight, when they may be disguising or distorted by the individual's predisposition?

Some specific cases in point may help illustrate this a bit better.

1. I will never, ever, ever buy so much as s single track by Oasis.  I may enjoy some of their music, but I think they're basically foul scum and I will not fund their lifestyle.
2. I saw the movie 'The Hunger Games' and was so utterly repelled by the central theme of a society that sacrifices children (making them slaughter each other) in payment for the perceived transgressions of their ancestors, that I vowed not to buy the books.  But then I did.  And very well written they are too.  Exciting plots, a variety of characters and personalities that stand out properly as individuals and whose actions are completely as you'd expect based on those personalities.  And yet, until the very end of the final book and via a 'meet the old boss, same as the new boss' plot point, that hideousness behind it all was unrelenting.  So I didn't rate them very highly, but never explained why.  Until now.  In a place where it's really irrelevant.
3. An even stronger version of 2.  I love, love, love K.E. Mills' 'Wizard' series.  And her 'Kingmaker Kingbreaker/Fisherman's Children' series, published under her other non de plume, Karen Miller.  So I bought her 'Godspeaker' trilogy, also published under Miller.  And much of it is taken up with descriptions of and tales about a society that is completely and utterly lacking in any redeeming features whatsoever.  She builds a whole world to set the narrative in, and does so brilliantly.  She tells the story beautifully.  But, again, I spent much of the time wishing she'd either change the setting to the not-so-bad other continent, or destroy the entire society in a fiery apocalypse.  I hated the people, the place, their beliefs and their way of life and this completely tainted my experience.  If I was to rate them (I haven't yet), I'd feel pressured to give them at least a 4, which is what they deserve based on the quality of the writing and the story itself.  But I'd want to give them 2.  And then not explain why.
4. In almost exactly the opposite situation to 2. and 3. I worship and adore Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels.  Her other stuff not so much.  But these are crime comedy works of genius, with some entirely wonderful characters and she can't write them quickly enough.  They are not great literary works, but they are joymaking and sometimes that's all you want.  And I will always rate them with a 5.  I have imagined them being made into films and chosen who would play each character.  And now they've made the first one into a film, with none of the people I had in mind (who, realistically, are all too old.  Or dead.)  But I want, no need, to see all the others.  So I would rate the film with a 5 as well in the (remote, given the critical reception and box office performance of the first) hope that this should come to pass.

So there you have it.  I know what I like and will always look out for new stuff from musicians/bands/writers I'm already devoted to.  When looking for new stuff to try, I will refer to ratings and reviews by other people.  But it worries me that people might be looking at mine and basing decisions on them!  If we're talking about a product and I can decide whether it works how it should, failed to fall to bits within 5 minutes of delivery and doesn't eat batteries, fine.  But when there's a high level of subjective judgement involved, do people realise this and take it into account?  I do, but still.  And if you're a business trying to build your business based on this type of feedback, where do you start?  I guess the key thing here is to engage with the people contributing to this online body of content about you and yours.  There are so many ways of doing this these days and you have to be all over all of them.  And I'd love that job.

If you are enjoying these blog posts, please consider sponsoring me in support of Diabetes UK at JustGiving. Many thanks.

Wet, wet, wet

Wet, wet, wet by leecolgate at Garmin Connect - Details

Session 2 of the week.  Contrary to plan and hopes, this didn't happen first thing in the morning.  Not much did.

When I eventually got into gear, the rest of the world was up and running and, with a delivery expected today I had to stick around.  You just know if you go out for even 10 minutes, that will be when they try to get you, right?  So, eventually, 1 of the 3 items we were expecting turned up.  I dressed and did warm up/exercises and, just as I was heading out, the other 2 arrived!  Serendipity.

The GPS took a while to penetrate the cloud cover, which decided as I headed out to unload itself in a cold and prickly fashion.  (opposite of serendipity? sodomy?)  So the map at the link above is not quite right, but I have edited the numbers based on the last 15-minute session I did, which I exactly matched on this one.  Huzzah.

Hot shower and hot drink coming up.  Then perhaps a blog post on a completely different topic.  As promised, I've done some thinking and had an idea.

If you are enjoying these blog posts, please consider sponsoring me in support of Diabetes UK at JustGiving. Many thanks.

Here we go again

Here we go again by leecolgate at Garmin Connect - Details

So, after a two-week hiatus, partly weather-enforced and partly down to another bout of extreme laziness, I picked things up again today.  I promise this time to try to stick to doing these things regularly, and to find other things to write about in the meantime.  My updates are far too infrequent right now to attract the attention of even the most curious search engine spider, never mind a human audience.

I am still (8 months now, with the occasional lapse early on) off the cigarettes and deriving complete satisfaction from an e-version.  My alcohol intake is also far reduced, although not to the extent I was aiming for - again partly due to the weather and an inability to exercise regularly.  Hopefully the two will now go hand-in-hand.

Today's session, all in all, went pretty well considering the break.  My GPS appears to think I spent almost a minute stationary, which I don't quite understand, but even so my average pace over the full 20 minutes was 9:15 per mile.  On the 19 minutes or so I was apparently in motion, this was actually 8:50.

Starting next week, the sessions increase to 4 a week.  The prospect of my having a job by the start of April now seem remote at best, but the less said about that, the better.  It's a very upsetting situation, but I'm reading hundreds of job descriptions a week and finding absolutely nothing I am not disqualified from based on one or two 'essential' criteria, like sector-specific experience.  The famous portability of Prince 2/Scrum qualifications and experience is really not as much of a benefit as it's always cracked up to be, it seems.  I'm lowering my sights a bit rate/salary-wise (I could probably use a bit of reduced responsibility for a while, anyway) and widening my geographic search.  None of the agencies looking out for me have found anything since December, which at least reassures me it's not just me being useless.

Next session is on Friday, and I hope to do it early morning again and then perhaps venture out for the day and register in person with some of the more mainstream high street recruitment agencies, as I can feel myself turning into an agoraphobic, misanthropic hermit, which is always a bit dangerous.  My sister and nephew are popping round tomorrow morning, which I am insanely excited about.  I've seen some new pics where he is properly smiling and they're just heartmelting.  I've also bought a copy of Terry Pratchett's 'Where's My Cow', which I am hoping he will enjoy.

Time to shower and shave now.  And then I'll probably spend the day on the couch in my new onesie, which is insanely comfortable and another blocker to going out ever. :-)

If you are enjoying these blog posts, please consider sponsoring me in support of Diabetes UK at JustGiving. Many thanks.

Weather fail

I ended my last post with a comment on the gloriousness of the weather.  So the current conditions may be my fault.  Sorry about that.  I did not do the other 2 sessions last week and, not surprisingly (we have 8 inches+ of snow here now) I have no plans for this week at the moment.

I'm not hugely upset by this, to tell the truth and am spending time properly researching job opportunities - fruitlessly so far, it has to be said.

If you are enjoying these blog posts, please consider sponsoring me in support of Diabetes UK at JustGiving. Many thanks.

9-minute miling achieved!

9-minute miling achieved! by leecolgate at Garmin Connect - Details

I was going to try to run this morning before we went to see Natalie and Aidan again for weekly cuddles, but in the end did not bother and went out instead when we got back.  Colin has some pics and vids I'm sure he'll bung on Facebook later for general cooing.  I can't believe how quickly Aidan's changing.  He's now 5 weeks old (on Thursday coming) and when he looks at you now, he really LOOKS AT YOU.  And his face is so expressive, you can just tell he's thinking 'oh do be quiet you strange old person', or 'for heaven's sake I know there is a person with breasts in the room where are they?', or whatever.  I'm even starting to recognise the different types of crying as he gets better at telling you exactly what it is that's causing the current problem, something Natalie is astonishingly good at, perhaps not surprisingly.

Anyway, we did tear ourselves away eventually and I hit the road for another 15-minute session.  Without intentionally or consciously exerting myself particularly hard, and certainly not feeling like I was working any harder than I have before, I averaged less than nine minutes per mile for the first time.  A significant milestone.  2 more sessions in the plan for this week, on Friday and Sunday again.  With the recent weather, I actually find myself looking forward to these sessions and have felt an occasional urge (not lasting long) to actually do additional off-plan runs.  I've not caved in to that so far.

Weight-wise, I seem to have gained slightly since Sunday, but I weighed myself, as usual, before the run (i.e. post-lunch) rather than first thing in the morning and am hoping this is the reason.  Will keep an eye on it.

If you are enjoying these blog posts, please consider sponsoring me in support of Diabetes UK at JustGiving. Many thanks.

1st 'long' run

1st 'long' run by leecolgate at Garmin Connect - Details

OK, so, 25 minutes is not actually all that long.  But when you're just getting started on a training regime after almost a year of couch potatodom, it bloody well is.  All in all, it went rather well - exactly the same pace as the short 15-minute session I did on Friday, with no significant additional distress!

And I have already lost 4 lbs this week!  That's almost a whole bingo wing!!!  It must be doing me good, I know it's improving my mood.  Despite all the bleating about how road running is actually harmful and will turn your skeleton to talcum powder.  Let's not forget, there was some new research this week that says sitting down gives you diabetes.  For fuck's sake.  Well, I'm very sorry, but I have earned an afternoon on the couch and must get on with that now.

More next week.

If you are enjoying these blog posts, please consider sponsoring me in support of Diabetes UK at JustGiving. Many thanks.

Progress!

Progress! by leecolgate at Garmin Connect - Details

If you needed proof that last time's reported performance figures were due to technology failure, which I concede some of you might, today's should help.  Only a fifteen-minute jaunt today (Sunday should be the first 'longer' one, at 25 minutes), but it felt so much easier than any of the previous ones.  This is backed up by my first average pace below 9 minutes 30 per mile (9:18, in fact).

I've also started off again doing the core strength exercises from my marathon training book.  These take about twice as long as the running at the moment, but I'm hoping they will not only improve my performance but will also return my waist, which buggered off some time in the last few years.  Furthermore, I am making a concerted effort not to drink as I seem to have picked up a couple of stone that I could really do without.

If I can manage this, it will also mean my sister can call on me in the evenings if she needs a hand with the little one - dependent on my getting a job and some independent transport.  On which note, I am giving myself a day off today.  The whole situation has completely got on top of me this week and I need some 'me' time.  Buffy marathon this morning before the run, will be reacquainting myself with my Wii U this afternoon.  So there.

If you are enjoying these blog posts, please consider sponsoring me in support of Diabetes UK at JustGiving. Many thanks.

Lies, damned lies!

Lies, damned lies! by leecolgate at Garmin Connect - Details

So, I missed Sunday's planned session.  Slippery slope beckons, I know, but it was too bloody cold and I don't want to get sick.  It would 1. make sticking to the plan even more difficult and 2. jeopardise my weekly visits to sister and nephew, which are the only thing I really look forward to in my jobless hell.  I've tried to keep my chin up and bounce back, but I'm running out of chin (although I currently have several, looking forward to shedding a few with this new 'active lifestyle') and my bounce is almost gone.  I hate this.

Anyway, I also suffered equipment failure on today's run.  My GPS lost satellite reception 3 minutes 47 seconds in and didn't pick it up again after I reset (by accident, do not attempt equipment manipulation on the move!!!).  So I ran for longer than planned and covered more ground, at a better pace than the rather gallumphing one calculated, on this run.  In my current mood, this molehill is assuming K2 proportions.

I need a nice hot shower (it's not all that toasty out there today, either), a healthy lunch and a flop before jumping back on the job hunt.

If you are enjoying these blog posts, please consider sponsoring me in support of Diabetes UK at JustGiving. Many thanks.

1st 20-minuter

1st 20-minuter by leecolgate at Garmin Connect - Details

It's damned cold out there today!  All thoughts of early Spring are long gone.  But at least I'm staying on track with the training, completing all runs as scheduled.  And, I'm happy to report, my pace continues to remain satisfactory.  I averaged 9:32 a mile today, which is another improvement over the last one!

Looking at the programme, it looks I like I continue with these shortish, low-intensity runs for the rest of this month and into March, only really starting training in earnest at the beginning of April.  That suits me just fine, I should be well settled into the routine of running regularly by then and, please god, will hopefully have a job by then as well.

Onwards and upwards.

If you are enjoying these blog posts, please consider sponsoring me in support of Diabetes UK at JustGiving. Many thanks.

15 minutes more

15 minutes more by leecolgate at Garmin Connect - Details

A bit later than planned, I did the second 15-minute session this afternoon.  Damned cold, in that it-hurts-to-take-deep-breaths kind of way, but lovely sunshine.  Are we getting an early Spring?

I'm pleased to report I'm not getting the two-days-later aches and pains and general messages from the body telling me not to be such a prat.  Stretching before and after each session like a good boy and generally trying to do what the people who know about these things say you should.

I managed to do an extra .04 of a mile compared to the last session.  That looks like a rolling-about-on-the-floor laughably small improvement, but on the road I can tell you I finished substantially closer to home than before.  When you're looking at half marathon or marathon differences, these kinds of improvements in pace really do add up.  Indeed , this equates to 9:45-minute miling, compared to 10 minutes a mile on Saturday, saving about 4 minutes over a complete half marathon.  And I expect my pace to improve significantly over time.

Spending more quality time my sister and my new nephew tomorrow, with the next session due on Friday.  In the meantime, I will be mostly spending my time on the completely soul-destroying pursuit of finding a new job.

Starter for 10. Or, rather, 15.

A new beginning by leecolgate at Garmin Connect - Details

So, I have had a training plan calculated for me with the Great Run website.  I'm having various usability issues with it at the moment, in terms of using it on an ongoing basis to record my progress, but I'm continuing to use my Garmin anyway, so the links at the start of these posts will get you to info if you're interested.

The Great Run plan was easy enough to set up, so it is a schedule I will follow to get me to the big day.  You simply answer various impertinent, yet pertinent, questions - my responses can be summarised as 'old', 'fat' and 'do not let me shame myself or my family'.  You'd think that, given that I've occasionally got dressed and left the house for over 40 years, I might deal with embarrassment by now.  But there are degrees in these things, you know?  What I really want to avoid is being overtaken by one of those guys carrying a life-size model of a taxi, or a rhino.  Or Floella Benjamin - not a model, you understand, the actual lady herself -as happened in my first London marathon.  I don't mind those Water Aid boys carrying toilets, though.  They always seem to be deeply dreamy and just trying to keep them in view can knock minutes off my finish time.  Anyway.

I'm not in full training yet, that doesn't start for a few weeks.  I 'volunteered' during the sign up process for some getting-started sessions in the build up, though.  These seem to be 15 to 25 minute sessions for the most part, 3 or 4 times a week.  And I did the first one today.  It was billed as a '15 minutes easy running' session.  If you accept 'slow and laboured' as a valid definition of 'easy', as I have come to accept that I must, I can declare it was a 100% success!  10 minute/mile pace on average, which is officially jogging and a lot better than officially walking or officially wasting-your-time-get-back-on-the-sofa.

Next scheduled session is Tuesday, when my aim will be to get further in the 15 minutes allowed than I did this time.  Easy does it.

Nearly ready to start all over again

I have failed utterly to keep the running going as part of my normal routine.  No huge surprise there.  But I applied on a whim (unemployment-related boredom can be very dangerous) for this year's Great North Run and got a place.  I'm not breaking my self-imposed 'never again', as that applies only to marathons.  And if I can stay off the cigarettes permanently, I may break that one as well.  I have managed to convert myself and my whole family to e-cigarettes, helped at least in part by the arrival of little Aidan Kyle Stanley.

So expect more self-torture and, if I can reactivate my stagnating brain, humourous anecdotes on training in the near future.  And a renewed round of begging on a new JustGiving page, which I'll set up shortly and refresh the little widget over to the right.  The good things about the GNR are that it is a half marathon and also that, although it is in September, with a risk of bad weather on the day, I will be training through the Spring and Summer.  No icy sessions or gale force winds on the prom, which is what I've had in the past when training through Winter for the London and Brighton marathons.

I'll also be geeking my way through training with more maps, charts and stats on my progress, more for my own consumption than anyone else's, I imagine.

So ciao, bis bald and a bientot (apologies any foreign visitors, I don't know the codes for accented characters, so I'll just get as close as I can with my English keyboard if I feel the need to continue with pretentious foreign ejaculations!).

Oh well. Never mind. And never again.

Brighton Marathon 2012 by leecolgate at Garmin Connect - Details

Nowhere near the time I was hoping for or expecting.  But at mile 10 I knew is wasn't going to be.  I started getting the kinds of pain in my knees and hips I don't usually get until 15 miles+.  By half way, I was going backwards, gradually falling behind the 4 hours 30 pace guy I had been tracking - if I could just have finished ahead of him, it would have been a guaranteed PB.

At mile 18 I seriously considered dropping out and spent several minutes sitting at the side of the road or wandering up and down trying to muster the courage to continue.  Knowing my aunts and my hubby were waiting somewhere along the Shoreham Harbour stretch, I eventually got going again.  Only to burst into tears when I saw them and have another attack of the pathetics.

Having got that far, dropping out would have been pointless - I'd have to get to the finish to collect my belongings and it's a straight line from the Harbour to the finish line - no short cuts to be had.  Crowds, as ever, were amazing, but I was probably less responsive and appreciative than usual.  I was locked away in a contracting world of intensifying pain.  My pedometer shows a time of 5 hours 4 for the marathon distance.  But given the wandering off the course for deep breathing and crying, I still had half a mile to go when it stopped tracking my progress to actually get over the finish line.

I did it though!!!

My body is sending me messages I can't ignore any more.  I can't put myself through another one of these.  Triathlon research to follow and I hope to do my first some time next year.  Crossing the finish line at the end of a marathon is truly one of the greatest experiences anyone can have.  And these big city marathons are great for the closeness and enthusiasm of the crowds.  I may not be planning to repeat the experience myself, but if you've not done it I really believe you should, just once!!!!!!!!

Here we go, here we go, here we go!

Finally.  It's here.  Scared for now, expect excitement to kick in when I get to Preston Park.

Family efforts to soothe me so far this morning have consisted of 'You're only going out for a run, Lee'.  I expect the theme to continue through the race, with traditional family 'encouragement' consisting of things such as 'Hurry up, my feet are killing me' and 'How much longer, I'm starving'.

If you're running, congratulations and enjoy the day.  You are amazing.

If you're supporting, thank you.  You're pretty fabulous, too.

If you're doing neither, what the hell are you up to?  Get on board, you won't regret it!

I'm number 9726, wearing Diabetes UK pink and black.  My work friend Laura's also running today, for Albion In The Community.  She's number 10336.

Will be leaving to get the train in about 10 minutes.  Deep breathing all the way.  Yikes.

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG. OMFG.

Can you tell where my mind is right now?

Did my last training run on Thursday morning, a little 5 mile trot.  Collected my race pack from the Brighton Centre yesterday lunchtime.  Have been swinging wildly between excitement and terror ever since.

Given up on all the spreadsheets, charts and stuff now.  Simply can't be arsed.  But will include a link to the Garmin record of the big day tomorrow, when I pull myself together and upload it.

Hoping the weather's sufficiently good to draw some crowds tomorrow.  You really do make all the difference in the world.  To identify me, look for the image below and imagine it with a tiny crewcutted head at the top, a distinct midriff bulge and skinny legs sticking out the bottom.

P.S.  Eeeek.

30 minute slow-fast. Nearly there!

30 minute slow-fast by leecolgate at Garmin Connect - Details

Intentionally slow-fast.  20 minutes of light jogging followed by 10 minutes of cough-your-guts-up running.  No idea why, I just do what the book says.  Another stunningly perfect day for running, we really need it to be like this next weekend.  I really, really can't wait now.  Going to make the most of this long weekend and do absolutely nothing (apart from 5 miles on Sunday), a couple of very light sessions next week and then away we go!

Totally off topic, but weighing really heavily on my mind.  I ordered a car through Tesco cars.  They secured me finance, and make a series of encouraging calls.  It was a great customer experience and we were both tremendously excited.  Then on Wednesday they called again.  I was expecting this to be the 'we have your car, the finance is ready and we will upload your photos so you can make your final decision' conversation.  No.  They actually said they had closed the site and the business effective Tuesday and I would not be getting my car.

Now, I was in a meeting at the time and in any event I tend to react to these things in a resigned, accepting way. But when I went to the site (www.tescocars.com - check it out), I read that they would complete pre-existing orders if the car was with them.  My car was due to be with them on the day they called.  I had not been offered this option, it was presented to me as a fait accompli.  I got angrier and angrier, eventually calling them and saying I wanted my car.  They said they'd call back that day or yesterday.  No news.  I do not believe they have any intention of even investigating the possibility of completing the transaction.  Their twitter customer service is giving nothing but stock 'sorry for any inconvenience' crap.  I am fuming.  Not only do I not have a new car, I also have a finance search record on my credit history that means I'll never be able to get a loan myself now.  And I can't follow up with the original loan company, as they don't lend direct to consumers.  And I don't know where my car is anyway!  So I'm never shopping at Tesco ever again.  That's roughly £12,000 in grocery spend a year that Sainsbury's will now be getting instead, plus goodness knows how much petrol.

Rant over.

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