Sunday run cancelled.

The overnight snowfall is not very deep. Enough to put a fresh covering on roads and pavements it will be too slippery for running. Wind that is blowing from the east gives quite a low chill factor. Cars with rear wheel drive are moving cautiously while four wheel drive vehicles are demonstrating  their qualities. Fewer people than usual are walking dogs, those that are being well protected from the cold. Snow on the road reduces the noise made by the traffic and leaves an eerie silence. The sporting program is all but wiped out and presenters struggle to fill in time. One such filler was an interview with the racehorse trainer Nicky Henderson on channel 4 which was both honest and informative. Re-runs of old footage is just lazy journalism and exposes less talented presenters. Presenters that are unable to improvise and only read from an auto cue. The World Cup football qualifying matches that are being played this week means that no Premier or Championship matches are being played. This means that Sky has reached down into the lower divisions for matches to screen. Skill levels are lacking but the endeavour is high and results are less predictable.
I have just seen one runner go by. She was moving as if unsure of her footing. This cannot be enjoyable or achieve much from a fitness point of view. The risk of injury looks to outweigh any benefits gained.

Revised target hit.

Friday saw us reach our revised target. We did not approach the task with much enthusiasm but knew it had to be done. Even the pavements had quite a lot of surface water which made things a little bit unpleasant. Snow arrived on Friday night as forecast and has continued on and off throughout Saturday. This could put our Sunday run in serious doubt. If we are unable to run tomorrow that would be two Sundays lost to snow. I suppose we should expect that in late March in England.

Poetry in motion.

I just knew it would happen. Miss the Sunday run and the whole weeks schedule goes out the window. It appeared straight forward enough; four runs of six and a half miles would more than cover the twenty five mile target. Not running on Monday was a mistake; this left us to completing the miles in four consecutive days. Tuesdays five mile run added to the pressure which was compounded when we did the same on Wednesday. Fifteen miles in the remaining two days is just too many (we don’t run Saturdays). Revise the target down to twenty and we have something that is achievable. We set out today feeling more optimistic and enthusiastic. The first mile was a bit slow but there was a hill in it so that was acceptable. After half a mile of downhill we turned left up a track that goes on for a mile. We put our backs into it and climbed at a steady even pace. Most of the excess water had drained away from the track and the wind had dried the mud so it didn’t stick to our shoes quite so much. At the top we crossed over a main road and ran down the track on the other side of it for a mile. This was easier going as the surface is not so broken up. At the far end of the lane we turned left and ran alongside a main road home. This was a run of just over five miles which means another five tomorrow will reach the revised target. Revising a target to something that is more achievable makes better sense than struggling to hit one which is just beyond my capabilities.

This is a poem from the book I wrote. If you have competed in races you will understand the feeling. Please leave a comment and let me know.

The Race Runner

Raindrops fall on a balding pate,

Merged with sweat flow at a rate,

Across his brow and down his vest,

He runs and runs no pause for rest.

Fire in his lungs cannot be quenched,

As from his chest they’re almost wrenched,

In out in out they heave and sigh,

Praying the finishing line is nigh.

Thighs scream out enough enough,

His calves rebel, the going’s tough,

Blisters form on cramped up toes,

The pain it comes but rarely goes.

Over the line he’s tired and weak,

His head is pounding he cannot speak,

A week’s recovery is all he needs,

Then off again at breakneck speed.

Spring postponed until April

Sunday came “we will run come hell or high water” but looking out of the window we were not enthusiastic. While we stood and deliberated it started to snow. It was small flakes at first but quickly escalated into something a little more substantial. Visibility reduced to about fifty yards would have made it dangerous to run on the road. Grass was soon covered which would have concealed lumps and bumps that could cause injuries to ankles etc. Pavements also had a light covering that made them slippery. The only sensible decision was to stay at home. By lunch time conditions had improved but with football looming on Sky TV it was too late.

Monday was completely different. You would think you were on a different continent, sun shone and it was almost warm. Running was put to one side in favour of gardening, well moving logs anyway. It was backbreaking and took most of the day. Today still not fired with enthusiasm we got out and did it. Five miles around the roads because heavy overnight rain has again flooded some of the fields and those not flooded are very sticky.

Hard disc, hard luck.

It was just as well we ran on Thursday as the computer problem proved to be more serious than at first thought. All attempts to solve the problem failed. We were able to remove the Hard Drive and save the contents to another computer which means I have been able to save all of my writing. We then ran the recovery disc that took it back to factory settings. This wiped the Hard Drive of all the documents and Software that was on it. We reloaded Internet Explorer but despite repeated efforts it comes up with error messages. The computer is a few years old and is running XP which may be the root of the problem. It is very time consuming and frustrating. Not sure if it can be fixed or whether it will mean buying a new one which we can ill afford.
Come hell or high water we will go for a run tomorrow just to get away from the computer.

Day ends in disaster.

The run yesterday was one of our better efforts. It may have been the milder weather or just the desire to get it done. A circular course of just over four miles, it went very well. Knees were not in rebellious mood, breathing fairly even and target of twenty five miles achieved. A good start to the day. Then it all went wrong. Connected the Garmin to the computer to upload the run details to Garmin Connect to view the run analysis and the computer would not start, not even in Safe Mode. Tried all the solutions we know without success. The other bad news was that the book I am writing is on this computer as well as the book I have already written and some poems, not to mention the pictures. I have no back ups for any of this work so today could be very long trying to sort it out. The moral of the story appears to be, "Back up, back up and back up again."

For better or for worse we're going!

We ran five miles yesterday. This only leaves just over four on Friday to achieve twenty five for the week. We set off on the road through a housing estate. Buildings give some protection from the wind and the smooth surface of the road helps to loosen stiff joints and muscles. A mile and a half into the run we turned left down the aptly named Canal Lane. From the lane we could see the M40 motorway in the distance. Cars and lorries en route from London to Birmingham and vice versa. At the bottom of a steep field we joined the tow path beside the Oxford Canal. A flat but slightly muddy one mile later we were in town. A steep hill reduced me to walking before the top but a fairly brisk run home from there made up for it. A white overnight frost and bright sunshine this morning means we are going to run today as the weather forecast for tomorrow is heavy rain. I just hope the joints will stand it.
Went out yesterday and bought a new lawn mower, the old one which had given good service died. The grass is growing, a sure sign that spring is on the way.
When we get back from our run I will sit and write more of my book. I have gathered my thoughts and can see where the next part of the story is going. At the moment I am reading "The secret life of Bletchley Park", it is a bit hard going but very informative and I will see it through. Has anyone else read it? If so I would be pleased if you would let me know what you thought of it.